100: Behind the Mic
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Stephanie - Overdub: Hello, my friends. Welcome to another episode of Radiant You. Today is episode 100, and I can't believe that we're at the place where I have done 100 of these. I just have to say it's crazy ~that it has been every, it's crazy that I have done this almost every single week for the, ~ that I have done this almost every single week for a hundred episodes.
~And ~And I was at a girl's night talking with some friends the other day, ~and one of my sweet friends was asking some really kind,~ and one of my sweet friends was asking me how my business was going. And she had all these intriguing questions about what it is that it takes to put everything together to run my business and do my podcast. ~And there was this moment. ~
~And there was this moment where she just stopped and had this, ~And there was this moment where she stopped and had this contemplative look on her face. And she turned to me and said, "I have never realized how much goes in to creating a podcast." And honestly, I felt really grateful in that moment. I thought, "You know, girl, if you even knew all of the little things ~you would be. It would, ~it would blow your mind how much effort and energy it takes!"
And so I thought, [00:01:00] "You know, it's episode number 100. What if we do something a little different?" And I kind of do a behind the scenes, show you a little bit of my journey of what it even takes to do a podcast, ~how my journey has been over the last.~ how my journey has been over the last two years of doing this, and just give you a little sneak peek of behind the scenes. So hope you enjoy this kind of fun, more casual episode today.
First, I want to tell you where it all started. In fall of 2021 it was the first time I had ever done a group course, and it was a really big, vulnerable task for me. I spent hours and hours and hours recording the videos and I took women through this 12 week course. ~And~ I was feeling pretty cool about it. ~I'm like, yes, this was awesome. There were two women. ~I was like, "Yes, this is awesome!" There were some really big wins that came from that group. One member overcame some of her fears that led her to quit her job that she had been in for 18 years and follow her dreams. And now she is being an amazing resource in the community and [00:02:00] spreading the love that God actually wants her to spread. ~Another. ~
Another awesome member in that group ~had been stuck in grief cycles for, ~had been stuck in grief cycles for years and years since her husband passed away, and she learned how to release the grief, move through it in beautiful, empowering ways and found faith in herself and in God again. She still has those ups and downs now, but now she's navigating it with more grace and inner confidence. Watching that transformation, I thought, "Yes, we're just going to do courses. This is how it is. Let's do it again in the Spring." And then Spring~ of 2020~ hit ~and God said, that was really cool, but you still didn't have it. ~and God said, "That was really awesome, but you still haven't found your voice.~ I don't want you to~ I don't want you to keep doing this until you find more of your voice." And it was hard for me to swallow that because, again, ~I had pre recorded all of these videos for these lessons. ~I had pre recorded all of these videos for these lessons, ~and that just got to be shelved. And I went, ~and that just got to be shelved. And I hit my knees and said, "Alright, God, you don't want me to do that course again. What would you like me to [00:03:00] do to use my voice?" And he said very clearly, "Start a podcast." And it was a hard moment for me. I was a little bit excited. I'm not going to lie. It had been something I'd been thinking about for a while, but I was so scared~ that I was so scared. ~
The learning curve of all of the different things was overwhelming to me. Just even the setup where you have to get a good mic and editing software, the platform of where you even put it online and distribute it. And that's not to mention your intro music and your messaging and who am I even talking to? And ~it just was a ton of, ~it just was a ton of information at the beginning and decisions that I had to make. ~And it felt like a fire hose. ~And it felt like a fire hose ~and the vulnerability almost made me stop and the vulnerability and exhaustion almost ~and the exhaustion and vulnerability almost made me stop. I felt like I sounded so awkward and I'm not going to lie.~ Some of the ones I listened back to, I cringe a little. and I'm not going to lie, ~some of the ones I listened back and reference from my earlier episodes, I cringe a little about how I used to do it and the voice that I thought was the better way to speak and just some of the [00:04:00] nuances I needed to work out. ~And I even had a lot of drama about Some of the nuances I needed to work out, because it's awkward to talk to an empty room and ~Because it's awkward to talk to an empty room and ~not quite know what you're going to say, not a lot, ~not quite know what you're going to say, let alone who you're talking to, who your niche is and ~what to name your podcast and what the critic are going to say. All right, I've kind of told you. What, ~what to name your podcast and what the critics are going to say and who even cares that I'm doing this? How am I going to even let people know?~ Well, you don't need to, well, how are people even going to know? ~
Well, I think I've made my point about just all of the drama that came with starting the podcast. But I have to tell you, the hardest part was the commitment to do it every week. At the beginning, it took me three to five hours just to plan and edit the podcast every single part of it by myself, plus being a mom to four boys and trying to be a supportive wife. And I wasn't getting paid for any of it, just giving it out there in the community. ~And that was really hard for me.~ And that was really hard for me and I wanted to give up so many times. ~But one of the things I'm proudest in my, ~but one of the things I'm proudest of in my business is that I showed up every single week. I [00:05:00] did not miss a week from March of 2022 to September of 2023. And in September, I decided to do a different rhythm of every other week and took a little bit of a break while I was exploring the next phase of my business. But it has been a thing that I have continued to show up doing. And yes, it has become easier and less time consuming. ~But I still have to do an outline before I do every, but I still have certain things that it takes to, ~
But I still have multiple steps that I go through every time I do one of these episodes.,~ I outline the episode, I re ~First, I gather ideas of what it is I even want to talk about. Throughout my day to day life I'm constantly looking for things that I can bring to you and apply in a way that will help you move forward. ~Then I take one of those, ~Then I take one of those ideas and I create an outline ~so that it's not just me rambling, kind of like I am today. Take that out. ~so it's not just me rambling all the time. And then I have to ~sit down and record it. And then I ~sit down and record it and then edit it, ~create show notes, put it online, ~create show notes, put it online, make sure it's scheduled to go out. Give you a little snippet of it in my weekly email, share it on social media,~ share it on social media, ~all of these different [00:06:00] moving pieces ~bring opportunities for drama where, where I'm not, ~bring opportunities for drama. And I'm not going to lie, I have asked myself so many times, ~why am I still doing a podcast? ~"Why am I still doing a podcast?" ~But the answer is simple. I'm doing this because God asked me to, ~ But the answer is simple: I'm doing this because God asked me to and because I see that it's being useful to the people that I love.
*Yes, that includes you. Even if I don't know you personally, God has put love in my heart to share with the women of the world to help add light to this often dark world.* ~And I have to tell you, some of that is. ~
And I have to tell you how important it has been to me to hear how it's helped you over the years. There have been so many moments where I've almost given in and said, "No, I can't do this anymore." ~And then I'll get a text message or I'll get them ~And then I'll get a text message or I'll get an email from one of my listeners ~and it. And it reminds me why I'm doing this~ and it reminds me why I'm doing this.
I want to share some of those messages that I've gotten over the years to just help you connect with the rest of the [00:07:00] community that's listening with you.
Here's one from Elizabeth: "I love listening to your podcast each week and the emotional and spiritual perspectives you share."
From Melinda: "Thank you so much for sharing your beautiful light through your podcast. Your last episode really resonated with my heart."
From Jill: "I just listened to your podcast and I seriously love hearing from you. I feel like we're discovering many of the same things and I always appreciate your take on it. It makes me feel really connected to you and to God."
From Hannah: "I have been listening to your podcasts and I love them. I felt the last one specifically spoke to me and I'm so grateful for them."
Peggy: "I wanted to thank you for your email and your podcast yesterday. It was inspiring and a great reminder, I am free to choose how I feel."
Christi: [00:08:00] "I listened to your podcast last night and I loved it. You are amazing. Thank you for helping me have wings."
Emily: "I just listened to your podcast and it lifted my heart, partly because of your endearing storytelling and partly because of your beautiful content. Bless you."
Rachel: "I just listened to your podcast and I wept. I'm in awe of your courage to step forward and share over and over again and bring connection to so many people in so many different ways. I feel so blessed to be a beneficiary of your love and your remarkable influence."
Erin: " Thank you for this beautiful reminder about purposefully connecting with Jesus. ~I am, ~I am extremely grateful to meet like minded Christian warriors."
Now, I share that not because I want to tell you how cool my podcast is or that I've been doing a good job. I share that because this [00:09:00] is a community of Christian women who desire to move forward and find that light, that hope, that courage as warriors of light. And I have found some of that myself as I've been doing these episodes. And I am so grateful for how it has helped me find my message, my voice, and learn along the way. I sit here and learn with you every time I do one of these podcast episodes. ~It's helped me find my rhythm, drop the drama. Every time I do one of these episodes, ~And even though there's been drama about finding my rhythm and my voice and honestly what to name this podcast, but as I've surrendered that to God and let it evolve over time, He has guided it and helped me find others who can support it so that it can be lighter for me too.
~I'm now even getting other podcasts who are reaching out. I, ~I'm now even getting other podcast hosts who are reaching out and asking me to share some of this message on their podcast too. ~I know God wants this message and I know. ~I know God wants this message and it has taken a [00:10:00] ton of discomfort and courage, which if you heard my last episode, those negative emotions ~are what bring us great ~are what bring us growth and forward movement.
*You have a message to share too. It might not be on a podcast or in some sort of program, but the world needs to hear what you have to say. It needs to feel inspired by your light that is unique and individual for you. *
Take a moment to ponder how would God. ~I ~want you to share your message? Or maybe who needs your encouragement so that they can keep sharing the message God is asking them to share? Like these beautiful voices who have reached out and encouraged me ~over the past 100, ~over the past 100 episodes.
If you feel a pull to want to help share messages of light and love [00:11:00] and hope to the people in the world, ~can I ask you a favor? Can I ask you a simple favor?~ can I ask you a simple favor? ~If you would take just five minutes and rate this podcast, give it a five and rate this podcast and leave a little and rate this podcast. ~If you would take just five minutes and rate this podcast, it will help spread this message to the people who need it. The algorithms and all of the things that go in the background of whether people find a podcast, I have zero control over that. It's people continuing to listen and interact with it that tells it, it's important. If you could just take a moment to do that and think of one person in your life, just one that might need a little bit of this message too ~share it with that person, ~share it with that person. ~Because,~
*Because together we can reach more and have a bigger voice of love, of hope, of light, and of radiance.*
Like I said before, my friend, this episode is not about me. It's [00:12:00] about how much God cares about and loves you and the Christian women of this world. ~He wants to do everything in his possible.~ He wants to do everything in his power to make sure ~you have the support that you need. To make sure that ~you have the support and the tools that you need. And I have to tell you, if it was about me, I wouldn't be doing this ~because it is way more time consuming and full of drama than, it is way more time consuming than I would,~ because it is way more time consuming than I would ever voluntarily put myself into. ~If I was getting something that I would voluntarily put myself into if it was about me. if it was about me. ~But it's not.
*God has put a love for you in my heart because He wants you to live lighter and shine brighter so you can create a more radiant you.* *And together, we have a more radiant us.*
~Thank you for listening, my friend. I couldn't do this without you. ~Thank you for listening, my friend. I truly couldn't do this without you. Have a blessed day.
(You are radiant and God wants you to remember that truth. But sometimes you forget. Don't worry. I've got you. I've created some free resources that will help you live lighter and shine brighter. Check out my show notes for the links.
Each week I do a newsletter that gives you inspirational tips and tools to move forward one simple step at a time. We also jump in on a free monthly masterclass to discover more of that radiant view.
If you are ready to really dive deep and see your life transformed with more self awareness, self confidence, and self love, you can also book a free Live Lighter session where we uncover the patterns where you are being stuck and see the path forward.
However God guides your next steps, know that you are not alone on this journey and we are here ready to support you. I can't wait to see how you discover a more radiant you.) [00:13:00] [00:14:00]
