Influential Introvert: Communication Coaching for Professionals with Performance Anxiety - Express Yourself: How to Get More Comfortable Sharing Your Truth with Guest Karly Nimmo

Episode Date: January 6, 2020

Podcasting is a fantastic way to grow our brands and businesses, but you can podcast just for fun. In fact, no matter what the goal of your podcast is, podcasting shouldn’t feel like a burden, but it can if we fall out of alignment about our podcast’s purpose and start going through the motions of what we’re ‘supposed to do.’    My guest today has been podcasting as a form of self expression and discovery for years, and she shares experiences that can help us feel more comfortable exploring who we are and getting over the perfectionist roadblocks that hold us back.   Karly Nimmo has several successful podcasts under her belt, including Karlosophies. She’s a serial entrepreneur, a rebel, mad creator, connector and communicator who helps people stop playing the role of who they think they need to be, and express who they REALLY are to the world. And she does this through both podcast and life coaching, or guidance as she likes to say.   Karly recently ended one of her podcasts, Make Some Noise, after she felt like it served its purpose and she was ready to move on to something else. But she didn’t podfade, that is, she didn’t disappear with no explanation. In her final episode, she said goodbye to her audience in a very respectful way.    In this episode, we will learn more about Karly and how she’s been able to get to know, like, and trust herself over the years, and how she helps clients do the same. And we’ll talk about the evolution of our podcasts, following our intuition, and how to say goodbye with grace when it’s time to end a podcast. *** Ready to start your own show? Download my free guide: “8 Mistakes New Podcasters Make and How to Fix Them.”    Looking for a podcast media host? Use my Libsyn affiliate code POSTCARD to get the rest of this month for free and next month free.    I’m your podcast launch consultant, Sarah Mikutel. If you’d like to learn more about me, you can check out my other podcast, Postcard Academy travel podcast. This travel podcast is for the ‘experiences not things’ kind of person who believes travel goes deeper than a fantastic meal (though that is pretty great). Every week, I interview people who packed up everything to start a new adventure in another part of the world. You’ll learn how they did it and get their best insider food and culture tips. Do you ever go blank or start rambling when someone puts you on the spot? I created a free Conversation Cheat Sheet with simple formulas you can use so you can respond with clarity, whether you’re in a meeting or just talking with friends.Download it at sarahmikutel.com/blanknomore and start feeling more confident in your conversations today.

Am I going to continue flogging a dead horse? Or am I going to be like, okay, the work here is done? Have you been wanting to start a podcast for a while now, but something's holding you back? Maybe it's fear of putting yourself out there or confusion about the technology. I'm Sarah Mikital and on podcasting step by step, I'll break down how to podcast with a little loving motivation to give you the skills and the confidence you need to finally launch that show of your dreams. Let's get started. Hello, hello and happy new year. I hope you had a wonderful holiday break and had some time to do some fun things and to think about what you want out of your podcast this year. I made the mistake this week of scrolling on Twitter for half a second. I generally think that social media platform is accessible, but I'm only human and sometimes I go and have a little sneak peek over there. But one thing that I saw that was re-tubek. tweeted that I actually really liked. A self-proclaimed millennial said, I feel like my generation missed the boat on having fun and having hobbies. It's all about side hustle this and entrepreneurship

and how can I make money doing that? How about we make this year, the year of hobbies? And I thought that was lovely. I really like that. Because while podcasting is a fantastic way to grow our brands and businesses, you can also podcast just for. fun to connect with other people and to connect with yourself. And by the way, even if you do have a podcast that's for business, it should still be fun for you. Podcasting should never feel like a burden, but it can if we fall out of alignment about what our podcast's purpose is and we just start going through the motions of what we're supposed to be doing. My guest today has been podcasting as a form of self-expression and discovery for years. And she shares experience.

that can help us feel more comfortable, exploring who we are from an artistic perspective with our shows and also getting over that perfectionist, those perfections roadblocks that just hold us back and keep a silent and a little bit more closed in what we share. So my guest is Carly Nemo, who has several successful podcasts under her belt, including Carlosophies. She's a serial entrepreneur, a rebel, a mad creator and connector and communicator, who helps people stop playing the role of who they think they need to be and express who they really are in this world. And she does this through both podcasts and life coaching, or guidance, as she likes to say. Carly recently ended one of her podcasts, make some noise after she felt like it already served its purpose and she was

ready to move on to something else. But she didn't pod fade, that is, she didn't disappear with no explanation at all. In her final episode, she said goodbye to her audience in a very respectful way. So in this episode, we are going to learn more about Carly and how she has been able to get to know like and trust herself over the years and how she helps her clients do the same thing. And we're also going to talk about the evolution of our podcasts, following our intuition, and how to say goodbye with grace when it's time to end our podcast. There's some swearing in this episode, just nice, gentle friendly swearing, but you've got that warning. So there you go. Now into my conversation. with Carly. Welcome, Carly. Thank you so much for joining me today. My pleasure. So you actually make a living through podcasting, but you're not in it for the big podcasting dollars. I've heard you say that you view podcasting as in art form and like a tool for self-expression. Could you talk a little bit more about what you mean by that and how that influences your work? Yeah. So I didn't really ever think I sat in that box. When I started working with other podcasters, it was more about, you know, I don't know,

just the usual stuff, marketing as a tool kind of thing. And then I guess, I guess my personal journey is using podcasting as a form of self-expression. In fact, just using expression as a form of getting to know myself. And really, it all started in 2009 when I started a blog called Carlosophys because I was in the depths of my first diagnosed depression. And I felt like I needed like an out, like a, yeah, like an outlet. And so I started this blog and then it morphed into a podcast in 2015. And ever since I've just been weekly kind of putting my story out there. And I just found it so liberating. It's been such a great way to get to know myself and yeah, and then just share what's kind of going on for me. And yeah, and so I guess because of that,

I started to attract people who also just wanted to kind of share their truth with the world and see it more as a form of self-expression than just a marketing tool. So what kind of work are you doing now with your clients. So I do, I do a lot of different stuff. So my, my whole business, yeah, okay, so it's kind of a little bit all over the place because I do lots of different stuff. I've run a voiceover agency for the past, well, 2005, 2005, I started that. So that's like nearly 15 years. I have also, I do coaching, just regular kind of life business coaching. I also, I also, work as a podcast teacher and mentor with radcasters. So I have an online course. I also work one-on-one with people. And I help manage podcasts for corporate clients. So there's like a lot of different

areas that I work. I also run retreats and events and all kinds of stuff, not podcasting related, but just kind of life related. I'm really into personal development and, yeah, and self-exploitation. So that kind of has a flavor over most of the work that I do. And most of it is around finding your voice, using your voice, speaking your truth, all that kind of jazz. So yeah, so it's kind of like a lot of different things. But I'm the kind of person who if I try to pigeon myself into one box or pigeonhole myself into one box, I end up miserable and bored.

So I do like to have a bit of variety and spice. You seem very comfortable being yourself and publicly saying what's on your mind in a podcast format. And a lot of people are very afraid to speak their truth. Have you always felt comfortable sharing your voice? No, not really. I don't think so. I think it's been something, it's definitely been something that I've practiced and cultivated over the years. I would say that I, I've, there's always been like a shock element to me. not intentionally, it's just something that kind of just comes out. It's always been the thing where, you know, as a kid, people would be like, oh, too much information, too much information.

So I was almost that kind of person, but I felt, I felt like I was almost, oh, well, I was kind of conditioned by society to tone that down. And so I feel like that's actually what led to my bout of depression in 2009 was like, I'd come so far away from the truth of who I was. that I've literally spent the last 10 years coming back to that, you know, who I am naturally, which is an oversharer, an overgiver, and yeah, and a truth teller. But I will say, like, for anyone, it is uncomfortable for us to call shit out, you know, it's uncomfortable for us to do that stuff. It's not in our nature because our nature as humans is to want to belong and be part of a tribe

or, you know, be part of a community so that we are not on the outer. And that's human nature. So most of us have these people, you know, people pleasing tendencies. And I guess I have been practicing what it might be like not to operate in that place, which is still a big stretch for me. I just recorded a podcast episode recently where I was calling out some practices that I've seen in the personal development. world that I'm not a big fan of.

And like, you know, I spend like five minutes of that episode pretty much saying, oh my God, this is so uncomfortable. This is really uncomfortable before I actually get to it because, you know, I've got to, I've got to work myself up to this stuff. And I feel like that's quite natural. You know, it isn't, it isn't, it isn't natural for us to just like be out there and speaking at truth and like, you know, not giving zero Fs or whatever. It's not like, it's not really our nature as humans.

It's something that we practice and it's something that we cultivate on a daily basis. And that's kind of where that's the phase of life that I'm in at the moment is really, really being committed to like, what is my truth in this and giving that voice and expression? Because when we don't, what ends up happening is either we end up depressed or we end up really angry, bitter, resentful, and almost end up spraying that on other people as in a passive-aggressive way. So you're much better off kind of figuring out what the truth is of what you need to express and then just express it into the world. And you know, you can't, you can't have any control over how things land for other people. You can only have control over the intention with which you

said it. And if it comes from good intentions, you know, it might not land in the great way. and it's not really your problem as the, you know, it's, there's so many, you can, you can try to control the way people see you and the way people hear what you've got to say, but they're going to hear it from their own lens on the world, they're going to hear it from their own conditioning and learning. There's nothing that we can do to protect them from that, you know, and in fact, I've found that trying to protect people from their own shit actually hurts them more than if you just kind of let them have it in a loving way.

Yes. I think podcasting is a good way to stretch people and get them more comfortable in speaking their truth. And like you said, most of us are probably never going to get to a place where we feel 100% comfortable all the time, you know, speaking from our hearts. But it can get easier. And I think I feel like I'm much more confident after having become a podcaster. Yes. And yeah. And. And like you said, you know, you have all these emotions when you hold things in. You know, you can feel resentful or regretful. I think regret is probably the biggest one. Like, oh, why didn't I say that? Why didn't I speak up at that moment? Oh, my God. Yes. Oh, I have such a good

come back now that I'm no longer in that space. And as you mentioned, you know, you recently did an episode where you said you got quite vulnerable. But then you got a ton of feedback. That's tends to be the episodes that you get the best feedback because people are like, oh my God, thank God, somebody said that finally. Yes, totally. And I feel like the magic of the podcasting aspect of it is like there's literally no better way to find your voice than to use your voice. Like you can't find it just in like thinking about it.

You have to you have to use it and in order to actually hear. Like this is what I love about, you know, podcasting for me personally is I just, walk on the beach and share, or sometimes I'm in my studio, but often I'm just walking on the beach and I'm just sharing something that's come up for me that week, a lesson that I've learned or whatever. And then I go back and listen to it and there's actually lessons in there for me. And I can, through listening to my own show, I can hear what my message is, you know? Right. Like it's there in my ears. I can hear my own message where often we're like, oh, what's my message? What's my purpose? What's my blah, blah? You know, like, what's the conversation

I'm having here? And we're not even listening to our, like, the best way to figure that out is to listen to yourself. So when you do these beach walks, you don't have a plan and you're just sort of like walking out your thoughts. Yeah. Like I literally, sometimes I have no idea. Sometimes there'll be like a theme that's been around me for a few days and I'll just go on the beach and walk, walk and talk on that theme. But often I hit record and I literally have no idea what is going to come out. And that has also, I want to say that that is also a practice for me. So when I worked in radio, I worked in radio in 2003, 2004, 2005, I think. I think I left in about 2005. and and I used to write down every single word I would say.

I would write down what the station name was, what our, like it was 100.9. I would write all that stuff down, who I played, what, you know, any little things that I wanted to say, I'd put in ums just to make sure it sounded like it was not me, you know? I literally wrote down every single word because I was so uncomfortable. being on the fly. And a couple of times, I would lose my train of thought and I'd be like, panic, panic, panic. And it was just like a terrible feeling. Also because I have lived with anxiety for most of my life. So these uncomfortable silences feel like decades when you're in them, particularly when you're on air and it's live. So I was one of those people who needed to have the plan

exactly mapped out and no word for word what I was going to say. So like fast forward on 15, 16 years, now I hit record on my phone and I walk and I just let whatever comes through, come through. And that has been a practice of trusting myself, trusting my voice, trusting the process. And yeah, and now like even if I'm doing a talk, like I do a lot of public speaking these days. And even when I'm doing that, I am like the session, like in the audience, before my talk, I'll write out like half a dozen dot points and that's it. And then I just go on the fly. I think this is such a brilliant exercise because not just for people who are giving speeches,

but for people who want to get more comfortable doing live video. I haven't done live video yet. I'm happy to do like a really, I'm happy to do a like, yeah, I can do a really quick Instagram video and I like couldn't care less. Like that's one thing. But then going live, yeah, I'm like, oh my God, what if I don't sound perfect? And I know that people don't care if people sound perfect. I mean, I think most people would rather you not sound perfect and have you sound like a human being. But yeah, doing like that little sort of walk on the beach, record your thoughts and have that ability to. sort of edit later, just gets you one step closer to feeling more comfortable speaking off your cuff in front of like other situations. How are you recording those beach? So I just use my iPhone and I just have like a little road smart lab. So I'm a massive road fan. I love them. Well, number one, they're Australian and so what's not to love. And number two, they're actually built here in Australia. The construction of their mics is just amazing. So I use road for a lot of my

voiceover work and my travel gear and stuff, a lot of its road. And the smart lab is just like a little, you know, lapel mic that you plug into your phone. And that's it. So this is the great thing, right? Like, because a lot of people think that like that they're hesitant to get into podcasting because of how much it's going to cost in gear and all that kind of jazz. But the Road Smart Lab in Australia is about like $70 Australian, which is bugger all. And it's fantastic. So I'm walking on the beach and they are howling northerlies. You know, the wind is blowing in. Yeah.

And the ocean's there and the dog and all that kind of jazz. So there's a couple of things here, right? Number one, it doesn't have to cost a lot to make good quality sound wherever you are. And number two is like, you know, so often we're really concerned about having pristine sounding audio. Well, I hope most podcasters are because you don't want to listen to a shit sounding show. But what we forget is that sometimes our background can be a bit like, you know, almost become like another character. So people love listening to my show because it's like they're on the beach with me. The beach becomes like this other character.

And while I'm there, dogs are coming up to say hello. And I'm like, oh, hello, puppy. You know, like pat and the dog, dogs barking, winds blowing. But it still sounds solid. So it doesn't have to cost a fortune to make a really great quality sounding show. It can be done with just a phone and a 70 buck mic. And yeah, and remembering. that the background, you know, the background doesn't have to be silent. I've done

podcast interviews with people on a farm and they're like, oh no, a tractor's coming. We're going to have to stop recording. No, no, no, no, let the tractor come. You're on a farm. Yeah. You know, like, I want to hear the cows in the background. I want to hear the crow. It adds like an element of, you know, humanness. And people then can visually kind of get, oh, she's walking on the beach. That's cool. And then they're imagining in their mind where, you know, what kind of beach I'm walking on. So I think, I love that. Yeah, I think, I think that it adds another dimension to a show rather than just like the static. Not that, you know, not static in terms of like noisy static because that's not good for a podcast,

but static in terms of like just that kind of real studio sound, which is nice too. But I think like, I think there's also something nice to being able to hear sirens going in the background and just to remind you that they're people. Because we are. We're people living life. So let's record some of it. I love that. And I also love that you call shit out. And so I was wondering if there was any conventional wisdom out there when it comes to podcasting that you think is kind of bogus or that you think works up new podcasters unnecessarily? Oh, I mean, there's so much, so much stuff. Podcasting, well, just podcasting, online marketing in general. Like, I think a lot of people go into this thing thinking, I don't know, that it's going to be the thing, you know, like the thing that

takes you from obscurity to notoriety, from zero to Oprah. And it's not the answer to all of, life's problems, right? It's just a tool for expression. So I think like, I think if, if you're putting your eggs in the, this is the thing basket, or it's just another thing on the to-do. So, okay, so yep, I've got my Facebook page. Yep, I'm doing Instagram. I've got my YouTube videos happening. Oh, yep, I'm on LinkedIn now. Yep. Okay. Next podcast. Like, right. No. You know, like for me, no, pick, pick your mediums where you feel either like stretched or like it's fun for you and double down on that. So for me, it's like I love podcasting. So I podcast like a like a demon, right?

I'm always thinking about podcasting. I'm always podcasting. I absolutely love it. So that is my medium. and so I put a lot of time and energy into this medium. And the other medium I love is Instagram because I used to work as a photographer before I started working in radio.

And I just love the, I just, I love Instagram. Not for the, because I do not have a feed like most people. I am number one, I'm 42, gray hair, overweight. You know, I am not a, I'm not a hot young thing. And I'm definitely not there to, you know, I don't know, to look beautiful. I'm there to tell stories. And that's what I use Instagram for, another storytelling medium. And a photo is a part of that story.

And it's usually just an ugly selfie of me, to be honest. But so that's beautiful, Carly. You're beautiful. Thank you. That's the two mediums that I love the most. And so that's the two places I spend the most time. And so I feel like, you know, that's number one is like, you know, do you actually, if you didn't have, if you didn't think you had to do it, would you do it? I remember walking with my mum on the beach one day throwing a stick out for my dog and he would run out, jump over the waves and pick up the stick and come back.

And my mum was like, do you think he does that because he likes it or do you think he does it because he thinks he has to? And it was like so profound. And it's just stuck in my mind. And I ask myself that all the time. Am I doing this because I think I have to? Or am I doing it because I want to? And if you're doing, you know, if podcasting is something that you want to do, then absolutely go for it.

If it's something you think you have to do, cross it off the list and choose something that feels more juicy for you, you know? Yes, because it's too much work if you don't have the part for it. Right. And that's another point, right? Like, it is a lot of work. It really is a lot of work. And it can, it doesn't have to be a lot of work. So callosophies doesn't take that much time. It's just me walking on the beach recording, no editing. I top and tail, put it on, you know, my host and away we go. And then, and I don't even really promote it that much. It just kind of goes out. And I have like

a core group of people who listen. I'm not, see, I'm not focused on necessarily. necessarily growth. I'm just focused on expression. So the, because this is the thing, right, like what I see with all of the podcasters, not all, but most of the podcasters I've worked with over the years, they get to that like six episode mark. And then they're like, what's a good amount of downloads? Oh, I hate that question. You know, it's like, how long is the paper string? Yeah, yeah. You know, there's so many different factors that come into that, including your niche, how niche you are. And who really cares, honestly?

Yeah. You know, like, I just, I think, like, what we forget when we're in this space of, like, using podcasting or using anything for a marketing tool is we forget that the data is humans. You know, the metrics are actually people. And I always say to my Radcaster students, it's like, listen, if you were invited to speak somewhere and there were 30 people in the room, would you do it? Would you carve out time to like make a few, maybe write down five dot points and get up and talk? Would you do that?

And they're like, yeah. It's like, okay, so why are you unhappy with 30 downloads? Yeah, well, there is so, because I think, and this is another thing that I feel like shouldn't be allowed in Facebook groups about podcasting is then you'll get somebody who will be like, I just got like 100,000 downloads and I've only been podcasting for two weeks. And then other people who like 10 seconds earlier were like totally happy with their show are like, oh my God, am I a loser because of XYZ? Yeah, totally. But like to your point, there's like different goals. Some people want to build their brand and expand their business. And other people just want to have fun and express themselves through their podcast, which is another thing. Like when we talk about podcast launches,

I know that you have certain feelings on this. Some people are like, you need to make this a huge event and start publicizing your podcast before it even launches and da-da-da-da-da. And I disagree. I think if you want to like quietly launch and then test things out. Like I think there's many ways to launch. What do you think about this? Yeah, totally. And like this is the whole thing. There's so many ways to do anything. And it all depends on who you are and, you know, and what works for you. So whenever I work with anyone, whether it's personal, you know, life, business coaching, podcasting coaching, whatever it is, it's like the number one thing is making sure that the show is

in alignment with you and that whatever you create is sustainable for you and feels good because what's the point of doing it if it feels like shit? So it's like there's just so many variables. And, you know, I don't. I don't know. Like why, I don't know. I just am a fan of if I'm going to do something, I've done so many things that felt really hard and were hard work. And now I'm just all in it for the fun. What would feel fun for me? So, you know, recently I launched a podcast called Humans Resource, which I recorded with one of my best mates. We went away for the weekend and we just sat in the

Byron Bay, Hinteland, in the hills, outside and recorded this podcast over a day. We just sat there and had cups of tea and chatted. And then we decided that we were going to, you know, I was like, oh, what would feel fun for me? I was like, well, you know, I'm kind of over having to like think every week. Oh, I've got to get that podcast episode edited and done and we've got to do up the show notes and we're going to do this and then like I've got to schedule it in. And so what would feel fun for me would be just to like put the entire 10 episodes out

there at once and see what happens. And it felt fun and it worked and it got a buzz. And like, and we enjoyed it. So yeah. What else is there, you know? Like, yes, there's got to be fun. I agree. So then, so then also it's, but also that again comes back to what your purpose is, right?

Like so my purpose is to have fun. My purpose in this is to like have fun, try new shit, see what works and make sure that I am expressing myself. that is the purpose for me podcasting. And I hope that it connects with others, of course. You know, I'm here to provoke thought. I'm here to get people to look at their lives from a different perspective. And that just comes through me speaking about my life, right? So which I really struggle with for a very long time. So now that I just own it, it's just so liberating for me. But for others, it is a legitimate tool. It can be a legitimate business tool. It can be a legitimate

business tool. It can be a legitimate part of your, you know, marketing. And if that's the case, then, you know, strategy and all those kind of things are great to have. And I can definitely, you know, I love structure. I love, you know, we were talking before we started recording. I loved systems. I love creating procedures. And so, and I'm no stranger to marketing. So I can sit with someone and come up with a marketing plan for them, but it's just not exciting for me, you know? So I think that's, I think that's the key. Like, it always comes back to, what is the purpose of you podcasting? Like, why are you podcasting? And then once you know that, then you can kind of create what you want to create and do it in a way that feels good for you. And that is

aligned with what you see the purpose of your show to be. And that looks different for every single person. Yeah, I started this particular podcast because I want to help podcasters, you know, set themselves up for success. So they don't quit because they feel overwhelmed. But all podcasts come to an end eventually. And you recently made the choice to end your podcast make some noise. And you did this in a really nice way that I thought really respected your audience. But before we get to how you ended this show, why did you create make some noise? And what was your purpose, I guess, with that show? So when I started it, I just had this question around, I have found self-expression to be such, and creativity, to be such a great tool for, you know, self-awareness, getting to know myself.

and really helpful for depression and anxiety. For me, it's been one of the keys to, you know, making my way through that stuff. So I started it because I wanted to find out if there were legitimate links between self-expression, creativity and mental health. And so I spoke to psychiatrists and psychologists and art therapists and people who had personal anecdotal experience with depression or other mental illnesses and how creativity and self-expression had played a role in their recovery. So I started that in January and I really loved it.

And I loved the conversations that I was having. And six months in, it just became really hard for me to find the right people to interview. you and I felt like the, I don't know, it was just starting to feel like hard work. And so I came back to why am I podcasting? What is the purpose of me podcasting? Why this show? And it was like, well, I wanted to prove that creativity, self-expression and depression were linked.

And I felt like I had done that. I was like, yeah, well, it's pretty clear from the 20-something episodes that I've done so far that yes, creativity and self-expression are absolutely 100%, you know, really important for mental, mental well-being. And I felt like I'd kind of then had the conversation. And when I started carlosophies, I started at talking to entrepreneurs about their journey through, you know, just like debunking overnight success stuff, I guess. And what I found was in that show while I was doing the interviews, every second person was a story, same thing.

Corporate refugee, burnt out, came to online entrepreneurship. And I just got jack of telling that story. I was like, oh my God, if I have to talk about fucking burnout one more time, I'm just so over this. And so I started, that's when Carlosophies just became a solo show. And with make some noise, I was getting to that point. I could feel myself like getting over. over the conversation. And so when I came back to the purpose, I felt like I had kind of, I don't know,

like it had lived its purpose. So am I going to continue flogging a dead horse? Or am I going to be like, okay, the work here is done? And that's a really difficult and hard decision for someone to make who is in the podcasting space as an expert, like in quotation marks, although I actually am an expert. I feel like I've got enough, you know, knowledge and experience to count my as an expert now, but I still put it in quotation marks because, like, we are our own personal experts. There's no, like, I'm not like a guru or anything like that. So it's like, yeah, so the, it's really hard when you're in that position to then go, well, I'm going to quit this show because it might make it look like I'm flighty or I can't see something

through or here I am talking about longevity and podcasting and it's a marathon, not a sprint, and there, you know, there I go, a sprint. But, yeah, but also I'm in it for the fun and I'm in it to honour the story that needs to be told as long as it needs to be told. And when it's done, then I'm going to walk away with it because I feel like so many of us hold onto things for longer than we should due to fear of how it's going to be seen by others. And I don't want to subscribe to that in my life. So I went and also, I had this amazing guest line up and she cancelled on me at like 8.30 the night before our interview, which was the next morning and it was due to go out that week. And I was just like, right, this is a sign. I'm done. So I just got behind the mic and I pretty

much told exactly that story. How, yeah, how I felt like I had had the conversation, how I felt like it was a disservice to keep going and just, you know, doing the same thing again and again. And that, yeah, like sometimes we do hold on to things for too long. And if there's something in your life you want to, that isn't serving you, then, you know, like let it go. Because, and I did that because the number one thing that I think, this is the number one mistake I see a lot of podcasters make is not communicating with their

audience and then just fading out. And I hate the pod fade. I'm not a fan because it ruins the trust. Like the magic of a podcast is the trust that we build with our audience. And then if you're ghosting all the time, then without explanation, then I feel like I used to do it in blogging, right? like and actually I did it in the early days of podcasting and then I was like girlfriend you got to get your shit together because this isn't good you're just repeating those same old patterns and I would I would blog and I'd be like hey guys yeah I haven't been here for a few months because like you know life um anyways I'm back I'm back I'll be back here every Wednesday and you know and then like two Wednesdays later Poof I'm gone again you know and then and then like

three months later hey guys you guys you so it kind of fell off the wagon there, sorry. And it's just like a roading trust like no tomorrow. So I feel like if you need a break, like it's okay for us to need a break, it's okay for us to take time to recalibrate, but we absolutely must express it to our audience. Otherwise, they lose trust and respect for us.

Yeah, and they've got plenty of other options where they can go listen to something else. Yeah. And another thing you did on your, make some noise sign off was you told listeners about your new show. You sort of like spun it off, which I thought was genius. Which actually was totally unintentional. It happened that we were like, Own it, Carly, own it. Oh my God, that was so, that was part of the strategy. We sat down and we, no, we didn't really. It just happened to be that I was working on the humans resourced around

the same time. And I just thought, what a nice way to wrap it up to like wrap it up here and send the people there. And it worked, you know, like it was a beautiful way to end. And also, like, yeah, just to have people still be able to connect with you in different places. So I think that's, you know, also, because I've done crazy things like burn my email list down and, you know, and walked away from certain platforms. And I used to be a bridge burner. I'm not necessarily a bridge burner now. I'm like, I'm taking a hiatus and this could be a permanent hiatus. I'm not quite sure yet. But right now I'm feeling that my energy deserves to be somewhere else and, you know, and I may be back. And sometimes I do come back. But I feel like like the key to that is communication, right? Like keeping

your audience in the loop is, like I can't express just how important it is. It's super, super important. I think one of the biggest reasons people pod fade is because they had no idea how much work could go into a podcast, especially if you're, especially if you're interviewing other people and have to manage those sort of schedules and da-da-da. So I know that you're a systems lover. Do you have any advice for people to sort of systematize their show so they don't feel like they're drowning? I mean, number one is, well, okay, number one is sometimes it takes us to do something in order to figure out that we didn't want to do it, right? Or that it doesn't work for us. And there's no shame in changing things around. So, for example, carlosophy's started, oh my God, I can't even believe that I used to do this, but it started, it didn't last, it didn't last very long. I started as like a two show a week show. So it was like I did a free flow, which is what I call like my conversations with myself, a free flow convo and then I would do an interview. And I had a baby.

So it was ludicrous for me to think that I was, that was sustainable. I think I did it for the first month. And then I was like, oh no, hell no. So I started to do alternate. So I'd do a free flow and then a conversation and then a free flow and a conversation. And it, you know, and it worked. And again, just communicating that to my audience. I don't know that I did that.

Oh, no, I think I did that at the time. But, but yeah, so like we don't know what we're in for until we're in it sometimes. And if it's not, if it's really not working for you, then think about ways you can make it more sustainable for you. think of ways that you can, yeah, make it more enjoyable and easy. The main thing for me is just like the resolute conviction that you're just going to do a show each week, right? Like, I think that's the hardest pill to swallow is like it's so easy. It's kind of like, this is a really bad analogy, but it's kind of like me as a ex-smoker,

I haven't smoked for like 10 years, but when I did, I tried to quit a few times and then one cigarette and I'm back, you know? And I feel like in reverse. It's kind of like that podcasting can be like that in reverse. So one week we can just be like, oh my God, it's way too hard. Everything's just like, no, no, too much, too much. So we skip a week and then it's very easy for us to go into a rapid decline and pod fade. So do whatever you have to do in order to make sure that you are showing up when you say you're going to show up. And if that requires you to change your schedule and it requires you to change the frequency of your show, do it. Because I do believe it's more important that you're consistent in whatever consistency looks like to you, like whatever that

frequency is. So going from two, two episodes. a week to like alternating episodes worked for me for a while until it didn't. And then I was like, okay, these interviews, I mean, they were getting boring. I wasn't enjoying them. But also, there was so much work. And the free flow convoes were just so easy. So I was like, get rid of that. Let's just go down this path. So I feel like you've got to, you've got to get some skin in the game to figure out what feels good and what doesn't and then you just kind of like align your show to what is more easy and joyful. But then I guess like because I can give you the standard stuff like batch, you know, or outsource. But I don't know. I just feel like if it is feeling really,

really hard, find ways to make it feel easier and then just do that. So definitely considering like what is what is it that's feeling really heavy about the show and what can you do to make it feel lighter and then just do that it sounds pretty simple evolve and do what you love and start doing the things that you hate and think are awkward and worrying that's pretty much it I should have just got on and said that and then we'd have like a 30 second podcast episode. Do you batch or do you just? No, no, actually.

So, yeah. So with humans resourced, I do batch, right? Because we will do it again. We're absolutely going to do a second series. And that's batched because we just go away for the, this is what I'm talking about, like make it easy and make it fun, right? So we go away one weekend, this is the plan. we're going to go away one weekend every like three or six months, record 10 episodes just sitting

there drinking cups of tea, having fun, having a laugh, you know, jamming on shit that we really love. And then I just bring all that stuff back and I give it to my editor and he puts it together and then we just get it out there. That's like, that's a really great way for me to have an entire podcast series done in a day. Like, but then I go and put them all out there. But you know what? like it could have lasted me 10 weeks, which is great. One day for 10 weeks content, how amazing. So yes, you can batch if it feels good for you in that way. With my coaching, I coach every second week. So I coach with my clients fortnightly. And so one one fortnight like is called like my coaching week. And then the next fortnight I would schedule a lot of podcast interviews. And I'd try to

get like, I'd always try to get ahead, but then I'd just end up down the bottom of the tank again, which is why I've stopped doing interviews, because I do feel quite hard and tedious for me. I much prefer just to speak my own truth and be interviewed by other people than actually doing the interview. The interview has like a weight of expectation almost attached to it for me. So I much prefer being in this seat than in your seat. Yeah, and I love being in my seat. Yeah.

Everyone has their own pressing friends. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So, but with carlosophies, like literally, I just record it whenever I feel inspired. So I believe we all have like creative cycles.

And as women, those creative cycles are often also on a monthly cycle. So sometimes I'll be feeling super inspired. And on one podcast, on one beach walk, I might record three episodes if I'm like really in flow. otherwise sometimes it's like Tuesday and my my assistant is like hey carlosophy's up and i'm like shit hit record and stand at the studio so so it's just like but but it is a case of like whatever i

have to do to get it out there um and and if i don't have some in the bank then yeah then i'll i'll just pop something out then and there um and that might sound like oh well then there'd be no value in that or, you know, like, I don't know, like, there's no intention behind that, but there is. There's always an intention when I show up at the mic, and that leads the work that I create. So it doesn't matter whether it is pre-planned or pre-planning doesn't work for me, because then I lose my flow. But that's the way that I work best. I was always, see, the thing is, like we forget the nature of who we are sometimes. As a kid, I was always, like, night before doing up my homework, you know, panicked last minute thing.

And I would always get it done and it would always go out and it would be totally cool. Yeah. Maybe that's actually my nature. Maybe there's nothing wrong with that. And if you're a planner and you were always someone who like, you know, was, you know, studious and I was going to say tedious. That's not the right word. But you know what I mean?

Like it was like to make sure that you had, you know, had your stuff done in plenty of time, then then do that. So just know who you are. You know, like that's the key here, right? Like, know who you are and then do creating ways that work for you. And then you don't have to worry about pod fading because there's always something there, whether it is recording last second or whether it is scheduled six months in advance. Just do whatever is going to allow you to be consistent. Yeah. And you can test what works for you. I am not a natural planner at all. And I envy the planners. I'm definitely last minute. But to be honest, I don't really like being this way. I'm trying to figure out to implement systems into my life into my shows for the

first time. And I do feel more relaxed now that I feel like I've figured this stuff out. But, you know, it takes time to figure out what works best for you, I think. Yeah, definitely. And I feel like you learn, like you learn how to fix things. You know what I mean? Like, like you can learn things in theory, but it's only when you have practice that it makes it real. So it's like sometimes, and this is why I have so many systems, because my whole philosophy is what isn't working, how can I make it better? How can I make it easier? How can I make it less time consuming for me? And then I just create something around that. So it's like, even simple things, I have in, Dropbox, I have a folder for each episode. This seems so simple, but I'm just going to say it

anyway. But I have a Dropbox folder for my podcast, and then I have like a sweeper folder, artwork folder, EPS to edit folder, edited EPS folder. So it's like everything has its place. And then there's like a naming convention for all of my podcast episodes. So there's no like, you know, having a look and like, oh shit, what's that Skype call? I don't know which episode that is. I don't have any of that because it's all there and it's all neat. So anyone can come in and understand what's going on. And I think like, you know, I don't know, I think some people can be addicted to chaos in unhealthy ways and can be also equally addicted to structure in unhealthy ways.

So I think like, yeah, it's often just about testing. your own boundaries, seeing what works, and yeah, and again, just doing it for the way that's going to work for you to best support you. This has been a fantastic conversation, Carly. I just want to ask you one more question that I generally ask at the very beginning, but what was the first podcast you ever listened to? Oh, well, I was kind of late to the podcasting game, and I think it was probably Good Life Project by Jonathan Fields. Yeah, I'm pretty sure he, He was the first podcast I ever listened to, probably in maybe 2014 or something. So I actually started listening to podcasts quite late.

And then as soon as I discovered them, I was like, oh, my God, why have I not been doing this all my life? You know, it was just like it made sense. Voice Over Artist X Radio definitely need a podcast. And where can people find out more about you and your podcasts and your businesses? So my main website is Carly Nimmo.com and there's links to pretty much everything in there. And of course, if you're listening to a podcast, then the best way to connect with me is to listen to my podcast. So Carlosophies is every week, week in, week out, hopefully forever. more. And then humans resourced is the other one that I've just been recording with my mate.

So definitely check those out. And I'm on Instagram at Carlisophies. Thanks so much, Carly. Pleasure. Thank you. Thank you for listening to podcasting step by step. You are now one step closer to launching that podcast you've been dreaming about. But I want to get you even closer. I created a free guidebook for you with actionable worksheets called Eight Mistakes New Podcasters Make and how to fix them. To find that, head on over to sarah micotel.com slash fix. Do you ever go blank or start rambling when someone puts you on the spot? I created a free conversation sheet sheet with simple formulas that you can use so you can

respond with clarity, whether you're in a meeting or just talking with friends. Download it at sarahmicatel.com slash blank no more.