Today, people are loving podcasts. A decade after their inception, Apple’s podcast app alone has surpassed 1 billion subscriptions. The audio-centric format is a productive way to “kill time” or learn on-the-go. After I explored my favorite topics for a year, I took the risk of starting my own podcast.
Authentic stories from well-known leaders was a refreshing way for me to consume information. *Pro tip: Start listening every day on your commute to work. You can increase the playback speed on the app, and consume 30 minutes of content in 15.
I started “All Work All Play” to build my personal brand and to learn first hand from industry experts. As a result, my career path benefitted from the soft skills I gained, and the fears I overcame.
3 reasons starting a podcast can benefit your career:
Practice Patience: Start from scratch, and watch your ideas become reality.
Have you had that urge to start a business or project? Start a podcast. You’ll learn how to network and prospect guests; how to listen and have real conversations with “strangers;” and how to build a community of like-minded people. Along the way, you’ll be completely overwhelmed. Be patient, tackle one challenge at a time and the forward momentum will come.
Get outside of your comfort zone. It’s a beautiful feeling.
I became addicted to the feeling of overcoming fear. Interviewing people is nerve-wracking, and I had yet to make myself so public. With enough practice and repetition, you start to get excited about doing these “scary” tasks. Creating a podcast (or any project) forces you to learn-as-you-go. Keep an open mind with every person you meet, or brand-building challenge you face. This learner mindset is always appreciated and often noticed in the workplace.
Stranger conversations are often the best kind.
Especially when you don’t know the person well, listening is key to building trust. And winning your listener’s trust will help your podcast reach new audiences. After interviewing industry experts for hours, I learned how to be a phenomenal listener and ask the right questions. These skills are invaluable to me in my sales role, and can make all the difference in being confident about your brand, project, or career.
Check out a few of my favorite podcasts:
- Entrepreneur on Fire by John Lee Dumas: You’ll learn each entrepreneur’s greatest failure, success and light bulb moment. Same format, new episode every day.
- The School of Greatness by Lewis Howes: Longer interviews, distinguished guests, deeper conversations.
- WTF with Marc Maron: Funny & serious with celebrity guests running 5+ years strong. I recommend listening to interviews with Robin Williams and Barack Obama.
- All Work All Play with Adam Spunt: Exploring work and life from the point of view of kids in their 20s. I interviewed CEOs, Truck Drivers, Global Travelers and a Male Porn Star.
