Five things I’ve gained from starting a podcast + 10k downloads!
I know I’ve been a little bit (OK a lot) slack with my blog recently – I haven’t posted in going on five months!
My excuse is not time. I’ve had plenty of it (and as I’m currently still in Melbourne’s stage 4 lockdown… I still do!). But really, I’ve been focusing all my energies on The Secret Life of a Bikini Competitor (SLBC) podcast and the remaining energy I’ve been spending away from my screen to be honest. These are pretty stressful times so whereas the old me would cram as much as humanly possible into every single day, the pandemic me is trying to find that balance.
So, I’m breaking my writing drought to celebrate a small win! This week, my humble little podcast hit 25 episodes and 10,000 downloads!
10k downloads might not seem a lot to many of the established podcasts out there, but SLBC has surpassed all my wildest dreams. To have SLBC featuring in the Apple Podcasts chart each week is honestly just unbelievable for something I do in my bedroom, usually in my pyjamas!
THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart to every single person who has tuned in to my podcast over the last five months as well as to each and every one of my beautiful and inspiring guests who took the time out of their days to speak to me. I am eternally grateful you chose to share your story with me and my listeners.
What started out as just a podcast has evolved into a growing community and I could not have asked for a better outcome!
I’ll save the full awards speech for when we hit 100k downloads but for now, here’s five things I’ve gained since starting the podcast!
✨New friends!
Every single one of my guests has been amazing and I really try to make a conscious effort to stay in touch with as many as possible. Nine times out of ten, I’ve been invested in their journey long before they come on the show and love to continue to do so after we’ve made some magic together. What’s even more amazing is I’m SO lucky and grateful that a handful have now also become my dear friends! I can’t wait for all the comps to start up again so I can meet some in person and continue to grow this community.
✨New perspectives!
Speaking to different incredible women each week has opened my eye to a lot of new conversations, new perspectives and new learning opportunities. While we all share the love of this sport in common, it’s our experiences and differences that make us all unique. I learn something from every single one of my guests and their beautiful minds.
✨Confidence!
My self-belief has gone through the roof since starting SLBC. Every week I push myself out of my comfort zone and impact this has had on my confidence in my ability is incredible. When I started out, I was so nervous and afraid – ‘why would anyone want to talk to me? I’m a nobody in the industry with no credentials’ is what I told myself. I Still get twinges of imposter syndrome but now, with the podcast sitting at 25 episodes and no way in hell I’m slowing down, knowing that the only thing getting in my way was my self-doubt has been so empowering. This has had an enormous flow on effect to my confidence in all areas of my life too, from work, relationships, friendships and just how I go about my day to day life!
✨A new skill!
I can pretty much chat to anyone about anything. It’s always been something I’ve been relatively proud of and I thought that I’d be able to get by on this natural ability, but boy was I wrong. Interview is a SKILL and I SUCKED at first. I’m definitely still learning and refining this skill – but each episode I learn something new and feel myself get a little bit better. I also now study my craft in others – listening to TV, radio and podcast interviews and take tips on their style. One of my favourites to learn from is actually Graham Norton weirdly ha!
✨An opportunity to be better every single day!
Committing to weekly episodes was daunting at first. I nearly went fortnightly, and a few people suggested even monthly and scale up from there. I’m so glad that I pushed on with a weekly cadence and this has been a great way to keep myself accountable. I don’t have an option of not showing up every single week now. Some weeks are harder than others. It’s been a bit like bodybuilding – you’re not always motivated to get the job done, but consistency and discipline wins out always. And each episode allows me to push myself and be a better person every single time.
1 million downloads… I’m coming for you!
Love you all so much!
R x
#SLBC