Creating an Impact Through Podcasting with Jessica Burgio

You don't have to have all the answers to help people. Pressure off. I was like, so I could just like, help and I can say I don't know when I don't know. Most people just need someone to hold them accountable, let them be seen and heard, hold some space for them and to just really encourage them to keep going. Because the majority of people who have any level of success we know are the ones who just don't quit. Not the ones who, like, found the easy button. They're the ones who just don't give up.

This is another Office hours. We do these every single, single Wednesday. Fastfoundations.com office hours if you want to join us live. Thank you. For those of you who are here, we got another special guest today. And if you have no idea what Fast Foundations is, go to fastfoundations.com and check it out. Most importantly, though, go to fastfoundations.Com next event so you can join us in person at our next Mastermind event that's coming up here real quick. It's about a month away in beautiful Scottsdale, Arizona. It's going to start getting cold in some places now. Sorry to be Debbie Downer, but it's almost never cold in Arizona and typically it's very hot and warm and awesome. So join us there again, fastfoundations.com next event. And if you want to join us live here virtually every Wednesday, same time, same place, fastfoundations.com office hours. We're going to dive in today. Before we do, if you haven't already, introduce yourself in the chat, tell us where you're coming from, where you're sitting today, where you're headed next. Maybe what you're excited for, a little bit about yourself. Maybe a link to Your Instagram or LinkedIn or wherever you like to connect with people. I'm coming to you from Fort Collins, Colorado from the Vortech Watch Company facility. And yeah, just excited to be here. Jim, what'd I miss before we introduce our guest?

You got it all, man.

Excited to get into it.

I'm on mute here.

Sitting at a gated lax, about to catch a flight, but couldn't miss it today.

So let's take it away.

Sweet. Today we got a good friend and really, I think our longest running Fast Foundations friend, Jess. Thank you so much for being here. We got Jess Bergio in the house and she's going to talk to you today about podcasting, pr, promoting yourself, all those good things, how to just hit record and get yourself out there. But most Importantly, the fact that you can do anything, you can do it yourself. I love that about you, Jess. That's always been your thing. Your energy is just. It just, it works so well for what you do. You own the room and you own the space that you're in, which is this podcasting space. So we're honored to have you here today. Feel free to promote and share what you're doing because what you're doing is obviously beneficial for all of us here in the room. And then also on the podcast, on our podcast with that, Jess, take the floor.

Oh, I love it. Thank you guys for having me. I honestly feel such a deep connection with Fast Foundations. The company, the brand, the community especially, and you guys providing office hours. This is just one more level that you're taking it to really allow people in. And that's where I feel like a lot of people feel is on the outside wondering what's going on in there? What's going on at that big kids table or over there, Right? Because I don't know. And Fast Foundations was built as the place to go see what's over there or what are those people are doing or how are they having success in their life or their business. And so that was me back in 2019. I joined Fast Foundations in the very first round with a hope and a prayer that I would meet some high level friends who understood what I was wanting to create in the world. That my big dreams and my visions were like, not wild and crazy and maybe stupid, right? That I could find people who just quote, unquote, got it. And I'll never forget the first breakfast I got to sit down and have with Jim Carter, who is sitting right here now, one of the founding members of Fast Foundations. And we sat and talked and we couldn't be more different. Jim was from the tech world, I was from the beauty industry. But here we are in a room where we probably both felt underqualified. And I think that was like the underlying thing that everybody was feeling in that room was who am I to be in this room? Am I ready for something like this? Like, almost like you had to pass these weird tests or to whatever to be included. But the cool thing about Fast Foundations is that it's for anybody who's curious about building an online business, who's curious about growing a community, who's interested in growing a personal brand, who just wants to expand at a bigger level and look to their left and right and have people who just get it and who understand that you have skill sets that you Might not see. And there are. They're your superpowers, but you've taken them for granted because they're just who you are. And when you're in a room where other people get an opportunity to see you, to see, like, the things that you think are just whatever, they start to pour into you, and you start to believe in yourself a little bit more than you did before you got there. And that was my life changing experience inside Fast Foundations. And I've been a fricking groupie ever since. Like, like, Jim and our team know I'm like, foaming at the mouth. I'm like, can I come play? Can I sit at the table? Can I take the trash out? What do you guys need? I just love the fact that it feels so inclusive. And as a projector of human design, we love to be invited into things. We just want to know that you want us there. And so getting an invitation to sit with you guys this morning and to talk about podcasting, I was like, yay, I'm getting invited to the big kids table. So it's one of those things. And you can hear in my voice, like, how excited I am, A, to be here and then B, to also get to talk about podcasting, which wasn't even in my world when I joined Fast Foundations. So my backstory is I've been in the beauty industry for 22 years. I know I started when I was 12, but I learned that skillset that I got to develop behind the chair, talking to people, asking questions, getting to know my clients. Building a deeper relationship was so much more than the service I was giving them. And it was around 2018 that I started to feel like an unrest in my life and my business. Things were really good. Like, I had hit the six figure mark in the beauty industry. I had checked the boxes and proven to everybody, my mom, that I could create a real career out of a business that wasn't a real job because only, like, dumb people became hairdressers who couldn't go to college. That was, like, how I was bred to believe. And so I proved her wrong, and I showed her. And then I woke up one day and I was like, is this it? This is all I get? I'm like, 35. There's gotta be more than this. And I knew that, like, the connections I was having with my clients was having, like, a residual effect. I didn't know what that could be more than what it was. I felt very validated. Every time I did hair. There was this equal energy transaction where I Gave them pretty hair and they paid me and everybody was happy. And I started to miss out on a lot of things with my kid. He was getting older and I wanted to go to different things. I wanted to be able to pick him up from school. So I started to have this like unrest where what was good for a really long time started to not become good anymore. Started to feel out of alignment. And I was like, what's wrong with me? This is. You created this. You built such an epic business. You have clients coming out of the whatever, you're booked, you're busy, you're making multiple six figures. Like, just be happy. Like, what's wrong with you? And I had been following Lori harder for a really long time. We were friends through the fitness industry. We had hosted some one off fitness camps for Strong Fitness magazine. And I'd made my way in the fitness industry too. But I had my son in the interim. And I, I remember watching Lori star her podcast a couple years before. And what was cool about watching someone like Lori is someone who just is like me, where we just kind of throw shit out there and we're like, do you like to hear this or you want to talk about this? Or I don't know what's going on today. I'm a mess. And I'm just going to tell you, I'm a mess and I don't know why I'm a mess. And she showed up every day for 365 days in her bathrobe on Facebook, like just going live. And she gave herself that test, which I later found out was like a pre game run for her podcast. Cause she was like, if I can do this every day and create content out of literally nothing but like crazy hair and too much coffee, maybe I can have a podcast. And so I watched her start her podcast and then I watched person after person start their podcast. And I thought, they can do it, they're way more qualified. She'd been on magazine covers. She was someone. I wasn't someone yet. I was just a hairdresser. Because that's what I'd been brainwashed to believe. And there were so many things I could have disqualified my qualified myself for saying. A, I have a separate business than one, I had created and two, have a podcast. But I don't know if you can see if you're on camera, there's a mic behind me. And if you're listening on this for the podcast, I have a mic that I keep on a stand behind me to remind me how long I freaking waited Before I decided to start just sharing what was on my heart, what was on my mind, what I like, what I thought about life and things. And I was really going through it during that time. So I would have made such really good, heartfelt content had I just put a mic on it back then. But I was too scared for one. Tech scares me for two. Could I be consistent long enough to have a podcast? Because I do know that there is some long game strategy involved in podcasting, which we'll get into later. How many of you, if you're here, just drop in the chat, are interested in podcasting, or have a podcast, just so I know, and don't worry if you're not. I'm not here to talk you into having a podcast, but I'm just here to share with you the power of putting a microphone on it. And that can look like many different ways. So here I was, watching and watching, and everyone's just doing. And I had to come to a point where I was out of excuses and there was no nothing more than to take action. In the six months that I was part of Fast Foundations, I started my networking events, which were curated events for hairdressers to get together to collaborate with one another. Much like Fast Foundations, it wasn't another one off class where we went to go learn how to service our clients better. It was for us to create community. So it was the first time I, like, I created something that was for all of us. And watching the networking that went on, I was like, oh, my God, they don't need me to teach them anything. They just need me to create a room where they can come and talk to each other. Like, we're hairdressers, we like to talk. So it was like the power of just watching me be brave enough to facilitate the space. And that's really what Fast Foundations is doing for you too, is creating a place for you to come feel safe, to grow and build and ask those questions that we feel like everybody else already has the answers to. They don't. They want to know them too. So it. It was in those six months that I started those networking events, my dream Salon space fell on my lap and I was able to build out my salon, and I really started to lean into what it would look like to create a bigger impact. And then Covid happened six months after I opened this dream salon space. So I'm sitting in this beautiful space, sad, thinking I should have done this 15 years ago. And okay, fine, I have this beautiful space. I have the time. I'M out of excuses. And I have a pain point that's strong enough right now that's eating at me. My whole industry is affected by this right now. We have no idea if we're going to be able to open again. And I think if I just facilitated some conversation around this, it might be helpful for some of my friends in the industry to talk about this. And so I found a photographer and a videographer and we set up shop inside the studio. I know we probably shouldn't have done that, but I just don't always play by the rules. And we started recording episodes every Monday. I would invite four of my friends and we'd sit for back to back hour on hour sessions and I would just ask them questions and it was a little awkward and weird and I didn't really know what I was doing and I definitely did not know my angles for being on camera, I'll tell you that much. And I stumbled over my words and audio. Wasn't that super great? So if you want to feel good about starting a podcast not knowing anything, go listen to my first like 27 episodes. They're, they're really up there so that you can understand it doesn't have to be perfect to start. They're really bad. But I tell you all that because had all of that stuff not happened during my time with FAST Foundations, I wouldn't have felt confident enough to take a shitty situation and double down on it. I took the money I had saved that was going to go into rebuilding out the salon and marketing, and I poured it into the podcast. And I went through my warm audience first, everybody I knew in the industry. But the one thing that really held me back early on with podcasting was the fact that I thought I had to know exactly what my content was going to be, who my person was going to be that I was talking to, right? That niche person, that client avatar that they so like to label it with. And it held me back because I had spent 22 years having so many different people sit in my chair. I can connect with anybody. I'll find something that we can relate on and I'll jam out about that, right? I have clients in their 70s, 80s. I have clients that are like 12 years old. I can find conversation with just about anybody. So that was the first time I realized, oh, I do have a skill set. I can connect at a level that with people and I can create cool conversations. And so that's what we started to do. And then I had an opportunity to ask Chris Harder, who was the originator of Fast Foundations to be on the show. And this was the first time that I was like, he'll probably say no, but I'll just ask anyways. And he said yes. And so it was my first Zoom interview for the podcast. And at the end of it, it was a great episode. At the end of it, we hit the stop record button. And I said to Chris, I said, I went through your first round. I saw a lot of people did a second round of Fast Foundations. Should I have done a second round? I don't. Should I have stayed in it? I don't really know how this works. And I remember him saying, no, you went and took action. I think if you had ingested any more information, you would have been stuck in that analysis paralysis. You did the right thing by taking what you learned and immediately taking action. You did the networking events, you opened the salon, you started the podcast. Like, all the things. That's great. What I find to be true for a lot of people who join Fast Foundations is that different rounds do different things for them. A lot of people like Jim have been in many rounds, and I think a lot of people who stay close to this community did multiple rounds to figure out who they were. First round was, who am I? What do I want to bring into this world? And then the second round ended up being like, okay, now I. This is what I think I want to work on. Now I take and I integrate that, and I figure it out, and I stay in community with people who are going to help me grow this. Because your peers are your network, and they really help promote and they help when you're feeling like you want to quit, to stay in the. Doing the hard things. Right? Because it's hard to be a beginner at stuff when you don't know what's going to work and when you don't know if your messaging is going to stick. And then you have people like Alex street who have completely found themselves and their messaging and realized the skill set that they had, that they were like, oh, that's easy for me, but it helps other people. I guess I'll lean into that. And is now so passionate about helping people relay their story in a way that makes sense. Because we all want to know the transformation or the transition or like, how'd you go from this to this? And somewhere in there was, like, probably a pain point or a shift that needed to happen. And so then you take that and you double down and make that a business. But think about all the rounds he was in and the amount of networking and contacts that was made in those rooms. Now he has something that he can take, and he has a powerful podcast behind it where he can really help hone in on messaging, which is like the number one end all, be all part of marketing. If your messaging isn't clear and you can't articulate exactly what it is you help people with, it's really hard to sell. No matter if you're a hairdresser or if you're a podcaster, or if you have an agency or if you're selling in a mastermind. Unfortunately, and Chris might even attest, this isn't to poo anything I learned. But we started off in the era of get to 10,000 followers. The likes matter, the followers matter. And I was like, yeah, 10,000 followers. But I came from an industry where, like, I could only service like 150 clients. So I was like, why do I need 10,000 followers? Like, they're not going to buy from me. Cool. So I did it all wrong. But at the end of it, I realized, like, I didn't build a community, really. I didn't share and document how I went from being a behind the chair hairdresser to a podcaster. I, like, skipped all that. So people were like, oh, you don't do hair anymore. Oh, you, like, have a podcast. Oh, so you have another not real job. That's cute. Do you make money doing how's your little podcast going? Like, I would get stuff like that, but luckily I had a thick enough skin for being a hairdresser that I was like, I'll show you. Remember I showed my mom. Now it was like everybody else. So I share all that because I think the backstory to stuff is really important of the stuff that might come up as you're trying to pivot or shift or find what it is that you're meant to create. And I said to Chris at the end of that podcast, after we hit stop, I said, you really should have a coaching program where you teach people how to be coaches and they can say they're a Chris Harder coach. I think I was, like, hoping that he would, like, create that for me because I couldn't see myself doing it on my own. Yet I still felt like I needed to have someone co sign for me or take me with them or let me play. Hey, bring me up to the big kids table. And he said, we don't have that. Jess, you could do another round of fast foundations or we actually implemented support coaches. After your round, would you like to be one and it was the first time that someone saw something in me at that level that I wasn't known for. I wasn't known as a coach. I wasn't known as anything like that yet. I hadn't started coaching. And I thought, you think I can be a support coach inside here? He's like, how would you rate your level of accountability for people? I'm all 10 out of 10. I'm like, the hype girl. I'm the gym. I will get you to do your shit. He's what about strategy? I'm like, eight or nine if we're talking about the things you're talking about. I went through your program. I know it. I know the information you're trying to teach us. And he's good. Like, you don't have to have all the answers to help people. And I was like, I don't pressure off. I was like. So I could just, like, help, and I can say I don't know when I don't know. And he's like, yes, you can. Most people just need someone to hold them accountable, let them be seen and heard, hold some space for them, and to just really encourage them to keep going. Because the majority of people who have any level of success we know are the ones who just don't quit. Not the ones who, like, found the easy button. They're the ones who just don't give up. And you're sitting in a room with several people who have tried a lot of things and not given up. We've pivoted, but we haven't given up. The bigger mission, the bigger vision for everyone I know here, even if I don't know you yet, is you want to create some sort of impact. And what I found for me is through podcasting, I found my voice, and it took about 40 episodes for me to start to feel out of alignment with my original name of my podcast, which was Beauty Inspires Beauty. I didn't have a name. That was the name of, like, my brunches that I did for the beauty industry. And my videographer was like, hey, I need a name to edit your show. And I was like, I don't know what it's supposed to be called. I have no idea. He's, let's call it this. And he's, you can change it later. I'm like, awesome. So I ended up rebranding this past January, so not that long ago, after a hundred plus episodes, to be called unscripted. So I found my voice through podcasting and was able to figure out how I really wanted to show up and help people and I fell in love with podcasting and I found other people who loved podcasting who have made it like a six figure business. Angie Lee has Angie Lee Show, Keisha has the Empower, her podcast, Lori, Chris, multiple other people. I went and followed people who were doing the things that I wanted to be doing. I didn't go find the people who had quit and didn't have success with it. I went and I paid for coaching calls with Angie. I paid for calls with Keisha and Chris and Lori. And they poured belief into me. If this is what you love doing, lean into it. You can a hundred percent have six figure business out of your podcast. You can a hundred percent build anything you want from, from a podcast platform. So I decided to go all in. And it's created such a huge ripple effect for me. So much so that I was inspired by someone we have on here right now, Christina Bartold, who has a social media agency and also does podcast editing. And I watched people create six figure businesses out of creating these agencies that help people with podcasting. So we ended up launching an agency a couple months ago where that's what we do is strictly podcast production. And it's lit me up like nothing else and I find so much passion and purpose behind it. But if you would've told me a couple years ago that podcasting would've led me to creating an agency and doing this full time, I would've laughed at you and not believed you. Because the power of podcasting allows you to connect with an audience at such a deeper level. Right? They're usually in a flow state and they're walking the door. Whatever they're doing, it's you and them. And so you can truly, authentically be yourself and allow the people who are supposed to come into your world to just connect with you free. You can offer so much insight. You can offer like things you love. It's a great way to like influence and share and it grows your personal network like nobody's business. I selfishly have a podcast because I want access to other people's experience and expertise. So I usually get a yes for anybody I asked to be on the show. And I get one hour of their undivided attention where I can ask them any freaking questions. I want that alone for where you're at. If you're sitting in this room right now is probably the only thing I'll talk about when it comes to starting a podcast. Do it for you selfishly, because you will learn and have Access to people you would have never otherwise maybe even been able to afford to get access to, and vice versa. Collaborations with people have come out of this where I've reached out to. People have huge networks, but they don't have a podcast. I'm like, hey, you want to be my co host for a couple weeks? Let's record five episodes, I'll showcase you and you share it on your platform. Boom, boom. People love to be invited in. I guess I'm not the only one. And having what I wanted to talk about too. If podcasting isn't your jam, guessing on other people's podcasts is just as important. So if you want to book a call, I put my thing at the very top. We can discuss if podcasting is something you are interested in. But I do think just getting on other people's podcasts, if you're someone who has a message or you have a service or something that you really want to get out into the world, it's one of the most powerful forms of primary because that is a connected audience and community that that person has already created. So if they've invited you into their circle to share your shit, that means they respect you, they know you, they like you, they trust you. If they're willing to let you pitch on their page or pitch on their podcast. Right, Your stuff. We like to think that people already pre vet. So if Jim's, hey, you gotta meet this person. I don't even ask questions. I'm like, yeah, cool, no problem. Or if RT's, you should have this person on your podcast. I'm like, done. Here's the booking link. I don't ask any questions because I trust these two would not send me people or vice versa if they weren't meant for me. So I would love to hear like questions that you guys have around podcasting. But I do think that being able to express yourself in the form of verbally processing, I know I'm probably not alone helps you figure out what drives you and inspires you. Because then you can lean into that. You might think you want to talk about one thing and then you have a powerful conversation with somebody and you're like, oh, I want to talk about that kind of stuff. And so talking to my hairdressers led me to want to share transformation. How did you go from here to here? And so that's what excites me. And I love sharing that part of the journey. And so that's what I focus on with my podcast now, which is called unscripted, which is very fitting for me because I don't like to really follow the rules. I think I mentioned that once before. So having something that felt off the cuff that I could just free flow with, that resonated with me. And it's allowed me to show up so much bigger on my show and in such a more deep, authentic way that I think, and I know connects with people. Because I've never gotten so much feedback from my podcast as I am now with the things I'm sharing and talking about. And I think it's in how I'm saying it, not just what I'm saying. So I can't speak more highly to a podcast. It's also a platform that you own. So if you don't know you do own your RSS feed, it is yours. Podcasts live forever, right? So unlike a story or a post on social, which we know are super important, your podcast is something that someone can Google how to be more happy. One of our boys, Danny Hoffman, was Googling how to be more happy and he came across Lori Harder's earn your happy podcast. That's how that connection was made. If you don't know them, go look them up. Danny and Brianne. And I think that's so powerful because it's a search engine all on its own. You know what I mean? Or maybe you just want a creative outlet. Maybe you just want to do something that's fun. Podcasting is super fun. I love just being able to riff, talk about the things that light me up. And I think you build that consistency, muscle over time. And it's one of those things that like anything, you're gonna wanna quit sometimes. Some days I don't wanna be a mom either. There's that. Some days they wanna quit on that. Some days my boyfriend, I'm like, being single would be so much better, but then other days it's not. So podcasting will not be any different. Anything that is new to you will be challenging, but that's part of the fun, right? Anyone sitting in this room isn't here for an easy button to be put in front of them. We all grow through what we are learning. And in the seasons of discovering what you're maybe meant to put out there or maybe like podcasting platform is such a powerful way to connect and be able to do that. So I think I've shared that many times over the last several episodes. I've been able to guess on other people's shows. And it's really cool because obviously I'm talking to a podcast host Right. So I'm always like, why'd you start your podcast? And they're like, I just got sick of not being able to have a place to have these conversations. Or I felt like this wasn't being talked about enough. Or it felt like it was being talked about, but not in my voice. And I was like, what a great reason. You don't really need, you know, some unique, weird shit to talk about. You can just talk about the things that get you excited. And there are ways to do it for free. There are ways to pay people to help you take care of your podcast, which is why we started the agency. I was inspired by my friend, like I said, Christina Barthold, who poured belief in me and showed me that, hey, you can do this too. There's enough of us to go around, and there's enough podcasters out there. Let's do it. I know we're coming down to the last couple minutes. I haven't had a chance to look at the chat. Do we have any questions around podcasting and the things that, like, maybe are keeping you stuck from wanting to start your podcast? Because I know for me, a lot of it was the tech piece. I felt like I had to know all of the. All the little ins and outs, and it's not true. You don't have to know everything to be able to create something. You can have people help you. You can ask questions. And, yeah, I think I've really. I've really been surprised at how much people do want to help. And it was the number one thing that everybody stood up, and we had to do our hot seats for the first round that they said they struggled with, which was asking for help. So if you're in this room with us right now, if you're listening to this episode, it is a very brave thing to ask for help, even if you don't quite know what you need help with yet. That's where I was at. I was like, I know I need help, but I don't know with what. And I don't want to be that person that's, like, unsure. And once I got into the room, I was like, oh, everyone is a little unsure and a little bit hesitant to ask questions, so you're in the right place. And I just really want to remind you that if you're feeling the little pool to just try, just start. You can do one episode a week. You can do one episode a month. You can create seasons. You can do only guests. If you feel intimidated to do solos, you can use AI to help you create content. Jim's really good at that and has helped me use some of that to get a little more strategic with my episodes. But as you can tell, I could talk for hours about this and I'm just so grateful that we had at least 30 minutes to share my passion for podcasting.

Jess, that was phenomenal. Thank you so much for being here. Before we switch into questions and what we call rapid fire takeaways here for those that are listening, this is all getting cut up and put on a podcast. We're going to chop it up and put it on social media for you. So if you're just listening to this and you're not here live, come and join us fastfoundations.com office hours so you can come here and participate in the next half of this call, which we're gonna hang out, Jess, and get these questions answered. We're gonna do a little mastermind here with the people that are here and just help people get their podcast going, get em started, get em growing, things like that. I'm sure that the group has a lot of questions. We're gonna start with rapid fire takeaways and what you learned. But Jess, real quick, before we wrap, can you tell everyone that's listening the best way to find you and connect with you?

I love Instagram. You can DM me on Instagram. Just say what's up? Tell me if you had any takeaways from the podcast episode and. Or if you're in, like the ideation phase. Do I need a podcast? Is podcasting the next right marketing thing for me to do? I love to jam out about that. I've been wrong before. I have told someone not to start a podcast. Shannon Weinstein, and she started one and now she has five episodes a week and is blowing the shit out of the water. So I don't always know everything, but I think it's fun to have someone to talk to that you can get a little discerning about. So just come say hi on Instagram.

Hey, this is Jim Carter. Thank you for joining the Fast Foundations podcast. We're excited to try this new format. We're grateful you were here to be part of it with us. If you missed the live event, you can join us every Wednesday. Sign up@fastfoundations.com office hours and we'll see you next week.