Ashley Flowers

6.4M people listen to this woman’s podcast every week.

When Ashley Flowers started “Crime Junkie” in 2017, all she had was $13K in savings, a best friend on the phone, and a deep obsession with cold cases.

She recorded in a spare room, worked 15-hour days, and built an audience one episode at a time.

Today? Crime Junkie pulls in over 6.4M listeners a week.

It’s the #1 true crime show on Apple.

Ashley is the top female podcaster in the U.S. and one of the few media founders doing it all from the Midwest.

But she didn’t stop at one podcast.

Ashley built Audiochuck, a podcast network with 20+ shows, over 2.6 billion downloads, and a full-time staff of 130.

She still hosts its two biggest hits (Crime Junkie and The Deck) while reviewing scripts, closing ad deals, and touring the country for live tapings.

In 2024, she launched Crime Junkie AF, a video series with guest interviews, and Crime Junkie Radio, the first-ever true crime streaming channel on SiriusXM.

She’s also raised $40M from The Chernin Group (the firm behind Barstool and Hello Sunshine), valuing her company at $250M.

With plans to expand into TV, film, publishing, and merch.

She wants Audiochuck to be the Blumhouse of mystery and thriller.

But Ashley’s impact goes far beyond entertainment.

She founded Season of Justice, a nonprofit that funds DNA testing for cold cases.

Since 2020, they’ve supported over 228 investigations, helped solve 15 murders, and identified 21 previously unnamed victims, including one from 1975.

And her storytelling has real-world consequences:
In 2023, two Crime Junkie listeners helped exonerate a wrongfully convicted man in Texas after hearing about the case on her podcast.

She’s also a bestselling author.

Her debut novel, All Good People Here, hit #1 on the NYT list.

Her next book, The Missing Half, came out May 2025.