Influential Introvert: Communication Coaching for Professionals with Performance Anxiety - Imposter Syndrome: 7 Mindset Shifts to Overcome Feeling Like a Podcast Fraud

Starting point is 00:00:00 When you're new to podcasting, everything can seem like a challenge. Choosing the right equipment, learning to edit audio, coming up with great content. But one of the biggest challenges and maybe the biggest challenge and one that prevents so many people from actually launching their shows is imposter syndrome. Feelings that we are unworthy, that we don't know enough or aren't good enough. Who am I to start a podcast? What if no one listens? What if people hate my show? These are totally natural feelings and most people suffer from them. I put off podcasting for years because of these thoughts, but you can greatly minimize these negative feelings with a few simple actions. And this can really shift your mindset in a positive way.

Starting point is 00:00:47 And I will dive into these things in today's episode. 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. Most people I know suffer from some degree of imposter syndrome, especially if they're putting themselves out there in some way, from starting a podcast to starting a business. And these feelings can come and go.

Starting point is 00:01:31 One day you are on top of the world and feel like you can conquer anything. And the next day you're thinking, what am I doing? What if this doesn't work out? Why didn't I start this 10 years ago? What if people think I'm not good enough? We torture ourselves with these negative questions. And they often have nothing to do with reality, but they hold us back from doing what we really want to do.

Starting point is 00:01:55 And this is a tragedy because our time here on this earth is running. I read the other day that the average person in the United States lives for a little over 27,000 days. And a lot of that time is spent sleeping and working. So if you're 25, you have about 18,000 days left to live. If you're 50, you've got around 9,000 days. And if you're 65, you have a little more than 3,500 days left to live. So let's be a little kinder to ourselves during this time that we have. left. You are worthy of having a podcast. You have a beautiful voice and ideas and thoughts and dreams, and these are all things that are going to connect with other people. So how can we overcome or at least manage these feelings of, I'm not good enough? To start, when you're stressing out over whether you should do something or not, think about what advice you would give to somebody else in the same situation. So if you're anguishing over whether you should invite someone to be a guest on your podcast, what if they say no? Think about what you'd advise somebody else. Chances are you

Starting point is 00:03:10 would say something like, what's the worst that can happen? I mentioned how much I love this question in the help for the introverted podcaster episode of this podcast. We should ask ourselves, what is the worst that can happen whenever we want to try something new, but feel a twinge of fear in our hearts, when we want to dance at our friend's wedding, but we think we're not good enough, or when we want to raise our hand at that conference, but we worry that our question is dumb. It's not. Everyone else has the same question. Raise your hand. What is the worst that can happen? There are other questions we can ask ourselves to fight imposter syndrome. Do you know Amy Porterfield? She is one of my favorite entrepreneurs, and she is the host of the podcast,

Starting point is 00:03:57 online marketing made easy. On episode 147, her guest Marie Forleo, who started the online business B-school, Marie says that low-value questions make us doubt ourselves and that we need to ask ourselves better questions. So an example that Marie gives for entrepreneurs is, what if no one buys what I'm selling? She says, a better question is, what can I offer that will truly serve the I'm focused on serving. So I have taken the five low value questions and answers that Amy and Marie came with for business owners, and I'm giving them a podcast spin here. Number one, instead of asking, what if no one listens to my podcast? Ask what content can I create that will best serve my listeners? Two, instead of asking, who am I to start a podcast? Ask, how can I improve my

Starting point is 00:04:57 listeners' quality of life by serving their needs, wants, or dreams. When we get out of our own heads and stop worrying about ourselves and focus on our listeners, that releases so much stress and doubt that we hold onto as creators. Three, instead of asking, how can I possibly compete with this other podcaster who's been around for years? Ask yourself, how would I behave if I had the number one show on Apple Podcasts and millions of people tuned in to hear me? Whether you have one listener or 10,000, treat them like gold. Show up when you say you will. Answer every email.

Starting point is 00:05:36 If you say you're going to share links in your show notes, make sure that you do it. Sometimes when podcasters are first starting out, they think, well, only 30 people are listening to me, so I doubt they will care if I disappear for a few weeks. They do care. And first off, if you're going to take a break, let your listeners know. Second, don't dismiss 30 listeners. They are your tribe. Imagine you're speaking to them in one room. That feels like a lot of people that would totally freak me out. So value everyone who listens to you. For instead of asking,

Starting point is 00:06:07 why am I not getting more downloads? Ask, how can I make one person smile today? Make yourself smile. Take a deep breath. The podcasting is a long game. And people with patience will be rewarded. So take your time and enjoy the ride. Help people out. Answer their questions. Facebook groups, leave meaningful comments on their Instagram photos. When people feel like you care, that's when they're going to keep showing up, and that's when they're going to tell their friends about you. Five, instead of asking, how am I supposed to podcast when I don't know anything about technology? Ask, what do I need to learn to deliver a podcast that my listeners don't want to miss? Technology can be scary. I get it. I have never been a tech geek. Don't really care about the technology.

Starting point is 00:06:55 but I like what it can do for us as podcasters. I remember wanting to rip my arrow when I was teaching myself how to edit audio, but I figured it out. And that achievement felt great. So you can master whatever you set out to learn. I know you can. There are courses out there that can teach you what you need to know, including my soon-to-be-released podcasting course,

Starting point is 00:07:19 which will have a very robust section on how to edit podcasts, and everything else you need to launch your show. So if you want to get on the wait list for that, sarahmicotel.com slash waitlist, there will be a link in the show notes, so don't worry about writing that down. So learning something new is great for your brain. And well, I think everyone should learn the foundations of podcasting,

Starting point is 00:07:41 including audio editing and producing and marketing, all the things. You can outsource these things. So no excuses when it comes to starting your show. There are support people out there. Also, please don't feel that you need to be the world's leading expert on something or to have all the answers to host your own show. Think of your favorite podcasters. Most of them aren't experts in anything. They're just pursuing good stories and answers to questions that their listeners have. They're curious and they care about their audience. And that describes you as well. A final thought that Amy Porterfield shared on that Better Questions episode was attacking.

Starting point is 00:08:23 that she learned from her business coach, Mary Hyatt. Whenever a negative thought or question about yourself is gnawing at you, ask yourself if you want those thoughts to be true and then reframe those negative thoughts into positive ones. So if you're thinking, I'm not sure if anyone is going to listen to my podcast, do you want this to be true? If not, reframe this with something like, I'm creating a podcast that I know people will listen to because I've done the work to identify who my ideal listener is and I know what they want to hear about. As I talked about in the episode on defining your ideal listener, you're not trying

Starting point is 00:09:03 to appeal to everyone. You're focused on someone very specific, someone you want to serve. To sum up this episode, instead of worrying about whether anyone will listen to you or whether you deserve to have a podcast, think about who you can help with your show. Don't make it about you, make it about your potential listeners. This benefits them and it also takes the pressure off of you. Confidence ebbs and flows like a roller coaster for pretty much everyone. Some days you think, yes, I'm going to crush this. And other days you slide back into, oh my gosh, who am I to think that I can pull this off? This is totally normal. And you should push through it because as I've talked about before, the actions that we take change how we think about ourselves. not the other way around. We can't wish to be brave. We need to take brave actions. So when

Starting point is 00:09:57 imposter syndrome creeps up on you, use the questions that we talked about today to kick it back. If you'd like a printout of these better questions to keep you in a positive mindset, you can go to sarah micotel.com slash questions. That's Sarah with an H-M-I-K-E-E-L-com slash questions. You have a beautiful voice. You have a beautiful voice. You have a have something brilliant to share with this world. If you haven't started podcasting yet, it is time, it is time. And if you have started your show, I would love to hear what you're working on. Email me at sarahatiragetal.com or find me on Instagram at Sarah Micatel. Thank you for listening to podcasting step by step. You are now one step closer to launching that

Starting point is 00:10:45 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 micahatel.com slash fix. 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 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.

Influential Introvert: Communication Coaching for Professionals with Performance Anxiety - Imposter Syndrome: 7 Mindset Shifts to Overcome Feeling Like a Podcast Fraud

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