Jul 9, 2019
What do 2 friends who start a podcast together learn in their first year? And how might these lessons help you move forward in your leadership?
When we asked in our private Facebook group how we should celebrate our podcast anniversary, the majority of votes were for an episode sharing the lessons we’ve learned in the first year. So today, we’re doing just that!
Some lessons are serious, some are funny, and some will give you a behind-the-scenes look at how this podcast gets created. We hope you enjoy this conversation as much as we did.
12 Lessons From Our First Year of Podcasting:
Lesson 1: Believe God when He tells you who you are
Holly shares the first lesson, which is to believe what God says about you. Believe what He says about you in his word and secondly, learn who He created you to be through your life experiences.
Lesson 2: Take imperfect action
I share examples of how I’ve learned to take imperfect action both by starting the podcast and starting the Confident Leader Club. Usually I want to have a solid plan for how things are going to go, and in both cases, I wasn’t really sure if they would work.
Lesson 3: Follow God where He is working
Holly shares how she has learned to follow God where He is working, specifically in joining me on this podcast adventure.
Lesson 4: Trust your gut
This one feels a little strange to say, but I’ve learned the value of trusting your gut over the past year. I sensed that there was a need for this podcast, and it turns out that this was correct.
Lesson 5: Let go of the outcome
Holly shares the value in letting go of the outcome, especially when you have no idea what you’re doing. She didn’t know much about podcasting when she said yes, so she had to trust God to bring the results.
Lesson 6: Follow the joy
I believe that God gives us ideas and dreams and passions that will actually bring us a lot of joy if we pursue them. This podcast has been one example of that. Getting to do this along with Holly has been a total joy this past year.
Lesson 7: Podcasting is a lot of work
Holly shares that she learned how much podcasting is in the past year. There are 67 tasks on our Trello checklist for each episode. It takes consistency and a lot of hard work behind the scenes.
Grab My free Podcast Workflow Checklist
Lesson 8: People’s stories are powerful
Doing this podcast has confirmed my love for hearing people’s stories. I especially love stories from people who feel very relatable to my own experience. I have enjoyed sharing the experiences of other women leaders who are living “regular” lives but are using their gifts and skills in powerful ways.
Lesson 9: Be careful what you say when you’re recording
Holly shares about how much blackmail I have on her from the podcast recordings we’ve done and the sections we’ve never published. We also talk about how much fun we have, and that we think we are funny, but we want to know if you agree (tell us inside our Facebook group).
Lesson 10: Podcasting will teach you to be a better speaker
Podcasting has taught me how many annoying things I say. When you have to edit your own words every week for almost a year, you become very aware of your crutch words and annoying habits.
Lesson 11: Podcasting will test your friendship
If you’re going to start a podcast with someone, make sure your relationship is strong enough for this experience! You will have to have some difficult conversations and will be working closely together, so it’s sure to test your relationship.
Lesson 12: Holly’s hair is too big for podcasting
We share how Holly’s big hair affects our podcasting efforts.
Conclusion:
We want to say thank you to all of you who have been a part of the first year. We are grateful for your part in this past year, and we are also thankful to God for allowing us to go on this adventure. On the week of our official anniversary, we’ll be sharing about our favorite episodes from the past year, so be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss that conversation.
If you are interested in starting your own podcast, I have a free resource for you from Morningstar Media Services.
Click here to grab the FREE Podcast Launch Resource Guide.
Stay Connected:
Subscribe on your favorite podcast app. Click here to find all the options where you can find the podcast.
Join our Purposeful Leadership Facebook group! In the Facebook group, we can chat about what you need as a leader, what your challenges are, as well as celebrate the wins. This is a great community to learn and grow together. We want to get to know YOU.
Other Ways to Connect with Esther and the Christian Woman Leadership Podcast:
Episode Sponsor: Morningstar Media Services
Morningstar Media Services is the agency that I own and run, and we provide 1:1 podcast launch and management services. I also have a group program, Podcast Propel, for those who want to launch a podcast that will help them connect with and grow their business. Go to morningstarmediaservices.com to learn more.
Key Quotes from the Episode:
“The core of leading with confidence is actually believing what God says about you and resting in the truth of His love for you.” - Esther Littlefield
“When you can control the outcome, you don’t have to trust in God. When you have no idea what you’re doing, you have to trust Him.” - Holly Cain
“We all have something to give, no matter how big or small the stage is. It doesn’t matter if you’re reaching one person or one million people.” - Holly Cain
Connect with Esther and Holly:
This episode was originally published on estherlittlefield.com/episode55.