179: {Sassy Solo} Be okay sucking when you first start out

Today I'm sharing my journey of starting a podcast from scratch, emphasizing that initial struggles are normal and encouraging perseverance. We talk about the importance of consistency, learning from mistakes, and staying true to your passion despite negativity. Because let's be real, no one is a superstar when they start something new or are learning a new skill. You have to put the reps in no matter what you are trying to achieve!

Transcript

Caroline Pennington (00:01.486)
Okay, today on Jump with a Mic and talk about something that keeps coming up and a lot of conversations I've been having recently. And a lot of people have questions for me about how I started the podcast, why I started the podcast, did I know what I was doing? The answer is no. I had no freaking clue what I was doing when I started this podcast, okay? So keep that in mind. And one thing that I hear people say a lot too that is just part of it is you're gonna suck it first.

Nobody is good at whatever fill in the blank you want to do. In the beginning, you have to put the reps in. It's just like building a muscle at the gym, starting a nutrition plan, your body, all the things. You have to start somewhere. And when you start, you are going to suck. And that's okay. And people are going to talk about you, good or bad, and who freaking cares? Because it's people that are talking about you or making judgments about you. What are they doing with their freaking life anyways?

So when I started this podcast, had a lot of people that would come up to me and ask me, how's your little podcast doing? And yes, it was hurtful and yes, annoying, but I kept going. And now the podcast is ranking in the top 3 % globally. And I'm so happy I did not listen to them or let those people deter me from what I was doing because podcasting has been one of the best experiences and things that I've done. I've the most amazing humans, the most amazing women through this platform.

Who knows, I may even interview a male coming up with the name change, we'll see. But when I started this podcast, I did have the skill of interviewing. I was a professional recruiter, a headhunter. I knew what I was doing with interviewing. And so I'd interviewed tens of thousands of people. So I knew I had that skill, but I didn't know how uncomfortable these solo sessions would make me. And as I've continued doing them, I've continued working the muscle and I'm getting better at it.

and as you can tell the episodes are getting longer. The solo episodes have actually done a lot better than the interviews and so I'm listening to you guys who listen to the podcast, who want to hear from me, who want to get to know me more. And I'm always open if you have a topic you want me to go off about or talk about, I'm happy to just slide it in my DMs on Instagram, Facebook or LinkedIn. And I do listen to you guys and so if there's something specific you want me to talk about.

Caroline Pennington (02:22.241)
that I've done personally or that I have an opinion on or whatever, I want to hear from you. And so when I started this podcast, I did suck at first. I did have the skill of interviewing for being a recruiter, but I didn't know what I was doing with any of the backend stuff, any of the tech stuff. I did not have the money to outsource any of it. So I had to figure it out myself. And literally, y'all, I just went down a YouTube rabbit hole and started figuring out myself.

I figured out what platforms I needed to use. I figured out what kind of mic I needed to use. I would get all in the weeds about editing out all the ums and yeses or blank spaces in the episodes. And guess what? At end of the day, none of it mattered. None of it mattered at all. All the things that mattered was that I kept going and I kept producing and I stayed consistent. So keep that in mind. There's something that you have on your heart that you want to start is number one,

you're gonna suck it first. Number two, that's okay. Number three, do not let the naysayers or the people that say things that are negative or judgmental hold you back because maybe you are just an example of something to them that's bringing out an insecurity that they have or a projection that they have that maybe they wish they would have started a podcast show too. Or maybe they wish they would have started a business or written a book or whatever, fill in the blank.

And guess what? That's not your problem. That's on them. And also I want you to know that, everyone is going to start somewhere. Like I had to start three years ago doing this podcast and it's the best thing I've done. And I would highly encourage you to do that if you were interested in doing a podcast because it is like the wild, wild west podcasting is like the wild, wild west because it's completely internet-based. It's online. It's everything. And you can get into a lot of.

locations very fast, you can grow very fast, a very fascinating space. But I did have to be okay with sucking at first and I did suck at first guys. Yes, I was a professional interviewer, but I was not a professional podcaster like I am now. And so that is one thing I want to hear and talk about and say to you because it keeps on coming up in conversations that I'm having with people is they're like, I don't want to suck at first or be embarrassed or whatever, fill in blank, but.

Caroline Pennington (04:45.089)
Guess what? I did suck at first when I started this journey and I was embarrassed and people said rude things to me. And thank God I ignored them because I wouldn't be here now with the success and the big podcast now. And so if I can do it, you can do it too. Okay? I am not some professional podcaster or wizard or anything. I just am a girl in a small town in South Carolina who had a dream of having a show. That's all. And I had to work hard at it. I had to figure it out.

which yes, took time. Yes, eventually cost money. I invested in better tech equipment. I invested in a mastermind eventually, which was helpful with me figuring out how to grow my show, be on more shows, all the things. But for a long time, I just had to figure it out myself and be scrappy. And so that's my encouragement to you too, whatever it is that you want to do or start, be okay sucking it first, stay in the game, stay consistent.

take tiny action every single day because those tiny actions compound each other and they end up with big results, which is what's happened with this podcast. And I'm so grateful I stayed in it. I'm so grateful for each and every one of you who tune in each week and listen. Don't forget to subscribe and share and I appreciate you more than you know.