Audience with Elisa Graf →

Published June 17, 2021  ·  All posts on Jun 17

How can podcasters understand and utilize statistics, engagement strategies, and listener feedback to improve their shows?

Podcasting statistics spark a deep discussion on what truly matters in creating a meaningful show.

It’s amazing, really, the whole idea— This medium of finding your voice, and then putting something that you really care about out there in the world, and having it have its own life.

~ Elisa Graf (12:41)

The conversation explores various aspects of podcasting, starting with the motivations and themes behind creating a show. Insights are shared about producing content that showcases transcendent stories and meaningful encounters. Discussions include how podcast statistics can both aid and distract podcasters, revealing what metrics are most relevant depending on the goals of the show.

Engagement strategies and experiments are highlighted, such as leveraging social media platforms and featuring specific guests, to boost listener interaction. Personal feedback from listeners is recognized as a rewarding outcome, affirming the value of creating authentic and impactful content. The broader topic of maintaining motivation and balancing analytics with creative passion is also discussed.

Takeaways

Finding a unique podcast theme — Stories about transcendence and the collision of the extraordinary with the everyday resonate with audiences.

Balancing analytics and creativity — Podcast statistics provide valuable insights but can also become an unhealthy focus.

The role of social media — Strategic use of guest tagging and experiments with platforms can significantly increase engagement.

Podcast longevity and evergreen content — Older episodes often continue to attract downloads, emphasizing the long-term value of a quality back catalog.

Listener feedback as motivation — Personal notes and stories from listeners provide deep gratification and affirm the impact of the work.

Experimenting with formats and guests — Trying new approaches, like featuring family members or changing marketing tactics, can reveal unexpected growth opportunities.

Resources

Mystic Takeaway Podcast — Elisa’s podcast exploring stories of mysterious encounters and the transcendent.

Simplecast Analytics — A podcast hosting platform offering detailed analytics to track downloads and listener data.

Podnews — A daily podcast industry news source featuring articles, insights, and ratings analysis.

Apple Podcasts — A popular platform where listener ratings can influence podcast visibility.

Pandora — A streaming service noted for its unexpected popularity among certain podcast types.

(Written with help from Chat-GPT.)

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Expectations →

Published June 17, 2021  ·  All posts on Jun 17  ·  ,

When you start something, don’t raise other people’s expectations. What is highly praised seldom measures up to expectations. Reality never catches up to imagination. It is easy to imagine something is perfect, and difficult to achieve it. […] Honorable beginnings should serve to awaken curiosity, not to heighten people’s expectations. We are much better off when reality surpasses our expectations, and something turns out better than we thought it would.

~ Baltasar Gracián

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Storytelling with Linda McLachlan →

Published June 16, 2021  ·  All posts on Jun 16

How can storytelling techniques be used effectively in podcasting to create compelling narratives?

The discussion reveals the power of asking consistent questions to uncover unique stories.

It really depends on the person and their storytelling style— how tangential we get. So some of them, it’s like a chainsaw that you have to go in with— a chainsaw first, and that’s the first edit.

~ Linda McLachlan (6:35)

The conversation explores storytelling as a central element in podcasting, emphasizing its role in creating engaging narratives. Linda discusses using consistent questions to uncover unique stories while following a structured story arc inspired by workshops like Bernadette Jiwa’s Story Skills. She describes how this approach helps craft compelling episodes, balancing predictability and surprise. Editing styles are also addressed, with Linda explaining how some episodes require significant reworking to achieve clarity and impact.

The discussion touches on influences, mentioning podcasts like “On Being” by Krista Tippett and books by Brene Brown as inspirations for exploring human connection and vulnerability. Linda also reflects on the creative freedom podcasting offers, encouraging creators to embrace restrictions as opportunities for innovation while staying true to their personal vision. The conversation concludes with practical advice for aspiring podcasters, underscoring the importance of authenticity and the freedom to experiment.

Takeaways

The importance of storytelling in podcasting — Structured storytelling can create compelling and engaging episodes.

The use of consistent questions — Repeatedly asking similar questions can uncover diverse and unique stories.

The role of editing — Editing styles vary significantly depending on the guest’s storytelling style.

Inspiration from other creators — Works by Krista Tippett and Brene Brown serve as examples of engaging narrative creation.

Creative freedom in podcasting — Podcasting offers flexibility and freedom to experiment with ideas and formats.

Resources

The Arena Podcast — Linda’s podcast exploring human stories through structured storytelling.

On Being — A podcast by Krista Tippett focused on deep conversations about meaning and faith.

A Bit of Optimism — Simon Sinek’s podcast sharing optimistic ideas and conversations.

Wisdom Shared — Carole Blueweiss’ podcast featuring diverse personal stories.

(Written with help from Chat-GPT.)

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101 →

Published June 16, 2021  ·  All posts on Jun 16  ·  ,

It’s a small thing, and it was really really difficult. But I did it.

Instead of sticking to my “publish on Wednesday’s at 10am”… like I did for the first 100 episodes. 101 was published Tuesday around 7pm. I know that sounds dumb—but I’m not be sarcastic or hyperbolic. Over the years I’ve gotten really adamant about that publication day-of-the-week and time-of-the-day. Sure we weren’t able to do one every week… but I kept trying to keep things neat and tidy. “Wednesdays at 10am” was that one little bit of structure.

But really, who cares. Any structure you’re clinging to?

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Jade Amber Ragoschke: Deafness, architecture, and accessibility →

Published June 15, 2021  ·  All posts on Jun 15  ·  

Jade Amber Ragoschke: Deafness, architecture, and accessibility

How do the experiences of deafness, architecture, and parkour intersect to influence design and accessibility?

While it’s not immediately apparent that Jade Amber Ragoshke is unilaterally deaf, it is a defining factor for her life and work. She shares her experiences with deafness, learning about it, and adapting to it. Jade discusses architecture and her ongoing research into the connections between architecture, parkour, and accessibility. She reflects on disability, designing for all people, and creating more inclusive environments in all communities.

I think, after this conversation that we’ve had about art— I think that what art really is, is breaking the boundaries of the standard.

~ Jade Amber Ragoschke (30:14)

Jade Amber Ragoschke is an architect, parkour practitioner, and the vice president of World Deaf Architecture. Her involvement in parkour led to her interest and eventual career in architecture. After finding her place in the Deaf community, she discovered a new perspective and approach to architecture that is more inclusive, empathetic, and accessible to everyone. Jade specializes in accessible design for people with disabilities and provides architectural consultation to parkour communities. She advocates for inclusive play spaces for all ages and is researching the intersections between architecture, parkour, and accessibility.

This conversation explores the unique intersections of parkour, architecture, and accessibility, weaving together personal experiences and professional insights. Discussions highlight how accessible designs often double as ideal spaces for creative physical movement, reflecting an unexpected synergy between inclusivity and play. Jade emphasizes the importance of designing spaces at a human scale, focusing on sensory experiences and personal engagement rather than purely aesthetic considerations.

The dialogue also examines the philosophical and practical roles of architecture and art in memorializing history and shaping societal experiences. By referencing specific examples like the 9/11 Memorial and other landmark designs, the conversation illustrates how architecture can evoke emotions, honor history, and inspire resilience. The shared experiences of adapting to hearing loss further contextualize Jade’s perspectives on design, emphasizing the transformative potential of inclusivity.

Takeaways

Architecture and human scale — The focus on personal experience in space design emphasizes sensory engagement over aesthetics.

Parkour and accessibility — Accessible spaces unintentionally become ideal settings for creative movement and parkour.

Art and architecture integration — Structures can serve as both functional spaces and artistic installations, enriching urban environments.

Design as inclusivity — Inclusive designs provide comfort and accessibility for all, enhancing the utility of spaces.

Memorializing through design — Architecture captures historical moments, offering spaces for reflection and resilience.

Architectural unpredictability — People often use spaces in unintended ways, revealing the dynamic relationship between design and behavior.

Resources

Jade Amber Ragoschke @antiphase.motion

World Deaf Architecture — Organization focused on accessibility and architecture for Deaf communities.

Bjarke Ingels Group — Architecture firm led by Bjarke Ingels, known for innovative projects like those highlighted in the conversation.

ADA Standards for Accessible Design — Guidelines defining accessibility in architecture.

(Written with help from Chat-GPT.)

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Community for podcasters →

Published June 15, 2021  ·  All posts on Jun 15  ·  

So I went and built a new thing: The Podcaster Community.

If you create podcasts — whether you’re thinking about it, just starting out, or are publishing your 100th episode — we’d love for you to join us. It’s free to create an account. Logging in enables the platform features and you can immediately begin posting/replying in the public categories.

I don’t idle well. I get an idea in my head, and I start thinking about all the ways it could be realized. Recently, I’ve had a few separate conversations with podcasters who were looking for something—what they each wanted was different. And so I set off to build it.

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Impressions →

Published June 14, 2021  ·  All posts on Jun 14  ·  

Nothing but what you get from first impressions. That someone has insulted you for instance. That —but not that it’s done you any harm. The fact that my son is sick —that I can see. But, “that he might die of it,” no. Stick with first impressions. Don’t extrapolate. And nothing can happen to you. Or extrapolate. From a knowledge of all that can happen in the world.

~ Marcus Aurelius

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Two thousand nine hundred and six →

Published June 13, 2021  ·  All posts on Jun 13  ·  

Arbitrary milestones are just as useful as nice round numbers. This morning I decided I’d take some time to reflect on blogging.

I love grammar. I wonder if you thought that I meant this blog post would be my reflections on blogging? No, I took some time to reflect on my own. Today I’m yet again beating one of my favorite drums: It is life-critical to intentionally take time to reflect on the things one is doing.

What am I actually doing with my time? What is doing me benefit? What, harm? What things do I believe I must do? Why do I believe those are necessary? What promises have I made? …to myself, to others? What actually happens if I break one of those promises? …would anyone even notice? What could I do if I stopped everything and did some other thing with incredible focus? Why does that other some thing interest me? Could I more simply change what I’m doing to make a little room for it now? If I awoke to find all the things in my head, and on my lists, were done what would I do? …would I rush to add more things to do? …would I work on something new? …would I want to re-do something I’ve done before?

Discovery. Reflection. And then, go be efficacious.

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Possibly worthy of a tattoo →

Published June 12, 2021  ·  All posts on Jun 12

As usual, I was reading a “this day in…” journal entry of mine, from a too-recent year. I found one of my unfortunately-too-frequent pages of pissed-off scribbling. And just smack-at-the-bottom was this:

If something is important, DO IT NOW,
if not, DO SOMETHING IMPORTANT.

Clearly that’s a kissing-cousin to the Eisenhower “method”. Partly, I like to sprinkle in Wikipedia links to see how easily you are distracted. But more so in this case, because it isn’t even Eisenhower’s idea.

Where might I tattoo this? I was thinking directly on my corneas would be a good place; The first half on one, the second half on the other. It would be like those “floaters” you find in your eye. It would be a true, subliminal message. (Grammar geeks: It would also be a truly subliminal message.)

I can think of no situation where that guidance would fail me, because the sub-text is: What, right now, is actually the important thing to do? Maybe taking a nap, or eating popcorn with a movie, really is important [for my mental health]. Or maybe the important thing is to up-end my day and go all-in helping someone do something.

Maybe the tatoo should be: IS THIS IMPORTANT?

Pop quiz: Grab a writing instrument and write, in cursive, the word, “scribbling.” For an extra 5 points, write in cursive—on the first try, without looking it up—the capitals: H, K, Q and G.

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Peace →

Published June 11, 2021  ·  All posts on Jun 11  ·  

What is called peace by many is merely the absence of disturbance. True peace cannot be distrubed; It resides beyond the reach of disturbance.

~ Wu Hsin

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