Scroll to the bottom if you’d rather listen to what I learned from a Year of Podcasting!
Have you ever done something that feels so out of your comfort zone? That’s how I felt one year ago when the Ordinary to Badass Podcast launched. I was terrified. Here’s what you see, an edited version of an interview. It’s not perfect. When I or the guest breath heavy, cough, or make random noises, I cut it out. If we have to take a break for a kid, dog, or use the restroom, it’s cut out of the episode. You don’t wanna hear all that, do you? That’s precisely why I wanna share what I learned from a year of podcasting.
This podcast may only be one year old, but it was 13 years in the making. I want you to know there is more than the more polished version you see.
Just because something looks easy doesn’t mean it is. I work hard on the podcast. A lot of time was required to get to where I am today!
If you feel like you’re not as far along as you’d like to be, don’t worry, you will get there! Keep pushing forward.
Before I tell you what I’ve learned from a year of podcasting, I think it’s important you know a little history.
Let’s go back to when I became a police officer. I was (and still am) a huge introvert. Putting myself out there was terrifying. I’m comfortable talking to people once I get to know them; otherwise, not so much. As an introvert, I generate energy from being by myself.
When I started on patrol, I was terrified to talk on the radio to dispatch. I spoke slowly and sounded pretty stiff. Seriously it was pretty bad. I had a friend tell me to relax and that I didn’t need to be so robotic lol.
True story. The more comfortable I got, the easier it became. Once you do anything enough, you get used to it.
Talking to people in interviews on patrol was terrifying for me. I didn’t know what to say and continuously criticized my mistakes and second-guessed myself. There was one experience that started to change my perspective a little bit.
I went to a week-long interview class and was nervous beyond belief. Ya know that feeling when your palms get clammy, and you start to get in your head? That was how I felt when I heard we had to interview people with the whole class watching.
It was terrifying because, as I said, I’m an introvert, and I didn’t know most of the people in the room. There was a series of interviews that each participant had to do over several days. I had to talk myself up ahead of time. I’d tell myself things like, you’ve got this, nobody is watching you, and you’re going to rock this. I said those kinds of things to myself to level the playing field and not be a shit show when I was interviewing someone in front of the class.
Sometimes You Can Shock Yourself!
To my amazement, everyone was like you were so good, that was amazing. I want to see you interview a real suspect, or, oh, how I’d love to be a fly on the wall in your next interview. In my head, I was like, what in the world was going on here? For most of my career, I believed I was a terrible interviewer. Throughout the week, I received compliments on my interviews.
Sometimes when you get validation from others, and it opens the door for you and allows you to believe things that you otherwise wouldn’t have considered. Within the following year, I gained confidence in my interviewing skills.
Co-workers wondered how I had gotten people that I had interviewed to tell me specific details. I even contemplated writing a book about my interview style or technique. WHAT?
Craziness, right? How do you go from being so uncomfortable to wanting to write a book about it? The answer is simple, practice. Just keep doing the thing that you want to gain confidence in.
Okay, let’s get back to what I’ve learned from a year of podcasting.
In the past, I had never considered doing a podcast. Okay, well, in the back of my mind, maybe, but I wasn’t allowing myself to consider it.
A mentor of mine, Jeff Goins said you should start a podcast, so I did. Why is it that you sometimes need permission to do something? You would never do it on your own until someone else suggests it. What are you holding back on doing because you’re not sure that it’s enough? You’re enough. Try the thing. What’s the worst that can happen?
I don’t always have a lot to say! I get straight to the point. That terrifed me when I started a podcast!
I don’t like to talk and say a lot of fluff.
I tried to tell myself that interviewing someone on the podcast would be like doing interviews at work.
You may think it was easy for me to interview guests because I had done so many interviews at work; it wasn’t. Asking guests to be on my show was terrifying. Six months before the show ever aired, I was doing interviews. I launched with three episodes, but wanted to have a month or two of interviews waiting, just in case life got in the way.
You think podcasting is easy? It probably appeared that way or as if I picked up the microphone & started talking. While I did go for it, it took sooo long to figure everything out. It wasn’t as quick as it appeared. I’m not saying this to be negative. I want you to know that it wasn’t quick or easy for me. If I could figure all of this out, so can you! Do the work. Make the mistakes. Get out there!
In the beginning I learned a lot!
In the beginning of podcasting, I messed up so many times it was crazy. There was so much equipment that I tried that didn’t work. I had headphones that crackled all the time. I started an interview on a Zoom call with comedian Judy Carter and couldn’t get my microphone to work for the first 20 minutes of the conversation. She was kind enough to stay on the computer and let me work through it.
Know that even when you have tested things out ahead of time, something will go wrong. You will make mistakes. That’s okay. It’s part of the process.
I even interviewed a few guests and cut out soo much of the interview. Ya know when you think you have to stick to the rules? I told the guest as well as O2B listeners that it was a 45-minure interview, so I stuck to that! I wanted to be a person of my word. While that is important, some guests are willing to go longer and share their stories. As time went on, I stopped editing parts out if the interview went long.
In the beginning, I hated how I sounded too. I would redo some of the things I said because I thought I sounded stupid. I learned it sounds better to be authentic and in the moment. If you mess up, you mess up. Or maybe I should say when you mess up. It will happen, but the more you work through it, the more badass you’ll be and feel.
It’s a fine line between giving a quality podcast and sanitizing it so much that it’s not accurate.
I always want to be real, and that is why I stopped editing so much out of the episode, and now I try not to redo what I said so that it sounds better. If I sound stupid, then I sound stupid. Just like you, I’m here to learn!
I learned from a year of podcasting that location is important.
I often did interviews from my sister’s laundry room. Yes, you heard that, right! I watch my nephews one day a week, and when they took a nap, I would be in the laundry room recording podcasts. That all stopped because of the Rona, but I think it will happen again. Here’s the thing, if you want to do something bad enough, you will.
At the time, I didn’t know that the location of your podcast matters. If you’re in a smaller room or a closet, it can greatly help the podcast’s sound quality. It won’t sound so echoey.
Since I brought up the echo, I think it’s essential you know about feedback or echo’s. If you are hosting an interview and hear feedback or echo, consider stopping and adjusting something. I have learned that if I hear it, it will likely make it onto the recording.
I used to ask the guest if they heard the sound, they’d reply no, so I assumed I was good. That’s not been my experience. Anytime I hear it, it shows up on the audio. So it’s easier to take a second and see if you can fix the sound.
The location that you record is essential for sound and quality. Make sure you and the person you are interviewing have a reliable wi-fi connection.
Act like the guest is your future best friend
I used to get so nervous about interviewing guests on the show, and once again, I sounded stiff and robotic. In one episode, I interviewed my friend Sarah Robinson from Beautiful Between, and someone else told me that was the most relaxed you have sounded. I was like yeah, because I knew her, she’s my friend.
It clicked for me at that moment.
I thought, what if you just act like you’re meeting your next best friend. How cool would that be if you interviewed someone and ended up becoming friends? That has happened, by the way. It also takes the nerves away. Whatever you focus on will likely come true. Do you know the quote, “what you focus on grows.” So you can focus on being scared and on negativity, or you can focus on positivity and friendships.
You Can Do It!
Know this: You are a Badass. Just think of all the things you can do. You can write a book, create a podcast, or do whatever it is you want to do but are terrified of doing. 2 years ago, if you would have told me or any of my family or friends that I’d have a podcast, I doubt anyone would have believed you. I wouldn’t have. Do the work.
Start with one piece of the puzzle.
You don’t have to put the whole puzzle together today, and you don’t have to know how to do it all either.
You will figure it out as you go.
Figure out the first step and then run like hell to make that first step happen.
Seriously. The quicker you can take that first step, the more likely you are to keep going. I’m giving you permission. Write that vision down, and start now.
Want some accountability?
I’d love to know your vision and your first step in the comments. I will follow up with you to see if you did it!
To your Badassery,
Marie
Listen to What I learned from a Year of Podcasting, below!
If you liked this, then check out that!
If you liked What I learned from a year of podcasting then check out “Why You should go Camping Alone.”