Good morning, podcasting morning chat. Today is Friday, March 21st, 2025. And today... We're diving into tips, stories, and strategies to keep podcasting fun, fresh, and energizing. Plus, we're celebrating our wins from this past week. So if you're listening live on Clubhouse, hit the share button, bottom left-hand side of the screen, and share it however Clubhouse lets you. And if you're listening via podcast, please share this episode with a fellow podcaster.
And now give us about 30 seconds and we'll get things rolling. Thanks for being here. Morning again, podcasting morning chat. Thanks for being here. I am your host, Mark Ronick, and currently on stage with me, my co-hosts, D.R. Fay and Nick Nalback. As you know, producer Ashley is out.
for the rest of the week and I think a couple days next week as well. She's doing some traveling and hope she's having fun. And also we've got Alexandra who just joined us from the audience up here on stage. I know Alexandra usually joins us on Fridays. I think this might be her favorite day as far as the podcasting morning chat goes, based on that. So today I want to talk about how to keep podcasting fun.
I was inspired because I saw a post in Podfest's Facebook group. And actually, it was posted by Podfest. And that was essentially the question they were asking. Really, more so... how do you make sure you have maximum fun as a podcaster? We can phrase it however we want. I think the idea here is, well, I'll tell you, I mean.
I think that podcasting can start as a passion project for some people. For other people, it started as an intentional project for their business. But somewhere along the way, no matter what... your reasoning is, I know that for many, podcasting can feel like a grind. And we've talked about pod fade lately. We've talked about the challenges of...
staying consistent. So today's all about getting back to the joy of it all. What made you, we'll dig into things like what made you hit record in the first place. How can you keep the spark alive? And I think that, again, whether you're just starting out, whether it's a passion project or you're deep into your hundredth episode and this is for a business, whatever the reasons, finding ways to make it fun or maybe fun again can totally...
shift your energy and i think your audience feels that too and Before we get into all of that, I do want to shout out, since it is Friday and we will be sharing wins from the week, I know that you may remember, you might have heard the episode where we talked about Izzy. Please forgive me. Izzy. Izzy was here or virtually here. We were reading her question about changing the vibe, the tone.
of her existing podcast, injecting more of her authentic self into it. How does she do that? And we dug into that. Well, she has a win for us, unrelated to what I just shared. She posted in the Facebook group, and I'll just quote it. I'll read it straight from here. The muggle job schedule makes it difficult for me to make it to the live rooms, but a fun win.
Initiated today, the Hopeful Simplicity podcast, that's her podcast, has been invited to have a regular aired spot on Indianapolis Mix. It's an online radio station. to possibly start as soon as this coming Sunday. And she goes on to say, holy crickets, is this lady excited? So I want to shout out Izzy, a.k.a. Melissa. host of the Hopeful Simplicity podcast. Kudos to you. Congratulations, Melissa. And as I commented on that post, it's a great example of staying consistent.
and pushing through and experiencing the unexpected opportunities that come with it. Sometimes we think that, you know, not enough people are listening. Or we think, why are we doing this each week, every week? And I think for someone like Melissa, I think that this is a great example of someone like Melissa. This is why. You don't know who's listening. Okay, you got 20 downloads last week. Okay. But who are those 20 people? You never know. So keep that in mind when you're...
bitchin' and moanin' about your download count. And Alex Baelish has joined us now on stage as well. Good to have Alex here. Okay, so I think I've set this up, but yeah. I think I've set this up enough. So again, the question today is how do we keep podcasting fun? It's not always going to be. So I think it's important that we find different ways.
to keep it fun for ourselves. And I'll start, the question I want to start with is what's something that you've done lately on your podcast purely because it felt fun? And I think the closest example that I have is yesterday. Now, I didn't do yesterday's podcast purely because it felt fun. There was a... big purpose, intention behind it, part of podcast on, part of raising awareness for the area of Western North Carolina and our recovery efforts here.
But it was fun. I did something different than I normally do. And I was excited about it. I felt passionate about it. And it felt good to break the mold. It felt good to do something completely off topic. And I think it was really well received. I mean, I've gotten great feedback about it so far. If we're putting any weight into downloads, I see it's getting more downloads within the first 24 hours that a normal episode does. And that's fun to see. But ultimately, I had a blast.
breaking that mold, doing something different, and talking about something that I'm passionate about. Yeah, Alex, go ahead. You know, I'm glad you brought this topic up because I've been really struggling podcasting right now. for a bunch of reasons. But I think going back to what you said about being fun, having a podcast partner is the greatest thing and the hardest thing.
Because it can get when you're down, they can be up. And when you're up, they can be down kind of thing. And you have to carry each other. And I think also we as podcasters have to learn how to. take the highs not too high and the lows not too low, but also really try to focus in on what's fun. I think most people enjoy their podcast partner.
Mostly. And I say that I say that because it can take a turn for the worse. And I think that, you know, if you can kind of mitigate that kind of stuff, I really believe that. It can really be something special. And if you can't, that may be, you know, that's okay too. But you have to be decisive about, okay, we're going to do this or we're not going to do this. I know I'm all over the place with this. It's just that.
this is really kind of hitting home that's why yeah yeah i appreciate that and i'm i'm happy for you to talk it through if you're feeling it feeling that way and it's so interesting to me because i see this sometimes when people come back from conferences like Podfest, they come back on a super high. And then there's this lull, there's this, yeah, I don't know what to call it, but something sometimes shifts with people.
And I see a lot of people want to chime in here. By the way, Dominic Lawson has joined us on stage. It's been a minute since Dominic's co-hosted. So good to have him. I know I feel guilty because Dominic's here and it's like, okay, I better up my game again. But, you know, here's what I heard from you, Alex, a couple of things that I heard that sticks out. One is that find someone else to do the stuff you don't want to do. And I know that can sound easy. for some people are easy, easily said.
But I do think some of the steps to keeping it fun is to find others to pick up some of the crap you don't want to do, like the editing. And that doesn't have to be somebody that you go out there and hire. I know plenty of podcasters. that have their high school kids helping them with production and truly enjoying it. So it doesn't mean I'm not trying to encourage you to spend money. I think that that is a solution. And I think getting a professional is going to make it.
that much more professional. But sometimes there's plenty of high school kids out there that know a lot about editing because of social media or whatever it is. And I think you can lean on that. But the other thing is, is don't take it too seriously. You know, you said there's so many things that we put ourselves through as podcasters. And I think that's just it. I think we're putting ourselves through it.
But we don't always have to. And I think that's where it comes bringing it back to the theme today, which is keeping it fun. We put so much pressure on ourselves with our podcast. At least... And I know, again, I'm generalizing here, but I think a lot of us do that. And I know I do that with social media. With my podcasting, I feel like I have a lot of fun with it. I don't take it terribly seriously.
And then with my social media, I get too hung up and caught up in it sometimes, trying to figure it out, trying to figure out how to get more eyes and ears on it and then stay and watch the whole thing. And I know that's similar language to podcasting, but I don't know what it is. Let me check in with Nick, and then, Alexander, I'm coming to you. Nick, go for it. What did you want to add? Good morning. I think...
As I'm kind of reflecting on how I operate a lot of times, I think part of it is when you get started with podcasts or you attend an event like PodFest. And you end up having all these ideas and thoughts of what your podcast could be, what you could potentially do with the show, what opportunities and doors it'll open. And that's super exciting.
As you're building the podcast or working on something new, there is that excitement of like, hey, I'm doing something. This is going to be so great. It's almost like being caught up in the end result of what's happening. And that's super exciting. And then you get to kind of this turning point where you're not necessarily building, but you're, you're like in a routine after a certain point.
And once it kind of becomes, it goes from excitement to routine, I feel like that's when it starts to feel like a job. It starts to feel mundane. It starts to feel like, oh, I have to do this. Like I have to go. sit down and edit this episode. And in the beginning stages, it was like, Ooh, this is fun. Like you could spend hours and hours editing because you're like, Oh, this is exciting. Yeah. You still might be like, I can't believe I spent five hours editing a podcast episode.
But there's still that excitement of what it could be. And once it kind of settles out, kind of like that honeymoon phase, like once it kind of settles out and then you're like, okay, like this isn't resulting in what I thought it would yet. How long do I have to keep this up until retirement or before I cash in and get a sponsor or whatever? And that's where it sort of loses the excitement for a lot of people.
can be applied to everything. It's going to be applied to career, podcasting, social media, like literally everything. So it's to me, not saying I have the answers, but how can you keep that excitement or find moments within your podcast to reignite some of that excitement and for some people that's going to events like podcast you go there you learn a bunch of stuff you hear success stories get motivated you're really pumped to
apply it to your own podcast and then you start implementing some of that stuff and then it falls back into a kind of a routine again. It starts becoming a little bit mundane. I don't know. I'm not saying I have the answer. I'm just saying like, I feel like that's very common. Yeah. And I fall into the same trap. Yeah, I hear you. There is something to be said when we get started on this. The motivation, the passion of what could be is a big driving force for a lot of people.
And then as it starts to develop and grow legs of its own, it may not live up to the expectations we set out. And I appreciate that you said yet. I agree with you. And so I think that there is this lack of patience that seeps in and takes over. And by the way, you also said something that sparked a way that I think keeping podcasting fun. I think is a good way to keep it fun is building and joining a community. I think it.
I think that there are people here that would speak to this community and say, yeah, this is what keeps it fun, keeps it interesting for me. Others may say it's going to an event like. Empowered Podcasting Conference or PodFest or Podcast Movement, South by Southwest, whatever it is. It's connecting yourself with other people who are in that grind with you.
and offering solutions and it does it it brings back for me it it's a new spark every time i go to one of those events and i feel like there's new possibilities, new options, new opportunities. So yeah, I think that's another good one. Let's check in with Alexandra. Good morning, Alexandra. I know you wanted to chime in here. What did you want to add to all this? Hi. Hi. Actually, it's really funny you should say that because I was having this issue with my podcast, but with my writing.
Because I've been so focused on just one script since October of last year. And I hit a wall. And I was just like... I hate this script now because I've been working on it so much. And it's such an important script to me. And I was like, okay. Obviously, something has got to give, so I need to just put this down and walk away. I've been working on this for almost six months. That's probably part of the problem. So I put it down, and I started a new project.
That doesn't mean I'm not coming back to the old one. It just means that it and I just need some time apart. We're on a trial separation, for lack of a better terminology. So sometimes you need to just tell your audience. I'm not on my game 100%, and you deserve 100%, so I'm going to walk away. Give yourself a timeline. I'll be back in six weeks. I'll be back. however long it is, but I need time to refuel. Yeah. Yeah. Thank you for saying that, Alexandra. That's so important.
Because it's actually funny, the script I'm working on right now, I was talking about it in one of my regular rooms last night. And someone that I've known for a while on this app... But he doesn't come on here very often anymore. But he was actually, he said. This idea sounds amazing. The way you're executing it sounds great. If I had my production company up and running, I would be talking to you about developing it with you. So he said, keep me apprised about it because it's going to...
because it's going to take a while to get it done. So he said, hopefully by the time you're ready for it, my production company will be up, but keep me in the loop about it. Yeah, yeah. And I put... some quotes in the chat but i think like the one that fits the most with this conversation especially with what alex was saying is you're allowed to love your work and still feel worn out by it sometimes that doesn't mean you've lost this
Bark, it just means you've been burning a little. Love it. Thank you. Thanks for more quotes, Alexandra. Our quote queen, I'm going to call you, if that's okay. Yes, well, I am a queen, so, you know, just adding an extra thing. Yes. And in our world, you're a quote queen. I love it. Thank you. That is super powerful. And yeah, putting down the script, how does that apply to podcasting? Well, easy. In my opinion, it's seasonal podcasting.
Make sure you're taking breaks. You don't have to put out a podcast every single week, 365 days a year. You don't. You don't have to. I don't care what anyone else says. I don't care if there are some... gurus out there that want to challenge me on that I don't think that's healthy and I take breaks here and I don't call them seasons but I take breaks
I recognize that I am putting out a ton of content and I'm okay with taking breaks. And I'm okay with if that means that some people aren't going to come back because I'm taking a week off. then so be it. So I think seasonal podcasting is a great way for a lot of people to take that break and recharge and refresh. And I would encourage you to find some other passion projects.
other things that light you up or explore things that might light you up in that off time. It's so important to keep our brains active. And I think... Finding things that light us up is a great way to do that. I'm going to check in with Dan. By the way, we've got now a full stage of cast and crew with DR, Nick, Amanda, Dominic, and Jonathan. joining us.
Glad to see all of them here. And I'm going to check in with Dan. And then James has joined us on stage as well as Jackie. So we've got a lot of people that want to chime in. We're going to try to do this for about 10 more minutes. And then I want to get to our wins from this. past week. Dan, good morning. Please share. What do you got for us? I think it's a great question. Community, I want to say yes, absolutely plug into community.
always beneficial in some way shape or form but i don't remember who was saying it i apologize it might have been nick talking about podfest and other experiences along the way and taking those elements that you learn or connect with well and applying them. Eventually, though, you start to hit that rut again. I think this really speaks to the difference or the distinction between extrinsic and intrinsic motivators. So understanding...
Why you're doing the podcast in the first place, the intrinsic piece of what it is you want to achieve, why you want to achieve it, is beneficial when it comes to maintaining positive. reinforcement and motivation for your podcast and staying well have fun keeping it fun if you can stay in tune with those things and and
The reasons aren't I'm just wanting to create a business from the podcast. That's going to get frustrating. That's an extrinsic environmental reward and extrinsic rewards are short term. Thank you, Dan. I think, yeah, you know what you said really made it, made something stick with me.
We always talk about you want to have fun. You want to have a successful podcast. Know your why. And you did say that, but you said something else, too. You said, basically, I'm adding maybe a little to it, but it's. Not just know your why, it's know your who, know your what, know your where, know your when, and your why. I think it's important to know all the different reasons, all the different aspects.
of your podcast, what you're doing there, why you're there, who you're doing it for. And the when is just as important because that goes back to the last point. When are you going to do this and how often? I think understanding all this is really important. Yeah, Dominic, what did you want to add? Good morning.
Good morning, everybody. I hope I all is well. And I'll be somewhat controversial here at this moment. I do apologize. No. But I think it's also maybe a point where to ask yourself, is this for you? Yeah. Is this for you anymore? Right. Because, I mean, listen, I don't want to be Dominic Downey here. Right. I want everybody to podcast. I want everybody to do all the things in podcasting. But there are times where we podcast or anything else where it's just here for a season.
Right. You know, and maybe you got your field and maybe you, you know, did what you wanted to do. And maybe it's time to move on. And I'm not saying this to be discouraging. I'm saying this to be honest with yourself. Um, because I think a lot of times we hop into things, not just podcasts and we just in life where people say, oh, you should do this thing. And then you do this thing and then you keep doing that thing because.
other people expect you to do that thing, even though you don't really like it anymore. Right. So that's all I want to kind of chime in with. Yeah. And you may still have a ton of fun only doing that one season. Right. Because it can last you a long time. You could keep going promoting that show over and over and over again over the course of a year or however long you want to do it. Right. You can promote that episode one.
multiple times over the course of however long that is for you. It might be just enough to get your fix. Once you have a podcast out there, even if you end it, you still have the podcast. It's still there. It's still available for people to consume. And it may be fun just going back to that. And eventually, maybe you'll start to feel like, okay.
Now I need something new and different. Maybe you'll start a new podcast or maybe you'll add that second season two years later. And, you know, and to your point, I mean, when you think about. TV shows and streaming services now, like we're seeing that in TV, right, where you'll have a show this one season and they won't come back for like maybe two or three years. Right. But when it comes back, the anticipation is high and is really great and people love it.
And they welcome him back. And so, I mean, that could also be a strategy as well. But I definitely agree with the idea of you don't have to do this X, Y, Z often. You know what I mean? Yeah. Because somebody says that. So that's all. Yeah, thank you. And Amanda, you had something. Go ahead.
I did. And I just screenshotted a comment that I saw on TikTok this morning. It applies to what Dominic said just so beautifully. It was a comment that said, how beautiful it is to try something, not like it, and then move on. And that is okay.
That is living. And I just think that like follows up what Dominic just said. It's okay to try something, maybe not like it, even like it, but know that that isn't what you're supposed to do anymore or wasn't exactly meeting the expectations of what you want. Let's celebrate that something was tried. I think that's so beautiful. Yeah, absolutely. That's an area that I am still working on strengthening for myself is accepting.
the idea of just trying something and being okay with it if it doesn't work. I tend to put so much weight into that new thing that I want to try that I'll either hesitate sometimes or I'll dive in. And if it doesn't go particularly well initially, I want to quit. I admit it. It's something I'm working on. I'm glad I have the awareness and I have some tools that help me once in a while through that. And it's still a muscle I'm strengthening. I relate to that and I agree with that quote, Amanda.
And I also think on the flip side, it's okay if something becomes wildly successful and you still go, but that, that was just a season I'm done. Like that's okay too. Yep. Yep. Thank you. Thank you for bringing that point up. Nick, go ahead, and then I'm going to check in with James. I'm going to correct both you and Amanda very quickly.
If you went and you did that podcast, it's not something you tried. It's something that you still did, regardless of it was five episodes, 10 episodes, 20 episodes, and you decided to call it quits. It's something you did. And you can say, Hey, I did that. Not something, Oh, I tried it. And it was what it was like, you did it. And I think that's something to be recognized and like, you did it.
Actually, when I initially raised my hand hearing Dominic talk about TV shows and things like that, something else to consider, like a lot of TV shows, when they're in the writing process and things like that, they go into it with the mindset that...
this is going to be a three season show and that is all it is going to be. And they're fine cutting it off at that point. Now, sometimes it, it gets wildly successful. They get super amped about it. And then they're like, Oh, we're going to do a revival of it.
And some people are like, meh, and other people are really excited. So I think it is perfectly fine as well going into it with an expectation of, hey, I'm going to do this for a season or two seasons, and we're going to stop and just... reflect on that for a little bit and there's nothing wrong with that yeah yeah thank you for saying that nick and this is why we celebrate our wins every week
And by the way, celebrate. Yeah, if you did that podcast, whether like you said, it was five episodes, 10 episodes, 100 episodes. When you stop, it's not a failure. You're trying or you tried. And you created a new experience for yourself. And that's what life is all about, in my opinion. It's creating experiences for yourself or it's experiencing life.
But you can't experience life if you're not doing the things, if you're not creating those experiences for yourself, if you're not participating in experiences. So it's never a failure. It's a celebration that you tried something, you went through something. You absolutely, I believe it, that you'll learn something.
Okay, I see lots of people want to chime in, but I do want to make sure that we get to James and Jackie's also on stage now too. They've been waiting and Yvonne and Billy have joined us. This has sparked some conversation, I suppose. So, James, good morning. I know you're often here, or at least you've checked in, but we haven't had you on stage yet. So, good morning. No, you haven't.
Long time listener, first time speaker. Yeah, and I should say you are the man behind Pod News. I am indeed. Yes, I am indeed. Yes, I'm sorry. That's all my fault. So good evening from sunny Australia. Yeah, I mean, you know, this is a really interesting question. I've done a podcast every single weekday for the past seven years. including Christmas and New Year and everything else. So the things that I've learned, three really quick things. Firstly, free yourself up from the non-creative stuff.
to do the creative stuff. So if you are doing non-creative stuff that you can in some way... automate or in some way make easier, then absolutely do that. So maybe you're using an audio editor like Audacity, which is fine, but it just takes time. Maybe think about... using... Descript or using Alitu or using something which is easier and simpler to produce edits and stuff. So you can focus more on the creative stuff if that's one of the things that you have an issue with. Or maybe...
using AI to write show notes or using AI to do some research. It's all I've discovered, certainly over the last seven years, it's all about workflow, making things easier, stopping doing things that aren't creative and that don't... us to you so that you can actually get the podcast and in my case a newsletter out of the door and as I
talk to you now, the newsletter is late because I thought, no, I've got something to say on this. The only other thing I'd say, Mark, is ensuring that your audience has some way to contact you. Do one way. One way is really simple. Probably email is the simplest. It might be a text message. There are some podcast hosts that will add a little link into your show notes. But whatever it is, and really...
I'm at the point, every single podcast, that people can get in touch and have their say. Because I'll tell you what, doing a podcast when there is... when you get no feedback is very different from doing a podcast when you get feedback every single day, every single week from your audience. So absolutely end up doing that. That's a super useful thing.
James, thank you. And by the way, I just saw in the chat, somebody just wished you a happy belated birthday. So if it was just your birthday recently, happy birthday. That's very kind. Yes, it was on Tuesday. And no word of a lie, I clearly didn't. Thank you, Mark. Keep up the good work. Hey, thank you. And you too. Thank you for pod news. It's certainly a big source.
for us that we go to every week when we're having these conversations here. So thank you for that and all you do. And thank you for the insights that you provided. I think one of the ones that you said that's standing out to me is the idea of... communicating with your audience and encouraging them to communicate with you, I think it absolutely changes.
your experience as a podcaster when you can actually talk with people and that's why I do this that's why I do this on Clubhouse that's why I do a live show I want that interaction I love that interaction. It keeps me going. It keeps me motivated. It keeps me accountable to keep going. And if I don't have that direct communication with you, whether it's here or whether you're replying to my newsletter and... adding on to that conversation. All of those things help keep me going.
So thank you for bringing that point and the other points up as well, James. And thanks for being here. Hope you can keep coming back. And as long as we don't interrupt your newsletter flow too often, hopefully we can have you. Always love to. Yeah. And Wednesdays, we cover news. So that would be a great day to have you come join us as well. So consider that every Wednesday. That's our news day. I'll definitely do that. Okay, cool. Thank you.
Appreciate you being here. Okay, I'm going to keep going. Jackie, did you want to add anything? I saw you came up here, but I haven't seen you raising your hand, so I don't know if you're just up here in case you wanted to shout something out or if you had something specific. Go for it. I was up here in case I'm good right now. Okay. Well, good to have you up here. Jackie and I had a great call a couple, I guess it was a couple of weeks ago now, where I got to host.
her podcast and host her as a guest on her own podcast. And yeah, we shared a pretty personal story of hers. And I'm looking forward to that coming out. I think we were talking about that might come out around May. And actually, Dominic, we, Jackie and I were talking sometime in May. I know it'll be a busy month for you launching your mental health podcast. And I believe May is mental health awareness. Is that right?
It is. It's all strategic. Yeah, that's what I told Jackie. I said, I know he's doing that intentionally. And we would love to do a mental health episode. And we were saying it would be great to have you be a part of that as well. And look, this is part of mental health right now, too, right? The mental health for a podcaster. Did you want to say something? Oh, no, absolutely. Let's do it. Yeah. Awesome. OK, so that'll be a good way to.
promote your show a little bit more too while we're at it. All right. Thank you. Let's check in with Yvonne. Yvonne, good morning. Thank you for your patience. What say you? Good morning. Well, James, first of all, thanks for the suggestions you had about having connection with your audience. It really does make a difference when you can hear from your listeners, doesn't it?
crazy time yeah um so this whole topic is is where i'm living right now is how to keep work fun how to have more fun every day It's it is. I'm in a deep dive. That's why I started shuffle dancing. And I know that doesn't seem related to my podcast necessarily, but. I think it's that idea that Amanda brought up of dipping your toes into something new, trying something new. Letting yourself do something that is outside your norm so that you have a new experience and see where it takes you.
You know, the other thing that Dominic said about, you know, maybe it's time for you to quit. Just asking yourself that question can give you so much clarity. Because if you allow yourself to really ask yourself the question, is it time to quit? You're either going to, you might feel a lot of pushback and go, oh, oh, I'm really not done yet. So if I'm not done yet, then what? What needs to change? Why am I even thinking about quitting? And how can I...
make a move from here to make it better. And so those are, I'm in the middle of that inquiry right now. I'm coming up on five years. That was my goal. And now I'm like, okay, I definitely feel like something needs to shift. And I still don't know what that is. So I'm exploring. trying to keep a really experimental mindset towards it and with trying new things. I even got myself a little book that I'm doodling and doing watercolors in and things like that. And folks, I am a...
I am a stick figure artist, you know? So, but those kinds of things can really open you up to new possibilities. Yeah. Even piling onto what you're saying. Trying new creative projects, even if you haven't made a decision yet about your podcast, you know, maybe you're feeling it's stale, you're not having as much fun. I think trying new creative projects may spark.
new ideas for that podcast. It may show you a new path, even if they are completely unrelated because you're exercising that creativity muscle. And you're not focusing on why is this not fun anymore? Instead, you're doing something else fun. You're putting your mind in a different perspective.
So that when you do go back to the podcast, you may approach it a little bit differently or you may end up getting that spark of a new idea for the podcast. I love that. Thank you, Yvonne. And Billy, checking in with you. Good morning. What did you want to add to all this? Good morning. Good morning. You know, I love this because I have transitioned as an entrepreneur several times, actually probably more times in the last five years than the whole 12 years I've been doing this gig.
And the one thing that I always come back to is all of these. Things that you do, projects, businesses, podcasts, videos, whatever, it's all compounding. So one, you're adding a project to your resume. You're adding skill sets to your toolbox. Everything that I do in my current business model, I've taken pieces of every single... W-2 job business I've ever owned, and it's in my business working right now. So those new experiences not only open you up to new.
possibilities and ideas and all that, but it opens you up to a whole new skills that you may have never had. I think when you can think that way, then you're less afraid of what's the return because everyone's looking – I mean, me especially. I don't care. I'll sit up here and go, I never started podcasting because I –
loved podcasting. I started podcasting because I knew there's a lot of money in the fishing industry and I wanted to go get it. And I did. And so that's why I started a podcast as a business. And started as an artist. But I also, like, you know, through that gained a ton of skills. And now when people go, oh, what do you know about content creation or how can you help me or whatever?
I can go back and go, well, here's all these 140 episodes I produced that were sponsored from day five or episode five. That's a ton of value. I can now go back and go, look at this format I created that now has millions of downloads and views. that's still a podcast today you know it's like so all of that is compounding so it's not a waste
We all want ROI. I understand that. But sometimes the ROI is just the skill that you got from it. It's not even a monetized payout at all. Yeah. I'm with you there. That was a great way to... To sum up everything you just said, yeah. Thank you, Billy. All right. So what I want to do, let's see. All right. I see Jackie wants to chime in. Jackie, I will check in with you in just a second. I do want to shift gears. I do want to share our wins from the week. So I will give you the final word.
And then I'll share how we're going to do wins from the week since we're short on time. Go ahead, Jackie. I just wanted to say, wow, Billy, you kind of sounded like Sid talking right now. Yeah. Oh, don't say that. That's going to insult Billy. Yes. I'm just impressed. I feel like you guys are kind of morphing into each other a little bit. I just had to add that. That's all.
And on cue, Sid has joined us. Learning from me. Oh, I see. Yeah, he's actually learning from me, Jackie. I mean, it's just taken him five years to pick up on the things I've been trying to teach him all this time, but he's finally getting it. So great. I'm pausing for Billy. Yeah. I was just waiting for the sign. I was like, you know what? I'm just gonna be silent. Maybe that's more of a stick than getting up here and getting fancy. I love it. Good point, Jackie.
All right. So for wins from the week, what we'll do, I want to make sure we get to everybody. And if you've got a win that's pressing, flash an emoji at me and I will come to you first if you'd like to share. any wins from your week. All right. I'm going to take that as a flashing of emoji, that thumbs up, Dominic. You want to kick it off for us?
Yeah, just really quickly, I just released a new episode of Blackest America, Wilma Flojo and Sha'Carri, American Women of Speed. And just speaking to what we was talking about earlier about keeping podcasts and fresh and new, I did a. trilateral nonlinear, uh, format, uh, for that episode. So I was trying to do my, my Christopher Nolan type of, uh, uh, podcasting, if you will. So I'm really proud of that. Uh, episode was really cool.
That's awesome. Dominic, I know it took you a little longer than you thought. I guess it sounds like it was well worth the wait. Sounds like you're pretty proud of it. Now, to be fair, part of that, because there was a last-minute planned trip to Disney World that I did not expect.
No. Where is my invitation, Dominic? I'm sorry. I'm sorry. But we got the episode out. And so I'm really proud of it. I'm really proud of it. That's awesome. Go check out Black is America and learn more about Black is America. Flojo. Was it Flojo and somebody else? Wilma Rudolph, Florence Griffith Joyner, and Sha'Carri Richardson. Okay. Very cool. Very cool. Flojo is the one that stands out to me.
I just remember her name being thrown around so much in her days and cool to hear it coming back. I feel like I don't hear it enough. And she was. Her accomplishments were just so unbelievable. I can't wait to hear what you did there, Dominic. All right, Alexandra, do you want to share any wins from your week? Yes, like I said, I did get a...
possible potential producer down the line when I finish this script. Also, I discovered that April is International Black Women's History Month. So, like... That's a win, not just for me before, but for my fellow women of color. Because I did not know that. I didn't either. Thank you for bringing it.
So, Dominic, there's some Black is America content in there. I'm just putting that out there possibly, maybe. We'll see. And that's a great example, too, of saying Dominic could easily... promote that episode that he's just released today he could easily go back to it in april and promote it you know in honor of that month yeah yes but also I finally have an interview for a job next week, so I'm excited.
Congrats. Congratulations on all of those wins. Thank you for sharing, Alexandra. Thank you for being here today. And thanks for all the quotes as well today. If you're not following along in the chat, go check that out. And you can see some of Alexandra's great quotes. Okay, who else would like to share any wins from their week? Sid, I think I saw you flash your emoji. Go ahead. Yes, I did. Good morning, everybody. So I'm in the middle of my win for the week. I am on my...
first business trip since November of last year. I am in lower Manhattan in New York and I've had a couple of days full of Client meetings and strategy sessions and another one that starts about an hour. And it's just been really great to be back out there doing the things that I love to do, working with people that I love to work with and helping people.
come up with plans and ideas to move their business forward. So it's been a really, really great week. Congratulations, Sid. Is this all for the new business that you've been telling us about? Yes and no. So one of my partners in the new business is here. And she and I are working with a consulting client together unrelated to the new business. But one of the partners in the new business that's with me, we got to do some strategy yesterday and talk about.
the new business and some sales strategies and things of that nature. So it's a little bit a combination of both, I guess. But this one is this visit is more specifically to my consulting business and my coaching business and working with clients here. And one of my clients is actually from the United Kingdom. He flew over.
And that's who she and I share. And we've been meeting with him yesterday and had a great dinner last night and been meeting with him in a couple of hours. Awesome. Congratulations, Sid. Enjoy your time in... Dominic's favorite place in the United States. I know that. And not my favorite. I can't say New York is my favorite. I don't mind visiting for a day or two, but it gets overwhelming. All right. Anyone else want to share any wins from their past week?
Go ahead, Jackie. Okay, so this kind of has to do with the whole topic that you guys were talking about. Slowing down. is my win and I'm a yes person so I want to do this I want to do that I have to get this done I have to get that done and with my mental health and everything I've been doing with that I'm like Jackie you're 39 turning 40 in November, you got a lot of life to live. So let's just slow down one thing at a time, not overwhelm ourselves, not make the same mistake we've made.
in the past that gets me overstimulated and worked up. And I've been spending this week, my husband worked and I've had to, you know, move my job around because he's the moneymaker guys. I've been with my kids and just sitting with my kids. And also another one is I get to watch my son be a lion today in his circus play at school. So those are my wins. Awesome.
Awesome. Congratulations. And I appreciate you sharing the idea of slowing down. And it was reminding me how important awareness is in our lives. And it was something that, and that reminded me of something Yvonne said that I didn't mention. As far as that awareness, you know, just being able to ask yourself, what isn't lighting me up anymore? Why am I not feeling...
like doing this podcast, or should I stop doing this podcast? Just simply asking yourself that, creating that awareness, and then not necessarily forcing yourself to answer in that moment you ask the question, but it's more like uploading... a piece of software to your brain, right? You're uploading that question to your brain and then let your brain just noodle through it. And what's funny is when I do that.
and then I let it go after I ask the question, the answers do come to me later. Because again, I think I've put that program in my head and my brain works in the background for me. And then I start to explore the answers that it provides later. I just wanted to make sure I shared that. Yeah, Billy, did you want to say something? No, I was just getting in the queue for the wins. Sorry.
Go for it. That's all I had to say. Go for it. Share a win. Oh, gotcha. So one cool win this week is I've talked about the Side Hustle show with Nick Loper several times. I love that show. I was listening to an episode that he had with somebody who's talking about the Amazon Influencer Program. And so I reached out to him because I was like, hey, I really enjoyed the episode.
I have some other ideas I think could layer on top of what he's already brought to the table. And so he was super cool. I was like, yeah, call me. Let's talk about it. And my intention wasn't. really to be on the show i was just really calling to say hey here's some things that you can you know additional things you could do and then he's now like well hey let's uh let's put together an episode so um that's kind of cool so i'm gonna
potentially be on his show. And then a couple other ones, I have a small mastermind group of people I help do this. And one guy found me on another podcast. So I haven't been podcasting my own show, but I've been guesting on other people. show and I was on an entrepreneur podcast and he found me there, came over to Instagram. I answered a few questions. He jumps into the group. He had a goal of like
I want to do a deal. I want to do a paid collaboration. And he did that in the first week from the group. And then that was super cool. And then another lady who's been in the group for several months is like, Hey, not only have you helped me get all these products for free, get paid to do it, but now I've made an additional $1,000 a month by leveraging that content in another...
part of amazon and all that kind of stuff so just a lot of wins for my community yesterday and i was like super proud of of those guys and then um yeah the power of podcasting not just as a host, but as a guest, it brought those people into my world. So don't forget about it. Yep. And another example, I know at the beginning I shared Izzy's win and...
how she had an unexpected opportunity. And it just goes to show you, yeah, guesting too, you can have those opportunities. I've had that recently happen to me too, Billy. It's a really cool thing. It's like, hey, how'd you hear about me? And they're like, yeah, I heard you on that podcast episode. And it was like it was an episode I did probably two or three years ago. It's a cool feeling.
when you recognize that, yeah, again, people are listening. Stop worrying about how many and start thinking about who is listening because you never know. Dan, I saw you wanted to share as well. Go for it. Any wins for us? Yes, absolutely. So two of them in particular. One is the Unbreakable Mission podcast is out. And already gotten some great feedback. So that's been fun. I'm excited for that. I've got some great guests already lined up for that show. So that'll be exciting as well.
I had the opportunity over the past two weeks to interview for a contract position with someone who is rather well-known. She's fairly popular in the... In the coaching space, we'll leave it at that because the new company has not yet been announced or launched. So he's launching a new company in the beginning of May.
I've been accepted to be part of that team. So that's pretty exciting. Very exciting. Congratulations, Dan. And congratulations again on the launch as well of the new podcast. And I think Dan's a great example of somebody who recognizes when... One podcast isn't working for them anymore, isn't fun for them anymore, whatever those reasons are, and easily lets it go and then starts something else that lights him up.
I've seen him do it several times now. Yeah, Yvonne, go ahead. Congratulations on the new launch, Dan. That's fantastic. So I had a couple of wins this week. One of them is that I have a little feature happening in an article about me in a magazine called Certain Age. And that came out today. So that's very nice. And I also had a chance to talk to a listener who is thinking about joining my community.
It was just, you know, going back to what I think. Oh, gosh, what was his name? James? Yeah. Just going back to that idea of getting feedback from your listeners and knowing that. what you're doing is actually making a difference for somebody that that's a huge win. Yeah, it is. And I think, I think one, one of these days we should do a topic. on how to engage our listeners. How do we get them to reply? How do we get them to interact with us more frequently?
And I think I'll just, spoiler alert, I'll share one now. I think a lot of it is sharing exactly the way that Yvonne has shared it with us, how we've shared it with each other today. Tell them. It motivates me. It keeps me going. It keeps me excited knowing that you're listening. And if you reach out and share with me something from an episode that resonated with you or you want to.
Share a difference of opinions with something I said. I want to hear from you. It helps keep me going. I'm okay with it if you have a difference of opinion. Let's talk about it together. encouraging it and sharing that this is something that how your audience can help you, you'd be surprised to see how quickly people will respond to that. And I'm not suggesting everyone will.
But I think if you are consistent and sharing that genuine reason behind it, you will start hearing from people. Anyone else want to share any wins? Okay, I will share. Yesterday's episode was a big win for me. I am super proud of that episode. I think it was informative. I appreciated my guest. And how she really not only told us where things are today in Asheville and the surrounding areas, but gave us a real story, a backstory of how this community came to be.
Why it's become so resilient, in my opinion. So that was a huge win for me. And of course, my parents being here, having a great trip with my parents this past week was awesome. Getting my...
Even though I didn't ask, getting my studio in even better order than it was prior to them coming because of my mom's passion for... decorating and furnishing etc so that that turned into a win as well and my win is that we had another great week of shows here on the podcasting morning chat we've we've really
This has got to be some kind of streak for us because I feel like the past several weeks we've had some really great conversation. Insightful, fun, exciting, informative, insightful. Yeah, all the things. we've had a lot of great weeks in a row now doing that. And I appreciate all of you coming and bringing it because it won't happen without all of you here. So thank you. And we are back.
next week, Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. Eastern, live here on Clubhouse. Get that info in the show notes if you want to join us there. And if you don't, just keep listening on your favorite podcast platform. Until Monday. Make it a great week everybody. Take care.