Over the two and a half years, we’ve released 99 episodes, which sometimes feels unbelievable. It’s hard to remember a time when we weren’t producing content for So, Here’s the Thing, so I decided that episode 100 would be a great time to take a moment to reflect on what’s changed and how we’ve grown.
In this special celebration episode, I brought back my dear friend and designer, Sarah Erickson of Sarah Ann Design to interview me. Sarah’s joined me for multiple episodes at this point, including an early episode where she interviewed me, so I knew she’d be a perfect fit for this important milestone on the podcast!
Listen in as we reflect on how much has changed in the last two and a half years, from shifts in business to growth in the podcast, Sarah is asking all the questions!
What I Love About Hosting A Podcast
To kick things off, Sarah asked, “As a podcast host, what’s your favorite part of hosting?” To be honest, I couldn’t just narrow it down to one thing—so obviously I had to share all of my favorite parts!
My absolute favorite thing is connecting with So, Here’s the Thing listeners. My audience is the best. I couldn’t ask for a more loyal and kind group of listeners, who truly make this show worth it. The outreach and comments I get from listeners each week makes my day. My favorite piece of feedback on an episode, in both solo and guest interviews, is:
“This is exactly what I needed to hear today.”
My goal with every single episode is to reach and impact the audience, if one person who needs to hear the message in a particular episode, then I’ve done my job and met the goals of this podcast.
In addition to making connections with listeners, I truly love having the opportunity to connect with guests! I get to talk with people who I normally wouldn’t get to have conversations with and I get to hear perspectives I wouldn’t normally be exposed to. As a podcast host in our creative industry, I think it’s important to invite guests on who are experts in topics I’m not familiar with.
What I’ve Learned From Podcasting
While I love celebrating the favorite things that have come from the podcast, Sarah did ask some tough questions too, including, “what’s something you’ve learned that is different than you thought it would be?”
This was a tough question, because it highlights a shift in what I originally created this podcast to be. When I first created this podcast, I wanted to create a place where people could share unpopular opinions about business and life. I’d experienced conversations with peers at conferences and just personal conversations—all highlighting really unpopular opinions that just weren’t know widely in the industry.
So, Here’s the Thing was created to highlight those, but as time passed, I started to realize that those unpopular opinions weren’t all that unpopular. Most listeners would agree with those unpopular opinions. They just weren’t talked about.
How My Business Has Shifted
Two years doesn’t seem like a long time in the grand scheme of things, but in the business space, it allows so much room for growth and pivots. Sarah’s next curiosity encouraged me to share a little bit about how my business has changed, the pivots that I’ve made, and what things look like now versus then.
This biggest shift is that I’ve let photography go in terms of it being the main source of revenue in my business. My focus now is working more primarily with creative educators. At the time that I launched So, Here’s the Thing, I was coaching and mentoring, but I hadn’t quite made the leap into that space. I considered it a side hustle.
This shift has also impacted the podcast’s focus from more general business advice to being tailored to creatives who want to diversify their revenue through education.
Hands down, this has also been one of my favorite parts of the change in my business—I get to see shifts and growth in the businesses of my students.
Overall, I’m thrilled with the shifts that have happened over the last few years and wouldn’t be surprised if change continues in my business, the podcast, and the direction of those who listen here.
Reflection is So Valuable in Business
In taking the time to celebrate the 100th episode of So, Here’s the Thing, I was able to really reflect on my business and the podcast. When you take the time to see the changes that have happened, along with the failures and the growth, it allows you to be more thankful for the business you’ve created.
I encourage you today to take the time to really reflect on what you’ve built, where you came from, and where you want to go. While it might feel like a cheesy concept to take time to reflect, it can be one of the most rewarding things you can do for yourself this week.
In addition, it’ll allow you to dream about the next big thing in your business. For me this looks like revamping The Academy, host an in-person conference for creative educators, continue to produce valuable content for the podcast, and scale the business with more team members! Additionally, I’d love to continue to find balance between work and life, but even more importantly, I’d love to see my husband work alongside me in this business!
These dreams can feel scary, but I have an unpopular opinion for you. If you’re scared to start something or do something new, simply because you think everyone else is doing it and there isn’t room for you, you’re lying to yourself. This is a lie we tell ourselves to keep us in our own comfort zones. Just because everybody else is doing it doesn’t mean that you can’t do it your own way. Your own way might be the way that somebody else needs it to be done, so just get out of your own way.
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