Podcast appearances and mentions of emily johnston

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-listen episode for every podcaster seeking to set their show apart. Listen to fellow Canuck Kattie Laur as they dig into all things Canadiana and pods. Kattie is an award-winning podcast producer and the editor of Pod the North, a popular newsletter that keeps subscribers in the know about everything happening in our country's podcast ecosystem. Kattie takes a refreshingly optimistic perspective on creating and marketing shows in Canada. She and Mary explore the unique Canadian culture built around celebrating difference and how traits like this truly set them apart from American showmakers. Make your podcast stand out, in Canada and beyond. Find out: What makes Canadian podcasters unique Why it's so hard to make a living as a podcast creator in this country How to share the Canadian perspective in our podcasts without overdoing it How to facilitate community interaction as an indie podcaster Links worth mentioning from the episode: Bumper: “Spotify Plays are One More Nail in the Download's Coffin” - https://wearebumper.com/blog/spotify-plays-are-one-more-nail-in-the-downloads-coffin Hear more about the podcast monetizing landscape in Episode 97, Embrace Curiosity to Grow a Vibrant Podcast Community with Chidinma Azubuike - https://www.organizedsound.ca/embrace-curiosity-to-grow-a-vibrant-podcast-community-with-chidinma-azubuike-episode-97/ Meet Mary at PodSummit YYC 2025 - https://www.podsummit.com/speakers25 Engage with Kattie: Learn more about her projects and services - https://www.kattielaur.com/ Listen to the Canardian podcast - https://www.kattielaur.com/canardian Subscribe to the Pod the North newsletter - https://podthenorth.substack.com/ Connect with Mary! Leave a voice note with your feedback at https://www.speakpipe.com/VisibleVoice or email visiblevoicepodcast@gmail.com Get the full transcript of the episode at http://www.visiblevoicepodcast.com Read up on more secrets with the Visible Voice Insights Newsletter https://www.organizedsound.ca/newsletter To learn more or work with Mary, check out https://www.organizedsound.ca Link up on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/marychan-organizedsound/ Engage on Instagram @OrganizedSoundProductions https://www.instagram.com/organizedsoundproductions Show Credits: Podcast audio design, engineering, and editing by Mary Chan of Organized Sound Productions Show notes written by Shannon Kirk of Right Words Studio Post-production support by Kristalee Forre of Forre You VA Podcast cover art by Emily Johnston of Artio Design Co. Transcript with Audio Description:

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 conversation prompted this episode's exploration. An open-ended question—the kind that requires a more thorough answer than “yes,” “no,” or some other short word or phrase—is always going to elicit a stronger response. In return, you as the host don't have to work as hard; your guest's fascinating story, the whole reason they're chatting with you, stands a much better chance of tumbling out of them with the passion every podcaster  (and podcast listener) is looking for. Ask yourself these impactful interview-question questions: What are the best W5 question prompts to ask in your interview? How can you utilize storytelling statements to deliver more engaging episodes? What should you look for in past episodes to start asking better questions in the future? Links worth mentioning from the episode: Episode 32, “Bad Interviewing Habits” - https://www.organizedsound.ca/bad-interviewing-habits-episode-32/ Connect with Mary! Leave a voice note with your feedback at https://www.speakpipe.com/VisibleVoice or email visiblevoicepodcast@gmail.com Get the full transcript of the episode at http://www.visiblevoicepodcast.com Read up on more secrets with the Visible Voice Insights Newsletter https://www.organizedsound.ca/newsletter To learn more or work with Mary, check out https://www.organizedsound.ca Link up on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/marychan-organizedsound/ Engage on Instagram @OrganizedSoundProductions https://www.instagram.com/organizedsoundproductions Show Credits: Podcast audio design, engineering, and editing by Mary Chan of Organized Sound Productions Show notes written by Shannon Kirk of Right Words Studio Post-production support by Kristalee Forre of Forre You VA Podcast cover art by Emily Johnston of Artio Design Co. Transcript with Audio Description: [MUSIC IN - GHOSTHOOD FEATURING SARA AZRIEL “LET'S GO” BEGINS] MARY: How do you ask questions? I guess specifically on your podcast, maybe when you do interviews, how are those questions being asked? I know it's still quite a broad question, but have you ever gone back to your episodes, listen to them again to review how you have been asking questions? And if you want to get even more specific, I'm actually talking about open ended questions versus close ended questions.  So today I'm going to explore those types of questions with you and show you how open ended questions can make your interviews and your podcast more enjoyable. Not just for you as a host, but maybe as a guest as well if you're on someone else's show, but more importantly for your listener.  This episode actually stemmed from my conversation with my daughter. So, you know, lots of real life experience can come onto the podcast as well. And this idea of what it's like to pull stories from someone by asking them the different types of questions. So, how does your curiosity with these open ended questions play a significant role in your interviews? So there you go. The next generation of podcasters, through my daughter, is already teaching me about something that I can share with you on this very podcast.  This is episode number 98 on the Podcaster's Guide to a Visible Voice.  > MARY: Thank you so much for listening to the Podcaster's Guide to a Visible Voice. If you enjoyed this episode, I'd love it if you'd share it with a podcasting friend. And to reveal more voicing and podcasting tips, click on over to VisibleVoicePodcast.com. Until next time.

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 listener community. In this episode, Mary sits down with Chidinma to talk show prep, rebrands, and the difference between American and Canadian ad partners. Discover some fresh ideas for building listener engagement on this passive medium and how to deliver an authentic community resource while also making money. Whether you're just starting your podcast or have been working away for years, Chidinma's perspective is sure to have you taking notes and making plans to take your show to the next level. Learn an exploratory approach to creating an award-winning podcast: How Chidinma turned to life experience to inspire her show When and how to tackle a rebrand Transforming listeners into a real community Making moves to monetize your podcast Links worth mentioning from the episode: Register for BWDIK's virtual movie screening of “Village Keeper” - https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdJ3oHnRoTAruUHjbsvMTncTv8UMuBPD1IdOJeEG28jhXjTzQ/viewform CBC, “The Golden Globes want to honour podcasting”: https://www.cbc.ca/arts/commotion/the-golden-globes-want-to-honour-podcasting-1.7532676 Engage with Chidinma Azubuike: Listen to the But What Do I Know podcast - https://www.bwdikpodcast.com/podcast Follow But What Do I Know on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/bwdikpodcast/ Connect with Mary! Leave a voice note with your feedback at https://www.speakpipe.com/VisibleVoice or email visiblevoicepodcast@gmail.com Get the full transcript of the episode at http://www.visiblevoicepodcast.com Read up on more secrets with the Visible Voice Insights Newsletter https://www.organizedsound.ca/newsletter To learn more or work with Mary, check out https://www.organizedsound.ca Link up on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/marychan-organizedsound/ Engage on Instagram @OrganizedSoundProductions https://www.instagram.com/organizedsoundproductions Show Credits: Podcast audio design, engineering, and editing by Mary Chan of Organized Sound Productions Show notes written by Shannon Kirk of Right Words Studio Post-production support by Kristalee Forre of Forre You VA Podcast cover art by Emily Johnston of Artio Design Co. Transcript with Audio Description: [MUSIC IN - GHOSTHOOD FEATURING SARA AZRIEL “LET'S GO” BEGINS] MARY: When looking at new podcasts for something to listen to on your podcast player, sometimes one just stands out. For me, it was quite a few years ago when the title But What Do I Know grabbed my attention. It was nominated for a podcast award and it really resonated with me because, the imposter syndrome behind that question, my need for continual learning, and also learning from a fellow Canadian, which was rare at that time. When I saw the show, Canadian podcasts weren't really highlighted as Canadian, but really it was all about that imposter syndrome part. That little girl's uncertainty that I have that still lingers inside of me even as I am a 45 year old woman today. Right. Like all of this stuff comes up, and it came up through that one question, the title of her podcast.  So I added But What Do I Know? to my list, even though I didn't listen to it, not in the beginning at least, because I wasn't ready to face my inner struggles with that little girl that I was talking about, right? That struggle of, ooh, I actually have to look at this now. Nah. But I'll still save it on my podcast player because you just never know, right? And then I fast forward to last year, 2024, and the podcast was rebranded and it spoke to me even more. I was like, wait a minute, why did this rebrand happen? What's different? What's going on? And it piqued my curiosity.  So I was like, okay, leaning towards the curiosity versus, ooh, do I have to face my inner demons? And that was the change for me. And I decided to hit play because I realized, yeah, what do I know? Because I could learn from Chidinma Azubuike. Chidinma and I chat about her podcasting journey and what success looks like for her now. Because as we know, podcasting is a lot of work. So how does her curiosity and drive to build community work for her podcast today?  This is episode number 97 on the Podcaster's Guide to a Visible Voice.

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 hiatus and set yourself up to return strong. Whether you plan to reimagine the whole thing or just take a break before diving back into business as usual, you'll want to ponder the goals of your podcast, your ideal workflow, and—maybe most importantly—the fact that taking breaks is a natural and healthy part of continuing to enjoy your podcasting journey! Start preparing for your pause and your return right now: Why it's important to keep your listeners in the loop How to incorporate the role you want your podcast to play What to include in an updated feature episode once you're back Why it's a great idea to build in breaks ahead of time Links worth mentioning from the episode: Episode 87, “Find Podcast Success While Doing Less”: https://www.organizedsound.ca/find-podcast-success-while-doing-less-episode-87/ Episode 84, “Simplify Your Workflow to Keep Your Podcasting Passion Alive”: https://www.organizedsound.ca/simplify-your-workflow-to-keep-your-podcasting-passion-alive-with-craig-constantine-episode-84/ Podtalk, “Presence with Mary Chan”: https://podtalk.show/presence-with-mary-chan/ Connect with Mary! Leave a voice note with your feedback at https://www.speakpipe.com/VisibleVoice or email visiblevoicepodcast@gmail.com Get the full transcript of the episode at http://www.visiblevoicepodcast.com Read up on more secrets with the Visible Voice Insights Newsletter https://www.organizedsound.ca/newsletter To learn more or work with Mary, check out https://www.organizedsound.ca Link up on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/marychan-organizedsound/ Engage on Instagram @OrganizedSoundProductions https://www.instagram.com/organizedsoundproductions Show Credits: Podcast audio design, engineering, and edited by Mary Chan of Organized Sound Productions Show notes written by Shannon Kirk of Right Words Studio Post-production support by Kristalee Forre of Forre You VA Podcast cover art by Emily Johnston of Artio Design Co. Transcript with Audio Description: [MUSIC IN - GHOSTHOOD FEATURING SARA AZRIEL “LET'S GO” BEGINS] MARY: With all this uncertainty in the world, podcasting is, spoiler alert, not going to be your number one priority in your life. Okay, I know. Maybe it's already on the back burner for you, actually, and you feel this nagging feeling to do something. It's like, oh, I have my podcast. I should put out an episode, or, oh, I want to talk about these things, but, oh, I don't know, how do I have time? It's kind of nagging you.  But the overwhelm of everything else in your life either A, doesn't give you the time to record, or B, the mental capacity to say a coherent sentence at this time is truly, truly lacking. So what is it like to take a pause from your podcast and also then come back too, with that intention? How do you restart or maybe reimagine your podcast if you're in a season of overwhelm or busyness? Or you know what, it's been on the back burner for a while and you're like, I want to come back now. So what can you do either to prep for this pause or figuring out what it can look like when you want to come back?  This is episode number 96 on the Podcaster's Guide to a Visible Voice. 

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 researched insights on the pros and cons of welcoming generative AI into our shows—just how wide should we be opening that door? From concern around the inherent biases of AI outputs to the tool's potential to build the confidence of new voices in audio, Amanda's hot takes might just change the way you incorporate artificial intelligence into your podcast. Learn to navigate generative AI from a 100% human expert: How we can maintain the human touch in AI-assisted creations, The struggle to stay transparent about our use of AI, What to take away and leave behind from popular celebrity podcasts, What other big changes are making waves in the podcasting world today. Links worth mentioning from the episode: Suno AI music-making tool - https://www.suno.com Boardy AI networking tool - https://www.boardy.ai/ ChatGPT - https://chatgpt.com/ DeepSeek AI - https://deepseek.ai/ Start With Why by Simon Sinek - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4ZoJKF_VuA Episode 79, Making Accessibility Possible in Podcasting with Joel McKinnon - https://www.organizedsound.ca/making-accessibility-possible-in-podcasting-with-joel-mckinnon-episode-79/  Engage with Amanda Cupido: Find out more about Amanda's work - https://www.amandacupido.com/ Connect with Amanda on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/amandacupido/ Order a copy of “Let's Talk Podcasting” - https://www.letstalkpodcasting.com/ Get the kid's version - “Let's Talk Podcasting for Kids” - https://www.letstalkpodcastingforkids.com/ Work with Lead Podcasting - https://www.leadpodcasting.com/ Listen to Amanda's TEDx talk, “Why Audio Storytelling is the backbone of humanity” - https://youtu.be/srh0mdmmQoo Connect with Mary! Leave a voice note with your feedback at https://www.speakpipe.com/VisibleVoice or email visiblevoicepodcast@gmail.com Get the full transcript of the episode at http://www.visiblevoicepodcast.com Read up on more secrets with the Visible Voice Insights Newsletter https://www.organizedsound.ca/newsletter To learn more or work with Mary, check out https://www.organizedsound.ca Link up on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/marychan-organizedsound/ Engage on Instagram @OrganizedSoundProductions https://www.instagram.com/organizedsoundproductions Show Credits: Podcast audio design, engineering, and edited by Mary Chan of Organized Sound Productions Show notes written by Shannon Kirk of Right Words Studio Post-production support by Kristalee Forre of Forre You VA Podcast cover art by Emily Johnston of Artio Design Co. Transcript with Audio Description: [MUSIC IN - GHOSTHOOD FEATURING SARA AZRIEL “LET'S GO” BEGINS] MARY: AI, artificial intelligence. People love it or they're afraid of it. On one hand it's this shiny new object, people flock to it. It's been helping us write better, maybe give us ideas and do that basic level of tasks that sometimes we don't want to do. But then on the other hand, it's the thought of robots taking over the world, making decisions that might be wrong, or even, gasp, replacing actual humans.  So yes, I too all those fears and the shiny new object syndrome more so the fears though. So I haven't really been jumping on the AI bandwagon. And yet when I look at the nitty gritty side of things that I do, a lot of it is AI involved. You know, there's a lot of automations and workflows that are just always happening in the background for me. So why are we so scared? Amanda Cupdio tells us that it's the generative AI that has us all fearful. The generative part, that's the AI that's gotten very, very good lately. So I wanted to know more about it to A, calm my fears, but also my curiosity to it for the whole side of podcasting.  Amanda came into my world through a mutual podcasting friend shout out to Aaron Johnson. Not only is Amanda an award winning podcast producer, TEDx speaker, and an entrepreneur, founder and CEO of Lead Podcasting, Amanda is also the author of the Amazon number one bestseller Let's Talk Podcasting: The Essential Guide To Doing It Right and now a kids' version of that book too. And if all of that wasn't enough to keep her busy, to top it all off, she's helping the next generation of podcasters as an adjunct professor to redefine the radio courses at both Seneca Polytechnic and Toronto Metropolitan University.  To top it all off yet again is also teaching a new generative AI course at Seneca, which is the thing that piqued my interest and why I really wanted to get her thoughts on how AI can be good for podcasting, so that we're not so afraid of what's to come. I also have such a love for her because we both are former radio people and she was the first woman to be a program director at a talk radio station in Toronto. Which really blows my mind because Toronto is the biggest market in Canada and this milestone is actually relatively new in our recent history, so how is that still possible? But kudos to her. Congrats on that one.  Okay, back to the topic at hand. Whether you are using AI or not in your podcast, in your podcast workflow, in the creation of your show, you are really going to enjoy this chat because, like I said, AI is a part of our podcasting world. So we need to be aware of how it's impacting our space and what unfolds for the industry itself and for the next generation of podcasters.  This is episode number 95 with Amanda Cupido on The Podcaster's Guide to a Visible Voice.  > MARY: Thank you so much for listening to the Podcaster's Guide to a Visible Voice. If you enjoyed this episode, I'd love it if you'd share it with a podcasting friend. And to reveal more voicing and podcasting tips, click on over to VisibleVoicePodcast.com. Until next time.

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 of both the host and the listener? When you bring on not just the most popular guest but the one who is truly the best fit, you gain a stronger episode, a more dedicated listener base, and a more cohesive show. Get picky about your guest picks with these helpful tips: Why this month's most sought-after podcast guest might not be the right choice for you Why platforms that match guests to podcasts aren't ideal How your podcast values play into your guest selection every time How to tweak your publishing schedule to get the most out of every episode. Links worth mentioning from the episode: Episode 62, How to Land Someone From Your Dream Guest List: https://www.organizedsound.ca/how-to-land-someone-from-your-dream-guest-list-episode-62/ Episode 71, Celebrating with Values to Nourish Your Podcast: https://www.organizedsound.ca/celebrating-with-values-to-nourish-your-podcast-year-end-break-episode-71 Connect with Mary! Leave a voice note with your feedback at https://www.speakpipe.com/VisibleVoice or email visiblevoicepodcast@gmail.com Get the full transcript of the episode at http://www.visiblevoicepodcast.com Read up on more secrets with the Visible Voice Insights Newsletter https://www.organizedsound.ca/newsletter To learn more or work with Mary, check out https://www.organizedsound.ca Link up on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/marychan-organizedsound/ Engage on Instagram @OrganizedSoundProductions https://www.instagram.com/organizedsoundproductions Show Credits: Podcast audio design, engineering, and edited by Mary Chan of Organized Sound Productions Show notes written by Shannon Kirk of Right Words Studio Post-production support by Kristalee Forre of Forre You VA Podcast cover art by Emily Johnston of Artio Design Co. Transcript with Audio Description: [MUSIC IN - GHOSTHOOD FEATURING SARA AZRIEL “LET'S GO” BEGINS] MARY: When you think of a podcast these days, what do you envision? Like, what is a podcast? Most people I talk to tend to say that if there's a microphone and there's two people talking, you've got a podcast. So, yes, that could be a good barometer. Like, a lot of the celebrity type podcasts are going that route. But podcasting is more than just interviews.  I mean, this episode alone is a solo episode where there is no guest, but it still is a podcast. With the exceptional growth in podcasting since the pandemic, when we were all at home listening away, connecting to other humans through our earbuds and headphones, we've seen this interview style show get replicated over and over and over again. And I see the allure you want to emulate your favourite thought leaders. It's an easy route to get started, and we want to have a connection with someone. So an interview style show is definitely the way to go.  However, what if we can make interview style shows better? What if it's more than just two people talking? On this episode, we're going to take a look at what we can be doing differently for our podcast and how being choosy about your guests will actually make a better show for you as the creator and for your listeners.  This is episode number 94 on the Podcaster's Guide to a Visible Voice.  > [MUSIC ENDS]

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 episode, we spell out the benefits with Julie Fry, the CEO of Your Expert Guest. Julie and her team are dedicated to finding their clients opportunities to be podcast guests. Turns out, there are plenty of reasons for podcast hosts to moonlight as guests, from positive impacts on your mission and messaging to growing your mailing list. Julie is brimming with tips for streamlining your pitch and plan, highlighting your call to action, and building lasting relationships with hosts and audiences alike. Guest better (or better yet, start guesting) with Julie's practical, insightful suggestions: Why you need to nail down your guest goals before you dive in What really works to get your target host's attention Why you need to purge your pitch of “I” statements Key steps for the post-interview follow-up. Links worth mentioning from the episode: The Podcast Host, “Podcast Guests are Secretly Paying $50,000 to Go on Shows”: https://www.thepodcasthost.com/business-of-podcasting/podcast-advertorial-secrets/ The Canadian Code of Advertising Standards, “Influencer Marketing”: https://adstandards.ca/resources/influencer-marketing/ Competition Bureau of Canada, “Deceptive Marketing Practices”: https://competition-bureau.canada.ca/en/deceptive-marketing-practices Rephonic - https://rephonic.com/ Listen Notes - https://www.listennotes.com Episode 69, Intangible Values of a Podcast, “What It Means For Stats, Metrics, and Monetization”: https://www.organizedsound.ca/intangible-values-of-a-podcast-what-it-means-for-stats-metrics-and-monetization-episode-69/ Connect with Mary! Leave a voice note with your feedback at https://www.speakpipe.com/VisibleVoice or email visiblevoicepodcast@gmail.com Get the full transcript of the episode at http://www.visiblevoicepodcast.com Read up on more secrets with the Visible Voice Insights Newsletter https://www.organizedsound.ca/newsletter To learn more or work with Mary, check out https://www.organizedsound.ca Link up on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/marychan-organizedsound/ Engage on Instagram @OrganizedSoundProductions https://www.instagram.com/organizedsoundproductions Show Credits: Podcast audio design, engineering, and edited by Mary Chan of Organized Sound Productions Show notes written by Shannon Kirk of Right Words Studio Post-production support by Kristalee Forre of Forre You VA Podcast cover art by Emily Johnston of Artio Design Co. Transcript with Audio Description: [MUSIC IN - GHOSTHOOD FEATURING SARA AZRIEL “LET'S GO” BEGINS] MARY: How do you figure out what success looks like when you're a guest on another podcast? What is that return on investment of your time? You know, a lot of people might think, is it really worth it, or is it something I can really do? Is that possible? Spoiler alert. Yes. In this episode, we're going to talk all about that, but we're also going to focus on what's changing today in the podcast guesting landscape that can really affect you and your podcast. So in this episode, you're going to hear from Julie Frey, the Founder of Your Expert Guest, a podcast visibility agency for women making an impact who want to be heard by their ideal client without spending hours on social media. We're talking effortless visibility by using strategic podcast guesting to grow your own podcast.  This is episode number 93 with Julie Fry on the Podcaster's Guide to a Visible Voice.  > MARY: Thank you so much for listening to the Podcaster's Guide to a Visible Voice. If you enjoyed this episode, I'd love it if you share it with a podcasting friend. And to reveal more voicing and podcasting tips, click on over to VisibleVoicePodcast.com. Until next time.

Breastfeeding can be a loving and bonding experience for a new mom. It can also be an emotional journey fraught with misinformation, tons of questions, frustration and guilt. One thing's for sure - it's not talked about enough.  In this SPECIAL episode, we normalize the conversation, and separate fact from fiction with Emily Johnston, a board-certified lactation consultant and doula, who has helped hundreds of moms successfully navigate the physical and emotional journey of breastfeeding.  We'll also tell you about Munchkin's new Flow Nipple Shield + which lets moms see their milk flow while nursing for the first time in history! Then for our Parenting Stories of the Day, Mirlo McAllister, a nurse and lactation consultant, introduces us to three moms who share their emotional and inspiring stories through this important stage of motherhood.  Special thanks to Target for sponsoring this episode! https://www.target.com/c/nursing-feeding-baby/-/N-5xtl0    You can also watch this podcast on YouTube Subscribe @munchkin & Reach us at podcast@munchkin.com.   Emily Johnston Emily Johnston is a high-risk perinatal registered nurse, an experienced postpartum and birth doula, an international board certified lactation consultant, but most importantly a mother. She works at a busy Los Angeles hospital and runs her own private practice serving families in the comfort of their own homes. Mirlo McAlister Mirlo McAlister is an experienced public health nurse and lactation consultant with a demonstrated history of working in the hospital & health care industry. Mirlo founded MGM Lactation to provide personal breastfeeding education and support to new mothers.  StrollerCoaster: A Parenting Podcast is created by Munchkin Inc., the most loved baby lifestyle brand in the world.  You can find all your favorite Munchkin products - including the new FLOW Nipple Shield - at https://www.munchkin.com. Use the code STROLLERCOASTER15 for 15% off regular-price items! (expires 4/13/25)    Follow Munchkin on Instagram / Facebook / Pinterest / TikTok  International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) 

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 straightforward to drop the final video into platforms like YouTube. But what about editing, and lighting, and additional preparations like your hair, outfit, and background? Video requires a lot of moving parts, and you still have to generate high-quality audio on top of all that.  In this episode, Mary breaks down the meteoric rise of video podcasts and encourages you to really ponder how adding video would affect your workflow and your budget. How will video get you closer to your podcasting goals, or is it a timesuck you just don't need?  Dig into the pros and cons of tackling this extra format: How easy is it really to “just” add a video component? How do you figure out if your audience even wants to watch your podcast? Just how helpful will AI be for editing and marketing? Links worth mentioning from the episode: Episode 89, “Your Podcasting Questions Answered” - https://www.organizedsound.ca/your-podcasting-questions-answered-and-a-year-end-break-episode-89/ Spotify research, “Spotify Unveils Uninterrupted Video Podcasts, Audience-Driven Payments, and the New Spotify for Creators Platform” - https://newsroom.spotify.com/2024-11-13/spotify-unveils-uninterrupted-video-podcasts-audience-driven-payments-and-the-new-spotify-for-creators-platform Sounds Profitable, “Audio and Video Podcast Consumers in 2024, Part One” - https://soundsprofitable.com/article/audio-and-video-podcast/ Connect with Mary! Leave a voice note with your feedback at https://www.speakpipe.com/VisibleVoice or email visiblevoicepodcast@gmail.com Get the full transcript of the episode at http://www.visiblevoicepodcast.com Read up on more secrets with the Visible Voice Insights Newsletter https://www.organizedsound.ca/newsletter To learn more or work with Mary, check out https://www.organizedsound.ca Link up on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/marychan-organizedsound/ Engage on Instagram @OrganizedSoundProductions https://www.instagram.com/organizedsoundproductions Show Credits: Podcast audio design, engineering, and edited by Mary Chan of Organized Sound Productions Show notes written by Shannon Kirk of Right Words Studio Post-production support by Kristalee Forre of Forre You VA Podcast cover art by Emily Johnston of Artio Design Co. Transcript with Audio Description: [MUSIC IN - GHOSTHOOD FEATURING SARA AZRIEL “LET'S GO” BEGINS] ​​MARY: Video. It's one of the biggest things that people talk about these days for podcasting, because it feels like video is all the rage in the digital world. For podcasting you see clips of those interviews on social media. You hear of big names creating a studio and filming their podcast. You also see people talking with microphones. Like that visual aspect of a podcast is people with microphones. So the lines of audio first podcasting versus video podcasts are kind of blurring. But are they really? What's driving this need for video? And is it worth it for you as a podcaster to create a video for your podcast? I touched on this a little bit in episode 89, that's the episode on Your Podcasting Questions Answered as my last episode of 2024. But I wanted to bring this topic back up for an entire episode of its own because, like I said, there's so much talk about video these days that I wanted to address it. But like anything in tech, things change quickly. So know that this is recorded in March of 2025, and I may have a new episode in the future for more video talk, because I'm sure this isn't the end of it, and I'm sure that there's a lot more things I want to add, but there's only so much that can go into this short little solo episode. So as of today, I figure, let's talk video podcasts as of right now, and are they right for you and how you can potentially integrate video into your podcasting workflow if you choose to record visuals as well.  This is episode number 92 of the Podcaster's Guide to a Visible Voice.  > MARY: Thank you so much for listening to the Podcaster's Guide to a Visible Voice. If you enjoyed this episode, I'd love it if you share it with a podcasting friend. And to reveal more voicing and podcasting tips, click on over to VisibleVoicePodcast.com. Until next time.

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 decades of PR and management experience to help small businesses and non-profits do just enough marketing to reach their goals in ways that make sense for them. In this episode, Amanda shares plenty of tips for figuring out whether that social media slog is paying off. You'll discover the link between podcasting and social media, as well as the first steps to determining exactly how social media marketing serves your podcast—and how your podcast serves you—so you can make strategic decisions that drive success rather than drive you crazy. Hear Amanda's insights on how essential social media really is to podcast marketing: What benefits are social media providing for your show? Where does podcasting fit in your marketing sandwich? What is your podcast's consistent call to action? Should you consider moving your podcast to Substack? Links worth mentioning from the episode: Amelia Hruby's podcast episode, “Should I host my podcast on Substack?”: https://www.softersounds.studio/softercast/should-i-host-my-podcast-on-substack Episode 87, “Find Podcast Success While Doing Less”: https://www.organizedsound.ca/find-podcast-success-while-doing-less-episode-87/ The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illnesss by Johnathan Haidt - https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-anxious-generation-how-the-great-rewiring-of-childhood-is-causing-an-epidemic-of-mental-illness-jonathan-haidt/20144236?ean=9780593655030&next=t&next=t Engage with Amanda: Get some podcast clarity for your marketing with Amanda: https://www.slowandsteady.studio/ Connect with Mary! Leave a voice note with your feedback at https://www.speakpipe.com/VisibleVoice or email visiblevoicepodcast@gmail.com Get the full transcript of the episode at http://www.visiblevoicepodcast.com Read up on more secrets with the Visible Voice Insights Newsletter https://www.organizedsound.ca/newsletter To learn more or work with Mary, check out https://www.organizedsound.ca Link up on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/marychan-organizedsound/ Engage on Instagram @OrganizedSoundProductions https://www.instagram.com/organizedsoundproductions Show Credits: Podcast audio design, engineering, and edited by Mary Chan of Organized Sound Productions Show notes written by Shannon Kirk of Right Words Studio Post-production support by Kristalee Forre of Forre You VA Podcast cover art by Emily Johnston of Artio Design Co. Transcript with Audio Description: [MUSIC IN - GHOSTHOOD FEATURING SARA AZRIEL “LET'S GO” BEGINS] MARY: There's no shortage of distraction these days. We are digitally connected, and there's so much we can learn or be entertained by, especially from the world of social media. And today it's even more heightened because of all the research into how social media is playing a negative role in our mental health, and especially with kids growing up in this digital, like, hyper digital age. You know, recently, last year, there was Jonathan Haidt's wildly popular book called The Anxious Generation, how it connects social media to the epidemic of teen mental illness.  Yet, as podcasters, we use social media without thinking much about it sometimes. We use it to promote our show. And if you have a business or organization that's tied to the podcast, that you need to talk about your message too, and it's all done on our screens, and it feels as if social media is the number one way to market the show, or sometimes even, like, the only way to market your show. So as a podcaster, we might think without social media, your message might sink without it. However, there really are alternatives. We marketed way before social media even existed. And so I've always thought, why can't we still market today like we did back in the day before social media existed?  So on today's episode, we're talking about marketing without social media with Amanda Laird. Amanda is the Founder of Slow and Steady Studio and a marketing communications strategist. She has more than 20 years of experience in communications and PR and management, and now helps solopreneurs, small businesses, and nonprofit organizations do what she calls “just enough marketing to reach their goals their way”.  And I love the idea of just enough marketing because I worked with her on one of her Clarity Sessions about two years ago. You know, my side of the story, which I tell briefly on the episode, is basically realizing how social media actually plays a role in my business and podcast, or actually the lack of a role social media actually plays and what I can be doing instead of social media. But also knowing it might play a little part in what I do. So I am still on it. So it's about talking about how to best use my time and stop that doom scrolling.  Amanda and I also get into Substack. I really wanted to highlight this with her because it's the new shiny object for podcasters and the Internet. So Substack is heavily using podcasting and video on their platform. So if you're wondering about Substack, listen through to the whole episode and how that can or cannot integrate with your podcast. So, yeah, if you're curious or just wondering if you should be giving up on social media or even figuring out if you want to do less on these social platforms. Today's episode is for you.  This is episode number 91 with Amanda Laird on the Podcaster's Guide to a Visible Voice.  > MARY: Thank you so much for listening to the Podcaster's Guide to a Visible Voice. If you enjoyed this episode, I'd love it if you share it with a podcasting friend. And to reveal more voicing and podcasting tips, click on over to VisibleVoicePodcast.com. Until next time.

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, even if you aren't interviewing Canada's Prime Minister or the Democratic presidential candidate. Mary explores how you, as a podcast creator, can seize this opportunity to transform or elevate your show—ultimately your own media platform—to refresh stagnant formulas and revisit the most essential question: how does your podcast align with your values? Whether you're brand new or years into podcasting, let's think about: How podcasting becoming more mainstream affects you and your show How you can lean into the shifts to bring a fresh perspective Why you should use your podcast to control the message you want to spread Links worth mentioning from the episode: Find Podcast Success While Doing Less, Episode 87: https://www.organizedsound.ca/find-podcast-success-while-doing-less-episode-87/ Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on facing impostor syndrome and taking criticism, Rethinking with Adam Grant: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/canadian-prime-minister-justin-trudeau-on-facing-impostor/id1554567118?i=1000658497013 Gratitude enhances health, brings happiness — and may even lengthen lives, Harvard Health: https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/gratitude-enhances-health-brings-happiness-and-may-even-lengthen-lives-202409113071 Connect with Mary! Leave a voice note with your feedback at https://www.speakpipe.com/VisibleVoice or email visiblevoicepodcast@gmail.com Get the full transcript of the episode at http://www.visiblevoicepodcast.com Read up on more secrets with the Visible Voice Insights Newsletter https://www.organizedsound.ca/newsletter To learn more or work with Mary, check out https://www.organizedsound.ca Link up on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/marychan-organizedsound/ Engage on Instagram @OrganizedSoundProductions https://www.instagram.com/organizedsoundproductions Show Credits: Podcast audio design, engineering, and edited by Mary Chan of Organized Sound Productions Show notes written by Shannon Kirk of Right Words Studio Post-production support by Kristalee Forre of Forre You VA Podcast cover art by Emily Johnston of Artio Design Co. Transcript with Audio Description: [MUSIC IN - GHOSTHOOD FEATURING SARA AZRIEL “LET'S GO” BEGINS] MARY: Although it's February, and this is my first episode back from my year end break. Welcome back. It feels like a lifetime ago because so much has changed in this short little bit of time from my last episode that I published in early December. It's amazing what a few months can do for you. And toward the end of last year, too, in episode 87, called Find Podcast Success While Doing Less, that episode is a good one to listen to before this one, because it's kind of a continuation or maybe like a little addendum to that episode. Where are you on your podcasting journey to make your podcast more integrated with what you do and your values, especially in today's world when, yeah, we're still trying to figure out what to do with less time, less money, less capacity, all of that sort of stuff.  So if you haven't listened to episode 87 yet, make sure you go find that one and then continue on to this one. Because, yeah, the world has changed. It doesn't matter which part of the world you live in. And I usually don't get very political. This podcast isn't political at all. And I don't slide into that realm. But I feel like with everything that I do, whether that is my personal life, my podcasting life, my business life, everything is all intertwined. So what does that political landscape actually mean for podcasting as a whole? And then more specifically, what does it mean for your show? A few things, actually. So listen in.  This is episode number 90 of the Podcaster's Guide to a Visible Voice.  > [MUSIC ENDS]

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 guest episodes, wrap up your year and feel empowered to launch or continue your show in 2025 with these practical tips from a seasoned podcast strategist and voice coach. Get inspired for your upcoming podcast season: How to reframe the “professional” voice in podcasting Consider capacity: taking breaks as a solo creator The future expectations of adding video Easy tips to take your recording process to the next level Listen to this year's guest episodes: Accessibility in Podcasting for Hard-of-Hearing Listeners with Kellina Powell, Episode 88: https://www.organizedsound.ca/accessibility-in-podcasting-for-hard-of-hearing-listeners-with-kellina-powell-episode-88/ Warm Up to a Healthier, More Confident Voice with Nic Redman, Episode 86: https://www.organizedsound.ca/warm-up-to-a-healthier-more-confident-voice-with-nic-redman-episode-86/ Simplify Your Workflow to Keep Your Podcasting Passion Alive with Craig Constantine, Episode 84: https://www.organizedsound.ca/simplify-your-workflow-to-keep-your-podcasting-passion-alive-with-craig-constantine-episode-84/ Start a Ripple Effect of Continuous Learning with Beth Cougler Blom, Episode 81: https://www.organizedsound.ca/start-a-ripple-effect-of-continuous-learning-with-beth-cougler-blom-episode-81/ Making Accessibility Possible in Podcasting with Joel McKinnon, Episode 79: https://www.organizedsound.ca/making-accessibility-possible-in-podcasting-with-joel-mckinnon-episode-79/ Why We Need To Highlight Our Humanity In Podcasting with Erin Moon, Episode 77: https://www.organizedsound.ca/why-we-need-to-highlight-our-humanity-in-podcasting-with-erin-moon-episode-77/ Writing For Your Podcast with Shannon Kirk, Episode 75: https://www.organizedsound.ca/writing-for-your-podcast-with-shannon-kirk-episode-75/ Crafting a Consistent Brand Story with Brigitte Bojkowszky, Episode 73: https://www.organizedsound.ca/crafting-a-consistent-brand-story-with-brigitte-bojkowszky-episode-73/ Voice Health: Treat Your Podcasting Instrument With Care, Episode 85: https://www.organizedsound.ca/voice-health-treat-your-podcasting-instrument-with-care-episode-85/ Organic Discovery for Podcasts, Episode 67: https://www.organizedsound.ca/organic-discovery-for-podcasts-episode-67/ Learn more about Spotify for Creators: https://creators.spotify.com/ Connect with Mary! Leave a voice note with your feedback at https://www.speakpipe.com/VisibleVoice or email visiblevoicepodcast@gmail.com Get the full transcript of the episode at http://www.visiblevoicepodcast.com Read up on more secrets with the Visible Voice Insights Newsletter https://www.organizedsound.ca/newsletter To learn more or work with Mary, check out https://www.organizedsound.ca Link up on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/marychan-organizedsound/ Engage on Instagram @OrganizedSoundProductions https://www.instagram.com/organizedsoundproductions Show Credits: Podcast audio design, engineering, and edited by Mary Chan of Organized Sound Productions Show notes written by Shannon Kirk of Right Words Studio Post-production support by Kristalee Forre of Forre You VA Podcast cover art by Emily Johnston of Artio Design Co. Transcript with Audio Description: [MUSIC IN - GHOSTHOOD FEATURING SARA AZRIEL “LET'S GO” BEGINS] MARY: Over the course of the year, I get plenty of podcasting and audio or voice related questions, as you could guess from the work that I do. And like we've talked about on the podcast before, no question is a dumb question. Podcasting questions come up all the time. Whether they might be a bit more foundational, like, what mic do you buy? How do you record online, how do you get the best sound? Those are more technical questions, but for this episode I wanted to go beyond that, because if you can google it, does it really make for an interesting or exciting podcast episode? Probably not. So I wanted to get under those almost superficial layers. So as we wrap up the year, I'm going to answer three very common questions that I get a lot. And as always, touch upon your podcasting values as we close out this year.  This is episode number 89, the last episode for 2024, on the Podcaster's Guide to a Visible Voice.  > MARY: Thank you so much for listening to the Podcaster's Guide to a Visible Voice. If you enjoyed this episode, I'd love it if you share it with a podcasting friend. And to reveal more voicing and podcasting tips, click on over to VisibleVoicePodcast.com. Until next time.

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 express themselves with confidence in a hearing world. Tuck in your earbuds and get ready to listen and learn as Mary and Kellina discuss the nuances of engaging with podcasts as a hard-of-hearing listener. How big a role does video play? Is all the effort we put into creating transcripts paying off? Kellina weighs in with helpful transparency from first-hand experience about the accessibility questions you've always wanted to ask. Learn from Kellina's unique perspective of the audible world: How your microphone affects sounds picked up during recording The difference in how hearing and hard-of-hearing people filter ambient noise How we can make our transcripts more accessible to those who need them How to respectfully ask questions about accessibility Links worth mentioning from the episode: Episode 84 “Simplify Your Workflow to Keep Your Podcasting Passion Alive with Craig Constantine” - https://www.organizedsound.ca/simplify-your-workflow-to-keep-your-podcasting-passion-alive-with-craig-constantine-episode-84/ Engage with Kellina: Buy Kellina's book, “Everyday I Am Just Deaf” - https://bookshop.org/p/books/everyday-i-am-just-deaf-life-in-a-hearing-world-with-deaf-queen-boss-kellina-powell/18522433?ean=9781778112102 Connect with Kellina - https://www.kellinaempowerment.com/ Connect with Mary! Leave a voice note with your feedback at https://www.speakpipe.com/VisibleVoice or email visiblevoicepodcast@gmail.com Get the full transcript of the episode at http://www.visiblevoicepodcast.com Read up on more secrets with the Visible Voice Insights Newsletter https://www.organizedsound.ca/newsletter To learn more or work with Mary, check out https://www.organizedsound.ca Link up on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/marychan-organizedsound/ Engage on Instagram @OrganizedSoundProductions https://www.instagram.com/organizedsoundproductions Show Credits: Podcast audio design, engineering, and edited by Mary Chan of Organized Sound Productions Show notes written by Shannon Kirk of Right Words Studio Post-production support by Kristalee Forre of Forre You VA Podcast cover art by Emily Johnston of Artio Design Co. Transcript with Audio Description: > MARY: Thank you so much for listening to the Podcaster's Guide to a Visible Voice. If you enjoyed this episode, I'd love it if you share it with a podcasting friend. And to reveal more voicing and podcasting tips, click on over to VisibleVoicePodcast.com. Until next time.

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, publishing, and promoting doesn't have to result in lower-quality episodes. By circling back to your original goals and finding ways to trim, rearrange, and even cut tasks that don't serve you, a process emerges that keeps you excited to create but not bogged down for hours and hours you just don't have. Yes, you have the potential to balance more rest and a meaningful show: How to check in on your definition of success Why you're getting better with every show, even if you didn't notice How to go out with heart if you decide to take a break Links worth mentioning from the episode: Episode 84, “Simplify Your Workflow to Keep Your Podcasting Passion Alive with Craig Constantine” - https://www.organizedsound.ca/simplify-your-workflow-to-keep-your-podcasting-passion-alive-with-craig-constantine-episode-84/ Episode 86, “Warm Up to a Healthier, More Confident Voice with Nic Redman” - https://www.organizedsound.ca/warm-up-to-a-healthier-more-confident-voice-with-nic-redman-episode-86/ Edison Research, Infinite Dial 2024 - https://www.edisonresearch.com/the-infinite-dial-2024/ Edison Research, Infinite Dial 2023 - https://www.edisonresearch.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/The-Infinite-Dial-2023.pdf Connect with Mary! Leave a voicemail with your feedback at https://www.speakpipe.com/VisibleVoice or email visiblevoicepodcast@gmail.com Get the full transcript of the episode at http://www.visiblevoicepodcast.com Read up on more secrets with the Visible Voice Insights Newsletter https://www.organizedsound.ca/newsletter To learn more or work with Mary, check out https://www.organizedsound.ca Link up on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/marychan-organizedsound/ Engage on Instagram @OrganizedSoundProductions https://www.instagram.com/organizedsoundproductions Show Credits: Podcast audio design, engineering, and edited by Mary Chan of Organized Sound Productions Podcast cover art by Emily Johnston of Artio Design Co. Show notes written by Shannon Kirk of Right Words Studio Post-production support by Kristalee Forre of Forre You VA [MUSIC IN - GHOSTHOOD FEATURING SARA AZRIEL “LET'S GO” BEGINS] MARY: What's possible if you can do less on your podcast, but still achieve your goals. This very specific moment in time. We're looking at the very end of 2024. We're in early November. As I record this, I feel like the collective Western world is at a standstill, kind of waiting in the wings, in limbo to see what's going to drop next. Whether that is interest rates for housing, local or federal elections, cost of living, like grocery prices rising. And you know, there's still like the day to day stuff like managing your work and your podcast is part of that.  So there's a lot happening in your world, and podcasting might not be at the top of your list of to do's. I know. And you know what? I'm here to say that it's okay if that's what you're thinking. Like, I got other things to do than to work on my podcast right now. And yeah, it's okay. And this is coming from someone who makes a living editing, managing and strategizing other people's podcasts. Podcasts is mainly what I do. So that's a scary thought for me that if I'm telling people to podcast less, is that going to be less for me as well? How do I survive that?  But once you take a step back, less is more. As they say, doing less at this time in history can reap many benefits in the future. During your podcasting journey, just like any other parts of your life, it's always good to take a step back. Ask yourself, is there anything I can optimize or do less of, while still enjoying making my show? So let's get into how you can reassess your podcast, so you can still have fun creating a show that you love and have the work of making a podcast that meets your capacity.  This is episode 87 on the Podcaster's Guide to a Visible Voice. > [MUSIC ENDS]

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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, a vocal coach and voiceover artist who has spent almost 20 years helping professional speakers hone their voices. Nic is a font of healthy voice inspiration, sharing everything from the importance of hydration (and the truth about which beverages count) to warmups that will get your tongue trilling, your lips flapping, and your vocal cords folding. Come to terms with what you can and can't control about your listener's reaction to your unique voice and be reminded about what a privilege it is, literally and figuratively, to have a voice. This episode is packed with light science and exaggerated facial expressions you can practically see, all in the interest of keeping you talking for years to come. Join Nic and Mary for interactive vocal warmups and other voice health tips: Silly faces and weird noises that can help your voice even when you're sick Why you need to get out of your own head and stop self-editing your voice How to sound just as energized at the top of your episode as you do at the end The benefit of vocal warmups beyond just keeping your voice healthy Links worth mentioning from the episode: Podcasting For Business Conference - https://pfbcon.com/ Enter to win a ticket to the conference by sending your voice note - http://www.VisibleVoicePodcast.com/ Listen to Episode 70, How to Use Research and Reports to Guide Your Podcast with Megan Dougherty - https://www.organizedsound.ca/how-to-use-research-and-reports-to-guide-your-podcast-with-megan-dougherty-episode-70/ Engage with Nic: Learn more about Nic's work on her website - https://nicolaredman.com/ Listen to the Voice Coach podcast - https://nicolaredman.com/voice-coach-podcast/ Get your copy of Nic's book at www.onthemicbook.com Connect with her on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/nicredvoice/ Connect with Mary! Leave a voicemail with your feedback at https://www.speakpipe.com/VisibleVoice or email visiblevoicepodcast@gmail.com Get the full transcript of the episode at http://www.visiblevoicepodcast.com Read up on more secrets with the Visible Voice Insights Newsletter https://www.organizedsound.ca/newsletter To learn more or work with Mary, check out https://www.organizedsound.ca Link up on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/marychan-organizedsound/ Engage on Instagram @OrganizedSoundProductions https://www.instagram.com/organizedsoundproductions Show Credits: Podcast audio design, engineering, and edited by Mary Chan of Organized Sound Productions Podcast cover art by Emily Johnston of Artio Design Co. Show notes written by Shannon Kirk of Right Words Studio Post-production support by Kristalee Forre of Forre You VA Transcript with Audio Description: for this particular consultation. MARY: Yes. Thank you. NIC: The first thing is definitely hydration. That's easy, right? Just drink loads. Loads, and loads, and loads of extra fluids. People get a bit hung up on what you can and can't drink. The truth about hydration is it's very, very simple. All fluids count except alcohol. I'm really sorry if that's your tipple. Just chase that whiskey with water. > You can drink tea. It will still help you hydrate systemically within the body, which will hopefully, at some point, help the vocal folds and the mucus and the vocal folds. Even coffee, shock, horror, it's still fluid, it still counts as systemic hydration in the body. There are some elements of diuretic, i.e. it makes you go to the toilet a little bit more. But the actual more recent research about coffee is that you would have to drink an absolute tonne of it for it to actually have any effect on your voice.  So people can relax about coffee, espresso, martinis, whatever you need before you hit record, it's fine. I mean, of course, the caffeine might exacerbate reflux or the dairy might have an impact on the thickness in your mouth, but you can still just have your coffee for hydration. So, look, just hydrate loads. Because if you're coughing or if you're ill and creating more mucus that's thick, you will need the extra fluids to help counterbalance that. The first thing is hydration.  Two easy things, hydrate and rest. But we all know that rest is not easy. Sometimes it's a privilege to say that rest is easy…  MARY: Mhmm.  NIC: …shout out to anybody with a job or caregiving responsibilities or small people in their lives…  MARY: Yes.  NIC: …but if you can rest, that can really help because your body needs time to process the illness. And the more you can rest, the quicker you'll get over it. If you have to, like, record straight away, like, there's no getting over it. There are some rehab exercises you can do, but I say this with caution because obviously, if you have no voice, sometimes there's nothing to do but rest. As in rest your voice as well. I always say to people, manage the expectations of the person who's expecting you to record.  So if you can at any, any possibility delay it, push it back, you know, give yourself an extra day, because you do want to be on point. And it's better waiting a day and be slightly after deadline and sounding great than, you know, showing up half-cocked, as it were.  So that aside, if you do need to record, there's a group of exercises called, um, well, shorthand. We call them SOVT or Semi Occluded Vocal Tract Exercises. And they're designed to help release tension in the body, in the vocal tracts, regulate the breath flow, the airflow, so that the vocal folds vibrate nice and easily. And when they're swollen a little bit, if you're ill, or covered in extra thick mucus, these exercises are really good at just waking them up, encouraging them to close in a more consistent and easy way, which makes speaking better. So those exercises, although they have a big fancy name, are very simple. It's just gliding up and down your range with a partially occluded mouth space. For example… MARY: Yeah, I need an example. NIC: …Yeah. Oh, it's fine. I've got loads. Uh, this one > gentle lip trill is a nice one. MARY: Oh, I love those. Yes. NIC: Those do elude some people, though, so please don't worry, they're not for everybody. And a couple of nice other examples are big puffy TH sounds. So if you stick your tongue out and let your cheeks get nice and puffy like a hamster or a chipmunk and just go as if you're. > You've got your tongue right, like you're doing a TH sound, you know, like this. > So imagine you're just saying this, but you never get past the TH. > MARY: That's a good one. NIC: Okay. These. > That creates exactly the same environment as the lip chill does in your sort of throat area. And then the other ones you can do are any puffy fricatives, really. So these sounds like a puffy V. > You want to be aiming for a lovely feeling. Like the sound is all vibrating at the front of the mouth, rather than stuck at the back. So you don't want, like, >...  MARY: Yeah, that would hurt. NIC: ...you just want to. > Or a Z > or because different accents and different languages have different sound inventories, a puffy worse sound, like you're, you know, you're doing a trumpet with your mouth. > MARY: I can totally picture you doing that. That's awesome. NIC: What a great job I have. I'm glad there's no video. > I've got my face on the Internet doing this far too much. So it's a real free treat to not have my face in. So those exercises, I won't go into the science of it, but basically they put your larynx in a really happy, easy, free place, and they make it really easy for the vocal folds to close.  So if you're ill, what you might find when you glide up and down. And you could try this if you want you might find a few gaps in that glide. So you might end up with something that sounds like M. > Right? Which is because there's swelling because you've been coughing a lot or there's a lot of mucus and mucus in the way. But the thing to do is just keep gently gliding and keep gently gliding because what you'll find is your body, your incredible brain and body go, oh, that's weird. We usually make a sign there what's going on, you know, and I mean, this is not obviously the science, like the, there's real proper neuron stuff happening here. But this is how my brain processes it. It like sends everybody to work fixing basically inside.  So if I'm used to going, > and my body goes, > then my brain's going to go, whoa, we need to fix that. There's something wrong. And it starts helping you. And basically it encourages the vocal folds to close nicely and that will help you sound a little bit more healthy, vocally healthy, and get the mucus moving as well. MARY: Oh, I like that because yeah, so I lost the voice on Sunday, didn't do anything without it. Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, got a little bit of it back. And I was doing some of this stuff yesterday because I thought, oh, like, what's taking it so long?  So I like your idea of like, the brain needs to make this happen. And so I think that's why I was like, ooh, today, yay. I have this interview. My voice is actually working for once all week. So this is nice. NIC: Oh, that's good. The other things I would add to complement the sort of comfort whenever you're getting through this is, people often love steaming. So taking a, well I have this peculiar looking sort of ceramic inhaler with a tube that looks a little bit dodgy to be honest, but you fill it with hot water and you suck on it gently and it's a really nice soothing in the vocal tract.  And then the other thing you can do as well is the sort of. The newest modern day version of steaming is using a nebulizer, like a personal nebulizer. So a little handheld device. There's one internationally you can get that's called VocalMist. They use a 0.9% saline solution and you use that for 10 minutes. And what it does is it helps the mucus on the vocal folds and it reduces, here comes the science, it reduces phonation threshold pressure for up to one hour, i.e. and makes your vocal folds vibrate more easily for a period of time. So they're really good for supporting your health, your vocal wellness, if you're under the weather. MARY: Wait, how does a nebulizer work? When you were describing it, I was thinking of those neti pots for your nasal sinuses. But is that similar? NIC: Yeah. So it's like an electrical device. If you Google, like, handheld, handheld nebulizer, you'll see it's like a little white sort of rectangular cube, like box, > I suppose, with a little spout on it. And you screw off the top, and you put a little vial of saline, note 0.9%. Very important. That's the same makeup as the saline in your body, as your mucus and stuff. And then you turn it on, and it mists, turns it into a mist.  MARY: Oh. NIC: And the mist actually reaches your vocal folds, which, with steaming, they're not sure. The droplets of steam actually hit the vocal folds. These days, the droplets of steam are bigger than the drops of mist, so it soothes your throat when you steam, and it helps thin out the mucus in your mouth. It feels nice. It's like an internal hug. But they're not actually sure if it gets to the vocal folds anymore. Whereas the nebulizer, the science and the research today, it currently shows that the mist does reach your vocal folds and hydrates them from the outside in. So the mist is absorbed at a cellular level because it matches the chemical makeup of the mucus in there, and therefore it creates a friendlier environment for the vocal folds.  So they're really good if you can get your hands on one. In the interest of disclosure, if I've been out to a party and had a few too many whiskeys, sometimes the next morning, a little hit on the nebulizer really helps bring my voice back to life. > I've been on the karaoke, doing a bit of a Bon Jovi. MARY: Yeah, those are the hacks that most people are, like, looking for. What's the hack? NIC: But, like, not pretend. We're all perfect. I have an episode of my podcast, actually, called how to keep your voice healthy during a festive party season. Nice. Because that's when I lost my voice, was when I went to, so I used to do a podcast called the Voiceover Social Podcast. And we have meetups, and I went to the Christmas do. I was already a bit under the weather because I host that party. It was like chat, chat, chat, chat, chat, like a wedding. And then my husband to stand up, and he was doing a gig in the evening, and me and a load of the people from that went to the standup gig. And were chat, chat, chat, laugh, laugh, laugh, chat, chat, chat. And I woke up the next day and I had no voice. I had no voice for 10 days and I lost almost a five figure amount of money in that week anyway. > So that's why I have that podcast episode and that's why I have all the hacks. MARY: Yes. Things we learn from our mistakes. NIC: Exactly. Win, learn, never lose.  MARY: Yep. Okay, so let's get out of the sickness mindset, but into the, when we're just doing our regular thing. We're going to be recording a podcast episode. Vocal warmups,  NIC: my favourite.  MARY: Okay. Honesty on my end. Now, even as a professional myself, you know, I do voiceover stuff too. I worked in radio, I know all the things. But there are many days that I don't even do proper warmups and I feel like it has to do more with the podcasting side. Like if I do the voiceover work, I'm doing the warmups. But when it comes to podcasting, it's more slack, I think today we're, we're trying to record so many different things for our show that we're like, we're going to do one task and the next task and the next task and we don't do the warmups.  So not necessarily looking for that hack or shortcut, but what can we be doing to quickly warm up before we go and set up our microphone for our recordings? NIC: Yes, I'm a big fan of, I suppose what, you know, they would call it the personal training world, compound exercises. So, you know, doing things that, that work multiple areas or doing a couple of things at once. So the very least I do, and I'm, I'm with you, Mary, because sometimes I drop the ball, or sometimes as a voiceover, something comes in and they need it back now, you know, and you have to jump in the booth. There's always time. There's always time to do something if I'm really honest with myself. But sometimes I take it for granted.  So what I love is, for example, a really, really simple one is some nice big, gentle kind of luxurious shoulder rolls and what I call a chewy hum. So you get a hum on the go that gets your lips nice and buzzy, but then you chew your lips roaring like you're eating something. So, again this is audio related, so I'll describe it as much as I can, but big shoulder rolls and then >. MARY: Like you're. NIC: And again with the hum, you're aiming to feel a really nice buzz at the front of the face, not > at the back, it really helps to kind of close your eyes and imagine you're eating something dead yummy. > I find if we're going to put an intention behind this, so you're. And then you can glide up and down your range. > It's a really good one. Oh, that felt really nice, actually. MARY: Yeah, that was great. NIC: So what you're getting there is you're releasing the shoulders, which is great for nervous tension, great for when you're on a microphone, because we often. The shoulders do a lot of our communicative talking for us as well. They're up, they're down, you know, so given the shoulders, release is really nice for the voice. The humming gets the lips released. It also encourages the voice forward a little bit, if we're thinking a bit like, sort of image based with resonance. And it also gets the airflow regulated. And, um, it gets the vocal folds vibrating and woken up as well.  And then, of course, when you glide light up and down, you're increasing the variety. You're showing your voice the high notes and the low notes that it can reach. Because a lot of the time with podcasting things, sometimes people feel they don't sound as vocally varied as they thought they did when they listen back. So, they listen back and they go, oh god, I sound really monotone or dull or. I thought I sounded more excited about that or something. So a very easy glide like that just shows your body the range that it's capable of, so it gives you more options. So that's one really good exercise.  And then I'm also a big fan of exercises that help you go straight into either, you know, practising your intro or practising a few questions. So there's an exercise again, grateful there's no video right now. But if you stick your tongue out on your lower lip like this was called, slug tongue. That's what it was called when it was taught to me, as in my book. I think if you want a picture, stick your tongue out on your lower lip and you're letting your mouth kind of relax down. If you imagine your best sort of Macaulay Culkin shocked face. MARY: Ah, yes. NIC: And that your tongue out and then you're going to speak through days of the week. Well, the first thing you can do is speak days of the week, months of the year and count one to ten with your tongue out like this. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, like that. But what you can do with that one is take the intro of your podcast and say it with that slug tongue hanging out. So you're like, hi, thank you so much for joining me, welcome to the Voice Coach Podcast. My name's Nic Redman and today we're going to be talking about warm ups. Then you can take your tongue in and go, Hi, thank you so much for joining me today. Welcome to the Voice Coach Podcast. My name is Nic Redman and today we're going to be talking about warm ups.  So you're taught you're sort of practicing your intro to get your vocal energy going. You're sticking your tongue out, which sort of makes it harder. So that kind of wakes up the energy of the voice a little bit. You know, it wakes up those other articulators because when you put your tongue back in and you speak, it's like, oh, my god, this is so easy now. So that's a really good one for practicing with your intro or your questions. And, this is the final one. I mean, you'll have to just stop me at some point, Mary, because I could go on forever. > Like, I literally wrote the book on this. MARY: Yes. NIC: If you put your finger, pointy finger, horizontally across your lips, as if you were doing a moustache mime, you know, in a sketch show,... MARY: Yes NIC: …but down, lower, in front, like between your lips, and then you're gonna go. > And then you're going to glide up and down your range. >  MARY: Yes. NIC: Really nice for loosening the lips, getting the breath going, getting the vocal folds and the range going. But you can also do that one with your intro. So. > Hi, thanks for joining me today, my name is Nic Redman and this is the Voice Coach Podcast >  And then you can go straight into it with a really big vocal energy. Because some of my podcast clients say by the end of it, I'm really warmed up, but the start always feels a bit low energy and I always end up going back to re-record my intro because I feel like it doesn't match. Do you know how relaxed I was at the end? So this is a really good one because the last thing you want to be doing as a podcast is having to re-record and edit stuff. I mean, who can be bothered? > So doing this, > oh thank you so much, > gets the energy going so you can go in with a bang. MARY: I love this. And also because when, when I do this work too, with people that they're, like, really stuck on this, I need to sound professional thing. And I'm like, warm ups is not about professional, it's about being fun. It is about going outside of your comfort zone. And so we need to act silly. This is a silly thing… NIC: Yeah.  MARY: …And I feel like a lot of podcasters don't realize that even when they are behind the mic, they don't have to put on that professional hat. You know, this isn't a broadcast radio, BBC, NPR, CBC-type show. This is something that is about you and your message and your voice.  And so when we connected over Instagram earlier this year, it was really about how as speakers, we're not able to control how someone reacts to our voice. So there's two parts of this, right? It's the, listeners has their own work to do to figure out what's bothering them, but also, you yourself as the speaker, you've got some work to do too. So, tell me more about this. Expand on it. NIC: Yeah. So one of the things that I come across most with podcast host clients who come to me for help, both independent and in corporate space, is this idea that they're constantly focused on how they sound.  MARY: Mhm.  NIC: You know, podcasting comes through the filter of the edit, the production, the sound effects, the intro, how it looks, how I'm presenting it, what is my logo, what is my image, what is my tile for, like for Spotify and everything. And the same happens with the voice. And people are like, how should I sound? What do I sound like? I need to sound professional, I need to sound engaging. And they come to me and they go, I think I sound to X or I don't think I sound Y enough. And that's the problem for me is this self monitoring and editing of the voice when you're using it, rather than focusing on that connection with the listener and going, doesn't matter how I sound, it matters how they feel. And it's about sort of changing that focus, you know, so we did connect about that whole, I cannot control how someone hears my voice.  Your audience may or may not be aware of the intricacies of Irish politics, right? But I'm a Northern Irish person of a particular religion, right? Technically, people may hear my voice and get really angry because I sound how I sound. Right? If they're from a particular part of Northern Ireland, for example. Now, I cannot do anything about that, in the same way that you might have a listener who has a teacher that they didn't like that sounded like you once. So in their head they carry this vocal baggage with them, this auditory baggage that they kind of listen through a lens with.  So I always say to people, listen, who cares? Because you literally have no idea who's listening to you and you cannot do anything about it. All you can do is be as yourself on the microphone as possible. Or as whoever you need to be on the microphone as possible. And your listeners will find you. And the ones who you annoy will not stick around. And they're not your people anyway. MARY: Yes, Exactly. NIC: Because when we're worrying too much about how we sign, we forget about what we're saying. And that's the point. And funny enough, this links to warm ups. Mary. Because the reason I think warm ups are important is, yes, it's about saving time in the edit and in the record. So, A, you save money, B, you save sanity and your relationship with your editor. > But also, if you warm up, then your voice is ready and you don't have to think about it. And you could focus more on the words. You can focus more on the impact that you're having and the connection you're trying to make with the listener.  So warming up is incredibly generous for your listener and also really good for your voice. Because you are saying, this is important to me. It's not about being professional. It's about caring about what you do and caring that the information that you're going to say is getting to the people in the way that it needs to, to make them feel in the way that you want them to. MARY: I love that tie back into the vocal warmups because that was one of my thoughts. And I'm sure, like, a lot of people too, is like, when you said, who cares? Because I say that too. I'm like, who cares what other people think? It's about how you want and want to feel in this moment. But them who cares? Is easier said than done. So tying it back into that vocal warmup piece is so key. So thank you so much for making that connection and for sharing that. NIC: Yeah. Because it's, warm ups help you get to know your voice and enjoy it. And you said fun. You said warm ups are about having fun. And I completely agree with that. And you know, if you've got a guest, do them with the guest, because you're darn right that guest is going to be nervous or excited. Like, do a few with them. Break the ice, record it, don't record it, doesn't matter. Sure, it's all content, let's be honest. But, like, it's really, really generous, important to do your warm up.  And I have to say, you're right, loving your voice and appreciating how you sound and not caring how other people think you sound is a big piece. And I don't say that lightly because I have done a lot of work with people on that. But remember that if you're. If you're making the step to do a podcast and put your voice out there, you clearly believe you have something to say that is bigger than your ego around your voice. MARY: Actually, this new client of mine said the exact same thing where she's like, this is the biggest fear I have is sharing my voice. Because she used to be a journalist, it was more about writing, and she, now that she's got her podcast out there, she's just like, oh, oh, I'm so embarrassed with my voice. So, what would you say to someone like that who's still embarrassed about their voice? NIC: I would say to them, remember what a privilege it is to have a voice, both literally and figuratively. I have worked with many people who have a big voice baggage for very legitimate reasons. You know, whether it's bosses, or family members, or social circles who have told them their voice is not valid or that they are not worthy of being heard. But we have to take responsibility for the fact that we have a voice in the first place.  So we have to step up to that fear and go, it's incredible that I have a platform, and it's incredible and a privilege that I have a voice to start with. So you just have to kind of give yourself a shake, do the silly warm ups, listen to yourself over, and over, and over again. And the more you listen, the more you'll get used to yourself and your sound and the more you'll hear the beauty in it.  And just remember how amazing is it the only thing we have in podcasting that is unique. The only thing. I'm sorry if you think your idea for podcasts is the most unique thing in the world… MARY: No. NIC: …It is not. It will have been done before. The only unique USP you have in podcasting is your voice. And that's the truth. MARY: Yeah, that's right. I say that a lot because your voice is like a thumbprint. Everyone's is unique. Like, I sound similar to my older sister, sure, but it is still me. The way I say something, the tone, the words I use, it is still you. And I love that you bring that to the table as well.  So you've been working in the podcasting space. You have your own show too. What have you seen that's changed or shifted at all in regards to voice in the podcasting scene? NIC: Thankfully, we're seeing a lot more diversity than we were.  MARY: Yeah. NIC: There's still a lot of work to be done with giving the underrepresented shows more space and more possibility to grow, I think. But there's definitely more diversity out there, which is really exciting. And luckily, a lot more women… MARY: Mhmm. NIC: …which is exciting. As someone who identifies very much as female, this is a really hard thing to be objective about. I say that slowly because I always get subjective and objective confused. And I have to really say it really slowly for my brain to. So, because I am such a podcast nerd, I obviously listen to loads of podcasts, but I also have my preferences. So, I feel like what I think is exciting in podcasting is probably because of the podcasts that I listen to. > MARY: That's right. NIC: But I just love that it's still an open forum. If you have a phone and access to the Internet, you can do a podcast in theory. So I just love the fact that it's still. I know there's a bit more, you know, chitter chatter about things becoming more commercial and it losing some of its grassroots charm, but the truth of it is, anybody can still do it, which is pretty cool. MARY: Yeah. Like you were saying, you have your own show, you have your own podcasting journey. And I've learned quite a lot from your over 80 episodes of your, the Voice Coach Podcast. They're great because they're. They're short and to the point. But what is your. What's been your biggest challenge of making the show for yourself? NIC: Oh, I mean, for me, it was starting as a weekly show and having to keep it up. So when I started that, the person who was producing, I had a team helping me with it. I was like, I'm going all in. And she was like, do weekly for a year and then see how you feel. So I did weekly for, yeah, a year, which was intense. MARY: Oh, yeah. NIC: I mean, even with somebody, you know, a decade's worth of experience and entire degrees in my subject, like, I, it was still like, okay, come on, I. Stay focused, stay strategized. Plan the next 10 episodes. Where are we going with this? What's happening? What's it linking to? What am I launching next? What are my people getting out of this? You know?  So it was keeping it focused and within, like, in line with the strategy and not just going, oh, god, I need an episode this week. I'll talk about hydration. Okay, so definitely keeping the consistency and the quality up, I think, was hard. And for me, when I first started, this was interesting, but I, and I think I reflected more on this when I wrote my book. When I first started the podcast, I think if I'm honest, I was doing it, it might, this is a bit weird, but I don't know if it's deep or whatever, but I felt like I was trying to prove things to my peers rather than serve my audience in a way. In the sense that I felt like I had to show all my academic research, all the links, all the facts, you know, make sure everyone knows I've got a master's degree in Vocal Pedagogy. I'm very well read, da da da. I'm very good. And I know this because of this book, and I know this because of this recent article. And I know this because of. I was like, my listeners don't care about that. They just want the fucking exercise, I feel like.  So as the show progresses towards, you know, the end of the year of weekly, I suddenly realise, obviously some of my peers listen and that's incredible and they're very complimentary about it. I love that. But it's for my clients. The podcast is for my clients. So I think keeping myself on track and remembering that I don't have to prove myself and my academic standing within this world was an interesting journey and I could just be myself and just do the work that I love doing for the people that I love doing it for was an interesting one.  And when I listened to the first one versus, you know, episode 80, whatever, I think you can really tell the difference in that, both my delivery and you know, at the start I was like, word for word scripting it and then reading it. I'm very good at reading something…  MARY: Right, exactly, yes. NIC: …as if I'm not reading something because that's being a voiceover,...  MARY: That's right. NIC: …so nobody could tell. But towards the end it was much more bullet points. > I wasn't scripting it anymore. So that was an interesting challenge. MARY: I love that mindset shift. I went through that too, where when I started the show and even my business in podcasting, because I worked in radio for 20 years, was downsized in 2018. And then I thought, maybe I'll try this podcasting thing. Is this a thing? And I went into it thinking, oh, I need to show that I have the experience. I know what I'm doing. I've, you know, I did this, I did that, and I didn't have the academics behind it.  And it feels like that societal hierarchy of if you have a university degree, you are better, you know, people will like you more or whatnot. And I didn't. I went to a two year radio program 20 years ago, like, that, that all gets into your head. And I did the same thing. I scripted a Lot. And sometimes I still do, depending on how busy I am and stuff. Because I am a voiceover artist, I can do that. But yeah, I think when you get to that point of, I'm serving my listeners for my clients, for my people. Yeah, they don't care. It's back to that. Who cares, part.  NIC: Yeah. And it's funny, you know, one of the things that people talk most about with my podcast is at the time I had a water bottle that was really squeaky when you took the lid off. And people still come up to me and go, and every time I listen to your podcast, when you take a drink, I take a drink, > you know, like, because I was like, you know, um, I can't be bothered editing this squeak. So every time I need to take a drink of water, I'm going to take a drink of water. We do it together. It's collective, you know, it's like a collective hydration experience. And people always come up to me and go, I've got a squeaky bottle. Or like, you know, it's like Pavlov's dog. Every time they hear a squeak noise, they have to take a drink. > So it's those imperfections that I think can also become the charm. MARY: Oh, I love that. Yeah. Because it's, it's an audio medium, so those squeaks work so well. So in that spirit and me still losing my voice, we're going to take a drink, everybody. NIC: Let's do it. Cheers. Or as we say in Ireland, sláinte.  > MARY: Yeah, so helpful. So, so helpful. I, I cannot wait for your show to come back because you're right, I do want just the little tips and the little tricks. So what, what are your podcasting plans? NIC: Oh, god, I have been mulling it over for far too long. I'm still mulling. I'm trying to decide whether I want to start a brand new show or whether I want to start, you know, do a limited series under the same banner as the Voice Coach Podcast. I'm not sure. I need to talk to some friends, some podcast friends and see what they think is the best thing to do. > But I have an idea because I'm working a lot more in corporate at the moment. MARY: Mhm. NIC: So, helping the people who host corporate podcasts to, um, be their best selves on the microphone and show up vocally as the experts and thought leaders that they want to be within their industry. So that's a really empowering, exciting side of the business that I'm moving into. So I'm wondering whether it might be themed or in that I'm not sure. MARY: Yes. NIC: Still mulling it over. Yeah. MARY: It's always going to be like what we were saying, who your listener is. What is that person wanting? Yeah. NIC: Yeah. Maybe they just want more tips. Mary, Mary, this is good market research for me. > Just need to get off my arse and onto the microphone and get the voice coach podcast going again. MARY: Well, like you said, you wrote the book on it, so you can talk about this endlessly. And I'm sure that it will be so, uh, valuable because I know the podcast as it is right now, now, it has been so valuable for me, so. NIC: Oh, thank you. That's so good to know. MARY: Yeah. Nic thank you so much for your time and your unofficial medical glasses off diagnosis with my voice. > NIC: Yes. Please see a medical professional and, uh, if not responsible for any pathologies, that maybe. There's my disclaimer. MARY: Exactly. NIC: Do seek professional help. MARY: Yes. NIC: If your voice changes for more than two weeks. > MARY: This has been so lovely. Thank you so much. NIC: Thank you. MARY: Oh, weren't those tips great? Yeah, the slug tongue she mentioned earlier, > like, those tongue twisters get easier after the slug tongue. > It's a great one to go hand in hand with the lion's roar that I tend to do. I do the trills and the lion's roar. And this is how you do a lion's roar. It has to do with the tongue and all the muscles in your mouth and your jaw. And so you stick the tip of your tongue behind the bottom front teeth. Okay, so the tip of the tongue is at the bottom of your front teeth. You're going to try and stick your tongue out as far as you can and open up your mouth wide like a lion. But that tip of your tongue is still stuck to the back of your lower teeth. Okay. And then you're just going to exhale with a wide mouth and you go. > You're going to make like a lion's roar face, like my eyes, close, my cheeks, wrinkle all of it. Because you're really stretching out the back of your throat as well when you do that. And I find it goes really hand in hand with that slug tongue.  Because then you're also working your tongue or trying to relax your tongue, and then the trills is trying to relax your lips. > That is a tough one. But if you can relax your lips, that's what that does.  So many great tips from Nic. And I'll be sure to also link her book in the show notes because she says it's got some good pictures if you're a visual aspect person so you can go that way and read her book and look at her pictures. But also in the show notes, I will link to her podcast because like I said, I do listen to her show. She's got some great short episodes with vocal tricks and tips. So get more vocal warm ups through Nic and her podcast. You'll love it.  All right, and also just a quick reminder, if you are still listening to this episode before November 1st, or at least the end of the day on November 1st, I still have my giveaway going for a ticket for you to join me at the Podcasting For Business Conference that's happening November 13th through 15th. But on the 14th, right in the middle of it, I'll be on a panel all about using your voice. It's called Your Voice, Using It, Shaping It And Protecting It. And I would love for you to join me at that conference. I'm giving away a free ticket to it. And this is how you enter.  What you need to do between now when this episode is published to, uh, the end of the day on November 1st, all you need to do is leave me a voice note from my website because I want you to share your voice. So go to VisibleVoicePodcast.com There's a purple button there that says send voice mail. Click on that and I want you to leave a 90 second voice note from your device. Quickly state your name, where you're calling from, Hello, Mary Chan, long time listener, first time caller. And two, say and complete the following sentence stems, The first time someone said something about my voice, it made me feel, dot, dot, dot, and then end with today, what I love about my voice is, dot, dot, dot. Okay? I say leave a 90 second voice note, but if it cuts you off, feel free to continue on the next one. It's fine, it's fine because I just want you to share your voice. I would love to hear what someone said to you the first time. You were like, oh, my voice. Okay, maybe I won't do that anymore. It's happened to a lot of people, so I just want to hear it. And I would love to hear how you transitioned, through that to today.  And then I will draw from all the entries for that free ticket to the podcasting for business conference. Again, it's happening on November 13th through 15th, and it is hosted by Megan Dougherty of One Stone Creative. She was a guest on this podcast. So if you haven't listened to that one yet, that one's just fun because she talks all about research and reports, it's episode number 70. Make sure you get on that because, ooh, actually the 2024 report because I interviewed her, for that episode last year, 2023. But the new 2024 report is coming out this same week. If you are listening to when this podcast first came out at the end of October. So, lots of podcasting reports and information that I'm gonna be delving into. So if you're not into the stats and all that stuff, don't worry, leave it with me. > So, yeah, good luck with winning those tickets with me. Just send me your voice note from my website, VisibleVoicePodcast.com.  On the next episode. I want to explore what it means to do less. There's so much overwhelm in the world these days. We're really, really busy in the world of podcasting in your own work, and then there's also your personal life and everything in between. And I've noticed when just talking to podcasters, to other people, just within my networking, creating a business and my friends and family, there is a lot happening and we are all trying to streamline and just do less. What does it mean if we did less and this specifically for a podcast? How do you do less around your show, yet still create episodes that you love? We're going to explore this, the next time, so join me then.  > > >

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the first of this three part series, labor and delivery nurse Emily Johnston discusses her pregnancy. She's also a birth and postpartum doula and an IBCLC (International Board Certified Lactation Consultant) with an interesting fertility journey to share. Connect with Emily: @littleloomrn and littleloomrn.com What is an IBCLC? Want more pregnancy + parenting? Informed Pregnancy Plus is a new streaming platform by pregnancy focused chiropractor Dr. Elliot Berlin. Dedicated to pregnancy, parenting, and everything in between, IP+ offers everything from prenatal workouts and yoga flows to original series and iconic birth films like The Business of Being Born. (Pssst, subscriptions are a great gift for parents-to-be!) Start your FREE TRIAL of Informed Pregnancy+ and get access to all our curated pregnancy and parenting content HERE!  Keep up with Dr. Berlin and the Informed Pregnancy Project online! informedpregnancy.com Informed Pregnancy on Youtube Informed Pregnancy Media on LinkedIn @doctorberlin Facebook X Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 lot of) self-love go a long way to keeping those chords healthy for when you need them. Give your voice the TLC it deserves! Listen in to find out: Why glugging water right before you speak doesn't cut it How to balance those fun, loud nights out with your podcast-related voice work The mental component of taking care of your voice Links worth mentioning from the episode: Win tickets to the Podcasting for Business Conference by leaving a voice note! https://www.speakpipe.com/VisibleVoice Attend the Podcasting for Business Conference - https://pfbcon.com/attend-2024/ Mary's voice love notes chat with Andrea Klunder of the Creative Imposter - https://bit.ly/cimarychan Read the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association's article, Effects of Hydration on Voice Acoustics - https://pubs.asha.org/doi/pdf/10.1044/cicsd_36_F_142 Episode 50, “Stop Thinking About Yourself” - https://www.organizedsound.ca/stop-thinking-about-yourself-episode-50/ Episode 54, “The Process of What's Working, What's Not Working, and What to Celebrate For Your Podcast” - https://www.organizedsound.ca/the-process-of-whats-working-whats-not-working-and-what-to-celebrate-for-your-podcast-winter-break-episode-54/ Episode 55, “How to Find Your Podcasting Voice” - https://www.organizedsound.ca/how-to-find-your-podcasting-voice-why-authenticity-is-100-times-better-than-a-traditional-radio-voice-episode-55/ Episode 70, “How to Use Research and Reports to Guide Your Podcast with Megan Dougherty” - https://www.organizedsound.ca/how-to-use-research-and-reports-to-guide-your-podcast-with-megan-dougherty-episode-70 Connect with Mary! Leave a voicemail with your feedback at https://www.speakpipe.com/VisibleVoice or email visiblevoicepodcast@gmail.com Get the full transcript of the episode at http://www.visiblevoicepodcast.com Read up on more secrets with the Visible Voice Insights Newsletter https://www.organizedsound.ca/newsletter To learn more or work with Mary, check out https://www.organizedsound.ca Link up on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/marychan-organizedsound/ Engage on Instagram @OrganizedSoundProductions https://www.instagram.com/organizedsoundproductions Show Credits: Podcast audio design, engineering, and edited by Mary Chan of Organized Sound Productions Podcast cover art by Emily Johnston of Artio Design Co. Show notes written by Shannon Kirk of Right Words Studio Post-production support by Kristalee Forre of Forre You VA Transcript with Audio Description: [MUSIC IN - GHOSTHOOD FEATURING SARA AZRIEL “LET'S GO” BEGINS] MARY: Your voice is your number one instrument. This is something I talk about a lot. I mean, it's also one of the first things you see on my website, because without your voice, and take it from me, I lost my voice in the middle of September for almost a whole week. Without your voice, you don't have a podcast. So why is it, as podcasters, we don't think about our voice as much as, say, the person we want to interview, or the titles, the artwork, those aspects always get a lot of focus. But your voice, not so much.  So in this episode, we're talking voice. Why it's not exactly what you hear in your head and how we can move forward to record more episodes with more love for your vocal cords and your heart.  This is episode 85 of the Podcasters Guide to a Visible Voice.  > [MUSIC ENDS]

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 that inspire listeners to dive directly into meaningful dialogues. In this episode, he gets into the nitty-gritty of the personal process that led him to discover his devotion to podcasting. Let Craig's passion inspire you to: Understand the difference between compassion and empathy in conversation Consider why you might not want to bring your prepared questions into the conversation Approach AI tools to create the perfect research assistant Simplify your process to make it more fun in the long run Links worth mentioning from the episode: Listen to Episode 51, Honing Your Podcast Voice Through Second Language Learning with Stephanie Fuccio - https://www.organizedsound.ca/honing-your-podcast-voice-though-second-language-learning-with-stephanie-fuccio-episode-51/ Engage with Craig: Keep on top of what Craig is up to - https://craigconstantine.com/current-projects/ Learn more about Craig's podcasting mission - https://openandcurious.org/ Connect with Mary! Leave a voicemail with your feedback at https://www.speakpipe.com/VisibleVoice or email visiblevoicepodcast@gmail.com Get the full transcript of the episode at http://www.visiblevoicepodcast.com Read up on more secrets with the Visible Voice Insights Newsletter https://www.organizedsound.ca/newsletter To learn more or work with Mary, check out https://www.organizedsound.ca Link up on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/marychan-organizedsound/ Engage on Instagram @OrganizedSoundProductions https://www.instagram.com/organizedsoundproductions Show Credits: Podcast audio design, engineering, and edited by Mary Chan of Organized Sound Productions Podcast cover art by Emily Johnston of Artio Design Co. Show notes written by Shannon Kirk of Right Words Studio Post-production support by Kristalee Forre of Forre You VA Transcript with Audio Description: CRAIG: Oh, no pressure. But thank you so much for inviting me. You get the prize for, of all the people who ever asked me to be on their show, you're the one who worked the hardest. So thank you so much for that. > MARY: A lot of logisticals behind the scene, and, you know, personal schedules and stuff. CRAIG: You actually hunted me down. You asked me through a service that we're both on, and I totally ghosted you, like a lot of people. And then you went and found my website and found my contact form and emailed me, and I'm like, wow, all right, this person is motivated. Yes, I want to be on the show. MARY: Well, what you do is intentional practice of conversations, and I think that is so unique because a lot of people find podcasting as like, oh, I can talk, I'll just plug a microphone in and start talking. > But what is intentional conversation? Why is it so important to you? CRAIG: Well, it's important to me because I found myself having more and more really great conversations, and that's like a whole separate story. And the more that I learned how to shut up and listen, which took me longer than it should have, the more I shut up and listened, the more I enjoyed the conversations and the more other people seemed to enjoy them. And then the people lurking around it enjoyed them too.  So I started wondering, well, this isn't new. Humans have been doing this for a long time. And the more that I looked into it, now I have a books problem. You know, like, oh, here's a book from 150 years ago where somebody had all these things. And then I started having conversations that I was intentionally picking challenging guests. Not that the people were challenging, but, like, I have no knowledge about the topic we're going to have this conversation about, then, what would the skills be that I would need to have that be a good conversation when I'm totally floundering every second of the way?  And I'm like an autodidact nerdy self learner. So it works well for me to be like, whoa, that sucked. That was horrible. And then I, like, write down, why did suck? What was wrong with it? How could I make it better? So I'm always preaching, like, you know, take notes and reflect, um, on your conversations, reflect on your life in general, and figure out, could I try something different next time? Or maybe that just, it happened. The bird flew into my head. That, that went weird. MARY: So then what do you need then to have a conversation? Because, you know, you were saying, I stopped talking, so I listened. But when people think of dialogue, well, you gotta talk. So how do you define that art of conversation? CRAIG: That's a really hard question. That's two different questions. How do I define the art of conversation? I'm gonna ignore how I define it. That's hard. I would say that you actually, you don't really have to talk for it to be a good conversation. And a lot of times when I'm having conversations with people, they are already aware of my, my issues of, like, wanting to dig into the meta.  But even when I'm talking to people who don't know anything at all about me, they have an agenda and the real question is, when you're having a conversation with someone, is the other person aware of their own agenda? That's really, like, determines are we going to have a spectacular conversation. So Mary has ideas about where this conversation is supposed to go, ideas about what she wants the two of us to find here for the people who are listening. So that's like the biggest switch or choice. Like, when I'm having a conversation with someone, I'm, as best I can, always intentional about why I'm here, what I'm saying, why I'm saying, and I'm always curious, like, what is the other person thinking when they started talking? Were they just talking at me because they haven't seen me in a week, or are they really interested in something?  So that's like, the first thing is like, are both people on the same page about what does it mean to have a good conversation? Some people, they just talk. I'm not saying that's bad. It's just, you know, that's a deli conversation that's going to be a little more shallow maybe, or a little different. MARY: Yeah. What about then in the role of podcasting? That being intentional piece, do you then prep your questions and you have your set questions, or do you allow that conversation to unfold? Because, like you said, everyone's got an agenda. CRAIG: Yes. It depends on what you mean by you. So if you mean, does Craig? I generally don't write down my questions anymore in the very, very beginning, which would be like 2017. So I was kind of late to the party, but when I started, yes, I used to be intentional about, the show was all about movement, I would be intentional about, I'm going to talk to this person because I have this question or this story I want to know. And I would write down my questions, and I would imagine, like if I wasn't thinking story arc, but I was kind of imagining a story arc about, I want to start here and then I want to go here, and I want to end over there if I can.  So in the beginning, yes, I totally did that. And I got heavily involved in coaching podcasters. I've literally helped thousands of people as an assistant coach in courses. And that's a very good question for people to ask. So I say yes, in the beginning, write literally, preferably with a pencil, not like typing on your computer, because writing is different than typing.  MARY: Yeah,  CRAIG: Write your questions out in whatever your chicken scratch looks like. And then when you get to the recording, don't bring your notes. That's what I tell people, because the notes will distract you. I have a blank piece of paper on the table in front of me just in case I need to write something down. But when you go into those recordings as the host, all of that homework that you did, you're not going to forget it. It's going to be in the back of your head.  So I would say yes, I used to write things down, and I do recommend that that's a great place to start. And then eventually I can hold the questions in my head for weeks. I think about someone, you know, and I listened to one of your episodes as I was preparing for this, and I had, oh, that's interesting. And I see the kinds of things that Mary is attracted to, and I feel like I have enough things in my head that I could, I don't want to, but we could probably flip this around, and I could probably, you know, be the host if I had to, but I don't want to. > That's, if you ask Craig, how Craig does it, how does everybody else do it? I don't think people write their questions down based on what I hear, When I hear people. MARY: Certain shows, there are some shows where it's like, bam, bam, bam, question, question. There was, like, no follow up. And I feel like, yeah, that's not good either. CRAIG: Right. That's the other problem. That's the opposite of prepared. MARY: Yeah, exactly. So then if you don't write your questions, it feels a lot to me, too, about when I worked in radio, we called this show prep. You know, it's all about being prepared and kind of knowing, like you said, that agenda. But having the follow up questions are the sparks in that conversation. So do you then, have, like, a toolbox of ways to guide a conversation, or like,...  CRIAG: Oh yeah. MARY: …those. Oh yeah? Yeah. Okay, What is that?  CRAIG: So there's a whole bunch of them, and rather than try to rattle them off, but just kind of, like, paint kind of what they are. MARY: Yeah. CRAIG: I have these ideas in mind about, I have a visual, I live, like, 2 hours from Manhattan, so I've been there a bunch of times. And if you ever walk down Broadway is, like, the biggest street, you can walk the whole length of the place. I imagine that in conversations, I'm walking with someone.  So if I'm talking with someone and something strange happens, like, they ask me a question that I wasn't expecting, or they give me a strange answer, or they stopped, like, something weird happens. I'm imagining they, like, turned left into a side street. And my reaction needs to be not, wait, where are you going? Yeah, come back. My reaction needs to be, well, that's interesting. And follow, like, go with them. So I'm always trying to listen, air quoting is useless, you can't even see. I'm trying to listen not only to the words that they're saying, but the emotions that they're conveying. The emotions maybe they're trying to convey, which could be different, and try to imagine what is the experience that that person is having.  So I'm always yammering about my mission is about creating better conversation to spread understanding and compassion and empathy is close, but I think empathy is a thing that might come later after understanding and compassion. And I feel like that is what I'm trying to do, is I'm trying to deploy understanding and compassion as a tool.  So in a conversation, when something weird happens, I'm thinking, do I understand? Like, that's my first thought is, do I really understand what just happened here? Like, maybe I don't understand and I should ask a question about what just happened here. So I have, like, lots of nerdy tools that I can bring up, but they all fit in that toolbox of my first, you know, do I understand? And then, am I being compassionate? Is this person freaking out because Craig's too energetic for them? Like, that happens to people. I understand. MARY: You mentioned empathy, and I feel like empathy is very similar to compassion. CRAIG: Yes. MARY: So how do you differentiate that? CRAIG: The way that I think of it is that empathy is about the feeling and compassion is about, I don't want to say doing something about it, but imagining what could be done, either generally or that I should be doing. So, empathy, if you're empathic and you can't distance yourself from that, that's really hard. That's people who, like, if the elections go bad and then they have, like, a nervous breakdown, I'm like, well, okay, I mean, you're feeling for those other people, but you really need to be able to control that. You have to have boundaries. You have to be able to protect yourself physically and emotionally.  So, empathy, I think of as like, a feelers reaching out, sensitivity. And even I would say I'm pretty empathic. But even if you're really empathic, you really never know. You really can't say, I know what you're feeling, but that would be the goal, would be to feel outward. And then the compassion is, all right if I understand what's going on and I have some empathy for the person, the situation, or whatever we're talking about, then I might, if I'm a compassionate person, I might begin to imagine, is there something I could do about that? Could I help that person pick up whatever they dropped? Or could I donate money to this charity? Or could I help push this car out of a snowbank? That's the kind of thing that I do because I'm a large guy, you know.  But if you didn't have empathy for the person who was stuck in the snowbank, you'd just be like, sucks to be you. And you'd walk right by, you know? So that's why when I wrote my mission. That's why I wrote compassion rather than empathy, because I feel like empathy, I don't want to say it's easier, but I felt like I already had enough empathy and I wanted to work on the compassion part. So very, the mission is very specific to me, of course. MARY: What about then, if you're in a conversation with someone and you don't agree? CRAIG: That depends on why I'm in the conversation. So I don't do journalistic interviews, just because it's not my cup of tea. But I've listened to a lot of journalists talk about their process. And, yeah, if you're a journalist and you're supposed to be getting facts or truth or you're trying to, you know, uncover a particular story, if people say something you disagree with, you need to push back, and you can push back nicely. You can ask clarifying questions. You can, you know, throw in juxtapose. I thought it was X. You can make jokes. There are ways to reveal questions without actually asking questions, which then lets the two of us stand in one place and point at the question over yonder without it getting very antagonistic.  So there are things you can do to sort of direct, or in this case, redirect the conversation where you hope it would go. But that's not normally what I do because I'm not a journalist looking for something I don't have, like a target I'm aiming for, which kind of cuts both ways. Not having a target makes it harder because I think it would be easier if I knew where I was supposed to be going. So I don't often find myself in situations where, no, that's wrong, and I need to get you to tell me the other thing, so.  MARY: Yeah, it's just a matter of, okay, yes, you've said what you've said now. Oh, I'm going to ask you this question to, to redirect. CRAIG: Yeah, ask more questions. Ask different questions. You were asking for about tools earlier. I sometimes talk about people's salience, the word salience. Humans are spectacular at noticing salience. I always say I'm afraid of three kinds of snakes, little snakes, big snakes, and any stick that looks anything at all like a snake. So snake fear and, like, falling. These are wired in.  So there are other things, in conversations when you're listening to someone and you have an agenda and a story arc and a plan, and your brain suddenly goes, wait, what? And, like, it grabs these two things. The thing that you thought you were going to ask about and the thing that just lit you up, you have these two. Those things are related. I'm telling you, they are. That's what your brain just went, these are related. And you could just say, I wonder if these two things are related. You can just say that I do that and give people two, you know, like cheese and sneakers, and people will go, huh, that's a really good question. And then they'll think about it, and it's.  Conversations are just people sharing ideas. There's no rules about my ideas have to follow logically and clearly from the last. It can be whatever two people want to share. So I really feel like people, like I've said, I've seen a lot of people do this. A lot of people take courses and say, how do I do interviews? They really undervalue this magical, I don't want to say device, because your brain's not a computer, but, like, this magical power that you have about identifying the things that light you up. That already works. So that's probably what your podcast is about. If you have a day job as a journalist, then you got to work a little harder, because now you have to. You have to aim those tools at a specific. My producer said, I must do X. MARY: Yes. CRAIG: Just a little harder. MARY: Yeah. Like you were saying we're not computers, right? This. This isn't an AI interview. CRAIG: Whew, good. MARY: You know, we are humans. We have emotion. We have feelings in our bodies that will then guide us to. Okay, what is that curiosity piece? What is that follow up question? CRAIG: Why am I upset all of a sudden? MARY: Yeah, yeah, exactly. So, like, go with that feeling in your body and make sure that, you say it out loud. CRAIG: Yeah. A lot of times, just naming the thing goes a long way toward helping both parties understand, because sometimes people say something and, you know, somebody's triggered, and if you're really good at hiding that, well, that's not helping anybody. I mean, maybe if you're really triggered, you're trying to leave the space. Okay. But if it's the kind of thing that can be discussed, people can't read minds. I used to make that error a lot. I'm like, the other person opposite me is fuming. And I don't know. MARY: Yep. You can still hear it in their voice, even though you can't see them fuming. Like in the podcasting world. CRAIG: Yeah. Audio is magical. MARY: Yeah. Is magical that way, for sure.  Let's move into a little bit with your podcasting journey. You have two active shows right now. Even one show is a lot, like, how. How do you manage all of this? CRAIG: Oh, I actually have. Well, if you want to count accurately, I have five active shows.  MARY: You have five active, oh geeze.  > CRAIG: Okay. All right. So how do I manage it? I have a pride problem. I love, you know, shiny things. I love to go after them.  So the very first show that I created, I did not set out to make a podcast. I didn't say, I want to become a podcaster. This is the thing I want to do. I was literally having cool conversations in movement spaces. I would be out, like, in London running and jumping and playing with people at an event or doing a thing, and then I'm the kind of person who just walks up to someone and says, whoever they are, oh, hey, and we start talking.  And then I turn around, there's people walking behind us because I'm talking to somebody semi-famous. And then they say, you should have recorded that. I would have listened to that. That's literally how I got into podcasting. Then I was like, well, I guess I should get some SM58 mics and a little interface. I just started basically pressing record on conversations that I was having. So I'm super lucky, super privileged that that happened to me.  So that's how I started into it in 2017. And I did, like, 40 episodes with no clue what I was doing. Just like, you know, like, I don't know, let's try this. I had a friend who knew how to edit. I'm like, hey Brian, and he's like, use this mic and get this interface. And, you know, like, people just giving me tips. And I went about, like, 35 or 40 episodes along. And then I took a course. And I took the course not, and it's. It was a sofa, I call it sofa to 5K. I had a podcast course, and I already knew all that. I had 40 episodes out. MARY: Yeah. CRAIG: But I wanted to completely tear it apart, and I did. I took it all apart, and I, like, changed the descriptions, and the course made me think about things differently. It was one of the greatest things I ever did. And I met a whole bunch of people who were passionate about podcasting. That was the third time they ran the course. I went back as an assistant coach for 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11, for the runnings of the course, till they stopped the course.  And along the way, I kept having more ideas. So the first show was, I was having conversations. People wanted to hear them. But the next show which came out, I was like, I wonder what would happen if you did a daily podcast. That was just me for 30 seconds reading a quote every day and didn't tell anybody. Just, like, stealth launched the thing. So I did 1,400 episodes of that show.  And then while that show was going on, I started a podcasting community, and I started interviewing the other podcasters in the community and working my way up with, like, who should I talk to after I did a show? And that show was all about podcasting.  So once I fell backwards into it and figured out how to do it, then it became this. Like, I imagine painters might just, oh, I got a paint. They run to the easel and they start painting. And, like, I do that with podcasting. I, like, I run to the microphone and I start making. Or I get people and I make a recording. So that's how I wound up with all these shows. It's really not any harder to have five shows. It's just, how many episodes are you doing? That's all that really matters. MARY: Yes. CRAIG: So, uh, you also, I haven't forgotten, you asked me, how do I do it? But if you want to follow up on that before I tell you how I do it. Or I can just tell you how I do it. MARY: Yeah, how do you do it? CRAIG: How do I do it? I'm a checklist and process nerd. So I have, for every one of the shows, I have a separate document that I maintain that tells me every detail. Like, this is the, you get an e nine minor guitar chord, goes here as the music bumper, and then the intro, and it has every step all the way through to emailing the guests at the end to say, thank you, your show is published. Here's the, you know, please share.  And if you do ten of those, then you'll be editing your list. And then the list gets a little more detailed. And eventually, all of the things that used to make me get stuck, I don't want to do the editing. I'm, I don't like editing. Oh, I don't want to do the show notes. All these things that I get stuck on. I just kept making it simpler. What's the simplest thing that could possibly work? And that's what I, and I broke it down to more and more steps until, when I look at the checklist, I have an episode that you go out sometime this week, and the next checkbox is so easy. I'm like, you know, I could totally do that, that I could do that.  And that's. That was how I broke it down, was to just make it simple enough that I could find a simple next step for whatever was going on. And then the checklist helped me remember. So if I'm not doing anything for three weeks. When I come back. Oh, right, here's where I was. Here's how I start, here's how I finish. MARY: What's an example of making it simpler? What does that mean? CRAIG: So we were talking about AI before. I use ChatGPT to write the episode notes. Shhh. I say that at the bottom, I wrote, written with, actually, it's written with help from ChatGPT. MARY: Yes. I was just going to say, I like that you have it written down. CRAIG: I'm a computer nerd, but I'm not an AI. Like to me, I was like everybody else, a what? How do you work this? I had no clue. But I have a checklist that helps me prompt the AI to give me what I want. So just like little nuances of sentences, like I'm resisting urge to open it up and read them, but it's like these really detailed, like, I want, say, I want one sentence to be the hook sentence for the thing that might be like 120 word paragraph that I've slowly fiddled with and kept in a document.  So now when I learn what the hook sense, that it's like copy, paste, and it actually says, write me five variations of a sentence and then it tells it what to do and then it writes me five sentences and I look at them and none of them are good enough. But somebody, once I forget where this comes from, somebody said, working with AI fixes the blank page problem, so you should totally use it for everything because it will do a terrible job and you will rush to fix it's work. And it gets me going every time.  So like, I rush and I'm like, no, no, you cannot use the word delve. No, no, no, edit the sentence, right? And then I edit my instructions and I say, you may not use the word delve. Put that in the instructions. So now when I have to write episode notes for like, say, a 15 minute conversation, I'm like, I can do that in 3 minutes. Watch this. > And I'm all done, you know, copy and paste and, and I have to edit, you know, like everybody has their personal writing style. I don't bother to try and make it do my style. I just edit the thing. I look at the paragraph and I go, hey, I don't like this part. Edit it. And then at the bottom I just write, written with help from ChatGPT.  I tell everybody who asks, like podcasters. It's like having the greatest research assistant. This person is tireless. They have infinite patience. No matter how many dumb questions I ask, they're just like, here's your answer. You can, like, just ghost them for two weeks, come back, they pick up right where you left off without a single. As long as you realize it's really more about, I think of it like the first stage on the rocket launch. Get me moving, get me off the ground here so I can get a feel for what this thing is supposed to be. And that's what I use it for. MARY: What about not AI? What can you make simpler? That has nothing to do with AI, because that's what everybody's talking about these days. CRAIG: I stopped editing my shows. How about that one? If you've listened to, so the one show is called Movers Mindset is 170 episodes. I think Podtalk is at 150 or something like that. And basically the last hundred plus maybe 150 episodes on those two shows that I've released. I don't edit the audio.  Now, full disclosure, I'm actually hard of hearing. I have hearing aids and crappy hearings. I'm a terrible audio editor to begin with, but I also can't afford to pay ninety cents a minute to edit all this stuff. So I went, well, what if I had a conversation that was so good, there wasn't anything that had to be cut out? How would you do that? Yes, and then work on that for 300 conversations. I've done about 500 recorded conversations for my shows, for other shows, not counting my guesting appearances. And every time I do them, I listen back and I'm like, why did I say that? Why didn't I shut up? > Because a lot of times the guest is about to say the great thing, and I'm still like, wait, you got to hear me. It's like, no, I'm the host. Shut up.  So I've looked at, like, exactly what percentage of myself, when I'm the host, do I want in the audio? The answer is 25%. I want one quarter Craig and three quarters of the guest. And I occasionally drop that into Otter, which will give you a percentage speaker rating. And I make sure I'm at the target number that I want. And if I'm over or under, then I think about that for my next conversation.  So, if you don't want to edit, could you just make the conversations better? Could you screen out people who are poor speakers unless you really need them? Like, there can be issues sometimes. I won't really want to guess because I want that representation. I really want this voice to be heard of. So I'm willing to live with thumbs and aahs and pauses. Just put it out raw you know, edit the levels, run the anti white noise background thing, 30 seconds. I mean, sometimes I'm, I have a 45 minutes conversation. It takes me five minutes to go from raw audio to mp3, final mix down, including the time it takes my Mac to make the mp3. It's, you know, because otherwise I wouldn't get it done if I didn't cut that corner.  And there are other ones, like, I stopped doing introductions in the guest. Like, I never, when I'm recording, I never ask the guest to tell me who they are. Tell us, no, that's a disaster. And I don't. I don't read that in anymore for a while. I would open the show by saying, oh, my guest today is. I skipped all that. I got tired of recording intros and outros because I actually don't think people listen to them. So I skip them. My show opens, and I say, Hello, I'm Craig Constantine. There's like a sentence or two of what the show is. And then I asked the guest the first question, and we just have a conversation. There are other things about, oh, I can only do so much social media. So I have a WordPress plugin. I hit a button, and it just posts the three platforms. And then I'm like, good enough. Yep. I'm not making short form. I figured out how to do YouTube auto load from RSS. Good enough. MARY: Done. Yes. CRAIG: Moving on. I just looked at every single thing on the list that was in my head, and I went, this is stressing me out. Write it down. And then when I looked at the list written down, I identified, I can't do this. This is too much. I want to have hundreds, thousands of great conversations, and I don't want to do all these pieces. So delete pieces until I only want to do the part between record and stop and anything else that I absolutely have to, to make the show go out. MARY: And I think that's the difference, too, between people who are podcasting as a passion, like you do, or those who are like, I need to generate income, so I have to do X, Y, and Z, right? So it's like talking about that agenda piece. You were, you were saying at the very beginning, it's like, what is your goal for your podcast? So what would you define as success, then, for your podcast? CRAIG: Oh. Sometimes people can read each other's minds. I was listening to some of your shows, and that's a question you ask often because it's super important. And I'm like, this would be the spot where we need to talk about what Craig thinks success is.  Success, in my opinion, for my shows is so for the two shows that have guests, if somebody listens to an episode and then they manage to email in real life, whatever, talk to the guest and they can skip over the parts that make conversations suck and go right to the good part. That's the definition of success for my show.  So one of the shows is all about parkour and has french names and all these things, and there's people who run and jump and play all over the world, and everybody's pretty famous that I'm talking to. If they, somebody runs into that person and says, hey. And just goes right to the part of the conversation where both of them are enjoying it. Not, my guest, who's semi famous is like, oh, another fan. But where the fan comes up and says something and that person goes, oh, yeah, I'd love to talk about that.  Like, that's my definition of success. People listen to the episodes that I did, and that enables them to have a better conversation with that person, even if it's just email or, you know, direct messaging or whatever. That may be a weird definition of success, but it turns out to be hard to do that. But it only means I have to have a certain kind of conversation. It doesn't mean that I have to advertise or, you know, kill myself in editing, I hope. > MARY: Yeah. CRAIG: That nobody listens. MARY: That's always the podcaster problem.  CRAIG: Yeah. MARY: Nobody's listening. CRAIG: Well, there's only one problem and lots of problems. MARY: So what are some other problems that you have with podcasting? CRAIG: Uh, I spend too much time on it. Spend too much time on it. It's like I have an embarrassment of riches. So I understand. I'm not claiming this is weird, but I understand why people say they're nervous about reaching out to guests. I do not have that problem. I'm a computer nerd. I have something like 600 guests. I'm not exaggerating in queues. And I wrote software that mails me weekday mornings that suggests, you know, you mailed this person three weeks ago and they never got back to you, so you probably should message them again. Like, I wrote software to keep track of all that, so that I can just turn the crank. I do the fun part, which is, new email, Hey, Bob, would you like to be on the show? Or like that kind of thing?  People mention a guest to me and I put it in a certain little config file, and I don't forget, two years later, it comes up. And then when I look at the notes, I know who recommended them. And maybe I, maybe they said, I'd really like to hear them talk about X. Like, I figured out a way to capture that stuff. You can do it with pieces of paper or excel spreadsheet, whatever you like.  I think a lot of the struggle with guest outreach is in it's just an infinite number of threads. Like, it's complex, and it's always going to be complex. Don't put your friends into customer relationship management software. That doesn't make it better. So I just figured out, well, what would this have to be for me to enjoy doing this?  So I have, the other problem is, if I turn that crank, if I start messaging people, I can do like five touches in a day in like ten minutes, because I just send an email, send a thing, go to whatever platform they're on. You do that for a few days, then people start showing up in your calendar. And like, that's the other side is make sure people can schedule themselves in using Calendly or something.  If I'm not careful, all of a sudden it takes about two to three weeks. Three weeks out, all of a sudden it's like Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, I have all these podcast recordings scheduled. And even if I say one show per day, I can still wind up with two or three on one day because I have multiple shows. > That's my problem. I removed all of the sticky points, and I really wasn't paying attention to that means it's all going to go really fast. So I have to like, woah, slow down and try to keep it under control. MARY: Wow, you definitely have a very unique challenge. > CRAIG: Nice choice of words that you're going to say, that's very special. MARY: Earlier you were talking about, you got a lot of advice. You give advice about podcasting. So what was one advice that you got that did, you know, good. You're like, you know what, this is an advice that's out in the podcasting space, don't follow it. CRAIG: Oh, well, it's, uh, a similar version of that. Question is, what's something I disagree with that everybody else would be mad at me, and that's that you have to publish on a schedule. That's the piece of advice that I patently, I started on that at one point, I had a show that was all over the map, and I actually had hired someone to work on my team. I said, job one, get me on a schedule, which meant get the guest work and all that stuff. And I got on a schedule and I published every week for like a year and a half. I have completely given up, I don't care about, I don't care about schedules. So I said, like, mary, when was my last episode put out? MARY: I'd have to look, I don't know. CRAIG: Right? I mean, even if you went and listened, it's okay if you didn't. I don't think Craig is that interesting. But, even if somebody goes and listens to one of my shows, thing they look at is not the publication date. They go to the chronological list. They want to listen to the most recent one. Maybe they scroll back and listen to the trailer, or maybe they search for a word.  So I think that the advice to get yourself on a schedule. Okay. If it's your first episode, yes. Get on a schedule for five or ten or something, seven. But have it in your mind that you're planning on getting off the schedule, or you're at least planning on slowing way down. Because weekly, if you're. If you're, like, a one man band, and if you're doing things by all by yourself, weekly is insane. MARY: Oh, yeah. CRAIG: Even if it's hostile, weekly is like the treadmill. So I, I think that's the advice that it's super useful if someone is literally starting out on the sofa to 5K journey of podcasting. Yes. You need to imagine how do I, because it teaches you to close the loop. If I start here and I got to do all these steps, and I got to be done by next week, because I got to do it all over again, and then you start to think, oh, can I do the guest outreach in parallel? So I was working multiple guests, could I work ahead? So I got one or two in the can I. It teaches you those things. But then once you learn those lessons, then let go of having to publish on a schedule is my advice that I think didn't serve me because I took the course and people said that, and I was at 40, and I was like, yeah, I already want to get off this. > MARY: Get off this, because it is a lot of work and a lot of pressure on yourself to make sure it goes out at a certain day and time. CRAIG: Yeah. And, like, your die hard listeners, I've had people talk about. We talk about feedback and hearing from your fans. I've had people come up to me at, like. Like, I bump into them in person, and they talk about the show, and I've had people say to me, I can't keep up. Like, sometimes they drop, like, three or four in one week, and people are like, what are you doing? I can't listen to all this. It's too much content. MARY: That is a lot! CRAIG: Well, it is, but from my side, it's not. And I just had. It was a 30, 40 minutes conversation. I had a blast. It was awesome. And then I blasted through the post production, right? Sometimes I'm done, and if I'm really flying, I can be done in 45 minutes. I hit stop. The guest hasn't even, like, finished with their. You know, and I'm like, I'm done. It's crazy. MARY: So wait, why not then? Wait. Like, okay, if you've got this back, not back log. Like, then why not schedule? CRAIG: Because then the next week, I did three more, and then the next week I did three. Was like, well, there's another scheduled to, you know, never. And I also. I felt bad sometimes. I don't know, there's something about it. Everybody says, you always love all of your children the most. And every one of them, when I'm done with them, I'm like, that's the best thing I've ever created that has to go out right now.  It's part of my drive to make and do and create. And I feel like when I hit stop, I'm doing a disservice. I'm sitting on something I shouldn't be sitting on. And I have had some weird situations where I had some that I sat on for, like, ten months because I get nervous about that. Like, why isn't this done, well, because I can't get a transcript from the thing. I got stuck on details.  So, I really just love. I don't know, I love the feeling of, wow, I had a great conversation, and now everybody else can hear it with as little time between those two statements as I can get. MARY: Okay then, I'm checking out the time. Like, I had scheduled a certain amount of time with you, but then it got me thinking, then, do you schedule, like, a certain amount of time, or do you just let this conversation go? Because, like, I think I can talk to you for hours, right? And I literally mean that, you know, people say that on shows, but, you know, there has to be an end. CRAIG: Oh, I guess this is like a whole nother show. Okay, so I will say, yeah, you got 60 seconds before the time you allotted. However, I do not have a hard stop. So you could, if you want to record a second shows worth of material, knock yourself out.  Here's what I will say. People often ask if they're. If they're good podcasters, it occurs to them to ask, how do I have a good ending to my conversation? How do I have a good ending to my show, if I have a host and guest situation, and I always say, well, the first thing you can do is cross off anything that you know that won't work.  So, if you want to have a good ending, do not stop when the show sucks. > Right? So the friction and this is good. You always want to feel this as a host when you're on your show. This is great. This is where we should stop when you feel that tension of, this is awesome because people are going to slap their headphones off and go, that was awesome. And they're going to be like, they're going to go talk to somebody about the show or they're going to share it or whatever.  I mean, maybe don't stop right in the middle of an idea. But that part where we all want to go, wow, that was great. Now what do I ask? Oh, wait, there's more, Mary, let's talk about that. Don't do that. Just go, that was awesome. Thanks so much, Mary. It was a pleasure talking to you today. And hit stop. Hit stop when you're going is great, and you'll be good. Then there are a couple other little tips. Conversations go in, I call them saccades, not cicadas, the insect. Saccades, is a reference to how you move your eyes when you're reading. I don't know if people talk about cicadas in conversation, but, um, I'm doing it. There's a saccade to conversation. It's follow the bouncing ball, and it's about 20 minutes per hop on a conversation. MARY: I've heard about that. Yeah, yeah. CRAIG: And you might need to do people going, what? You might need to do a few hundred conversations to get out your metrics and look at the things. And what happens is, if you just let that bouncing ball go, you can't really stop at 30 if you're in the middle of a bounce and you can't really stop at the 20 minutes because that's the sucky part in the middle where you need to have a follow up question to get us back to the >.  So that's another thing is to understand, like, as a host on your show, understand some of the dynamics of conversation. Have your, have your conceptual head only if you can manage it. Only half in the show, half out of the show, watching the clock, knowing what you wrote that you wanted to get to, that you haven't got to yet. So, you know, oh, I have to get this one more thing. The next bounce of the saccade is going to be this. If you can manage to stay out. That's hard. Then that lets you have some of that. You know, you can have your head. You like old gopher, you know, like you stand up, you look around a little bit. Okay, let's go back into the next 20 minutes. So that's the, those are the things that I think about when I'm trying to figure out where to stop.  Really. Just don't stretch. You get to the end and it's awesome, and somebody says something profound, just say, that was awesome. MARY: That was awesome, Craig. CRAIG: But I did it on purpose.  MARY: I know. CRAIG: But, like, it's tough to do that when you're ahead. When you're really as a host, if you're having an awesome conversation, you get completely lost. That's good tape. MARY: So, yeah, that is. But I always end my show with the same question, and I'm going to let you go. So my last question for you is, what are you excited about podcasting right now? CRAIG: I totally should have prepared for that because I heard that what am I excited about podcasting? Well, in case people couldn't tell, I'm not excited about anything. I'm really excited about more people are starting to want to talk to me about conversation, and that's great because that means that I'm either, well I'm going to say I'm not doing something offensive. At least it means that things aren't going badly pessimistic.  So I'm really excited about having the chance. It's been happening more often to have conversations like this, where the whole thing is very meta about conversation. So that's really kind of makes me want to start another show. > I'm going to do more of this, but I'm not going there. So that's what I'm going to say. I'm really excited about and getting back, I was mentioning before I was sick, so I'm, like, on a pause at the moment. So I'm excited to get back to having more conversations, but it's really. I feel like I'm getting more interest in talking about talking. MARY: Yeah, I think that's what we need, because it's that human connection that we're all craving, you know? CRAIG: Oh, yeah. MARY: So thank you so much for this human connection with me and for the conversation. > CRAIG: My distinct pleasure. Thanks for inviting me. MARY: Thanks so much, Craig. I love the enthusiasm in his voice and for the work that he does. And, you know, during the conversation, he mentioned saccades and following the bouncing ball. I love that he brought up how conversations cycle through around 20 minutes, and we talked about this before, actually, in a previous episode with Steph Fuccio in number 51, we talked about Honing Your Podcast Voice Through Second Language Learning, and Steph had done similar research as well. She mentioned that same phenomenon around 20 minutes for a conversation. So if you want to revisit that episode number 51, the link is in the show notes.  So after listening to this conversation, what advice would you take from Craig's podcasting journey for your own show? Now, like I said on the show in the beginning, his podcast is a passion project and his success is not going to be the same as your success. So we're not saying you need to follow what he is doing. Like the way how he doesn't schedule. Scheduling is important to some people because it provides them structure and to make sure they do things so that they go out. Craig's really great at finding out what works for him, so I hope this episode makes you think about what could potentially really work for you. It's his idea of making things simpler. That's what he found works for him. But what does that mean for you?  Send me a voice note with your feedback at VisibleVoicePodcast.com. you'll find the purple button that says send voicemail. From there, click on that, send me your feedback, and let me know what would be simpler for your podcasting workflow. Or as always, you can email me as well VisibleVoicePodcast@gmail.com.  On the next episode we're talking voice tips. How do we embrace our voice as a tool? We think of podcasting as an easy thing to do where you can plug in your microphone and just start talking, but it's not as easy as that. We'll explore more of your voice next time. > > >

In this episode of Women Empower Active, Jacalyn gives an update on her ruptured appendix and having her drains removed. Then she dives into the challenges of running and navigating the often tricky "in-between" phase of fitness. Jacalyn also discusses how we tend to quantify exercise and place value on our workouts. Finally, she goes into what this period of lower activity has taught her.In the second half of the episode, Jacalyn welcomes Emily Johnston to the conversation. Emily shares her insights on supporting athletes as they recover from injuries and opens up about her journey of returning to fitness after a C-section. Plus, she updates us on her recent racing experiences. We hope you can connect with this episode, it is a very open and honest discussion. Women Empower Active Emily Johnston https://youtu.be/3eyKX0On64s?si=Toi7EA94iRQxjptT Host Jacalyn Gross Guest Emily Johnston Producer Jeremy Canaria Editor Jacalyn Gross --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/jacalyn-gross/support

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 etiquette and guest/host interactions. She outlines how to approach this important relationship before, during, and after the interview to make sure you're setting the clearest possible expectations. Consider how you could fine-tune your own podcast guest etiquette: Ace the early interaction that will set you up for that “easy yes” Keep your guest in the know as the interview begins Make sure you're both set up for success once the episode airs Red flags to watch out for when you're the guest! Links worth mentioning from the episode: Listen to Episode 66, Continuous Improvement as a Podcaster with Christian Klepp - https://www.organizedsound.ca/continuous-improvement-as-a-podcaster-with-christian-klepp-episode-66/ Check out Episode 62, How To Land Someone From Your Dream Guest List - https://www.organizedsound.ca/how-to-land-someone-from-your-dream-guest-list-episode-62/ Connect with Mary! Leave a voicemail with your feedback at https://www.speakpipe.com/VisibleVoice or email visiblevoicepodcast@gmail.com Get the full transcript of the episode at http://www.visiblevoicepodcast.com Read up on more secrets with the Visible Voice Insights Newsletter https://www.organizedsound.ca/newsletter To learn more or work with Mary, check out https://www.organizedsound.ca Link up on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/marychan-organizedsound/ Engage on Instagram @OrganizedSoundProductions https://www.instagram.com/organizedsoundproductions Show Credits: Podcast audio design, engineering, and edited by Mary Chan of Organized Sound Productions Podcast cover art by Emily Johnston of Artio Design Co. Show notes written by Shannon Kirk of Right Words Studio Post-production support by Kristalee Forre of Forre You VA Transcript with Audio Description: [MUSIC IN - GHOSTHOOD FEATURING SARA AZRIEL “LET'S GO” BEGINS] MARY: Having a podcast means you've got to have your systems in place. What do you do before you record an episode? How do you manage the actual recording? Then finally, what do you do after you record that episode and have that file? What's next?  There are so many things and variables involved when creating each episode that this also extends to being on a guest on podcasts as well. What are your routines to get on a show? And then when you're on that show, what are you doing? And then after the show, then what do you do with your guest appearance? There are a lot of similarities here when it comes to having your own show or being a guest on one. So when you do have your own show, how do you treat your show and your potential guests? That all matters.  Today, let's get into some podcast etiquette. What happens with your guests before, during, and after the interview? How you respond will set the success for your show and your guests.  This is episode number 83 of the Podcaster's Guide to a Visible Voice.  > [MUSIC ENDS]  

Part of podcasting is to review and audit your show. How are your listeners growing alongside you? So a little reminder that I need your help! My show also needs an audit and so I'm looking for your feedback. Your comments will guide me to support you with your show! A ripple effect!! And as a thank you for taking your time to share your thoughts, although the survey is anonymous, if you enter your details for this giveaway, this will provide one entry for you to win a deck of my Voice Connection Cards. This deck of 39 cards will give you a boost of compassion before you hit that record button! Plus, a 30-minute strategy session with me to talk voice or podcasting! Contest and survey closes on Sept 13th at 5pm pacific time. You don't have to enter the contest, that's optional, but I would love love love for you to at least fill in the survey, so I can help you with your podcast through this podcast! **TAKE THE 2024 LISTENER SURVEY! https://forms.gle/4ZVTANgCuiMNteBY6 Connect with Mary! Leave a voicemail with your feedback at https://www.speakpipe.com/VisibleVoice or email visiblevoicepodcast@gmail.com Read up on more secrets with the Visible Voice Insights Newsletter https://www.organizedsound.ca/newsletter To learn more or work with Mary, check out https://www.organizedsound.ca Link up on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/marychan-organizedsound/ Engage on Instagram @OrganizedSoundProductions https://www.instagram.com/organizedsoundproductions Show Credits: Podcast audio design, engineering, and edited by Mary Chan of Organized Sound Productions Podcast cover art by Emily Johnston of Artio Design Co. Show notes written by Shannon Kirk of Right Words Studio Post-production support by Kristalee Forre of Forre You VA

What is a healthy diet and how much does it really matter that we try to eat one as we age?  That's the topic of this week's podcast with three amazing guests: Anna Pleet, Elizabeth Eckstrom, and Emily Johnston. Emily Johnston is a registered dietitian, nutrition researcher, and Assistant professor at NYU.  Anna Pleet is an internal medicine resident at Allegheny Health Network who has a collection of amazing YouTube videos on aging and the Mediterranean diet. Elizabeth Eckstrom is a geriatrician, professor of medicine at OHSU, and author of a new book, the Gift of Aging. I love this podcast as while we talk about the usual topics in a medical podcast, like the role of screening, energy balance, and evidence-based for specific diets, we also talk about what a Mediterranean diet actually looks like on a plate and pepper our guests with questions about their favorite meals to convince Alex and me to eat more like a Sardinian. Eric PS.  NEJM just published a great summary of diets summing up adherence to the Mediterranean diet and the following improved health outcomes: death from any cause, cardiovascular diseases, coronary heart disease, myocardial infarction, cancer, neurodegenerative diseases, and diabetes    

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 connect with, but for diving deep into your current listener and making sure that your episodes evolve alongside them. In the last episode before the summer break, Mary takes you through the many steps she follows when she conducts a podcast audit, so that your show can evolve to serve your audience better. Take these pro tips on a test drive to guide the evolution of your podcast: How to learn more about your current and ideal listener Why defining success is directly linked to podcast growth How to evaluate your show, inside and out Links worth mentioning from the episode: Take Mary's listener survey and be entered to win a deck of her Voice Connection Cards and a 30-minute strategy session - https://forms.gle/GrCcLd4GXybGmfvb8 Schedule a complimentary strategy session - https://www.organizedsound.ca/contact/ Connect with Mary! Leave a voicemail with your feedback at https://www.speakpipe.com/VisibleVoice or email visiblevoicepodcast@gmail.com Get the full transcript of the episode at http://www.visiblevoicepodcast.com Read up on more secrets with the Visible Voice Insights Newsletter https://www.organizedsound.ca/newsletter To learn more or work with Mary, check out https://www.organizedsound.ca Link up on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/marychan-organizedsound/ Engage on Instagram @OrganizedSoundProductions https://www.instagram.com/organizedsoundproductions Show Credits: Podcast audio design, engineering, and edited by Mary Chan of Organized Sound Productions Podcast cover art by Emily Johnston of Artio Design Co. Show notes written by Shannon Kirk of Right Words Studio Post-production support by Kristalee Forre of Forre You VA Transcript: [MUSIC IN - GHOSTHOOD FEATURING SARA AZRIEL “LET'S GO” BEGINS] MARY: In podcasting, creating your show can feel so much about that overwhelm because of what the host does. Many shows are a one person show. So not only are you the host, but also the audio editor, the writer, the producer, showrunner, marketer, executive assistant, and the list really does just go on and on. But remember, your podcast is actually about your listener, not you.  Without your listeners, your podcast is basically a fancy place to leave yourself some voice notes. If that's what you're looking for, great. I mean, hit stop on this episode and move on. But if you want to grow alongside your podcast, you need to learn more about your listeners so that you can evolve along with them. So today we're getting into auditing your own podcast so that you can grow and learn from it.  This is episode 82 of The Podcasters Guide to a Visible Voice.  > MARY: Thank you so much for listening to the podcaster's guide to a Visible Voice. If you enjoyed this episode, I'd love it if you share it with a podcasting friend. And to reveal more voicing and podcasting tips, click on over to VisibleVoicePodcast.com. Until next time.

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 difference in the world. She also funnels her passion for transformational learning into her own podcast, Facilitating on Purpose. In this episode, she and Mary discuss the challenges, joys, and vast potential of kicking “Instagram Perfect” to the curb and creating an authentic podcast. Explore how your podcast facilitates learning for yourself and your community: Facing down the fear of reaching out to potential guests The benefits of receiving (and giving) listener feedback Balancing vulnerability and professionalism in your episodes Prioritizing the pursuit of greater inclusivity on your podcast Links worth mentioning from the episode: Fill out the 2024 Listener Survey - https://www.organizedsound.ca/offers/ Episode 79, Making Accessibility Possible in Podcasting - https://www.organizedsound.ca/making-accessibility-possible-in-podcasting-with-joel-mckinnon-episode-79/ SessionLab State of Facilitation 2024 Report - https://www.sessionlab.com/state-of-facilitation/ Listen to “Facilitating on Purpose” - https://bcblearning.com/podcast/ Mary's 12-week 1:1 Launch Experience program - https://www.organizedsound.ca/launch-a-podcast/ Engage with Beth: Read Beth's book “Design to Engage” - https://bcblearning.com/book/ Connect on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/bethcouglerblom/ Work with Beth - https://bcblearning.com/ Connect with Mary! Leave a voicemail with your feedback at https://www.speakpipe.com/VisibleVoice or email visiblevoicepodcast@gmail.com Get the full transcript of the episode at http://www.visiblevoicepodcast.com Read up on more secrets with the Visible Voice Insights Newsletter https://www.organizedsound.ca/newsletter To learn more or work with Mary, check out https://www.organizedsound.ca Link up on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/marychan-organizedsound/ Engage on Instagram @OrganizedSoundProductions https://www.instagram.com/organizedsoundproductions Show Credits: Podcast audio design, engineering, and edited by Mary Chan of Organized Sound Productions Podcast cover art by Emily Johnston of Artio Design Co. Show notes written by Shannon Kirk of Right Words Studio Post-production support by Kristalee Forre of Forre You VA  

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 into their databanks.  As podcasters, we learn to hear and listen differently than other people. We hone in on the nuances in our guests' voices, which enables us to strengthen that shared connection in our interviews. We also pick up on background sounds that wiggle in around our recorded words, affecting the quality of our episodes in a big way. So, when you're podcasting—what are you listening for? Explore the emotional nuances of the human voice: The significant difference between listening and hearing What's behind the “zoom-quality sound” fatigue we all experience How deep and supportive listening can make you healthier Links worth mentioning from the episode: Episode 77, Why We Need To Highlight Our Humanity In Podcasting with Erin Moon - https://www.organizedsound.ca/why-we-need-to-highlight-our-humanity-in-podcasting-with-erin-moon-episode-77/  JAMA Network Open study “Association of Social Support With Brain Volume and Cognition” - https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2783042 Connect with Mary! Leave a voicemail with your feedback at https://www.speakpipe.com/VisibleVoice or email visiblevoicepodcast@gmail.com Get the full transcript of the episode at http://www.visiblevoicepodcast.com Read up on more secrets with the Visible Voice Insights Newsletter https://www.organizedsound.ca/newsletter To learn more or work with Mary, check out https://www.organizedsound.ca Link up on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/marychan-organizedsound/ Engage on Instagram @OrganizedSoundProductions https://www.instagram.com/organizedsoundproductions Show Credits: Podcast audio design, engineering, and edited by Mary Chan of Organized Sound Productions Podcast cover art by Emily Johnston of Artio Design Co. Show notes written by Shannon Kirk of Right Words Content Post-production support by Kristalee Forre of Forre You VA

How can we make sure our podcasts are 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 a podcaster and an accessibility engineer—the ideal expert to discuss the future of podcasting accessibility. The creator of two podcasts and a rock opera, Joel turns his expertise to exploring the future role of AI in all things podcasting and websites. He has an inspiring take on striking a balance between making the most of robot efficiency and maintaining that essential humanity. Gaze off into the fantastic future of podcasting and explore: The quickly changing accessibility landscape of podcasting How to incorporate equitable access into every layer of our podcast  How to efficiently and effectively manage the extensive podcast-creation workflow Links worth mentioning from the episode: Listen to Joel's podcast, “Seldon Crisis” - https://www.seldoncrisis.net/ Discover the “Planet and Sky” rock opera and podcast - https://www.planetandsky.com/ Episode 78, “Podcast Transcripts and the Future of Accessible Audio” - https://www.organizedsound.ca/podcast-transcripts-and-the-future-of-accessible-audio-episode-78/ Engage with Joel: His company, “New Worlds Inclusive Design” - https://new-worlds.org/ IndieWeb - https://indieweb.social/@seldoncrisis BlueSky - https://bsky.app/profile/seldoncrisis.bsky.social Seldon Crisis on X - https://twitter.com/SeldonCrisisPod Connect with Mary! Leave a voicemail with your feedback at https://www.speakpipe.com/VisibleVoice or email visiblevoicepodcast@gmail.com Get the full transcript of the episode at http://www.visiblevoicepodcast.com Read up on more secrets with the Visible Voice Insights Newsletter https://www.organizedsound.ca/newsletter To learn more or work with Mary, check out https://www.organizedsound.ca Link up on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/marychan-organizedsound/ Engage on Instagram @OrganizedSoundProductions https://www.instagram.com/organizedsoundproductions Podcast cover art by Emily Johnston of Artio Design Co. https://www.artiodesignco.com

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' productions, Mary dives into their potential to transform both creator and listener experiences. You'll hear (or read!) about everything from SEO (search engine optimization) and AI to the proven benefits of many other accessibility initiatives. If you've been considering taking the leap and creating text alternatives for your episodes, or you want tips on fine-tuning your transcript process, add this episode to your queue. Get a better grasp on how transcripts can impact your show: Why are platforms making the move to include transcripts? How can transcripts improve the podcast experience for both creators and listeners? What are the professionals doing to make sure their transcripts perform? Links worth mentioning from the episode: Web Accessibility Laws and Policies - https://www.w3.org/WAI/policies/ This American Life transcripts case study - https://www.3playmedia.com/why-3play/case-studies/this-american-life/ T. Harry Williams Center for Oral History Transcription Style Guide - https://www.laseagrant.org/wp-content/uploads/OH-Transcription-Guidelines.pdf “2.5 Million Podcast Episodes Now Have Transcripts” - https://podstandards.org/2024/04/15/2-5-million-podcast-episodes-now-have-transcripts/ Newsroom report: “Apple introduces transcripts for Apple Podcasts” - https://www.apple.com/ca/newsroom/2024/03/apple-introduces-transcripts-for-apple-podcasts/ Connect with Mary! Leave a voicemail with your feedback at https://www.speakpipe.com/VisibleVoice or email visiblevoicepodcast@gmail.com Link up on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/marychan-organizedsound/ Engage on Instagram @OrganizedSoundProductions https://www.instagram.com/organizedsoundproductions Learn more secrets with the Visible Voice Insights Newsletter https://www.organizedsound.ca/newsletter Learn more secrets and the full transcript of the episode at http://www.visiblevoicepodcast.com To learn more or work with Mary, check out https://www.organizedsound.ca Podcast cover art by Emily Johnston of Artio Design Co. https://www.artiodesignco.com

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. To deliver the sincere and evocative narration for which she's known, Erin centers her humanity in every character she adopts, embracing both the muse that first inspired the author and the physical reactions—the literal human responses—the writing evokes. Because connecting to the text means connecting to the listener and, as Erin says, “we don't exist without each other.” Align your true self with Erin's thought-provoking insights: Why it's vital to bring your humanity even when you're reading off the page How to avoid “just reading” as a podcast host or audiobook narrator What the explosion of podcast popularity says about our need for connection What we risk losing if we let AI voice our stories and write our scripts Links worth mentioning from the episode: Episode 76, “Audiobook Inspiration to Master Your Microphone” - https://www.organizedsound.ca/audiobook-inspiration-to-master-your-microphone-episode-76/ Listen to “Be Kind, Be Calm, Be Safe: Four Weeks That Shaped a Pandemic”, co-narrated by Erin - https://libro.fm/audiobooks/9780735243019-be-kind-be-calm-be-safe This American Life with Ira Glass - https://www.thisamericanlife.org/ “The Body Keeps The Score” by Bessel van der Kolk - https://www.besselvanderkolk.com/resources/the-body-keeps-the-score The Secret Life of Canada Podcast - https://www.cbc.ca/listen/cbc-podcasts/203-the-secret-life-of-canada Engage with Erin: Erin's Website - https://www.erinmoonactor.com/ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/mooneybooks/ TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@mooneybooks LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/erin-moon/ X - https://twitter.com/mooneybooks Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/mooneybooks  Connect with Mary! Leave a voicemail with your feedback at https://www.speakpipe.com/VisibleVoice or email visiblevoicepodcast@gmail.com Link up on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/marychan-organizedsound/ Engage on Instagram @OrganizedSoundProductions https://www.instagram.com/organizedsoundproductions Learn more secrets with the Visible Voice Insights Newsletter https://www.organizedsound.ca/newsletter Learn more secrets and the full transcript of the episode at http://www.visiblevoicepodcast.com To learn more or work with Mary, check out https://www.organizedsound.ca Podcast cover art by Emily Johnston of Artio Design Co. https://www.artiodesignco.com

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 putting a lot of their chips on audiobooks, and podcasters need to start considering this angle more closely from a marketing perspective. Luckily, plenty of the takeaways Mary has gleaned over years of working in the biz of spoken audio apply to both podcast and audiobook narration, and in this episode, she's sharing her tips. Uncover the secrets to speaking more engagingly no matter which spoken audio platform you use: The importance of nailing down your tone and style Why recording an audiobook isn't just “reading your own words” How to make your audio listeners feel as seen as your print audience Why you don't have to read your book word-for-word Links worth mentioning from the episode: Audio Publishers Association Sales and Consumer Data - https://www.audiopub.org/surveys The ACX audio submission requirements - https://help.acx.com/s/article/acx-audio-submission-requirements Audible Audiobooks - https://www.audible.ca/ The Libby App - https://www.overdrive.com/apps/libby Libro.FM for Audiobooks - https://libro.fm/ Connect with Mary! Leave a voicemail with your feedback at https://www.speakpipe.com/VisibleVoice or email visiblevoicepodcast@gmail.com Link up on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/marychan-organizedsound/ Engage on Instagram @OrganizedSoundProductions https://www.instagram.com/organizedsoundproductions Learn more secrets with the Visible Voice Insights Newsletter https://www.organizedsound.ca/newsletter Learn more secrets and the full transcript of the episode at http://www.visiblevoicepodcast.com To learn more or work with Mary, check out https://www.organizedsound.ca Podcast cover art by Emily Johnston of Artio Design Co. https://www.artiodesignco.com

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 shows 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 overwhelming. Shannon Kirk is the writer behind the blogs and show notes for the podcasts Mary produces. She shares what goes into crafting the written portion of a podcast episode. From engaging in active listening while taking notes to preserving the parts of speech that are essential to your authentic voice, she and Mary discuss professional writer tricks and tips to help you create captivating blogs and show notes that add a readable and search-friendly layer to your audio offerings. Build confidence in your podcast's written components: Why you need to listen to your episodes from a listener's perspective The benefits of a set template and process to guide your posts Why you shouldn't edit the charming “you-isms” out of your written words How to hook your reader in your show notes Links worth mentioning from the episode: Ologies Malacology (Snails & Slugs) episode - https://www.alieward.com/ologies/malacology  Connect with Shannon: Check out her website - https://www.shannonkirk.ca/ Follow Shannon on LinkedIn -  https://www.linkedin.com/in/shannon-kirk-17429680/ Connect with Mary! Leave a voicemail with your feedback at https://www.speakpipe.com/VisibleVoice or email visiblevoicepodcast@gmail.com Link up on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/marychan-organizedsound/ Engage on Instagram @OrganizedSoundProductions https://www.instagram.com/organizedsoundproductions Learn more secrets with the Visible Voice Insights Newsletter https://www.organizedsound.ca/newsletter Learn more secrets and the full transcript of the episode at http://www.visiblevoicepodcast.com To learn more or work with Mary, check out https://www.organizedsound.ca Podcast cover art by Emily Johnston of Artio Design Co. https://www.artiodesignco.com

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 moment that led Mary to fine-tune a writing-for-speaking approach that works and doesn't leave you dreading every keystroke. Your podcast writing doesn't have to be clunky, like grammatically correct prose so often sounds when read aloud. If you use your awesome speaking skills to craft your written words, then the writing you need to do for audio projects can elevate your creation and enable you to speak with spirit. Let Mary talk you through these podcast writing insights: Why using both sides of your brain results in your most authentic podcast writing How intentional brain dumps and organization can relieve that writing stress One word you should always use to captivate your target audience Why writing for your podcast is freeing rather than restricting Connect with Mary! Leave a voicemail with your feedback at https://www.speakpipe.com/VisibleVoice or email visiblevoicepodcast@gmail.com Link up on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/marychan-organizedsound/ Engage on Instagram @OrganizedSoundProductions https://www.instagram.com/organizedsoundproductions Learn more secrets with the Visible Voice Insights Newsletter https://www.organizedsound.ca/newsletter Learn more secrets and the full transcript of the episode at http://www.visiblevoicepodcast.com To learn more or work with Mary, check out https://www.organizedsound.ca Podcast cover art by Emily Johnston of Artio Design Co. https://www.artiodesignco.com

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 educator with more than 20 years of experience in her field, and she's also a podcast host herself! She joins Mary to chat all things branding, marketing, and the audio experience. They cover everything from what the potential podcaster needs to consider before pressing record to the importance of consistency and accessibility across every iteration of your brand voice. Discover Brigitte's secret sauce for successful brand integration: Why knowing your values is essential to building your brand and your podcast When a podcast isn't the right move for your business What to ask yourself before you launch your show How the interplay between your podcast and AI is like music Links worth mentioning from the episode: Download your Branding Starter Checklist Engage with Brigitte: Brigitte's website - https://bridgetbrands.com/  LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/bojkowszkyb/?originalSubdomain=at Brigitte's book Significant Women - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0927YG1FH Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/BridgetBrands Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/brigitte.bojkowszky Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/bridgetbrands Twitter - https://twitter.com/BridgetBrands YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@bridgetbrands Connect with Mary! Leave a voicemail with your feedback at https://www.speakpipe.com/VisibleVoice or email visiblevoicepodcast@gmail.com Link up on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/marychan-organizedsound/ Engage on Instagram @OrganizedSoundProductions https://www.instagram.com/organizedsoundproductions Learn more secrets with the Visible Voice Insights Newsletter https://www.organizedsound.ca/newsletter Learn more secrets and the full transcript of the episode at http://www.visiblevoicepodcast.com To learn more or work with Mary, check out https://www.organizedsound.ca Podcast cover art by Emily Johnston of Artio Design Co. https://www.artiodesignco.com

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, underscoring the power and necessity of remaining authentic and captivating as we use our voices to share our unique stories with the world. Discover practical tips and the nuances of creating a captivating podcast: How video integration continues to blur the lines around podcasting The importance of uncovering the full potential of your heart voice Why you should embrace (and not edit out) the filler words you speak aloud Links worth mentioning from the episode: Research: Sound You Can See: Podcasting's Video Dilemma - https://soundsprofitable.com/research/sound-you-can-see/ Build your own Agendio agenda - http://www.visiblevoicepodcast.com/offers YouTube integration: read step-by-step instructions to submit your RSS feed - https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/13973017 YouTube integration: follow this video to submit your RSS feed - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrb327agiDE&t=106s Mary's Sound Sorceresses article: Unleashing Your Authentic Voice in Podcasting - https://soundsorceresses.substack.com/p/magazine-414 The Sound Sorceress substack - https://soundsorceresses.substack.com/ Creators of standard voices and accents, “General American English” - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_American_English#History_and_modern_definition Permission to Speak by Samara Bay - https://bookshop.org/p/books/permission-to-speak-how-to-change-what-power-sounds-like-starting-with-you-samara-bay/18485502 Episode 63, Permission to Speak to Redefine the Sound of Power with Samara Bay - https://www.organizedsound.ca/permission-to-speak-to-redefine-the-sound-of-power-with-samara-bay-episode-63/ Episode 18, Why Filler Words Like "Like" Are Powerful with Alexandra D'Arcy - https://www.organizedsound.ca/why-filler-words-like-like-are-powerful-with-alexandra-darcy-episode-18/ Connect with Mary! Leave a voicemail with your feedback at https://www.speakpipe.com/VisibleVoice or email visiblevoicepodcast@gmail.com Link up on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/marychan-organizedsound/ Engage on Instagram @OrganizedSoundProductions https://www.instagram.com/organizedsoundproductions Learn more secrets with the Visible Voice Insights Newsletter https://www.organizedsound.ca/newsletter Learn more secrets and the full transcript of the episode at http://www.visiblevoicepodcast.com To learn more or work with Mary, check out https://www.organizedsound.ca Podcast cover art by Emily Johnston of Artio Design Co. https://www.artiodesignco.com

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 values and incorporate them into every fibre of your podcast. This is a great way to make sure your show keeps striking the most authentic note, for you and your listeners, in every single episode of 2024! Mary's tips for aligning your podcast's vision show you: A step-by-step method to figure out the feelings your podcast evokes Tricks to really hone in on your most essential values How to keep your podcast values front and centre throughout the year Links worth mentioning from the episode: Brené Brown's Dare To Lead List of Values - https://brenebrown.com/resources/dare-to-lead-list-of-values/ Identifying Your Business Values from the Being Boss Book - https://beingboss.club/values Episode 69, Intangible Values of a Podcast - https://www.organizedsound.ca/intangible-values-of-a-podcast-what-it-means-for-stats-metrics-and-monetization-episode-69/ Create your planner with Agendio - http://www.visiblevoicepodcast.com/offers Manage your podcast on Trello - http://www.visiblevoicepodcast.com/offers Connect with Mary! Leave a voicemail with your feedback at https://www.speakpipe.com/VisibleVoice or email visiblevoicepodcast@gmail.com Link up on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/marychan-organizedsound/ Engage on Instagram @OrganizedSoundProductions https://www.instagram.com/organizedsoundproductions Learn more secrets with the Visible Voice Insights Newsletter https://www.organizedsound.ca/newsletter Learn more secrets and the full transcript of the episode at http://www.visiblevoicepodcast.com To learn more or work with Mary, check out https://www.organizedsound.ca Podcast cover art by Emily Johnston of Artio Design Co. https://www.artiodesignco.com

How does a report full of podcast stats make you feel? Chances are, you either pore over every page or close the tab, afraid those nasty numbers will tell you things you don't want to know! Lucky for all of us podcasters out there, Megan Dougherty—a brilliant digital marketing strategist, podcast producer, and creator of the State of Business Podcasting Report—is here to break down how to really get the most out of these statistics. The great news is, if you take them as gentle nudges instead of mandatory prescriptions, all those pie charts and bar graphs offer awesome guidance (and validation!) as you fine-tune and fire up your podcast. Megan's informed and lighthearted approach to this year's intel banishes the statistics scaries, empowering you to balance your creative passion with some firm data that could make a big difference in 2024. Get ready to uncover what the numbers have to say about: Why it's time to revisit your approach to your show's hook What it takes to establish yourself as a thought leader How to navigate video and social media without the overwhelm Where to change your approach so you can see more podcast success Links worth mentioning from the episode: The State of Business Podcasting Report 2023 - https://podcastingforbusiness.com/the-state-of-business-podcasting-report/ Megan's company, One Stone Creative - https://onestonecreative.net/ The Company Show podcast - https://onestonecreative.net/companyshow/ Podcasting for Business Conference - https://pfbcon.com/  Tom Fox - https://pfbcon.com/tom-fox/  Adobe Enhance - https://podcast.adobe.com/enhance  Organic Discover for Podcasts - Episode 67 - https://www.organizedsound.ca/organic-discovery-for-podcasts-episode-67/  Connect with Megan:  Website: https://Podcastingforbusiness.com  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/doughertymegan/  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/oscpodcasting/ Connect with Mary! Leave a voicemail with your feedback at https://www.speakpipe.com/VisibleVoice or email visiblevoicepodcast@gmail.com Link up on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/marychan-organizedsound/ Engage on Instagram @OrganizedSoundProductions https://www.instagram.com/organizedsoundproductions Learn more secrets with the Visible Voice Insights Newsletter https://www.organizedsound.ca/newsletter Learn more secrets and the full transcript of the episode at http://www.visiblevoicepodcast.com To learn more or work with Mary, check out https://www.organizedsound.ca Podcast cover art by Emily Johnston of Artio Design Co. https://www.artiodesignco.com

What metrics are you using to measure your podcast's success? Podcasting is a fantastic business marketing option. It's a uniquely transparent and personal way to showcase your thought leadership, your services, and your authentic self—all without having to style your hair. Like any marketing strategy, podcasters inevitably want to see how successful their show is, and it's understandable that they turn to popular metrics like downloads to figure this out. In this episode, Mary breaks down why traditional advertising-focused stats might not be the best pick for independent podcasters. Instead, she suggests exploring value-based metrics like evidence of audience trust and indirect benefits to your business. These values, while harder to measure, tend to create a more telling picture of just how successful your podcast truly is. Discover hard-hitting tips that will reveal your podcast's full impact: The harder-to-measure values that matter as much or more than “vanity metrics” How building your credibility helps increase your publicity The very real action your calls to action can ignite How to combine traditional metrics and meaningful values for comprehensive proof of your podcast's success Links worth mentioning from the episode: Full Funnel Effectiveness, report by Acast - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1gnqXjNlAqTyKqRm4GYevBmAr3TcoTB41/view?usp=drivesdk Fun for Advertisers Across the Funnel, Canadian Listeners report by Acast -  https://drive.google.com/file/d/1apIE5MIxV6aYYWxIIyqeOmT9S990VUwJ/view?usp=drivesdk Connect with Mary! Leave a voicemail with your feedback at https://www.speakpipe.com/VisibleVoice or email visiblevoicepodcast@gmail.com Link up on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/marychan-organizedsound/ Engage on Instagram @OrganizedSoundProductions https://www.instagram.com/organizedsoundproductions Learn more secrets with the Visible Voice Insights Newsletter https://www.organizedsound.ca/newsletter Learn more secrets and the full transcript of the episode at http://www.visiblevoicepodcast.com To learn more or work with Mary, check out https://www.organizedsound.ca Podcast cover art by Emily Johnston of Artio Design Co. https://www.artiodesignco.com

How well do you know your ideal podcast listener? If you can figure out—like, really, deeply identify—the purpose of your podcast and who you're creating it for, you'll discover the huge impact this can have on your show's success; it helps make every part super cohesive, from selecting your guests and topics, to reaching your ideal audience, to achieving personal growth along the way. Multi-hyphenate entrepreneur Shobna Kannusamy has experienced all these benefits firsthand while creating her podcast, Colour Me Brave, where she amplifies the voices of women of colour through conversations that dive into their diverse experiences with identity, culture, and connection. In this episode, Shobna explains how getting really deep into determining her show's purpose has fostered the safe space she set out to establish for the women she speaks with, her podcast listeners, and herself. She shares her experience of building out a super tangible, relatable, and complex ideal listener and the ways this has helped her leave the fear of judgment behind to focus on authenticity and impact in her newest passion project. Consider how your own identity and culture influence your show as we explore: The impact your values and personal experiences have on your podcast voice How creating a strong ideal listener profile is directly connected to a stronger podcast and audience Navigating your fears and expectations around creating your show Why you can stop worrying so much about how many people are listening Links worth mentioning from the episode: Shobna's podcast, Colour Me Brave - https://www.soirette.com/podcast Food Network's Wall of Bakers - https://www.foodnetwork.ca/article/wall-of-bakers-meet-the-cast/ Mary's Ideal Listener workbook - https://organizedsound.ca/ideallistener Engage with Shobna:  Website: https://www.soirette.com/  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soirette.coaching/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shobnakannusamy Connect with Mary! Leave a voicemail with your feedback at https://www.speakpipe.com/VisibleVoice or email visiblevoicepodcast@gmail.com Link up on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/marychan-organizedsound/ Engage on Instagram @OrganizedSoundProductions https://www.instagram.com/organizedsoundproductions Learn more secrets with the Visible Voice Insights Newsletter https://www.organizedsound.ca/newsletter Learn more secrets and the full transcript of the episode at http://www.visiblevoicepodcast.com To learn more or work with Mary, check out https://www.organizedsound.ca Podcast cover art by Emily Johnston of Artio Design Co. https://www.artiodesignco.com

How are you helping new listeners discover your podcast? When the news dropped that Google Podcasts would be shutting down in early 2024 (RIP), the industry was a-buzz. Google's upcoming relocation of podcasts to YouTube Music will mean impactful changes for podcast creators, but those changes don't have to be negative! Mary breaks down what was great about Google Podcasts and how you can make sure your show's organic discovery doesn't suffer in this shift. You'll want to save this episode for future reference—it's packed with tons of practical suggestions! Ready to future-proof your podcast? Mary shares her insights on: The perks that came with Google Podcasts, for creators and listeners Why you'll want to get your podcast on YouTube if it isn't already What the stats say—is video killing the podcast star? How to increase your organic discovery, including some SEO insights! Links worth mentioning from the episode: Cumulus Media and Signal Hill study - https://www.insideradio.com/free/while-youtube-is-top-platform-podcast-consumers-will-follow-their-favorites-anywhere/article_ae7f09b0-044c-11ee-9844-1ffdc5e2c68c.html Get your podcast on YouTube with YouTube Studio - https://studio.youtube.com/channel/UCdWEOsLyrCOEirJLLRYBQzw Mary's podcast listening apps directory - https://www.organizedsound.ca/directories/ Episode 66 with Christian Klepp - https://www.organizedsound.ca/continuous-improvement-as-a-podcaster-with-christian-klepp-episode-66 Connect with Mary! Leave a voicemail with your feedback at https://www.speakpipe.com/VisibleVoice or email visiblevoicepodcast@gmail.com Link up on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/marychan-organizedsound/ Engage on Instagram @OrganizedSoundProductions https://www.instagram.com/organizedsoundproductions Learn more secrets with the Visible Voice Insights Newsletter https://www.organizedsound.ca/newsletter Learn more secrets and the full transcript of the episode at http://www.visiblevoicepodcast.com To learn more or work with Mary, check out https://www.organizedsound.ca Podcast cover art by Emily Johnston of Artio Design Co. https://www.artiodesignco.com

In our rapidly changing, heavily digitized world, we need to level up our skills and improve or we run the risk of being left behind. This very fact led Christian Klepp, the co-founder of EINBLICK Consulting, to launch his podcast, B2B Marketers on a Mission, to help fellow marketers improve and succeed. In his role as a podcast host, Christian continuously applies the growth mindset he teaches. Whether you're just planning your foray into podcasting or you're well-established and looking to level up your abilities, his experiences are sure to resonate with you and inform your own podcasting journey! You'll want to take notes on Christian's podcasting insights: The importance of getting clear on your podcast's raison d'être An unorthodox method of getting inspiration from other podcasts Actionable tips for improving your hosting and interviewing skills How to approach getting your podcast in front of your ideal audience Links worth mentioning from the episode: Christian's podcast, B2B Marketers on a Mission - https://www.einblick.co/podcasts/ Christian's business, EINBLICK Consulting Inc. - https://www.einblick.co/ Building a Story Brand by Donald Miller - https://bookshop.org/p/books/building-a-storybrand-clarify-your-message-so-customers-will-listen-donald-miller/9308684?ean=9780718033323 Joseph Campbell - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Campbell Engage with Christian Klepp: Website: https://www.einblick.co/podcasts LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christian-klepp-einblickconsulting YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxBLmwR7HW9ZYdm23VetY4A Einblick IG: https://www.instagram.com/einblickconsulting/ Connect with Mary! Leave a voicemail with your feedback at https://www.speakpipe.com/VisibleVoice or email visiblevoicepodcast@gmail.com Link up on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/marychan-organizedsound/ Engage on Instagram @OrganizedSoundProductions https://www.instagram.com/organizedsoundproductions Learn more secrets with the Visible Voice Insights Newsletter https://www.organizedsound.ca/newsletter Learn more secrets and the full transcript of the episode at http://www.visiblevoicepodcast.com To learn more or work with Mary, check out https://www.organizedsound.ca Podcast cover art by Emily Johnston of Artio Design Co. https://www.artiodesignco.com

Everyone has that Inner Voice—you know, the one that pipes up now and then to say you aren't worthy enough, your ideas aren't worthy enough, to share with the world or on your podcast. Mary has had her own struggle with that negative dialogue, and, to this day, it can sneak in to cast uncertainty on this very podcast. The good news is the process for shifting that inner voice into positive energy, the kind that will fuel your podcasting endeavours, can start right now! We're going to get emotional as we dive into: Why it's so important to make time for reflecting on your podcast How to accept the inner voice that questions our worthiness and transform its message What solo episodes can offer your listener and why they're so important A few tools for digging deeper into recognizing your worth Links worth exploring from the episode: Origins of You by Vienna Pharaon https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-origins-of-you-how-breaking-family-patterns-can-liberate-the-way-we-live-and-love-vienna-pharaon/18612766?ean=9780593539910 Episode 64 on how to share your story to help others - https://www.organizedsound.ca/share-your-story-to-help-others-episode-64/ Connect with Mary! Leave a voicemail with your feedback at https://www.speakpipe.com/VisibleVoice or email visiblevoicepodcast@gmail.com Link up on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/marychan-organizedsound/ Engage on Instagram @OrganizedSoundProductions https://www.instagram.com/organizedsoundproductions Learn more secrets with the Visible Voice Insights Newsletter https://www.organizedsound.ca/newsletter Read the full transcript of the episode at http://www.visiblevoicepodcast.com To learn more or work with Mary, check out https://www.organizedsound.ca Podcast cover art by Emily Johnston of Artio Design Co. https://www.artiodesignco.com

Your story is yours to share and it can serve a bigger purpose greater for your listener -  it could change their whole world. Getting personal about your stories and experiences can make your listeners feel included, seen, and heard. Even if you prefer to avoid the spotlight, keep in mind that your podcast isn't about you. It's about what you can bring to the table through your lived experience. Being vulnerable enough to share a glimpse into what has made you, you, helps build a real connection with your listeners. What will you say today that will help someone else tomorrow?  Share Your Story By: Understanding why getting outside of yourself and your worries will broaden your relatability Knowing what level of intimacy to share in your stories Creating awareness around how even the smallest story could have a real impact on your listener. Links to Explore From This Episode: “Runaway - Diary of a Street Kid” by Evelyn Lau - https://bookshop.org/p/books/runaway-diary-of-a-street-kid-evelyn-lau/10024893?ean=9780889104914 “The Diary of Evelyn Lau” starring Sandra Oh - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0106717/ Connect with Mary! Leave a voicemail with your feedback at https://www.speakpipe.com/VisibleVoice Or email visiblevoicepodcast@gmail.com Engage with Mary on Instagram @OrganizedSoundProductions https://www.instagram.com/organizedsoundproductions Find more secrets and the full transcript of the episode at http://www.visiblevoicepodcast.com To learn more or work with Mary, check out https://www.organizedsound.ca Podcast cover art by Emily Johnston of Artio Design Co. https://www.artiodesignco.com

The voice you have today is not the same voice you were born with. The things you experience and the media you're exposed to, all contribute to how you sound and frame what your idea of a powerful voice “should” sound like. But when you step out of the parameters set by culture, and abandon the idea of sounding “professional” you will discover that true power in your voice. Today's episode is a revolution in how to think about your voice with Samara Bay, author of “Permission to Speak”. We nerd out on redefining what power sounds like, why other people's voices and words impact your own voice, and what you can do to shift that narrative. Speaking with our “heart voice”, we dare you to consider what it would be like to have a different, more empowering relationship with your voice. Listen in as we break down the new sound of power including: How to authentically show up and be taken seriously Owning the words coming out of your mouth The importance of audaciously choosing to sound like you Links worth exploring from the episode: Samara's book “Permission to Speak” - https://bookshop.org/p/books/permission-to-speak-how-to-change-what-power-sounds-like-starting-with-you-samara-bay/18485502?ean=9780593238684 We Are The Music Makers Poem by Arthur O'Shaughnessy - https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/54933/ode- MoveOn.Org - https://front.moveon.org/ Samara's podcast episode with Ilyse Hogue - https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-permission-to-speak-57847257/episode/how-to-inspire-hope-with-ilyse-69173429/ Samara's podcast episode with Sarah Jones - https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-permission-to-speak-57847257/episode/sarah-jones-63057476/ Brene Brown's episode on amour - https://brenebrown.com/podcast/brene-on-armored-versus-daring-leadership-part-1-of-2/ Mary's podcast episode 55 on How to Find Your Podcasting Voice: Why Authenticity is 100 Times Better Than a Traditional Radio Voice - https://www.organizedsound.ca/how-to-find-your-podcasting-voice-why-authenticity-is-100-times-better-than-a-traditional-radio-voice-episode-55/ Engage with Samara Bay: Website - https://www.samarabay.com/ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/samarabay/ Connect with Mary! Leave a voicemail with your feedback at https://www.speakpipe.com/VisibleVoice Or email visiblevoicepodcast@gmail.com Engage with Mary on Instagram @OrganizedSoundProductions https://www.instagram.com/organizedsoundproductions Find more secrets and the full transcript of the episode at http://www.visiblevoicepodcast.com To learn more or work with Mary, check out https://www.organizedsound.ca Podcast cover art by Emily Johnston of Artio Design Co. https://www.artiodesignco.com

Reaching out to potential guests to appear on your podcast, especially those on your dream guest list, can feel overwhelming. Where do you start to create the perfect email so that they'll open up your email and say, “Yes!” Listen in as I unveil my blueprint for reaching out to potential guests so they'll want to be on your show. Plus, make sure you stay until the end of the episode because you'll hear a real life example of an email that was sent off, so you'll see how this all works in real life. Key points from this episode: The step-by-step formula for creating the perfect reach-out email How to make your dream guest jump at the chance to be a guest on your show Why a relaxed follow-up is important  Links to Explore From This Episode: “Word Slut” by Amanda Montell - https://bookshop.org/p/books/wordslut-a-feminist-guide-to-taking-back-the-english-language-amanda-montell/7994946?ean=9780062868886  Why Reliable Backups Are Vital For Your Podcast - EP 56 -  https://www.organizedsound.ca/why-reliable-backups-are-vital-for-your-podcast-episode-production-process-episode-56/ “Permission to Speak” by Samara Bay - https://bookshop.org/p/books/permission-to-speak-how-to-change-what-power-sounds-like-starting-with-you-samara-bay/18485502?ean=9780593238684 Connect with Mary! Leave a voicemail with your feedback at https://www.speakpipe.com/VisibleVoice Or email visiblevoicepodcast@gmail.com Engage with Mary on Instagram @OrganizedSoundProductions https://www.instagram.com/organizedsoundproductions Find more secrets and the full transcript of the episode at http://www.visiblevoicepodcast.com To learn more or work with Mary, check out https://www.organizedsound.ca Podcast cover art by Emily Johnston of Artio Design Co. https://www.artiodesignco.com

Going down the rabbit hole of Google can sometimes suck the life out of doing the actual thing you were Googling to do. This happens a lot in podcasting, especially at the start! Whether you haven't started your podcast yet, are only a few episodes in, or are publishing episodes in the double or triple digits, this episode will unlock your mindset into the world of podcasting. Being able to break up with your self-doubt and escape the “shoulds” of other people's opinions, will be key to creating a successful - and ultimately fulfilling podcast. Unleash your voice upon the world, chart your own podcasting path, and embrace the podcasting journey! Hit play for a transformative conversation with Kelly Geisler, an unstoppable force as a Business & Mindset Coach for Spiritual Entrepreneurs and the visionary creator of The Butterfly Guide. Join us as we discuss limiting beliefs, mental blocks that hold you back from success, and how she is stepping into her next journey as a podcaster herself!  Join Kelly and me as we discuss: How mindset matters How to ignore the opinions of others Being brave enough to ask for help How regrounding yourself can help bring clarity to your next step Links worth exploring from the episode: EP 28 - Podcasting is NOT social media - https://www.organizedsound.ca/podcasting-is-not-social-media-episode-28/ EP 9 - Starting a Perfectly Imperfect Podcast - https://www.organizedsound.ca/starting-a-perfectly-imperfect-podcast-episode-9/ Explore Mary's 1:1 12-Week Launch Program with a 30-minute complimentary strategy session - https://portal.organizedsound.ca/public/appointment-scheduler/5c2e6ea168cf5336ff95b8df/schedule Engage with Kelly Geisler: Website: https://www.thebutterflyguide.com/ IG: https://www.instagram.com/thebutterflyguide/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thebutterflyguide FB Community: Generator & Manifesting Generator Coaches Community https://www.facebook.com/groups/wdbd.community Connect with Mary! Leave a voicemail with your feedback at https://www.speakpipe.com/VisibleVoice Or email visiblevoicepodcast@gmail.com Engage with Mary on Instagram @OrganizedSoundProductions https://www.instagram.com/organizedsoundproductions Find more secrets and the full transcript of the episode at http://www.visiblevoicepodcast.com To learn more or work with Mary, check out https://www.organizedsound.ca Podcast cover art by Emily Johnston of Artio Design Co. https://www.artiodesignco.com

When prepping for your next podcast episode there are many steps you might want to consider before you hit record. Implementing a great workflow with structure, planning, and a healthy mindset, will make the recording process so much smoother. It doesn't matter if you are recording an interview, creating your own solo episode, or even if you have a roundtable of experts, you'll need a plan to create episodes that your listener is going to love each and every time! Before you hit that record button, learn: The steps you need for planning each episode How your mindset matters before pressing record Why giving yourself room to pause allows you to capture the perfect voice for your listeners Links to Explore From This Episode: EP 9 - Starting a Perfectly Imperfect Podcast https://www.organizedsound.ca/starting-a-perfectly-imperfect-podcast-episode-9/ EP 13 - Permission To Be Yourself Behind The Mic https://www.organizedsound.ca/permission-to-be-yourself-behind-the-mic-episode-13/ EP 34 - Be The Creator Not The Critic https://www.organizedsound.ca/be-the-creator-not-the-critic-winter-break-episode-34/ Connect with Mary! Leave a voicemail with your feedback at https://www.speakpipe.com/VisibleVoice Or email visiblevoicepodcast@gmail.com Engage with Mary on Instagram @OrganizedSoundProductions https://www.instagram.com/organizedsoundproductions Find more secrets and the full transcript of the episode at http://www.visiblevoicepodcast.com To learn more or work with Mary, check out https://www.organizedsound.ca Podcast cover art by Emily Johnston of Artio Design Co. https://www.artiodesignco.com

How do you connect the mind, body and emotions to push your speaking skills to new heights? Movement in your body plays a huge role in how your podcasting voice gets amplified behind the mic. Becoming in tune with yourself and revealing the healing work that needs to be done, will help you discover a deeper connection with your voice as a podcaster! Holding a true passion for breaking the previously set limits of our minds, Kathryn Yarborough, the creator of Manifesting Clients Academy, talks about listening to your whole body through movement as it holds the key to freedom with our voice. Kathryn is a speaker coach, Manifesting Clients mentor, author, speaker, and event coordinator. You are going to get some new insights about your body with this episode! Dive in with Kathryn as she shares: Her top three tips for integrating the body, mind, and emotional connection How she discovered the freedom in movement How to listen when your body is speaking Links worth exploring from the episode: EP 56 Why Reliable Backups are Vital for Your Podcast Episode Production Process – https://www.organizedsound.ca/why-reliable-backups-are-vital-for-your-podcast-episode-production-process-episode-56/ Authentically Vibrant Assessment – https://www.manifestingclientsacademy.com/howvibrantami/ Toastmasters – https://www.toastmasters.org/ Engage with Kathryn Yarborough: Kathryn's website: https://www.manifestingclientsacademy.com/ Kathryn's Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/vibrantentrepreneurslovelife Connect with Mary! Leave a voicemail with your feedback at https://www.speakpipe.com/VisibleVoice Or email visiblevoicepodcast@gmail.com Engage with Mary on Instagram @OrganizedSoundProductions https://www.instagram.com/organizedsoundproductions Find more secrets and the full transcript of the episode at http://www.visiblevoicepodcast.com To learn more or work with Mary, check out https://www.organizedsound.ca Podcast cover art by Emily Johnston of Artio Design Co. https://www.artiodesignco.com

What you wear can affect everything from your mood to your voice itself. As podcasters, constricting or uncomfortable clothing can negatively impact how your voice comes alive. In today's episode, you'll discover how your clothes impact your voice. Listen in to hear: Why it's important to be comfy and confident in your wardrobe Why you should wear what you love Tips for mic-friendly clothing options Links worth exploring from the episode: Mary's voice workshop at NTEN's 23NTC in Denver https://www.nten.org/gather/ntc/sessions/what-power-really-sounds-like-using-your-voice-to-lead Mac Back Ups - Time Machine https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201250 Beth Cougler Blom's podcast, "Facilitating on Purpose" https://bethcouglerblom.com/podcast/ Connect with Mary! Leave a voicemail with your feedback at https://www.speakpipe.com/VisibleVoice Or email visiblevoicepodcast@gmail.com Engage with Mary on Instagram @OrganizedSoundProductions https://www.instagram.com/organizedsoundproductions Find more secrets and the full transcript of the episode at http://www.visiblevoicepodcast.com To learn more or work with Mary, check out https://www.organizedsound.ca Podcast cover art by Emily Johnston of Artio Design Co. https://www.artiodesignco.com

How do you attract more listeners and organically grow your podcast? Despite what popular algorithms will have you believe, success in promoting your podcast does not have to be focused on social media! Come along as we discuss ways to make your podcast branding stand out to grow your show! In today's episode, we start with the phrase: “Connection, not perfection”, trademarked by  Lindsay McMahon. Lindsay is the co-host of All Ears English, a podcast that's been downloaded 8 million times per month globally and ranked in Best of Apple Podcasts categories in 2018 and 2019, and as well as #1 in US Education Language Courses. Lindsay and her podcast have been featured in Podcast Magazine, Language Magazine, and Forbes.  Get tips from this veteran podcaster on:  Creating a perfect marketing strategy for your podcast How hiring help will grow your brand to new heights  The importance of designing a brand with your ideal listeners in mind Links worth exploring from the episode: Listen to Lindsay's three podcasts - All Ears English, IELTS Energy, and Business English: https://www.allearsenglish.com/episodes/ Mary's first podcast the Homestay Kitchen: https://homestaykitchen.libsyn.com/ Engage with Lindsay McMahon: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindsaymcmahon/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/AllEarsEnglishPodcast/featured Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/all_ears_english/?hl=en Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/allearsenglish Connect with Mary! Leave a voicemail with your feedback at https://www.speakpipe.com/VisibleVoice Or email visiblevoicepodcast@gmail.com Engage with Mary on Instagram @OrganizedSoundProductions https://www.instagram.com/organizedsoundproductions Find more secrets and the full transcript of the episode at http://www.visiblevoicepodcast.com To learn more or work with Mary, check out https://www.organizedsound.ca Podcast cover art by Emily Johnston of Artio Design Co. https://www.artiodesignco.com