Kristin Fields Chadwick

Dear Brave New Podcaster,

You may feel overwhelmed, excited, fearful, courageous, paralyzed, motivated.  And that’s okay.  You have said yes to the whisper of God asking you to use your voice. 

You may feel inspired and full of ideas or you may hear static due to the loud question “Who do you think you are to share your story?” 

I see you.  More importantly, God sees you. 

He delights in your willingness to open your heart, expand your territory, and make an impact.  You are not alone.  There may be moments when you have to just decide to record instead of listening to the lie of “does this really matter?” 

My friend, it does matter.  Fear keeps us small.  Love multiples and expands.  In the words of one of my fellow podcasters, Bethany Kimsey- “Take a deep breath and start because often what hinders us is the fear of what may be.”  

Sometimes you push pass the fear and walk straight into it.  There is a famous quote, “Bravery isn’t the absence of fear,  but the courage to do it anyway.”  This is where the beauty begins to flow.  Don’t wait for a perfect time to be ready- you will never be fully ready. The time is now, my friend. 

I believe you have been given a gift: a gift to share with this world.  A light. It is not to hold onto or hide and contain or to keep to yourself. The point of the light  is to shine.  In podcasting we amplify our light through our voice.  We multiply our reach.  Your story will help set people free.  Your wisdom will give permission for others to walk in truth. Your experience will help others find a better way.  

When you begin to plan your content, keep this focus in mind. We are here to serve our listeners.  When you think about your ideal listener,  what would bring value to them? What do they need to hear?  Dive in to the heart of your listener.  As you connect more and more with them, you will know where you can best serve them.  Showing up consistently will be key to gaining traction and report with your listeners. Commit to publishing a certain amount of episodes per month that you feel you can consistently commit to.  Some it may be 2x a month. And for others you are ready for a weekly episode release. There is no right or wrong- only what is best for your listeners- which is consistency.  

Podcasting is a commitment. Like one of podcasting client’s, Mary Brown, said, “It’s a lot of work, but well worth it. Treat yourself with grace and kindness.”  It’s true. It is work. But beautiful work. And it can be done in a way where it will cost you more time, energy and money but it can also be done strategically and purposefully. As with most things, making a plan at the front end will save you resources and energy.  Another podcaster shared this with me as well, “It will take much more time and energy than you think and will bring you more satisfaction than you can ever imagine.”  When you have that wonderful moment when a listener reaches out to you and says, “Thank you for that episode. It really touched me.” It is all worth it.  

Allow yourself grace as you learn and nourish your podcast.  Allow yourself time to pause, reflect, and reset and even redo sometimes.  You will have pivots. You will have failures- but you will learn from them.  You will have victories and you will have week’s where you sense it’s time to pause and reflect and revisit the drawing board- and that’s all okay. 

And there will be days you need to be encouraged by another podcaster or podcast coach, and that’s okay too.  There are days and sometimes even weeks where I had the space to just stop consuming other peoples’ content and had to start going within to hear where my heart was and what God was speaking to me individually…and you have permission to do so, too. 

Sometimes, we don’t need to listen to another podcast about (coaching, parenting, wellness)…we just need to tune into our own story.  

Podcasting is a gift in our time.  And what an incredible honor it is to hold a moment in time in someone’s ear- hold their attention for 20-30 minutes.  This is a privilege.  You are made for this. Your voice matters. Take up space in the podcasting world.  Steward the story you have for the sake of equipping another.  Create the impact you were called to. 

You’ve got this.

Your Podcast Coach, Kristin