Hello Everyone! Today, I am bringing another guest post. This time, I’m bringing my online writer friend, Shell Vera. She writes about being mindful while launching your podcast. This article is full of great tips and insights on how important mindfulness is and how it can be beneficial for your podcasting journey.
Here we go!
Introduction
As a first-time podcaster, it can be difficult to quiet your mind, still your body, and focus on the moment. There is always something to do, someone to reach out to, or somewhere you need to be. But, if you don’t make time to be still and enjoy the moment, you can miss out on the joy of being a podcaster. And connecting with the community around you.
I’m not a podcaster but a blogger who used to record a Fireside Chat video series. I am a full-time employee, part-time business owner, and a single, homeschooling mom who is responsible for my teenage daughter. If that all didn’t sound like enough, I also serve God, my family, my community, and myself. When I tell you I understand overwhelm, I mean it. I’ve spent the better part of this year completely burnt out, wondering when it gets better. That’s what inspired me to write this post.
Understanding Podcasting Challenges
As a first-time podcaster, you’re doing it all: pitching guests, recording episodes, drawing in listeners, and social media engagement. It can be tiring. You aren’t yet at a place where you can outsource the help. You may be scared to hire a virtual assistant to support you in your goals. You’re struggling to determine which activities need to be done and which ones can wait. That’s what brings you to Heidy’s blog and services!
What if I told you there is a way you can do all the things WHILE resting, giving yourself time to be still, and enjoying starting, building, and growing a podcast?
Seems impossible, right?
Podcasting and blogging aren’t that different. The main difference is that in blogging, you are your only holdup. In contrast, in podcasting, you typically have someone on the other side of the microphone. And it can be slowed down if you can’t schedule a guest or are working with someone who is dealing with life at an unreasonable pace. Being mindful is what always helped me enjoy the process of blogging. It also allowed me to feel encouraged to start the Fireside Chat series.
Let’s talk about how being mindful can help you as you start your podcast.
You may like: What is Mindfulness and What Are Its Benefits
Being Mindful and Beginning a Podcasting
Being mindful sounds like this super woo type of thing. We are talking about transcending space and time to do something nearly impossible. But if we look at history, we can assume that our ancestors took a lot of time to sit still. And enjoy the world around them.
At its core, mindfulness is simply being IN the moment and fully aware of what you are sensing. Instead of rushing from task to task, you take time to BE as you are doing.
What does being mindful look like?
While I am typing this blog for you, I could be listening to the television, thinking about how Heidy will like it, or considering whether I’ve used the right keywords. Instead, I enjoy the feeling of my thoughts leaving my mind as they flow through my fingers to make each keystroke and fill this page. I am present, fully aware of the thoughts in my mind, and allowing myself to talk with you as if you were here in front of me.
Let’s look at some tips for being mindful as you prepare for, record, and launch each episode of your podcast.
Practical Tips for Mindful Podcasting
What does it look like for you to be present while doing all the things you have to do as you prepare for the launch of episodes one, five, and twelve?
- It looks like allowing yourself to feel the pen as it flows across your notebook when you are making notes about who to call, email, or message.
- You saying the words in your email aloud as you update your template and send it to prospective guests.
- Allowing your body to feel the response it has when you use certain designs or colors to choose your episode’s graphics, descriptions, and posting platforms.
- It looks like listening to your body when it says the clock has reached an hour when you must stop doing and start resting so you can be better prepared to focus tomorrow, even if that means missing a self-imposed deadline.
How does being mindful look like while recording each episode?
- Being fully in the moment as you ask your guest questions or record your monologue. I believe you are fully in the moment.
- Allowing yourself to listen to the inflections in your guest’s voice as they respond to your questions.
- Listening to your body as it says, “Time to go down another track” or “Stay here a little longer.”
What does it look like while launching each episode?
- Allowing yourself to enjoy the sounds that escape your body as you type the description, summary, and social posts that you’ll write to invite people to listen.
- It looks like allowing yourself to feel the joy and satisfaction of an episode well done as you hit “publish.”
- Allowing yourself to smile wide as you push send on your email inviting your audience to join the conversation and share names of guests they’d like to hear on future episodes.
Mindfulness is simply allowing yourself to move with the energy’s rhythm. It allows you to develop your intuition in a way that will change your life if you’ve been going, going, almost on your way to gone.
And that’s what we don’t want. We want you to have many years of successful podcasting. And running a business or enjoying the community around you.
Mindfulness Exercises for Podcasters
Sometimes, it takes outside intervention to learn the discipline of being present. Here are some resources to help you:
- Centr: Learn how to meditate with Chris Hemsworth. Crafted by meditation coaches and narrated by Chris, each meditation is designed to give you practical tools to deal with different situations from firing up to finding calm.
- Mayo Clinic: This short article provides an overview of mindfulness exercises and how they help you improve attention, decrease burnout, and improve sleep.
- The Message Podcast by Angel: Episode 37 specifically speaks on the importance of stillness and shares three practical tips to support Christians who are ready to invite God into their day.
By integrating these practices into your morning or evening routine, you can train your body to be still and listen to how it is feeling. By understanding whether you feel free and open to continuing or need rest and quiet, you will become more productive and won’t feel burnt out or overwhelmed by all that is on your plate.
Regardless of how you look at it, it doesn’t make sense, but taking time to slow down allows you to do more with more energy. As I’ve practiced being present more in the past week, I’ve accomplished more than I have in the last three months. I feel energized and less fatigued. Even better prepared for the tasks ahead of me as I enter 2024 with a full schedule!
Challenge
Today, we’ve addressed the reality that you’re very busy and don’t have much free time. We’ve also acknowledged that it’s mandatory for your success to take time out each day for yourself. Also, to become centered and still. Whether you begin or end your day (bonus points for both!) with mindfulness exercises, making space to ensure you are completely IN the moment and present will ensure you grow, succeed, and inspire others as you share your knowledge, community, and resources with your audience.
I invite you to download my free 30-day Mindfulness Journal to empower you to be in the moment. Each person who has used the journal fully has noted that they learned to be still, focus on clearing their minds, and enjoy giving their bodies and minds time to clear out from the day. They increased their productivity by allowing themselves to take time to reflect and journal each day.
Combining the journal with the exercises mentioned in the previous section will give you a great start to your podcasting journey. I look forward to listening to your podcasts and engaging with you on social media as you enjoy the marathon that is ahead of you. Take your time, and know that I am rooting for you!
About Shell
Shell is a Voice Discovery Coach, writer, and marketer on a mission to empower others to talk about the things that are uncomfortable until they become an everyday conversation, to remove the phrases “too deep, “not enough,” and “too much” from the human vocabulary; and prove to everyone that even the most wounded inner child can be healed and partner with us for a successful and impactful life.
She is the person who can both encourage you and make you laugh, sometimes simultaneously. You’re not often in her presence for more than a few minutes without hearing a great story that makes you laugh, cry, and/or remember how much power lies within you. She believes we all have a story within us that will help at least one other person find the will to continue, know they aren’t alone, or find the key to the prison they have trapped themselves within.
Shell lives in CT with her youngest daughter and can often be found looking for her keys, curled up on her bed with a composition book and pen, writing a poem or story, or lost in the woods listening to an audiobook. She doesn’t mind ending sentences with prepositions, favors the Oxford comma, and is a master writer of run-on sentences.
Find her online at: ShellVera.com (Website) | TheEssentialCreative.com (Creative Lifestyle Blog) | @ShellVera333 on Instagram, Facebook, X, and Threads
Thank you, Shell, for the insightful article. If you’ve found this article helpful, please share with a friend.
With Love, Heidy
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