So, this is my first blog post. It’s only fitting that it’s actually about my podcast since I hope they will go hand in hand nicely. I’ve been talking about my podcast for over a year now. I’ve been working on it for nearly as long. I’ve been reaching out to people over the last few months to get them on as potential guests. I’ve actually recorded several episodes already.
So where is it? Ha ha. Well, funny thing about podcasts. They’re harder than I anticipated, but I’m also learning that I tend to make things harder than they need to be at times. So I’m fighting a couple of battles trying to get things out.
I worked so long on a website through WordPress only to figure out that WordPress is more than I’ve got time/energy to deal with right now. It doesn’t mean that I don’t think other sites can’t use WordPress. It’s just a steeper learning curve than I was aware of. But one day I came across a podcast that was built with a WYSIWYG product. Podpages is specifically created for podcasts. It’s so much easier to get done what I needed with my skill (or lack thereof) and the time I was capable of investing. And you know what? It still looks pretty awesome (at least I think so).
Another issue that I had, I was struggling a little bit to get guests on. I feel like now, it was more of my own fear. It’s that old catch 22. You can’t get guests without having episodes. You can’t have episodes without getting guests. Ha. I thought about recording 5 episodes of just me speaking on various topics. I still will, actually, because they are important topics that should be discussed. However, in the midst of all of this, I found people who wanted to help. People who wanted to get the word out about what they do and what they’ve experienced. It’s been amazing to speak with all of them so far. It’s taken a bit of time, but I will have my fifth interview recorded by the end of this week. I’m SO proud of myself. And I’m so excited to reach out to more people to come on and speak their truth or their passion and skill or speak about their organization or any combination of those. I’ve even had a few people respond with a no, so I’m learning about that as well. Not everyone is going to say yes, and the no’s are for various reasons. Regardless, this is coming together slowly but surely.
Surprisingly, or maybe not, one of the hardest episodes to record to date was the premiere episode. The one where I share my story. I can’t tell you how many times I recorded it. I recorded an entire version. Then I didn’t like it. So I spent hours recording another version and trying to make it just right. I wrote out what I was going to say and I got it all layered with intro music and outro music. It was done. I was so happy. Then I looked at the length. It was less than 20 minutes long. Now for many of you that might seem okay, but this is my story, and that less than 20 minutes included the intro and explanation of the show as well as the outro. I had to look at everything again. I went through some soul searching and learning. I even recorded an interview or two. Then I revisited my story. I recorded a new version that I think is more heartfelt and at least a little more complete than the other two. I’m excited for you all to hear it.
Which brings me to possibly my biggest issue to date. Post Production. I enjoy editing the podcasts. At least so far I do. But, unfortunately, I’m working through figuring out how to put everything together while also running my household and advocating for my kids. And I have to be honest. It can be really overwhelming sometimes. I use that word a lot, but there’s a reason for that. It’s accurate. 😉
The other day I came across a statistic for podcasts. It talked about the millions that are out there vs what they look like. How many episodes they have, how many episodes were in the last 90 days. It was so interesting. Once I get the episodes recorded that are just me speaking with topics that I feel are important, plus the ones I’ve already recorded, I’ll have ten episodes at least. And I’ll continue to get more put together and up. It’s beginning to take shape and actually look like a show to me, and that makes me very hopeful.
Previously, I posted a couple of dates about when I was going to get my podcast up on the internet. That’s the way your supposed to do it. Drum up interest, then post your episodes. However, in my case, I was wrong about both dates. Oof. So this time, I’ve decided that I won’t post until I’m absolutely ready. Which is potentially the wrong way, but why do it right at this point, ya know? Currently, I am absolutely still plugging away and putting this show together. I am working on getting as much helpful and interesting and hopeful information out there to educate and inform and support all of you. I hope that you will enjoy listening to it when it’s done and up. I’ll let you know when that happens.
Warmly,
Nicole
