5 Lessons Learned from Publishing 100 Podcast Episodes

Yesterday marked a big personal milestone for me and my work as I crossed the 100 podcast episodes mark.

What started as a passion project at a point in my life where I felt stuck, lost, and confused turned into a two-year labor of love with plenty of highs and not so many lows.

As a result, I got the opportunity to interview inspiring guests I looked up to, find the clarity and direction I was looking for, become friends with some of my mentors, and make a difference in the lives of my listeners.

At the same time, there comes a point where we need to have the courage to let go of the good in order to make room for the great. 

“What got you here won’t get you there.”

For me, that time is now.

As I prepare to focus on new challenges and projects, I thought it would be remiss of me to start a new chapter without reflecting on the lessons learned from the act of publishing 100 podcast episodes, rather than the content of those episodes themselves.

After all, self-reflection is the true key to mastery.

So without further ado, and in no particular order, here are the top 5 lessons I learned from putting out 100 podcast episodes.

What I Learned from Publishing 100 Podcast Episodes

1. Put your thoughts out there.

I’ve said this several times throughout the past two years of the show, but find a way that feels easy for you to share your message with others. This could be a blog, podcast, videos, live social broadcasts, or anything else. And, it’s never been easier to do so. You can write on a free Medium account instead of setting up your own blog. You can create videos on your phone without needing a professional YouTube setup. Basically, there are no excuses. By putting yourself out there, not only will you start to notice what interests you, but other people will also see what you’re all about and want to help.

2. Reach out to people you admire.

The online world creates this illusion that people with big platforms are hard to reach, but it’s actually the complete opposite. Most of my guests and interviews came from me reaching out to people I thought would add a lot of value to my listeners. And, I can’t remember many who said no. As a result, those connections have turned into paid work, collaborations, and friendships. Another mini lesson here: If you are going to reach out, make sure you add value before asking for something in return.

3. Show up consistently.

Over the course of the last two years and 100 episodes, I’ve missed exactly ZERO weeks of publishing a new episode. The only breaks I took were for Christmas and New Year’s. Sure, I had to get creative some weeks, but that’s how you roll when you’re doing something that’s important to you. I can’t say enough about being consistent. The bottom line is this: you never know what will happen, when it will happen, or who’s in the audience (okay, maybe that’s three bottom lines). The way you do one thing is the way you do everything.

4. Clarity through action, not the other way around.

The most popular question I heard while running my podcast was how to find your passion. But the truth is, you don’t. You create it. You find something that interests you, work really hard at it, and develop passion as a result. If you’re feeling stuck, you can’t think your way out of it. You need to take some kind of small action, get feedback, and make your next move accordingly. It’s kinda similar to confidence. You don’t act when you are confident. You become confident after taking action long enough to know that you got this. 

5. Just get started.

You didn’t think I’d forget this one, did you? How many times do I need to repeat this? Getting started was hands down the most common advice my guests shared with my listeners. As a personal example, when I started my podcast, I knew exactly 2 of my guests! I’ve now interviewed almost 100. Yet for many people, this would be a reason to stall on publishing episode 1. This is how dreams are destroyed. The solution is not ‘know-how’, it’s ‘no how‘. Take a tiny action, start before you’re ready and get into momentum.

What’s been your biggest lesson you’ve learned in your journey?