My most recent podcast episode – #064 of Praestabilis: Excellence in Marketing – dropped yesterday. After I reviewed and then published it, I took a step back to answer my own question of “Why do you podcast?” and precept that podcasting – finding your voice – is crucial to success.
I believe that podcasting, finding your voice and sharing your message, allows me to grow and learn and reinvent myself. Allow me to explain what I mean by this…
I began podcasting back in 2010. I’d been online for about four years at that time and had already published two books. The first one, Huge Profits with a Tiny List: 50 Ways to Use Relationship Marketing to Increase Your Bottom Line had taken off in a big way and my business was growing quickly and effortlessly. Then everything came to a screeching halt for me and I wasn’t sure what had happened or which direction to go next.
My mentor at that time suggested more videos and another book. I agreed, and my YouTube channel filled up while I penned another book in the internet marketing niche, this time on on membership sites. But things moved slower than molasses and I looked for another strategy to get back on track.
By now I was speaking regularly at events and conferences all over the world. I hosted my own events, twice a year in Las Vegas before moving them to southern California and I was aware that my message resonated with people I was speaking to in person much more easily than in my then weekly “Ask Connie Anything” teleseminars or even my videos. What about a podcast? Would this be any different than what I was already doing?
The proof is always in the pudding. That original podcast took off in a big way and I was once again enjoying success and prosperity as an entrepreneur, author, and marketing strategist. And, as an added benefit, I had finally found my voice, literally.
When I had begun blogging several years earlier, my voice was stifled by my lack of writing skills. My words spilled out onto the page in a clumsy disarray, spewed in clunky starts and stops. My focus was on getting my words to form sentences that had meaning: the result was seldom meaningful at all. Over time, my writing has improved, but my voice was ready to emerge and had no patience for my fingers to catch up.
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I grew up without a voice. It sounds like a broken record for me to share my humble beginnings, but it is necessary in order for you to understand the context of my life journey. My mother did her best, but sometimes that wasn’t enough. At age five, she took me to a church to ask for food. The lady in the office asked what we would like to eat, but my mother remained silent and looked down at the floor. I looked up into her loving eyes and knew I had to speak. “Dippy eggs, please.” I said clearly. The woman understood this perfectly and we all went into the kitchen where she gave my mother a cup of coffee in a beige ceramic cup and me a small bowl with soft-boiled eggs and a piece of white toast. That wasn’t so difficult, I can remember thinking at the time.
At age twelve I couldn’t find my voice when a man in the dark movie theater slid his hand under the seat and brushed his fingers against my leg to touch me. Instead, I got up quietly, spilling my popcorn and headed for the exit. I waited outside for my friends to find me and never said a word about what had occurred. I was disgusted at what had happened, more angry with myself than with the perpetrator. My voice would have made a difference.
As a new teacher in 1986, I found my voice when my students looked to me for guidance. Another teacher was angry with me for not being willing to show movies on Friday, instead of teaching from our lesson plans. I swung the door to the classroom open wide, allowing the students to hear her screaming and cursing at me. Spittle landed on my cheeks but I refused to turn away. Afterward, my class and I had an honest decision about what we wanted to do. I did the math for them and showed on the chalk board what 20% less would look like by the end of the school year. They voted unanimously to learn on Fridays and I stood a little taller as I promised to do my best for them, always and under any circumstances.
With podcasting, finding your voice is more natural. It’s the holistic approach to sharing your message, in a way only you can impact the willing recipients.
I’m Connie Ragen Green, life explorer and human in training, defender and advocate to all, marketing strategist to many, and mentor to a select few. If you’re ready to start podcasting, finding your voice will be the most important part of your journey.
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