August 10, 2025 • 34 mins
I'm absolutely obsessed with my guest Dr. Julie Marty Pearson! This powerhouse transformed her entire life during COVID, ditching a 20-year academia career to become a podcasting coach who helps women launch their own shows. Julie spills on "starting messy" (fellow perfectionists, this one's for us!), shares the heartbreaking foster kitten story that changed everything, and busts every myth keeping you stuck. Spoiler alert: you don't need fancy equipment, and yes, your story absolutely matters! If you've been sitting on a podcast idea or thinking about guesting on shows, Julie's energy will have you ready to hit record by the end of this episode!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:14):
Hi, everyone, Welcome to the Soul Podcasting Podcast. I have
an awesome guest today. I'm excited to talk with her.
Her name is doctor Julie Marty Pearson, and she is
a dynamic podcaster, a speaker, a coach. She's so many things.
She's a passionate storyteller, and she coaches women to be
awesome podcast guests, and she helps women to launch and
(00:38):
host their own show. She's also created the Women's Podcaster
Party Network Community, so I'm gonna be asking her about
that very shortly. But first off, welcome to the show, Julie.
Thank you for being here.
Speaker 2 (00:53):
Thank you so much for having me. I'm excited to
chat with you.
Speaker 1 (00:57):
You're welcome. This is exciting anytime I can talk with
podcast and we get to just talk podcasting, and it's
always exciting for me because we all have different perspectives
and different ways of looking at what we do. We're
doing the same thing but in different ways, so it
just makes it really exciting. Yeah. So, but you wear
a lot of different hats. So you are an advocate, speaker,
(01:18):
a podcaster, a coach. So I want to know your story,
your backstory. How did you get into this whole thing
of podcasting, and also share what your podcast is. If
you have more than one, share your podcast with us.
Speaker 2 (01:32):
Okay, so yeah, I have two podcasts currently. I'm always
coming up with new ideas. I think that's also the
role of the podcaster. My podcasts are the story of
my pet and podcast your story. They have two very
different purposes, but they're both a part of my story
and how I've gotten here and what I do now.
(01:53):
So I always like to say, before COVID, you know
we all I think we all talk in before COVID
and after. So for me, COVID was like a defining
moment because my career changed. Before COVID, I spent twenty
years working and teaching in higher education. I worked in
colleges and universities all over California. I taught psychology and statistics,
(02:18):
and I was also a staff and administrator at different schools.
I did a lot of research and accreditation work, so
that was kind of my life before. But to move
up in higher ede you have to move schools, so
I had to commute. There were times I was commuting
anywhere from two to five hours from home. Yes, several
(02:38):
years of time where I lived away from home. During
the week and came home on the weekend. I don't
necessarily recommend that life, but you know, we do what
we have.
Speaker 1 (02:49):
To in our careers.
Speaker 2 (02:51):
Yes, but the two years prior to COVID, my body
was starting to tell me, Okay, we may need to
reevaluate this situation. You know, living out of a suitcase
is not great. But I'd worked my whole life for
that career, so it was hard for me to kind
of visualize something else. But of course COVID hit and
I was actually off work at the time. I had
(03:13):
had surgery about six months before, and so I didn't
have a job. Schools were shut down, so it's not
like I could apply for jobs, and so it was
kind of that space for like, well, maybe this is
the moment I make a change. And I have a
doctor in organizational psychology and a part of that program
(03:33):
was learning how to be a coach. How to be
a coach for more for like corporate people, executives, But
we still went through how to be a coach, how
to coach people, what does that look like? So I'd
always wanted to be a coach in some way, and
so that's kind of what I decided, Well, let's try it,
Let's see what happens. So I started my coaching business.
(03:54):
At the time, I was doing career coaching because that's
what I knew I could help people very easily, but
I was not passionate about it at all. And through
the process of starting my business, taking all the classes,
getting all the coaches for myself, I took a podcasting
class and I really loved the idea of doing it.
But with career coaching, I never really got any momentum.
(04:16):
And again it was because it wasn't exciting to me
to get up every day and think, let's talk about resumes, right,
So I decided to just kind of put that aside
jump into podcasting, see if I even like it. So
I decided, what's something I can talk about without any notes,
and that's pets animals. And I've always been an animal
(04:39):
lover my whole life. I grew up with dogs. I've
just always been drawn to animals. They're my people. I
guess maybe it's because I can't talk back. I'm an introvert,
so I really connect deeply with animals. And my own
pets have helped me a lot through my life with
health issues, mental health things, just regular life stuff. So
I got on Zoom with some friends and we talked
(05:01):
about pets, and I put out episodes they weren't edited,
and people started listening, people started asking to be on.
And now three and a half years later, the story
my Pet is a top five percent podcast. It is
still tiny, but it is mighty, and it's kind of
now my passion project where I get to advocate and
educate and really talk about something I love. And so
(05:23):
that journey led me to leave career coaching behind and
go full into podcasting.
Speaker 1 (05:29):
Wow, just because you felt the passion for podcasting and
you were from that, you were willing to leave behind
everything you have worked for and now move into something new.
That transition happened because of your passion. So I always
like to see how passion plays a huge role in
podcasting because most of us don't jump into it because
(05:49):
we think right away we're going to make a lot
of money. We do it because we're passionate, and then
the money comes later, right, So I love it. I
love it. And then that said, so we're going to
move into this idea of starting messy because I think
many times people want to creatives in particular want to
start a podcast, but feel like we have to get
(06:10):
everything in order, get our ducks in a row, figure
out like fifty different you know, episode ideas before we start,
have all the right equipment, just basically overthinking, and so
how can we get out of that rut? And how
do we do what we call learn by starting messy?
Some ideas for us?
Speaker 2 (06:32):
Yeah, you know it was hard for me. I'm a virgo,
so starting messy is not in my DNA. And you
know I have two masters and a doctorate. I'm a
good student, I'm good at doing things a certain way.
So podcasting kind of pushed me out of that comfort zone.
And so when I say start messy, I say start
where you are. So a lot of my coaching is
(06:54):
really talking to women like what are you doing? Like, oh,
I go live here or I do this on YouTube. Okay,
well let's start there and build like where are you
already at? And build on what you've created. But I
also with podcasting, I often talk to people about like
why you have to know your why before you start.
You don't just start to start right right, So I
(07:19):
always you want to start messy, but you want to
know why you're starting and what it's for. But also
when I say start messy, I say try it and
see if you even like it. I had no idea
if I would even like podcasting. It was a brand
new world. I'd never edited audio or video or did
any of that sort of thing. And working in Higher
(07:40):
Ed we didn't use zubalat all of our meetings and
things were in person, So just the whole online space
was new to me. And what I realized was I
need to get on and do it and put it
out and see if anybody even resonates with it, wants
to listen Do people even want to listen to podcasts
about pets? That sort of thing? Right? And I say
(08:00):
the same thing when people ask me about guesting. It's like, well,
before you put a lot of effort into it, why
don't you try it and see if you like it?
Is this how you want to spend your time?
Speaker 1 (08:10):
Yeah? Yeah, absolutely, It's like I love what you said,
start where you are, and that sometimes looks messy, feels messy,
feels uncertain because we don't know what we're doing really
when we're first starting. So just starting with with that
and having someone like you, having a coach that can
help us through that first couple of missteps, right, and
(08:33):
we'll figure it out. Yeah, you know.
Speaker 2 (08:35):
And I also I also want to add to the
start messy is you don't have to have all your
ducks in a row. You don't have to have all
the things, Like I have a coach who helps women
who are like me, indie podcasters. We do it all ourselves,
or we have one or two people helping us, right,
I want you to be able to test out if
you even like the interview process, the editing process, the publishing,
(08:58):
like those are all things you don't know until you
do it exactly. And I also know that podcasting is
a fast paced, changing platform, dynamic media, whatever you call it.
So you don't want to learn all the things because
trust me, next week it'll probably change.
Speaker 1 (09:16):
It'll change, that is for sure. It will change. And
so like you said, trying out the different pieces of podcasting,
there's so many different parts of it. Maybe we don't
like the editing and we can hand that off to
someone else. Maybe we don't like the showing up and
doing the interviews, and maybe we just do solo podcasts.
So like you said, just seeing what works.
Speaker 2 (09:36):
So that, yeah, and I think a big part of
it is also being authentic to you. I think a
lot of us in business see someone else be doing
well at something or being popular or successful, and we're like, oh, well,
I want to be like them, But no, no, you're you.
You need I tell people over and over again, if
you're gonna podcast as a guest, as a host, or anything,
(10:00):
you have to be you. You have to show up
as yourself because that's what people are going to connect.
Speaker 1 (10:04):
With exactly, that's what they're looking for. And you are
so right about the comparison trap that is. It's something
we battle with in every aspect of life, but when
it comes to podcasting, it's there too, and we have
to contend with the fact that other people are doing
really well, and some of them are. Some podcasters are,
(10:25):
They've got millions of downloads a year. So that's just
what it is. And if we are just starting and
we're trying to be at the place they are overnight,
of course it's not going to happen. It's not going
to work that way. We have to work our way
up to that point. But meanwhile, let's just enjoy the
process and enjoy the art of podcasting and showing up
like you said, like, we are showing up as ourselves,
(10:48):
not being someone else, but just being who we are,
transparent and real. So that's all good. That's good. And
then community, right, so we got to do this in community.
Doing it on our own is I think podcasting needs.
We need community in this type of thing, this this
podcasting world, because it's really really lonely. Otherwise, I mean
(11:12):
it's hard because our voices, we kind of feel like
our voice is going out into the void.
Speaker 2 (11:16):
Right, Yes, that's what was just in my head. It's
like I sometimes I feel like, hello, hello, could anyone
hear me?
Speaker 1 (11:23):
Like?
Speaker 2 (11:23):
Could you? Especially solo episodes, you just feel like I'm
talking to myself? Does this even make sense? Who's listening? Please?
Somebody say something?
Speaker 1 (11:30):
Right?
Speaker 2 (11:31):
It can be a very isolating and lonely place.
Speaker 1 (11:35):
Isolating that's the what I was looking for. So that's
why we need each other. And you have a community.
It's the Women's Podcaster Party. Is that right correct? Okay? Yes?
Tell me about it how you started it?
Speaker 2 (11:49):
Well, first, I want to say, community is everything. I
have found that in business, in podcasting. I would not
still be here today if I hadn't found amazing communities
of other peace, other podcasters, and I had a great
community of these this pair of podcasters that really it
was small, but they helped us and they were accessible,
(12:11):
and it made it seem like doable, and that's what
helped me grow. But it also pushed me to help
other people. So a little over a year ago, I
decided that I love my communities. I already have shout
out to Podfast that is an amazing community to be
a part of, but it's big, right, and it's all
different kinds of podcasts. So I decided, maybe we need
(12:34):
a space just for women because as women in podcasting,
we talk about different topics often than men do. But
we also talk about things differently than men.
Speaker 1 (12:45):
Do you know?
Speaker 2 (12:46):
We vibe differently as women talking to women versus women
talking to men. So I wanted to create a space
for women to come and say the things maybe they
don't want to say in a big zoom meeting, but
also be able to learn from those of us that
are doing it so they're not having to start out without,
you know, learn from us, learn from our mistakes, learn
from what we have gained through our journey. So I
(13:09):
created the Women's Podcaster Party one to kind of make
it fun right networking can get boring, but also to
kind of create a network of women podcasters guest speakers
who can come together on a regular basis and network,
find new connections, maybe find a new podcast, a guest on,
or find a new guest, but also to learn. And
(13:32):
so a part of that community is also I bring
in a featured speaker every month, typically a woman that
either is a podcaster or has her business relates to
podcasting in some way, and I just bring them in
and let them tell their story and let people ask
them questions about what they do. And you know, there
were points I questioned, should I keep doing this? It's
(13:53):
a lot of time and effort, and then I kind
of felt a momentum kind of shift, and so a
year later, we're still here. We had I just recently
had one of my parties, and it's just a great
place for women to come and meet each other and
connect and ask questions and get feedback from each other.
So I'm really proud that it's still going, and I
(14:16):
hope that it continues to grow and grow into many
new other opportunities.
Speaker 1 (14:21):
I hope so too. Congratulations on a year of showing
up and remaining consistent and being available. Like you said,
accessibility is something that we need in podcasting, and there's
so many what we feel like are barriers to entry
and so when we have access to people who are
willing to share their knowledge and expertise, that makes it
(14:43):
so much easier for us to keep doing the podcasting
work right, And so thank you for having the community
and for just showing up and being consistent.
Speaker 2 (14:52):
Thank you. Yeah, it's work, right, It's work.
Speaker 1 (14:55):
It is all it is, but it's worth it. And
I just think you your health. So many people to
remain true to their calling to do their work and
let their voice be hard, so you're helping them and
that's amazing. Now you have two shows, and I kind
of want to hear about like what these two shows
are and then like what having two different episodes or
(15:16):
two different podcasts has shown you about storytelling and connection.
Speaker 2 (15:22):
Oh, that's a great question. So I have definitely learned
through my podcasting journey how important storytelling is. And you know,
a part of it is our legacy is how do
we what is our legacy we're leaving behind? But it's
also what I've realized is when you're trying to help
someone when you're trying to support someone or you're even
(15:46):
trying to educate someone that you know just shoving a
bunch of information and statistics at them. And I can
say this as someone who taught statistics is not going
to do it. You know, we retain that kind of
information much much less than we do if we're connecting
to someone through their story, through their experience. So for me,
(16:07):
that started with the story of my pet. I got
to talk about my own experiences. But then I started
having a lot of people on the show who work
in animal shelters, who volunteer, who rescue, who foster, And
what I realized was the power of their stories their
experiences is what's going to change people's mind about why
(16:29):
you should adopt and not buy from a breeder, why
you should foster, why you should do the things that
we all need you to do to help animals in
our world. And so I kind of learned through listening
but also telling my own stories. And I also realized
how healing storytelling is. One big experience I had with
(16:49):
my pet podcast was I thought I was an animal advocate,
but I really know about this much of the reality
of that world of animal welfare rescue, whatever it is.
And so I've changed, I volunteered, i've fostered, I've even worked.
But my first foster, Kiden, unfortunately passed away in my arms,
and it was very traumatic for me. And I'm not
(17:12):
an overemotional person, but I was a mess. And eventually
I got on the mic and I talked about it,
and I just talked through the hole. I had him
for like four days, and I just talked through the
whole experience. So for me, that was healing because it's
like get it out of me and like release it.
But I also thought, if someone's listening and they had
a bad first experience fostering, they didn't ever want to
(17:34):
do it again. I want to say, you know, listen
to me. I know it's hard. It was awful, but
I got over it. And the day I finally took
his carrier back to the shelter, they had just gotten
in a litter of two week old kittens with no mom,
and shelters are legally not allowed to keep kittens that
are not old enough to eat on their own. They
(17:56):
would actually end up being euthanized if they can't find
a foster.
Speaker 1 (18:00):
So it was like.
Speaker 2 (18:00):
Okay, little beanks, you're telling me I brought the litter
of six home and it was a full time job.
Speaker 1 (18:09):
Six.
Speaker 2 (18:11):
Yeah, you bottle feed the first one. By the time
you get to number six, number one's hungry again.
Speaker 1 (18:17):
Wow. So how long did this go on for?
Speaker 2 (18:20):
Well, I had them for six and a half weeks,
although not that you know, after a couple of weeks
they start eating on their own. But let me tell you,
six kittens are messy. And you know, it was a
great experience though it was also very healing, and then
I also wanted to share that, so we're like, look,
(18:41):
I went through a very hard thing and I thought,
how could I ever do this again? But then the
timing and one of those kittens, this little baby behind me, Pumpkin,
when I took them back to the shelter to be adopted.
I adopted her and she is our youngest cat, and
she is a crazy calico who brings us joy and
(19:04):
laughter every day.
Speaker 1 (19:05):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (19:06):
And you know, it's just like when I say podcasts
you change my life, I really mean it. There been
I have probably a million stories I could tell, but
I say that because I found a community, but I
also found a place where there were more people like me,
women in their forties who didn't have human kids, who
had for kids, who loved their animals and want to help,
(19:27):
and so it really opened up my world in a
lot of ways. But it also I also realized that
me sharing my story could be helping someone out there
that I don't know but who really needs to hear it.
And that kind of was the evolution from Pets to
my other podcast, which is all about women and women
sharing their story and helping each other by saying, hey,
I've been there, let me help you.
Speaker 1 (19:49):
That's amazing. I love hearing that. I just I love
how you came into podcasting, but also just like how
you use it. You used it for help others, but
like you told your stories and it was cathartic for you.
It was it was therapeutic, and then as you were
going through your pain, you shared that with people, and
(20:10):
so you made some really deep connections with people. Even
those who have never told you feel that connection because.
Speaker 2 (20:16):
Of your you know it, It's such a weird feeling
to be a podcaster. I've been at a few conferences
where I'll be like, hi, I'm Julie and someone will say, oh, yeah,
I know I follow you, and it's like it's a
weird it's a weird thing, right, like you you know,
you and I follow each other and it's like it's weird.
It's like I know you, but I don't, right. But
then that also has taught me, like I have no
idea who's listening, Like I was on a top chart
(20:38):
for my PEED podcast in Pakistan at one point, in
India and all these places that I'm like, I don't
know who this is, but wow, like somebody somewhere else
is learning from what I'm saying, what my guests are
talking about. And that's a very powerful feeling.
Speaker 1 (20:54):
It really is. When I know. One thing I love
to do is look at look at the stats, but
look get the country that are listening in And that's
just that's amazing to me that we can work as podcasters,
we can make a worldwide impact, that people from all
over the world are listening into what we have to say,
and how else can that happen as quickly and as
(21:15):
you know, just as quickly as with podcasting so fast, right,
you just get on a microphone and hit published and
it's on an RSS speed and someone like you said
in India is listening to you.
Speaker 2 (21:26):
It's amazing, right, Yeah, it is amazing. Yeah, well it
can be a little overwhelming sometimes.
Speaker 1 (21:32):
That's for sure, because you don't know who's listening. But yeah,
you know you're making an impact on someone's life with
your personal stories. So that said, I wanted to ask
you about advocacy because I know that many women want
to use podcasting to advocate and to use their voice
to amplify their voice, but don't know where to begin.
So I want your advice on first steps. I know
(21:55):
you coach a lot of women through this, So what
would you say they should do first they want to
use their voice in this way.
Speaker 2 (22:02):
Well, one thing I definitely say is do your research.
And that can mean a lot of different things. But
if you are really passionate about a topic or an area,
you know, I know people. I have friends who have
podcasts about sustainability, about being a widow, about you know, crafting,
about true crime. I have someone I met by listening
(22:24):
and reaching out to her. She has a true crime
podcast about solving her father's murder that has been unsolved
for twenty some something years. So people come to podcasting
for so many different reasons. But there's a connection. There's
a reason we're passionate about that topic. So if there's
something you're passionate about someone listening out there, look at
(22:45):
the podcast that exists. Like search your topic, search your
niche look at categories. What are people doing. That's a
good way to see, like, oh, people are talking about this.
My first client that I helped launch her own podcast,
she wanted to have a podcast about dogs, soul dogs.
She had a soul dog who changed her life and
she wanted to kind of share that and share other
(23:06):
people's stories. But she met with a coach that told
her that was a stupid idea and no one wanted
to listen to a podcast about dead dogs.
Speaker 1 (23:14):
Oh just she killed her dream.
Speaker 2 (23:18):
Yes, and she found my podcast and listened. She was like, hey,
she's kind of doing this. She's talking about pets that
are here. Now I talk about my own childhood pets.
So she reached out and we talked and she was like,
you get it, and I go, I get it. You
have to find the people to get it. So when
I say research, it's also about seeing like what are
(23:39):
people doing? But what aren't they doing? What stories aren't
being told? Where's the void that you can help fill
and help someone like I helped her realize, No, you
have a valid idea. Someone needs to hear this story too.
Let's get it out there.
Speaker 1 (23:53):
Absolutely absolutely there's someone for everyone. And and like you said,
there are subjects that haven't maybe been explored, maybe touched,
but maybe not explored and definitely not the way each
individual has the ability to bring to the table right
so that we have a take on things.
Speaker 2 (24:13):
We all have a unique perspective. And I also talk
about research because people think, especially women, oh, people are
already doing that. No one needs to hear me. You
know that we always talk ourselves down. But also you
have to realize, yes, there are millions of podcasts, but
only a fraction of them are actually active. So if
(24:34):
you find a bunch on a topic you're talking at,
look at the last episode. Was it this year, was
it three years ago? You know, people pause, people fade,
people come back, And I take breaks on my pet
podcast sometimes for months. But so part of that research
is realizing it doesn't matter if there's a thousand other
(24:54):
pet podcasts. Mine is right for a certain person. And
that's what I'm going to keep doing.
Speaker 1 (24:59):
Yeah, yeah, that's what you said in the beginning to
know your why. If you know who you're doing this for,
then everything else is just kind of irrelevant because you
know who your people are, you know who you're talking to,
who you want to reach, and so there's room for
everyone in podcasting. And then I just want to ask
you too about some ideas that we may have that
(25:20):
can hold us back. Right So maybe some myths that
you know that we have about launching a show or
being a guest on a show, so you can be
a MythBuster right now.
Speaker 2 (25:31):
And yes, I love it being a MythBuster. So the
first one I will say is the biggest myth is
you have to it has to cost a lot and
have to have expensive equipment to start a podcast. No,
and no, for sure, I have a Samson qu two.
It is like sixty dollars on Amazon and many podcast
(25:52):
your friends use it. You know, I don't have a
lot of fancy equipment. I've evolved through my process. But
but you know, you don't have to have the most
expensive thing. You also don't have to pay somebody a
ton of money to start one. Like I'm here to
tell you can do a podcast on a budget. You
can make it work. And that's also part of understanding
(26:16):
what your time and resources are before you start, so
you set it up in a reasonable way. So that's
definitely one of the biggest myths. One about guesting is
that you have to have been a guest to be
able to be on a show. No, or you have
to be a professional speaker to be on to be
interviewed as a guest. Those are all no. I mean,
(26:36):
I used to speak in my old career, but I
hadn't spoken at all as a podcaster, and I just
started guesting fun stuff like my first one was about
movies I love, and another one was about something else
or my doctoral program journey. You know, whatever it is
to start and that will be your practice. So I
think those are some of the big myths. Is that
people think they have to have all the things and
(26:58):
all the fancy stuff has to be this, or that
there's ways to make a podcast in so many different ways.
And another myth is you have to edit it and
have great sound quality. No, that is why YouTube is popular,
live streaming video interruptions, all the things, it doesn't matter,
It's about the content.
Speaker 1 (27:20):
So true. Oh, I love all all of these tips because,
for one, I'm just sitting here looking at this blue
yetti that I have here. This was like maybe sixty bucks.
I've been using this for three years, and before that,
I used a microphone for ten years, and so these
are the tools I've had for the lifetime of podcasting.
And then I just have my computer here, So I mean,
(27:42):
it doesn't take much and there are so many free
tools out there. So I love that you busted that
myth that there's no barriers to entering when it comes
to equipment. There's a lot of free stuff out there.
And then going live, that is what my husband does
with his podcast. He just goes live on LinkedIn and
that's the podcast.
Speaker 2 (27:58):
So right, And that is also what I love about
podcasts is there's so many ways you can do it,
like say podcasts, and that means something different to every
person in the room.
Speaker 1 (28:10):
Right.
Speaker 2 (28:11):
I always say traditional podcasts are RSS feed audio only,
which is how I started. But I eventually started putting
the video on YouTube, and I want to expand and
test out some live streaming. But that's up to me.
No one says I have to do. You don't have
to check all the boxes. It's whatever you feel comfortable with.
Some people feel comfortable with recording and being able to edit.
(28:33):
Some people are like, I don't want to edit. I'm
going live, then I don't have to worry about it.
Speaker 1 (28:37):
So it's whatever feels right for you in the space.
And so everybody has a different comfort zone of how
they want to show up online. Some people want super
edits and some people are just like, no, I don't
want to deal with that, right, Just let me show
up with my content or not even with content. I'll
just show up and start talking, right.
Speaker 2 (29:00):
And you know, I have so many women say to
me in conversation, like, well, don't I have to do video?
Don't I have to do this? And it's like, no,
there's no podcast police, guys. You get to decide what
it looks like. And you know, for me, I love interviewing,
like that is my happy place. And part of it
is because being educated in psychology, and you know, as
(29:22):
a college student, I was taught how to run focus groups,
how to run interviews, to do it for other reasons.
So that is natural because those are skills I've had
for decades. Sitting by myself with the mic, coming up
with a topic off my head and talking to myself
is hard for me because I want that interaction. So
my podcasts have more interviews. That doesn't mean I don't
(29:43):
push myself to do solos, but that's where I spend
more of my time because that's what I enjoy doing.
So part of it it also is finding what you
enjoy and what you like to do. I have a
friend who had a podcast, never interview to anyone, It
was all her. It was her personal stories journal, and
she was an amazing storyteller, and so she had that
(30:07):
in her and she did it and it was amazing.
So it's also figuring out, like, you don't have to
do it if you don't enjoy it.
Speaker 1 (30:15):
It's exactly exactly. It's like, you know, like you said,
there's no police here. Nobody is going to get in
trouble for doing podcasting a little bit differently. And if
you come up with another idea that works for you
that you haven't heard of anyone else doing, try it
and see maybe it will become a thing. And so
I love that about podcasting. It's a wide open space.
(30:36):
It's very grassroots, it's very whatever we want to evolve
it into, and so I just think it's a free
area to explore and everyone should try it out. Who's
interested in like telling their story and and right if
they want to connect it with their business somehow, just
to see how it works in tandem with the business
(30:56):
or their organization or something like that. So I love that. Now,
where can listeners find out more about what you do, because,
like you said, you have community and that's so needed.
We don't want to be doing it on our own.
So all us about your community, about your coaching, and
about any networking events you have.
Speaker 2 (31:16):
So the best way to find me is my website,
which is simply juliemartypearson dot com. All of my events,
all of my networking, all the things are there at
both of my podcasts. And you know, the one thing
I really say is if you are interested in podcasting,
you want to be a guest, you want to guess more,
you maybe want to start a podcast, just come to
(31:37):
one of my networking and learn. Listen to other people.
What are they doing are why are they doing it
that way? Because it's really a space for people to learn.
But I've also just recently started a low cost membership
on top of that. The networking will always be free
and open to anyone, but the membership's going to give
me space to do more group coaching, to do practice
(31:58):
interviews asked all the time. I don't even know how
to be interviewed. I need help. Okay, let's jump on
and I'll interview you, right, big poor friends who need
to learn how to be a good interviewer. Okay, let's
figure that out too. So I've kind of created that
podcast your story community membership as that next level of support,
(32:19):
but keeping it at a low cost because I want
people who are like me when I first started. I
can't afford a lot, but twenty bucks a month or
thirty bucks a month, okay, I can get some support
and maybe get more space to ask the questions I
really want to ask.
Speaker 1 (32:33):
I love that. I love that you're providing community and
support and just collaboration amongst podcasters. So that is wonderful.
I want to ask you if you have one more
piece of advice for anyone listening today that is on
the edge, maybe thinking about starting a podcast. Not sure,
but they've heard all thirty minutes of us talking about
(32:55):
it's going to be okay, you can do this. But
what last thing would you say on today's show?
Speaker 2 (33:01):
I would say that you don't know until you try,
and so maybe try it and see what you think,
if you'd like it, if you like the feel of it.
But I also say don't express immediate reactions, like podcasting
is a long game, folks, it is you may not
(33:22):
see the ripple effects for a few weeks, months, even years.
I know people who've been podcasting for years and now
they're really seeing the impact on their business. So I
always say, try it and see if you like it,
but please have realistic expectations because a lot of people
jump into podcasting thinking I'm gonna make money, but that's
not really what it's about. It really is about the
(33:45):
community and the storytelling. So tap into that. And if
you have friends who are podcasters, you have friends who
are also thinking about it, just get on the mic
and try it and talk to each other and put
it out there. Because one thing I do know, and
this is really what I want to leave people with.
Everyone has a story to tell, and there is someone
(34:05):
who needs to hear your story, and so I want
people to realize that your story and experience matters, and
podcasting is the fastest way to share that with the world.
So if you're on the fence, please just try it,
and if you have questioned and need a little help,
reach out to me. I'm happy to meet with you
and talk through it with you.
Speaker 1 (34:27):
That is awesome. Thank you so much for your encouragement
today on the show. And I know that people listening
who are thinking about starting that show feel inspired at
this point and I have a little boost, a little
encouragement to get moving on it. So there's all kinds
of help out here, and the podcasting community is very open,
we're very friendly, so we're all willing to help. So
(34:50):
I'm glad that you were on the show today and
I appreciate you. Thank you for being here, Thank you
so much for having me
Hi, everyone, Welcome to the Soul Podcasting Podcast. I have
an awesome guest today. I'm excited to talk with her.
Her name is doctor Julie Marty Pearson, and she is
a dynamic podcaster, a speaker, a coach. She's so many things.
She's a passionate storyteller, and she coaches women to be
awesome podcast guests, and she helps women to launch and
(00:38):
host their own show. She's also created the Women's Podcaster
Party Network Community, so I'm gonna be asking her about
that very shortly. But first off, welcome to the show, Julie.
Thank you for being here.
Speaker 2 (00:53):
Thank you so much for having me. I'm excited to
chat with you.
Speaker 1 (00:57):
You're welcome. This is exciting anytime I can talk with
podcast and we get to just talk podcasting, and it's
always exciting for me because we all have different perspectives
and different ways of looking at what we do. We're
doing the same thing but in different ways, so it
just makes it really exciting. Yeah. So, but you wear
a lot of different hats. So you are an advocate, speaker,
(01:18):
a podcaster, a coach. So I want to know your story,
your backstory. How did you get into this whole thing
of podcasting, and also share what your podcast is. If
you have more than one, share your podcast with us.
Speaker 2 (01:32):
Okay, so yeah, I have two podcasts currently. I'm always
coming up with new ideas. I think that's also the
role of the podcaster. My podcasts are the story of
my pet and podcast your story. They have two very
different purposes, but they're both a part of my story
and how I've gotten here and what I do now.
(01:53):
So I always like to say, before COVID, you know
we all I think we all talk in before COVID
and after. So for me, COVID was like a defining
moment because my career changed. Before COVID, I spent twenty
years working and teaching in higher education. I worked in
colleges and universities all over California. I taught psychology and statistics,
(02:18):
and I was also a staff and administrator at different schools.
I did a lot of research and accreditation work, so
that was kind of my life before. But to move
up in higher ede you have to move schools, so
I had to commute. There were times I was commuting
anywhere from two to five hours from home. Yes, several
(02:38):
years of time where I lived away from home. During
the week and came home on the weekend. I don't
necessarily recommend that life, but you know, we do what
we have.
Speaker 1 (02:49):
To in our careers.
Speaker 2 (02:51):
Yes, but the two years prior to COVID, my body
was starting to tell me, Okay, we may need to
reevaluate this situation. You know, living out of a suitcase
is not great. But I'd worked my whole life for
that career, so it was hard for me to kind
of visualize something else. But of course COVID hit and
I was actually off work at the time. I had
(03:13):
had surgery about six months before, and so I didn't
have a job. Schools were shut down, so it's not
like I could apply for jobs, and so it was
kind of that space for like, well, maybe this is
the moment I make a change. And I have a
doctor in organizational psychology and a part of that program
(03:33):
was learning how to be a coach. How to be
a coach for more for like corporate people, executives, But
we still went through how to be a coach, how
to coach people, what does that look like? So I'd
always wanted to be a coach in some way, and
so that's kind of what I decided, Well, let's try it,
Let's see what happens. So I started my coaching business.
(03:54):
At the time, I was doing career coaching because that's
what I knew I could help people very easily, but
I was not passionate about it at all. And through
the process of starting my business, taking all the classes,
getting all the coaches for myself, I took a podcasting
class and I really loved the idea of doing it.
But with career coaching, I never really got any momentum.
(04:16):
And again it was because it wasn't exciting to me
to get up every day and think, let's talk about resumes, right,
So I decided to just kind of put that aside
jump into podcasting, see if I even like it. So
I decided, what's something I can talk about without any notes,
and that's pets animals. And I've always been an animal
(04:39):
lover my whole life. I grew up with dogs. I've
just always been drawn to animals. They're my people. I
guess maybe it's because I can't talk back. I'm an introvert,
so I really connect deeply with animals. And my own
pets have helped me a lot through my life with
health issues, mental health things, just regular life stuff. So
I got on Zoom with some friends and we talked
(05:01):
about pets, and I put out episodes they weren't edited,
and people started listening, people started asking to be on.
And now three and a half years later, the story
my Pet is a top five percent podcast. It is
still tiny, but it is mighty, and it's kind of
now my passion project where I get to advocate and
educate and really talk about something I love. And so
(05:23):
that journey led me to leave career coaching behind and
go full into podcasting.
Speaker 1 (05:29):
Wow, just because you felt the passion for podcasting and
you were from that, you were willing to leave behind
everything you have worked for and now move into something new.
That transition happened because of your passion. So I always
like to see how passion plays a huge role in
podcasting because most of us don't jump into it because
(05:49):
we think right away we're going to make a lot
of money. We do it because we're passionate, and then
the money comes later, right, So I love it. I
love it. And then that said, so we're going to
move into this idea of starting messy because I think
many times people want to creatives in particular want to
start a podcast, but feel like we have to get
(06:10):
everything in order, get our ducks in a row, figure
out like fifty different you know, episode ideas before we start,
have all the right equipment, just basically overthinking, and so
how can we get out of that rut? And how
do we do what we call learn by starting messy?
Some ideas for us?
Speaker 2 (06:32):
Yeah, you know it was hard for me. I'm a virgo,
so starting messy is not in my DNA. And you
know I have two masters and a doctorate. I'm a
good student, I'm good at doing things a certain way.
So podcasting kind of pushed me out of that comfort zone.
And so when I say start messy, I say start
where you are. So a lot of my coaching is
(06:54):
really talking to women like what are you doing? Like, oh,
I go live here or I do this on YouTube. Okay,
well let's start there and build like where are you
already at? And build on what you've created. But I
also with podcasting, I often talk to people about like
why you have to know your why before you start.
You don't just start to start right right, So I
(07:19):
always you want to start messy, but you want to
know why you're starting and what it's for. But also
when I say start messy, I say try it and
see if you even like it. I had no idea
if I would even like podcasting. It was a brand
new world. I'd never edited audio or video or did
any of that sort of thing. And working in Higher
(07:40):
Ed we didn't use zubalat all of our meetings and
things were in person, So just the whole online space
was new to me. And what I realized was I
need to get on and do it and put it
out and see if anybody even resonates with it, wants
to listen Do people even want to listen to podcasts
about pets? That sort of thing? Right? And I say
(08:00):
the same thing when people ask me about guesting. It's like, well,
before you put a lot of effort into it, why
don't you try it and see if you like it?
Is this how you want to spend your time?
Speaker 1 (08:10):
Yeah? Yeah, absolutely, It's like I love what you said,
start where you are, and that sometimes looks messy, feels messy,
feels uncertain because we don't know what we're doing really
when we're first starting. So just starting with with that
and having someone like you, having a coach that can
help us through that first couple of missteps, right, and
(08:33):
we'll figure it out. Yeah, you know.
Speaker 2 (08:35):
And I also I also want to add to the
start messy is you don't have to have all your
ducks in a row. You don't have to have all
the things, Like I have a coach who helps women
who are like me, indie podcasters. We do it all ourselves,
or we have one or two people helping us, right,
I want you to be able to test out if
you even like the interview process, the editing process, the publishing,
(08:58):
like those are all things you don't know until you
do it exactly. And I also know that podcasting is
a fast paced, changing platform, dynamic media, whatever you call it.
So you don't want to learn all the things because
trust me, next week it'll probably change.
Speaker 1 (09:16):
It'll change, that is for sure. It will change. And
so like you said, trying out the different pieces of podcasting,
there's so many different parts of it. Maybe we don't
like the editing and we can hand that off to
someone else. Maybe we don't like the showing up and
doing the interviews, and maybe we just do solo podcasts.
So like you said, just seeing what works.
Speaker 2 (09:36):
So that, yeah, and I think a big part of
it is also being authentic to you. I think a
lot of us in business see someone else be doing
well at something or being popular or successful, and we're like, oh, well,
I want to be like them, But no, no, you're you.
You need I tell people over and over again, if
you're gonna podcast as a guest, as a host, or anything,
(10:00):
you have to be you. You have to show up
as yourself because that's what people are going to connect.
Speaker 1 (10:04):
With exactly, that's what they're looking for. And you are
so right about the comparison trap that is. It's something
we battle with in every aspect of life, but when
it comes to podcasting, it's there too, and we have
to contend with the fact that other people are doing
really well, and some of them are. Some podcasters are,
(10:25):
They've got millions of downloads a year. So that's just
what it is. And if we are just starting and
we're trying to be at the place they are overnight,
of course it's not going to happen. It's not going
to work that way. We have to work our way
up to that point. But meanwhile, let's just enjoy the
process and enjoy the art of podcasting and showing up
like you said, like, we are showing up as ourselves,
(10:48):
not being someone else, but just being who we are,
transparent and real. So that's all good. That's good. And
then community, right, so we got to do this in community.
Doing it on our own is I think podcasting needs.
We need community in this type of thing, this this
podcasting world, because it's really really lonely. Otherwise, I mean
(11:12):
it's hard because our voices, we kind of feel like
our voice is going out into the void.
Speaker 2 (11:16):
Right, Yes, that's what was just in my head. It's
like I sometimes I feel like, hello, hello, could anyone
hear me?
Speaker 1 (11:23):
Like?
Speaker 2 (11:23):
Could you? Especially solo episodes, you just feel like I'm
talking to myself? Does this even make sense? Who's listening? Please?
Somebody say something?
Speaker 1 (11:30):
Right?
Speaker 2 (11:31):
It can be a very isolating and lonely place.
Speaker 1 (11:35):
Isolating that's the what I was looking for. So that's
why we need each other. And you have a community.
It's the Women's Podcaster Party. Is that right correct? Okay? Yes?
Tell me about it how you started it?
Speaker 2 (11:49):
Well, first, I want to say, community is everything. I
have found that in business, in podcasting. I would not
still be here today if I hadn't found amazing communities
of other peace, other podcasters, and I had a great
community of these this pair of podcasters that really it
was small, but they helped us and they were accessible,
(12:11):
and it made it seem like doable, and that's what
helped me grow. But it also pushed me to help
other people. So a little over a year ago, I
decided that I love my communities. I already have shout
out to Podfast that is an amazing community to be
a part of, but it's big, right, and it's all
different kinds of podcasts. So I decided, maybe we need
(12:34):
a space just for women because as women in podcasting,
we talk about different topics often than men do. But
we also talk about things differently than men.
Speaker 1 (12:45):
Do you know?
Speaker 2 (12:46):
We vibe differently as women talking to women versus women
talking to men. So I wanted to create a space
for women to come and say the things maybe they
don't want to say in a big zoom meeting, but
also be able to learn from those of us that
are doing it so they're not having to start out without,
you know, learn from us, learn from our mistakes, learn
from what we have gained through our journey. So I
(13:09):
created the Women's Podcaster Party one to kind of make
it fun right networking can get boring, but also to
kind of create a network of women podcasters guest speakers
who can come together on a regular basis and network,
find new connections, maybe find a new podcast, a guest on,
or find a new guest, but also to learn. And
(13:32):
so a part of that community is also I bring
in a featured speaker every month, typically a woman that
either is a podcaster or has her business relates to
podcasting in some way, and I just bring them in
and let them tell their story and let people ask
them questions about what they do. And you know, there
were points I questioned, should I keep doing this? It's
(13:53):
a lot of time and effort, and then I kind
of felt a momentum kind of shift, and so a
year later, we're still here. We had I just recently
had one of my parties, and it's just a great
place for women to come and meet each other and
connect and ask questions and get feedback from each other.
So I'm really proud that it's still going, and I
(14:16):
hope that it continues to grow and grow into many
new other opportunities.
Speaker 1 (14:21):
I hope so too. Congratulations on a year of showing
up and remaining consistent and being available. Like you said,
accessibility is something that we need in podcasting, and there's
so many what we feel like are barriers to entry
and so when we have access to people who are
willing to share their knowledge and expertise, that makes it
(14:43):
so much easier for us to keep doing the podcasting
work right, And so thank you for having the community
and for just showing up and being consistent.
Speaker 2 (14:52):
Thank you. Yeah, it's work, right, It's work.
Speaker 1 (14:55):
It is all it is, but it's worth it. And
I just think you your health. So many people to
remain true to their calling to do their work and
let their voice be hard, so you're helping them and
that's amazing. Now you have two shows, and I kind
of want to hear about like what these two shows
are and then like what having two different episodes or
(15:16):
two different podcasts has shown you about storytelling and connection.
Speaker 2 (15:22):
Oh, that's a great question. So I have definitely learned
through my podcasting journey how important storytelling is. And you know,
a part of it is our legacy is how do
we what is our legacy we're leaving behind? But it's
also what I've realized is when you're trying to help
someone when you're trying to support someone or you're even
(15:46):
trying to educate someone that you know just shoving a
bunch of information and statistics at them. And I can
say this as someone who taught statistics is not going
to do it. You know, we retain that kind of
information much much less than we do if we're connecting
to someone through their story, through their experience. So for me,
(16:07):
that started with the story of my pet. I got
to talk about my own experiences. But then I started
having a lot of people on the show who work
in animal shelters, who volunteer, who rescue, who foster, And
what I realized was the power of their stories their
experiences is what's going to change people's mind about why
(16:29):
you should adopt and not buy from a breeder, why
you should foster, why you should do the things that
we all need you to do to help animals in
our world. And so I kind of learned through listening
but also telling my own stories. And I also realized
how healing storytelling is. One big experience I had with
(16:49):
my pet podcast was I thought I was an animal advocate,
but I really know about this much of the reality
of that world of animal welfare rescue, whatever it is.
And so I've changed, I volunteered, i've fostered, I've even worked.
But my first foster, Kiden, unfortunately passed away in my arms,
and it was very traumatic for me. And I'm not
(17:12):
an overemotional person, but I was a mess. And eventually
I got on the mic and I talked about it,
and I just talked through the hole. I had him
for like four days, and I just talked through the
whole experience. So for me, that was healing because it's
like get it out of me and like release it.
But I also thought, if someone's listening and they had
a bad first experience fostering, they didn't ever want to
(17:34):
do it again. I want to say, you know, listen
to me. I know it's hard. It was awful, but
I got over it. And the day I finally took
his carrier back to the shelter, they had just gotten
in a litter of two week old kittens with no mom,
and shelters are legally not allowed to keep kittens that
are not old enough to eat on their own. They
(17:56):
would actually end up being euthanized if they can't find
a foster.
Speaker 1 (18:00):
So it was like.
Speaker 2 (18:00):
Okay, little beanks, you're telling me I brought the litter
of six home and it was a full time job.
Speaker 1 (18:09):
Six.
Speaker 2 (18:11):
Yeah, you bottle feed the first one. By the time
you get to number six, number one's hungry again.
Speaker 1 (18:17):
Wow. So how long did this go on for?
Speaker 2 (18:20):
Well, I had them for six and a half weeks,
although not that you know, after a couple of weeks
they start eating on their own. But let me tell you,
six kittens are messy. And you know, it was a
great experience though it was also very healing, and then
I also wanted to share that, so we're like, look,
(18:41):
I went through a very hard thing and I thought,
how could I ever do this again? But then the
timing and one of those kittens, this little baby behind me, Pumpkin,
when I took them back to the shelter to be adopted.
I adopted her and she is our youngest cat, and
she is a crazy calico who brings us joy and
(19:04):
laughter every day.
Speaker 1 (19:05):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (19:06):
And you know, it's just like when I say podcasts
you change my life, I really mean it. There been
I have probably a million stories I could tell, but
I say that because I found a community, but I
also found a place where there were more people like me,
women in their forties who didn't have human kids, who
had for kids, who loved their animals and want to help,
(19:27):
and so it really opened up my world in a
lot of ways. But it also I also realized that
me sharing my story could be helping someone out there
that I don't know but who really needs to hear it.
And that kind of was the evolution from Pets to
my other podcast, which is all about women and women
sharing their story and helping each other by saying, hey,
I've been there, let me help you.
Speaker 1 (19:49):
That's amazing. I love hearing that. I just I love
how you came into podcasting, but also just like how
you use it. You used it for help others, but
like you told your stories and it was cathartic for you.
It was it was therapeutic, and then as you were
going through your pain, you shared that with people, and
(20:10):
so you made some really deep connections with people. Even
those who have never told you feel that connection because.
Speaker 2 (20:16):
Of your you know it, It's such a weird feeling
to be a podcaster. I've been at a few conferences
where I'll be like, hi, I'm Julie and someone will say, oh, yeah,
I know I follow you, and it's like it's a
weird it's a weird thing, right, like you you know,
you and I follow each other and it's like it's weird.
It's like I know you, but I don't, right. But
then that also has taught me, like I have no
idea who's listening, Like I was on a top chart
(20:38):
for my PEED podcast in Pakistan at one point, in
India and all these places that I'm like, I don't
know who this is, but wow, like somebody somewhere else
is learning from what I'm saying, what my guests are
talking about. And that's a very powerful feeling.
Speaker 1 (20:54):
It really is. When I know. One thing I love
to do is look at look at the stats, but
look get the country that are listening in And that's
just that's amazing to me that we can work as podcasters,
we can make a worldwide impact, that people from all
over the world are listening into what we have to say,
and how else can that happen as quickly and as
(21:15):
you know, just as quickly as with podcasting so fast, right,
you just get on a microphone and hit published and
it's on an RSS speed and someone like you said
in India is listening to you.
Speaker 2 (21:26):
It's amazing, right, Yeah, it is amazing. Yeah, well it
can be a little overwhelming sometimes.
Speaker 1 (21:32):
That's for sure, because you don't know who's listening. But yeah,
you know you're making an impact on someone's life with
your personal stories. So that said, I wanted to ask
you about advocacy because I know that many women want
to use podcasting to advocate and to use their voice
to amplify their voice, but don't know where to begin.
So I want your advice on first steps. I know
(21:55):
you coach a lot of women through this, So what
would you say they should do first they want to
use their voice in this way.
Speaker 2 (22:02):
Well, one thing I definitely say is do your research.
And that can mean a lot of different things. But
if you are really passionate about a topic or an area,
you know, I know people. I have friends who have
podcasts about sustainability, about being a widow, about you know, crafting,
about true crime. I have someone I met by listening
(22:24):
and reaching out to her. She has a true crime
podcast about solving her father's murder that has been unsolved
for twenty some something years. So people come to podcasting
for so many different reasons. But there's a connection. There's
a reason we're passionate about that topic. So if there's
something you're passionate about someone listening out there, look at
(22:45):
the podcast that exists. Like search your topic, search your
niche look at categories. What are people doing. That's a
good way to see, like, oh, people are talking about this.
My first client that I helped launch her own podcast,
she wanted to have a podcast about dogs, soul dogs.
She had a soul dog who changed her life and
she wanted to kind of share that and share other
(23:06):
people's stories. But she met with a coach that told
her that was a stupid idea and no one wanted
to listen to a podcast about dead dogs.
Speaker 1 (23:14):
Oh just she killed her dream.
Speaker 2 (23:18):
Yes, and she found my podcast and listened. She was like, hey,
she's kind of doing this. She's talking about pets that
are here. Now I talk about my own childhood pets.
So she reached out and we talked and she was like,
you get it, and I go, I get it. You
have to find the people to get it. So when
I say research, it's also about seeing like what are
(23:39):
people doing? But what aren't they doing? What stories aren't
being told? Where's the void that you can help fill
and help someone like I helped her realize, No, you
have a valid idea. Someone needs to hear this story too.
Let's get it out there.
Speaker 1 (23:53):
Absolutely absolutely there's someone for everyone. And and like you said,
there are subjects that haven't maybe been explored, maybe touched,
but maybe not explored and definitely not the way each
individual has the ability to bring to the table right
so that we have a take on things.
Speaker 2 (24:13):
We all have a unique perspective. And I also talk
about research because people think, especially women, oh, people are
already doing that. No one needs to hear me. You
know that we always talk ourselves down. But also you
have to realize, yes, there are millions of podcasts, but
only a fraction of them are actually active. So if
(24:34):
you find a bunch on a topic you're talking at,
look at the last episode. Was it this year, was
it three years ago? You know, people pause, people fade,
people come back, And I take breaks on my pet
podcast sometimes for months. But so part of that research
is realizing it doesn't matter if there's a thousand other
(24:54):
pet podcasts. Mine is right for a certain person. And
that's what I'm going to keep doing.
Speaker 1 (24:59):
Yeah, yeah, that's what you said in the beginning to
know your why. If you know who you're doing this for,
then everything else is just kind of irrelevant because you
know who your people are, you know who you're talking to,
who you want to reach, and so there's room for
everyone in podcasting. And then I just want to ask
you too about some ideas that we may have that
(25:20):
can hold us back. Right So maybe some myths that
you know that we have about launching a show or
being a guest on a show, so you can be
a MythBuster right now.
Speaker 2 (25:31):
And yes, I love it being a MythBuster. So the
first one I will say is the biggest myth is
you have to it has to cost a lot and
have to have expensive equipment to start a podcast. No,
and no, for sure, I have a Samson qu two.
It is like sixty dollars on Amazon and many podcast
(25:52):
your friends use it. You know, I don't have a
lot of fancy equipment. I've evolved through my process. But
but you know, you don't have to have the most
expensive thing. You also don't have to pay somebody a
ton of money to start one. Like I'm here to
tell you can do a podcast on a budget. You
can make it work. And that's also part of understanding
(26:16):
what your time and resources are before you start, so
you set it up in a reasonable way. So that's
definitely one of the biggest myths. One about guesting is
that you have to have been a guest to be
able to be on a show. No, or you have
to be a professional speaker to be on to be
interviewed as a guest. Those are all no. I mean,
(26:36):
I used to speak in my old career, but I
hadn't spoken at all as a podcaster, and I just
started guesting fun stuff like my first one was about
movies I love, and another one was about something else
or my doctoral program journey. You know, whatever it is
to start and that will be your practice. So I
think those are some of the big myths. Is that
people think they have to have all the things and
(26:58):
all the fancy stuff has to be this, or that
there's ways to make a podcast in so many different ways.
And another myth is you have to edit it and
have great sound quality. No, that is why YouTube is popular,
live streaming video interruptions, all the things, it doesn't matter,
It's about the content.
Speaker 1 (27:20):
So true. Oh, I love all all of these tips because,
for one, I'm just sitting here looking at this blue
yetti that I have here. This was like maybe sixty bucks.
I've been using this for three years, and before that,
I used a microphone for ten years, and so these
are the tools I've had for the lifetime of podcasting.
And then I just have my computer here, So I mean,
(27:42):
it doesn't take much and there are so many free
tools out there. So I love that you busted that
myth that there's no barriers to entering when it comes
to equipment. There's a lot of free stuff out there.
And then going live, that is what my husband does
with his podcast. He just goes live on LinkedIn and
that's the podcast.
Speaker 2 (27:58):
So right, And that is also what I love about
podcasts is there's so many ways you can do it,
like say podcasts, and that means something different to every
person in the room.
Speaker 1 (28:10):
Right.
Speaker 2 (28:11):
I always say traditional podcasts are RSS feed audio only,
which is how I started. But I eventually started putting
the video on YouTube, and I want to expand and
test out some live streaming. But that's up to me.
No one says I have to do. You don't have
to check all the boxes. It's whatever you feel comfortable with.
Some people feel comfortable with recording and being able to edit.
(28:33):
Some people are like, I don't want to edit. I'm
going live, then I don't have to worry about it.
Speaker 1 (28:37):
So it's whatever feels right for you in the space.
And so everybody has a different comfort zone of how
they want to show up online. Some people want super
edits and some people are just like, no, I don't
want to deal with that, right, Just let me show
up with my content or not even with content. I'll
just show up and start talking, right.
Speaker 2 (29:00):
And you know, I have so many women say to
me in conversation, like, well, don't I have to do video?
Don't I have to do this? And it's like, no,
there's no podcast police, guys. You get to decide what
it looks like. And you know, for me, I love interviewing,
like that is my happy place. And part of it
is because being educated in psychology, and you know, as
(29:22):
a college student, I was taught how to run focus groups,
how to run interviews, to do it for other reasons.
So that is natural because those are skills I've had
for decades. Sitting by myself with the mic, coming up
with a topic off my head and talking to myself
is hard for me because I want that interaction. So
my podcasts have more interviews. That doesn't mean I don't
(29:43):
push myself to do solos, but that's where I spend
more of my time because that's what I enjoy doing.
So part of it it also is finding what you
enjoy and what you like to do. I have a
friend who had a podcast, never interview to anyone, It
was all her. It was her personal stories journal, and
she was an amazing storyteller, and so she had that
(30:07):
in her and she did it and it was amazing.
So it's also figuring out, like, you don't have to
do it if you don't enjoy it.
Speaker 1 (30:15):
It's exactly exactly. It's like, you know, like you said,
there's no police here. Nobody is going to get in
trouble for doing podcasting a little bit differently. And if
you come up with another idea that works for you
that you haven't heard of anyone else doing, try it
and see maybe it will become a thing. And so
I love that about podcasting. It's a wide open space.
(30:36):
It's very grassroots, it's very whatever we want to evolve
it into, and so I just think it's a free
area to explore and everyone should try it out. Who's
interested in like telling their story and and right if
they want to connect it with their business somehow, just
to see how it works in tandem with the business
(30:56):
or their organization or something like that. So I love that. Now,
where can listeners find out more about what you do, because,
like you said, you have community and that's so needed.
We don't want to be doing it on our own.
So all us about your community, about your coaching, and
about any networking events you have.
Speaker 2 (31:16):
So the best way to find me is my website,
which is simply juliemartypearson dot com. All of my events,
all of my networking, all the things are there at
both of my podcasts. And you know, the one thing
I really say is if you are interested in podcasting,
you want to be a guest, you want to guess more,
you maybe want to start a podcast, just come to
(31:37):
one of my networking and learn. Listen to other people.
What are they doing are why are they doing it
that way? Because it's really a space for people to learn.
But I've also just recently started a low cost membership
on top of that. The networking will always be free
and open to anyone, but the membership's going to give
me space to do more group coaching, to do practice
(31:58):
interviews asked all the time. I don't even know how
to be interviewed. I need help. Okay, let's jump on
and I'll interview you, right, big poor friends who need
to learn how to be a good interviewer. Okay, let's
figure that out too. So I've kind of created that
podcast your story community membership as that next level of support,
(32:19):
but keeping it at a low cost because I want
people who are like me when I first started. I
can't afford a lot, but twenty bucks a month or
thirty bucks a month, okay, I can get some support
and maybe get more space to ask the questions I
really want to ask.
Speaker 1 (32:33):
I love that. I love that you're providing community and
support and just collaboration amongst podcasters. So that is wonderful.
I want to ask you if you have one more
piece of advice for anyone listening today that is on
the edge, maybe thinking about starting a podcast. Not sure,
but they've heard all thirty minutes of us talking about
(32:55):
it's going to be okay, you can do this. But
what last thing would you say on today's show?
Speaker 2 (33:01):
I would say that you don't know until you try,
and so maybe try it and see what you think,
if you'd like it, if you like the feel of it.
But I also say don't express immediate reactions, like podcasting
is a long game, folks, it is you may not
(33:22):
see the ripple effects for a few weeks, months, even years.
I know people who've been podcasting for years and now
they're really seeing the impact on their business. So I
always say, try it and see if you like it,
but please have realistic expectations because a lot of people
jump into podcasting thinking I'm gonna make money, but that's
not really what it's about. It really is about the
(33:45):
community and the storytelling. So tap into that. And if
you have friends who are podcasters, you have friends who
are also thinking about it, just get on the mic
and try it and talk to each other and put
it out there. Because one thing I do know, and
this is really what I want to leave people with.
Everyone has a story to tell, and there is someone
(34:05):
who needs to hear your story, and so I want
people to realize that your story and experience matters, and
podcasting is the fastest way to share that with the world.
So if you're on the fence, please just try it,
and if you have questioned and need a little help,
reach out to me. I'm happy to meet with you
and talk through it with you.
Speaker 1 (34:27):
That is awesome. Thank you so much for your encouragement
today on the show. And I know that people listening
who are thinking about starting that show feel inspired at
this point and I have a little boost, a little
encouragement to get moving on it. So there's all kinds
of help out here, and the podcasting community is very open,
we're very friendly, so we're all willing to help. So
(34:50):
I'm glad that you were on the show today and
I appreciate you. Thank you for being here, Thank you
so much for having me
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