B052: Celebrating One Year on The Simplifiers Podcast!

Today is the day to CELEBRATE as we officially cross over the one year mark for The Simplifiers Podcast!

You know, so many times in life, we are just go, go, go… chasing the next big thing in life. We forget to slow down and celebrate how far we’ve come.

And so, I thought I’d take a moment to reflect on this past year, the lessons I’ve learned in launching this podcast and sprinkle in a few messages from our ‘gospel choir’ of listeners just like you, from around the world.

My top 5 lessons in podcasting

1. Treat it like a business

Even if this was a pet project or a hobby podcast, I’d still recommend putting structure, workflows, teams and deadlines in place to ensure you are consistently releasing the episodes on a standardized schedule.

For us, that’s Tuesday and Friday mornings – we drop two new episodes each and every week, without fail.

As you know, we release a long-form interview episode every Tuesday morning and a short-form ‘thought of the day-style’ bonus episode every Friday morning.

2. Consistency is everything

Why the mornings? Because one thing I know is true… is that you (our listeners) like to pop on our podcast during your morning commute, or during the kid’s school run. Even with little ones in the car, you can rest assured that our content is totally kid-friendly, in case little ears are listening in the background.

And since the majority of our listeners are female, small business owners and freelancers, who set their own schedule (and don’t subscribe to the standard clock-in, clock-out 9 to 5 lifestyle), it’s important that our podcast downloads straight to your phone with military precision.

You can count on us.

If your schedule fluctuates during the day, you can trust that we will be consistently there for you, in that moment where you need a spark of inspiration or a boost of confidence.

3. Be open to where it takes you

One of the most delightful details that I incorporated (right from the get-go) on episode 001: How to (simply) let go of fear and anxiety with Corinne Zupko, is that I ask every single guest to “recommend one person I should interview next on The Simplifiers Podcast, and why.”

This has been such a wonderful experiment as it’s opened up doors to have deep conversations with some of the most incredible people who are (truly) up to amazing things in their little pocket of the world.

For example, Jenny Shih lead me to Bev Barnes who lead me to Abigail Steidley, which sparked me over to Carmen Schreffler and beyond.

In that simple string of connections, we covered everything from simplifying how to build an email list, to finding your soul’s calling, to reconnecting mind-body-spirit and clarifying your brand’s message.

Be open to where the evolution of the podcast takes you. Don’t be too rigid in your idea of what it looks like and what it could be. This can allow inspiration, spark and creativity to take you to bigger, better places than you could ever imagine.

4. Your voice matters

You may or may not know this about me… but I used to be a radio DJ when I lived in Austin, Texas. I DJ’ed at 101x and Mix 94.7, where I played some of my favorite tunes and interviewed bands, musicians and celebrities, way back when in my 20s.

Flash forward to my early 40s, and it’s so nice to tap into these skills once again and apply it to the work I get to do now.

I love meeting new people, interviewing them, hearing their stories and tapping into their brilliance by (simply) being brave enough to ask smart questions. (You know, the questions others are too afraid to ask, for risk of sounding or looking stupid… or just not sure if they should go that deep or not.)

I throw all that fear to the side, and (attempt to) boldly dive right in, with this podcast. By showing up authentically, having a laugh along the way, and learning alongside you guys, I’m finding this work totally lights me up.

As with any new skill you are mastering, repetition is key. The more and more you do something, the easier it is.

So, what I’ve learned is that my voice is just as important as the expert I’m interviewing.

Taking what they say, listening intently, then breaking it down in simple, practical tips… My intent is to ask the questions you’d want to ask, and then share what’s working (or not working) in my work and life, as it relates to their topic.

And because of that… you guys have told me that it’s “like listening in to two girlfriends sharing business secrets over coffee…” and that you like this format. Awesome, I do too! I think it makes for a much, much more interesting episode than just letting the guest take the mic solo the entire 30 minutes and drone on and on, unguided.

So, if you’re thinking of starting a podcast, ask your audience what they want to hear. Be open to that feedback and then give it a go.

Don’t be afraid to interject your voice and your opinions into the mix.

Your insight is just as important as theirs. Test it as an experiment for 30 days and see if that jives with your style of podcasting, as well. That’s where the magic is.

And finally, point five, the most important piece, in my opinion…

5. Get help, surround yourself with a team smarter than you

One thing I can tell you (without a doubt) is that I couldn’t do this podcast without my team.

If all of the aspects of doing the work landed on my shoulders, I’d either need to devote another 30 hours a week to my schedule, or quit sleeping… neither of which I am willing to do.

Invest in your podcast and hire an experienced Podcast Editor and a Podcast Show Notes Producer, at the very least.

And this is coming from someone who’s worked in commercial radio for 12 years previously. I know my way around audio editing, and I also know that I would waste so much precious time fiddling with it to make it perfect, that I would struggle to meet my weekly deadlines and get new episodes out every Tuesday and Friday.

As the host, you’re responsible for prepping before every episode, reading the guest’s books, formulating smart questions and coming to the table prepared so you can ‘pull an Oprah’ and get the most out of them on the mic.

Easier said than done. But in order to deliver world-class content through your podcast, you need to delegate the nitty-gritty, machine work off to trusted, brilliant teammates. People who are experts at their work, so you can focus on the things that light you up.

My Podcast Editor, Suzen Marie, edits quite a few top podcasts out there including Best Forevers, Fataliteas, The Connected Yoga Teacher Podcast and as you can tell by the audio quality on this episode, she’s a SUPERSTAR. Ping me a message on Instagram @thesimplifiers and I’ll be happy to connect you to her. She’s worth every penny.

My Podcast Show Notes Editor is Janine Yardley and she makes it all look so simple! Every episode has detailed show notes where you can click on links to the books, apps and resources mentioned in every episode, making your listening experience that much richer. No small feat!

My next hire is a Podcast Producer, helping me book future guests, managing that aspect of the admin work, pitching me for other podcasts and helping us gain more international press.

Right now, I handle a lot of that work on my own, but as the podcast grows and grows, and I’m out on the road more speaking at conferences and events, I’m already noticing that I will need to delegate this off my plate and fast.

If this position sounds intriguing to you, get in touch. We’re looking for an expert Simplifier here, one who’s got at least 3+ years of experience in this line of work for other podcasts.

If simplifying is your thing and PR is your game, let’s chat.

#Dothething.

3 voicemails from The Simplifiers podcast listeners

“Hey Mary, congratulations on your one year milestone, it’s Safiya. I am leaving this message from Barbados. I love The Simplifiers as was a great podcast. My favorite episode was Gary Chapman and the love languages, which is one of my favorite ideas or concepts. It really transformed my relationships, work relationships, and personal. Keep up the good work, and here’s to another year of simplifying.”

“Hi there Mary, it’s Claire from Work by Design, based in Nottingham. I’ve been listening to your podcast since you launched and I’m a big fan. I’ve had a couple of Aha moments whilst listening to the podcast. There are so many people out there that have expertise, so knowledgeable and so insightful, and being able to go to one place and listen to those people and be inspired is a really valuable use of my time. So, thank you to you and to The Simplifiers team for bringing all of those people together.”

“Hi Mary. It’s Mimi Bishop of Mimi Bishop Enterprises, and I’m calling in from New York. My favorite episode of The Simplifiers Podcasts was when you had one of my personal heroes, Jenny Shih, on. I love the way Jenny brought clarity and simplicity to what it’s like to build a business. I really think this is important for people who are starting their business as a side hustle, because they don’t have that much time, and they need to be sure that they’re able to take the exact steps that they need to take. Congratulations on your first year. Keep up the great work.”

And just one final whisper, just from me to you, dear friend… come in closer.

Okay, so that’s year one, done and dusted and archived in the books… looking forward to many more to come. Thank you for telling your friends about The Simplifiers and thanks again for tuning in.

I can’t wait to reveal what’s in store in season two for you. I promise…

• Bigger name guests simplifying new topics for us,
• A chance for you to be featured on an upcoming episode via voicemail,
• Fun giveaways of our favorite things that help my team and I simplify,
• And so much more

Thanks (from the bottom of my heart) for coming along on this journey with me. And as always friends, keep things simple.

Together, we are unstoppable.

Send me a voicemail to get featured!

What’s one tip that’s helping you simplify your work, or life these days?

Click here to send me a voicemail! We’ve added a fancy little vertical button which says ‘Send Mary a Voicemail’ on the right side of the website.

Here, you can record a voicemail through your phone or your laptop

Leave us a message with:

• your name
• city
• and your one simple tip

Go to thesimplifiers.com and click on the ‘Send Mary a Voicemail’ button!

… and you might be featured on a future episode on The Simplifiers Podcast really soon!

Thank you!

Big thanks to our undercover superheroes at The Simplifiers Podcast that help us create these episodes for you – Suzen Marie, our Podcast Editor. Jeffrey Lynn, our Video Editor. Janine Yardley, our Show Notes Editor. Lyden Yardley, our Director of Brilliance. Manminder Athwal, our Blogger. Our advisory board includes: Aubri Nowowiejski, Chris Justice and George Mills. And I’m your host, Mary Baird-Wilcock. Thank you so much for listening and telling your peeps about us.

Episodes recommended by listeners

Safiya Robinson recommends episode 040: How to Simplify the 5 Love Languages with Dr Gary Chapman.

Mimi Bishop recommends episode 013: How to Build an Email List with Jenny Shih.

Melanie Scott recommends episode 053: How to Handle Adulting with CBD – featuring Liz Carlile.

Victoria Hicks recommends episode 052: How to Raise an Emotionally Healthy Child with Maureen Healy.

Jess Lohman recommends B050: How to Hire Your First VA (Virtual Assistant).