Podcasting for personal growth with Chris Edwards
Chris Edwards is no stranger to the world of media. As the founder of the Honeycombers website which reaches over 2 million readers a month, she has learned the value of building connections and delivering quality content to those who visit the site. It’s no surprise to me that when Chris decided to start a podcast, she would bring that same attention to detail and enthusiastic attitude to this different form of media.
As the host of the Good Business podcast and Founder of the Launchpad community, Chris's journey is packed with takeaways for anyone who wants to leverage podcasting to make more meaningful connections.
Chris started her podcasting adventure in January 2023 with a clear mission: championing sustainable businesses and their founders. Initially, it was a friendly affair, with Chris interviewing those she knew from existing connections. But as the Good Business podcast found its feet, Chris went on a quest for a wider range of voices and entrepreneurs that she admired deeply.
Although the benefits of podcasting may not have been immediately evident, the more Chris picked up the microphone, the more she realised that this medium had become the most powerful tool for her personal and professional growth. The conversations she was able to have with people she wouldn’t normally have had a reason to sit down with, the listening skills she developed and even the types of questions she was able to think of were all significantly improved through podcasting.
Chris mentioned that finding guests who align with your podcast's values and are skilled communicators is crucial. A diverse range of voices fosters a thought-provoking experience for your audience. However, it’s important to note that not every guest you have on may be aligned with the goals you have for your show. It’s important to be discerning with who you are inviting on, and be okay with not releasing an episode if it doesn’t meet your standards.
One of the challenges that podcasters can face is building an aligned team. Chris spoke about a particular episode more recently that her team put together and unfortunately was not to the usual standard. These things can happen, and although you rely on your team to be on the same page as you, there can be misalignments or time pressures for a weekly schedule that allow things to slip through the cracks.
Building a team that follows a stringent production process, understands the high standards that you require for release and can appreciate the broader vision can be a challenge and not to be overlooked.
Chris's journey demonstrates the multifaceted benefits of podcasting. From building confidence and fostering connections to expanding your knowledge base, podcasting offers a unique platform for personal and professional growth. So, if you're looking to connect with like-minded individuals and embark on a journey of self-discovery, consider picking up a microphone and starting your own podcasting adventure!
Transcript:
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[00:00:00] Brianna: Okay, Chris, welcome to Pump Up Your Pod today. She has a podcast called Good Business and is also running a incredible community called Launchpad. Chris, you started your podcast in January, 2023. So your podcast started with a episode. From Andrew Dixon on building a sustainable business, I want you to take me back to that very first episode,
[00:00:31] how you were feeling,
[00:00:33] why you decided to run with Andrew Dixon as your first guest, and why you started it then.
[00:00:40] Chris: Oh, okay, great, great, great. First of all, thank you for having me. I Love podcasting. I love talking about podcasts. I love my podcast. So I'm like, I'm literally pumped to be on your pod. I started, uh, in January last year, and I'd been working on the podcast for probably five or six weeks before I launched, I kind of had it as a bit of a news resolution that I was going to release an episode every week.
[00:01:08] From January for the year. Uh, I didn't quite make that, but, uh, it was a great momentum to start with. I wanted to create a podcast that would inspire entrepreneurs to think about How they can have a great business, but also be thinking about the planet and people. So it's not just about profit. So that's what good business means to me.
[00:01:36] And Andrew Dixon is actually someone I've known for a very long time. That's probably why I had him on the pod. He runs a private Island resort, um, off the coast of Malaysia, Indonesia. I'm going to get this wrong. I've been there many times. It's divine. Uh, so it's called Nikoi and it's a remarkable [00:02:00] business because he's running this.
[00:02:03] It's kind of like a six star eco resort, but it's all with these sustainable principles. And he was really early, so he's been doing this for 10 years and he's really early in the world of sustainability and he's quite a champion in it. And so, yeah, that's why I chose Andrew Dixon, but I have to say my first few episodes, I reached out to.
[00:02:28] People that I've never met and I got them on the pod and I deeply admire the work they're doing. And so I was just a massive, nervous Nellie. And I was just like a school girl going, Oh my God, I can't believe I've got an hour of your time. And I've got to ask all the questions and I can't really stumble or, you know, I've got to have a more intelligent question to come next.
[00:02:53] And I just remember just. Oh, I just felt like a really young child with a new, with a new toy, but very inexperienced and very. Yeah, I feel like it's amazing the growth you get from personal development from having a podcast because now I've just, I suppose I'm just a lot more relaxed and I just look forward to my interviews with people and I don't have this nervous school girl kind of, Oh, I'm going to do the wrong thing kind of energy going on.
[00:03:24] Brianna: I'm looking at your show here, and from what I can see, you didn't do a solo episode until episode 28. So, they were all guest episodes prior to that? Yeah. Was that a conscious decision? Uh,
[00:03:38] Chris: no. God, no. I don't know why I decided to do a solo episode, but I gave it a crack, and my audience loved it. And so then I was doing an interview and a solo and alternating because I really love solo episodes, but I think I just needed to build up my, I suppose [00:04:00] my thought bubbles around what I would talk about for 20 minutes.
[00:04:03] And, and also the planning. There's a lot more planning that goes into a solo episode than an interview episode is it's kind of easy to come up with good questions, but to actually write content that you think's really highly valuable, that people are going to. Share or walk away with something to help them build a better business.
[00:04:24] That takes a lot more, I suppose, thought and time and energy. But yeah, I've, I really enjoy the solo episodes now too. I mean, I just love podcasting.
[00:04:34] Brianna: The key thing that you've said there is putting time and effort in. And so for you, for your podcast, for your audience, it's not like you can just
[00:04:44] Speaker: You know,
[00:04:45] Brianna: talk about whatever's coming into your head.
[00:04:47] Like you're trying to help people build better businesses. And so for you to deliver solo content, it's like a keynote for that person on the other end. So it really feels like there's a lot of It's not pressure, but it's like you have a reputation that you want to deliver on for your solo content. And the fact that you do that, that is something that people would normally pay for.
[00:05:11] This is one of the things about podcasting is that they just don't realize how much good info they're getting for free, how valuable the information is that they're getting for free. So I applaud you for putting that extra time into the actual solo episodes, because it's going to. for you and also for the people listening to it as well.
[00:05:32] How did you approach these people that you were having on your show to, like, how did you pitch them? How did you get them to say yes?
[00:05:41] Chris: Potentially a little bit easier for me because most of these businesses are based in Asia and I actually have quite a well established business in Asia. Launchpad and Good Business is not my first rodeo and business and I have a media platform that I suppose it's been around for 15 years and we have 2 million [00:06:00] readers a month.
[00:06:00] So it People know honeycombers in Asia. It's, it's really interesting actually, because people don't know it in Australia. And, you know, I have to spend a lot of time explaining my background here, but that has helped open lots of doors. And most of the people that come on my pod would love an article on honeycombers because of the readerships.
[00:06:20] So we would definitely say, um, we're going, we'd love to interview on the pod and that would also be profiled on Honeycombers. And so we've actually not had many people say no. It's more the challenge of finding people that I think have a really great story that I think people are going to want to hear from that are good speakers.
[00:06:44] You know, I think it's more finding the talent than getting people to say yes. That's more of the challenge.
[00:06:51] Brianna: So many interviews fall flat because you have, I mean, we see it. Obviously, we've got a lot of people on our roster who interview a lot of people as well. And not all of them can be winning.
[00:07:04] Interviews
[00:07:05] and it does it's
[00:07:06] Brianna: it does make it really hard sometimes as well You can do an interview and then you're like wow that that was actually terrible but then you feel bad for like if you don't release it as well because you've had them on and You feel like well i've committed to this thing and then maybe I should like I need to still release it That's challenging as well to to have the wherewithal, I suppose, to go, you know what, maybe I shouldn't release this because they don't align with my values or, uh, you know, this took a turn that I wasn't expecting, or they spoke about something that feels really wrong to me, or they were just bad at speaking, or the internet was bad.
[00:07:45] That can be tricky. You haven't had those kinds of experiences? If you mostly had good ones?
[00:07:49] Chris: I have had those kinds of experiences. Um, I've only had one where We didn't do enough research before we approached this person and they weren't [00:08:00] values aligned and they weren't, and I didn't want to really lend my platform to them, which is what you're doing, right?
[00:08:08] So I just said to them, sorry, we're not going to run it. And look, I, I, Have a media business. So I know that there is no obligation and it is a delicate conversation, but you're the owner of your pod and your media. And you do need to protect that because you will lose people, particularly if you've got someone who doesn't have the right values on your show or doesn't align with what you're trying to.
[00:08:35] You know, share or, you know, I suppose your purpose or your why it would make people listen to that episode and go, this is not for me. So yeah, I've definitely had that. I've also had really embarrassing. I shouldn't share this, but I will. I've had someone approach me this week that said, Hey Chris, Whatever happened to my episode and I was like, Oh, I'm so sorry.
[00:08:58] It was like a year ago and I was like, quick, let's look at the transcript. Was there something in there that we didn't love or let's re listen to it. Was it not good enough? And it was perfectly fine. And I'm like, I'm really sorry. We're just going to rerecord because it was a year ago and. Oh,
[00:09:16] Brianna: so you just got lost in the shuffle of like editing or whatever and you just completely, oh man, that's terrible.
[00:09:24] Chris: But I'm glad they reached out to me. They were absolutely an aligned business. And what I'm going to do is actually, which is actually my, um, production assistance idea was to, um, Uh, we'll release most of it and then we're going to add, so that was a year ago. So now here's what's happened since then, you know,
[00:09:45] fully strategic.
[00:09:46] Brianna: So we recorded a whole episode and, uh, yeah, here's a, here's where that person's up to now. This was totally on purpose. Oh my God. Except anyone that listens to our show will know that, you know, it's, you're a big fraud basically. That's [00:10:00] what you're saying. Um,
[00:10:02] Chris: put on my word if you are values aligned to my mission.
[00:10:07] But, uh, yeah, you know, mistakes happen.
[00:10:11] Brianna: They do. That's exactly right.
[00:10:12] What do you think you enjoy the most about podcasting?
[00:10:18] Chris: I'm not sure I want to give this one out, but I will. I think it's incredible that you can get almost anyone, almost anyone in the world to come and spend an hour with you, and you can ask them any question you like.
[00:10:32] And most of the time, they're going to give you a very, Truthful, authentic, real answer, because that's, that's what you're signing up to. When you come on someone's pod, it's like you're, you're saying, you know, ask me pretty much everything, anything, and I will share, but the knowledge and personal growth you get.
[00:10:53] From having your own pod is just hands down. You can't put a, can't put a figure on it. I think it's been the number one most significant thing I've done in the last 18 months. Uh, and I've done lots of things, but in terms of my personal growth, yeah, it's, it's hard to grow as an adult and learn, and you can listen to pods, but if you're in the hot seat, actually interviewing people, you are so engaged in that chat and you're, you're always trying to think.
[00:11:21] You know, three steps ahead, but also even your conversation skills, you know, your ability to really listen, it's just improved. Um, but yeah, I just love it. It's just been, yeah, hands down, very, very fulfilling, rewarding exercise.
[00:11:38] Brianna: That feels like one of the biggest ROIs you can get. You know when we talk about oh my show isn't growing or I'm not getting the download numbers or whatever else What you've just explained there is something that I say to people all the time Especially if you have a show where you're interviewing people the connections are insane like Insane it's [00:12:00] like networking But you're networking one on one It's like going to a dinner party and no one else is there and then you get an hour with them
[00:12:10] Chris: And you're also networking with people that you aspire to have conversation with.
[00:12:15] So it is door opening as well as deeply connecting.
[00:12:19] Brianna: What about, what do you really struggle with
[00:12:24] as a podcaster?
[00:12:25] Chris: Getting the right people to support you is challenging. Um, and getting everyone aligned to what makes a great episode. You know, recently we released an episode and I don't listen back to my own episodes, but I have my team do it.
[00:12:42] And they released this episode and I played it and it was just embarrassing on so many levels and I was just like, quick, get it down, get it down. But, you know, like, so there is real risk that if you don't have the right team supporting you, or if they don't have fully understand what success looks like and, and have that great alignment, then it can go really wrong.
[00:13:05] Um, and throw you a little bit surrounding yourself with the right people that understand the vision and can be objective But, you know, it's, it's, it's your voice and it's your person, it's your brand. So it's, it's pretty important to get it right.
[00:13:21] Brianna: Yeah. Cause it's not like you're going to sit there and do everything yourself either.
[00:13:25] So it's important to, and you're not a micromanaging type person, you know, established that you just want to trust who it is that you've got doing that thing, that task, having that role to be. And so, yeah, it can be a real struggle, especially if it's your voice, then that's your personal brand, that's your thought leadership, and it needs to be connected.
[00:13:52] Really well. So I can see why that would be a struggle and it can be hard to build a team in that way. So, yeah, I get it. From where you [00:14:00] started to where you are now, do you think that anything has significantly changed? Is there anything that you felt like you've really learned that has brought your show to another level?
[00:14:12] Chris: Not really. I mean, I suppose doing the solo episodes has been a big change, but the thing that has changed for me is I've been meeting people who listened to my pod and I don't, you don't know who's, who's listened to your pod and you meet people and they're like, Oh yeah. I just have to tell you, I listened to your podcast, so I totally get what you're all about and who you are and what you, and I love what you're doing.
[00:14:40] And they've really invested into you and. You know, the community that I have of entrepreneurs, it's like you look at this big room of people, but you don't know how many are really deeply connected with what you're all about and your true self and your values. But yeah, I feel like that's one thing that.
[00:14:59] Over the course of the year, I've learned more as I've gone to even events in Australia where people are like, I just want to tell you, I really love your pod. Like, it's like, Oh my God, you listen. So yeah, that's, that's one thing I really love.
[00:15:16] Brianna: Mmm, that is really sweet.
[00:15:17] Brianna: I think because you're in their ears, and the connection that you're able to make with them, you don't realise that you're making such a big impact on a person.
[00:15:30] Because you're just talking to nothing. You're talking to nobody. You just, you're just You don't know, but the person on the other end is getting really true value out of it. So for people that are listening to this show right now, the listeners, think about that for yourself as a podcaster, try and bring part of yourself into what you deliver.
[00:15:54] To help that person on the other end that's listening feel more connected to you [00:16:00] as a person, especially if you're trying to build a personal brand or your thought leadership or get on stages or sell your courses or whatever it is, your memberships, the more that they feel like they know you, the more they will be ready.
[00:16:16] To dive into whatever you have to offer. And Chris, you may have had that experience, uh, yourself. Do you mention on your show when you have things that you're offering, that you're selling, how do you feel about selling on your podcast, your own things?
[00:16:34] Chris: Yeah, that's a good question. So I, I mentioned, uh, about my community launchpad on the podcast.
[00:16:43] And I think it's called a launchpad podcast. And when you find the podcast, it's on the launchpad website. And really I see it as we get quite a lot of people coming to the launchpad website because it's got very good SEO, but for people to kind of, you know, I suppose, get to know me before they join the community.
[00:17:02] The podcast is the perfect way for people to kind of get to know me. And then actually even for people that are in the community, for them to just get value from the community and for them to level up their business, which is what the community is all about. The podcast serves, um, so it serves not just.
[00:17:21] You know, I suppose as a branding marketing tool, but it actually serves as serving my mission with launchpad, which is to help people have better businesses that are considering the planet and people along with profitability, which I don't think people do enough. I think people do. It's entrepreneurs think about profit, but I think to be a really good entrepreneur in today's age, you need to be thinking more holistically about your business.
[00:17:51] That's my mission. And I don't mind if people listen to it when they're members or non members, but it's, it helps serve that purpose, um, really to [00:18:00] inspire. And educate and connect and connect. I really personally love connecting with people. So it does amplify my ability to connect.
[00:18:09] Brianna: Speaking of connection, then you sound like you're an avid podcast listener.
[00:18:15] Could you give me one or two of your favorite podcasts and why you think they're your favorite?
[00:18:21] Chris: Diary of a CEO is one. Um, and. I don't love every episode, but I pick and choose. But I think he does a really good job, um, of really, I suppose, Getting really deep with incredible thought leaders around the world.
[00:18:40] Whenever I follow someone. So for example, I'm a big Tim Duggan fan, who's just released a new book. So I will listen to whatever podcast he's interviewed on because I love his story and he ran a digital media business. So there's lots of parallels. But, so I just listened to, listened to his interview on, um, Mark Boris, the mentor.
[00:19:03] Um, so that's another pod I quite like. There's one that I've really gotten into recently, um, which is done by the Atlantic, which is how to keep time. And that's a really interesting podcast, just about life in general, uh, modern wisdom. I could go on and on and on. Um, I listened to a lot of, a lot of pods.
[00:19:27] And, you know, one thing I find really interesting is how personal podcasts are to the point that my husband and I will be in the car. We've done some long car trips recently, and I've been trying to find podcasts that he and I would both enjoy. And we've been married for 21 years, right? So we're pretty like tight.
[00:19:49] But we can't find anything we both like, like, he wants to listen to science and history.
[00:19:59] And I'm [00:20:00] like, all about, you know, I suppose the brain and people and business and you know, like, I'm, it's just like, it's so funny how you can go really niche in the podcasting space and find new genre and be like. He's like, why don't you want to listen to this history podcast? I'm like, I'd prefer to shoot myself.
[00:20:17] You know?
[00:20:18] Brianna: You're like, uh, that is a snooze fest and I am not interested in falling asleep right now. That's so funny. I, that's actually one of the coolest things about podcasting. And when it first appeared on the scene was that people started to realize, unlike radio, where you have five options. Of what you can listen to.
[00:20:39] You can listen to literally anything that you want. That's the other reason why download numbers aren't as important, because if you have a niche, you can have a super engaged niche on a just really detailed topic, which means your numbers will never be big, but they will be raving fans. Yeah. As well. So, niching something really to just remember that it's okay to go really specific because you will find your people.
[00:21:08] Absolutely. There's a podcast that is specifically about, I mean there's heaps of them, but there's a show called Avatar, The Last Airbender, which is a show that is a Nickelodeon show. It's actually one of my favorite shows. I was, uh, judging the show. One of the podcasting awards recently, and I came across one of the things I had to judge was this podcast, which was all about just avatar and how it was created and pretty damn niche, but had a very targeted audience.
[00:21:38] So I think that that's really actually very cool. Um,
[00:21:43] Chris: yeah, it's a pretty unique medium like that, actually. And I think that's why it's totally blown up, particularly in Australia, right? People love finding their thing and going deep.
[00:21:56] Brianna: Going down a
[00:21:56] rabbit hole, yes, well. I just [00:22:00] have really enjoyed this conversation chatting to you all about just podcasting more specifically and why you started yours, who it's for.
[00:22:08] I want everyone to go and engage. If you've really enjoyed the way Chris talks, then you're going to like the style that she delivers on her podcast. I will put links in the show notes to all the different ways that you can engage, listen. Chris, I just like to say thanks so much for coming on. You are a.
[00:22:27] Just beautiful bubbly light of a person. I feel like we have similar energies and it's, we have similar values as well. And it's just really nice to connect with people that you feel like, uh, just on the same wavelength.
[00:22:43] Chris: Yeah, totally Brianna. Thank you for having me. Yeah, no, we definitely have a lot in common and you know, it's lucky we did this podcast now because two years ago I had bangs just like your bangs.
[00:22:53] So it would have been a little bit like, um, you know, that stalky kind of sisters. Oh my God. Totally. Thanks Brianna. Bye.
CHRIS EDWARDS LINKS:
Podcast: Good Business
Community: Launchpad
BAMBY MEDIA LINKS:
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