Who are you? Who do you work for?
I'm Isabelle Roughol. I created Broad History and I make it all by myself. I am French and now also British, and I live in London. I sound (roughly) American because that's where I learned English. I'm a journalist originally working in foreign news, with a Bachelor's of Journalism from the University of Missouri ('08), a stint reporting in Phnom Penh at The Cambodia Daily and another editing on the foreign desk at Le Figaro in Paris and running The New York Times International Weekly, French edition. I spent the better part of a decade building the global editorial team and products at LinkedIn in Paris, Sydney and London. I created my first podcast Borderline in 2020, consulted on audience, product and revenue with various media brands, briefly worked on podcasts at The Guardian and was on the exec team at The New Humanitarian. Today I nerd out on helping indie media build sustainable businesses that serve communities and keep journalists semi-lucratively employed, while I also build my own indie media house. History is a lifelong interest but a newer professional pursuit; I have just finished a Master's degree in Public History from Birkbeck, University of London ('25). That's me in short.
How do I listen to the podcast?
Broad History is on available on all podcasting apps; you'll find all the links here. You can also find all episodes on this website. If you're a paying member, follow instructions here to subscribe to your private podcast feed and listen to episodes early and without ads.
Why should we trust you?
Absurd amounts of research go into each episode. If you can't find me at my desk, you'll find me at a library. I spend days looking at the work of people who've spent years on theirs. Broad History leans on the work of serious academics and each episode is built around the interview of an expert. With my dual background as a journalist and a historian, I take sourcing very seriously. While it's not always practical to include a full bibliography on the podcast, I do share many resources on the website and encourage you to read further into any topic.
How do you make your money?
I make it from you. Seriously, become a member or Broad History will fold. I find audience-supported media the best and most reliable model. It forces creators to pay attention to what audiences really want and creates genuine community between indie makers and their appreciators. It's also the best guarantee of independence. I love it, even if that means having to go around with the hat more often than I'd like. Membership alone is unrealistic, so I welcome sponsors to the podcast. Yes, that's good old-fashioned advertising, clearly labeled as such. Members get the podcast ad-free. There's also a bookshop (UK only unfortunately) that pays me a commission for every book you purchase, and one day there will be merch. A handful of links to software I use every day and whole-heartedly recommend are also affiliated – Ghost and Magic Pages, with which I build and host the website; Descript and Riverside, with which I edit the podcast and video; and Transistor, my trusty podcast host of many years.
What do members get?
Besides the warm glow of knowing they make Broad History possible, members can listen to every episode at least 48 hours before everyone else and without ads. They can binge all multi-episode series without waiting and get extra episodes too. They are able to comment on the website and have extra access to me and one another to discuss all things women's history. As Broad History grows, they'll be first in line for anything new I come up with, including IRL and online events, merch, an online chat community and more. Think of BH members as a community of early adopting history buffs who get all my attention and gratitude. Come on, join us.
Do you do brand partnerships or receive freebies?
No. My only perk is I request from publishers free review copies of books whose authors may feature on the podcast or that can help me research a planned topic. That does not guarantee the author a slot on the pod, but it often ends up that way because I only request books I'm very interested in. Sometimes books come in unsolicited. Broad History wouldn't exist without the support of authors and publishers; there's just no way I could pay retail price for all the books required to make an informed episode. I also rely heavily on public libraries.
Do you publish AI-generated content?
No. Everything you read, see or hear is human-made. I use some AI tools in my backstage processes to make this one-woman operation more productive. I wrote a whole page with my AI pledge to you, dear reader.
What about my privacy?
I've also made a whole page about privacy here. Tl;dr: I'm very careful about using ethical software. There are no cookies on this site beyond what it takes to log you in.
I'm a historian. I'd like to show off my work on Broad History.
Drop me a line. I love hearing about new research and if it fits in my editorial calendar, happy to have you on. I'm particularly interested in page-turning biographies, research that challenges our understanding of well-known historical events and works of history that helps shed light on our present. It does not have to be solely about women but must incorporate women's experiences.
