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Foojay Podcast #88: From Code to Stage: Organizing Conferences and Finding Your Voice as a Speaker

Mon, 29 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000

What turns a nervous first-timer into a confident conference speaker? Plenty of developers have a story worth sharing, but the path from idea to stage feels foggy. In this conversation we hear from organizers, coaches, and speakers at every stage of that path. We talk with Stephan Janssen, Martin Smelt, Brian Vermeer, Annelore Egger, Daniël Floor, Berwout de Vries Robles, and Susanne Pieterse in Foojay Podcast #88.

Foojay Podcast #65: Boost Your Career in 2025!

Mon, 20 Jan 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Your year-end review is done, the goals are set, and now the real question shows up. How do you actually grow as a developer in the year ahead? To kick off the first Foojay Podcast of 2025, I sat down with Rafael Del Nero, Bruno Souza, and Elder Moraes for episode #65 to talk about concrete ways to boost your career.

Foojay Podcast #49: JCON Report, Part 1 - JUGs, Communities, Open Source, Generative AI, LangChain4j, Machine Learning

Tue, 21 May 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Walking the floor at a Java conference is the fastest way to learn what the community actually cares about right now. We packed a microphone and took the Foojay Podcast on the road to JCON in Cologne, capturing short conversations between sessions. We talked with Geertjan Wielenga, Markus Kett, Richard Fichtner, Jonathan Vila, Soham Dasgupta, Mary Grygleski, Mohammed Aboullaite, Simon de Groot, and Richelle Bussenius for episode #49.

Foojay Podcast #48: JUG Oberpfalz, JCON Conference, and JAVAPRO Magazine

Mon, 06 May 2024 00:00:00 +0000

A small Java meetup in the Oberpfalz region of Germany sparked something much bigger. The same people behind that local group also run the JCON conference in Cologne and publish JAVAPRO magazine. We sat down with Richard Fichtner and Markus Kett for Foojay Podcast #48 to hear how one community effort kept expanding.

Foojay Podcast #46: JUG Switzerland

Tue, 02 Apr 2024 00:00:00 +0000

What does it take to keep a Java User Group alive across a small but multilingual country? Switzerland has an active Java community spread over several cities, and the people behind it have plenty of stories about sponsors, speakers, and the long road back after COVID. We sat down with Patrick Baumgartner and Simon Martinelli from JUG Switzerland for Foojay Podcast #46.

Foojay Podcast #44: Quarkus Club

Mon, 04 Mar 2024 00:00:00 +0000

A Java User Group dedicated to a single framework, started less than a year ago, already counts as one of the largest Quarkus communities in the world. That kind of growth raises an obvious question. How do two organizers build that kind of momentum from scratch? We talked about all of it with Igor De Souza and Luis Fabrício De Llamas in Foojay Podcast #44.

Foojay Podcast #42: Jozi-JUG and Cape Town Java Community

Mon, 05 Feb 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Java communities thrive on the people who show up month after month to run meetups, line up speakers, and welcome newcomers. This episode takes us to South Africa to hear how two of those communities keep the lights on. We talked with Corneil du Plessis and Steven Makunzva about Jozi-JUG and the Cape Town Java Community in Foojay Podcast #42.

Foojay Podcast #39: Java Dominicana

Tue, 02 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Java user groups grow in every corner of the world, and each one tells a story about the people who keep it alive. This time we travel to the Caribbean to hear how a Spanish-speaking community builds bridges across Latin America. We talk with Brayan Muñoz Vargas and Eudris Cabrera Rodriguez about JavaDominicana in Foojay Podcast #39.

Foojay Podcast #37: J-Fall Report, Part 4 (final)

Mon, 18 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000

J-Fall packs a full year of Java conversations into a single day in the Netherlands, and one report episode does not fit it all. This is the fourth and final part of our hallway interviews from that November conference, covering virtual threads, profiling, collections, and the people who keep Java User Groups running. I talk with Maurice Naftalin, Ron Veen, David Vlijmincx, Ivar Grimstad, Johannes Bechberger, Mohammed Aboullaite, Hilbrand Bouwkamp, Paco van Beckhoven, and Willem van de Griendt in Foojay Podcast #37.

Foojay Podcast #35: Dublin JUG

Mon, 04 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Running a local Java User Group takes more than booking a room and waiting for people to show up. It needs steady organizers, a steady stream of speakers, and a community that keeps coming back. In this episode we sit down with Barry Alistair from the Dublin JUG to hear how they keep their group active. This is Foojay Podcast #35, part of the monthly series about the people behind Java User Groups.

Foojay Podcast #34: J-Fall Report, Part 2

Mon, 27 Nov 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Conferences pack a year of conversations into a few hallway minutes. At J-Fall 2023 in the Netherlands, we grabbed a microphone and asked speakers and attendees what they care about right now. In this second part, we talk with Elien Callens, Tom Cools, Louëlla Creemers, Willem Cheizoo, Tim te Beek, Elvira van der Ven, Lutske de Leeuw, and Roy Wasse for Foojay Podcast #34.

Foojay Podcast #32: Philippines JUG

Mon, 06 Nov 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Java communities look different in every country, and the Philippines shows that well. A younger crew now leads the local JUG and shapes the Softcon conference at the same time. In this conversation we look at how they keep the group active, how COVID changed their meetups, and where AI fits in their plans. I sat down with Tristan Mahinay, Calen Legaspi, Jansen Marson Ang, and Kerby Martino for Foojay Podcast #32.

Foojay Podcast #30: Utrecht JUG

Mon, 02 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +0000

A local Java User Group lives or dies by the people who show up and the people who keep showing up to organize. On September 12th, I spoke at the Utrecht JUG and brought a camera and microphones to capture what makes this group tick. In this conversation we sit down with Michel van Dongen, Willem van de Griendt, Elias Nogueira, Gerard Meijwaard, and Hanno Embregts for Foojay Podcast #30.

Foojay Podcast #27: Chicago JUG and KUG

Mon, 04 Sep 2023 00:00:00 +0000

User groups shape careers in ways conferences rarely can. They turn a city into a network of mentors, speakers, and friends who happen to share a language runtime. In this episode we visit Chicago and talk with Mary Grygleski and John Burns about running the local Java and Kotlin communities, episode #27 of the Foojay Podcast.

Foojay Podcast #24: BeJUG, BruJUG and how Devoxx was born as JavaPolis

Mon, 05 Jun 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Belgium punches above its weight in the Java world, and most of that energy comes from a small group of people who keep local communities alive. This episode digs into how BeJUG started in 1997, how BruJUG joined later, and how a local conference called JavaPolis turned into Devoxx. I sit down with Olivier Hubaut (BruJUG), Stephan Janssen (founder of BeJUG, Devoxx, Devoxx4Kids, and Voxxed), and Tom Cools (AntwerpJUG, BeJUG) for Foojay Podcast #24.

Foojay Podcast #21: Brazil SouJava JUG and How to Grow your Developer Career

Mon, 01 May 2023 00:00:00 +0000

What does it take to build the world’s largest Java User Group, and what can other developers learn from the people who run it? SouJava has been gathering Java fans in Brazil since 1999, and its organizers have plenty to say about community, open source, and career growth. In this episode we sit down with Otavio Santana, Maximillian Arruda, and Bruno Souza for Foojay Podcast #21.

Foojay Podcast #18: Atlanta JUG and DevNexus

Mon, 03 Apr 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Running a Java User Group takes more than a meeting room and good intentions. It takes volunteers, a legal structure, venues, sponsors, and years of steady work. We sat down with Pratik Patel (Lead Dev Rel at Azul) and Vincent Mayers (Dev Community at Gradle) to hear how Atlanta JUG grew into the team behind DevNexus, one of the largest Java conferences in the US. This is Foojay Podcast #18, part of our Java User Group World Tour.

Foojay Podcast #15: Japan JUG

Mon, 06 Mar 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Running a Java User Group takes more than scheduling a room and picking a topic. It takes people who care enough to keep showing up, finding speakers, and rebuilding momentum after a pandemic. We sat down with Shin Tanimoto, Ayana Yokota, and Maaya Ishida for Foojay Podcast #15 to hear how the Japanese Java community keeps its meetups alive.

Foojay Podcast #13: Denver and Boulder JUG

Mon, 06 Feb 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Running a Java User Group takes more than booking a room and picking a topic. Speakers go quiet, venues close, and attendance swings hard after a pandemic. In this stop of the Foojay Podcast JUG World Tour, we sit down with Greg Ostravich, Zettie Chin-Fong, Kris Woyna, and Matt Raible to hear how two JUGs only 45 minutes apart keep their communities active. This is Foojay Podcast #13.

Foojay Podcast #10: JUG World Tour: Dubai JUG

Tue, 03 Jan 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Starting a Java User Group from scratch takes more than enthusiasm. It takes speakers, attendees, sponsors, and a local culture that wants to show up. We sat down with Jad Salhani and Chris Thalinger from the Dubai JUG, which kicked off in May 2022, for Foojay Podcast #10 in our JUG World Tour series.