Podcast Anxiety is Real, Here's What to Do!

some point in their journey. There's either anxiety behind hitting record, or there's all the doubts and the fears and the What am I supposed to say in the very beginning? I've heard it all. So we're going to talk about it today. This is going to be your Tough Love Episode that you didn't know you needed. Maybe a little like, fact check, little gut check of like, Oh, that's what I needed to hear. Or you're just simply going to nod along and say, oh, I've been there. Or maybe you're

there now. But there's something for everybody in today's episode. So let's get right to it. Welcome to the profit Podcast, where we teach entrepreneurs how to start launch and market their podcast. I'm your host, Krystal, Proffitt, and I'm so excited that you're here. Thanks for hanging out with me today. Because if you've been trying to figure out the world of podcasting, think of this show as the time saving shortcut you've been looking for. So let's get right to it, shall we?

this is something we need to talk about here. So first and foremost, if you're getting started with your podcast, this is like a sign if you start seeing the same questions popping up in different places, write those topics down because it means you need to talk about them as the expert in your industry, or someone who is an authority in this specific topic. I was like, I can't ignore this, I have answered the same question over and over again with this exact same thing. So we need to

talk about it. And that is just hitting record on your podcast. I know it sounds so simple. And you're like, well, Krystal does. I mean, you have to hit record, otherwise you won't have a podcast. But when I talk to people, and we dig into the deeper like behind the scenes of why they really haven't started, right, because they're like, Oh, I got my topic picked out. And I got my podcast name, I got my artwork, and I got all this. And I'm like, fantastic. Great. So So did you already

launch your podcast? I say, Oh, no, I haven't even started recording. I have to dig deeper. And there's a few different common themes. That is even makes sense. A few different common themes, hang on backup, rewind, let's get this grammatically correct. There are a few common themes that are different than what other people who don't struggle with this. Say. Now I'm going to break this down. So it makes sense, because most of the time people will tell me, I don't know

my audience. Okay, that's a valid reason for not getting started. And other people will say, Well, I don't know how I'm really gonna work out the strategy. That's fantastic. Okay, we get this. But then there's other people who suffer from anxiety, just hitting record. And some of those anxieties are I don't like the sound of my voice. I don't like that. I have an accent. I think I'm too loud. I think I'm too soft spoken. Like, we've talked about this here before. And I'm going to link in

the show notes too. I did. I did an episode about firing yourself. If you haven't listened that one, it's a good one. I talk about certain identities that I always had growing up whether they were childhood identities, certain ones that carried into my adulthood that I really needed to kind of face before I could fully step into my voice as a podcaster. So I get it like anxiety, just hitting record. There are legit things that people suffer from. But I want to dig deeper into why that is

and how we can overcome it. Because I'm going to be the first to tell you y'all I still don't love my voice. I don't listen to every episode and all the things and watch my YouTube videos and say gosh, that's just that's the best voice ever heard in my life? No, I don't. I will go back and listen to something and I'm making fun of my own accent. I'm like, oh, that East Texas accent come out real strong, real strong in that episode, but you know what we're just gonna keep on keeping on. Because

that's it's my voice. I can't change my accent I guess I can't change my accent but y'all it gets a little creepy and gets a little scary. Especially whenever I'm like playing with the kids and I will do different accents. And they're like, Mom, stop, please. No, you don't need to do that anymore. So I get it. If this is something you suffer with, let's work through it. What are some things that we can do? Because that's what today's episode is

all about? How do we push past that and keep going because I don't want you holding back your message that you know you need to share with the world, because you don't love your voice. Because I'm sitting here telling you, I don't always love my voice. And that's okay. We just need to move past that. And then another. Another theme that I'm

seeing is and I actually just experienced this. So I can tell you like it's a firsthand thing for me as well that I've had to kind of overcome is you know what to say, once you get into like the meat of your episode, you're like, I know this topic, and I know exactly how I want to cover it. But how do I start? Like what do I actually just say like right at the beginning, I was at when I did podcast movement recently. I've talked a lot about it. And I promise I'll eventually stop talking

about it. But I'm still like on the hi from being there and having so much fun. But during my talk I struggled the most with what do I say when I first go on stage? Like what's my opening line? Do I start with a joke? Do I say hey, I'm so happy to be here. Or you know, thanks for introducing me like, what is the very first thing that comes out of my mouth. So if this is something you're struggling with, too, then today's exercises that I'm going to share with you are going to be super,

super helpful, super helpful. But like I said, I've been giving this piece of advice. I think I've typed it I've almost copied and pasted it several times in one day to different podcasters whenever they're just like I just I don't know, I have this hesitation. I have everything set up. I have my notes in front of me. I know what I'm gonna say. But I can't freakin hit the record button. Why can I not hit the record button Krystal What is wrong with me? I'm like, hang on.

There's nothing wrong with you. Let's walk through this. This is like let let mama podcast Queen over here help you overcome this because if this is the thing holding you back, we're gonna like this is we're gonna have tough love. I've got my, my coaching hat on. I've got my, my whistle. I do need to get a whistle. Actually, you don't want me blowing a whistle on the podcast though, right? Like because that just, I just had a little PTSD

from my volleyball and basketball days. When they blow the whistle, and you're just like, oh, man, that just means I get to do sprints. Or you know, I gotta I gotta run somewhere. That's usually what it meant. Or some some kind of terrible version of like doing up downs on the volleyball court. So yeah, I just nevermind, throw that idea away. We do not need a whistle around here. But I am putting on my hat as your coach to get over this. Because the thing that I'm seeing is, I can't hit

record. I'm scared. And this is like, really, this is the thing like you may hear someone say, I'm scared. Do you think come on? Like, are they really? Yes, I can tell you this. I know people that sit down in front of their computer, and they start getting like visceral body reactions. And they're like, What is wrong with me? Like, I'm not live. I'm not even on camera. I'm sitting in a room by myself. There's no one even here I have the door shut. It is just me and my microphone.

Why am I terrified? What Why is my heart beating a million miles per minute right now? Because I don't understand. It's just me. Like if I just start hitting What is wrong with me? There's nothing wrong with you. This is exactly what happened. The very first time I ever recorded anything I can still remember I'm actually sitting in the room were recorded. I'm in my office at home. And I recorded my very first episode. And I remember thinking, why is this so nerve racking. I

can stand up in front of hundreds of people. But I'm in a room by myself and I'm like freaking out. I'm so nervous. Why am I nervous to just be by myself in a room. This is something that is just going to take time and it's going to take practice. But I wanted to share with you the tips and the tools that I have shared with other people.

you to do. I want you to get comfortable, get in a very comfortable position, whether that's you're on your closet floor, about to record, you're in your office, whatever that looks like, whatever environment you're recording your podcast, I want you to hit the record button and just start talking. There's no judgment, there's no editing, there's no stopping. I just want you to start talking. And if you need to pretend like you're

talking to me, okay. Like, I hope that this helps you because I have to have more of like a visual like, okay, what's the purpose of this? What am I actually doing? So pretend that I just asked you. Tell me about your podcast. Tell me about your audience and tell me what your goal is? What if I got you to record those three things? Tell me about your podcast. Tell me about your goals. And tell me about your audience. I think I just said that same three things. If it didn't just just go

with it. Okay, just tell me about your show. And I actually want you to do this, I want you to go to your computer. When you're done listening to this or without your phone, you're probably listening on your phone anyway, go to the voice memos app, and just start recording, and say, okay, Krystal told me I need to get more comfortable recording my podcast. So I'm just talking because she told me to start talking and I'm not going to stop and I'm not going to edit it. I don't know why she's

making me do this. But I already feel a little bit more comfortable talking on here. So I'm just going to keep talking. Okay, so she wanted me to tell her about my podcast, my podcast is about Tell me what your podcast is about. My audience wants to hear, tell me what your audience wants to hear. And tell me some of the topics you want to talk about. And just keep going. And just keep talking. And if you're like, well, Krystal, that sounds like the dumbest thing I've ever heard. Let

me tell you pull up a seat. Because this is what I did. Whenever I felt like an idiot recording the very first episode I ever recorded by myself. I did, I was like, I don't know what I'm supposed to do. And I learned this from a creative writing technique that I learned in high school, like we're going way back, okay. I had a creative writing teacher. And this is what she told us to do. Now, granted, that was writing. But she would

say, Okay, here's a prompt. And if you like nothing, there was no inspiration or anything like that, then literally start writing the words, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, until something comes to your mind. So it's the same thing with your podcast, I want you to just hit record, this is the equivalent of just writing the words blah, blah, blah. And I want you to say, Krystal told me to start recording. So I'm here recording on my podcast, because I need to feel more comfortable

behind the mic. And she wants me to tell you about my pot and just start talking. pretend like you're talking to me. And for those of you I know, there's some of you out there that are like, okay, you're taking notes right now you're like, Okay, how long do I need to do this? What what are my parameters? Like? What are the rules? What are the guidelines that I need to follow? If that is you? I know you're laughing right? Now, if this is you, you're like, Oh, she she knows me. She knows me.

So well. I do know you so well, because this is me. I'd say well, how long am I supposed to do that? Do it for five minutes? Do it like that's my challenge to you. If you are having anxieties around recording your podcast, do this for five minutes. And then you know, I'm gonna ask you to do delete it. delete it. Yes, yes. You don't even have to go back and listen to it. You don't have to send it to anybody and say, Does this sound good? You don't have to send it to me. You don't

have to do anything with it. You can literally just delete it. This is step two. So number one is you hit record and you just start talking.

again. And you do it again, and you do it again. I don't care if you have to record 50 voice memos where you are telling me what your podcast is about who you're talking to and a little bit about the content that you're going to share if that's what it takes for you to feel comfortable behind the microphone. But the goal is for you to get over this and of just hitting record, because like, I've already told you my experience, I know

this is a real thing. I'm not playing like I don't know, it's fine to sit record like, it's just go for it. No one has this issue. Most people have this issue, especially if you're recording by yourself. It's a totally different ballgame if you're doing an interview podcast, and like you can play off of someone else. But this mostly occurs when people tell me they have to record alone. They seriously asked me like, What is wrong? Why can I not? Like, just talk? It's tough.

Like, I talk all the time. Like, some people will even tell me I talk to myself all the time. Hey, I don't judge. I don't judge. I'm literally here talking to a microphone in a room by myself. Okay. Don't Don't even talk to I will not judge anybody that tells me they talk to themselves. Okay. Have you all seen those memes that say like, I have a solo company, and you're talking to yourself, and you're like, Don't interrupt me. I'm in a team meeting. I probably said this totally wrong. I

thought it was hilarious. But anyway, I digress. I digress.

feel comfortable. And then the other thing that I wanted to tell you is I want you to go back and listen to the podcast episode I did with my good friend Heather Sager, where we talked about public speaking, because she introduced me to this topic, which is kind of funny, because I felt like I've done this all of my life. But she really articulated into words that I was like, Oh my gosh, this is a perfect term. So it's called Word vomiting. I know it sounds terrible, but it's

100%. what it is. And we've Heather and I are really good friends. And we talk about this all the time. She's like, Can I just word vomit to you? I'm like, Yes, please, because I'm going to word vomit to you some of my ideas. But it's just talking it saying it out loud. Like, do you ever notice that if you're sitting in a room by yourself, or you're thinking about something and you're just all in your head, you're not speaking

out loud? You're not writing things down? You're just thinking about something you're like, I just don't understand. I can't get it. I can't get it. But as soon as someone says, Hey, what's going on? You know, is there something I can help you with? And you start explaining it out loud? All of a sudden, it makes sense. You're like, Oh, I didn't actually even need you. Like, I just need to listen, you didn't, you didn't really help me. But you did, because you heard me. But I just needed

to say it out loud. It's the exact same thing. With podcasting. It's totally true. Sometimes, you just have to get the ideas out of your head and say them out loud behind the microphone for things to start flowing, like for that creative energy to start spilling out of you. But you got to get started. Right? This is why I want you to just hit record and start talking and then just delete it. Don't even go back and listen to it. Especially if you're struggling with oh my gosh, I don't I say

too much. Or I say the word. So this is my number one filler word. When we talk about filler words, I say like, and so all the time, maybe I should stop. But I just it's not even something I'm consciously trying to quit doing. It's just something I do. And I've accepted it about myself. And I think that as you practice and you get better at recording, maybe you won't do it as much I still do it and it's okay. I just I don't even worry about it anymore, because I'm just talking

to you on this podcast. But I want to see more people recording themselves in these low pressure situations, not trying to fix it later, or edit it out like okay, I'm just going to record and then I'll fix everything later. Sometimes you just need to get comfortable behind the microphone, and then actually record your, quote, real podcast episode. So maybe you need to take a few swings at it, you need to record five or six episodes that you're like, I'm just gonna throw these away later.

That's okay. It's not a waste of time. Because I hear people how that just sounds like a big waste of time. It's not because you're putting in reps like you are practicing, you're exercising your podcast muscle. So next time when you sit down to record, you're like, Okay, I still have a little bit of those butterflies. Maybe I still have a little bit of that anxiety, but it's not as

strong. And if you are someone who like you really like viscerally, viscerally, that's hard to say, if you feel all those tinglies when you're going to record, try standing up. This is one of the reasons why I used to stand up actually right now I'm moving my hands around a lot as I'm recording, because this is what helps me get some of that nervous energy out, moving my hands as if you and I were sitting across the table from one another and I'm explaining this you This is what I do.

Like, I use my hands a lot. It's what feels natural to me. So if you are someone who needs to, like have that physicality of moving your body moving your hands, then I challenge you to stand up while you're recording, because that will help you get a little bit of that nervous energy out. And hopefully it will help you get more comfortable behind the microphone. Because at the end of the day, that is my goal. My goal is to help you show up with more confidence behind your microphone.

you can be a better public speaker. And I think it's a great episode for those of you who feel kind of challenged with feeling comfortable behind the mic. But that's all I have for you today. So go check out the show notes, KrystalProffitt.com/episode280. And if you haven't already, make sure you are following the podcast or you're subscribed wherever you're listening, because we put out episodes every Tuesday and Thursday. And we have so much fun, and there's

some really cool things happening. Okay, so real fast. If you're listening in real time, we have a challenge coming up the last week of August, I say the last week, it's August 23 through August 27. And it's all about how to get started. So if you are someone who's been kind of lurking in the shadows with this podcast, and you're like, Hey, I just been listening to you for a while Krystal, but I'm really not ready. Well, it's time to get ready. Because we're doing a free podcast

challenge. It's a five day challenge, all about laying the foundation for your podcast, so you can start recording. So today is kind of the beginning of really getting into that mindset of starting your podcast because I want to see you like No more waiting. No more like I don't want to ask you in six months. Hey, how's your podcast going? And you say, Oh, I still haven't started. No, no, no, no, that stops today. I want you to join us in the

challenge. So go to the show notes. You'll find more information about the five day challenge that we're doing at the end of August. But that's all I have for you today. So as always remember, keep it up. We all have to start somewhere.