938: The Mic That Made Me: The Lessons I Never Expected to Learn from Podcasting

0:01Okay, I have been on this ruthless pursuit to purge any clothes that I'm not actually wearing. Like if I haven't reached for it in months, it's got to go. I am trying to be really intentional about what I bring into my closet right now, which means I am only buying pieces that I know I will actually wear and use. Revolve just gets it though. I'm literally wearing my brown Autry sneakers from there right now and my new suede purse. It fits my laptop in it. So it's basically a fancy shoulder bag that works for everything. I love finding pieces like that. Things that look good, but also work hard for my actual life.

0:35Their holiday shop is live right now with all the good stuff. Sparkly party dresses, cozy sets, cute gifts, everything you need for whatever is on your calendar. And it's all in one place, which makes shopping feel way less overwhelming. Whether it's a weekend away, a big night out or a holiday party, your dream wardrobe is just one click away. Head to revolve.com forward slash gold digger, shop my edit and take 15 % off your first order with the code gold digger. Fast two day shipping, easy returns. it's literally the only place you need to shop from. That's revolve.com forward slash gold digger to shop by favorites and get 15 % off your first order with the code gold digger.

1:13Offer available for a limited time. So happy shopping. Nine years ago, I started talking into a microphone as a total experiment. I was lonely. I was building a business in a village of 1200 people in Wisconsin. And I thought that maybe just maybe if I started a podcast, I could find my people. Now, I expected a lot of things in the world of podcasting, but what I didn't expect was this, that my mic wouldn't just help me find my audience, it would help me find myself. And I know that sounds cheesy and trite, but along the way, this microphone has taught me more than any business course, any mentor, or any strategy ever could.

1:52Today, I'm going to break down the nine lessons I wish someone would have told me before I started all of this. And we're not talking about things like audio quality or interview techniques, but about the deep transformative shifts that actually happen when you give yourself permission to show up and grow in public. Because if you have ever, and I mean ever, felt the tug to use your voice, I want you to understand what you're really signing up for and why it might be the most important thing you ever do. Let's dive in. I'm Jenna Kutcher, and I help you trade hustle for purpose and build a business that gives you the life you actually want to live.

2:29From a$300 Craigslist camera to a seven-figure business I run from home, I've learned that success isn't just about what you do, it's about how you live. Here, you'll get strategies that work, systems that give you your time back, and steps that turn your effort into results and impact. If you're ready for clarity, confidence, and a business that feels as good as it looks, you're in the right place. This is the Gold Digger Podcast. All right, kicking things off with lesson number one, and I just have to say this is the perfect lesson for me to start with. You do not have to be good at technology.

3:08And maybe tech doesn't scare you, but it totally scared me. Let me tell you a quick origin story. So before I ever started my podcast, I had this microphone. Now, my brother, he is two years older than me. He is an incredible entrepreneur. He is very nerdy when it comes to tech. I mean, the guy is inspiring, but so over my head. And he had bought a microphone for some sort of project that he was doing and he wasn't using it. And so I'll never forget when he gave it to me. And he said, I think you should start a podcast. And I remember laughing at him like deadpan, laughing into his face and saying, I will run out of things after episode number seven.

3:46And I believed that. I really did. And that microphone sat in this box. I can still picture exactly where it was inside of my makeshift office at the time. And it just sat there and it taunted me. And here's what I need you to hear. I almost didn't start my podcast because I didn't know how to plug a microphone into my computer. Like let that sink in. I almost let a USB cord steal nine years of growth for me. Now, if you've ever heard the origin stories of my podcast, I had a nice microphone. My brother literally gifted it to me for the sole purpose of having a podcast and I didn't know how to use it.

4:20And so my first bunch of episodes were recorded with nothing more than iPhone headphones. And I'm not talking about like the cute AirPods that are out now. I'm talking about the corded old school headphones because that was the only way that I knew how to simply start. And I am not someone who is scared of starting sloppy, starting messy. That is literally my MO because I've just realized over time that perfectionism is the thing that often will keep you from starting. It is like a fancy form of procrastination. And I have experienced that just taking messy action that will teach you everything you need to know to get closer to where you want to be, but it'll also just help you progress.

5:04And when you see yourself progressing, you start to change your beliefs about yourself. And so I started this podcast with zero tech skills. I didn't know how to edit. I didn't know what an RSS feed was, or I still don't even really know what it stands for. I did not have any sort of studio or fancy setup. I was just a girl who wanted to have conversations. And over the years, I've had some terrible audio on this show. Like, I am not the audio queen, okay? But I've realized that the message matters more than the method. and that has kept me showing up. I mean, I have recorded episodes under duvets in hotels.

5:42I've recorded them in the front seat of my car. I've recorded them in many different places, including a closet and not like a cute little studio closet, but like a closet closet, like the one with the random boxes next to you. Like the box is literally titled random junk that you will never go through and you will move from home to home. Okay. And so I just need you to know you absolutely positively do not need to be good at tech, especially nowadays. Like just so you know, here's a little pro tip. I am recording this episode with my microphone, but I also have my voice notes app recording on my phone because guess what?

6:18That app has saved me many times. There are now AI editing things you can run audio through. It could be the worst audio and it could pretty much make you sound like you are sitting in an amazing studio. And so I just need you to You know, there has never been an easier time to start, especially and even if you are not tech savvy. And so if technology is something that is holding you back, I just want you to know you likely already have everything you need to start a podcast and your gear can grow and change with time. I now have this setup where I can just sit down, plug my laptop into the wall and plug a few cords in and bada bang, bada boom, I am recording this show.

6:57but I just need you to hear me that if you are afraid of like figuring out that stuff it's actually way easier than you think and so if you've been telling yourself that you're not tech savvy enough to have a podcast or you're not polished enough or you need to learn more the tech is so doable and it's so learnable and what matters way more than any of that is your willingness to start before you're ready like you don't need to be an expert you just need to be willing to learn as you go. Now, real quick, I'm going to give a plug. I have a podcasting one-on-one masterclass. I walk you through the tech and why it is not intimidating.

7:34And if you sign up and show up to this, I actually have an entire technology guide that walks you through every setup I've ever recorded on this show from my iPhone headphone setup to what I use today, including a nice camera and all the different things. So if you go to teachmetopodcast.com, you can save your seat and if you show up to the training you will get my free tech guide it is so good and complete it has links to everything you will no longer be worried about buying the wrong cord on amazon let me tell you how many wrong cords i bought over the years signed you're not tech savvy leader okay that's teachmetopodcast.com lesson number two your voice is your proof of growth okay you know it's wild if you go back and you listen to episode one of this show, you will hear an entirely different person.

8:24Like it's me, but it is a version of me that no longer exists. It is a form of me that was absolutely scared. You know what, Liz, and someone who was trying to find her voice. And I was so terrified, but I hit record anyways. And that is the only reason why I am here today. And so here's what you need to understand. you do not magically find your confidence before you start to speak. You build your confidence through showing up and speaking. Okay. When I first started this show, it was legitimately an experiment. So let me just paint the picture for you. At the time I was a wedding photographer.

9:04I did not have all the digital courses, all the different things you see. I was a wedding photographer who shot weddings from basically April until October. And then I had what I coined the off season, which was anything but off, but like off from being on every single weekend shooting weddings. And so in my off season, I decided I was going to do an experiment and I was going to record a podcast. And this inspiration only came because I had recently became a podcast listener. I actually listened to my now best friend show, Amy Porterfield for years. She had no idea who I was and I admired the hell out of her.

9:41That woman got me so many results just from tuning into our show every week. I didn't even know that there was a podcasting app on your phone already. And so every week I would go to her blog and I would hit play on her little podcast player in her blog show notes and I would tune in. And I remember listening to her show one day and she was talking about an offer. It didn't even exist. It was like an idea of hers. And I remember having this visceral feeling of like, take my money. You have given me so much. You have taught me so much. You have given me real results for free just by listening to your show, like take my freaking money.

10:16And I just remember really recognizing in that moment how a podcast is such a vehicle of service. And it is such a way to show up and share, to really share your life with people, but to build the know, like, and trust factor, which if you are in any form of marketing, you know it is the most valuable thing. And it is also the hardest thing to do, especially in the era we're in. And so when I started my show, I said, this is going to be an experiment. It's going to be an off-season experiment. I have no idea where it's going to go. I don't know how long it's going to last, but I just want to try it.

10:50And if after 10 episodes, I run out of things to say, I just call it season one and I fade off into the distance, right? I ride off into the sunset. And so I really felt this like calling to figure it out, but more so my podcast really came from this feeling of being so lonely. For the first three years of my entrepreneurial journey, I was burning the candle on both ends. I had been working a corporate job while starting my business. I really had my head down. And I think a lot of it was fueled by imposter syndrome. Who am I to call myself a photographer? Who am I to do this? I didn't really want to build relationships.

11:31I was kind of on an island of my own, I think out of scarcity, out of imposter syndrome, out of all the negative things that come up when you start a business. And so three years in, I was finally starting to lift my eyes and be like, okay, what else is out there? And are there other people as crazy as I am? And are there other people working as hard as I am? And how do we talk about these hard things that will make us feel less alone? That is like the birthplace of the Gold Digger podcast. When I first started this show, it was interview only because I felt like I had nothing to offer. I felt like I couldn't do something like I'm doing right now and talk and do a monologue for more than five minutes.

12:11I thought so many things about myself and my ability. And so now even just having this episode today, this is proof of growth. This is proof that confidence comes through action, through doing the reps. And so what's interesting is, is that I started off as an interview show and I thought, I'm just going to highlight other people. I'm going to let them do their thing. and then soon I realized wait I wanted to interject into everything they were saying I wanted to share my take my opinion on things okay wait maybe I do have something to say maybe I should add in solo shows and so it's wild how much has changed I mean if you go back to the early episodes which people message me every day saying they're going back to the very beginning my voice has literally changed I mean when I started I had you know what's called kind of your phone voice like the voice you use when you record your voicemail and you record it like 20 times because you are convinced that is absolutely not what you sound like so I had my phone voice I kind of sounded like a mix of like a valley girl and like a Fargo person I'm from Minnesota so I do have a bit of an accent but I mean when I listen to those early days I'm like oh child but also I'm like go girl freaking go girl so like my voice has changed and not just in sound also in certainty and tone and the way I show up and the confidence that it delivers.

13:31And so the thing I need you to hear for lesson number two is most people think that podcasting is about having something to say, having the perfect thing to say. But what I have learned after nearly a thousand episodes is podcasting is really about discovering who you become when you commit to showing up. Like when you show up week after week, idea after idea, evolution, after evolution, when you do the work, that is where the real gold is. And it's just wild because I've hit so many different milestones with this show. I mean, I'll never forget hitting a million downloads. Like what? Also, we'll never, never, never forget hitting a hundred million downloads.

14:17Like being a girl who grew up in a town of about 5 ,000 people, when I see numbers and stats, and not just numbers, but imagining real humans tuning in, putting their earbuds in, inviting me into their lives. That is absolutely nutty. And so having recorded over 900 episodes, I can hold space for complex ideas without needing someone else. I can hold my own on the microphone and I hope that this episode is proof of that. So if you have been waiting to feel confident before you start, whether that's launching a podcast or writing that email or posting your new offer, even just like speaking up in a room, I need you to know confidence isn't a prerequisite.

15:02It is a byproduct of consistent courage. You don't wait to feel ready. You prove you're ready by showing up again and again and again and again. When we were young, we dreamed of castles and fairy tales. And as we grow up, those dreams might shift into building something real, like starting a business. You need a website, payment systems, a logo, and a way to reach customers. It can all be overwhelming and confusing, but thankfully that's where today's sponsor Shopify comes in. Shopify powers millions of businesses around the world and 10 % of all U.S. e-commerce, from big brands to folks just getting started.

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16:22Okay, I have been on this ruthless pursuit to purge any clothes that I'm not actually wearing. Like if I haven't reached for it in months, it's gotta go. I am trying to be really intentional about what I bring into my closet right now, which means I am only buying pieces that I know I will actually wear and use. Revolve just gets it though. I'm literally wearing my brown Autry sneakers from there right now and my new suede purse. It fits my laptop in it. So it's basically a fancy shoulder bag that works for everything. I love finding pieces like that. Things that look good, but also work hard for my actual life.

16:56Their holiday shop is live right now with all the good stuff. Sparkly party dresses, cozy sets, cute gifts, everything you need for whatever is on your calendar. And it's all in one place, which makes shopping feel way less overwhelming. Whether it's a weekend away, a big night out, or a holiday party, your dream wardrobe is just one click away. Head to revolve.com forward slash gold digger, shop my edit and take 15 % off your first order with the code gold digger. Fast two day shipping, easy returns. It's literally the only place you need to shop from. That's revolve.com forward slash gold digger to shop my favorites and get 15 % off your first order with the code gold digger.

17:34Offer available for a limited time. So happy shopping. All right. Lesson number three, Podcasting, I wish I would have known this, is free coaching for your soul. Oh my gosh. So many people do not pay attention to this. If you are fading off, come back to me. I feel like this is one of the most important points I want to make. When you have a podcast, you literally get to interview people you admire, you look up to, your dream mentors, you get to ask them questions. So the other day I met this woman. I was at a kid's birthday party for one of my daughter's friends and it was like with our community.

18:09And this woman came up to me and she's like, I'm so sorry. I have to fangirl. And she goes, I need to apologize to you because when you moved into town, I totally emailed you. And I said, can I pick your brain? Can we meet up for coffee? And can I pick your brain? And she sat there and apologized. And I was like, oh my gosh, please don't apologize. But what I was really thinking in the back of my mind is I have been able to pick the brains of hundreds of successful women without having to apologize because of my podcast. And I just kind of smiled to myself because that whole pick a brain thing is something that can really strike a nerve with people.

18:48It doesn't really bother me. I get it. I mean, there were people whose brains I picked at the very beginning. But having a podcast is like having free coaching. You get to interview your mentors and those conversations not only teach you things, but they reveal things about yourself you never expected. Like, here's a quick story of this podcast. So I interviewed this amazing woman. Her name is Tracy Otsuka. And we get hundreds of pitches every single week to our show. And Tracy's had landed in our inbox. And I just remember thinking, this is fascinating. And Tracy is an expert in ADHD. Now, I just thought Tracy's topic was super compelling.

19:27Her pitch was really great. She was a dedicated listener of the show. So I said, absolutely, let me interview you. So we go through the entire interview process and I end the interview and Tracy goes to me and she goes, how long have you been diagnosed? And I was like, wait, what? And she's like, you have ADHD, right? And I was like, wait, what? And she's like, you know why I applied to come on your show, right? And I'm like, wait, what? And she's like, I applied to come on your show because I have listened to your show for years. And all of the things that you do in a reference are absolute textbook signs of ADHD.

20:01She goes, I'm not going to sit here and diagnose you, but you should look into it. And that episode, I literally said yes to that episode just because I thought it was a fascinating topic that could help our audience. I had no ulterior motives. I went through the entire interview, not ever once thinking she's talking about me. And that changed my life. I did go on to get a diagnosis. I had so many conversations with my family members. It has changed my life. It has changed the way I parent because I likely have neurodivergent children and it's just wild. And so it's crazy because I would have never discovered this about myself in this way if I didn't have my show, right?

20:38If I didn't have Tracy on as a guest. There have been so many interviews that have planted seeds in my life for business, that have changed my way of thinking, that have challenged me. There have been so many quotes and moments and key points that have absolutely shaped my own direction in business and in life and in motherhood. I mean, I have had my assumptions challenged. I have opened my eyes to new ways of thinking. I have built amazing relationships with my guests. There are so many guests that have come on my show who I didn't even know who they were before they were on my show. I just knew the work that they did and knew that it was impactful, who I have left the episode with their phone number and we still keep in touch.

21:21I have created so many connections with guests who then recommend my show or me to other people. I mean, it's just this effect that you can't even imagine. And I don't know why people don't talk about it more is like if you want to get coached and you want access to mentors, having a podcast is amazing. Like think about it. If I wanted to hire Tracy for private coaching, it could cost me thousands of dollars. But because I have a podcast, I get an hour of her undivided attention for free. And that alone changed my life. Like that is the hidden ROI that no one talks about that I wish they would have.

21:56Because when you create space to ask questions and like real questions, curious questions, you're not just learning about that person. You're also learning about yourself. Like you are discovering what am I drawn to? What lights me up? What challenges am I ready to face? And so if you are someone who you're like, I want more access. I want more relationships. I need more coaching. This is an amazing way to do this. Like if you are in a space where you're like, I want more coaching in my life, or I want access to people who are doing amazing things that I admire, or I need real community. If you are in that space, a podcast gives you a reason to seek out conversations that will stretch you.

22:35Like you just have to know you're not just building an audience here. You're building your own education vault that you can go back and reference to while also letting other people in. Like you are literally creating your own curriculum of who you are becoming. Okay. Lesson number four. I love this one. You are allowed to change your mind. I have over 900 episodes that are basically a public record of my evolution. Some of my early advice, I can cringe at it now, or I can say, Hey, I have changed my mind on that, or I totally got that wrong. And I'm not saying this from a place of shaming myself.

23:12I am saying this from a place of like, this is proof that I'm still growing and that I am humble enough to say, Ooh, yeah, I actually don't agree with myself. Growth means that your ideas can evolve. Like to me, if I am not learning, I'm dying. Like I know that sounds dramatic. I think someone famous said that line, we should probably Google that, but I want to always be committed to learning. And I think that changing your mind is one of the most beautiful things and the most beautiful gifts you can give yourself. I always tell my daughters, you can choose and re-choose. And so when I look back, I'm like, you know, what I believed in episode 10 isn't exactly what I maybe believe in episode 910.

23:53But to me, that's not failure, that's evolution. And so it's been really interesting to document the process of evolving. I mean, I have done so many things I thought I would never do. My life has unfolded in ways that I never thought it would have. You know, when I started my show, we weren't even sure we wanted kids. We've documented basically like every journey. And so to think that there are 900 episodes that really just showcase what it is like to evolve, to become more conscious, to wake up, to mess up, to change your mind. Like I love that. and so I just think that it's been a beautiful way to document it all and I like to imagine maybe my kids will want nothing to do with it but someday them just like tuning into a random episode to hear what did mom think about this thing and what was she up to and what stories did she have to say and I've just given myself permission to continue to evolve as my beliefs change or as my mindset shifts.

24:56And I love that because I do not want to stay stuck in who I used to be. I want to continue to push myself to grow. And so if you're someone who you're afraid, like you're like, this has to be a manifesto and it has to be exactly right. And it has to be everything I stand for. If you've been afraid to like change your mind and do it publicly or afraid of what people would think about you or afraid of looking inconsistent or afraid of outgrowing your old ideas. I want to give you permission right now. Podcasting is the best permission I know that gives you the ability to evolve. Like your audience is not going to be following you because you're perfect.

25:32They're following you because you're real and real people grow and change and refine their beliefs over time. And I am a walking, talking billboard for this fact. And I absolutely just love that fact about me and the show. Okay. Lesson number five, creation builds clarity. So here's what I think is so interesting. And I often think about this is a lot of times people will try to tell other people what to do with their platform. So they would say something like, if I had this many followers, this is what I'd be posting about. Or if you have a platform, you need to say X, Y, or Z. And the thing that I always want to tell people is that you have to start speaking when nobody is listening.

26:14And when you do a good job and you speak with conviction, then people will start to follow. That is how the platforms that you're looking at were built. Not built once they had all the followers, now they start saying all the things. No, they were built because they started speaking up. And so you have to really understand like you're not going to find your niche and then all of a sudden start creating. you find clarity through the creation process. So it's interesting when I look back around clarity because I feel so crystal clear from the place that I'm creating from today. But there were so many times where I'm like, okay, how do I want to say this?