A few days ago, I saw this comment in one of my videos.
“​I purchased mics and equipment back in Apr 2020 and have been too scared to start a podcast.
I worry it won't be entertaining enough. I also worry my voice will be annoying.
How do you get over the fear? How do you start, start!
Not equipment but courage, what are good tips?”
And this isn’t the first time I’ve gotten comments like this.
So in this video, I thought I’d do something a little different and share with you how I came
from hiding in my cubicle at my corporate job to making videos, recording a podcast,
producing podcasts, teaching online courses, and even being interviewed by a news channel.
If you’ve been dancing with the idea of sharing your story, your art, your skills,
on a podcast, here on YouTube, or on social media, but every time you take a step forward
your inner jerk tells you things like: “ I have nothing important to say”
“ nobody will listen. People don’t care” “ my voice is annoying. I talk so slow”
“ Nobody will understand my accent” “ I will fail miserably again”
“ What will my family, spouse, friends, and colleagues think of me?”
Maybe you’ve purchased equipment, signed up for an online course (or two), or even started
secretly recording when nobody is around and are mortified to share it with other people.
Maybe you don’t have people in your life encouraging you to go for it.
Or even worse every time you bring it up you are met with resistance or negativity.
I’m here to tell you that you’re not the only one.
And even though you may think that I look confident in my videos, I’M NOT.
Building my confidence is something I have to work on daily to be able to do what I do.
Because here’s the thing, you don’t want those thoughts or “ limitations” to keep
you away from what you’re meant to be and the lives you’re meant to touch.
So I thought I’d share with you what I’ve done, and keep doing, to overcome my insecurities. I’m
going to tell you a little bit about how I ended up being a podcast coach and a content creator.
And as usual, I will share actional tips to get you in front of the
camera and microphone in no time. So make sure you watch until the end.
But before we move on I’d like you to share in the comments if this is the big reason
why you haven't started your podcast yet. This is a safe place for you to
share. I want us to encourage each other to finally put that launch day in ink.
As a podcast coach, one of the things I love the most about what I do is the transformations
I get to see in my clients and students. Their sense of accomplishment when they
get over major roadblocks like learning how to use their recording equipment,
learning how to record and edit audio, and getting in front of the microphone and start recording.
Some days I’d feel like a total impostor for coaching them through their insecurities.
I’d have the perfect thing to say to encourage them while
being hard on myself and very unforgiving of my own mistakes.
My whole life I’d been working so hard to stay in the dark, to not stand out. And even though
I enjoy challenging myself with new projects. I would end up hiding and not putting in my
best effort. I did it when I went to law school and I did it in my first job after graduating.
I had big dreams and somehow I ended up in a cubicle in a forgotten corner in my corporate job.
While dealing with the shame and disappointment of my unfulfilled professional life,
I became an avid podcast listener. Listening to podcasts gave me a different
perspective of what my future could look like. I’d listen to podcasts about business, start-ups,
entrepreneurship, and self-improvement. The stories shared in those episodes gave
me inspiration and the strength to quit my job and venture into creating the Pod Sound School
with Studio Steve. I wanted so desperately to bring purpose into my life and into what I do.
And even though my purpose of being the voice of those who had been harmed, the whole reason why I
went to law school, didn’t come to fruition, I found an even deeper purpose which is to teach
others how they can grab a microphone and amplify their message so they can find their people and
build communities... so they’re heard and seen. So they too can find their purpose.
But finding my purpose didn’t come easy. At the beginning of the Pod Sound School,
I felt insecure, ridiculous for even trying. I had to write my videos and episodes word for
word… and even then I would still struggle. I was mortified by what my colleagues would think of me,
or my family members. I’d be so disappointed when I’d post a video or a podcast episode
and I would only hear crickets… Are people even listening? I wondered.
But things started to shift when our message started resonating with a few people,
and those few became hundreds, and those hundreds became hundreds
of thousands. That’s when I realized that the best thing I had done was to
decide not to live in the shadows anymore and let myself be seen and heard in spite of my
flaws and shortcomings. And start showing up for my people. Start showing up for you.
And believe me, it hasn’t been all flowers and unicorns (oh como mi abuelita dice color de rosa)
You will not launch your podcast and automatically you’ll get people to love you
and validate what you do. Just as you will find people who will be thankful for what you share,
there will be people who will criticize you, won’t recognize the value in what you do, and will doubt
you. Producing a podcast or making videos is hard work. There will be days when you don’t feel like
doing it. But as long as you keep moving forward you will see results. You only have to start.
But whatever your situation is, I want you to get unstuck today. I want you to
start planning and figuring things out so you can start putting yourself out there.
So let’s talk about things you can do to overcome your fears and insecurities once and for all.
And just to clarify I’m not a life coach or a motivational speaker,
but I’ve had some experience after working with students and clients who are in the same boat.
First one: Find your purpose.
You may have heard other people talking about purpose. You may even
have your purpose already clear in your mind. Or maybe you haven’t found your purpose..
and that’s okay too. According to Mel Robbins, one of my go-to motivational speakers and authors,
“to find your purpose you should try to figure out what energizes you,
what gives you joy, and finding the courage to find your full self with the world.”
Purpose is the thing that you were born to do. Maybe you were born to entertain and make other
people laugh and forget about their problems. Maybe your purpose is to share your story so
others don’t feel alone in their journey. Maybe your purpose is to empower people
with knowledge and skills so they can go off and accomplish great things.
When we find our purpose we become laser-focused on our goals and we take action unapologetically.
We don’t go around seeking approval or validation. We wake up every morning and do the work.
Whatever your purpose, podcasting can be one of the vehicles you use to fulfill that purpose.
Or can be what will get you closer to figuring out what your purpose is.
So focus on fulfilling your purpose and silence the rest.
Second: connect with other people who are doing what you want to do.
Whether it is podcasting, YouTube, or social media, find local or online communities and be
active. Ask questions, start conversations, seek advice. You can also find coaches and mentors
that can work with you to give you direction and accountability. You don’t have to do it alone.
The more you hang out with your crowd, with people in the podcast industry who are killing it,
the more you will draw from their inspiration, their energy, and experience.
Third: Take action. You can have all the best plans and dreams in the world but
if you don’t take action, big or small, these big plans will start to turn sour.
And instead of getting excited about your project ahead, you start feeling like you
fail again because you haven’t taken any action. So join the podcast communities, get curious and
ask questions, follow other podcasters on social media, start learning, hit the record button,
publish the trailer… whatever. Just take action. If talking into a microphone is what paralyzes
you. I want you to start doing it. Let’s tackle those insecurities head-on.
To my latinx community or anybody trying to do podcast in a second language ( English)
Inglés es mi segunda lengua y entiendo perfectamente lo difícil que puede ser.
Here are my tips if you feel self-conscious about your accent
or are afraid you will not make any sense. I used to do this in law school too.
Write your episodes and ask a friend, significant other,
or family member who is a native speaker to proofread your script and also ask for feedback.
Or read the script to them to see if the idea you’re trying to convey makes sense.
After a while of doing this consistently, you will become more confident in your
writing and performance in front of the microphone or the camera.
Is it uncomfortable?! Yes. Because you feel vulnerable when you show your writing and your
ideas to other people. But thanks to that I became a better writer and that helped me in writing
better episodes and videos. So find a person who will give you honest feedback.
Someone you feel is safe to share your ideas with.
Don’t ask that negative friend who always puts you down or undermines your ideas.
Fourth: Practice, Practice, Practice.
There are different ways that you can practice recording a podcast.
If you’re terrified of publishing episodes. Here’s a fun exercise: audio blogging.
I want you to pull up the voice memo app on your phone and start recording
what your doing throughout the day, recording your thoughts and ideas…
instead of keeping those thoughts in your head, you record them.
At the end of the day, I want you to listen to what you’ve recorded.
Not to criticize yourself and be like ugh, but to get used to the sound of your voice.
I still cringe a little when I listen to my own episodes so it’s totally okay if you do.
This exercise is not only good to start building your confidence, but it can also be a way to
work on episode ideas. I want you to record them right when they come up so you don’t forget them.
Something else you can do is to join clubhouse conversations or
Twitter spaces and start practicing sharing your ideas and opinions in
audio form. Also while you’re at it you can create connections with other creators and podcasters.
If you’re planning on making videos for your YouTube channel, something that
helped me get over the anxiety of making videos for YouTube was to make little short videos for
IG stories. Instagram stories are a great place to start because you can use filters,
add emojis and captions. Stories also are deleted from your account after twenty-four hours.
So if you don’t feel good about your video, it will be gone the next day.
And here’s the last one: I want you to be brave and set your launch date. I want you
to pick a launch date and share it with as many people as you can. Share on your social media,
share it with your friends and family, and start piecing the steps together
on how you will do it. We are here with plenty of resources for you.
We have videos here on our channel teaching you everything you need to know about podcasting.
If you don’t know where to start, we have this video showing you how you can launch a podcast.
We also have podcasting courses if you need more training or don’t want to bother with piecing the
information together. We also work one-on-one with clients if you need accountability, strategy, and
a more custom podcast. You can find all the links to what I mentioned in the description box below.
And there you go mi amigo.
I hope this message stays with you and I get to be the voice in your head telling you YOU,
YOUR STORY, AND WHAT YOU HAVE TO OFFER MATTERS.
DON’T KEEP IT TO YOURSELF. BE THE INSPIRATION FOR THOSE WHO ARE BEHIND YOU.
I want to see you launching that podcast soon. Drop the launch date in the comments below.
And before you go
two things NO OLVIDEN HACER LA TAREA AND DON'T FORGET TO SUBSCRIBE AND LIKE THIS VIDEO
HAPPY CASTING