Women in Podcasting: Interview with Rachel Dewell

Preveting HG Podcast logo Podcaster NewsRachel Dewell is the host of the Preventing HG podcast. Her podcast is a great resource for pregnant women who have Hyperemesis Gravidarum, a serious illness that is much more debilitating than the typical “morning sickness”. The Preventing HG Podcast is also a good resource for women who want to learn about the illness and for people whose loved ones are currently coping with it.

When did you first start podcasting? What’s your experience in podcasting from then until today?

I first started podcasting on May 15, 2014. It was called the HyperG Pregnancy Podcast. I published 12 weekly episodes and then took a break late summer to re-brand and re-focus on what I really wanted to do with the podcast. It seemed like the more I got into podcasting, the further I strayed away from what I really set out to do. I restarted the podcast again in September and it’s been much more relaxed over all. It’s now the Preventing HG podcast, because I’m concentrating on bringing alternative treatment options for HG prevention, or at least to lessen the severity of the illness. I also see a great need to help women recover after the birth from the damage HG has done on the body. I’m really excited about what’s coming up.

Podcasting has been more fun than I expected, but more work too. I’m kind of shy and introverted; I don’t like to be the center of attention. Yet, a one-on-one conversation is just the sort of thing that fascinates me. I’ve always been curious about people. I love finding out more about their story and life, and what they think. I love it so much that I have been thinking about starting 4 other podcasts. Maybe, some day …

What inspired you to become a podcaster?

My husband started a long commute for a new job back in 2008. I had just had my fourth baby, and was recovering from my worst pregnancy. He started to listen to podcasts to pass his time driving. Every day he was telling me, “You’ve got to listen to this!” I finally checked it out and it was all downhill from there. For awhile there I treated it like my full time job to listen to podcasts. I loved them so much. And I learned so much. Then, in my research about Hyperemesis Gravidarum, I came across a Facebook group about preventing HG. That’s when my two passions came together. I saw how podcasting could reach people in a different way than a blogpost or a Facebook group could. There is something so personal about hearing someone’s voice. I wanted to get something as misunderstood as HG, out to a wider audience.

Can you explain more about what Hyperemesis Gravidarum is? How do you cover this topic in your podcast?

Hyperemesis Gravidarum is a debilitating illness during pregnancy that is characterized by extreme levels of nausea and vomiting that at best, causes dehydration, malnutrition, and a state of starvation. At worst it can cause death to the baby, or even the mother. Those of us who have gone through it have a hard time explaining how relentless the nausea feels and how impossible it is to eat and drink, knowing that we will vomit anyway. Many of us are made to feel like we’re not trying hard enough to control it or that we must not want our babies. The discouragement is overwhelming. On top of that, it messes with your mind and you start to think that you will never again be able to eat normally, or enjoy a simple pleasure like drinking a cup of tea.

I describe my own experience as feeling like I was in a dark muddy pit. I would try to climb out and then it would rain and I would slide back down. I felt isolated and lonely and misunderstood. Thankfully, my illness does not last the full 9 months, but for many women it does. Just finding people who really understand what it’s like to go through that has been a lifesaver. And I want to help other women avoid that desperation.

When I started, I was just interviewing women about their experience with HG. While I enjoyed it, I felt like I wasn’t providing as much value as I could, so I’ve shifted to bringing the alternative health world to HG. That’s really where my passions have all culminated.

What advice do you have for women who are thinking about starting their own podcast?

Do it! What’s the worst thing that can happen? That’s exactly what my mentor, Meron Bareket told me, over and over again. I dislike the advice that everything has to be perfect, or that you even have to be good to get started. You’ll get better as you go. How will you know what you’re good at until you try it? Just starting is a valuable education too. I have no regrets about any of it.

My second piece of advice is to find a mentor, or a podcasting group, or a mastermind, or tiny little cheerleaders to sit on your shoulders. Or all four! I would not be where I am without Meron and his group. End of story. It helps so much to be able to tell someone you just submitted to iTunes and are now officially freaking out. They will understand. And tell you that you’re awesome anyway.

Women in Podcasting: Interview with Heather Bayer

Cottage Blogger Vacation Rental Success Podcast Podcasting NewsHeather Bayer is the host of the Vacation Rental Success podcast. It is part of the wealth of resources on her Cottage Blogger website, which is geared towards helping those who are vacation rental owners, vacation rental agencies and property managers, and vacation rental realtors. This is a topic that has not yet become saturated in podcasting.

When did you first start podcasting? What’s your experience in podcasting from then up to now?

I’d like to say it all started in 2006 because that’s when I first decided to do a podcast. I recently cleared out an old storage cupboard and found the original mixer I’d ordered from what used to be Radioshack, along with a microphone and a book called How to Start a Podcast. I remember getting so frustrated because I am not, and never have been, technically minded and while enthusiastic and motivated, I couldn’t figure out how to use the equipment. After a few weeks of trying and failing to find any training or tutorial that focused on the real beginner, I gave up.

Fast forward to 2012 and I was reading Pat Flynn’s blog and his experiences with podcasting, when I first heard about this guy called The Podcast Answer Man – Cliff Ravenscraft. From there it was an easy decision to sign up for his A-Z Course and spend a month immersed in getting set up and publishing the first episode of Vacation Rental Success.

From there the work really began. Cliff talks about the podcasters ‘wall’ and why many new shows fail to get beyond Episode 7 and I experienced exactly that. Over the first year episodes were published sporadically and by December 2013, there were only 7 – no wonder subscriber and download numbers were low!

We made a commitment at Cottage Blogger to publish consistently from January 2014 and were super-excited to release episode 50 in October. The show is in a niche market so we’ll never be in the million+ downloads-per-month club that some entrepreneur shows are reaching, but now we are fast approaching 35,000 downloads, mostly in the last 8 months, it’s really working for us.

What inspired you to become a podcaster?

I’m a lifelong learner and multi-tasker and found that so much information was being delivered through some great podcasts that I could listen to while driving, walking the dog, running, at the gym, at the airport and in the air….in fact everywhere. From shows about productivity techniques to lifestyle and motivational podcasts, there is something for everyone that is easily accessible via iTunes and some earbuds.

At the time, my niche was becoming a little more crowded with everyone delivering a similar message via blog posts so I wanted to do something different. The opportunity to reach a new audience through audio was wide open and I jumped at it. Once armed with the knowledge and resources to set it up, the rest was easy. I’m now inspired to help others to get started with their shows.

What kinds of things can listeners expect to hear on your Vacation Rental Success podcast? Is there a specific audience that would get the most from your show?

One of my recent guests described the vacation rental market as ‘a melting pot of complexity’ with over 5 million vacation home owners worldwide using rental as a means to create additional income. He called them ‘micro-businesses’. Given the growing interest in vacation rentals as a mainstream alternative to hotels and resorts, the opportunity has never been greater for vacation home owners to get into this business. So, anyone who has a second home, is thinking of investing in one, or already runs a VR business, would benefit from the information the show delivers.

I interview a range of guests from successful owners who share their experiences, to experts and suppliers in different parts of the industry. Shows have included interviews with a copywriter (for creating appealing listings), a professional photographer who shared tips on getting the best images of a property, social media gurus such as Sue B Zimmerman who explained how to use Instagram for marketing, and other leaders in the industry. I also offer tips from my experience of being a vacation rental home owner for over 20 years.

What words of wisdom do you have for women who want to get involved with podcasting?

This is what I am finding so exciting at the moment. Women are under-represented in podcasting and the opportunities are tremendous for them to get out there. I’m currently working with several vacation rental owners who are starting up their own podcasts in the travel and tourism sector (another category that has a long way to go before it gets saturated.)

Join a community where newbie and experienced podcasters hangout. I’ve found that people who are involved in this are so helpful and giving and are more than happy to offer advice and technical help if you get stuck.

I would also suggest that anyone interested in getting started goes to iTunes and checks out the great female podcasters who are rocking it over the airwaves. Listen to a few of them and their different styles. Elsie Escobar at Jessica Kupferman at She Podcasts offer a ton of help specifically directed at women podcasters.

Women in Podcasting: Interview with Soozi Baggs

Maternity Leavers Podcast Logo Podcasting NewsSoozi Baggs is the host of the Maternity Leavers podcast. She shares advice that can help guide pregnant women and mums to start their own businesses while they are on maternity leave. Her podcast is geared for women who are in the UK.

When did you first start podcasting? What’s your experience in podcasting from then to now?

I started really recently – only launching my show in June 2014. I’d known for months I was going to do it and I had a clear idea of the kind of show I wanted, but it wasn’t until April that I got my act together, found the time, and booked in several guests to get me started. Since then I’ve kept it going weekly up to episode 23. I’ve found lately though that I need more time for my one-to-one clients and have therefore switched the show to a monthly format for the foreseeable future. I still love doing it though and will be increasing the frequency again as soon as I can!

What inspired you to become a podcaster?

I studied a media course in my teenage years – I never even completed it! But one module that I got really involved in was the one about radio presenting and production. I learned all about the technical side of producing adverts and other snippits of audio, and I worked on two student radio stations – doing everything from writing and reading the news, to presenting a breakfast show and an afternoon show. Sadly, although I continued being a bit of a chatterbox, I never pursued any of my radio dreams, but I did consume masses of podcasts for years as I was commuting in London. So when I started my own business, making a podcast part of it was a natural choice.

What is maternity leave like in the UK? What sort of information can a person expect to hear about in your Maternity Leavers podcast?

Maternity Leave for most employees in the UK is 12 months. It’s paid for 9 months of that, and depending on your company, you may get more than the basic minimum too. So, if a woman takes off the full amount of time, that gives her a lot of time to plan a career change or to start a business. And that’s how Maternity Leavers itself came about – I help new mums on maternity leave to set up their own businesses. The podcast features interviews with women who started their own business when their children were young. We talk about how their business fitted in with their career direction at the time, and also discuss how they make it work in terms of childcare, productivity, working hours, and things like that – and of course their advice for mums just starting out.

What words of wisdom do you have for women who are thinking about starting their own podcast?

I would say if you feel drawn to it then definitely give it a go. If an open ended show seems daunting, commit yourself to a specific number (you don’t have to share this with anyone). If you love it, you’ll keep on going anyway!

And if you have guests, streamline your process as soon as possible. Many of my guests self selected themselves and contacted me after I put out a few calls on Facebook, which was great and saved me having to email lots of people. Then, an online scheduler that converts to the user’s local timezone is absolutely essential so they can book themselves in easily without sending emails back and forth about availability. Finally, encourage your guests to share their episode on all their social media channels, which will help your reach – and reassure them that the show came out great, in case they hate the sound of their own voice and don’t want to share it!

Women in Podcasting: Interview with Amy Robles

MilFamMonth podcasting newsAmy Robles is a mom and a military spouse. She is also a blogger and the creator of The Family Knot podcast.

Her podcast delves into the military lifestyle and offers advice for families who must learn to cope with the many changes and stresses that can happen when one spouse is in the military. The Family Knot seemed like the perfect podcast to highlight during November since it is Military Family Appreciation Month.

When did you first start podcasting? What’s your experience in podcasting from then to now?

So I am new podcaster, and can I just tell you that I LOVE this stuff! Next week will be my tenth episode of the show and I feel like we have worked out some the kinks and are making some great progress connecting with the audience. Woohoo!

It has been an incredible summer for me. I was the girl that would…ahem… “fight with the remote control,” and after a few months learning from Meron Bareket and Podcast Incubator I’ve been able to produce my show.

The Family Knot, is specifically focused on military spouses. These spouses have additional stress from: having a partner who is gone for long periods of time, possibly in danger; remaining a constant support for the rest of the family; moving to a completely new place every few years; and quite frankly, family finances can be tricky in the middle of all of this.

That’s why I created a show that is helping families, making a contribution, and reaching out to inspire spouses and combat the loneliness that can happen.

The best part of this entire experience is how much I’ve been able to grow, communicate with influential people, ask specific questions to help my audience get one step closer to reaching their dreams. Or figuring out a better way to handle the family finances. It’s all part of the big picture.

What inspired you to become a podcaster?

It’s been said “Write the book you want to read.” As I became friends with spouses in different branches of the military, whether Active Duty or Reserves, National Guard or the Navy, in any part of the world, I found some real commonalities.

Whether the deployment time is 90 days, 9 months, or even 18 months there are some similarities in the challenges that come from this life. Spouses can connect, build up one another and support each other through difficult times. That’s the only way to have a solid foundation when your other half is gone. You have to create it. Why wasn’t there a place where not just Army spouses or Marine spouses or Reserves Spouses get together, but we all get together to build a positive environment.

That’s precisely what inspired me to create The Family Knot.

Can you tell us more about The Family Knot? What topics does it focus on?

There’s two main areas of focus on the show. Each could be an independent show, but by combining the two we have reached a far greater number of families in the short time we’ve be running.

First, appreciating the challenges of military life. Not that they are wonderful. But they are manageable. By openly discussing challenges that are completely normal, (like fighting with your spouse before they leave for a long period of time. Who knew that was normal?) We can better understand our perspective and as a couple work through it. How about the challenge of making a new apartment, that is smaller than your last one, feel like home? What about helping your kids move into a new school, again? Are there strategies to help in these situations. This is what we discuss here.

Next, it is not easy to move from place to place and maintain consistent employment. A military spouse resume can be problematic. You’ve had how many 2 year jobs? And the jobs available can be lower paying, making child care even more costly to the family unit. The Family Knot explores employment and entrepreneurship opportunities from home. Interviews with business people working from home offer ideas for the military spouse. This way, the spouse can be home with children, if necessary, the position is location independent, and they can help with family finances.

What words of wisdom do you have for women who are thinking about starting their own podcast?

Look, girl. I get it. Creating a podcast is a whole new ball game. But I did it. And I am not a techie.

You can do it. Figure out who you are really talking to. What do they need to hear? What can you help them learn? You don’t have to be the expert, but you do have to ask the right questions. Involving others in your show builds your credibility. Ask for interviews with great guests.

You have no idea how much you can help others, how much fun this is and what you can accomplish! In fact, tweet me about your project @itsamyrobles I would love to cheer you on in your journey!

Women in Podcasting: Interview with Lisa Louise Cooke – PCN Show 007

Genealogy Gems Podcasting newsIn episode seven of the Podcaster News Show, I bring you more news about women in podcasting. This episode features an interview with Lisa Louise Cooke a woman whose name is well recognized in genealogy circles. She is involved in three podcasts that focus on genealogy and family history.

Links mentioned in this episode:
Genealogy Gems Podcast
Family History: Genealogy Made Easy Podcast
Family Tree Magazine Podcast

Women in Podcasting: Interview with Christy from Nerd Out Loud

Nerd Out Loud podcast logo podcasting newsChristy is one of the hosts of the Nerd Out Loud podcast. As you may have guessed from the name of the show, it is a podcast where you can nerd out with the hosts about whatever topics you like to nerd out about. Nerd Out Loud has been podcasting news about space, current events, and glimpses into their day-to-day lives. It is also the first podcast to have its own “drone strikes”!

When did you first start podcasting? What have you been doing in podcasting between then and now?
I started listening to podcasts in Feb of 2009 (The Adam Carolla show). In July I was introduced to a local (Seattle) show, TBTL with a very large listener community. We call ourselves the Tens and have lots of meetups. In 2012 most of my friend group was made-up of Tens. Around November of 2012 my friend and I were both crushing on people that were terrible choices for us and we decided to start a podcast about sex, love, pop culture, sports and everything in between. It was called What Are We Doing after 23 episodes we stopped being friends and the podcast. The producer of WAWD and I began dating and he wanted to a show so that is how Nerd Out Loud was born. We have a small loyal audience and regular guests whom we call Friends of the Show.

What inspired you to become a podcaster?
I love the podcast medium, and the community we have become a part of. I honestly thought no one would listen and it still baffles me that people actually care what we ramble on about in our living room.

What kinds of topics do you cover on Nerd Out Loud?
Anything and everything. The premise was supposed to be interviewing people about what they are passionate about. However we get so much feedback that our listeners (we call them Nerds) would rather hear just us talking. This week we will be talking about gun control as there are two firearm initiatives up for vote in Washington and we are both pretty passionate about the topic. Just as important we will be discussing Halloween candy and conducted a poll online.

What words of wisdom do you have for women who are thinking about starting a podcast?
The best advice I got was when I started I had a very hard time listening to my voice and refused to wear headphones, and wouldn’t listen to the first few episodes. A fellow podcaster told me that I need to just get over it and listen for audio issues and content. The advice I like to give is to have funny or provocative titles because those always get the most downloads. Lastly my motto is: Pod Like No One is Listening.

Women in Podcasting: Interview with Lorewalker Mazz’lu

Lorewalkers-Roundtable-Logo-Podcasting-NewsLorewalker Mazz’lu is the woman who started the Lorewalker’s Roundtable podcast. It is a podcast that focuses on the World of Warcraft game and the lore that goes along with it. There are plenty of World of Warcraft players who are podcasting news about upcoming changes in the game. Lorewalker’s Roundtable is different because it is for those who are interested in roleplaying in World of Warcraft.

When did you start podcasting? What’s your experience in podcasting from then until now?
I started back in August of 2013. When I started off, I honestly had no clue what I was doing, the show was very rough and quite horrible to listen to, but luckily I worked through those issues and it sounds pretty good now.

What inspired you to become a podcaster?
A good friend Jules was doing a wonderful podcast and it looked so fun and easy and I wanted to do it too. I felt that it was a good way to get my thoughts out there.

What made you want to make Lorewalker’s Roundtable one that is for World of Warcraft roleplayers?
When we started the show, there wasn’t a lot out there for Roleplayers to go to for questions or networking. I wanted to fill that gap in a bit.

What words of wisdom do you have for women who want get involved with podcasting?
Honestly, just dive on in. Don’t wade into that pool slowly, jump into the deep end. Learn as you go, don’t be afraid to make mistakes, learn from them. We all start off sounding like crap, just go for it. You WILL get better. As long as you are having fun, that’s the important thing.

Women in Podcasting: Interview with Xia – PCN Show 005

Screen Shot 2014-10-14 at 7.21.39 PMEpisode Five of the Podcaster News Show was hosted by me, Jen Thorpe. In this episode, I bring you more news about women in podcasting. This episode features Xia, co-host of The Sundering podcast.

She is also involved with World of Podcasts. The second World of Podcasts event will take place in November of 2014.

Links mentioned in this episode:
The Sundering
World of Podcasts
@PodcastingNews

Women in Podcasting: Interview with Helen Zaltzman

Answer Me This! Podcast logoHelen Zaltzman is one of the hosts of the Answer Me This! podcast. The show’s 300th episode will be released on October 16, 2014. She also does the Sound Women podcast. Helen Zaltzman is also a very wise woman who Tweets things like this:

As such, it seemed obvious that I should include her in my Women in Podcasting series.

When did you start podcasting? What have you been doing in podcasting from then to now?
My first podcast, the debut episode of Answer Me This!, came out on 2nd January 2007. A few weeks prior, at my flatwarming party, my friend from university Olly Mann said, “I need to talk to you alone.” This was rather dramatic, and I thought he was in some kind of terrible trouble – but instead he asked me whether I wanted to do a podcast with him.

Olly and I had done student radio together a few years before, and were both quite keen to get radio work but that hadn’t really panned out. We naively thought the podcast would net us radio jobs within weeks! Radio jobs did follow, but it took a LOT longer than that; and as far as I am concerned at least, the podcast is now an end in itself – I’m absolutely devoted to the medium.

We also hardly expected it to be able to keep it going beyond about three episodes, yet here we are, eight years and 300 episodes later. Our audience and revenue keep growing, and overall, podcasting itself seems to be becoming stronger and stronger.

What was it that inspired you to become a podcaster?
Nothing inspired me to become a podcaster so much as having no reason NOT to become a podcaster! When Olly asked me, I had only ever listened to one podcast (the cut-down Adam and Joe Xfm radio show), and barely knew what podcasting was; so, not knowing what I was getting myself into, and having no real reason to say “No”, I said “Yes”. I had no relevant experience, beyond the ability to talk, and no one to ask, because I didn’t get to know any other podcasters until I’d already been doing it for ages. So we just improvised and felt our way along.

Now, I’m inspired to keep being a podcaster by the incredible feeling of having hundreds of thousands of listeners around the world, listening to a show we make in my living room: that’s crazy! And thanks to the opportunities presented by the internet, and tech being ever more affordable and accessible, someone can have an idea, make that idea a reality, put that out into the world, and have complete ownership of it: I find that incredibly liberating. In fact, it has completely spoiled me for working in big structured systems (although if anyone reading this wants to offer me a job, I am totally available for hire).

Considering my focus here at Podcaster News, I’d love to hear more about the Sound Women Podcast. How did that get started? What’s the main topic? Who does it include?
Sound Women is an organization – sort of a lobby group – that was started up in 2011 by radio producer Maria Williams, to highlight the ridiculous gender imbalance in the British radio industry, off air and on. They published research last year that only one in five radio presenters is female, and that number doesn’t even show how many of those is just a near-silent sidekick, only there to giggle at whatever the male host says. Many big stations don’t have any female presenters AT ALL, just a woman reading the traffic or the news, and they think that’s enough – or maybe presenting one show a week, but never the high profile daily timeslots. And there are no female presenting duos to be heard. The stats are somewhat better behind the scenes, but still, it’s not a particularly hospitable industry towards women. And because the problem doesn’t directly affect the men in charge, they don’t have much incentive to remedy it.

Maria, who has worked in the industry for upwards of twenty years, found she had had enough of this sausage-fest. She has an awe-inspiring amount of energy, so directed it towards gathering together an amazing bunch of women to form Sound Women. I admired them from afar for quite a while, then eventually Maria befriended me and asked me to get involved. I have the very childish habit of shirking tasks that I don’t particularly want to do, eg admin, so rather than take on a role I’d be crap at, I offered to make a podcast for them. It also gave me the excuse to contact people who I admire and ask to interview them; I’ve met such interesting, inspiring people through the show. That’s one bonus of making podcasts – you can use them as a ruse to meet people!

What words of wisdom would you share with women who are considering getting started in podcasting?

The tips I’d give to people of any gender wanting to start a podcast include:

1. Decide a regular release schedule, and stick to it. Preferably as frequently as every week or every two weeks: it’ll help you build an audience; it makes you better, because you’re getting more practice and the lessons sink in quicker; it pushes you through the painful feeling that your show is not as good as you wanted, which can stop you from trying to keep going; and it forces you to do it even when you don’t want to. If you just podcasted when you felt like it, you’d probably never release a show, because – sorry to break it to you – podcasting is not a particularly fun hobby. I’m sure that if we hadn’t decided, at the beginning of Answer Me This, that the show would come out every Thursday, we would have foundered after three episodes.

2. Find a format that enables you to talk and helps you have ideas, rather than one that constrains you. Make that format one that can be summed up in a sentence, so that potential listeners can understand what your show is in an instant.

3. Recruit people you know and exploit their talents. If they’re good at music, get them to make jingles and bed tracks. If they take photos or do design, ask them to make you logos and website artwork. My husband had recording equipment because he’s a musician, so when we decided to make Answer Me This, we made him set up our mics and be our sound man. Poor guy.

4. Wait at least ten episodes or three months (whichever equates to more episodes) before asking critics or potential audience to listen to your show. You may be really keyed up after the first episode or two and be desperate to tell everyone, but over the next few episodes the show will DEFINITELY get better, so wait. Because if those people think the show isn’t very good to begin with, they’re not likely to try it again.

5. Put in effort. Podcasting is quite a lot of effort anyway even at its most basic, so you might as well put in a little extra effort to make the best show that you can. All the best shows I’ve heard involved a lot of effort. This doesn’t mean every show has to be very sophisticated and high-minded (mine definitely aren’t!), but just the best that they can be in themselves. Bear in mind that potentially the listener could be off being entertained by the entire internet, so repay their hard-won attention with something good! I am a fervent editing enthusiast: it keeps the shows tight, but also allows me a lot of freedom during recordings to go off down avenues which might turn out surprisingly great, but if they don’t, I can just delete them and nobody will ever know. And I find it much easier to have a finite amount of material to knock into the best shape possible than I do to create that material in the first place. Rule of thumb: put yourself in the position of a stranger who has no investment in you or your show, but is somehow listening to it: is what you’re giving them a good use of their time? And don’t outstay your welcome. It’s always better to be a little too short than too long.

6. Just go ahead and try it! Don’t be put off by me saying it’s a lot of effort. It can also be very rewarding. It feels fantastic to make something out of nothing. It’s extraordinary to make a show that ends up in the ears of people you don’t know – and who you might never connect with if you met in real life. And the more podcasts the merrier, as far as I’m concerned.

Women in Podcasting: Interview with Shey Harms

Podcast Shoutout LogoShey Harms has come up with a unique way for podcasters to get their show noticed by a wider audience. They can participate in her Podcast Shoutout with their elevator speech about their show. Her collection of “shoutouts” also gives podcast listeners a resource to check out when they are searching for more podcasts to listen to.

When did you get started in podcasting? What have you been doing in podcasting from then to now?

I started podcasting in February of 2013. I just came back from NMX in Vegas for the first time and after meeting several podcasters, they encouraged me to do my own show.

My first show was SlenderSafari. I produced a weekly show for the most part, but summer seemed to get a bit hectic and so did my show schedule. I ended that show around March 2014 so I could pursue other podcast and online ideas.

I also worked with my company at the time to try and launch a podcast for them, but ultimately they weren’t ready for that marketing step.

Now I have a show called Podcast Shoutout where I highlight a different show each week and let the original Podcaster share what their show is about.

What was it that inspired you to become a podcaster?

After meeting and talking to John Lee Dumas shortly after he launched Entrepreneur On Fire, I realized I had the desire to have my own show. He encouraged me to follow my passion (water skiing) but I still haven’t been brave enough to take that step. So I decided to share my journey with weight loss and motivate and encourage others in their weight loss journeys instead.

What is Podcast Shoutout, and how does it work? What is an “elevator speech”? What kinds of topics are discussed in the podcasts that have participated? How can other podcasters participate in Podcast Shoutout?

I refer to Podcast Shoutout as a “podcast directory, in the form of a podcast.” My ultimate goal is to have a 5 day a week show. Each day I would highlight a different Podcaster. The tricky part is, I have to rely on podcasters to share their show info in their own words. I’m just the person helping an audience connect to new shows they may have never heard of before.

Some of my first few episodes, I’ve shared a wrestling show (high school and college wrestling), a navy military podcast, a show about communication with the Communication Diva and a conservative political show. All shows are across the board from comedy to careers. The only ones I knew about are a few people I actually knew. Most of these shows are brand new to me.

An elevator speech is simply, pretend we are on an elevator and you have until we both get off the elevator to tell me what your show is about, who you are trying to reach and what value you want to share with others.

So far I have about 30 shows to share in total, and I’ve played 11 to date. I’ve encouraged everyone to have fun and make their show information entertaining or different and not be “boring”. This may be the first time someone has ever heard about their show, so remember to make a great first impression.

To participate, a Podcaster can go to PodcastShoutout.com and click on the green “record now” button. That will take them to my Speakpipe page where they can leave up to a 5 minute recording from their computer.

However, most people choose to record in their studio and send me an mp3 file instead for better quality. I think I prefer that method too.

All my shows last about 7 minutes in total, which includes an introduction about the Podcaster, how many shows are in their lineup, a couple of show titles and a couple of reviews,

Then I call a shoutout to the Podcaster and play their clip, follower by a 30 second wrap up that tells everyone how to find a particular show.

What words of wisdom would you share with women who are thinking about starting their own podcast?

First of all, I know that there are very few women podcasting compared to men so we need to encourage more women to think about hosting their own show. If women feel intimidated about the technology, they should watch some videos, maybe take some training, and push through it. Podcasting is fun and the connections you make with others is lifelong. You never know whose life you might impact by sharing your story or interviewing someone else and letting them enlighten your audience.