December 24, 2024 • 55 mins
In closing out the podcast, Sarah hands over the microphone to her husband, Coleman, to guide her in conversation about ending the podcast. Sarah talks about the last four years of podcasting and what she hopes for in 2025.
Connect with Sarah: https://www.instagram.com/slportal7/
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Contact Sarah, email: introducingmepodcast@gmail.com
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Artwork: instagram.com/vashaundesigns
Music/Editing: youtube.com/colemanrowlett
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:15):
- Hello and welcome to Introducing Me.
I'm your host Sarah. Istarted this podcast to get
to know other people and lifestyles
while discovering more about myself.
If you listen to my lastepisode, you'll know
that today is the lastepisode of the podcast.
Since today, I'll be in the role of guest.
I'd like to hand it overto my husband, Coleman.
- Thanks Sarah. It's been acouple years since you had me
host on your podcast,
(00:36):
and I'm happy to be herefor your final episode.
Uh, why don't we start
with you sharing more about why
you've decided to end your podcast?
- Yeah, so I briefly mentionedit in my last episode, um,
when I was introducing my guest Julia.
Um, 'cause she was thefirst guest that I had
that I repeated, um,her on a second episode.
(00:57):
'cause I decided to dothat for my final episode.
And I just kind of vaguelysaid that, you know, I
wanted 2025 to look different.
Um, you know, each year I'vedone these year reviews as, uh,
the podcast anniversary hascome together and you've sat
and done some of them with me.
But the last couple, Ithink you haven't done
with me purely just for likea time finding, time to record
(01:21):
and get and getting them to come out.
It just kind of like worked out that way.
So I felt like it made senseto have you here today.
Um, and so, you know, when Idid that episode in September,
it was before we had gotten married
and I was like, yeah, everyone says like,
you get married and things change.
But like we've been livingtogether for a number of years
and um, you know, we wentand changed our names
(01:42):
and we've done all that legal mumbo jumbo
and there's still some to do, but
otherwise it's kind of likethings are similar things,
you know, somewhat havechanged and whatnot.
But I started kind ofthinking towards 2025.
Sometimes they say when youtypically in a heterosexual
relationship, when thewife plans the wedding, um,
(02:03):
then she has nothing to do after that.
Like she doesn't have her next big thing.
Um, and I, you know, wehad a long engagement, so
I was a little bit concerned about that.
Like what would it look like afterwards?
And I'm sure in my episode in September,
I know I talked about how like
after the wedding didn't really exist
'cause it was kind of like everything
was leading up to the wedding.
(02:24):
You know, we were going toa wedding five weeks later
and then we were going outof town to see a concert.
Um, and that was kind oflike all we had planned
besides for the upcoming holidays.
Um, not really knowing what sort
of things we wanna do in 2025 as we kind
of navigate various things.
And so when I started somewhatthinking about that more
(02:46):
and figuring out like, howdo I want to, you know, kind
of like look at theyear, what are the goals
that I want to accomplish?
What are things thatmaybe I haven't been doing
that I wanna be doing?
And how, how do all ofthose things come together?
Um, I just kind ofrealized that timing wise,
like I've always known from even
(03:07):
before starting the podcastthat pod the podcast,
running a podcast likeby myself, not having it
through any company or anythingwould be a lot of work.
And it has been. Um,
and I've acknowledged that, you know,
that's why in the past, you know, year
or so, I haven't released every week.
Like that's a lot.
A lot of podcasts do seasons,
but I knew that longerbreaks would lead me
(03:30):
to not go back to the microphone.
Um, and I just, I didn't wanna do that
where it's like thepodcast just ended, um,
because I know that thathappens to some podcasts too.
And so instead I kind of, you know,
changed my release scheduleand it was working.
Um, and you know,
it is not like the podcastwas any more work in the last
(03:50):
little bit than it was previously,
but I realized that a lot
of my time, like I have afull-time job, um, you know,
so I'm gone, you know, 40,45 hours a week for that.
Um, and if you have a busy weekend,
then it's like there's notmuch other time in the week.
(04:11):
Um, and we, you know, weplay in a community band, so
that's a one once a week commitment.
You know, like my Monday nights are gone.
Um, so that leaves me withTuesday through Friday.
And I would find myself once, twice,
maybe three times a week in the
evenings working towards the podcast.
And those other nights, you know,
occasionally I'd bedoing other things, but
otherwise there was a lot
(04:31):
of like doom scrolling on the internet
or just feeling like Iwasn't getting things done
because I just like wanted to relax.
And which led to the doomscrolling on the internet.
Because while I have thingsthat I like to do to relax
that I feel like good about
or might like feel productive,even though it's relaxing,
(04:51):
like I would end up not doing that.
Um, especially when like work, um,
was becoming more stressful.
'cause it was kind of like I would want
to just like come home andlike not think about anything.
Um, and so like, I really like to read
and that has kind of been pushed
to the side a lot more lately.
Um, not in the past month
(05:12):
because I'm trying to hit mygoal of 50 books in the year,
but like, I just wasn't, Iwasn't getting into books
and, you know, I just, I was finding that
I wasn't doing these things that I enjoyed
because I was just like, I need a break.
And I just, I just keptwanting a break from things
and didn't know like what thatreally meant and looked like.
(05:36):
And so when I started thinkingabout 2025, I was like,
what do I want my weeks to look like?
Um, we did a pretty good job, more
so in the beginning of the year.
Um, not so much as we kindof like hit the summer
and the wedding was like upon us,
but like where we were going on dates
and doing fun things that likewe don't normally do.
(05:58):
Um, like we go to out todinner every once in a while.
Um, and that's alwayslike fun and really nice,
but is like doing other things
and you know, getting outof like the normal routine.
And that can kind of bedifficult with the podcast.
Um, you know, I found myselftrying to like block all
of my weekends because Ididn't wanna be working on the
(06:18):
podcast, but I needed tobe working on the podcast.
Um, and so I just kind of really sat down
and was like, I want my calendar
to be less busy in 2025.
Um, as we were gettingready for the wedding,
um, I wasn't like wedding 24/7.
(06:38):
Um, there were a lot oflittle things here and there.
Um, but one of thethings I did for everyone
who was in my wedding party,I, um, made them something out
of blackwork embroidery.
And that was like reallygreat to have this thing
that I was doing and creating.
I was actually doing a lotof it while I was podcasting.
Um, I listened back toall of the episodes after,
(06:59):
after they recorded, andI could be working on
that while I was, um, doing, doing that.
And so like, once thatwe got to the wedding,
granted I had not finished mymaid of honors piece of work.
Um, and, but
after the wedding I like kindof like stopped doing that
because it was like the deadline passed.
Um, at this point Ihave finished hers, um,
(07:21):
and I will be seeing herat the end of the year
and giving it to her then.
And she did see it half done,um, at the rehearsal dinner,
which was, which was great.
Um, but so it's like thingslike that, like I want
to be able to do those thingswithout feeling like, oh,
I, I only can squeeze it in here.
Um, and I want to be able to read, um,
(07:44):
more consistently.
Like I read over mylunch breaks most days.
Um, but I don't always, like, if,
if work is like super stressful, I'm like,
I don't even find myself doing that.
Um, and like these pastcouple weeks where like a lot
of my evenings have been readinghas just been like really
great and enjoyable.
Um, and there are variousvideo games that, you know,
(08:04):
we've played and stuff that it's like,
I wanna be able to do that too.
And um, you know, I don'tknow how much we're going
to travel in 2025, um,
but still having the option even
to just like do things locally.
So the primary reason, um,that I am ending my podcast is
to like gain that timeback, um, into my life.
(08:25):
It is not, you know, related to wanting
to like stop talking to people.
'cause that's like whenI, I made the decision,
or at least I started thinkingabout the decision for,
I don't know if it wasweeks, but at least days
before I even vocalized it, um,to you Coleman, like it was,
(08:46):
I didn't want to vocalize it
because I felt like, oh, if I vocalize
that I'm ending this podcast,like there was part of me
that felt like it was a bit of a failure.
But I'm also like, it's been four years.
Um, I have released over 200 episodes.
Um, and that's been reallyawesome to see that time.
Um, and like a lot hashappened in four years.
(09:06):
Um, and so like I finallyvocalized it to Coleman
and then even before, like
after that I still wasn'treally vocalizing it.
Like I was occasionallythrowing it out here
or there depending onlike who I was talking
to about like certain things.
But it was like hard to really commit to.
Um, and the reality is, ishaving the last like month
(09:28):
of guests was quite the puzzle piece.
Um, because one of the morefrustrating sides of podcasting
is people who don't show upto their recording time slot
or people who have tolike cancel or reschedule.
Now I completely understand like medical
emergencies they happen.
Um, but when I was in this,like I have, you know,
(09:52):
six weeks between now
and needing to record the final episodes
and I need so many guests
and trying not to have too many guests,
but having enough guests
and making sure all thetiming would work was,
was definitely a little bit complicated.
Um, and then even justfinding time to sit down
and record this episode.
Um, so all that to say thatI am looking forward to
(10:17):
not having that structurein 2025, um, along
with some other changesthat I'm making in 2025.
Um, but I've enjoyed,you know, talking to all
of these guests, learningdifferent stories and,
and being able to put,um, all of this out here.
It has been quite thecreative journey to go on
and I'm really proud of,you know, it going on
(10:39):
for over four years.
- Great. First I want to say that
Banish any thought thatyou ending the podcast
is a failure in any way, shape, or form.
Okay. Um, the way I like tolook at things like this, um,
(11:00):
now I'm a composer andI'm a saxophonist, right?
And as a musician, youknow, oftentimes we deal
with like imposter syndrome issues
and things like that, right?
Um, and one of thethings that I cling to
is just remembering that likein the world there's only
a percentage of apercentage point of people
(11:22):
that do what I do.
Right? And that's the same
with you when it comesto this podcast, right?
Um, you not only started apodcast, uh, uh, during one
of the hardest times I believe
that our generation has faced,you know, covid and whatnot.
Um, and you managed to keepit going for, for four years,
(11:45):
200 guests, um, in my book.That's pretty incredible.
- Yeah, no, I mean, I, it's,it's this weird thing of like,
while there is that likelittle nagging of like, oh,
it's ending that's quoteproblematic or a failure
or whatever, like I doknow that it's not, um,
(12:06):
and I always knew like, I don't know,
maybe like 18 months intoit or something that like,
whenever I want to stop this,it's going to be difficult.
So I think there was alsothis bit of like, that knowing
that ending it was going to be difficult
because I didn't want it to just stop.
I didn't want it to just be like, oh,
like episode stop releasing.
(12:26):
I wonder what happened. Um,
and so it's just kind of likegetting to that final moment
and like having it be here.
Um, so yeah, which is whyI'm, I'm proud of all,
all the work that I've done.
It's just, it's weird, youknow, knowing, um, that once all
of the technical behind thescenes, the 10 step process
or whatever it is to gofrom recording to publishing
(12:47):
of this episode, likethen it won't be, um,
you know, it, it won't be continuing.
It is funny because,um, on my work calendar,
I have on Tuesdays thereoccurring tasks to make sure,
like I've, I've got everythingposted on social media
and stuff just because like
that's the easiest placeto like check it off.
(13:09):
And when I was cleaningup my tasks on my calendar
before I left for my winterbreak, um, I like had
to click on that and say like, delete this
and all future ones
because I was like, I don't, Idon't need this task anymore.
Um, so that was definitely interesting
'cause I've also, like inthe past number of months
(13:30):
and like cyclically, I, I change
how I organize thingsevery once in a while.
Um, so it's like thatthe work organization is
as pretty steady, um,
even though I do things differently there
as well at sometimes, but thatwas just like an interesting,
like, okay, this isn'tgonna be on my calendar.
But also at the same time,like when things disappear,
(13:51):
I know that like sometimesyou don't like realize it,
um, that it's gone.
Like if you were to like fix something
or clean something up,
like I might not realize it's been done
because it was the lack of it being done
that was noticeable.
So it's like this weirdthing that like when I get
(14:11):
to Tuesdays at work in January,
like I might not even realizethat that task is gone,
but I will also still beaware like, oh, I'm no longer
producing recording and,and doing a podcast.
- Well, going off that a little bit, um,
how do you feel about, uh, youknow, one, one of the things
(14:34):
about the podcast sinceyou are inviting guests on
and whatnot, is that yourschedule has always had blocks
of time that are made availablefor guests to sign up for.
And so you might, you know,be trying to figure out
what you're gonna do for a week or two
and then all of a sudden the time slot
that you were gonna dosomething else has been
taken up by a guest.
(14:54):
Um, are you looking forwardto getting that time back
and not having to worryabout those kinds of things?
Or how do you feel about that?
- Yeah, I mean, that'sbeen an interesting,
interesting thing through all of those.
Um, I, I don't remember when it was,
but it was pretty early on in podcasting
that I started using the website Calendly.
(15:16):
Um, which is a, if you use thelevel, I use a free website
to, uh, schedule things.
And because I was not going to pay for it,
I could only link one calendar to it
and I didn't like want to
have all of the podcast stuffon my personal calendar.
(15:38):
So my podcast also had a calendar
and I believe I did a really good job.
And only once didsomebody schedule with me.
And then I went to like,go and update some things
and I realized, oh, um, Ihave a concert that afternoon.
Like, I cannot record with youthis day. I'm shocked.
I think that was the only timeI do remember that happening.
(15:59):
Um, but I think otherwiseI was relatively good.
But balancing all of thatwas definitely a little
bit of a nightmare.
Um, and I don't rememberwhen it was as well either
because again, like these four years have
really ebbed and flowed.
Um, at one point I startedblocking Friday evenings
because I realized that whenguests would sign up with me
(16:21):
to record for Friday at 7:00 PM I just,
I always was like, it's my weekend.
I don't wanna start my weekend this way.
Which then made things more complicated.
'cause like I said, Mondaynights were band nights
and Tuesday nights, I prettymuch always had blocked
to like listen to podcastepisodes like the last one I
recorded to then like listen for editing.
(16:43):
Um, so that was leaving Wednesday
and Thursdays for recording.
And then technically I would,if I had the time available,
it was Saturday afternoonsand all day Sunday,
and I would only recordtypically with one person a day.
And I typically wasn't doing back to back.
Like I was learning thesethings as I was going that
(17:03):
some things like doingsay like three nights
of recording in a row was just too much.
Um, and so I do, I am looking forward
to not having such a rigid schedule.
Um, with that and getting,getting those nights back.
I, um, accepted a position, uh,
(17:27):
with our band to be theboard's president next year.
And I remember when, um, one
of the current boardmembers told me like, oh,
we already have our meetingin January scheduled, it's,
and she was like, it's a Wednesday.
And it was like one of these two days.
And at the time it was like, I don't,
(17:47):
because at that time I knew
I wasn't continuing with the podcast.
It was like, oh, justlike, tell me the date
whenever, like it's closer to,
because I'm not going to have anything.
Like, it doesn't matter.
Whereas like in the past number
of years it would've beenlike, no, I need that date now
because I need to block it,otherwise I'm like, or I'd go in
and block both days
until I found out whichone was the correct day.
(18:09):
And so it's like nothaving to do all of that.
Um, we recently, I say we,
because we live in the same house,
but I recently got a secondwhiteboard calendar, um, so
that I can have a whiteboardcalendar for the current month
and the next month.
And that has been such a game changer.
(18:31):
And because it wasalways kind of difficult,
like when you get to the endof the month, like you're,
at least I am, I'm startingto think about the next month
and like I don't have that full visible
like what the month looks like.
Um, and looking at Januaryit's a lot more empty.
Um, and even some of thesepast months have been
like a little bit empty here and there,
(18:52):
and it's just like really nice to know.
I don't know if I will in January,
but in theory I couldhave a work week where
Monday night we do band
and then Tuesday throughFriday I have nothing else.
And I don't know really when the last time
that happened, like if it did happen,
(19:14):
I was probably stressing about the fact
that I like didn't have a recording.
Um, or like the reality is I
just had something else going on.
Um, so I, so I'm really looking forward
to like the option of that happening.
Or even if I do have somethingin an evening like this board
meeting, it's probably theonly thing I'm gonna have
that week that's not rehearsal.
(19:34):
Um, so I'm, I am verymuch looking forward to
seeing more empty days on my calendar, um,
which will allow for more opportunity.
- Yeah. Another thing relatedto scheduling, uh, that, uh,
you didn't mention is sometimeswhen you would get some
of those things blocked offand they would, you know,
(19:55):
keep you from doing otherthings that you needed to do
and whatnot, sometimesthe guests, you know,
we're human sometimes, youknow, dealing with time zones
and all that kind of stuff.
Sometimes things got messed up
and the recordings didn't happen.
So I was just wondering whatyour thoughts are, you know,
your reflections on, on that happening
and um, you know, are youlooking forward to not having
(20:18):
to deal with that, I guess going forward?
- Yeah. Yeah. I mean I,
I mentioned a little bit aboutthe occasional cancellation
or no-show and I, I am happy to not have
to deal with that going forward.
Um, because like in a workdaywhen you're in a business
with everyone, like that rarely happens.
(20:40):
But this is people's personallives, personal calendars, um,
because sometimes it's like Iwould reach out to the person,
they'd be like, oh my gosh, I'm so sorry.
Like, just gimme a few minutes.
Or sometimes like, theyjust would never respond.
Um, I had a couple peoplewho would reschedule
multiple times and like,that was really hard
(21:02):
because it's like, well, are you going
to show up the next time?
And like, if you were scheduled
with me like far enough in advance,
like I didn't really care.
But there were times, um,
and this like one of the hopes in
when I switched the schedulingwas for this to be less,
but there was sometimeswhere like I was recording an
episode within seven daysof it being released.
(21:25):
And so if somebodydidn't show up that was,
you know, very difficult.
Um, so I'd either have tolike, try to find somebody else
or hope that the nextperson didn't cancel.
Um, so I'm, I'm definitelylooking forward to, uh,
not having to deal with scheduling, um,
(21:47):
and not, because like I,
I did get better responsesonce I started sending the
reminders, um,
but that doesn't necessarily mean
that everyone like saw thereminders or like double checked
and, um, yeah.
So it's definitely lookingforward to that.
- And just going back to the whole, having
(22:08):
had 200 some episodes,
and I can't remember a hundred percent,
but I don't think you ever missed a, uh,
an a scheduled release.
So there, there were times
where I think we were turningepisodes around in 24 hours,
but, uh, yeah, I thinkthat's pretty awesome. So.
(22:28):
- Yeah, I mean, you are correct.
I did never miss a release.
I think maybe once
I did a recording on a Monday
that was released on a Tuesday, there were
probably less than five whereit was a recording on a Sunday
to release on Tuesday.
(22:49):
Um, and here we are today on the Saturday
before this episode is getting released,
but this will be one of thesignificantly easier ones
to edit, um, and turn around.
And that was kind ofmore of a, I was like,
we will both be in a betterhead space if we do this on
Saturday afternoon then
after we both have aneight hour work day .
(23:10):
So I, I'm not too worried about that.
But yeah, I, I think, youknow, that was kind of one
of the things, like I wasputting that pressure on myself.
The, I always wanna releaseon the day I'm supposed
to release, and that is probablya little bit unrealistic,
um, when it is fully in house.
(23:31):
And, um, I obviously haveyour support in, in all
of the editing, but past that, it's like,
it's just the two of us.
Um, when I would start myepisodes with people, like
before we would hit record,we would usually chat
and whatnot or chat afterwards
and, you know, I'd,
I'd occasionally get variousquestions about doing the
(23:52):
episodes and stuff
and I would, you know,tell them that like, I,
I have a full-time job, likethis is something on the side.
Like I can't be puttingso many hours into it.
And like in theory I could,there are plenty of people who,
um, whether it's podcasting
or more so like social mediawhere they do it on the side
(24:14):
and eventually it becomesbasically a full-time job whether
or not they also have a full-time job
and then it might bebecome a full-time job.
But I was never planningto get to that point.
Um, I have the security of a, you know,
salaried job with benefits
and, um, that that's notsomething that, like,
(24:36):
I foresee myself giving up just in the
complicated nature when it comesto like insurance and taxes
and all of those things in the states.
Um, I was never looking to dosomething like this full time,
but it has been a really good four years
of doing it while doing everything else. .
(24:58):
- I think one of the nicethings about not doing it
for financial reasons isthat you got to do, you got
to run it the way thatyou wanted to, to do it.
You know, you didn'thave to make concessions
or compromises in any wayjust to like chase money.
So I think it's really coolfrom my perspective to see
how authentic all the episodes are
(25:20):
and you know, you not havingto cheapen yourself down to,
to make yourself appealingto the masses or whatever.
- Yeah, I, well, I wouldn't say
that like I loved everysingle episode I released,
but there was never an episode
that I recorded and didn't release.
I do know that somepodcast hosts will do that,
(25:41):
like if they truly tank,
but I, I always releasedepisodes that I recorded, um,
which at times was like hard
because, you know, likewith a job interview,
which I'm sure more peopleare familiar with, like,
you put your best self forward.
Um, so
because this was not afull-time thing, you know, I
(26:04):
didn't have the time to be like, okay,
I'm gonna do a full deepdive into every single person
before I record with them to know, like,
how do they typically talk?
What is their full story?
Like, I was typically goingoff of a short bio, um,
and taking people out their word.
Now, people who I recordedwith like my last guest, Julia, who
(26:28):
I found via social media,I knew a lot more then
because I was seeing them on social media
and that was why theyended up in on my podcast.
Um, so it definitely waslike I was, I, you know,
would have the occasional person, um,
I mean there were a number ofpeople that would reach out
(26:48):
to be on the podcast, um, andI had the ability to say no.
Like I didn't have to, youknow, take every person
who, who showed up.
Um, so I'm, I'm glad thatI had that flexibility.
Um, but yeah, I, I was ableto kind of keep doing it
how I wanted to do it.
Um, and definitely morerecently I didn't actually like
(27:09):
fully look at the statistics,
but more of my episodes inthe last while have been right
around that 45 minute mark.
And I think some of thathad a bit to do with the
authenticity of the guestsand the how many questions
or maybe like, how tired wasI when we were recording?
Like, I, I always feel likeI did a really solid job
(27:30):
of asking questions andcontinuing the conversation,
but sometimes it's just like,
that's, you know, this is good.
We're, we're good at this time.
Um, I'm not gonna like forceit to be 50, 55 minutes.
Um, 'cause, and one of the things
with podcasting when I startedwas like, I want the episodes
to be around the same length,you know, within, you know,
(27:51):
say like a 10 minute window,five under five over.
But I was like, I'm not going to force
that to happen though.
I would say overall, uh, I averaged out
to where I wanted to be.
- Yeah. Now that you'vehad nearly 200
guests on your podcast,uh, what are some highlights
or takeaways, um, thatyou'd like to talk about?
(28:12):
- Yeah, so I feel likethere was so much, um,
you know, talking tonearly 200 people, um,
really, really is a lot.
I did, like, if I hadreleased a few more episodes,
I would've hit 200 since Ihad just over 200 guests.
But I, you know, I was the guest sometimes
(28:32):
and I had the few highlight episodes, um,
and obviously Julia washere twice, so 200 ish.
Um, but I, it, I think some
of the most interesting episodes were
when people really talkedabout like their growth.
Um, my most popular episode, far
(28:56):
and away was an early episode in
my first year, um, with Kelly Krout,
who at the time was running, I believe
for governor of Arkansas.
And so like, that's the reason
it was the most popular episode.
She put it on her campaign website and
therefore let let themedia take it, you know?
(29:16):
Um, but I also like
her being the underdog, her sharing about,
you know, her friend's expectations of her
and like questioning like how,how could you be a democrat?
Um, I think like that,
I think seeing growth inpeople was always really great.
(29:39):
And I think like I've, youknow, had growth in myself, um,
when I think about varioustopics, you know, when people,
I wasn't ever really someonewho would constantly be like,
oh, I have a podcast,you should listen to it.
Um, I like, it was always just kind
of part of me and it existed.
Um, but when people would ask me about it
(30:01):
and I would talk about it,like I'd talk about how I talk
to all these different people, like, yes,
sometimes it is very diversityor inclusive related.
Sometimes it's more about jobs.
Um, where has your career taken you
or sometimes it's about travel.
I always loved the travel ones just
because, you know, nobodycan go see everything.
(30:23):
You can't experience everysingle culture in the world.
Um, we have yet to renew ourpassports since they expired
and we changed our names, wewill, um, you know, we'll,
we'll get there and, and beable to, to do those things.
But I think for me, um,
and I think maybe there'seven some of that with,
in ending this podcast thatin these past four years along
(30:45):
with releasing the podcastand the state of Covid
and the state of the world,like mental health has
become much more of aforefront in conversation, um,
that I think like that's soimportant as well, um, along
with like mental health
and identity that I think
there's some of that there as well.
And you know, me wantingto be able to have the time
(31:07):
to relax, be able to, youknow, be who I want to be.
And it's not like I know that like with
media and stuff like that, like you find
that people are likecompletely two-faced, um,
or they're not, but you know,sometimes you hear that, oh,
(31:28):
this person, this famous person,all of a sudden like, yeah,
they're actually an awfulperson behind doors.
Or like, oh, they'reactually like really great.
I wasn't like switching a personawhen I sat down to record,
but in the days where Imay not have felt great
or may have been reallytired, like I still had
to sit down and do it.
(31:48):
Um, and then when itwas done, it was like,
okay, I can breathe again.
Um, so like not havingto kind of be on for
that, um, especially when like, you know,
it wasn't something that was
working towards a financial goal.
Like I think it's reallyimportant to be able
to be authentic, um, aslong as like it's safe
(32:13):
and viable, like in all aspects of life.
And I know that that can be
definitely challenging atwork depending on, you know,
the situation, but Ithink, you know, it's being
who you want to be.
Um, and so I I am grateful
that I am able to do that at work.
(32:34):
Um, and I don't have to, you know,
be getting into dress shoes
and dress pants every single day.
Like, I can be comfortable
and, you know, I can, I canbe real with my colleagues.
Um, so yeah, I just talkingto nearly 200 people,
hearing all their differentstories, um, I'm grateful to
(32:55):
have learned about like,different paths of life.
Um, the number of peopleI spoke to about different
disabilities or illnesses
and just walks of life that like,
unless you know, someone,
like those ones I feel like are harder to
(33:15):
just kind of run across.
Um, you know, I, there have been various
health things, whetherin my immediate family
or extended family and stuff,but it's like past those.
Like I, I don't have theexperience or knowledge
and these other things, you know,
I see some of it on social media.
Um, and so I think that waslike this really good thing
(33:37):
for me to get the chance to dive into
and hear more about, um, because
otherwise, you know, I just wouldn't have,
I wouldn't have had that knowledge.
So I'm, I'm grateful to havegained that knowledge, um,
and heard about different things.
You know, I think the firsttime I spoke to somebody who,
um, you know, was like related to, um,
(34:01):
I believe like thewhole, like Miss America
and Miss USA universes, like
I didn't really knowmuch anything about that.
And I talked to a coupleof different people who
did various competitions like that.
Um, and it was just likeinteresting to see, um, you know,
you might not, you mightimmediately think one thing
(34:23):
and then like you actually talk
to the person and it'ssomething different.
So I think that was also justreally exciting to be able to,
to hear that and,
and just learn about allthese different stories.
So I'm grateful to have had the chance to,
to talk to so many people.
- Yeah. Um, you mentioned growth, like
how you enjoy watching the, the the growth
(34:44):
and the stories that they tell.
Um, and I was justwondering, you know, knowing
that at the start of the podcastyou had a, a set of goals
and whatnot that you wantedto attain via the podcast,
and I was just curiousif you felt like, um,
during the course of the lastfour years, you've been able
(35:05):
to attain those goals, um,
and found the growth within yourself, um,
that you were looking for?
- Definitely, for sure.
I don't think I necessarilyever physically wrote down
what goals I was really aiming to achieve.
I do know that, like whenI started the podcast
and I was working at my lasthigher ed job, this came out
of a DEI initiative
(35:27):
and that I wanted to
move myself into a more inclusivemindset while I already,
you know, was where I was,like, I knew I could do more
and I was just strugglingto find ways to do that, and
therefore I was like, whatif I just talk to people?
Um, I feel like I've definitely,definitely grown there.
(35:50):
Um, even just in some of theways I think about certain
things or the verbiagethat I use, like I try
to respect lifestylesthat aren't my own, um,
and, and have thosedifferent conversations
and not, you know,immediately fall into some
of those implicit biases.
(36:11):
So I do think I've definitelygrown in that aspect.
I also do definitelyconsider myself an introvert.
Um, I, I enjoy going to other things
and being around people, butI also really enjoy being my,
by myself, um, holing upin the house with the cats.
(36:32):
So I, talking
to different people everyweek definitely was something
that I wasn't sure, youknow, what that, what
that would look like andhow, how it would feel.
Um, but I, I did it. Um, I survived.
I, you know, had a good time with it.
So there's definitely beena lot of personal growth
(36:54):
and I think, um, I've definitely succeeded
in in those ways.
- Do you think you'll get back into
podcasting anytime in the future?
Uh, what are, what are your thoughts?
What's your, uh, your,
your forecast in that regard?
- Yeah, I mean, I don'treally foresee myself getting
(37:18):
back into podcasting.
Um, I'm not saying I'm gonnawrite it off like forever,
but, and this is a kind of, is
with something else thatI am leaving in 2024,
like I need a break.
Um, and I think
(37:40):
doing the podcast in the way I've done it
is not something I could go back to.
Um, if I didn't havea full-time job, sure,
that would open up a world
of possibility in doing the podcast
and the way that I did it.
Um, in thinking of other ways to podcast,
knowing that there areother options, like some
(38:02):
of those might be viable, but I'm just not
looking to that right now.
Um, I don't foresee
that being something in the near future.
I think it's kind of, you'vegotta see there's a lot
of things that have changedin the last four years,
(38:24):
even just like in our personal lives
and how, you know, lookingforward to the future
that I feel like I wannaexperience those things.
I wanna know how all ofthat comes together and,
and what that looks like.
I mean, even yesterday we weretalking about like this one
band that, you know, is smaller
(38:46):
and we just saw recently they
happened to be at a local college.
Um, they announced likea second half of the tour
and with like two otherbands that we would love
to see are both touring close
to the Eastern UnitedStates in March when, um,
at this point, I don't know ifwe have both fully committed
(39:07):
to do two doing two musicals,
but like, we're both doing two musicals
and like, I would liketo breathe in those weeks
that I'm not doing a musical.
Um, so I just like,
I wanna be able to do those things.
Like when we looked atthese dates, you know,
it's kinda like, oh, we could do X date.
And I was like, well, that'son a Thursday, we'd have
(39:29):
to take both days off of work.
Which like, that's notreally a problem for me.
But Coleman's schedule next spring,
like, looks very different.
Um, so I'm excited for whatthe spring will bring you,
but like that also, you know,makes things more complicated.
And, um, in hindsight,
(39:50):
like if I had not made thisdecision to end the podcast,
the spring would've beenchaos, um, to, to try.
And then by spring I specificallymean the month of March,
um, to try and do this
because it's like, how,how would it fit in?
And I would, I would be in those moments
of feeling like I don't have a break,
I don't have time to pause.
And if I'm in a phase atwork where like things aren't
(40:14):
wonderful , like it's gonnabe, it's gonna be a hard month.
Um, so when I think aboutpodcasting in the future,
I don't foresee it in 2025.
Um, and I think, you know,I am, I'm looking forward
to tucking the equipment away
and maybe there's a chance in the future,
but I also think, you know, the state of
(40:37):
podcasting, but in, and socialmedia changes constantly.
Um, so I think, youknow, it's, it's seeing
where the world goes withall of that to say whether
or not, um, that will come backinto my life in the future.
But for now, the answer is no.
I do not think I will getpod get back into podcasting.
(40:59):
- Okay. Do you know,reflecting back on the podcast,
um, is there anything
that you wish you had done differently?
You know, having had fouryears under your belt?
- Yeah, I mean, it'san interesting question
that I haven't reallyput any thought into.
Um, when preparing for this episode,
I gave you a whopping two questions
and was like, have at it,you know, be, be the host,
(41:22):
be like me, and justask questions based on
what the people share.
Um, so that is not whatI prompted you with,
nor one I that I've thought about. Um
- Now you know what, you make all your
guests feel like.
- Yes. Uh, I, it's the power of editing
as well sometimes, you know,trying to come up with how
(41:42):
to ask the question or maybe there's some
pausing before an answer.
But I think looking back in terms of
how would I do things differently,
like definitely the podcastevolved over the years
and how I would keep track of things.
Like even just, you know,starting to use Calendly,
I think it happened pretty quickly
(42:03):
because it was like it was a need.
Um, the whole time zone thingthat was something that like,
I needed to be able to bridge
that without it being absolute chaos.
Um, and how I was tracking whether
or not I had all of thethings I needed over time,
you know, looked a little differently.
And the reminder emails, um,the chaos in which I did,
(42:24):
um, the whole calendar thing in, in myself
for it, how to be available.
Um, I think in terms ofwhat I would do different,
the biggest thing that I would say is
I think as organized as I am needing
(42:47):
to look, take a step back
and look at that largerpicture I did way back when I
started the podcast recorda number of episodes.
I, I may not have had that manyrecorded before I went live,
but I had a number ofguests like confirmed
and to know that like when I start this,
it's not gonna be like, okay, I got three
weeks in and then nothing.
(43:08):
Um, and that really ebbed and flowed,
and I think it kind of comesback to that scheduling,
having a lot of other commitments.
I think I really needed tolook at that larger picture
and just kind of figureout a way to do it better.
(43:29):
Whether it was doing more batch recording,
like people do batch recordingwhere they record a bunch,
um, or really just being more on top
of the timing.
'cause like what happenedin this last month was like,
I was not recordingright around the wedding.
(43:49):
Um, and then right
after we went on a honeymoon,so like that was gone, I
was reaching out to people before then
and like had this quantityof like, I need to get
to X amount of people.
And then like, once I decidedto end it, I need to get
so many people and whatnot.
And the amount of time Igave them on the calendar,
like they all started bookingup in like a later week
(44:13):
and I was like, but I needsomebody to record this week
to get a recording out.
So that kind of scheduling
I think is something that
if I could have figuredout a better way to do
that and manage it.
But I think also that just,it, it's, it's a nature
(44:35):
of the beast of the factthat I have a full-time job
that I do outside of the home.
Um, that's not to say I never recorded
during my normal work hours.
Um, there were definitely times when
I was like alreadyplanning to work from home
or needed to adjust that,
then it was like I would blockmy work calendar for a period
of time and like work atanother time to make that up
(44:57):
because of somebody else's schedule.
I don't know the magicalanswer to that, how
that would've worked, um, whichis why it never kind of got
to a great perfect place ,
but I think that wouldbe the biggest thing
that I would change, um,
and potentially consider, you know,
the whole release schedule.
(45:18):
And I, I think those twothings go in hand, like my fear
of being like, I'mgonna take December off.
Part of that was thescheduling, the recording,
the kind of, it alwaysbeing a part of life, um,
that I just didn't have that balance
because it was like, well,
if I quote take Decemberoff, what does that mean?
(45:40):
Does that mean I'm just not releasing?
Or does that mean I'm notrecording and releasing?
Or like, and that waswhere it was really hard
because it was like, ifI wanted to not release
for an entire month,
I should have still beendoing everything else.
And so therefore, like,
it wouldn't have felt like a break to me.
Um, I think that that wholepart of it, which is a,
(46:02):
a solid part of like why I'm ending it, is
what I would've lovedto have figured it out.
Um, just a better, a better structure.
Um, and I think it's hard whenyou're balancing a full-time
job, planning a wedding
and all of the othercommunity commitments.
I have, like, I recently wrotea professional bio for myself
(46:22):
and I had this long line of like,
things I do in the community,
and when I was actually likequantifiably writing it out,
I was like, wow, that, thatwas more than I realized
because some things are very infrequent.
Like I'm part of a organization that has,
I think we do like eight meetings a year,
and like in the scheme ofthings, that's not a lot,
(46:44):
but it also like, is is a good bit
because I'm also the treasurerof that organization.
So like that, that adds some things.
But yeah, I'm sure there are other things
that I probably would've lovedto have done differently,
but that's kind of the firstthing that comes to mind that
if I were to do somethingagain, like I would really need
to kind of like create that project plan
(47:05):
and figure out what doesthis actually look like
that it maintains sustainable in a way
that doesn't feel like a second job
in quantifiable time.
- You've already talked aboutit a little bit, uh, during,
throughout the podcast,but, um, I was wondering
what you are looking forwardto doing most with your,
(47:28):
your reclaimed time.
You know, what, what'snext for, for Sarah?
- There's so much, um,
and that's the thing where it's like, I,
how do I balance it all without,
you know, feeling burnt out?
I think first and foremost, Idon't even know if it's first
and foremost, I have reallybeen enjoying reading
these past couple weeks.
(47:49):
I am looking forward to reading more
and figuring out how thatfits into my life, um,
in a way that is not me reading
like a dozen books in thelast month of the year.
That's one thing for sure.
I also, I mentioned aboutthe blackwork embroidery.
(48:10):
I, there is a creator,
I guess, um, she hasher own company called
Peppermint Purple.
I think that's what the company's called.
And she does this SAL S-A-L,which stands for Stitch Along.
And like you stitch adifferent thing every week
and it creates this larger picture.
(48:31):
And I've been like following along,
like just like looking at the posts
and stuff in this later half of 2024.
And while I haven't dived in
and purchased the thingsthat I need to purchase
to do it in 2025, I did tellsomeone at work recently
that I'm planning on doing it
and now I'm vocalizing it here.
So like, definitely committing to that.
Um, so I'm excited to do that
(48:52):
because it's like a year longproject that like, doesn't,
doesn't have the deadline of like,
you ideally would've gotten all
of these done for your wedding.
So I'm really looking forwardto doing that as well.
And something else thatwe've talked about in 2025
as like things that we, we'vetalked about a number of times
(49:13):
and just never seem tobring them to fruition,
which is twofold.
One, which is like doing somethings with the house that
will make it more livable
and just kind of like havethings be more organized
and things in a place likewe are getting some new
furniture, which I have tolike find out when, when
(49:33):
that's being delivered, but like,
that's gonna be really nice.
Um, but then it's alsolike other stuff like,
do we still need, this isthis, you know, reasonable.
And the other thing beingwe want to like expand
the list of meals thatwe make and consume.
And so I'm looking forward tolike tackling that in 2025.
(49:58):
I feel like by like having some
of this time in my life back, I will have
that like bandwidth to connectand sit down and figure out
because like, I feel like there'ssometimes where it's like,
okay, if it doesn't happenthis night, like there's,
there's no way it canhappen another night.
So I, those are like thethings that first come
(50:22):
to mind in what I'm lookingforward to in 25, just
because there are other thingsthat like I'm excited for
and think there's opportunity for.
It's just, I don't know whatthose things look like yet.
Um, so yeah, I'm just,I'm just excited for 2025.
- Good. Well, we're, we'regetting close to the end here.
Is there anything that youwanted to tell your listeners
(50:46):
before, you know, the,
the theme music plays for the last time?
You know, any words ofwisdom for, for the road?
- I'm not sure. Um, the realityis when I would ask these,
when I would ask gueststhat specific question,
it was usually because I'm like,
hmm, we have a bit more time.
If they, uh, want to addsomething else, they can fill
(51:07):
that time in a way because I
don't have a question to ask them.
So I'm not really sure that I do.
I think I've said a lotof great things, um,
and updates here I have reallyenjoyed these past four years
and, um, you know, I'm excited to see
what my future will hold.
Um, right now I'm really only on Instagram
(51:30):
and not that I'm reallyactive there anyway,
but, um, I know that a handfulof listeners are related
to me so they'll still knowwhat's going on in my life.
If you're not, I don't reallyhave a plan, um, to, for you
to like know what's what'sgoing on in my life.
And the reality is, is like this podcast,
while mine was never intendedreally to be about me
(51:50):
beyond like me facilitating it
and learning along with the listeners.
So I'm grateful foreveryone who has listened
and I'm grateful
and excited for, forwhat's to come in my life.
- Now with all of your guests.
At the end of the episode,
you ask your guests a random question.
(52:11):
All right, so here's my totallyrandom question for you.
All right. So you, we currentlyhave two beautiful boys,
uh, cats that is, we have Jack-Jackwho is four years old,
he's orange and white,
and just the, the most beautifulclingy boy you've ever met.
(52:33):
And then we have Sox who is all black
and a perfect, uh, angel,his eyes are full of wonder
and he doesn't cause a single stir ever.
My question for you,Sarah, is if we were to get
a third cat, what color would you want
that cat to be?
(52:53):
- Well, we do know that I have said
that this house is not bigenough for a third cat,
and we've already talkedabout third cat names,
but I, we got both of our cats
through the same rescue basically
because they, we hadmutual falling in love
when we got Jack-Jack.
(53:14):
The only thing I really said was
that I didn't really want a tabby
'cause for whateverreason, I had this like,
biased against tabbies.
Um, like I just, I wanted like, kind
of like a solid colored cat
and then Jack-Jack likecame out and was adorable
and it was like, well, I guessthat's the cat we're getting.
Um, and with Sox, itwas, I went into the cafe
(53:37):
one evening, took apicture of this floppy,
adorable little black cat, andColeman was like, oh my God,
I've gotta meet this cat.
Um, I think gray cats are really pretty.
Um, there was this one cat on TikTok
who when like he was super small,
was absolutely adorable and he was brown.
Um, I'm against, I no longer have my
(53:58):
bias against tabby cats.
Um, I think my reallyonly thing, again, I think
that the cat should love usand we should love the cat.
So I don't necessarilyhave a strong opinion about
what color the cat is, um,
but I would prefer thecat to not be orange
(54:19):
and white or all black just
because that is what we already have.
And I like having the cats look different
and have their own personalities.
All right. That bringsthis episode to a close.
(54:41):
For the listeners who havebeen here since the beginning,
I hope you enjoyed thiscorner of the internet.
I'm glad I could bring so manystories forward on my podcast
and I hope that youlearned a thing or two.
If you've only listened to afew episodes, I encourage you
to search through old episodes
as they won't be going anywhere.
A big thank you to Colemanfor being here with me today
and all the editing he'sdone over the years.
(55:01):
And to my listeners, thankyou for taking the time out
of your day to hear my last episode
and in the wise words ofone of our favorite bands.
All good things come to an end
to make room for new beginnings.
Bye.
- Hello and welcome to Introducing Me.
I'm your host Sarah. Istarted this podcast to get
to know other people and lifestyles
while discovering more about myself.
If you listen to my lastepisode, you'll know
that today is the lastepisode of the podcast.
Since today, I'll be in the role of guest.
I'd like to hand it overto my husband, Coleman.
- Thanks Sarah. It's been acouple years since you had me
host on your podcast,
(00:36):
and I'm happy to be herefor your final episode.
Uh, why don't we start
with you sharing more about why
you've decided to end your podcast?
- Yeah, so I briefly mentionedit in my last episode, um,
when I was introducing my guest Julia.
Um, 'cause she was thefirst guest that I had
that I repeated, um,her on a second episode.
(00:57):
'cause I decided to dothat for my final episode.
And I just kind of vaguelysaid that, you know, I
wanted 2025 to look different.
Um, you know, each year I'vedone these year reviews as, uh,
the podcast anniversary hascome together and you've sat
and done some of them with me.
But the last couple, Ithink you haven't done
with me purely just for likea time finding, time to record
(01:21):
and get and getting them to come out.
It just kind of like worked out that way.
So I felt like it made senseto have you here today.
Um, and so, you know, when Idid that episode in September,
it was before we had gotten married
and I was like, yeah, everyone says like,
you get married and things change.
But like we've been livingtogether for a number of years
and um, you know, we wentand changed our names
(01:42):
and we've done all that legal mumbo jumbo
and there's still some to do, but
otherwise it's kind of likethings are similar things,
you know, somewhat havechanged and whatnot.
But I started kind ofthinking towards 2025.
Sometimes they say when youtypically in a heterosexual
relationship, when thewife plans the wedding, um,
(02:03):
then she has nothing to do after that.
Like she doesn't have her next big thing.
Um, and I, you know, wehad a long engagement, so
I was a little bit concerned about that.
Like what would it look like afterwards?
And I'm sure in my episode in September,
I know I talked about how like
after the wedding didn't really exist
'cause it was kind of like everything
was leading up to the wedding.
(02:24):
You know, we were going toa wedding five weeks later
and then we were going outof town to see a concert.
Um, and that was kind oflike all we had planned
besides for the upcoming holidays.
Um, not really knowing what sort
of things we wanna do in 2025 as we kind
of navigate various things.
And so when I started somewhatthinking about that more
(02:46):
and figuring out like, howdo I want to, you know, kind
of like look at theyear, what are the goals
that I want to accomplish?
What are things thatmaybe I haven't been doing
that I wanna be doing?
And how, how do all ofthose things come together?
Um, I just kind ofrealized that timing wise,
like I've always known from even
(03:07):
before starting the podcastthat pod the podcast,
running a podcast likeby myself, not having it
through any company or anythingwould be a lot of work.
And it has been. Um,
and I've acknowledged that, you know,
that's why in the past, you know, year
or so, I haven't released every week.
Like that's a lot.
A lot of podcasts do seasons,
but I knew that longerbreaks would lead me
(03:30):
to not go back to the microphone.
Um, and I just, I didn't wanna do that
where it's like thepodcast just ended, um,
because I know that thathappens to some podcasts too.
And so instead I kind of, you know,
changed my release scheduleand it was working.
Um, and you know,
it is not like the podcastwas any more work in the last
(03:50):
little bit than it was previously,
but I realized that a lot
of my time, like I have afull-time job, um, you know,
so I'm gone, you know, 40,45 hours a week for that.
Um, and if you have a busy weekend,
then it's like there's notmuch other time in the week.
(04:11):
Um, and we, you know, weplay in a community band, so
that's a one once a week commitment.
You know, like my Monday nights are gone.
Um, so that leaves me withTuesday through Friday.
And I would find myself once, twice,
maybe three times a week in the
evenings working towards the podcast.
And those other nights, you know,
occasionally I'd bedoing other things, but
otherwise there was a lot
(04:31):
of like doom scrolling on the internet
or just feeling like Iwasn't getting things done
because I just like wanted to relax.
And which led to the doomscrolling on the internet.
Because while I have thingsthat I like to do to relax
that I feel like good about
or might like feel productive,even though it's relaxing,
(04:51):
like I would end up not doing that.
Um, especially when like work, um,
was becoming more stressful.
'cause it was kind of like I would want
to just like come home andlike not think about anything.
Um, and so like, I really like to read
and that has kind of been pushed
to the side a lot more lately.
Um, not in the past month
(05:12):
because I'm trying to hit mygoal of 50 books in the year,
but like, I just wasn't, Iwasn't getting into books
and, you know, I just, I was finding that
I wasn't doing these things that I enjoyed
because I was just like, I need a break.
And I just, I just keptwanting a break from things
and didn't know like what thatreally meant and looked like.
(05:36):
And so when I started thinkingabout 2025, I was like,
what do I want my weeks to look like?
Um, we did a pretty good job, more
so in the beginning of the year.
Um, not so much as we kindof like hit the summer
and the wedding was like upon us,
but like where we were going on dates
and doing fun things that likewe don't normally do.
(05:58):
Um, like we go to out todinner every once in a while.
Um, and that's alwayslike fun and really nice,
but is like doing other things
and you know, getting outof like the normal routine.
And that can kind of bedifficult with the podcast.
Um, you know, I found myselftrying to like block all
of my weekends because Ididn't wanna be working on the
(06:18):
podcast, but I needed tobe working on the podcast.
Um, and so I just kind of really sat down
and was like, I want my calendar
to be less busy in 2025.
Um, as we were gettingready for the wedding,
um, I wasn't like wedding 24/7.
(06:38):
Um, there were a lot oflittle things here and there.
Um, but one of thethings I did for everyone
who was in my wedding party,I, um, made them something out
of blackwork embroidery.
And that was like reallygreat to have this thing
that I was doing and creating.
I was actually doing a lotof it while I was podcasting.
Um, I listened back toall of the episodes after,
(06:59):
after they recorded, andI could be working on
that while I was, um, doing, doing that.
And so like, once thatwe got to the wedding,
granted I had not finished mymaid of honors piece of work.
Um, and, but
after the wedding I like kindof like stopped doing that
because it was like the deadline passed.
Um, at this point Ihave finished hers, um,
(07:21):
and I will be seeing herat the end of the year
and giving it to her then.
And she did see it half done,um, at the rehearsal dinner,
which was, which was great.
Um, but so it's like thingslike that, like I want
to be able to do those thingswithout feeling like, oh,
I, I only can squeeze it in here.
Um, and I want to be able to read, um,
(07:44):
more consistently.
Like I read over mylunch breaks most days.
Um, but I don't always, like, if,
if work is like super stressful, I'm like,
I don't even find myself doing that.
Um, and like these pastcouple weeks where like a lot
of my evenings have been readinghas just been like really
great and enjoyable.
Um, and there are variousvideo games that, you know,
(08:04):
we've played and stuff that it's like,
I wanna be able to do that too.
And um, you know, I don'tknow how much we're going
to travel in 2025, um,
but still having the option even
to just like do things locally.
So the primary reason, um,that I am ending my podcast is
to like gain that timeback, um, into my life.
(08:25):
It is not, you know, related to wanting
to like stop talking to people.
'cause that's like whenI, I made the decision,
or at least I started thinkingabout the decision for,
I don't know if it wasweeks, but at least days
before I even vocalized it, um,to you Coleman, like it was,
(08:46):
I didn't want to vocalize it
because I felt like, oh, if I vocalize
that I'm ending this podcast,like there was part of me
that felt like it was a bit of a failure.
But I'm also like, it's been four years.
Um, I have released over 200 episodes.
Um, and that's been reallyawesome to see that time.
Um, and like a lot hashappened in four years.
(09:06):
Um, and so like I finallyvocalized it to Coleman
and then even before, like
after that I still wasn'treally vocalizing it.
Like I was occasionallythrowing it out here
or there depending onlike who I was talking
to about like certain things.
But it was like hard to really commit to.
Um, and the reality is, ishaving the last like month
(09:28):
of guests was quite the puzzle piece.
Um, because one of the morefrustrating sides of podcasting
is people who don't show upto their recording time slot
or people who have tolike cancel or reschedule.
Now I completely understand like medical
emergencies they happen.
Um, but when I was in this,like I have, you know,
(09:52):
six weeks between now
and needing to record the final episodes
and I need so many guests
and trying not to have too many guests,
but having enough guests
and making sure all thetiming would work was,
was definitely a little bit complicated.
Um, and then even justfinding time to sit down
and record this episode.
Um, so all that to say thatI am looking forward to
(10:17):
not having that structurein 2025, um, along
with some other changesthat I'm making in 2025.
Um, but I've enjoyed,you know, talking to all
of these guests, learningdifferent stories and,
and being able to put,um, all of this out here.
It has been quite thecreative journey to go on
and I'm really proud of,you know, it going on
(10:39):
for over four years.
- Great. First I want to say that
Banish any thought thatyou ending the podcast
is a failure in any way, shape, or form.
Okay. Um, the way I like tolook at things like this, um,
(11:00):
now I'm a composer andI'm a saxophonist, right?
And as a musician, youknow, oftentimes we deal
with like imposter syndrome issues
and things like that, right?
Um, and one of thethings that I cling to
is just remembering that likein the world there's only
a percentage of apercentage point of people
(11:22):
that do what I do.
Right? And that's the same
with you when it comesto this podcast, right?
Um, you not only started apodcast, uh, uh, during one
of the hardest times I believe
that our generation has faced,you know, covid and whatnot.
Um, and you managed to keepit going for, for four years,
(11:45):
200 guests, um, in my book.That's pretty incredible.
- Yeah, no, I mean, I, it's,it's this weird thing of like,
while there is that likelittle nagging of like, oh,
it's ending that's quoteproblematic or a failure
or whatever, like I doknow that it's not, um,
(12:06):
and I always knew like, I don't know,
maybe like 18 months intoit or something that like,
whenever I want to stop this,it's going to be difficult.
So I think there was alsothis bit of like, that knowing
that ending it was going to be difficult
because I didn't want it to just stop.
I didn't want it to just be like, oh,
like episode stop releasing.
(12:26):
I wonder what happened. Um,
and so it's just kind of likegetting to that final moment
and like having it be here.
Um, so yeah, which is whyI'm, I'm proud of all,
all the work that I've done.
It's just, it's weird, youknow, knowing, um, that once all
of the technical behind thescenes, the 10 step process
or whatever it is to gofrom recording to publishing
(12:47):
of this episode, likethen it won't be, um,
you know, it, it won't be continuing.
It is funny because,um, on my work calendar,
I have on Tuesdays thereoccurring tasks to make sure,
like I've, I've got everythingposted on social media
and stuff just because like
that's the easiest placeto like check it off.
(13:09):
And when I was cleaningup my tasks on my calendar
before I left for my winterbreak, um, I like had
to click on that and say like, delete this
and all future ones
because I was like, I don't, Idon't need this task anymore.
Um, so that was definitely interesting
'cause I've also, like inthe past number of months
(13:30):
and like cyclically, I, I change
how I organize thingsevery once in a while.
Um, so it's like thatthe work organization is
as pretty steady, um,
even though I do things differently there
as well at sometimes, but thatwas just like an interesting,
like, okay, this isn'tgonna be on my calendar.
But also at the same time,like when things disappear,
(13:51):
I know that like sometimesyou don't like realize it,
um, that it's gone.
Like if you were to like fix something
or clean something up,
like I might not realize it's been done
because it was the lack of it being done
that was noticeable.
So it's like this weirdthing that like when I get
(14:11):
to Tuesdays at work in January,
like I might not even realizethat that task is gone,
but I will also still beaware like, oh, I'm no longer
producing recording and,and doing a podcast.
- Well, going off that a little bit, um,
how do you feel about, uh, youknow, one, one of the things
(14:34):
about the podcast sinceyou are inviting guests on
and whatnot, is that yourschedule has always had blocks
of time that are made availablefor guests to sign up for.
And so you might, you know,be trying to figure out
what you're gonna do for a week or two
and then all of a sudden the time slot
that you were gonna dosomething else has been
taken up by a guest.
(14:54):
Um, are you looking forwardto getting that time back
and not having to worryabout those kinds of things?
Or how do you feel about that?
- Yeah, I mean, that'sbeen an interesting,
interesting thing through all of those.
Um, I, I don't remember when it was,
but it was pretty early on in podcasting
that I started using the website Calendly.
(15:16):
Um, which is a, if you use thelevel, I use a free website
to, uh, schedule things.
And because I was not going to pay for it,
I could only link one calendar to it
and I didn't like want to
have all of the podcast stuffon my personal calendar.
(15:38):
So my podcast also had a calendar
and I believe I did a really good job.
And only once didsomebody schedule with me.
And then I went to like,go and update some things
and I realized, oh, um, Ihave a concert that afternoon.
Like, I cannot record with youthis day. I'm shocked.
I think that was the only timeI do remember that happening.
(15:59):
Um, but I think otherwiseI was relatively good.
But balancing all of thatwas definitely a little
bit of a nightmare.
Um, and I don't rememberwhen it was as well either
because again, like these four years have
really ebbed and flowed.
Um, at one point I startedblocking Friday evenings
because I realized that whenguests would sign up with me
(16:21):
to record for Friday at 7:00 PM I just,
I always was like, it's my weekend.
I don't wanna start my weekend this way.
Which then made things more complicated.
'cause like I said, Mondaynights were band nights
and Tuesday nights, I prettymuch always had blocked
to like listen to podcastepisodes like the last one I
recorded to then like listen for editing.
(16:43):
Um, so that was leaving Wednesday
and Thursdays for recording.
And then technically I would,if I had the time available,
it was Saturday afternoonsand all day Sunday,
and I would only recordtypically with one person a day.
And I typically wasn't doing back to back.
Like I was learning thesethings as I was going that
(17:03):
some things like doingsay like three nights
of recording in a row was just too much.
Um, and so I do, I am looking forward
to not having such a rigid schedule.
Um, with that and getting,getting those nights back.
I, um, accepted a position, uh,
(17:27):
with our band to be theboard's president next year.
And I remember when, um, one
of the current boardmembers told me like, oh,
we already have our meetingin January scheduled, it's,
and she was like, it's a Wednesday.
And it was like one of these two days.
And at the time it was like, I don't,
(17:47):
because at that time I knew
I wasn't continuing with the podcast.
It was like, oh, justlike, tell me the date
whenever, like it's closer to,
because I'm not going to have anything.
Like, it doesn't matter.
Whereas like in the past number
of years it would've beenlike, no, I need that date now
because I need to block it,otherwise I'm like, or I'd go in
and block both days
until I found out whichone was the correct day.
(18:09):
And so it's like nothaving to do all of that.
Um, we recently, I say we,
because we live in the same house,
but I recently got a secondwhiteboard calendar, um, so
that I can have a whiteboardcalendar for the current month
and the next month.
And that has been such a game changer.
(18:31):
And because it wasalways kind of difficult,
like when you get to the endof the month, like you're,
at least I am, I'm startingto think about the next month
and like I don't have that full visible
like what the month looks like.
Um, and looking at Januaryit's a lot more empty.
Um, and even some of thesepast months have been
like a little bit empty here and there,
(18:52):
and it's just like really nice to know.
I don't know if I will in January,
but in theory I couldhave a work week where
Monday night we do band
and then Tuesday throughFriday I have nothing else.
And I don't know really when the last time
that happened, like if it did happen,
(19:14):
I was probably stressing about the fact
that I like didn't have a recording.
Um, or like the reality is I
just had something else going on.
Um, so I, so I'm really looking forward
to like the option of that happening.
Or even if I do have somethingin an evening like this board
meeting, it's probably theonly thing I'm gonna have
that week that's not rehearsal.
(19:34):
Um, so I'm, I am verymuch looking forward to
seeing more empty days on my calendar, um,
which will allow for more opportunity.
- Yeah. Another thing relatedto scheduling, uh, that, uh,
you didn't mention is sometimeswhen you would get some
of those things blocked offand they would, you know,
(19:55):
keep you from doing otherthings that you needed to do
and whatnot, sometimesthe guests, you know,
we're human sometimes, youknow, dealing with time zones
and all that kind of stuff.
Sometimes things got messed up
and the recordings didn't happen.
So I was just wondering whatyour thoughts are, you know,
your reflections on, on that happening
and um, you know, are youlooking forward to not having
(20:18):
to deal with that, I guess going forward?
- Yeah. Yeah. I mean I,
I mentioned a little bit aboutthe occasional cancellation
or no-show and I, I am happy to not have
to deal with that going forward.
Um, because like in a workdaywhen you're in a business
with everyone, like that rarely happens.
(20:40):
But this is people's personallives, personal calendars, um,
because sometimes it's like Iwould reach out to the person,
they'd be like, oh my gosh, I'm so sorry.
Like, just gimme a few minutes.
Or sometimes like, theyjust would never respond.
Um, I had a couple peoplewho would reschedule
multiple times and like,that was really hard
(21:02):
because it's like, well, are you going
to show up the next time?
And like, if you were scheduled
with me like far enough in advance,
like I didn't really care.
But there were times, um,
and this like one of the hopes in
when I switched the schedulingwas for this to be less,
but there was sometimeswhere like I was recording an
episode within seven daysof it being released.
(21:25):
And so if somebodydidn't show up that was,
you know, very difficult.
Um, so I'd either have tolike, try to find somebody else
or hope that the nextperson didn't cancel.
Um, so I'm, I'm definitelylooking forward to, uh,
not having to deal with scheduling, um,
(21:47):
and not, because like I,
I did get better responsesonce I started sending the
reminders, um,
but that doesn't necessarily mean
that everyone like saw thereminders or like double checked
and, um, yeah.
So it's definitely lookingforward to that.
- And just going back to the whole, having
(22:08):
had 200 some episodes,
and I can't remember a hundred percent,
but I don't think you ever missed a, uh,
an a scheduled release.
So there, there were times
where I think we were turningepisodes around in 24 hours,
but, uh, yeah, I thinkthat's pretty awesome. So.
(22:28):
- Yeah, I mean, you are correct.
I did never miss a release.
I think maybe once
I did a recording on a Monday
that was released on a Tuesday, there were
probably less than five whereit was a recording on a Sunday
to release on Tuesday.
(22:49):
Um, and here we are today on the Saturday
before this episode is getting released,
but this will be one of thesignificantly easier ones
to edit, um, and turn around.
And that was kind ofmore of a, I was like,
we will both be in a betterhead space if we do this on
Saturday afternoon then
after we both have aneight hour work day .
(23:10):
So I, I'm not too worried about that.
But yeah, I, I think, youknow, that was kind of one
of the things, like I wasputting that pressure on myself.
The, I always wanna releaseon the day I'm supposed
to release, and that is probablya little bit unrealistic,
um, when it is fully in house.
(23:31):
And, um, I obviously haveyour support in, in all
of the editing, but past that, it's like,
it's just the two of us.
Um, when I would start myepisodes with people, like
before we would hit record,we would usually chat
and whatnot or chat afterwards
and, you know, I'd,
I'd occasionally get variousquestions about doing the
(23:52):
episodes and stuff
and I would, you know,tell them that like, I,
I have a full-time job, likethis is something on the side.
Like I can't be puttingso many hours into it.
And like in theory I could,there are plenty of people who,
um, whether it's podcasting
or more so like social mediawhere they do it on the side
(24:14):
and eventually it becomesbasically a full-time job whether
or not they also have a full-time job
and then it might bebecome a full-time job.
But I was never planningto get to that point.
Um, I have the security of a, you know,
salaried job with benefits
and, um, that that's notsomething that, like,
(24:36):
I foresee myself giving up just in the
complicated nature when it comesto like insurance and taxes
and all of those things in the states.
Um, I was never looking to dosomething like this full time,
but it has been a really good four years
of doing it while doing everything else. .
(24:58):
- I think one of the nicethings about not doing it
for financial reasons isthat you got to do, you got
to run it the way thatyou wanted to, to do it.
You know, you didn'thave to make concessions
or compromises in any wayjust to like chase money.
So I think it's really coolfrom my perspective to see
how authentic all the episodes are
(25:20):
and you know, you not havingto cheapen yourself down to,
to make yourself appealingto the masses or whatever.
- Yeah, I, well, I wouldn't say
that like I loved everysingle episode I released,
but there was never an episode
that I recorded and didn't release.
I do know that somepodcast hosts will do that,
(25:41):
like if they truly tank,
but I, I always releasedepisodes that I recorded, um,
which at times was like hard
because, you know, likewith a job interview,
which I'm sure more peopleare familiar with, like,
you put your best self forward.
Um, so
because this was not afull-time thing, you know, I
(26:04):
didn't have the time to be like, okay,
I'm gonna do a full deepdive into every single person
before I record with them to know, like,
how do they typically talk?
What is their full story?
Like, I was typically goingoff of a short bio, um,
and taking people out their word.
Now, people who I recordedwith like my last guest, Julia, who
(26:28):
I found via social media,I knew a lot more then
because I was seeing them on social media
and that was why theyended up in on my podcast.
Um, so it definitely waslike I was, I, you know,
would have the occasional person, um,
I mean there were a number ofpeople that would reach out
(26:48):
to be on the podcast, um, andI had the ability to say no.
Like I didn't have to, youknow, take every person
who, who showed up.
Um, so I'm, I'm glad thatI had that flexibility.
Um, but yeah, I, I was ableto kind of keep doing it
how I wanted to do it.
Um, and definitely morerecently I didn't actually like
(27:09):
fully look at the statistics,
but more of my episodes inthe last while have been right
around that 45 minute mark.
And I think some of thathad a bit to do with the
authenticity of the guestsand the how many questions
or maybe like, how tired wasI when we were recording?
Like, I, I always feel likeI did a really solid job
(27:30):
of asking questions andcontinuing the conversation,
but sometimes it's just like,
that's, you know, this is good.
We're, we're good at this time.
Um, I'm not gonna like forceit to be 50, 55 minutes.
Um, 'cause, and one of the things
with podcasting when I startedwas like, I want the episodes
to be around the same length,you know, within, you know,
(27:51):
say like a 10 minute window,five under five over.
But I was like, I'm not going to force
that to happen though.
I would say overall, uh, I averaged out
to where I wanted to be.
- Yeah. Now that you'vehad nearly 200
guests on your podcast,uh, what are some highlights
or takeaways, um, thatyou'd like to talk about?
(28:12):
- Yeah, so I feel likethere was so much, um,
you know, talking tonearly 200 people, um,
really, really is a lot.
I did, like, if I hadreleased a few more episodes,
I would've hit 200 since Ihad just over 200 guests.
But I, you know, I was the guest sometimes
(28:32):
and I had the few highlight episodes, um,
and obviously Julia washere twice, so 200 ish.
Um, but I, it, I think some
of the most interesting episodes were
when people really talkedabout like their growth.
Um, my most popular episode, far
(28:56):
and away was an early episode in
my first year, um, with Kelly Krout,
who at the time was running, I believe
for governor of Arkansas.
And so like, that's the reason
it was the most popular episode.
She put it on her campaign website and
therefore let let themedia take it, you know?
(29:16):
Um, but I also like
her being the underdog, her sharing about,
you know, her friend's expectations of her
and like questioning like how,how could you be a democrat?
Um, I think like that,
I think seeing growth inpeople was always really great.
(29:39):
And I think like I've, youknow, had growth in myself, um,
when I think about varioustopics, you know, when people,
I wasn't ever really someonewho would constantly be like,
oh, I have a podcast,you should listen to it.
Um, I like, it was always just kind
of part of me and it existed.
Um, but when people would ask me about it
(30:01):
and I would talk about it,like I'd talk about how I talk
to all these different people, like, yes,
sometimes it is very diversityor inclusive related.
Sometimes it's more about jobs.
Um, where has your career taken you
or sometimes it's about travel.
I always loved the travel ones just
because, you know, nobodycan go see everything.
(30:23):
You can't experience everysingle culture in the world.
Um, we have yet to renew ourpassports since they expired
and we changed our names, wewill, um, you know, we'll,
we'll get there and, and beable to, to do those things.
But I think for me, um,
and I think maybe there'seven some of that with,
in ending this podcast thatin these past four years along
(30:45):
with releasing the podcastand the state of Covid
and the state of the world,like mental health has
become much more of aforefront in conversation, um,
that I think like that's soimportant as well, um, along
with like mental health
and identity that I think
there's some of that there as well.
And you know, me wantingto be able to have the time
(31:07):
to relax, be able to, youknow, be who I want to be.
And it's not like I know that like with
media and stuff like that, like you find
that people are likecompletely two-faced, um,
or they're not, but you know,sometimes you hear that, oh,
(31:28):
this person, this famous person,all of a sudden like, yeah,
they're actually an awfulperson behind doors.
Or like, oh, they'reactually like really great.
I wasn't like switching a personawhen I sat down to record,
but in the days where Imay not have felt great
or may have been reallytired, like I still had
to sit down and do it.
(31:48):
Um, and then when itwas done, it was like,
okay, I can breathe again.
Um, so like not havingto kind of be on for
that, um, especially when like, you know,
it wasn't something that was
working towards a financial goal.
Like I think it's reallyimportant to be able
to be authentic, um, aslong as like it's safe
(32:13):
and viable, like in all aspects of life.
And I know that that can be
definitely challenging atwork depending on, you know,
the situation, but Ithink, you know, it's being
who you want to be.
Um, and so I I am grateful
that I am able to do that at work.
(32:34):
Um, and I don't have to, you know,
be getting into dress shoes
and dress pants every single day.
Like, I can be comfortable
and, you know, I can, I canbe real with my colleagues.
Um, so yeah, I just talkingto nearly 200 people,
hearing all their differentstories, um, I'm grateful to
(32:55):
have learned about like,different paths of life.
Um, the number of peopleI spoke to about different
disabilities or illnesses
and just walks of life that like,
unless you know, someone,
like those ones I feel like are harder to
(33:15):
just kind of run across.
Um, you know, I, there have been various
health things, whetherin my immediate family
or extended family and stuff,but it's like past those.
Like I, I don't have theexperience or knowledge
and these other things, you know,
I see some of it on social media.
Um, and so I think that waslike this really good thing
(33:37):
for me to get the chance to dive into
and hear more about, um, because
otherwise, you know, I just wouldn't have,
I wouldn't have had that knowledge.
So I'm, I'm grateful to havegained that knowledge, um,
and heard about different things.
You know, I think the firsttime I spoke to somebody who,
um, you know, was like related to, um,
(34:01):
I believe like thewhole, like Miss America
and Miss USA universes, like
I didn't really knowmuch anything about that.
And I talked to a coupleof different people who
did various competitions like that.
Um, and it was just likeinteresting to see, um, you know,
you might not, you mightimmediately think one thing
(34:23):
and then like you actually talk
to the person and it'ssomething different.
So I think that was also justreally exciting to be able to,
to hear that and,
and just learn about allthese different stories.
So I'm grateful to have had the chance to,
to talk to so many people.
- Yeah. Um, you mentioned growth, like
how you enjoy watching the, the the growth
(34:44):
and the stories that they tell.
Um, and I was justwondering, you know, knowing
that at the start of the podcastyou had a, a set of goals
and whatnot that you wantedto attain via the podcast,
and I was just curiousif you felt like, um,
during the course of the lastfour years, you've been able
(35:05):
to attain those goals, um,
and found the growth within yourself, um,
that you were looking for?
- Definitely, for sure.
I don't think I necessarilyever physically wrote down
what goals I was really aiming to achieve.
I do know that, like whenI started the podcast
and I was working at my lasthigher ed job, this came out
of a DEI initiative
(35:27):
and that I wanted to
move myself into a more inclusivemindset while I already,
you know, was where I was,like, I knew I could do more
and I was just strugglingto find ways to do that, and
therefore I was like, whatif I just talk to people?
Um, I feel like I've definitely,definitely grown there.
(35:50):
Um, even just in some of theways I think about certain
things or the verbiagethat I use, like I try
to respect lifestylesthat aren't my own, um,
and, and have thosedifferent conversations
and not, you know,immediately fall into some
of those implicit biases.
(36:11):
So I do think I've definitelygrown in that aspect.
I also do definitelyconsider myself an introvert.
Um, I, I enjoy going to other things
and being around people, butI also really enjoy being my,
by myself, um, holing upin the house with the cats.
(36:32):
So I, talking
to different people everyweek definitely was something
that I wasn't sure, youknow, what that, what
that would look like andhow, how it would feel.
Um, but I, I did it. Um, I survived.
I, you know, had a good time with it.
So there's definitely beena lot of personal growth
(36:54):
and I think, um, I've definitely succeeded
in in those ways.
- Do you think you'll get back into
podcasting anytime in the future?
Uh, what are, what are your thoughts?
What's your, uh, your,
your forecast in that regard?
- Yeah, I mean, I don'treally foresee myself getting
(37:18):
back into podcasting.
Um, I'm not saying I'm gonnawrite it off like forever,
but, and this is a kind of, is
with something else thatI am leaving in 2024,
like I need a break.
Um, and I think
(37:40):
doing the podcast in the way I've done it
is not something I could go back to.
Um, if I didn't havea full-time job, sure,
that would open up a world
of possibility in doing the podcast
and the way that I did it.
Um, in thinking of other ways to podcast,
knowing that there areother options, like some
(38:02):
of those might be viable, but I'm just not
looking to that right now.
Um, I don't foresee
that being something in the near future.
I think it's kind of, you'vegotta see there's a lot
of things that have changedin the last four years,
(38:24):
even just like in our personal lives
and how, you know, lookingforward to the future
that I feel like I wannaexperience those things.
I wanna know how all ofthat comes together and,
and what that looks like.
I mean, even yesterday we weretalking about like this one
band that, you know, is smaller
(38:46):
and we just saw recently they
happened to be at a local college.
Um, they announced likea second half of the tour
and with like two otherbands that we would love
to see are both touring close
to the Eastern UnitedStates in March when, um,
at this point, I don't know ifwe have both fully committed
(39:07):
to do two doing two musicals,
but like, we're both doing two musicals
and like, I would liketo breathe in those weeks
that I'm not doing a musical.
Um, so I just like,
I wanna be able to do those things.
Like when we looked atthese dates, you know,
it's kinda like, oh, we could do X date.
And I was like, well, that'son a Thursday, we'd have
(39:29):
to take both days off of work.
Which like, that's notreally a problem for me.
But Coleman's schedule next spring,
like, looks very different.
Um, so I'm excited for whatthe spring will bring you,
but like that also, you know,makes things more complicated.
And, um, in hindsight,
(39:50):
like if I had not made thisdecision to end the podcast,
the spring would've beenchaos, um, to, to try.
And then by spring I specificallymean the month of March,
um, to try and do this
because it's like, how,how would it fit in?
And I would, I would be in those moments
of feeling like I don't have a break,
I don't have time to pause.
And if I'm in a phase atwork where like things aren't
(40:14):
wonderful , like it's gonnabe, it's gonna be a hard month.
Um, so when I think aboutpodcasting in the future,
I don't foresee it in 2025.
Um, and I think, you know,I am, I'm looking forward
to tucking the equipment away
and maybe there's a chance in the future,
but I also think, you know, the state of
(40:37):
podcasting, but in, and socialmedia changes constantly.
Um, so I think, youknow, it's, it's seeing
where the world goes withall of that to say whether
or not, um, that will come backinto my life in the future.
But for now, the answer is no.
I do not think I will getpod get back into podcasting.
(40:59):
- Okay. Do you know,reflecting back on the podcast,
um, is there anything
that you wish you had done differently?
You know, having had fouryears under your belt?
- Yeah, I mean, it'san interesting question
that I haven't reallyput any thought into.
Um, when preparing for this episode,
I gave you a whopping two questions
and was like, have at it,you know, be, be the host,
(41:22):
be like me, and justask questions based on
what the people share.
Um, so that is not whatI prompted you with,
nor one I that I've thought about. Um
- Now you know what, you make all your
guests feel like.
- Yes. Uh, I, it's the power of editing
as well sometimes, you know,trying to come up with how
(41:42):
to ask the question or maybe there's some
pausing before an answer.
But I think looking back in terms of
how would I do things differently,
like definitely the podcastevolved over the years
and how I would keep track of things.
Like even just, you know,starting to use Calendly,
I think it happened pretty quickly
(42:03):
because it was like it was a need.
Um, the whole time zone thingthat was something that like,
I needed to be able to bridge
that without it being absolute chaos.
Um, and how I was tracking whether
or not I had all of thethings I needed over time,
you know, looked a little differently.
And the reminder emails, um,the chaos in which I did,
(42:24):
um, the whole calendar thing in, in myself
for it, how to be available.
Um, I think in terms ofwhat I would do different,
the biggest thing that I would say is
I think as organized as I am needing
(42:47):
to look, take a step back
and look at that largerpicture I did way back when I
started the podcast recorda number of episodes.
I, I may not have had that manyrecorded before I went live,
but I had a number ofguests like confirmed
and to know that like when I start this,
it's not gonna be like, okay, I got three
weeks in and then nothing.
(43:08):
Um, and that really ebbed and flowed,
and I think it kind of comesback to that scheduling,
having a lot of other commitments.
I think I really needed tolook at that larger picture
and just kind of figureout a way to do it better.
(43:29):
Whether it was doing more batch recording,
like people do batch recordingwhere they record a bunch,
um, or really just being more on top
of the timing.
'cause like what happenedin this last month was like,
I was not recordingright around the wedding.
(43:49):
Um, and then right
after we went on a honeymoon,so like that was gone, I
was reaching out to people before then
and like had this quantityof like, I need to get
to X amount of people.
And then like, once I decidedto end it, I need to get
so many people and whatnot.
And the amount of time Igave them on the calendar,
like they all started bookingup in like a later week
(44:13):
and I was like, but I needsomebody to record this week
to get a recording out.
So that kind of scheduling
I think is something that
if I could have figuredout a better way to do
that and manage it.
But I think also that just,it, it's, it's a nature
(44:35):
of the beast of the factthat I have a full-time job
that I do outside of the home.
Um, that's not to say I never recorded
during my normal work hours.
Um, there were definitely times when
I was like alreadyplanning to work from home
or needed to adjust that,
then it was like I would blockmy work calendar for a period
of time and like work atanother time to make that up
(44:57):
because of somebody else's schedule.
I don't know the magicalanswer to that, how
that would've worked, um, whichis why it never kind of got
to a great perfect place ,
but I think that wouldbe the biggest thing
that I would change, um,
and potentially consider, you know,
the whole release schedule.
(45:18):
And I, I think those twothings go in hand, like my fear
of being like, I'mgonna take December off.
Part of that was thescheduling, the recording,
the kind of, it alwaysbeing a part of life, um,
that I just didn't have that balance
because it was like, well,
if I quote take Decemberoff, what does that mean?
(45:40):
Does that mean I'm just not releasing?
Or does that mean I'm notrecording and releasing?
Or like, and that waswhere it was really hard
because it was like, ifI wanted to not release
for an entire month,
I should have still beendoing everything else.
And so therefore, like,
it wouldn't have felt like a break to me.
Um, I think that that wholepart of it, which is a,
(46:02):
a solid part of like why I'm ending it, is
what I would've lovedto have figured it out.
Um, just a better, a better structure.
Um, and I think it's hard whenyou're balancing a full-time
job, planning a wedding
and all of the othercommunity commitments.
I have, like, I recently wrotea professional bio for myself
(46:22):
and I had this long line of like,
things I do in the community,
and when I was actually likequantifiably writing it out,
I was like, wow, that, thatwas more than I realized
because some things are very infrequent.
Like I'm part of a organization that has,
I think we do like eight meetings a year,
and like in the scheme ofthings, that's not a lot,
(46:44):
but it also like, is is a good bit
because I'm also the treasurerof that organization.
So like that, that adds some things.
But yeah, I'm sure there are other things
that I probably would've lovedto have done differently,
but that's kind of the firstthing that comes to mind that
if I were to do somethingagain, like I would really need
to kind of like create that project plan
(47:05):
and figure out what doesthis actually look like
that it maintains sustainable in a way
that doesn't feel like a second job
in quantifiable time.
- You've already talked aboutit a little bit, uh, during,
throughout the podcast,but, um, I was wondering
what you are looking forwardto doing most with your,
(47:28):
your reclaimed time.
You know, what, what'snext for, for Sarah?
- There's so much, um,
and that's the thing where it's like, I,
how do I balance it all without,
you know, feeling burnt out?
I think first and foremost, Idon't even know if it's first
and foremost, I have reallybeen enjoying reading
these past couple weeks.
(47:49):
I am looking forward to reading more
and figuring out how thatfits into my life, um,
in a way that is not me reading
like a dozen books in thelast month of the year.
That's one thing for sure.
I also, I mentioned aboutthe blackwork embroidery.
(48:10):
I, there is a creator,
I guess, um, she hasher own company called
Peppermint Purple.
I think that's what the company's called.
And she does this SAL S-A-L,which stands for Stitch Along.
And like you stitch adifferent thing every week
and it creates this larger picture.
(48:31):
And I've been like following along,
like just like looking at the posts
and stuff in this later half of 2024.
And while I haven't dived in
and purchased the thingsthat I need to purchase
to do it in 2025, I did tellsomeone at work recently
that I'm planning on doing it
and now I'm vocalizing it here.
So like, definitely committing to that.
Um, so I'm excited to do that
(48:52):
because it's like a year longproject that like, doesn't,
doesn't have the deadline of like,
you ideally would've gotten all
of these done for your wedding.
So I'm really looking forwardto doing that as well.
And something else thatwe've talked about in 2025
as like things that we, we'vetalked about a number of times
(49:13):
and just never seem tobring them to fruition,
which is twofold.
One, which is like doing somethings with the house that
will make it more livable
and just kind of like havethings be more organized
and things in a place likewe are getting some new
furniture, which I have tolike find out when, when
(49:33):
that's being delivered, but like,
that's gonna be really nice.
Um, but then it's alsolike other stuff like,
do we still need, this isthis, you know, reasonable.
And the other thing beingwe want to like expand
the list of meals thatwe make and consume.
And so I'm looking forward tolike tackling that in 2025.
(49:58):
I feel like by like having some
of this time in my life back, I will have
that like bandwidth to connectand sit down and figure out
because like, I feel like there'ssometimes where it's like,
okay, if it doesn't happenthis night, like there's,
there's no way it canhappen another night.
So I, those are like thethings that first come
(50:22):
to mind in what I'm lookingforward to in 25, just
because there are other thingsthat like I'm excited for
and think there's opportunity for.
It's just, I don't know whatthose things look like yet.
Um, so yeah, I'm just,I'm just excited for 2025.
- Good. Well, we're, we'regetting close to the end here.
Is there anything that youwanted to tell your listeners
(50:46):
before, you know, the,
the theme music plays for the last time?
You know, any words ofwisdom for, for the road?
- I'm not sure. Um, the realityis when I would ask these,
when I would ask gueststhat specific question,
it was usually because I'm like,
hmm, we have a bit more time.
If they, uh, want to addsomething else, they can fill
(51:07):
that time in a way because I
don't have a question to ask them.
So I'm not really sure that I do.
I think I've said a lotof great things, um,
and updates here I have reallyenjoyed these past four years
and, um, you know, I'm excited to see
what my future will hold.
Um, right now I'm really only on Instagram
(51:30):
and not that I'm reallyactive there anyway,
but, um, I know that a handfulof listeners are related
to me so they'll still knowwhat's going on in my life.
If you're not, I don't reallyhave a plan, um, to, for you
to like know what's what'sgoing on in my life.
And the reality is, is like this podcast,
while mine was never intendedreally to be about me
(51:50):
beyond like me facilitating it
and learning along with the listeners.
So I'm grateful foreveryone who has listened
and I'm grateful
and excited for, forwhat's to come in my life.
- Now with all of your guests.
At the end of the episode,
you ask your guests a random question.
(52:11):
All right, so here's my totallyrandom question for you.
All right. So you, we currentlyhave two beautiful boys,
uh, cats that is, we have Jack-Jackwho is four years old,
he's orange and white,
and just the, the most beautifulclingy boy you've ever met.
(52:33):
And then we have Sox who is all black
and a perfect, uh, angel,his eyes are full of wonder
and he doesn't cause a single stir ever.
My question for you,Sarah, is if we were to get
a third cat, what color would you want
that cat to be?
(52:53):
- Well, we do know that I have said
that this house is not bigenough for a third cat,
and we've already talkedabout third cat names,
but I, we got both of our cats
through the same rescue basically
because they, we hadmutual falling in love
when we got Jack-Jack.
(53:14):
The only thing I really said was
that I didn't really want a tabby
'cause for whateverreason, I had this like,
biased against tabbies.
Um, like I just, I wanted like, kind
of like a solid colored cat
and then Jack-Jack likecame out and was adorable
and it was like, well, I guessthat's the cat we're getting.
Um, and with Sox, itwas, I went into the cafe
(53:37):
one evening, took apicture of this floppy,
adorable little black cat, andColeman was like, oh my God,
I've gotta meet this cat.
Um, I think gray cats are really pretty.
Um, there was this one cat on TikTok
who when like he was super small,
was absolutely adorable and he was brown.
Um, I'm against, I no longer have my
(53:58):
bias against tabby cats.
Um, I think my reallyonly thing, again, I think
that the cat should love usand we should love the cat.
So I don't necessarilyhave a strong opinion about
what color the cat is, um,
but I would prefer thecat to not be orange
(54:19):
and white or all black just
because that is what we already have.
And I like having the cats look different
and have their own personalities.
All right. That bringsthis episode to a close.
(54:41):
For the listeners who havebeen here since the beginning,
I hope you enjoyed thiscorner of the internet.
I'm glad I could bring so manystories forward on my podcast
and I hope that youlearned a thing or two.
If you've only listened to afew episodes, I encourage you
to search through old episodes
as they won't be going anywhere.
A big thank you to Colemanfor being here with me today
and all the editing he'sdone over the years.
(55:01):
And to my listeners, thankyou for taking the time out
of your day to hear my last episode
and in the wise words ofone of our favorite bands.
All good things come to an end
to make room for new beginnings.
Bye.
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