058: My Break From Podcasting: Learning to Love the Balance

Feeling Burnt Out? You're Not Alone.

Ever feel like you're running on fumes? Like you're pushing yourself so hard that something's gotta give? Yeah, me too.

In this episode of The Savory Shot, we're diving deep into something we all face at some point: burnout. And trust me, it's a topic that's close to my heart.

Meet Mica, a fellow creative who gets it.

Mica McCook is an amazing food photographer from Austin, Texas. She's also the host of The Savory Shot, and she's been super open about her own struggles with burnout. In this episode, she shares her story and how she learned to prioritize her well-being.

What We Talk About:

• The pressure to be perfect: Mica talks about how trying to be perfect all the time led her to feel burnt out.
• Taking a break: She shares why she decided to step away from her podcast and how it helped her find balance again.
• Finding what works for YOU: Mica talks about how she focused on exercise, healthy eating, and her mental health to feel better.
• Making real connections: She shares her new goals for the podcast, which are all about connecting with people in a genuine way.

Ready to listen and learn?

Tune in to The Savory Shot and hear Mica's inspiring story. It's a powerful reminder that it's okay to slow down and take care of yourself.

 

💬 Join the Conversation

Savory Shot Shownote: https://micamccook.com/guests/breakfrompodcasting/

Website: https://micamccook.com/podcast

Instagram: www.instragram.com/mica.mccook

Instagram: www.instagram.com/thesavoryshotpodcast

Would you like to be a guest on the show? Fill out the guest form, and we'll be in touch soon.

Special Thanks

And before we wrap up, a huge shoutout to our sponsor, Flodesk, for supporting this episode. Don't forget to check out their email design services tailored for food photographers, and enjoy an exclusive discount just for our listeners!

So, are you ready to turn your limitations into your greatest strengths? Tune in now, and let's embark on this creative journey together. After all, the best masterpieces often come from the most unexpected places! 🚀✨ Get 50% off your first year by using the code: SAVORYSHOT50 Visit Flodesk now

Episode Transcript

Mica (00:00):
Welcome to the 58th episode of The Savory Shot, a podcast about the art

(00:07):
and soul of working in food photography.
I'm your host with the most, Mica McCook.
I'm a food photographerbased out of Austin, Texas.
Welcome to the show.
All right.
I know, y'all.
I know.
It's been a hot minutesince our last episode.

(00:28):
I swear to Dumbledore above, there'sa good reason for my disappearance.
To be completely and 100 percenthonest, I was burned out.
Completely overwhelmed.
I didn't even realize how badly Ineeded a break until my brain just said,

(00:48):
nope, and put the brakes on everything.
And I do mean everything.
This show means everything to me, y'all.
I say it every episode, and yet itstill doesn't feel like I say it enough.
But I am grateful to every guest whotakes time out of their busy day to come

(01:15):
on the show, and every listener who makesthe time to listen to these episodes.
I never want to let y'all down.
And sometimes I get caught up intrying to make everything perfect.
Running a podcast is a ton of work.
I've said this before, I'll sayit again, it's a ton of work.

(01:35):
And especially when you're carryingall that responsibility solo, add
pressure perfection to the mix andyou have yourself a burnt up pie.
So in short.
I took a break from everythingbecause I had a burnout and

(01:56):
you know what, that's okay.
Burnout happens to the best of us,especially when you're freelancing
and juggling all the things.
I remember feeling a tinge ofguilt when I finally admitted
to myself that I was burnt out.
Then I said, "Girl, you not the first, notthe only, and certainly won't be the last.

(02:18):
So get back up when you'reready to rock and roll."
If you ended 2024 feeling burnt out,or if you're still feeling burnt
out, please don't shame yourself.
Listen to your body, my friends.
Take a step back and truly restyour mind, your body, and your soul.

(02:38):
And don't set a timeline for your return.
Your intuitive self will letyou know when you're ready.
And when you're ready, you might realizethat you want to do something different.
And that's okay too.
So what have I been upto during this break?
2024 was a hard yearfor me, professionally.

(03:00):
I don't think I'd ever been testedthe way that I was until this year.
Had a lot of deepconversations with myself.
It felt like a lot of things were out ofmy control and I was running to keep up.
So I focused on what I couldcontrol, which was my health.

(03:25):
I started exercising, eating differently,and I lost about 66 pounds, so far.
I feel great physically, and mymind is in a much better head space.
I strength train on Mondays,Wednesdays, and Fridays.
I walk five miles onTuesdays and Thursdays.

(03:45):
And on Saturday, I go for my long walk,which is now up to eight and a half miles.
And y'all, this change has donewonders for my body, my diabetes,
but more importantly, it's boostedmy confidence to the sky and beyond.
I've learned so much about myselfand what I needed during this time.

(04:08):
And working out has helped me realizehow important it is to embrace
what I can do and not get hung upon what I think I should be doing.
It's about balance, that's for sure,ying and yang, up and down, left and
right, one and two, balance, balance.

(04:28):
Don't get me wrong, ya girl stillbelieves in pushing herself, but
I now believe that one needs torecognize one's limits at that moment.
My podcast is not, andwill never be perfect.
I'm not a professional podcasterwith a whole team behind me.

(04:48):
I don't have a fancy smancy studio.
I don't have a producer.
I don't have any of those things.
It's just me.
And this is what I cando when it's just me.
And that's going to be just fine.
So what I've been doing the last fewmonths is doing things that bring me joy.
Like genealogy research, divinginto a pile of romance novels.

(05:13):
If you are a fan of the romancenovels, let's swap stories.
I want to hear your book recommendation.
Of course, exercising and justfocusing on my mental well being.
It was a much needed total reset,and I feel so much better for it.
I can say wholeheartedly that I'mexcited to jump back into the podcast

(05:37):
with this fresh and renewed energy.
Your girl feels like she justdowned a whole pot of fresh brewed
espresso, so I'm ready to go.
I'm like running in step, like real fast,like Speedy Gonzales, I'm ready for it.
Now, you know your girl lovesresolutions and I make them every year.

(06:00):
I have three for the podcast.
First, I want to focus on creating greatinterviews and not so much podcast growth.
Last year, I made it a goalto monetize the Savory Shot.
I got so caught up in the numbers gamethat I lost sight of why I started
the podcast in the first place.

(06:20):
It became more about business andless about the joy of conversation.
And I'm done with that.
I want to create a space for genuineconnection, for insightful conversations.
That's what truly matters.
Not to say that 2024 wasn't fullof meaningful conversations.
They were.

(06:41):
They absolutely were.
But I don't think I appreciatedthem enough because I was more
focused on growing the podcast.
Second, I want to connect more with y'all.
The amazing and beautiful listeners.
I love this podcast and the relationshipsthat I've developed with some of y'all.

(07:05):
I want to hear from you.
I want to learn from you andshare this journey with you.
You're the reason why I do this.
And I never want to lose sight of that.
One of the biggest lessons I'velearned so far during this weight
loss journey is that small consistentsteps lead to big accomplishments.

(07:29):
You don't have to conquerthe world every single day.
I didn't lose 66 pounds in a week.
I sure as heck didn't lose it in a month.
I've lost it over the last eight and ahalf months with small actions every day.
So I want to be a good host.
And a good host is consistent.

(07:50):
So that's what I want to do.
I want to show up authenticallydoing what I can with what I have
without the pressure to be perfect.
And bonus goal y'all is to have fun.
I'm going to put out the best showthat I can with the resources that
I have and the time that I have.

(08:10):
And that's enough..
That's more than enough.
All I know is that 2025 isgoing to be an exciting year.
I am excited about theguests coming on the show.
I'm excited to release all of theepisodes that I didn't release in 2024
at the end of this month and next month.

(08:30):
I'm a big believer in fresh starts.
Each new year is a cleanslate, a chance to begin again.
So I'm not going to dwellon how I dropped the ball.
I am excited about picking itback up and moving forward.
And that's what I'm goingto put my energy into.
I'm going to let go of whatever shame,whatever disappointment, and move

(08:54):
forward with this renewed energy.
I'm really grateful for your patienceand your support, and I can't
wait to share this next chapterof the Savory Shot with y'all.
Stay tuned for amazing interviews.
Fun conversations anda whole lot of heart.
Come say hi to me over atmy Insta Mica dot McCook.

(09:19):
That's MICA dot McCook.
That's where I'm hangingout a lot these days.
Or you can send me an [e-mail].
Tell me what you've been up to.
Tell me how your New Year's was,how your holiday was, what goals
do you have, what resolutions?
You already know I'm a firm believerin resolutions and setting them,

(09:41):
so what are your intentions,your affirmations, all that jazz.
What goals do you havefor yourself in 2025?
Let's talk about it till then.
Hasta pasta.
Thanks for showing up.
Thanks for coming back.
This is a short and sweet episode.

(10:02):
The next episode, episode 59,you are in for a real treat.
So head on over to thatand have a good listen.
Bye, y'all.