This episode of the Jukebox Podcast features Cathy Mitchell, a longtime WordPress contributor and founder of WPBarista. Cathy began using WordPress in 2007 and turned a maternity‑leave hobby into a business in 2008. More recently she’s moved into community organising and is the lead organiser for WordCamp Canada 2026. The conversation explores why WordPress events and community involvement matter — for individuals, for businesses, and for the future of open source.
From support forums to centre stage
Cathy’s entry to WordPress was typical for many early adopters: learning in the public support forums, asking basic questions and being helped by experienced volunteers. That early culture of generous, hands‑on mentoring shaped her view of WordPress. Later she started WPBarista to support clients, but as her children grew and her life stage shifted, she began looking for ways to give back. A call from a member of the Canada Slack led her to volunteer with WordCamp Canada, and quickly into a leadership role. She describes the experience as freeing compared with corporate environments, where meaningful responsibility is often delayed behind layers of bureaucracy. In WordPress, if you show up, people tend to say “yes” and help you learn on the job.
What makes the community special
Both Cathy and the host, Nathan Wrigley, emphasise the community’s openness, international flavour, and low barriers to participation. Events and online spaces allow people from different countries, backgrounds, and skill levels to work toward shared goals. For many, those shared experiences provide belonging and purpose. Cathy describes volunteering as an antidote to loneliness and a way to practice skills, make friends, and do meaningful work — especially important during life transitions like “empty nesting.”
Volunteering: personal reward and practical benefit
Volunteering often looks like unpaid work, but Cathy argues it produces real returns that aren’t strictly financial. People gain direction, camaraderie, and satisfaction from helping others; those are strong predictors of personal wellbeing. Nathan adds that research on happiness points to two clear drivers: social connectedness and altruism — both of which volunteering delivers.
For businesses, the case can be more pragmatic. Sponsoring or contributing to WordPress events can help hiring and recruiting by putting companies in the community where talent congregates. It can also be a long‑term investment in the health of the ecosystem on which many businesses depend. Cathy acknowledges, however, that economic uncertainty and increased competition have made sponsorship decisions tougher. Organisations now look for clearer returns and face a more crowded marketplace for attention and budget.
The changing landscape for sponsorship
Cathy sees a “perfect storm” at work: tighter corporate budgets after recent economic shocks, more competition across plugins, themes and agencies, and higher expectations from organisers around trademark use and sponsor responsibilities. The rapid growth WordPress enjoyed for many years has begun to level, and with it the easy justification for sponsorship. That doesn’t mean the community is doomed — Cathy frames it more as a period of stabilisation where organisers and sponsors must make more deliberate choices.
Technology, loneliness, and service
The conversation turns to the broader cultural effects of technology. Both speakers worry that increased screen time and solitary entertainment have contributed to a loneliness epidemic — a concern even noted by public health authorities. Cathy and Nathan agree that volunteering and face‑to‑face events are practical responses: they provide structure, shared goals, and a chance to be part of something larger than oneself.
Investing in the next generation
A running theme is the necessity of bringing young people into open source. Cathy highlights initiatives such as Campus Connect and university credit programs that can introduce students to WordPress in a way that counts toward their studies. Engaging youth matters not just for project survival, but for the future vibrancy of the ecosystem: young contributors bring new ideas, energy, and skills. Cathy plans to push these programs forward at WordCamp Canada to ensure students see open source as accessible and rewarding.
Why WordCamp Canada matters now
Cathy views WordCamp Canada as a visible, energising opportunity in a time of uncertainty. A successful conference signals that community organising and open source still produce meaningful outcomes. It’s also a tangible place to practise inclusion, recruit volunteers, connect sponsors with talent, and introduce students to the world of open collaboration.
Optimism for open source
Despite concerns about sponsorship and shifting technology trends, both Cathy and Nathan remain optimistic about the role of open source. Cathy believes that open platforms paired with emergent technologies like AI could be powerful when built on accessible, communal foundations. Her practical advice for anyone reading or listening: show up, volunteer in ways that suit your skills, and help introduce younger people to these communities.
Where to find Cathy
Cathy can be found at WPBarista, and on the WordCamp Canada site for details about the upcoming event. For anyone curious about getting involved, events and local community teams are often the easiest on‑ramps: you don’t need a formal application or decades of experience — bring willingness, show up, and people will help you learn.