How can reflecting on your podcast journey spark delight in your success? The process of podcasting is serious business. You have to be laser-focused on all the pieces of the spiral—from brainstorming topics to marketing the published episode to starting the next one—and sometimes the subject matter gets dark, especially in the daunting uncertainty of our modern world. But at the end of the day, if you don’t enjoy what you’re creating, the overwhelm that will come up eventually is going to keep ...
Jun 30, 2025•22 min•Ep. 100
What differentiates Canadian podcasters from their American counterparts, eh? If you think about the first podcast that comes to mind, there’s a pretty good chance it’s American. That’s because podcasting tends to feel—and in many ways actually is—pretty U.S.-centric. But that certainly doesn’t mean there aren’t a ton of fantastic, groundbreaking Canadian podcasters in the industry. From the struggle to identify Canada-specific resources to the future of marketing metrics, join Mary for a must-l...
Jun 16, 2025•47 min•Ep. 99
What kinds of questions do you ask your podcast guests? The most engaging podcast episodes—the ones that make for the best conversations and the best listening—are the ones that contain great stories. As the host, you’re always aiming to draw all those details and deep disclosures from your guest. So why does getting the full picture sometimes feel like pulling teeth? Mary recently taught her nine-year-old daughter how asking more specific questions will get her the answers she wants, and that c...
Jun 02, 2025•16 min•Ep. 98
How can curiosity and commitment to your listener drive your show’s growth? From guest selection to generating advertising revenue, the process of running your own podcast is always challenging and fascinating, and it often calls on you to take big chances. That’s exactly what Chidinma Azubuike discovered when she started “But What Do I Know?” back in 2020. Her willingness to keep trying new tactics has paid off—all while working toward her primary goal of fostering a vibrant and thriving listen...
May 19, 2025•37 min•Ep. 97
What does coming back strong from a podcast hiatus look like? In the day-to-day chaos of our lives—balancing work, family, personal time, household upkeep, etc, etc—it’s perfectly understandable if it feels like a bit much to plan, record, publish, and market a podcast on top of that. If you’re thinking about pressing pause on your show, or you already have, rest assured, you can take that step without derailing your past progress. In this episode, Mary talks you through how to put your show on ...
May 05, 2025•19 min•Ep. 96
How are you using or avoiding artificial intelligence in your podcast? AI is a shiny new offering with loads of possibilities, but a lot of people are also understandably threatened by its wide-reaching and ever-growing abilities. On today’s episode, Mary connects with Amanda Cupido, an adjunct professor, TEDx speaker, podcast producer, and author of the book “Let’s Talk Podcasting.” Amanda has her finger firmly on the pulse of all things new in the world of podcasts, and she shares her deeply r...
Apr 21, 2025•43 min•Ep. 95
How can you take your guest episodes beyond a basic Q&A? When you think of a podcast, what comes to mind? If “a mic and two people talking” is your first thought, you’re in good company, but in this episode, Mary encourages you to expand that definition. Your show is about so much more than the interview. That one-time guest isn’t the person who keeps listeners coming back week after week—that’s you! So, how can you use strategic guest selection to leverage the values, interests, and timing ...
Apr 07, 2025•18 min•Ep. 94
What’s the right way to go about being a guest on other podcasts? When’s the last time you went on another show as a guest? As a podcast host, it’s easy to get bogged down in the day-to-day requirements of running a podcast. After all, you’re expected to find guests, record episodes, edit episodes, post everything online, and find fresh ways to get the word out. Here’s the good news: being a guest on other podcasts is an excellent way to market your own show. Need more convincing? In this episod...
Mar 24, 2025•37 min•Ep. 93
Video has taken podcasting by storm, but how do you know if it's right for your show? As a podcaster, how are you interacting with and utilizing video? More and more, we’re hearing about creators tacking on this visual element, and platforms like YouTube and Spotify are eagerly showcasing all the success stories of podcasters giving their audience a fresh way to consume content. Sure, it’s relatively easy and inexpensive to get your hands on video recording equipment these days, and it’s straigh...
Mar 10, 2025•20 min•Ep. 92
How do you know if social media is really worth it? Social media inundates almost every aspect of our lives these days, from communicating with friends to deciding what to listen to, watch, or buy—all the way down the line to actually listening to, watching, and buying it. So, of course, many podcast creators worry that leaving social media behind is an enormous marketing faux pas. But what if it isn’t? Amanda Laird is the marketing pro behind Slow and Steady Studio. She wields more than two dec...
Feb 24, 2025•47 min•Ep. 91
What shifts in podcasting have you noticed in the last few months? In the first episode of 2025, Mary dives right into the changes we’ve seen in podcasting just since last fall. More and more hosts are leaning into partisan politics and using their shows to share their thoughts and concerns with a huge audience. This has further legitimized the industry, similar to when celebrities started to don the mantle of podcast host several years back. This mainstream growth has a real impact on your show...
Feb 10, 2025•19 min•Ep. 90
How are your values guiding your voice, schedule, and future plans for your show? The holiday season is upon us, and that makes this the final 2024 episode of The Podcaster’s Guide to the Visible Voice! Throughout the year, Mary fields tons of questions about all things recording, speaking, and producing. So, here’s a round-up of some of the impossible-to-Google questions most podcast creators ask at some point. From embracing the volume of your voice to easy-to-implement recording hacks for gue...
Dec 09, 2024•25 min•Ep. 89
How can you make your podcast more accessible to people who are deaf and hard of hearing? It goes without saying that we don’t know what we don’t know. When it comes to how people with auditory differences—such as those who are deaf and hard of hearing—interact with our podcasts, the only way to learn how to do better and make those episodes more accessible is to ask. And that’s exactly what this episode does. Kellina Powell is an author and speaker who helps deaf and hard-of-hearing women expre...
Nov 25, 2024•32 min•Ep. 88
What could doing less look like for your podcast? Life is chaos these days. The hours often seem to fill up instantly with all the things on your plate, so don’t feel bad if publishing podcast episodes start to slide to the bottom of your to-do list. Stumbling on the podcasting flow is totally normal—and totally fixable. The good news is that you can cut back on your workload and still release an impactful, exciting show. Curbing the number of hours you spend prepping, recording, editing, publis...
Nov 11, 2024•24 min•Ep. 87
What can you do to keep your voice in tip-top shape? As podcasters, we use our voices a lot. Chances are, that essential instrument of yours has temporarily abandoned you in the past. Whether the symptom stems from getting sick or from overuse, waking up to croaks, rasps, or silence is an awful feeling, especially if deadlines or interviews are looming. In this timely episode, Mary returns to the mic on the heels of her own voice loss to talk swollen vocal folds and slug tongue with Nic Redman, ...
Oct 28, 2024•43 min•Ep. 86
How much do you prioritize your vocal health? Most of us, even if we work in the voice acting, podcasting, or broadcast industries, don’t think too much about our voices. But remember: if you don’t have a voice, you don’t have a podcast! In this episode, Mary breaks down what we can all do to take better care of our most important business asset. The solution can’t be to never speak or raise your voice except while you work, but preemptive planning, some mind-body connection, and a little (or a ...
Oct 14, 2024•16 min•Ep. 85
How do conversation skills make your podcast process more enjoyable? Even if we’re lucky enough to “do what we love,” work tends to have tedious aspects we don’t like. Craig Constantine is a passion podcaster who, through the creation of thousands of episodes and rigorous reflection, has built a workflow that simplifies every step of his method, from prep to publication. A consummate conversationalist, Craig’s overarching goal is to use understanding and compassion to have exciting exchanges tha...
Sep 30, 2024•41 min•Ep. 84
How do you create clear and open communication with your podcast guest? Every podcast—and every episode, for that matter—has a lot of moving parts. As podcast hosts, we know that in order to stay organized, we need systems in place. But those systems should extend to more than your recording and editing tools, and how you publish your episode. You need systems in place for your guest interactions, too. An unfortunate experience shared by a fellow podcast host prompts Mary to explore podcast etiq...
Sep 16, 2024•17 min•Ep. 83
How do you make sure your show evolves along with your listener? As an independent podcast creator, chances are you wear a lot of hats. You’re the host, of course, as well as the producer, the audio editor, the marketer, the designer… When you’re so focused on doing all the things for your show, it can be easy to forget that your podcast isn’t about you at all. It’s about your listener. Being a podcaster means you’re responsible not just for putting out a show you think your ideal listener will ...
Jul 08, 2024•24 min•Ep. 82
How can activating your beginner’s mind help you facilitate an authentic podcast experience? For many podcast hosts, the draw of creating a show is two-fold: we are eager to engage with and educate our listeners on topics we’re passionate about, and we look forward to the personal learning and professional development our interviews and solo episodes can foster. Beth Cougler Blom is a facilitator, learning designer, and author crafting impactful learning experiences for organizations making a di...
Jun 24, 2024•40 min•Ep. 81
How has being a podcaster changed how you listen? There are plenty of ways AI can make podcasters’ lives easier, but there’s one human ability Mary firmly believes AI will never be able to replicate (or at least not for a very long time): true listening. We humans have the incredible potential to distill the emotional impact underlying the words a person speaks. Artificial intelligence bots, on the other hand, can only record the words themselves and “react” with whatever follow-up is programmed...
Jun 10, 2024•24 min•Ep. 80
How can we make sure your podcast is accessible to everyone? Everyone in the podcasting world is talking about accessibility these days, as more and more platforms release improved transcription services aimed at making the process easier for creators and meeting growing expectations around equitable access. Of course, AI tools are leading this charge, and simply publishing whatever that tool spits out—misspelled guest names, garbled industry terms, and all—just doesn’t cut it. Joel McKinnon is ...
May 27, 2024•35 min•Ep. 79
How can transcripts positively impact your podcast? Podcasts have always had an audio-first following, but as-is, audio isn’t accessible for everyone. In the wake of Apple Podcasts’ announcement to begin including transcripts with their latest update, it seems likely other platforms will begin to follow suit. This raises an important question for podcast creators: is it worth preparing transcripts for each of your episodes? After two years of exploring transcripts for her and her clients’ produc...
May 13, 2024•19 min•Ep. 78
How do you bring your humanity to your podcast? Sharing your voice isn’t always easy. Factor in the painstaking writing of your script or copy, all those edits and revisions, and some nerves about speaking into the mic, and even the most heartfelt story can wind up either flat and unemotional or encased in that “reporter voice” from the dawn of radio. Unlock some podcasting inspiration through this conversation with Erin Moon, a classically trained actor who has narrated more than 450 audiobooks...
Apr 29, 2024•44 min•Ep. 77
What’s the connection between audiobooks and podcasts? You already know the right tone and voice is essential for building a connection with your listeners. It just makes sense, then, that you can turn to different kinds of audio media for inspiration when looking to further hone your skills behind the mic. Take, for example, audiobooks. Especially in the last year or so, the connection between audiobooks and podcasts has expanded beyond the shared audio medium. Platforms like Spotify are puttin...
Apr 15, 2024•21 min•Ep. 76
How do you create the written content for your podcast? You’ve probably heard actors say that they can’t bring themselves to watch their own films. As a podcast host, maybe you relate to the cringe factor that comes from listening to your episodes after you’ve recorded them, but if you’ve decided to write episode-accompanying blog posts and show notes yourself, you don’t have that luxury—you have to tune back in. And if you don’t consider yourself A Writer, this process can feel a bit overwhelmi...
Apr 01, 2024•43 min•Ep. 75
How do you write for your podcast when you’re “not a writer”? A lot of podcast hosts are drawn to the audio medium because they have always felt they can express themselves better and more easily through speaking than through writing. In this episode, Mary shares how a lackluster introduction to writing in her youth spurred her into radio—she wanted to speak instead of write! Then, she discovered that radio and podcasting still call for a fair bit of writing. Facing that demon created the a-ha m...
Mar 18, 2024•21 min•Ep. 74
How does branding tie into your podcast? As a podcast host, figuring out how to communicate why your episodes are worth listening to is one of your most important tasks. Downloads are nice and all, but it’s the strength of your brand—and really nailing down how you want your listener to feel—that encourages them to earmark some of their extremely valuable time for listening to your show. This is what truly sets you apart from the competition. Dr. Brigitte Bojkowszky is a brand strategist and edu...
Mar 04, 2024•40 min•Ep. 73
The 2024 podcasting season is gearing up to be an exciting one, with lots of changes on the horizon. New ventures like YouTube integration have raised this huge existential question—what is a podcast? And while this fresh take brings up questions of video components, RSS feeds, and more—at the end of the day, the road forward for podcasting is still paved with audio-first emotional connection. In this episode, Mary ties her year-end 2023 values into the exciting future of this innovative medium,...
Feb 19, 2024•23 min•Ep. 72
What values are at the heart of your podcast? As 2023 draws to a close, most of us are preparing for some kind of annual review, whether it’s for our business or our personal lives. When you’re looking back on your professional or family values and how they showed up this year, don’t forget your podcast! With all those moving parts, your show is almost like a business in and of itself. That means it deserves its own values. In the final episode of the year, Mary explores how to identify those va...
Dec 18, 2023•17 min•Ep. 71
