Ep. 30 | How to Start a Podcast

Navigating the twists and turns of my podcasting journey, I've encountered everything from the technical hurdles to the profound joy of connecting with incredible guests! Adaptability has been my compass through the evolution of the show, to now flying solo on the airwaves.

For those of you on the brink of starting your podcasting adventure, I dish out practical advice, from choosing the right guests to the significance of soundproofing your recording space – all with the warmth of a friend sharing hard-won wisdom.

As we wrap up the third season, I reflect on the invaluable journey thus far, and how it has shaped the path forward into season four. So here's to the next chapter, where the microphone becomes a beacon for connection, and each episode is a step towards mastering the craft of compelling conversation.

Read the blog post for this episode!

Resources for Starting Your Own Show:

• How to Start a Podcast by Buzzsprout
• Balanced Black Girl, How to Start a Podcast: Blog post and free Guide
• How to Start a Business Podcast: Everything You Need to Know (Lower Street)
• Avoiding these mistakes can grow your podcast faster
• PodScore/Podcaster Personality Type
• How to Start a Podcast in 2024 | Step-by-Step for Beginners!
• FREE Podcast Launch Checklist (Carla Wilmaris)

Snag a discount on Aliya’s favorite brands with these

Transcript

Aliya Cheyanne: 1:31

Hi friends, welcome back to the podcast Aaliyah Cheyenne here and today I am excited to talk to you about how to start a podcast and why podcasting. So, before you click out because you think it's not for you, I think that some not all, but some aspects of this show definitely relate to other creative pursuits. I think it's more about how to start a thing and do a thing and make it possible and make it happen. But I definitely wanted to spend some time talking about this because it's something that's been on my mind and, as someone who has a show, who constantly consumes podcasts, and as someone who also is on this entrepreneurial path with a business that I've started and I've been trying to grow and so many other ideas in mind, I thought it'd be good to just come and chop it up a little bit about why I wanted to do this, like how it came to be and where I'd love to see it go. So, before we jump in and have a bunch of resources and things I'm going to share for anyone who might also be interested, I just want to say, as you know from listening to the show, I am not a pro. I am not an expert, although the first episode of our podcast dropped in 2022,. I am by no means a longtime podcaster.

Aliya Cheyanne: 3:07

Podcasting has been around since 2003,. Baby, yeah, I don't think it was initially called podcasting then, but that's how long it's been around, and several of the shows I listen to have been around for at least the last five or more years some around five, six years, a couple, maybe even longer than that and then some other shows that I've been listening to have only been around for the last one or two years, but even still are still great shows. So it's a constantly expanding space and podcasting is huge. There are hundreds of thousands of active shows. There are millions of shows that are available but may not still be active. There's a lot to choose from. That's why one of the ways that shows grow are by word of mouth, are by people being a guest on shows, by hosts guesting on other people's shows and ads and all kinds of things Podcasting. Podcasting is not new and it's constantly growing and most shows don't make it past eight or 10 episodes. I'm very proud that our show has, but still we are part of a fraction of all the shows available that have been active to a certain degree. Like we've definitely taken breaks in the past and I keep saying we, because former iterations of the show had more hosts and now it's just me. But our journey hasn't been a nonstop journey and we'll talk about that a little bit more.

Aliya Cheyanne: 4:47

But yeah, I just want to say I'm by no means a pro, but I am a master student and a master. I'm by no means a pro, but I am a master student and a master studier, and this is just kind of an area that I'm, like, super interested in. I understand the value of it plays a significant and immediate role in my life. I'm an auditory person, like. I love to listen to things and hear things and absorb information by listening and consider myself a huge learner and student of just life and various topics in that way, and podcasting has filled that space for me in a lot of ways.

Aliya Cheyanne: 5:28

I have some moments now where I won't even cut on music anymore. It's like I'm cutting on a podcast, you know, I mean I'll still cut on music, but I'm just saying sometimes I'll choose the podcast over music. And I listen while I'm driving, I listen while I'm cooking, on the rare occasion that I'm cooking, because I don't really like to cook y'all, I don't really like to cook, but when I do cook, I usually listen to a podcast. While I'm cooking, while I'm cleaning my place, I am listening to a podcast. Sometimes, when I'm sitting down working on outlines for my own show, I'm listening to somebody else's podcast. So I just enjoy it a lot. So, having a show, being an avid listener, being an avid listener and constantly trying to improve I think that makes me enough of someone who's semi-qualified to say something about it, but, again, by no means a pro or an expert or have been doing this a super long time. So take what I say with a grain of salt.

Aliya Cheyanne: 6:33

I think for this particular show, I'm definitely in it because it's more of a hobby for me than anything else. Like I would love to get it to a point where I can grow the show and like do so many things with it, but doing it right now like I'm not like any of these mega shows out here who are doing huge download numbers and getting all kinds of ads and sponsorships and all. I'm not in that place yet. I definitely hope to be someday. But if that doesn't happen, that's not abnormal, because it doesn't happen for most podcasts in this space, and doing this because it's of interest to me, it's at a place where I'm at in my life and it's allowing me a form of networking that I really enjoy and like and appreciate.

Aliya Cheyanne: 7:26

I am getting the opportunity to connect with so many people who inspire me who you know I admire in many ways, and I'm getting the opportunity to have one-on-one conversation with them. That's impactful and meaningful to me and then I get to share that with other people by having this show. That makes me feel so good. Like even saying it, I'm just getting like a little scalp tingle and I'm just feeling like excitement and appreciation and just joy from even doing that. Like in what other way and in what other world do I have the opportunity to reach out to somebody who might not know me from Adam, but I tell them why I admire them and why I look up to them and how they inspire me and I say I'd be so honored if you come on my show. I would love to talk to you, I would love to share your work with my audience and people say yes to me, what, what? Like I just have so much deep appreciation for being able to do that and I think that's why I'm so excited about having the show and having this podcast and being able to do this.

Aliya Cheyanne: 8:49

I don't know if I'll do it forever and we'll get into that more, but I know for right now. It's just so meaningful and rewarding to me, and the fact that I know that it can be meaningful and inspiring and rewarding to other people makes even more of a difference. That excites me even more. That's why I'm in it now. That's why I want to do it Again. I would love to grow it and be at a point with some of the other shows that I really love and look up to, but it's about taking your time and doing aspects of things that are the most fulfilling and rewarding to you, and right now, this is the most fulfilling and rewarding thing, so I'm honored to be able to do it. I am so grateful for all of the folks who have given me a chance so far and all of the folks who will be giving me a chance in episodes that you're going to hear upcoming and, oh God, I'm just so excited to relive some of the conversations that I've been lucky enough to have recently. I'm excited to share it with you guys, so stay tuned.

Aliya Cheyanne: 10:01

This is definitely more of a hobby and a passion project for me. I feel like the show is also an opportunity for me to just be intellectually stimulated stimulated. I'm not always mentally stimulated. In a lot of situations I'm 1000% sapiosexual. People's brilliant minds excite me a lot. Just powerful, bright, brilliant people excite me a lot and this show gives me an opportunity to connect with people like that and I just that just feels really good. Another reason why I'm definitely in this space is because podcasting creates business leads Like there are so many podcasts out here that are not just talking about random stuff. They're doing it in tandem with their business and they find people who are interested in their kind of business and their kind of topics and having a podcast creates a lot of inroads for that. So I love being able to podcast and just the idea of being able to connect it back to other things that I'm working on and doing.

Aliya Cheyanne: 11:18

I've spent most of my career working for nonprofits. I started out Hmm, where should I say I officially started out? I think the first real internship that kind of landed me other opportunities was working as an intern for a DA's office where I was working on reentry programs and also recidivism programs, so reentry for people returning to society having served time in prison or in jail, and then recidivism projects so that there would also be tools and avenues and resources available to help them, and then also just youth diversion programs. I was working with a couple of programs that were alternatives to prison for people who were for young people who were under the age of 18. And that just kind of opened the doorway for me to be interested in social justice in general but especially criminal justice reform, because all of them are interconnected, they are all connected to each other.

Aliya Cheyanne: 12:39

From there I started working at a nonprofit in the affordable housing space and that one was a little bit unique because it wasn't a stereotypical nonprofit. It was very well-resourced and well-funded, which a lot of nonprofits are not. But at that job I had a number of opportunities to work on a number of different things and primarily really working and leading local and statewide policy change in the housing space and being a part of initiating a new avenue for that organization. Really looking at what was called at the time justice involved housing, because a lot of people who are returning from prison and jail have a lot of barriers to finding housing and I left there ultimately, not necessarily because of the work that I was doing, but it had a lot to do with some of the ways that I felt like I was being treated by some leadership and I just felt like I was stuck and not getting the support and recognition that I felt like I deserved and I wanted something different. So I left there.

Aliya Cheyanne: 13:58

I went to a criminal justice nonprofit that was also focused on youth diversion but also took more of a holistic approach, largely borrowed from indigenous communities around repair when it comes to harm, and I think that was also a situation where leadership there was a little rough. So, despite the incredible work that was happening, the function of the organization itself was just rocky and turbulent and tough. And I should also mention that for most of these, all these roles that I'm going to discuss, I was either doing policy and communications or just communications, some program work at that internship and also at the housing place, but for the most part these have all been policy and or communications roles. Yeah, it just ultimately wasn't the right space, but I was doing impactful work there on the communications front and also on the community engagement front, and even though all of the leadership wasn't great, my boss at that organization was incredible, phenomenal and I still am aiming and hoping to have her on the show at some date and I'll be excited to get into that then.

Aliya Cheyanne: 16:16

But after that I went on to start my own consulting firm and I have used that in the past to do a number of things, certainly around capacity building for organizations, particularly nonprofits whether I'm training staff or also in the communication space, like supporting organizations with social media, communication strategy, email campaigns, all those kinds of things. And I was doing that for a while, especially after I had left that criminal justice reform organization. And then I was saying to myself I don't know if I want to do this long term. I definitely had hit a rocky stretch where I just wasn't sure how things were going to pan out and I needed to quickly find my way back to the comfort of having a quote unquote secure job. So after a while, after a break, I kind of rushed to get back on the job front and even before I had left that place and started my own thing, I was still in the mindset that I just wanted to be somewhere else.

Aliya Cheyanne: 17:34

I was applying like crazy and I was getting pretty quickly through some interviews and almost to the stage of being made an offer and then declining it. There were a couple that I had definitely declined because there were just some things maybe in the interview process that stood out as red flags to me, that I felt like had I joined I wouldn't have been content. Some things around just timeliness, transparency, communication. I was just like, oh, if y'all are already fucking this up during the interview process, what is this going to be like when I get there? So there were definitely some that I went through the motions but I just didn't like different things that had happened during the interview process. So even when it got down to the point where they were about ready to make an offer and letting me know that that was coming, I politely declined, which again catapulted me into this next phase of trying to figure stuff out on my own, and I was doing that for a while and then I was like, well, I don't know if I want to do this forever or long term. So it kind of catapulted me back into the job market and that's how I ended up at my previous one where I was doing communications work for that organization and it was at the crux of food, justice and education and you know, really again, just impactful work.

Aliya Cheyanne: 19:03

All of these different social justice things are connected but just not the most sustainable. Like most nonprofits, many will rush to scale their model and their offerings without ensuring that staff don't feel overworked, burnt out at capacity. All these different things just not sustainable and ultimately it just wasn't the space for me. So in all of these different things I've been able to clearly identify what I kind of thrive in and what I'm really good at. I have an incredibly unique ability to just identify gaps and find solutions for those things. The way my brain works I'm just so like to a detriment in some instances outside of work. But when it comes to work and setting up systems and funnels and identifying gaps and finding solutions, I do that without batting an eye. That just comes naturally and easy for me and with a lot of things that's what you have to be able to do to get things to function and run properly. So that's never been hard for me. That's always been a skill that's served me very well everywhere I've been. That's been easy for me and I've always been a powerful writer and a master communicator not necessarily in speaking because I stumble and stammer all the time, but my writing, my ability to develop communication strategies, my ability to assess situations and move through. I've always been good at that. That kind of stuff comes naturally to me.

Aliya Cheyanne: 21:05

So in my consulting business, I'll say the name naturally to me. So in my consulting business, which I'll say the name. I don't really like it but I locked myself into this a while ago. Paperwork wise, obviously, I can create a doing business as, but to change the actual name of the LLC now is just like I just don't want to do it. So it's ACB Consulting and Family Services LLC. I wanted it to be ACB and Family Consulting LLC, something like that, but that name was already taken. So I quickly just did the next best alternative that was open and available to me. And I don't use it a lot, especially like in day-to-day conversation about things, but obviously I use it for paperwork. But yeah, that's been kind of the crux of what that looks like, like a lot of consulting work around that communications strategy and support operations and just capacity building operations and just capacity building.

Aliya Cheyanne: 22:12

And I can do that stuff because it comes naturally and easy for me. But I don't necessarily always feel extremely passionate about that in the way that I do other things and the things that I feel the most passionate about are more creative things, where I get to express myself and my interest and my voice. So one of those is this podcast. Another one is creating the journal that I created a couple of years ago. Another one will be working on an affirmation deck that I want to create. Another one will be working on a greeting card line that I want to create and make. So just a number of things and those are the things that I feel most passionate about. So I think I often teeter between, obviously, the need to pay bills and do what I need to do, but also wanting to pursue the things that make me feel the most fulfilled and excited.

Aliya Cheyanne: 23:06

And podcasting creates business leads in the sense that the more I can talk about what I'm creating on the creative side or what I'm doing on the business side, the more that will connect people with that work. So I've always looked at podcasting as an opportunity and a resource to amplify business, and one of the things that came about with even changing the name of the show and everything about the show was just the hosting structure had changed from one. I've expressed on the show before that the previous name just wouldn't have worked long term. Also, there were some other business plans in the works and in discussion, not just a digital space and digital archive of creatives. I wanted to have a physical space for creatives, and this podcast and the name would have gone hand in hand with that. So now I'm in a place where that next idea is on hold for the time being, but I still would love to feed and pour into the name and the brand identity so that, if and when the physical space does come about, we'll already have established somewhat of a digital footprint that will support that business idea as well. So that's another reason why I'm so interested in podcasting because it helps to support these other ventures, that I'm able to use this as an outlet to share those things as well, and I think that's really meaningful and really important.

Aliya Cheyanne: 24:51

This is definitely like a creative outlet for me. It allows me to amplify other ideas and other things, and that's what I love about it a lot, actually. And yeah, I feel like the inspiration to start a podcast. Like myself and previous hosts of the show, michaela Ray and Tasia Marie, I think we were having conversations about potentially doing it. That's when a number of shows I listen to now actually got their start either right before, maybe not right before, maybe the year before or two years before it actually happened. So they already had something going and established. They just had to pivot. We were one of those groups of people who were like, what else can we do in this lockdown? And that's kind of how the idea was born.

Aliya Cheyanne: 25:47

Another thing is for a long time, despite all of the things I just mentioned that I want to do and create, I didn't necessarily feel like the most creative person, which is crazy coming from someone who writes. That's crazy. But I think podcasting has allowed me to revisit my creativity. It's allowed the spark to come back and it's opened the door for me being able to pursue other avenues of creativity and I really like that and I really value that. You know, and we talked about it and we created it and in the beginning it was more about current events, pop culture, other just life topics that we wanted to talk about, which was cool. But even in doing so, there's still a lot of preparation required for that, like doing outlines, finding platforms to do everything, editing, like all those kinds of things. And I knew for me personally like I kind of got burnt out, especially by the end of the first season. I felt burnt out by all of the backend that was required to do it and I also felt more passionate about some topics than others and I feel like the seed was planted or the idea just kind of started spinning early on. That okay, like I don't know how sustainable this is for me, that led to one of our first breaks, our really long ones. Despite trying to restart it sooner than that, it just couldn't happen and it just couldn't work and I also just needed a break.

Aliya Cheyanne: 28:17

Fast forward to season two, our hosting structure changed again, but we were also discussing wanting to have more guests on, but still kind of with, I guess, the current events, popular topics, theme, and I just kept saying to myself and to others I think I want to change the brand, I think I want to change the name, I want to change the style, and it was also a capacity thing too, with just running the backend and making it possible. And now, with season three, we are in a place where we are having guests and since wanting to pivot, to make the show more aligned with a brand and a business idea and just this whole space of creativity and entrepreneurship. Now I'm in a space where I am still pouring into it creatively. I'm having this opportunity to speak with guests that are really impactful and brilliant creatives and entrepreneurs, and that has become more of the topic of conversation and it's still about aligning with a business idea and a brand and I'm hoping that on the other side of this, it will all work out. So, how to start one? How to start a podcast? How to start one? How to start a podcast? So I am personally not overwhelmed by the podcast. I listen to the shows that I like. I don't listen to the shows that I don't like. I think any space is saturated.

Aliya Cheyanne: 29:56

If you want to write a book, write the book. Don't feel deterred because there are a bunch of other books. If you want to create a film, create the film. Don't be deterred by all the other films that exist. If you want to write a poem, write the poem. Don't be deterred by all the other poems that exist.

Aliya Cheyanne: 30:18

If you want to create a podcast, create the podcast. Don't be deterred by all of the other podcasts that exist. Don't be deterred by all of the other podcasts that exist. We all have our own unique voices and our own unique lenses and we all connect with different people. Every show has its own following. It used to. It doesn't anymore, but it would kind of irk me in the past when I would hear podcasters that I look up to say I'll take all the mics away, I'm tired of it, there's too many. Now it would kind of irk me because I'm just kind of like well, you're not covering everything there is to cover. Everyone creates shows about different things. Who am I or who are you to tell anyone that they can't or they shouldn't, you know? So it used to bother me. Now it doesn't. I'm just like okay, whatever, bro, I would never deter anyone from not starting a show. So you know, start the show if you want to, but if you do start one and you listen to this episode, I will reiterate that I'm not a pro or an expert. I'm just constantly continuing to learn and to grow. But I will share some of the steps that I took to create the show.

Aliya Cheyanne: 31:33

So making the decision to do it like I talked about that a little bit with you know, my previous hosts, michaela Ray and Tasia, and I took the time to start researching hosting platforms and recording platforms. At the time we were all recording remotely two of us in New York, one of us in Maryland so I took the time to research different platforms that we could use. That would work well enough. Some people use Zoom, google Meet I've used Zoom before once too but those tools aren't always equipped to produce the sound quality or the video quality that you would need. So I started looking into other platforms and I've yet to find the perfect issue-free platform.

Aliya Cheyanne: 32:24

Now, currently, for the podcast, I've been using a platform called Riverside quite a bit, but I've even started experiencing just some glitchy tech issues with them. I've resorted back to another platform called Zencaster, which is the one that Tasia Michaela and I used to use in the beginning, and I would say like for a long time it was issue free, and then we started having a lot of issues toward the end of the first season where, like, audio would go cut out, or I think a lot of that had to do with internet connection, to be honest, but it was still enough to piss me off and make me mad that we spent time like recording something and then I felt like I couldn't use it or whatever the case may be, and you know that came up in season two. So for season three I was really like, okay, we need a new platform, but again that platform started having issues. So I am revisiting Zencaster.

Aliya Cheyanne: 33:16

There are a bunch of other ones. There's one called Remotely, I think, and a number of others. So just trying to find the right recording platform makes a difference, and then trying to find the right hosting platform. There are a number of them. There's Acast and several others. The one that I use for the show is Buzzsprout.

Aliya Cheyanne: 33:37

Love Buzzsprout. Haven't had any issues with Buzzsprout. I will continue to use Buzzsprout. It's very user-friendly, it's great for independent shows and they have so many cool, great features that I really like. So I will likely continue using them.

Aliya Cheyanne: 33:53

But finding your hosting platform, your recording platform, is really important. There are some platforms that do both, so if you're someone who wants to use one platform for both, those do exist complicated we might use different ones, and I actually personally think that's a good thing because, like I said, I have not found a perfect issue-free recording platform yet. If and when I do, great. But until then, I will continue to host and record separately, and Buzzsprout has been a really great hosting platform for me. What else Buzzsprout has been a really great hosting platform for me. What else? Buzzsprout has a really great one-season podcast about how to start a podcast. I listen and devoured every single episode of that. I will link that in the show notes for anyone who is interested in getting started. But it's a great podcast to listen to that goes over everything from equipment to sound quality, to location, to platforms to use and record on, to how to structure a show, to how to do an outline, like everything, and that was a really great tool and resource that I have listened to in the past and that I will occasionally go back to certain episodes just as a refresher if I need to.

Aliya Cheyanne: 35:50

I continue to study and hear me stern combining two words. I continue to study and learn about podcasting. I'm always trying to learn about what's changing, what trends are, what reports are saying all kinds of things. I subscribe to a bunch of different types of resources and platforms for that, so one of them is a newsletter from Lower Street. So Lower Street is, I think, an agency that helps certain like usually the bigger podcasts too, it's a whole agency, but they offer a lot of great insight and free resources to all kinds of podcasters, and I discovered them through other newsletters like the Buzzsprout newsletters and other ones that I'm subscribed up to. So when those sort of resources become available, I always check them out and I save things to refer back to or read immediately. I'll listen to episodes that explain things. I'll watch a YouTube video that explains things. I'm constantly learning because I'm constantly trying to improve the show and I think if you want to start a podcast, that's going to be important, like constantly learning and constantly trying to improve. So that's definitely something that I've been doing.

Aliya Cheyanne: 37:17

And yeah, I mean in terms of pivoting. Like again, when we first started, it was just the three of us as co-hosts. We were discussing with each other. Now, in this iteration of the show, it's me hosting solo episodes, combined with me having guests on the show and interviewing them. So I think, when it comes to guests, just like you have people in mind, sure, but doing research about additional ones that you might want to have on the show that offer perspectives aligned with your niche in particular, but also that are niche adjacent, and having those guests come in as well, and doing your research about them and their work and what you really want to get out of the conversation, how to inspire storytelling in them All of these things are important things to consider and factor in. So, yeah, keeping that in mind, like I've gotten a ton of yeses I haven't received a flat out no, like someone said no to me, but I've received no as a response of like silence, and I think in those situations like it is what it is for that. But for the most part, most folks say yes and from there it's just like a battle of schedules in some cases and then from there just creating really incredible episodes.

Aliya Cheyanne: 38:37

So, with that, if you're interested in starting your own show, there are some basics that you'll need. So you'll need to think about your audience and the general advice is to think about your audience and always keep them in mind when you're creating your audience. And the general advice is to think about your audience and always keep them in mind when you're creating your episodes. And, to be honest, I, as the host, am a reflection of my audience. I am in my early 30s. I have listeners who are younger. I have listeners who are older. We are still in the same space of being curious and being interested in different topics and wanting to learn and pursuing entrepreneurship and wanting wisdom and advice. So I always keep listeners in mind, and that's another reason why I'm constantly making bids for feedback and connection, whether that be through texting the show. If you head to the episode description below, you'll have the option to text the show, whether that's sending a voice message, also a link in the episode description below.

Aliya Cheyanne: 39:41

All of these different things. Emailing the show at podcast, at the prolific hubcom, writing a review, writing the show I'm always interested in connecting with my audience and those writing a review. Writing the show I'm always interested in connecting with my audience and those of you who are listening to the show, because you are a reflection of me and I am a reflection of you and we are not to be cliche or corny. We're in this together. We're here because we're interested in these topics and these things. So that's a general rule of thumb to always keep your audience in mind. I consider myself someone who's an intellectual and a life learner and someone who's ambitious, someone who finds value in insightful information, and I feel like if you're listening to the show, that's you too. So always keeping your audience in mind is important. Ciao, don't chew me up and spit me up, spit me out with this.

Aliya Cheyanne: 40:32

But like, obviously audio quality and stuff is really important. We've definitely had some like major audio issues on the show in the past and I am like the reasons vary. Like one time we recorded an episode I always do this on a laptop, but we recorded an episode on a laptop and had mics, but I personally forgot to switch the audio for the mic from the computer mic to the mic mic. My laptop was struggling to hear us and therefore you all were struggling to hear us. We've had episodes where the volume is just really low for some folks or maybe the mic quality wasn't good. There's just like echo and reverb in the background and just all kinds of stuff that I really feel like by freaking, episode 30 should be like completely ironed out by now, but it's not and it's part of being perfectly imperfect. So again, thank you for bearing with me. But if you do want to start a show, please consider your sound quality.

Aliya Cheyanne: 41:44

One way that you can do that is soundproofing your space. So it should be a quiet space. You can use acoustic panels to help with some of the echo and noise cancellation in the space, and that's something that I've currently used. I have acoustic panels everywhere in my space to just kind of help with the sound quality. A carpeted space is something that can really help because carpet helps to absorb the sound and the echo and the noise bouncing off the walls in the room, like carpet, helps with that. So that's something to keep in mind and, courtesy of Buzzsprout's series about how to start a podcast, which I will also link in the show notes, using a closet like if you're audio only especially using a closet can really help because of all the clothes and things in the closet it helps to absorb some of the extra sound. And there's a podcast called Closet Conversations which, honestly, I think they really did their big one and they ate with that. I don't know if it was intentional or not for a sound thing versus doing something unique or maybe a combination of both. I really don't know their origin story, but the fact that they do it literally in a closet, like a walk-in closet space, is great. That helps with a lot of the audio stuff for that in general. So they definitely ate with that Studio.

Aliya Cheyanne: 43:18

So some people have these incredible studio setups for their podcast Usually a lot of these big shows they have a dedicated studio space that they use for themselves and in some cases they rent out the space to other podcasters who need a space to record a show. If that's in your budget, more power to you. Do it actual prolific hub someday is having a space for creatives and creators of all kinds artists, writers, podcasters to be able to come to a space and create. If that's not in your budget, be authentic and have a space in a crib if you have to, or any other space that you might be able to utilize. Some people have had really dope living room setups. At one point in time we had a living room setup for the show. I've definitely recorded in my bedroom. I have this huge swivel chair in a corner of my bedroom that I sit on to read and journal and all kinds of things, and I was definitely recording in that corner of my room as well for the first couple of seasons of the show and even a couple of episodes of this season. So that's also an option.

Aliya Cheyanne: 44:33

You can record anywhere, as long as it's quiet and it has the sound quality that you need. Some people record in their beds, bro. I've seen clips of podcasts where people are recording in their bed or right on their couch in their living room. There's really no requirement that it has to be like a super fancy studio, like, do it where you want, just make sure the sounds around you are quiet enough and work. Good Moms, bad Choices, which is a podcast that I listened to when they first started their show they did it in a dining room Like they were doing it right at a dining room table.

Aliya Cheyanne: 45:10

You can literally do it anywhere, and I personally currently use my office space. I have a second bedroom in my house and half of the room is dedicated to my actual office space. I have a desk and all of my office supplies and all that stuff where I get actual work done. The other half is my podcasting space. It's not super fancy. I got a little backdrop off Amazon for it and some bookcases and some fake, and I had gotten these chairs I have from HomeGoods that I complained about in the first episode of this season but are actually serving me really well, like I'm using one of them for the podcast setup and the other one I'm using with my desk and spotlights and some other little stuff I had lying around that I've used to just kind of decorate and create this space. I don't have a fancy, expensive setup, it's just a setup that I had in mind, that I visualized in my own head and I turned it into a reality and I love how it looks. I love how I feel sitting in this space and talking, but it's not like a fancy studio that I rent or anything. It's literally in my house, in my office. That's what it is.

Aliya Cheyanne: 46:29

So just keeping that in mind as you're thinking about where you're going to do it is important your equipment, your mics, your cameras, your laptops, your phone. You can literally start a podcast on a phone. You can literally start a podcast by creating voice memos and using that file for your audio for the podcast. It might not always be perfect to do it that way, but you can literally start from that. Like, some people have setups where they have multiple camera views and they're high quality, expensive cameras. Other people, like me, I don't have that setup yet I use my laptop. My laptop's kind of old, Like, yeah, my laptop is like it's a MacBook Pro, but it's an older MacBook Pro and thankfully it's still functioning to the best of its ability and that's what I'm using and I'm using a recording platform to help me get video for my episodes. So you really want to put some thought into that and the camera that I use is on my laptop, so it's not the crispest, most perfectest video quality, but it's clear enough and it does its thing and I make it work.

Aliya Cheyanne: 47:44

My mic is not like some fancy, expensive mic, like, you see, all these people with the Rode mics and the Shure mics Shure, however you pronounce it Like that's not in my budget right now. Bro, the mic I had before, like the colorful one that I still have, I'm just not using right now. That was like 30 bucks on Amazon, the one I have now. I got it on sale for like 50 something bucks and I'm trying to see if this helps with the audio quality a little bit better. But yeah, like all of these things range in prices.

Aliya Cheyanne: 48:20

But you want to make sure that whatever you're using is decent enough to capture the quality content that you want to produce, and obviously everybody wants to produce their best content. So just make sure that if you are getting equipment, you're investing in equipment that serves your purpose. But you can definitely start out with the basics. I also just don't have. If you're watching on video, well, hold on. That was like a Freudian slip a little bit, because I don't always post the video for the solo episodes, because I feel like I look crazy talking to myself.

Aliya Cheyanne: 48:53

I usually post videos for interviews, so we'll get to that. But I need feedback from y'all about whether or not you want the video for solo episodes, because I have them. I just don't be posting them. I usually just post interviews. But I say all that to say that if you have watched any of the interviews in the past on YouTube and you can find our YouTube channel linked in the show notes and you can also just go on YouTube and type in the Prolific Hub podcast and we'll come up.

Aliya Cheyanne: 49:22

But if you look at the lighting, it's not like I have fancy lighting, bro, that's not in my budget.

Aliya Cheyanne: 49:30

So I have ring lights and stuff. That's what I use. The light is on in the room. So just being mindful of what equipment is in your budget and what works for you. But even if your budget is on the lower end, you can still invest in low cost tools that are good enough to produce the quality content that you want to produce. So, keeping that in mind, one camera that I'm interested in I just haven't made any moves to purchase anything is the Sony ZV-1. I've seen a lot of content creators use it and I've seen a lot of yeah, I've seen a lot of content creators use it and I've seen a lot of other podcasters use it. Of course, people are also using all kinds of other cameras. That may be better, that may be worse, I really don't know but the Sony ZV-1 is one that I've been interested in. I think at some point that is a piece of equipment I would love to have for the show in the future. That's just not a reality right now. So, as I have been doing for several seasons, I will continue to use my laptop and my laptop camera and make that work. So you just want to be mindful of the kind of equipment that you're getting.

Aliya Cheyanne: 50:42

So we talked about recording software and recording remotely. Already I've mentioned before that some people use Zoom, google Meet, others use, maybe remotely. I have used Riverside Riverside. Unfortunately, I've been having some issues with them lately, so I've resorted back to Zencastr for the time being and we'll see what plays out. But being mindful of what recording software you're using, especially if you're recording remotely, definitely keep that in mind. And even when you're not recording remotely, even when it's just a solo episode, like still having some kind of recording equipment if you don't have a camera or recording software is really important. What I do like about Riverside is that you can use text based editing, so it's taken the strain off of my computer as opposed to using Adobe Premiere, which is an actual video cutting software you can use, like GarageBand, the iPhone video editor, like all these different things. Sure, but using Riverside has taken the strain off of editing for me because I can literally edit the text and it's not always the smoothest chop or transition, but it does make editing easier. And some other platforms allow you to edit with text like Descript and stuff like that. And some recording platforms have built in support for some forms of editing, like they'll automatically edit out ums for you or they'll automatically edit out like filler words for you, so that helps.

Aliya Cheyanne: 52:09

But just doing your research around that is really important and testing your equipment is really important. Just before jumping into recording, you want to make sure everything sounds good and looks right, because it will save you so much trouble. On the back end. There's preparing versus being unprepared. So I feel like investing, like your time in producing a quality show, like, makes a huge difference, like from your energy level to like the interaction between the host and the guest to the prep, everything. It makes a huge difference. I don't believe in just showing up to record without any preparation for it. You can still have natural conversation with prep, but I think it is important to prepare to some degree. Like having episode outlines, like having an idea of what you even want to talk about before you show up to record, is really important. Doing your research for whatever topic like, say, there are certain statistics you want to throw out there or references you want to make, like doing that research in advance can save you a lot of time and embarrassment when you get on to record, so that's important. And then having certain tools available while recording to quickly look things up if you're interested in doing that. So, whether that be your phone, I use my little iPad mini to help me move through the outline for the show and see my notes and kind of keep me on track for the things that I want to talk about. I can also just quickly access the internet on my iPad if I need to, or my phone if I want to Google something really quickly, and most of the recording platforms and softwares will allow you to edit out long pauses so you might be pausing while you're recording, but that doesn't necessarily mean that your listener is going to hear that super long pause while you look something up. So keeping that in mind is important. Hosting and distribution platform so again, I use Buzzsprout, and there are definitely other platforms that you can use, but I really like Buzzsprout Just user-friendly and great.

Aliya Cheyanne: 54:09

I think another aspect if you do want to start a show is just marketing your show on social media. Despite being a comms and social media person, I actually dread social media for the podcast. I think that's why a lot of the advice is to focus on one social media outlet and one channel. That can really help you to just hone in on that one channel and focus on building that, as opposed to trying to build up two, three, four, five or more channels at once, and I think I often get overwhelmed with trying to build multiple channels at once instead of just focusing on one. And it wouldn't be a problem if it was in my budget to use the scheduler that I really prefer and love. There is a particular scheduler that I really like. It's easy, smooth, in my opinion, better than a lot of the rest. It's just really expensive. So I'm in a place now where I do it manually and it's just not sustainable. So it's not happening at the level or the pace that I would want it to happen for this show. But if you want to start a show, keeping in mind being active on at least one social media channel can really help with the reach of your show and getting it in front of new audiences with clips and carousels and other types of posts that help with your reach and to pull audience and community into your show. So keeping that in mind is really important.

Aliya Cheyanne: 55:53

On the publishing front, so when you use a hosting platform, you still have to set when you want to publish your episodes. Keeping a schedule in mind is important when it comes to publishing. Some people lean on the best days of the week and the best days of the week vary by opinion and report. You have to find a schedule that works good for you, but you also want to consider your audience, thinking about their routines and when they like to listen, and some people, when they leave reviews, they'll tell you like I love to listen to this at work. I love to listen to this when I'm driving to. Like I love to listen to this at work. I love to listen to this when I'm driving to work. I love to listen to this at the gym, like you kind of get a feel for when they're listening, especially if they say specifically Otherwise, you post when you want, like, even if someone doesn't hear it the day that it goes live and the day that it comes out, like they can always return to the episode later in the week or at a later date, whatever it may be.

Aliya Cheyanne: 56:51

But the point is you want to get your listeners used to a certain schedule for you in terms of when they can expect new episodes. So for me personally, I've been trying my best to do that first thing on Mondays, as I mentioned in a previous episode. It's been a little tough for me lately, so I am trying to think about an alternative day. If you, as a listener and a member of this community, would like to share with me when you love to listen to the episodes, that would help me tremendously to keep that in mind about when I drop them. But keeping that in mind is really important, and trying to be consistent is important, and letting folks know when you're going to be taking a break or whatever the case may be, that is important too. And if you do take a break when you might be expected to come back. So having a consistent publishing schedule is really important and keeping that in mind so I think, the other thing on the publishing front for me. So YouTube just introduced a feature recently where you can put the actual RSS feed, so the feed that's used to distribute this podcast from Buzzsprout to Apple Podcast to Spotify, to all of the other podcast providers. Youtube now allows that RSS feed to be fed into YouTube, so there's a whole playlist on our YouTube channel for this podcast.

Aliya Cheyanne: 58:21

That is just a video format of the audio of the podcast that people can listen to, and I usually, as I mentioned, just post video of the interviews that I do with other people, because I think that's what folks would like to see more. But if you're also interested in seeing these solo episodes, let me know. I will happily post them and publish them. I just usually don't because I assume everyone wants to see the guests. They don't necessarily want to see me talking directly to the camera by myself. So if you have any feedback about that, let me know. You can text the show. You can leave your thoughts in a review. You can email me at podcast at the prolific hub dot com and let me know what you think. You can leave a voice message. The link for that is in the episode description. But you know, let me know what you think. Do you guys want to continue to hear episodes drop on Mondays like earlier in the week? Would you prefer a midweek pickup? Would you prefer later in the week, so that you can take the episode into the weekend with you? Let me know what you think, because I want to do what's best for both of us. So I would love your feedback for that. I would love your feedback for that Consistency.

Aliya Cheyanne: 59:52

It really is key and some of the biggest podcasts have been super consistent, like never missing a week for like five or six years, and I just my physical, mental, emotional capacity cannot handle that. I absolutely have to take breaks. This is where human design comes in, because I am a projector. If you know anything about human design, if you don't, I think you should look it up. I think you should take a little quiz to see what your human design is. For me, I'm a projector. 2-4 profile I am the hermit, the opportunist. I need my rest. The other profiles are reflectors, generators, manifesting generators and manifestors in addition to projectors, and everyone operates differently and I think different qualities of each could definitely blend or bleed into others. For sure, I definitely recognize qualities in myself as a projector that would more align with manifesting generators.

Aliya Cheyanne: 1:01:01

But I think the key to functioning in this life is really tapping into your intuition. Let me call it that. I wouldn't even call it human design, but you know what works best for you and your body and for me. Tapping into what works best for me and my body has always served me really well. And as much as I want to be consistent with this show, I absolutely have to take breaks, bro. Like I cannot do this nonstop. It's a lot of work on the back end to do the show before I even sit down to record an episode and then after having recorded the episode. It's a lot of steps and a lot of work and for me I cannot do that constantly every week and that has definitely harmed the show's growth.

Aliya Cheyanne: 1:01:52

I think I think had in previous iterations we all been able to be nonstop and be consistent. That would be really important too. But I know how important it is to take breaks. So I'm doing my best to show up as often and as much as possible, but also recognizing that I need some time in between. I think what will be different now is that I will actually give that heads up and let folks know, like usually in the past, when I or the show, like all of us, have gone on a break. I'll say you know we'll be back at some point. I never say a date and then, before you know it, months, maybe a year, has gone by and that's just not good. So I can commit to announcing when I do plan to take a break and sharing how long that break will be and when to look for the show again.

Aliya Cheyanne: 1:03:09

I think for the times that I am on season, being consistent when I am on season and showing up is really important. So if you're wanting to start a show, think about that. Think about what consistency looks like for you and being communicative about that. There's no pressure to do a show every week. When we first started this podcast, we were doing bi-weekly episodes. Many shows are bi-weekly podcast. We were doing bi-weekly episodes. Many shows are bi-weekly. Many shows are monthly. It depends on what people have capacity for and I think keeping what consistency looks like for you in mind is really important if you want to start a show, as I've been thinking about what consistency looks like for me for this show. So keeping that in mind almost to the finish line, y'all.

Aliya Cheyanne: 1:03:50

Another thing to keep in mind is deciding on your format. So I've spoken about what the format looks like for this show. In the past it was multiple co-hosts and we were chopping it up about various topics. Now, in this iteration of the show, it's more about interviews with guests and solo episodes. In between that and keeping that in mind, I typically don't write a full script per se for a show, but I do do outlines and I do make several notes about things that I want to talk through and hit so that I don't forget anything. So keeping that in mind is really important. About how you want your show to be structured.

Aliya Cheyanne: 1:04:34

If you decide to start a show, like, is it a solo show? Do you have co-hosts? Is it scripted or is it unscripted? Do you have guests and interviews or are you not doing guests and interviews? Like, keeping that in mind is really important. Like what you want to do and how you want it to go and I think that's really important. You know, based on how the show started to how it is now Like I'm super grateful for what we all created together.

Aliya Cheyanne: 1:05:02

I know for a fact I probably, despite wanting to create a show, I probably would not have done it had it not been all of us together. I would never have started by myself and I think just through the evolution over the last couple of years and the last few seasons it's just come the format that it is now like solo episodes and interviews with guests, and I would never have started this way. It took changes and an evolution to make that happen and to make that possible, and I think it's okay. I think it's okay for change to happen. If you start a show one way and you have to pivot throughout, that's okay. That's fine. You make a decision at that point about whether you want to rebrand an existing show or if you want to start over from scratch, and for me, the decision was to just rebrand an existing show instead of starting over from scratch. But just thinking about your format, like being adaptable, is important because things may change. What you set out and start to do in the beginning may not be what you're doing six months later or a year later, or two years later or three years later, whatever the case may be. So being adaptable is really important In terms of having guests.

Aliya Cheyanne: 1:06:18

You want to bring on guests that fall into the niche of your show. Most of the guests that we all of the guests that we'll have on the show are creatives and may consider themselves entrepreneurs or are entrepreneurs and maybe aren't creatives. They will always teeter and fall between either of those things or both of those things. And sticking to guests that fall within your niche is really important as you're honing in on your topics and the type of the audience that you want to connect with, but also connecting with folks who are niche adjacent, because they may have people in their community who might be interested in what you're discussing and might be looking for a new show. So always keeping that in mind is really important. Guests may share. If you have guests on the show, they may share it with their show. So always keeping that in mind is really important. Guests may share. If you have guests on the show, they may share it with their audiences. So you want to make it as easy as possible for them to do so and consider being a guest on other shows and if and when you are a guest on other shows, let your core audience know as well so that they can check that out too.

Aliya Cheyanne: 1:07:25

And I personally think it's really important to tailor your questions to your guests, like skill set, expertise, interests, all of that and that's something that I really tend to do as best as possible to my ability, and I think about the kind of conversation I want to have. I think about who the guest is, what they represent, about the kind of conversation I want to have. I think about who the guest is, what they represent, what their work represents, what their work is, and I really try to mesh and fuse what I'm most interested in about them and their work with what they're excited to talk about, because it leads to more interesting and passionate conversation. And I think that's really important because one of the key things that many people stress in podcasting is storytelling. Storytelling is hugely important in podcasting, and the more that you can get your guests to tell a story, the more interesting and exciting it will be. Keeping that in mind is really important, and you want to practice storytelling in general. It doesn't just have to be with guests. You can tell stories too. If you decide to start a show and host a show, you can tell stories too. I try to mix some degree of storytelling into what I share on the show as well, and I think that's really important, whether you're starting a show as an interest or a hobby, or to tie into a business, whatever the case may be.

Aliya Cheyanne: 1:08:48

Like many hobbies and interests, podcasting is not free. The hosting platform costs money. Some of them are free. I think there are some free ones but usually a lot of the free ones don't always offer the kinds of services that certain paid ones do, and obviously different platforms have different plan levels. So that's something to keep in mind. Some recording platforms are free, some of them aren't. Usually, the ones that aren't have a ton more features to help and assist you. So, keeping that in mind, for everything like if you have a hobby or an interest and you're taking classes or you're buying materials or supplies for that hobby or that interest, whatever the case may be, you're prepared to spend money. So if you decide to do podcasting, be prepared to spend money, because it does require resources to be able to create a show in some capacity and share it with others. So keep that in mind. Y'all. There are a million and more other things to consider.

Aliya Cheyanne: 1:09:54

As I said, I am not an expert or a pro, but I am sharing what I know about how to get started as someone who's just been doing this for a couple of years now, who's still in many ways a newbie and a baby in the space, but I've had enough experience doing the episodes we've done so far to share a little bit of feedback for someone who may be interested in starting their own show. I'm going to link a bunch of resources in the show notes. If you or someone you know is interested in starting a show, you or someone you know is interested in starting a show, I wish you luck. Tell me about it. Tell me about it in a text by sending a text to the show. Tell me about it in a voice message. Tell me about it in a review. Tell me about it in an email, let me know. And if you know someone who's interested in starting a show, share this episode with them. It might be helpful for them to listen or to look at some of the resources in the show notes that might be helpful for them to get started.

Aliya Cheyanne: 1:10:58

Another thing for me that I mentioned at the beginning that I love what the show has kind of evolved to because it gives me the opportunity to network and speak to a lot of people that I just admire and I think are incredible, and having the ability to have someone in one time with them is just so special and meaningful to me. But I also think about the show as a form of legacy. I've asked guests in the past what success looks like for them, what legacy looks like for them, and I'll, of course, ask that in the future to guests as well. But I think legacy to me means leaving a body of work behind that can be of value to people now and in the future, and podcasting allows me to do that, and I'm excited to continue sharing the show and creating new episodes and continuing to build on a body of work that I feel really proud of. That's one thing for me. I'm proud of what I've created so far. I'm proud of what my previous co -hosts and I were able to accomplish together and even getting it started, like having an idea and doing a thing and I'm proud to see where the show will go in the future, and I think that's really important.

Aliya Cheyanne: 1:12:13

At the end of the day, no one is going to care about your idea or your creative project or your passion more than you. So it's your job to materialize your idea, Like, if you want to make a podcast, if you want to make a film, if you want to write a book, if you want to create a piece of art, if you want to create a sculpture, if you want to create any physical or digital thing to serve people in the world, to serve your community, to serve others, it's on you to do it and to make it. You have the idea for a reason, you have the vision for a reason, and I hope that you will listen to yourself and listen to your intuition and produce whatever it is you want to produce, create whatever it is you want to create, and don't let anyone deter you or stop you from doing it. Go for what it is you want. This show has been and will continue to be me like managing all aspects of it. So, if you like it, definitely continue to listen, to share it, to show support in the way that you can and in the way that feels good to you. And you know, I hope at some point it would be nice to have more of a team effort behind the show, but until then, I will continue to do it because I am passionate about it.

Aliya Cheyanne: 1:13:35

If you want to support the show, please do in whatever way that you can. I definitely enjoy our time together, but I think it's time that we take this connection to a new level, baby. So if you want to do that, like I said, text me. This fan mail feature is really cool that Buzzsprout offers. If you head to the show notes, you can click the link that says send us a text and you can text me whatever you want to text me about the show and I will definitely respond to you in a future episode. And you can leave me a voice memo. I'm using a free platform that allows folks to send in just brief voice messages in support of the show or anything they want to share. I would love to listen to those. I would love to feature them on future episodes of the podcast. So if you would like to leave a voice message, please do. You're more than welcome to.

Aliya Cheyanne: 1:14:44

You can support the show as well with a monthly subscription for as low as $3 a month. Supporting the show means that you will help me to be able to continue creating content for the show, but also I have a dream of being able to offer honorariums to guests who come on the show, who are creatives and entrepreneurs and entrepreneurship ain't easy being a creative isn't easy and I would love to be able to offer honorariums. So supporting the show with a subscription means that you will be supporting that effort. So if you have it in your capacity, in your ability to do so, I would greatly appreciate it for the show. I know it ain't easy out here. Times are very hard. Inflation is really high, many people are struggling and if you are one of the people, one of the few, who have the capacity, this would be a great way to support the show and to support future guests who come on the show. Support future guests who come on the show.

Aliya Cheyanne: 1:15:46

A free way to support is to write a review, to take a moment to even while you're listening to this right now to scroll on down on the show's page to rate the podcast, and also take a few seconds to write a review, to share your feedback. Let me know what you think, what you like, what you'd like to see improved, what episodes have been your favorite, what guest did you like the most? What conversation did you like the most? Tell me if you shared the episode or the podcast with any friends, let me know. Writing review helps tremendously in the podcasting world. It allows more people to see the show and find the show. It helps with visibility. So it really makes a huge difference and I hope that if you have an opportunity or some time to do so, that you will write a review. So thank you in advance for that. And if none of those feel like the right option for you, if you want to send an email, emails are welcome all the time. You can email me at podcast at the prolific hub dot com. Let me know what you think and I will also share those as well, like when applicable and when it works. But if you have any thoughts, you can also email them to me. And, most importantly, another way to support the show is to share the podcast Share, share, share, share, share. Share it with a friend, share it with a family member, share it with a coworker, share it with the group chat, share, share, share. That helps tremendously to get the word out about the show and bring and invite more listeners in. And yeah, that would be great. So thank you so much in advance for sharing. So I guess just some last thoughts that are kind of coming up and then I promise we're done for this one in that time. We're done for this one and that time.

Aliya Cheyanne: 1:17:45

Something else that I've done to just learn more and share my ideas and my thoughts and answers and things that I've had to troubleshoot with my own podcast is by joining groups talking about podcasting. So one thing I did was create a Reddit account for the podcast and that's how I've been engaging Reddit, mainly through the podcast and podcasting communities and threads. I've been able to answer questions for people. I've been able to see what questions others are asking and learn new information for myself. That has also been able to help support my show, which has been great, and Buzzsprout yet again has a pretty big Facebook community where all kinds of podcasters from all over ask questions and pose thoughts and help each other, and I've been able to learn a lot there as well. So I would also recommend joining some online communities related to your niche or related to podcasting in general to learn more and to ask questions and to build community for this show.

Aliya Cheyanne: 1:18:58

That's not a requirement. There are a lot of podcasts that jump straight into an episode. There are a lot of podcasts that do have intros and outros. There are a lot of podcasts that bake their intro and outro into the episode. It's not something that's pre-recorded. For me personally, I like having something that's pre-recorded that I can just add to the end and the beginning of the episode, because it simplifies me having to remember every single detail and reminder that I want to cover, especially for guests. Now it allows me to not have to go through those direct show announcements and updates and calls to action while the guest is there with me. I'm able to just have a conversation with them and know that my usual verbiage is included and they don't have to directly sit through that. For me it just alleviates some stress. It's a nice way to start the episode and end the episode and it doesn't by any means make a show more professional or better quality or anything like that, but it does provide some ease for me. So that's the main reason why I have it. So if that's something you want to have for your show, think about how you want to structure it, whether you want to do it live while you're recording the episode, whether you want to have something prerecorded that you can just attach to either end of the audio or either end of the video. And keeping that in mind.

Aliya Cheyanne: 1:20:46

So, yeah, like I said at the start of this episode, I don't know that necessarily being a podcast host is something that I want to do per se. I had taken this quiz called Podscore and that was one of the questions, and when it asked me if I could see myself still podcasting in five years, I struggled to answer yes or no. I don't know for sure that I see that, but I do know that I will likely still enjoy listening to podcasts a lot, and I think somewhere that I'd really excel actually is on the back end of a show, maybe in production. Yeah, maybe helping to produce a show on the back end, but not necessarily being a host forever. So we'll see. We'll see what happens, but I do know this is still something that I enjoy and that's fulfilling. For now I have seasons upon seasons of ideas, pending what guests I can secure, what episodes I do on my own. So not running out of ideas just yet. We'll see where this journey takes me. So I want to close out with some things that podcasting has taught me, what I've learned from it.

Aliya Cheyanne: 1:22:12

As I've said before, like no one will treat your ideas the way that you can treat it. No one will invest the time and the energy in your idea the way that you will. So it's your job to make it happen. It's your job to determine how much of yourself you can give to it and, when you've made that decision, give, give to it, give into it, allow change to happen, be adaptable. Change and adaptability are how we grow. I think the biggest lesson is that it's your job to materialize. Whatever it is you want to create Write the book, start the business, do the art project, make the film, start the course. Whatever it is, you can do it, believe in yourself and you can make it happen. Whatever your idea is, you can make it happen. You were given the idea for a reason. It's in your head for a reason. That means you have a meaningful contribution to make. So you can do it and you can make it happen.

Aliya Cheyanne: 1:23:10

I think the other thing, too that I mentioned before is just with consistency. Breaks are definitely going to be important to me. Maybe not for everyone, but I personally do not enjoy getting myself to the point where I feel burned out. So it's important for me to recognize when burnout is coming and halt that shit in its tracks immediately. So I will definitely be transparent and communicate with you all when a break is coming and when I'll be back from said break. Tell me why. I thought I was going to be able to do this in 30 minutes.

Aliya Cheyanne: 1:23:50

With that, it is a wrap on season three. It is a wrap on season three, oh my God. But don't worry, season four starts next week. So I'm not taking a big long hiatus or a big break. I'll be back with another episode next week. Back to having guests on the show, not just solo episodes with me, but more incredible guests in addition to the incredible guests we've had so far. So thank y'all for making it this far with me how exciting, and I hope you'll continue to rock on out and tune into future episodes as well.

Aliya Cheyanne: 1:24:30

So, that being said, I will let you all get back to other things now, outside of listening to the sound of my voice for today. Thank you so much for tuning in to this episode. If you enjoyed it, if you learned something the show let me know. If you are thinking about starting your own podcast, send a voice note in. Let me know about that too. I'd love to play that on a future episode. Any feedback you have and, yeah, consider leaving a five-star rating and a positive review and share your thoughts and your feedback about the show, and I will catch you all on the next episode. Until soon, friend Bye.