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What does it mean to keep making, caring and staying human when everything feels like it’s falling apart?

In this final episode of the Girls Twiddling Knobs podcast, Isobel Anderson speaks directly and unfiltered to you, the listeners, with honesty, clarity and care.

This is not a neat goodbye or a highlight reel. It is a reckoning. A permission slip. And a series of parting truths offered to women in music, male allies, music organisations and colleagues in higher education.

Isobel reflects on the wider context we are living in: dark times, eroding systems, the devaluing of art and the quiet shame so many creatives carry around money, security and survival. She argues for doing less but doing it with integrity. For making more than we consume. For listening more than we shout. And for staying close to creativity not because it will save the world, but because it keeps us human.

You’ll hear candid advice about:

• The real trade-offs between making art and making a living
• Why streaming is a dead end for most musicians
• When to treat music like a business and when not to
• Investing in skills, backing yourself and stopping the wait for permission
• Letting other people own their shit
• Why organisations must take digital communication seriously if they want real impact
• The role men must play as active, imperfect allies
• The heartbreak and hope of higher education, and when it might be time to build something else

The episode closes with gratitude, acknowledgements and a reflection on legacy. Girls Twiddling Knobs may be ending, but listening, making, creating and caring do not.

Stay bold. Stay unapologetic. Don’t wait for permission. Stay human.

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Girls Twiddling Knobs has ended, but you can stay connected to Isobel's artistic work here.

Girls Twiddling Knobs was hosted by Isobel Anderson and produced by Isobel Anderson and Jade Bailey from Nov 2020-Jan 2026 and will remain live on all major podcast platforms throughout 2026.

We are grateful to the British Library who have archived the podcast in their Sound and Vision Collection.

Learn more about the Girls Twiddling Knobs legacy here.

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In this deeply honest and reflective conversation, Isobel Anderson is joined by musician, educator and Radical Songwriting founder Rosie Bans to talk openly about the full journey of Girls Twiddling Knobs, from its beginnings as The Female DIY Musician to the decision to close the project after five years.

This episode exists because this story was too complex, emotional and important to unpack alone. Rosie has been part of Girls Twiddling Knobs as a student, collaborator, team member and peer support, making her uniquely placed to hold this conversation with care, insight and challenge.

Together, they explore:

• Why Girls Twiddling Knobs was started in the first place
• Chronic illness, disability, precarity and survival as a musician
• Building a business with no capital, no safety net and no investors
• Gender inequality, anger, activism and the limits of individual change
• Burnout, parasocial relationships and emotional labour
• Why ethical online education is so hard to sustain
• The pressure to scale, promise outcomes and commodify creativity
• Why Isobel chose to step away rather than compromise her values
• What she would do differently if she started again
• Reconnecting with artistic practice after years away
• What comes next, and what success now means

This is not a takedown or a farewell filled with regret. It is a clear-eyed reflection on care, sustainability, integrity and choosing yourself.

If you’ve ever run a creative business, worked in the music industry, supported women in marginalised spaces, or wondered why so many meaningful projects struggle to survive, this episode will resonate deeply.

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Girls Twiddling Knobs is hosted by Isobel Anderson and produced by Isobel Anderson and Jade Bailey.

Watch this episode on YouTube

Explore more episodes here.

Listen on Spotify.

Send us a text

n this Ask Me Anything episode of the Girls Twiddling Knobs podcast, Isobel Anderson answers listener questions spanning music careers, collaboration, production, business sustainability, sound art, and gender equity in the music industry.

Recorded as one of the final episodes before Girls Twiddling Knobs comes to a close, this conversation is candid, thoughtful, and deeply reflective. Isobel shares hard-won insights from five years of running a feminist music tech platform, alongside practical advice for artists, producers, educators and organisers working at the grassroots.

Topics covered include:

• How to run a creative business without burning out
• Setting boundaries around time, money and energy
• When collaborations are no longer serving you and how to walk away professionally
• Finding a co-producer when you are not part of established music circles
• Making a living as a producer or mixer today
• Creating safer, more intentional spaces for women in songwriting and music
• Reducing noise in field recording, contact mic and hydrophone work
• The thinking behind Isobel’s recent ceramics and voice installation
• What cis men can do to actively support gender equity in music
• How the Girls Twiddling Knobs podcast will be archived for future listeners

Whether you are an emerging artist, an experienced practitioner, or someone thinking about building community in music and sound, this episode offers reassurance, honesty and practical guidance for navigating creative work on your own terms.

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Girls Twiddling Knobs is hosted by Isobel Anderson and produced by Isobel Anderson and Jade Bailey.

Watch this episode on YouTube

Explore more episodes here.

Listen on Spotify.