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  • 5. Dr. Guy Macpherson - Building a Top Mental Health Podcast & Understanding Trauma from the Mind of a Master [#5]

    55:28||Ep. 5
    From Day 1 to Year 8 and 600+ episodes, Dr. Macpherson dissects the journey, trials, and solutions that he discovered in the process of growing his podcast into a top 100 show in the self-improvement category. Dr. Macpherson is the host and founder of the The Trauma Therapist Podcast, where he interviews leaders in the fields of trauma, mindfulness, addiction and yoga towards building a body of knowledge for casual listeners and therapists to source new insights. A few topic highlights: What monetization tactics worked best for Dr. Macpherson’s mental health podcast If Dr. Macpherson had to start over, what key insights would he share with himself? Is there a relationship between insecurity and trauma?      If you’re interested in creating a mental health podcast, exploring new monetization tactics, or learning from a master of psychology and trauma—there’s plenty to discover in this episode! LINKS Dr. Macpherson’s Links Twitter - Dr. Guy Macpherson Website - The Trauma Therapist Project The Trauma Therapist Podcast Podcasting for Mental Health Professionals Workshop Sounder's Links Website https://sounder.fm/ Twitter https://twitter.com/sounder_fm Instagram https://www.instagram.com/sounder.fm/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/sounder.fm LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/soun... TIMESTAMPS: (2:54) Launching a mental health podcast within a larger business plan (6:40) Key lessons from turning points over 8 years of podcasting (11:05) What did and didn’t work when Dr. Macpherson started monetizing his podcast audience? (14:30) If Dr.Macpherson had to start over but could share 3 insights with himself, what would they be? (16:40) What has Dr. Macpherson learned from teaching a course on podcasting for mental health professionals? (19:55) When was Dr. Macpherson able to become a full-time podcaster? (23:00) One thing Dr. Macpherson wishes everyone knew top of mind (24:57) Is insecurity rooted in trauma? (28:30) How would Dr. Macpherson explain trauma to an 11 year old? (33:30) Why does trauma get internalized and felt as shame and guilt? (37:15) What are the subtler and lesser known behaviors that can cause trauma? (40:12) Does western culture pose the risk of traumatizing its citizens? (43:43) What to do when a loved one has recently gone through a traumatic experience? (45:40) How can focusing on certain emotions help guide healing? (51:26) Why should more mental health professionals get into podcasting?

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  • 4. Travis Tyler - How to Create a Successful Podcast for Your Company, Push Brand Limits, and Avoid Burnout [#4]

    42:58||Ep. 4
    How can you convince your boss that an off-the-wall podcast is just what the business needs? Ask Travis Tyler! Travis is the Sr. Digital Content Producer at PandaDoc and host of their B2B podcast, Customer Engagement Lab. Business content and podcasts often struggle with being too dry, informational or boring to perform well online and build an audience for the company. Travis is tackling the fight to make B2B fun head on, emphasizing comedy and pushing the boundaries of what’s acceptable in a professional show. In just one year, Travis has grown his business-comedy show into a successful content machine for PandaDoc, such that what started as a $0 project with a broken mic has now become a full-on marketing branch with a $100K production budget. Travis is a wealth of knowledge in the business podcast and marketing space. We hope this interview will inspire many in the audio community on their own journeys.  LINKS LinkedIn - Travis Tyler Customer Engagement Lab Podcast at PandaDoc PandaDoc Template for Podcast Guest Invites (PDF Version) Travis Template for Podcast Guest Invites How to Create a B2B Podcast - Presentation Sounder's Links Website https://sounder.fm/ Twitter https://twitter.com/sounder_fm Instagram https://www.instagram.com/sounder.fm/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/sounder.fm LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/soun... TIMESTAMPS (0:30) Introduction (2:06) Travis’ recipe to beat Zoom fatigue (3:18) How Travis got permission to create a B2B comedy podcast for his company (7:20) How to handle resistance from leadership when your content is too “out there” or “off-brand” (10:05) How Travis grew his podcast from a $0 to $100K production budget with PandaDoc in one year (14:55) The key to PandaDoc’s rapid success (18:19) How Travis navigates mental health while hosting a weekly comedy podcast (23:05) The role of company culture in supporting creative employees (26:00) Travis’s unique approach to inviting guests on the podcast (see links for template) (29:49) How to plan and pitch a podcast to your company (33:20) What to focus on when hosting a podcast with limited resources (35:25) What Travis’s professional podcast production process looks like today (37:30) How Travis prepares a podcast season to align with his company’s needs (40:21) Closing comments and how to reach Travis
  • 3. Nick Moskaluk - How to Ask Great Questions, Get Authors and TED Speakers On Your Show, and What You Can Learn From Gen Z [#3]

    34:53||Ep. 3
    Nick Moskaluk - How to Ask Great Questions, Get Authors and TED Speakers On Your Show, and What You Can Learn From Gen Z [#3] Questions are the name of the game for Nick Moskaluk. A math interventionist, Nick uses questions and social psychology to help students overcome blocks in their learning process. These skills turned out to be essential for the next chapter in Nick’s life too: podcasting. Nick is the creator and host of the independent education show, “Ready, Set, Growth: A Podcast for Teachers.” From discussions on leadership, mindset, and tactics for successfully engaging and educating students, Nick’s podcast is an awesome resource to help teachers navigate the challenges they might face in the classroom and education system. A few interesting highlights: How do we ask the best questions as podcasters, and what does a bad question look like? What is the best way to reach out to authors and TED speakers to successfully get them as guests on your show? What are common traits of Gen Z that Nick has observed in the classroom?     If you’re interested in sharpening your interviewer skills, getting an insider’s perspective on the podcasting journey, or finding psychological insights from an educator on how to beat mental and emotional blocks in the way of creativity and progress—you'll love this episode! Timestamps: (4:08) How to ask the right questions to facilitate an interesting interview (6:15) How to ask questions that unlock new insights from your guest (8:48) Why is asking the right questions essential for great leadership? (10:40) What does a bad question look like? (14:12) How to ask hard questions when you know a guest is resistant to discussing certain topics (16:06) Nick’s top lessons after hosting his education podcast for two years (17:20) Why should you reach out to authors to be guests on your podcast? (19:35) How has podcasting impacted Nick’s life? (21:25) How does Nick reach out to authors and TED speakers to get them to be guests on his podcast? (23:14) What do teachers see about others, which people in other jobs don’t? (25:36) What are the patterns and behaviors Nick is observing in Gen Z students (28:28) The High Achiever’s Dilemma (31:31) How to get in touch with Nick Moskaluk
  • 2. Jaron Myers & Tim Stone - How to Start and Grow a Comedy Podcast into a Top 10% Show with Your Best Friend [#2]

    58:07||Ep. 2
    How can you turn your banter with your best friend into a top performing comedy podcast? Find out with Jaron and Tim! This episode delivers the real learnings and insights from Jaron Myers and Tim Stone, the two co-hosts of “Things I Learned Last Night” (aka TILLN). The comedy duo has been able to grow their podcast into a top 10% show in just a few years, and build a thriving creative business around their podcast and Jaron’s stand-up career. In “Things I Learned Last Night” (TILLN), Tim shares his bizarre discoveries from surfing the internet with his BFF, Jaron Myers, who outside of the show is a rising star comedian with nearly 1M followers on TikTok. The two then use Tim’s topics as a jumping off point for improvised comedy exploring all things human. This interview covers Tim and Jaron’s full podcasting journey, from the inception of TILLN to how it became the comedic engine it is today with a community of superfans. A few interesting highlights:: The podcasting “hierarchy of needs” to prioritize key actions and prevent burnout The key moments in Jaron’s career that enabled him to pursue comedy full time How TILLN and Jaron’s stand-up feed into one another for continuous growth When the duo knew it was time to invest more in the show’s marketing, and the strategy they employed    If you’re interested in growing a successful show with a co-host, building a career in comedy, or finding pro podcasting insights wrapped in a bit of humor–there’s a lot we unpack that’ll enjoy. Timestamps: (2:05) What inspired Tim and Jaron create a comedy podcast together (4:50) How does Tim decide the best topics for an episode’s performance (7:55) What are Jaron’s principles for improvised comedy that works (12:25) How do Jaron and Tim keep their comedy game sharp? (16:10) How do they find confidence to take comedic risks? (19:59) The shift in Jaron’s career that let him go full time as a stand-up comedian (22:00) Going viral and the next step that creators often forget (24:00) Connecting TILLN to Jaron’s stand up comedy career for increased exposure, and the social media strategy that helped them successfully grow the podcast (26:00) When Tim and Jaron realized it was time to invest in the podcast more and level up (29:00) The role of TikTok in growing the audience for Jaron’s standup and TILLN (35:20) On the benefits and joys of building a superfan community on Patreon (37:15) Preventing burnout with TILLN’s podcasting “hierarchy of needs” (45:00) Tim and Jaron’s friendship origin story (48:40) Giving yourself the grace to start, try until your figure it things out
  • 1. Dr. Steven Bradley - Growing a Podcast to 75K Streams, Building a Network of Black Doctors, and the State of American Healthcare [#1]

    38:45||Ep. 1
    Welcome to Vocal's first episode! For this interview, we’re joined by Dr. Steven Bradley, host of “The Black Doctors Podcast.” Dr. Bradley is a board-certified anesthesiologist and medical ethicist in the Navy. He is also an assistant professor of anesthesiology and shares his knowledge through educating medical students and residents. In under two years, Dr. Bradley has grown “The Black Doctors Podcast” to 75K downloads, built a network of hundreds of diverse practitioners in medicine, and has created a huge platform to spotlight minority voices and leaders in the field of medicine. For current doctors and students of medicine, Dr. Bradley’s podcast is a wealth of knowledge for discovering the unheard stories and needed insights for building a successful career in medicine as a BIPOC professional. In his show, you can discover the journey of a practitioner in every specialty of medicine imaginable–physicians, dentists, neurosurgeons, plastic surgeons, pediatricians, veterinarians and beyond. On top of the podcast and his medicine practice, Dr. Bradley attends to his creative life, family life, and more with grace. Settle in for a deep-dive with Dr. Bradley as we deconstruct his success with the podcast and medicine practice, and get his insider’s perspective on the state of American healthcare today. Timestamps: (1:15) Dr. Bradley’s first experience recording an episode. (2:52) Three things that helped Dr. Bradley grow his podcast to 75K downloads(6:05) Managing multiple priorities across Dr. Bradley’s medicine practice, podcast, music making and more (7:34) Overcoming imposter syndrome (11:24) Power of combining your profession with podcasting (13:14) Does Dr. Bradley believe in destiny? (14:48) What is a medical ethicist anyway? (19:00) The biggest ethics and medicine challenges facing America today (24:10) What role does politics play in the healthcare system? (27:14) How to have a trusting relationship with your doctor (31:58) Dr. Bradley’s favorite failure (34:54) Are you a woman physician? Dr. Bradley is looking for a female host. (36:30) What next for the “The Black Doctors Podcast”