Empowering Middle Schoolers Through Podcasting (and Eating Oprah's Soup) with Rich Boerner

Ep. 334 • Wednesday, July 22, 2026

Rich Boerner is an award-winning audio creator, producer, voice talent, and best-selling author whose career has taken him from a pirate radio station on Long Island to New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and more. Along the way, he's worked alongside A-list talent and with major networks including Spotify, Audacy, FOX, and CBS. From 2001 to 2007, he worked with Tod at 97.1 KLSX Los Angeles, the home of "The Howard Stern Show" and "The Adam Carolla Show." These days, he's the co-founder of The Sandbox, a private podcast network and curriculum program designed to help middle school students find their voices and build self-confidence. In this episode, Rich shares how The Sandbox is teaching middle schoolers important communication skills and giving teachers new creative options for the classroom. He also recalls a wonderful story about having lunch with Oprah Winfrey and Gwyneth Paltrow.