I’ve always known that I wanted WANT to appeal to all kinds of learners: visual, auditory, and kinesthetic. So far, I’ve gotten the ball rolling on two(ish) of the three – weekly written content and live speaking/events (more to come later this year! Stay in the loop + sign up for those weekly emails if you’re not already).
The audio component was the part I was unclear about. Would I be reading my written pieces out loud? Would I be riffing off a specific topic? Would I need to create a script for each episode, or would I improv the whole shebang? How would this part of WANT manifest?
This past year, I’ve gotten way into podcasts. Having a 2-hour commute every day will do that to you… Once I started listening to podcasts, I was hooked. And the focus shifted from just appealing to auditory learners to giving the WANT community something fun, fierce, informative and inspirational to enhance their day-to-day.
I realized that the WANTcast (just like with WANT, the name came to me right away), I could possibly help someone though a workout, long commute, lazy afternoon, or lonely moment in the day. I could maybe help a person or two move forward in their lives by hearing someone speak directly to them. The podcasts I loved had helped me do exactly that and more.
I had a little sound editing experience under my belt from that one Intro To Sound Design class I took back in college. But the rest was completely foreign. Zero idea how to get my show up and running on iTunes, or what it meant to “tag things correctly,” or how to track listeners and subscribers. No clue about anything but the recording process – and even that was elementary (plug your mic in and go!). As I realized how much I didn’t know, my focus shifted again – this time from wanting to put up a “successful” podcast to wanting to put one up that met my own standards. The kind of thing I would want to listen to.
I realized there weren’t a ton of pods about all-inclusive wellness (yes, I consider self talk, self care, and self actualization “wellness”), and even less spearheaded by women.
I realized that many of the podcasts out there didn’t have perfect sound quality or seamless editing. Popular pods. Pods people were listening to. I realized that if I created this from my heart, and it came from a place of service, that listeners would (hopefully) be forgiving as I figure things out along the way.
In a nutshell, the WANTcast: The Women Against Negative Talk Podcast is a show about moving forward fearlessly and spreading the (good) word. Each episode, you’ll hear interviews, stories, and inspiration to help you live the life you’re meant to lead by shifting around your negative talk patters. Discussions will range in topic – body image, self worth, relationships, career, community, and all kinds of pragmatic positivity.
Here’s how it’s about to go down, at least for now: A new episode of the WANTcast will run every three weeks, on the Tuesday of that week. I’ll give you the low-down on the episode here on the site, then you can listen either right in the post, on iTunes, and soon, on Stitcher. Many times, the pod episode will have a written component as well – a WANT Woman spotlight (like you’ve seen before), a reflection on a topic discussed, recipes, resources, shopping guides, etc – which will (as of now) run either the same day or on the following Thursday.
To be honest with you, I’m not sure how this will all play out or how the WANTcast will morph the “structure” of WANT I’ve had in my head up ’til now. I don’t really know how this will evolve, which is part of what both excites and scares the crap out of me.
I wonder how I’ll have content to share each month, and worry if people will leave nasty reviews on iTunes. I stress about if my editing will be good enough, if my sound will be clear enough, and if my voice will be listen-able enough. I wonder if a podcast and a post is necessary. I wonder if it’s too much, I wonder if just a pod is too little. I worry about worrying myself into a corner.
But you know what? I’m learning to let go. Because the more time goes on, the more I realize that this is way beyond just me and the silly ideas I have in my head about how things “should” be.
I knew when I launched WANT that I had done as much as I could behind the scenes, and the only way it would grow and evolve was if I let its audience grow and evolve it.
It’s the same this time around. I know starting a podcast might seem small to some people, but it’s kind of big to me. I’ll gladly cop to the fact that I have no clue what I’m doing. But it’s an adventure. The small adventures are what get me the most jazzed about life, anyway.
I’m nervous, I’m excited, I’m open to the adventure of it. However big or small it may be.
On with the show!
0 Comments