Taylor James gives a tip about imposter syndrome in the podcasting industry

Hello, I'm Taylor James and I'm the founder and lead podcast producer at Twentytwo Productions. And today I'm going to give you a tip about imposter syndrome in the podcasting industry.

Four years ago, I started a podcast called the Waffle Shop that was born out of necessity to allow me to start talking about my mental health. What I wasn't quite expecting was that it was going to develop this love, this passion for a form of media that I hadn't really quite heard of yet or dived into. Four years later, I'm very proud to say that we've hit a million downloads, we've had sold out shows, we've won awards, and I now own my very own production company called 22 Productions.

Now, reading that out loud, it sounds impressive. However, it does come with a sense of dread. Imposter syndrome and comparison.

The biggest thing I love about podcasting is that there is no rule book. Obviously there is a lot of wrong ways to do things.

What I found that is really giving me this freedom to share my story, share my expertise, like connect with so many incredible people that sometimes I get a bit of imposter syndrome with that because I don't know how I've managed to get in front of the people that I've get in front of, but it all comes down to that freedom of speech, I guess, but also that freedom to follow a passion. There's no one telling me what I can and can't say.

Obviously there's a lot of wrong things that you can say, but that's the beauty of an edit. It's been the biggest lesson I think, that I've took from this whole industry, or whatever you kind of want to call it, is that you rather regret something that you have done than what you haven't. So whether that's a question, whether that's reaching out for a guest, there's a lot of freedom in it and yeah, embrace it.

My big tip is to stop comparing yourself to podcasters and shows who have a lot more resources than what you do. Stay in your lane, stay positive and just keep it consistent and never lose sight of that passion.

When it comes to podcasting, a lot of us start because we have a passion, we want to start talking about it. However, it is a very competitive and ever growing industry and there is a lot out there in terms of competition and a lot of noise when it comes to podcasting. Yes, I feel quite fortunate to be saying this in the position that I'm in. However, I still get those days when I want to throw in the towel. There is episodes that don't do quite as well as expected.

There's social media posts that don't quite get the reach that I believe that they should. On those days when it creeps in, please just remind yourself why you're doing what you're doing.

I'm a big believer in comparison being the thief of joy. And if you have a passion for something, especially when it comes to your niche, your audience, your voice, anything like that, don't lose sight of it. It's probably weird for a podcast to say, but ignore the noise on days when you might be having one of those days, like ignore the numbers and just keep going. There's so many people banging on about consistency being key and stuff like that, but it really is.

And on those days when it really creeps in, remember why you're doing what you're doing.

The best place to find me is over at Instagram, @waffleshoppodcast or for all things productions. It's twentytwoproductions. You can see all of the links in the show notes and thank you for listening to Podcasting People.