The future is here, it’s just not evenly distributed yet.
~ William Gibson
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The future →
Whimsy →
This is Cathy Forest coming to you live from a big pile of primevial ooze for the running of the classic, Human Race. It’s the top of the Precambrian Era and …
~ The Frantics from, The Human Race – YouTube
It’s 2 minutes and 18 seconds of audio, and is completely G-rated. If it doesn’t make you laugh, there’s something wrong with you. I first heard this in 1986—which, alarmingly, I figured out because someone has put the Doctor Demento Show’s play-lists online. So as I was hunting for this, I first discovered when I’d heard it, which just made me want to hear it that much more. Share the heck out of it, make it go viral and make the world a better place through laughter.
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Iterative →
This is the iterative method of purpose exploration. You try a mini-version of something for a couple weeks. Maybe longer. And keep doing this until you hit on something.
~ Leo Babauta from, A Well Lived Life of Purpose – Zen Habits Website
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What do you think of the common advice, “follow your passion!” (Or sometimes it’s, “follow your bliss!”)
It’s utter crap. If I knew what my passion, (or “bliss”,) was, well no shit! …that would make it easy. The hard part is figuring out what I’m passionate about. The impossible—literally not something you can do in a lifetime—part is figuring out what my one, true passion is.
The advice I find useful is to follow my interests [discovery], find things I’m passionate about [via reflection], and then pursue them [efficacy]. It’s critical that I build in some feedback to reality-check what I’m doing—my commitments to others, my morals, my values—to make sure I’m not off on narcissistic navel navigation. But an interative approach is the best way to live the actual purpose life.
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Alignment with Dafna Gold Melchior →
What role does alignment play in sustaining motivation and purpose when creating a podcast?
Practical insights emerge about overcoming the challenge of balancing self-promotion with authenticity.
The thing that I find most problematic about self-promotion is that it very quickly becomes obnoxious— and I am physically allergic to obnoxious self-promotion.
~ Dafna Gold Melchior (14:12)
The conversation focuses on the importance of alignment when producing creative work, particularly a podcast. Dafna describes her experience of starting a podcast based on practical and professional interests, initially centered on researchers and entrepreneurs. However, she notes how a sense of disconnection emerged when she pivoted to cover remote work during the pandemic. While producing episodes was enjoyable, the content lacked deeper personal resonance, leading to waning motivation. Eventually, she revisited her original theme—working with researchers—and found renewed energy by aligning their podcast’s focus with their expertise and passion.
Another key topic discussed is the challenge of balancing self-promotion with authenticity. Dafna highlights her discomfort with overt self-promotion, stemming from their upbringing and values. She struggles with leveraging her podcast to communicate her professional services without coming across as pushy or self-indulgent. The conversation emphasizes the value of subtly aligning a podcast’s purpose with its creator’s broader goals while maintaining its standalone value for listeners.
Takeaways
Alignment and motivation — Aligning a podcast’s theme with personal expertise can sustain motivation and satisfaction.
Balancing self-promotion — The challenge of self-promotion lies in finding a tone that feels authentic yet effective.
Creative pivoting — Reassessing the original purpose of a creative project can reignite energy and focus.
Avoiding burnout — Choosing a personally meaningful topic can prevent creative projects from becoming a chore.
Podcast structure — Standardized intros, outros, and episode synopses can streamline podcast production.
Listener connection — Audiences value the host’s insights as much as they appreciate the guest’s story.
Resources
Seth Godin’s Podcasting Workshop — A program designed to help individuals learn podcasting through hands-on exercises.
Podcaster Community — A community for independent podcast creators to connect and collaborate.
(Written with help from Chat-GPT.)
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Pitfalls with Jennifer Myers Chua →
What pitfalls and challenges arise when launching and growing a podcast, and how can they be managed?
Starting a podcast reveals unexpected challenges, even with careful preparation and an existing audience.
I tried really hard. I had a good launch strategy, I thought. I used my existing audience and was giving away gift cards from some of the businesses that I was featuring, as well as a gift card from ours. I asked for people to download and rate and review. I did everything by the book— Marketing 101! But I think I was really just not well versed on how podcasts operate, and how podcast audiences are built.
~ Jennifer Myers Chua (6:07)
The conversation explores the challenges of launching and growing a podcast, particularly the difficulty of converting an engaged social media audience into regular podcast listeners. One significant topic is the expectation versus reality of audience growth, where traditional marketing strategies may not work as expected in the podcasting medium. Despite careful preparation, such as giveaways and surveys, the reality of podcast listenership often requires a mindset shift about success and audience engagement.
Another topic discussed is the value of podcasting as a passion project and a vehicle for meaningful human connection. Jennifer highlights the personal reward of interviewing guests on topics such as sustainability and small businesses, which align with their personal values. She also reflects on balancing creative fulfillment with the challenge of building a listenership. Additionally, the importance of finding community among other podcasters as a support system is emphasized as a way to overcome frustrations and shared struggles.
Takeaways
Existing audiences don’t always convert — Many social media followers may not transition to a podcast listenership.
Podcast growth is harder than expected — Even with a strong launch strategy, podcasting requires unique approaches to audience building.
Passion-driven work sustains motivation — Creating content aligned with personal values offers fulfillment, regardless of metrics.
Mindset shifts are necessary — Success in podcasting may require re-evaluating audience expectations and personal satisfaction.
The value of human connection — Podcasts can provide opportunities for meaningful conversations and relationships.
Metrics can be misleading — The focus on downloads and statistics may detract from the creative purpose of podcasting.
Community provides support — Engaging with other podcasters offers encouragement and shared insights into common challenges.
Content curation matters — Delivering intentional, well-curated content increases the potential for audience connection and impact.
Resources
Hip Mommies — Jennifer’s business focused on sustainable and family-friendly products.
The Cost of Goods Sold Podcast — Jennifer’s podcast highlighting brands with social and environmental impact.
(Written with help from Chat-GPT.)
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Epithets →
Epithets for yourself: Upright. modest. Straightforward. Sane. Cooperative. Disinterested.
~ Marcus Aurelius
Try not to exchange them for others. And if you should forfeit them, set about getting them back. Keep in mind that “sanity” means understanding things—each individual thing—for what they are. And not losing the thread. And “cooperation” means accepting what nature assignes you—accepting it willingly. And “disinterest” means that the intelligence should rise above the movements of the flesh—the rough and the smooth alike. Should rise above fame, above death, and everything like them.
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A mover’s mindset →
It’s become clear, that somewhen in the last few years, I’ve lost a certain spark— some urge that used to be the initial impetus that got me moving. Out. And about. Moving and playing. It’s probably, simply age.
Efficacy is the power to produce a desired effect. Recognition of your own efficacy means that you have recognized your own potential for continued success and growth. Your choices of actions at this point are not based on concerns about current limits of your ability or understanding. Instead, your choices are guided by what skills, practices, and accomplishments will give you the most enjoyment, make your life better, increase your skills, or broaden your knowledge. Your experience in life changes from asking “What can I do?” to asking “What should I do to make my life the best it can be?”
~ From «https://forum.moversmindset.com/t/discovery-reflection-efficacy/614»
Where once I used to simply begin each day, and sooner or later I’d realize I’m doing something active, now I find that most days were going by without doing something active. I don’t like that trend. I went over everything in my environment and, quite honestly, little has changed—certainly nothing that would have sabotaged my being active. If the problem isn’t without, then it must be within.
And so, I’ve made a small change: What am I doing tomorrow? …then make a plan for that to happen.
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This might get personal →
these nine principles for interviewing people about tender, personal, tough subjects are tactics that are helpful in any hard conversation. You want to be clear about your objectives for the conversation, to be prepared to listen closely and actively, to prepare the person you are talking to for a different, deeper sort of exchange. You need to respect the dignity of the person you’re talking with, and respect yourself enough to speak up when you disagree.
~ Anna Sale from, Treat an Interview Like a Relationship – Transom
Whether or not you’re doing recorded conversations with guests, there’s a bunch of great advice in that article. I’m particularly drawn to Sale’s point about how her interviews are enabled by the fact that she is creating a relationship with the guest. In any conversation, everything we do either builds up, or tears down, a relationship bit by bit.
In any conversation, it’s my experience that the more intentional I am, the better it goes. Part of that is intentional listening; listening primarily to understand. Another part is being mindful of the other person; deploying empathy and compassion. Another part is keeping sight of where you are headed, and also where it is not possible to get to; knowing what to stretch for and what to let pass is critical.
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Skepticism and cynicism →
The result of this kind of influence is twofold: one is a skepticism and cynicism towards everything which is said or printed, while the other is a childish belief in anything that a person is told with authority. This combination of cynicism and naïveté is very typical of the modern individual. Its essential result is to discourage him from doing his own thinking and deciding.
~ Erich Fromm from, Erich Fromm on Why It’s Difficult to Think Originally and Critically in the Modern Age | The Art of Manliness
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Philosophical Skepticism, “is a family of philosophical views that question the possibility of knowledge.” (That’s a quote from the Wikipedia entry. If you want to go deeper, try the Standford Encyclopedia of Philosophy’s entry for Skepticism.)
As far as I understand it—your mileage may vary—Fromm, in that quote, wasn’t condemning philosophical skepticism. Rather, and I agree, let’s all condemn the little-s-skepticism; the naivete driven, disbelieve everything, skepticism that turns away from anything it doesn’t understand.
I prefer to turn towards just about anything I don’t yet understand. (See: “Oh. That’s interesting…”) I’m am frequently asking myself: “What is true, and how do I know it’s true?”
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Curiosity with Steve McCready →
What role does curiosity play in creating engaging and authentic podcast interviews?
Following the energy in a conversation uncovers insights that even guests don’t anticipate.
One of the things that is very very true for the folks that I work with—the sensitive rebels as I call them—is they often feel isolated. They feel alone. They feel like some weirdo. There’s no one like them. And so when I have guests who have wrestled with some of the same things, who had some of the same struggles, some of the same thoughts, and I put that out there, I’m like ‘No, you’re not alone. Listen to these right here. Here’s all of this.’ It’s such an important thing for them to see.
~ Steve McCready (17:48)
The conversation focuses on the role of curiosity in podcasting and the importance of being present during interviews. Steve explains how curiosity serves as the driving force for exploring meaningful topics with guests. Instead of relying on a long list of prepared questions, the process involves following conversational “energy” and identifying interesting threads to explore further.
The discussion touches on the themes of coaching and podcasting as parallel practices. Both rely on creating space for people to share their stories and identify strengths they may not have recognized. Steve also discusses his perspective on “sensitive rebels,” individuals who often feel isolated but can connect through shared experiences highlighted in podcast conversations. The conversation emphasizes the balance between structure and spontaneity to create authentic and engaging dialogue.
Takeaways
Curiosity as a guiding principle — The process focuses on following what sparks interest or energy during a conversation.
Balancing preparation and presence — Over-preparation can distract from being present and responding intuitively to the guest.
Serving the audience and the guest — The interviews aim to inspire listeners while also highlighting the strengths and stories of the guests.
Energy as a conversational cue — Noticing and following the energy of a guest helps uncover unexpected and meaningful insights.
Coaching and podcasting as parallels — Both practices involve identifying possibilities, connecting dots, and helping people see strengths they may have missed.
The role of isolation and connection — Sensitive individuals often feel alone, and the podcast provides a platform to illustrate shared struggles and connections.
Resources
Krista Tippett’s “On Being” — Mentioned as inspiration for thoughtful and reflective opening questions.
(Written with help from Chat-GPT.)
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