Burnout can hit hard and unexpectedly, as I recently discovered while ambitiously planning for the Steel Roses Podcast's anniversary. Caught in a whirlpool of unmet deadlines, illnesses, and the crushing weight of lofty goals, I had to confront the stark reality of my limitations. This episode is a candid reflection on my tumultuous journey through burnout, the lessons I learned about letting go of control, and how stepping back helped me realign with the true vision for our podcast. If you're feeling overwhelmed, my story might just offer the comfort and insight you need.
Shifting gears, I also want to thank our incredible listeners for their unwavering support. Your reviews and shares mean the world to us and boost our podcast’s visibility like never before. Plus, get excited for our summer series, where we'll be rolling out mini-episodes twice to thrice weekly. Let's tackle this new chapter with renewed energy and enthusiasm, making the most of the summer together!
Burnout can hit hard and unexpectedly, as I recently discovered while ambitiously planning for the Steel Roses Podcast's anniversary. Caught in a whirlpool of unmet deadlines, illnesses, and the crushing weight of lofty goals, I had to confront the stark reality of my limitations. This episode is a candid reflection on my tumultuous journey through burnout, the lessons I learned about letting go of control, and how stepping back helped me realign with the true vision for our podcast. If you're feeling overwhelmed, my story might just offer the comfort and insight you need.
Shifting gears, I also want to thank our incredible listeners for their unwavering support. Your reviews and shares mean the world to us and boost our podcast’s visibility like never before. Plus, get excited for our summer series, where we'll be rolling out mini-episodes twice to thrice weekly. Let's tackle this new chapter with renewed energy and enthusiasm, making the most of the summer together!
We want to hear from you! Please feel free to reach us on social or via email at steelrosespodcast@gmail.com
Speaker 1:
everybody, happy Monday. Um, welcome to another episode of still roses podcast. This podcast was created for women, by women, to elevate women's voices. Um, speaking to all of you feels very refreshing and exciting and, honestly, a little bit emotional, because I um, I haven't done a solo recording in quite some time and there's a reason behind that. So this episode I do want to give you guys an update, I do want to share some things with everybody as well and, for the listeners still with the podcast, just give you guys an update about what's been going on and what will be going on for the next couple of months on and what will be going on for the next couple of months. So, as I just mentioned, you haven't heard a solo recording in a few weeks.
Speaker 1:
About four or five weeks ago, I decided to take a break and I just used up all of the stock of really wonderful guest recordings that I've had. The reasoning for that? There's a few reason reasonings for it. There's a few rationale, but one of the primary ones was that I was getting burnt out and it was a combination of factors. It wasn't specifically just a podcast and just recording, but there was other things too. Now I'm very much a, I get very excited about things and I do put quite a bit of pressure on myself, probably like most women listening to this podcast, and I have a lot of high hopes for this podcast. Um, and I have a lot of high hopes for this podcast and I have a lot of really amazing dreams and focuses for still roses women and what the vision is for this podcast and for still roses women as a movement in general.
Speaker 1:
Um, I had originally set a goal that April was going to be a launch month for Still Roses. The reasoning for that was April was actually the one year anniversary of the podcast. So I had all these great ideas and I was going to launch some new pages on the website. I was going to release a product which I talked about a bunch of times, um, and then I also was going to um, really go hard with, you know, putting messaging out there and making sure people saw the podcast and, you know, just putting things together so that way people would, the podcast would get more visibility and the website would get visibility. The new pages on the website are, you know, still in design, but it's meant to really bring resources to all of you, so that that is all supposed to still be forthcoming and by supposed I mean it is all forthcoming, it's all here and I have access to all that and I'm working on it. But so the goal was April.
Speaker 1:
That was the original goal and then, between March and April I think, we had back-to-back stomach viruses and back-to-back illnesses and just things just kind of kept piling up and I was working really hard on the product launch and I was putting a lot of time and effort into the product launch. And then I hit some hiccups and I had to stop and I couldn't focus as much attention as I wanted to do it. So I was starting to get really frustrated. And then I started questioning this entire process in general. And I want to be transparent here because for any of you listening to this, you've been with me for a long time, so you really do understand like, where I'm coming from with things. And for everyone, anyone new that's listening to this episode, welcome. I'm very transparent and I like to talk about things that I'm going through, because I think that we're all going through this and nobody talks about it. So I really want everyone to hear me. I'm level setting here.
Speaker 1:
So I was feeling it. I was feeling the burnout and I was getting angry and frustrated. And when that starts to happen, that for me, is the signal that I'm not in alignment anymore. Something has gone off alignment and I need to take a minute Now. I said it a few times Um, I said I think, maybe when I had decided to take a step back. Um, that you know, I said it a few times. I said I think, maybe when I had decided to take a step back, that you know, I had to sort of go with the flow on. I missed the launch date that I wanted for, you know, the podcast product that I'm working on, and I missed the launch date for the website pages. And I was getting really upset, as I've mentioned a few times, and you know that was the moment that I was like you, maybe, maybe this isn't the right time and maybe this is the universe's way of telling you that you know all these blocks are in your way because you're not really supposed to launch this right in this moment.
Speaker 1:
And as difficult it's weird, I'm getting a little emotional about it but as difficult, as difficult as it was to let go, it helped. I had to take a breather and let go of all of the ego and I had to let go of the control, which is interesting to talk about, because I guess I haven't actually said any of this out loud. I think that's why it's bringing up some emotions for me, because I haven't actually admitted this out loud to anybody, but I was. I was becoming very like, you know, control, ego. I have to do this, I have to make this happen. I have to make this happen in order for my success to be there. And you know, if I really want to do this full time, I really need to lean into it. And so my ego took over and and having a light bulb moment, by the way, as I'm talking this out with all of you and you know, in recognizing that I, I, I, I did, I took my, I took a step back, and so I had this great stock of recordings and for a brief moment, I was like, well, do I just stop recording entirely?
Speaker 1:
Should I stop the podcast entirely? Is the podcast not alignment? Where have I gone wrong here? And so I just took a look at all the recordings that I had about four weeks ago and I was like I have these wonderful women that came on as guests. I'd really love to make sure I get everything. Four weeks ago and I was like I have these wonderful women that came on as guests. I'd really love to make sure I get everything released by June. So I took a step back, I stopped recording.
Speaker 1:
I took one Friday and I spent a few hours editing everybody's episodes. I put them all up to make sure that they timed out appropriately, and then I took a breath and I just did my regular nine to five and I just kind of lived my life. And it was a bit of a test for me to do that. And the reason why I call it a test is because during that time I wanted to see what I miss podcasting. How would my life be if I didn't do this anymore, if I gave everything up and I just did a regular job and did things the normal way, or the regular way or the old Jenny way, if I just did it like I was, you know, quote unquote on paper, supposed to. Would I just be happier doing that and giving all this up? And the resounding response is no. And it's not just um. I have for almost my entire life wanted to have my own business and I have several times over actually done things on my own, and this is an instance where my heart and my head both deeply believe that podcasting is just meant for me.
Speaker 1:
And podcasting and helping others to podcast, and also raising awareness for women's issues and bringing women onto the podcast that have important messages to share this is what I'm here for. The website update that's going to that is going to be happening because I've made sure that I have time scheduled to work on everything. That is going to be incredibly important to me to launch because it's going to bring resources to everybody. You know, if you can't, if you listen to an episode and you want to get to know more about the person that was a guest, you're going to be able to go to the website now and take a look and access their details there. There's going to be so much more available and that's really what I want for everybody is that there's a level playing ground. Too many times, women are mean and nasty to each other and judgmental of each other, and it's just exhausting because it doesn't need to be that way, and so I mean I'm I'm kind of going off topic a little bit, but yes, so I I took that break um to you know, do a temp check with myself and ultimately I've come full circle. And so last week was my first day back um, working on the podcast offer and getting it ready.
Speaker 1:
I am scared to be perfectly honest and transparent, because it is scary to launch something new. I'm afraid the what ifs in my head are well, what if you spent all this time and all this money developing this and putting your heart into something that? What if nobody wants to purchase it? You know, like, what if you put this out there and you built up this entire you know foundation to help other people podcast? And what if nobody looks at it? But I think, facing that, what if I can deal with? But I can't deal with, facing the what if if I never do it again, working through all of this while I talk to you guys, um, and so that that fear has been a big deal for me because that it's there and it's big. And I think that might be where I'm struggling the most, because even, uh, last week, when I I went back around to the podcast offer and you know I was kind of just troubleshooting it a little bit because there's a couple of things I wanted to change. I couldn't really figure out the functionality of the funnels and all this stuff and, um, I was able to get get it pretty much done and I think there's only just a couple. Maybe I have to spend maybe another hour or so working on it. So I'm very hopeful that not hopeful I think that I am launching it on Tuesday of this week, so this episode is airing on Monday, june 10th, and I am very, very hopeful that by June 11th this podcast offer is up and running and out there and I can start just pushing it out to everybody. It is going to be very cool. It is.
Speaker 1:
I worked my ass off excuse me for the language, but I really did. I really busted my butt Um, putting something together that I hope is going to be really helpful for other people. But so that's kind of like what's been happening now, layering on top of all that. Obviously my daytime job is it's getting more hectic and you know it's interesting I, because my daytime job is the career that I essentially worked my whole life for. It's literally my dream job. Like that's kind of the job. That's the job. The job that I currently have is my dream job. It always was, and now that I have it and I remember getting it and being like this is it, this is my dream job. It always was. And now that I have it and I remember getting it and being like this is it, this is my dream job, and it's just interesting how the different paths life takes you on. And you know, I always thought I was going to be a corporate until I die, and that's shifted so drastically for me.
Speaker 1:
And you know, my kids asked me the other day my son, my oldest and this is actually the other reason why it inspired me to be like I need to come back. He asked me. He said to me he's like mommy, do you do you still podcast? Like do you still do it? Cause they haven't seen me doing it. I had stopped and, um, I said, yeah, bud. I was like, yeah, I still podcast. I was like I just took a little break. And he was like really proud of you for that. It's really cool. And I was like, oh gosh, all right. It was one of those little cute moments that I was like all right, like mommy, mommy needs to get her butt back in gear and get back on it. So we're continuing on, my friends, and we will be in this together and be through these struggles together.
Speaker 1:
If you yourself have found that you also are delaying something that you know won't go away in your head, bite the bullet with me, let's do it together. Let's just bite those bullets together, let's do it. Let's pull the trigger or pull the plug, whatever phrase you want to use, rip off the mandate. Let's just do it, because, whatever it is, if it's still something that's in your head rattling around, that means you probably really need to do it. And you're just scared, and I'm scared too. But we got to do this. How else will we know and, as I said before, I can live with no one even caring that I've launched a product. I can't live with not trying now.
Speaker 1:
Um, now that we're in June, the plan has always been that for the summer, um, there would be no guest episodes. So I just want to give you an update there no guest episodes for the summer. So June, july and August, um, you are going to be hearing solo episodes. It's mostly going to it'll be me and, um, if my cousin comes back as a guest here and there, like she might pop in and out, but most likely it is just myself, um, and they're actually going to be many episodes for the summer, just because I know my schedule changes pretty drastically during the summertime, um, so I'm assuming most people's probably changes quite a bit. Um, and it's just meant to be like, you know, little mini, so it's that people can get little quick hits and we can still stay in touch with each other and still, you know, be on this journey together with each other and then in the fall we'll pick back up with guest episodes. I'm actually gonna be recording all summer, so we'll have a really great wealth of episodes to work with for the fall season. So this is essentially the final spring season episode.
Speaker 1:
I greatly appreciate all of you who have continued to listen and continue to follow the podcast. I greatly appreciate it If all of you as well like, if you don't mind sharing the podcast with others. Leaving a review on the podcast would be greatly, greatly appreciated. Leaving a review actually helps technically and I'll just say this Every time you leave a review it actually changes the algorithm structure and so the more reviews that I have, the more my podcast will actually get bumped up in other people's like feeds. So it's like you know, up at the top that says, like you may like this podcast kind of thing. So the more, the more you guys, you know, do review it and you know, leave, and you know leave me a review. Um, the better it is.
Speaker 1:
There's also supposed to be a new feature on my podcast where you're able to message me directly. So take a look at the description for whatever app you're listening on. Um, let me know if you can see that in there, cause I'd be interested if, uh, if you're able to do that, that'd be really cool. Um, cause I think that would be awesome actually to have listeners pinging in and just saying hi and I don't know, even topic requests would be really cool. So, again, thank you all for hanging in there with me. It's been a journey, it will continue to be a journey, and the lovely part of the whole thing is that we will continue this journey together. So I'm kicking off the summer series. Today is going to be the episode for this week. Next week you're going to start to see too many episodes, or three mini episodes a week, depending on, like, how things roll, but most likely to, more often than not, to have a great day. Everybody, let's go get this week and I will see you on the next one, take care.