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Stop Preparing and Start Podcasting · The One Small Change Podcast

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Welcome to The One Small Change. I am thrilled to embark on this
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journey of exploration and transformation with you. And if you don't know, I'm your
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host, Yvonne McCoy, and I bring over 30 years of entrepreneurial
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experience. And I have a passion
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for discovering growth through the power of seemingly small change.
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And one of the reasons that I do the
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podcast is so that you can meet amazing people
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that will help you to grow your business. And this week we are going to
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be talking with Julie Marty Pearson, and she's going to
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share with you some small, unexpected, or
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insignificant decision that
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sparked a remarkable transformation in growth, either in her
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personal or her professional life. So Julie, thank you for taking
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this time to be here today. Um, tell everybody
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what it is that you do and what happened that makes you the best at
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it. I love that question.
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So I am a podcaster, speaker, and coach, and
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I support mainly women entrepreneurs in owning
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their voice, sharing their story, and growing their confidence by
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podcasting. I help women start
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podcasts, grow existing ones, and become sought-after guests.
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And I really lean into women using their
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gifts their stories, their voice to not
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only grow their business but grow their confidence in, in standing
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up and, and supporting what it is that they do for others.
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And I think what has led me to be
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good at this is my previous career. For 20 years, I worked in
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higher education. I used to teach psychology and statistics.
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I used to do assessment and accreditation. And so
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being a teacher allows me to help others see
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how to do things in new ways. I always say you learn how to do
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something the best when you have to teach someone else to do it. Oh. And
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so for me, I've really gotten to the
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point where I love helping women start podcasts, but I love to show
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them how to do everything themselves. I don't want them reliant on me to keep
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it going. I want them to understand all of the stuff that
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happens to create it and really own being able
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to do it themselves. Now, I do support people in some of that too if
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they don't have time to do all the nuts and bolts, but I really
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do focus on the why and the
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how so that they're educated in the world of
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podcasting, not just putting out a podcast to grow their business without
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really understanding how all of it works. So one, one of
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the questions that I have for you, because we both have the same
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audience in, in that we're dealing with women.
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And one of the things that I find is
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women— and of course this is a blanket statement, so
2:58
don't take it that way— but, you know, they're stepping out of the role
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that they were in into the world of entrepreneurship. And so they
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do not realize how amazing they are. And so they're
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very hesitant and they're, you know, they're
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I'm not ready yet. I need to learn something else. What, what do you do
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to help them get over that? Yeah, you know, I
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think a lot of us get in our own way. Like, I'm not ready. I
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have to learn everything before I do it. And I've had friends who have spent
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years getting ready to launch a podcast. And I will
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say that when I launched my first podcast back in 2021, I
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did know some things, but I didn't know a lot I know now.
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And I decided to just start messy. My first episodes weren't even edited.
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I just started it. put it out there and kind of let it grow.
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And for me, as people listened, as people asked to be a guest, it
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was like, okay, there's something here. And I learned as I went. And
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so I try to help my clients be as prepared as possible,
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but I also tell them, you're never gonna be 100% ready.
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Everything is always changing. Technology is always evolving.
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So you can't wait to get ready. You gotta just do it and know that
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you're gonna grow and learn as you go. And that also is part of why
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I love podcasting, because we get to learn as we go. We get to
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evolve. We get to decide, is this what we want, or do we want to
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pivot to a different topic or a different format? So
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that is something I see a lot of women get hung up in— the getting
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ready instead of just putting themselves out there. And
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I see it with podcasting, I see it with speaking, I even see it with
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offers. Like, they think everything has to be ready— their website and this and that.
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And it's like, no, sometimes you just want to put the idea out and see
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how people respond to it. You know, as someone who used to do a lot
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of research, I love that part of marketing and podcasting is
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testing and trying different formats, trying different lengths of
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episodes, trying different offers, because sometimes what you
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think is going to work isn't what other people are going to respond to. And
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the only way to know is by trying. So it's
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kind of interesting. I think probably one of the best things somebody said to me
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was, you know, there's always going to be somebody who knows
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more than you, and there's always going to be somebody who knows less than you.
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Right. And so you're perfect right now for the
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people who are right where, you know, who need you right where you are.
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And that was like a really good thing. And the example that he gave was,
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you know, there's the ultra elite, you know, like you're the 4
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living presidents. You're never going to be one of the 4 living presidents. So
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don't try to keep being ready for that, you know? And
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so, yes. I hear all the time, I want a
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podcast like Amy Poehler, or I want a podcast like, you know,
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whoever it is. And it's like, first of all, you're never gonna have a podcast
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like them because you are not them. You are you. And what you're gonna
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bring is what you will uniquely bring that is different than everybody
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else. And so I think it is important for people not to copy,
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but to bring their own uniqueness to whatever it is that they do.
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Okay, so my, my other question, um,
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in terms of Podcasting is—
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why podcasting? I mean, there are many things that people
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can do. Why podcasting?
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So for a lot of reasons. For one thing, when it comes to
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having your own podcast, as you know, is you own it. That's your content.
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You control who the guests are, when it comes out, what you talk
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about. And you— we don't have a lot of that control on social media
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and all of those other places. And also, it is a place where
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you can show more of yourself. It's long-form content. I
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share parts of my life that I don't share other places. You know, I've
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talked about all sorts of things on my podcast as a guest.
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And so it is a way to build a deeper connection
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than you really can with social media posts or emails.
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You know, you really can get to know each other. And so what I love
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about podcasting is that, yes, it is marketing for your business. Yes, it is
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visibility. But it's also such a collaboration
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tool and a way to network and meet new people and get
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introduced to new audiences that you really can't do in any
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other medium. And, and, and when you talked about
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collaboration, I think one of the things that's so great about podcasting
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is you really get a chance to
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see how well you click with somebody else. Yeah, you know,
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it's like, yes, can, can I have a sustained conversation with
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this person? Do I want to talk to them more? You know, is
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Am I having to really work at this, you know, or is it, is
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it spontaneous and it's coming? And I think the other—
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so the other thing is, let
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me just ask, did you hear that?
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Yes. All right. So for those of you who have followed
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me, you know that we don't edit any of that out. And apparently
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something very strange is happening at my house.
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Which I don't know what it is, but we're gonna keep going. So
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I think the other thing about podcasting is when you
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start— and this is true of any kind of video kind of thing— is when
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you start and you're not sure of what you're
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doing, there's hardly anybody following you, so nobody ever sees it.
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And I think that's a wonderful thing. I mean, I look back on
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some of my first episodes or first videos and go,
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oh my God, if this had been my first video where— and I
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had just started it right now, do you know, now that I've
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got, you know, I would— it would be like cringeworthy. Yes.
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Um, so that's— And, and that is
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so true. I, you know, I often have clients who are
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going through my launch process get hung up in their, in their trailer.
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Like, I, I had one that he re-recorded it like 5 or 6
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times and edited it. And I said, guys, Yes, this
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is all practice. You learn as you go. You get more comfortable with how
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to edit yourself. But I also said, you know, so few
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people are gonna hear your trailer because they're gonna find you at episode
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5 or 10, and most people don't go back to episode
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1 or the trailer. And so yeah, I think
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perfectionism can sometimes get in our way, but it's
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also like, it's okay because you're gonna keep going and people are
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gonna discover you at different points in your journey. So they may not hear those
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first few ones. And And that's okay. We all, you know, when I
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started my first one, I did it for fun to get comfortable, to see if
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I even liked the process before I really invested in
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one about my business. So yeah, I agree. That's the
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great thing about it is we learn as we go and we evolve and we
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get comfortable and we get better. And a lot of times people don't hear that
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early stuff, so it's okay. It's, you know,
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like I said, there are funny things that happen and that makes you who you
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are, kind of. Absolutely. So let's
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talk about stories. Why are stories
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so important? Well, you know, stories,
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storytelling, it's been around, you know, as long as
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humans have existed, because it's how we share our
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lives. It's how we continue our cultures and
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experiences and family lines. And I talk about
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legacy sometimes with podcasting. And that is the storytelling is we're leaving
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a legacy by sharing our stories experiences. But also,
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stories is real— is really where you build connection with people.
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People are more likely to remember a story you've told versus
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a sound bite or a, you know, some data that you, you
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know, mentioned. The story is what people remember— the
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stories, the experiences. And people are going to be
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like, oh, I've been through that, I know exactly what she's talking about, or
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oh my gosh, I would have never even thought of that, right? The story is
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that connector. And one of the examples I talked about
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is an episode I did last year after going to a Cyndi
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Lauper concert. I grew up on Cyndi Lauper, you know, the
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'80s, but I'd never seen her in concert. And it was
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billed as her last concert tour ever. And
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it was this 3-hour event of her telling
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stories about her music and, and her, her
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whole life and her career and bringing people on
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stage with her to sing with her and all of this. And it was just
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that moment of realizing, you know, the stories we hold and however
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we share them is so deeply connecting,
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and that it's so important for us to do the same when we're
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podcasting, because that is what people remember.
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Well, it's funny. I think that,
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you know, there used to be a time when information
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made you an expert. Information is everywhere now.
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And so trust is the thing that attracts people
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to you. And when they, you know, I, I— one of the examples that,
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that I always give is when, um, you know, I
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weighed over 400 pounds and I would be trying to take an exercise
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class and they would be like, you can do it, you can do it. And
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I'm like, you have no— you know, from this really stick-thin
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person, you have no concept that if I bend over, I
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can't breathe because my stomach is in the way, right?
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And so I think when people see that you're not— everybody
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hates the perfect kid. You know, when people
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see, when people see that you're not perfect,
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right, and that you struggled, they can relate to that,
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you know? Yeah. And I think that is a— is the thing that's so
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powerful. If, you know, you've never made a mistake or you've made
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this, you know, then how do you know how I feel?
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You know, and what I'm going through. And I think that's really important. I, I
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think that part of the struggle is
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how much is too personal. Um,
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yeah, and I think that the answer to that is different for
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everyone. I know people who have podcasted with only
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their first name. They didn't want to use their last name. They didn't want—
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they didn't want certain parts of their life to be public. I know people
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who have told stories of divorces and other family
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drama, and they've changed the names because they don't want to call people out.
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You know, there's ways to protect. And for— I don't really worry
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about most of that, but everybody else gets to decide what that is.
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And I will say, when I started, I never thought I would have shared some
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of the experiences I have shared in podcasting. I've spoken of
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my own personal health journey. I've spoken on some podcasts. Mm-hmm.
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for women's health about my hysterectomy and the experience
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I had and the things I wish I'd known before that happened.
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Because I think now if I can help someone else go through it with
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more information than I did, then that, that is important to
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me. So I think it really is a personal decision of how much you
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share, but it's also up to you how you share it. You can share a
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story without revealing anybody in it, but you can still
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share the point and the experience and whatever point you're trying to
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make. So I, I stories are important and it's up to you
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to decide how much or how little you share. And I
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think the other thing to that is, I mean, one of the things that I
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say to people is, example, is pick
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5 things, right, that you talk about on a
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regular basis or are important to you. And so,
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you know, my 5 are obviously my business
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and that's the bulk of it, right? And then I talk about my
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weight journey. I talk about my
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dog or dogs, right?
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I talk about my family, but, you know, I don't talk as
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deeply about, like, my kids as some of the other
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topics. And humor is really important to me. So
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every once in a while, I come up with something that just strikes me as
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really funny, and I like to have a sense of humor
15:30
in my podcast. Yep. So, you know, that
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those are the things that I talk about and I try to tie them,
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the lessons learned, to what does this mean in business. And I've often said, I
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think I learned more about losing weight, about
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consistency and being graceful with
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yourself under pressure and resilience, about losing,
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you know, almost 200 pounds
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than anything that I learned getting my MBA,
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right? And so that's where some of those life
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experiences make you so much different. And I think
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the other thing is, you know, with
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my Be Found framework, the first part is be yourself. When you
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are yourself, you can kind of read the room
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and, and, you know, whatever connects with the person that
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you're you're talking with, right? And then those personal
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stories and stuff come out. Okay, we are running out of
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time. We probably could keep talking forever, but we can't.
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So, so what are 3 things that people can do right now
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to, to, you know, if they haven't investigated having a
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podcast or they want a way to get their story out?
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Yeah, so the first one I, I always tell anybody who comes to me is
16:49
guesting. If you haven't guested, you should start there
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because you don't want to invest time and effort it into your own podcast if
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you haven't even experienced what podcasting is.
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And so— and it doesn't have to be serious. Pick one or two to do
17:03
for fun. My— the first time I ever guested on a podcast, it was about
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movies, and we talked for an hour about 2 or 3 movies that we
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both loved, right? It was like I got to feel it, I got to see
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how this works, I got to have fun, I didn't have to overthink it. So
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guesting is the first place to start. Um, and then
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next I would would say is start thinking about what stories you have. I,
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I was interviewing someone recently who was a copywriter, and
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she, you know, gave some really good ideas about like, you know,
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write down 1 to 4, 5 to 10, and think about those
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ages. Think about a story from each age gap that you could
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tell that you could relate back to your business and start
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building, you know, uh, uh, kind of like a file of
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stories that you can pull from when you're podcasting or speaking.
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And so just really think about what looks like for you. And then the
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third thing is, if you have been thinking about a podcast, you have been
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guesting, and you're really like, is this right for me? Really
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get clear on what your why is. Why do you wanna have a
18:06
podcast? Why do you want to use that as a marketing tool?
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And what would be your goal for that podcast? Because I see so many people
18:14
start podcasts without being clear on their why and how
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they would, you know, assess if the podcast is doing what they want it to.
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They just kind of put it together and put it out. So really get clear
18:26
on your why. Is it building your business? Is it building a community? Is
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it just for visibility? Because that— those answers to
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those questions will help you through the process of whether a
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podcast is right for you right now. I have one
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fast thing to say, and that
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is don't
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negate any of your stories. Do a brain dump.
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Because some of the most amazing stories you think are not important. I
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spoke with somebody one time who was a connector.
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That was what she was trying to get people, you know, to connect. And
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I don't even know how she said it, but she said something like, when I
19:08
was 4 years old, I would get up early and stand on the stairs of
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the church next to me on Sunday morning, and I would say, good morning,
19:15
good morning everybody. And I was like, oh my God.
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That is, I mean, you were born a connector. You
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absolutely have to tell that story. And she, she thought it had no
19:27
particular worth at all. So that's what I would say. You also have
19:31
a gift for us. Yes. Um, I
19:35
offer a free strategy session for anybody who wants to
19:39
explore their idea of a podcast or think through
19:43
what are the right podcasts to guest on. So if you
19:47
want to just explore whatever you've been thinking about, talk through it,
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I'm happy to sit, uh, you know, Zoom with you and discuss
19:54
your idea. I love helping people really figure out what is right for them
19:58
right now, because I never want somebody to take on something that they don't have
20:02
the bandwidth to continue. Why put all that time and effort into
20:05
starting a podcast if you know down the road you're going to hit a
20:09
roadblock and can't keep it going? So I'm happy to chat
20:13
through any ideas and help you figure out what's right for you. And your
20:17
business. And I'm gonna say to you,
20:23
I guess the way I want to say it, because I want to, I want
20:26
to say it somewhat nicely. But
20:29
basically, get off your butt. If you've been thinking about doing this, give
20:33
Julie a call. The worst thing that can happen is you go,
20:37
I was right, maybe I'm not ready for this, or I don't want to do
20:40
this. But now you've, you've taken the clutter out and you
20:44
know what you need to do next. And, and that to me is probably
20:48
one of the things where we get, you know, get in our own way,
20:52
right? Absolutely. Yep. And I, and I do— I often say to women,
20:56
if something's been tugging at you, like you think you should share, you feel
21:00
like you want to do it, just do it. There's a reason you're feeling that,
21:04
you know, kind of pulled to do it. So just quit asking why
21:07
and just start. So, okay, here's, here's the
21:11
trick question. When was the last time you did something new for the first time?
21:16
Oh, I was thinking about this and I'm like, I don't know. I will
21:20
say we just a few days ago adopted 2 kittens,
21:23
so that is new. We haven't had kittens in the house in 4 or 5
21:27
years, and there are a lot of little things you forget when you— you know,
21:31
small animals do— are crazy and they're climbing
21:35
all over things. And me, I had one on top of my head the other
21:38
day. But it's also so much joy.
21:43
And just watching these tiny creatures
21:46
explore and play and sleep, it's just brought so much
21:49
joy into our house that it's like, yeah, why did we— why did we wait
21:53
to do this? But there's always the right time. But yeah, it reminded
21:57
me of just find that joy in your life because, um,
22:01
you know, we all need a little happiness, a little extra happiness in our
22:05
lives. Anything, anything that can make you smile in these
22:08
days is definitely worth it. And kittens are so cute.
22:14
So guys, it's time for the commercial. And so
22:18
as your first step, please subscribe, share this on social media,
22:21
and engage with the podcast. Tell other people.
22:26
One of the things that Julie said is one of the things I always say
22:29
is when you share something, you actually get a chance to see what you know
22:32
and what you don't know, if it makes sense to you.
22:36
And one of the reasons I do this is it's a way of introducing people
22:40
into your ecosystem so that you have a chance to come up with lots of
22:44
ideas. that will help your business grow. So I
22:47
hope you will continue to join The One Small Change. And
22:51
you know, it's a place where you learn that even the tiniest shift can
22:55
yield huge transformations. And you might want to listen to
22:59
some of the first, the first episode and some of the ones where I did
23:03
as a single episode because I just had to talk
23:07
because I like to do that. One of the things I will say is podcasting
23:11
gives you your own stage. You don't have to wait for somebody
23:13
else to give you a stage when you were a podcaster. So think
23:17
about that as you're going forward.
23:21
Julie, do you have any last words of wisdom for us?
23:25
You know, just do it. Is whatever it is, it's been calling to you,
23:29
do it. And if you have a story to share, start sharing it. Find your
23:33
place and share it, and the right people will find you. And
23:36
I just think that we need more women's voices in the world as
23:40
well as in podcasting. We are still the minority in terms of hosts and guests.
23:45
So there is someone out there that needs to hear what you have to say.
23:49
Absolutely, absolutely. I believe in that.
23:53
So remember, the change is simple, but it's not always easy, and
23:57
it requires courage and resilience, and it requires a willingness
24:01
to step outside your comfort zone. If you are totally comfortable, then you
24:05
are stagnating. Um, you know, the world is
24:08
changing even if you're not, and so So it is
24:13
imperative that you look at how you can stay
24:16
relevant. I think that's so important, especially if you're trying
24:20
to help people. So continue to join me on the One Small
24:24
Change, and I want you to have
24:27
found some real possibilities for innovation. And be sure to check
24:31
out my workshop, the Be Found Workshop. You don't need to be fixed, you
24:35
just need to be found. Until the very next time, stay
24:38
very, very curious. Julie, thank you so much.
24:43
Thank you for having me.