162. The Real Reason I Started My Podcast (And What It Taught Me About Growth)

Welcome. I am marketing expert and business coach Melissa Kellogg Lewicki, and this is the Doing Business Like a Woman podcast, where we are exploring and teaching you how women are reinventing the way business is done and money is made to help you create greater impact and financial freedom one business at a time. Hello, hello, how's it going? How are you? I hope you're all doing well. I wanted to tell you what's going on and talk with you about podcasting and the story behind my podcast, how I started it, and also tell you what I'm up to today, because I have some exciting things happening. It just so happens that I have a podcast interview scheduled with my amazing client, Monique Ekes of Silver Paw Studios. And so I'm going to be going to her studio and recording at her studio. Which I'm sure is going to be quiet and professional and very lovely. And so I'm going to take you with me on that, on that little journey. But I wanted to come in and just do some behind the scenes around how I'm preparing for that recording and how I prepare for doing interviews and how I prepare for my podcast. I thought I would chat with you a little bit about that. And so if we don't know each other, it's so nice to meet you. Thank you for being here this morning. And my name's Melissa My Marketing Coach, and I am the CEO and founder of the Avanti Business Academy for Women. I absolutely love helping women to grow their confidence and their connection to their best fit clients and bring in more business and revenue. I teach Melissa My Marketing Coach and sales and coach on all things entrepreneurship. So that's what we're all about. And so let's see. So I have this interview today and I'm preparing for that and coming up with my questions. And it's going to be a little bit of a different format for me because I don't think I've ever recorded a podcast interview in person with my interview subject. I feel like they've always been online. And so that's going to be super fun and interesting and something new. So I'm finding myself having to prepare a little bit mentally for that because when I'm in my own environment, it's easier for me to get into my zone. But then when we go outside of that normal environment, it can, it can throw me off a little bit. I'm preparing mentally and thinking about being in her studio. I've been to her studio before, and so thinking about just visualizing myself there and what it's going to be like and how I want to show up. That's one thing I really like to set an intention anytime for any part of my day. I want to be setting an intention of how I want to show up and how I want to be in that environment. And my podcast interviews are generally very informal, and I really like them to be conversational. I like them to have the feel of you and me and the interviewee, that we're all just sitting around, whether it's a living room or sitting around the table at a restaurant, and just having a great conversation. But in order to do that, I have to have planned what I want, what my intention is for the interview. And so this is the marketing teaching part of what we're talking about today. I had this idea that it would be really fun to have some interviews with a few of my students from the 90-Day Marketing Accelerator. Because I'm gonna be opening up the doors for that accelerator. And so I thought it would be really fun to have some podcast episodes that correspond with that launch and showcase the women that are in the accelerator currently. So giving you all an idea of who's in there, what it's like, what kinds of things that the current students are learning and how it's been going for them. I'm really excited to do these interviews, so that's my intention for this interview, but it's not going to be all about the 90-Day Marketing Accelerator. Really what I want it to be, my intention is to have it be a real highlight of my client because I absolutely love my clients. They all are amazing women doing amazing things in the world, and I feel so honored to get to work with them and get to really help them on their journey and lift them up and encourage them and offer all of my education, expertise, experience, and wisdom to help make the journey easier for them, really, is what it is. So I'm so excited to get to have them on the podcast and to really get to highlight them, highlight their businesses, and also get to talk about the, their experience in the accelerator. That is my idea for, and my intention around the podcast episode that we're going to be recording today. I'm really excited about that and thinking through the questions and how I want that to flow. And I know it's going to be so fun because Monique is just an amazing joyful, really fun person, great energy. And she's a professional photographer and videographer, and, and she's really great at putting you at ease. I know that it'll be a great environment, but it's a little out of my normal, right? It's out of my comfort zone. So I know that I need to prepare for that, and I need to have my questions prepared. And then when I get there, I just want to be in an energy of let's see, what's the word? It's not informality, but just like friendly and informal, just like the two of us sitting down having a chance to chat and you getting to be there with us and talking the behind the scenes of what it's like to be an entrepreneur and talking about her journey. She's been building, she's been an entrepreneur for a long time, and there's always so much we can learn from women that have been in business for a long time because it's It's not easy. And every year that goes by, it's like we're beating the odds of quitting. I also thought I would share with you my story behind starting my podcast. I've had quite a few friends, clients, colleagues telling me recently that they're going to start a podcast. And they always ask me like, what is it like? And how'd you start your podcast? And why did you start your podcast? And what has come out of it for you? So I think early on in my journey as a coach, podcasts and listening to podcasts were highly impactful for me. It was really the way I started with what opened me up to coaching and to learning about the power of coaching. I think probably the first podcast I listened to regularly was Amy Porterfield's podcast, and then I heard a coach on her podcast that I I began listening to. And it's just one thing leads to another, right? It's like when the student is ready, the teacher appears. So it was podcasts that really helped expose me and opened me up to coaching. And I ended up, I think, from listening to so many different podcasts, I think it was my first two coaches were women that I had originally found and learned about by, uh, listening to podcast interviews that they were on. And I'm so thankful for all of that. And there became a time in my development as a marketer where I thought, maybe I should have a podcast. But I've been the same way about writing a book too. It's like nothing exciting has happened to me enough that I could have a podcast or write a book about it, which is not true. I think we all have a story. Like my client Frankie Rollins, on the episode that we had her on, talked about how we all have a story in us that the world needs to hear and see and read, right? And so I had this idea. I really had a desire to start a podcast because of the profound effect that listening to podcasts has had on me in my life and my business. But I just didn't really think that I had much to say. I didn't really trust my ability to speak well. And I've been a writer my entire life. I started journaling when I was 8 years old and I've been journaling for the last 46 years. And I think I still have all those journals too, which is crazy. But. Writing has always been my mode of communication, my most comfortable mode of communication. And I remember I was, but I'd had this desire to have a podcast just because of the impact that it had on me. And I wanted to be able to offer that to others. And I was in a coaching session with a coach. And talking with her about this. And I don't even remember why or how it was brought up or whatever, but really what came out of that coaching session was that having a podcast was really a call, a next level challenge and call for me to grow and learn to trust my voice. And there's probably a lot of psychoanalysis we could do around that, especially being a woman and being told many times that I'm too much, I'm not enough, all the different messages. But at that point, it was really an invitation for me to overcome those fears about speaking out and speaking my truth and speaking in public. And so podcasting became an opportunity for me to try that out and to really— I saw it first as an exercise in learning to trust my voice and learning to speak and speak my story, speak succinctly, speak meaningfully, and communicate value through my words. And so that was really, for me, the initial intention I guess it's been 3 years that I've had this podcast. So 3 years ago when I started it, that was my initial intention. This is my opportunity to speak what I know, to share my value with my words verbally out loud. And if nobody listens, I'm completely 100% fine with that. It was just overcoming all of that fear and things that come up inside of you when you step out into something that's outside your comfort zone. And so I had to actually think about it like nobody's going to listen to this, because for me that felt comforting. I know for so many they want millions to listen, but I was like, I'm okay if nobody listens and I get to just be bad at this to start out. And so I did it. I launched my podcast. It was crazy. And I remember thinking, all right, so I think I, the advice I got was to record a batch of episodes and then just, and release those all at once. And so I did that. I had, I don't know, I think 4 initial episodes and a trailer or something. I don't remember. And then, but when I was recording all 4 of those episodes, I was like, it's just me here. I wasn't doing video at the time. So it was me in my office with my microphone and It was really fun. I really enjoyed it. And I enjoyed it because I was thinking it's just me in my office, in my, with my microphone, just getting to teach, which I absolutely love teaching. And, and then I released these and people started listening, which I was like shocked. Yeah, I was shocked. And I remember I was like, nobody listens. I'm totally fine. And then my sister and my brother-in-law listened and told me they listened to them. And then I was like, oh my gosh, people are going to listen to these. But that's really how it all started. And it really has been such a beautiful and amazing journey having a podcast. And I decided, if you've been around me at all, I'm all about simplicity. How can we keep it as simple as possible? And that's what I decided I was gonna do with the podcast. I wasn't gonna let worrying about if I had the best technology or the best environment or the best sound acoustics and the best editor and all of that, I wasn't gonna let all of that stop me from getting my voice, trust, learning to trust my voice and getting my words out into the world, getting my value out into the world. And my podcast is not the most professionally produced, fanciest equipment studio. So it's gonna be so fun to be in a studio today and actually have a professional experience. I can't wait for that. And I hope you come along with me because it's gonna be super fun to see. But I want to just challenge you today to think about what is that next level of growth? What is that next level of discomfort that I want to be challenging myself to explore? And today for me, my next level of discomfort is taking this podcast show on the road and recording it on location and my client's studio. And it's gonna be challenging for me to like just be present like I've been able to do when I'm in my own little bubble here. To be present with my thoughts, with my, the questions I want to ask, just be present with Monique as I'm talking with her and present with the questions and present with the intention that I have for the episode. And yeah, I want to just challenge you to think about what is your next level of growth? What are you being called to? What is that whisper or that tap on the shoulder, as my friend Robin always mentions, about that, that next level of stepping outside of your comfort zone into your growth. Because as entrepreneurs, especially, and especially in our marketing, we always wanna be trying new things, experimenting on that bleeding edge of technology, of comfort, of what we think is our capability, because that's how we expand and that's how we grow. And the more we do that, the faster we grow and the more alive we feel. Because for us as entrepreneurs, that is the thrill of creating new things, of solving bigger problems, right? Of going bigger in the world. And it's so exciting and so fun. And so I just encourage you to experiment with that today. But I also wanna mention that I also have some I have some private coaching slots currently open and available. I just signed two new clients, and so I'm so excited to get to serve them, but I have spots open. That means you get an opportunity to have a 60-minute meeting consultation with me, complimentary, and we get to go into your marketing, see what is holding you back from creating the results you wanna be creating with your marketing, and I can really help help you problem solve, get clarity and focus on where you want to be spending your time and your energy, and really simplify your marketing so that it's actually fun. Because marketing is all about the transference of energy and connection. And so if you're not feeling connected or not feeling energetic in your marketing, it's probably not gonna be effective in bringing in the amount of clients and revenue that it needs to be. So if that is something that you would like my eyes on, I would love to help you. This is something I've been doing, helping my clients with for over 20 years now, and I've seen it all, heard it all, experienced it all myself in my own business. I would love to help you out. If you're interested in that, you're always welcome to visit my website, MelissaMyMarketingCoach.com, and there's a book a call button right there on the homepage, or you can DM me on social media. And we can set up a time and I would love to spend some time with you and really dig into your business and your marketing. All right. So that's what I have for you today, my friends. I hope it was helpful. I hope that it really challenges you to think about what's next for you and your growth. All right. I'll see you later. Bye. Hey, if you like this podcast, I wanna invite you to become part of my community. Each Friday, I'm gonna deliver to your inbox my weekly celebration, as well as my thoughts on the latest in business and marketing. I wanna keep you in the know about my upcoming events, free trainings, book clubs, all the fun things, even some free gifts. And of course, I'm gonna let you know about these new podcast episodes. I'll see you there.