Podcasts Running Through My Mind

I decided to jump in and launch a podcast this week.

Over the last 6-12 months I’d been trying to recruit a few business associates, past project partners, even my spouse to commit to creating and co-hosting an ongoing podcast program, but I couldn’t get any takers.

They were all interested, but no one seemed to want to pick a day and start (and keep going). I even thought about having one-shot temporary co-hosts. Each show would be hosted by me and “whomever”, but then I worried I’d spend more time trying to find people to co-host than having any fun actually creating the show.

I really wanted a co-host because I enjoy bouncing ideas (and one-liners) off of other people. I look smarter when I have smart people to talk to. Doing a solo podcast seemed too much like talking to myself. It would just be me, staring at a microphone, rambling. That’s already pretty close to what’s happening with my own internal monologue, so I wanted something a little more… “more”.

Daily content for the daily commute

A year or two ago I started a daily commute that take 30 minute or more (one way), five days a week. Today’s broadcast radio programming suuuuuuucks (and melts your brain) so I tend to use my vehicle as a mobile classroom and listen to audio books on CD. Then I joined Audible and started downloading audio books to my phone. I love them — lots of dead time that I can put to use by “reading”. I prefer the digital audio to the physical CDs because I can listen to them at an increased playback speed and get through an 8-hour book in 5 or 6 hours. Plus, I find that some narrators talk too slow, or my mind wanders as they talk in the background. Listening at an increased speed adds more energy to the audio and I find myself paying even more attention for fear of missing something interesting.  If I do feel I missed something, the audio player has a 30-second rewind feature that works beautifully. I can also add “digital bookmarks” to jump back to section of interest (like I did with “Contagious” by Jonah Berger, so that I could skip back to his short list summary of six “STEPPS” of what makes ideas spread.)

A lengthy, unabridged, business audio book can be a commitment.

You have the cost of the book plus the time it will take to consume it. Sometimes you don’t need/have time for/or are hungry enough to consume a 6-course meal. Sometimes you want a light lunch or a quick snack.

That’s how I got hooked on podcasts

You can find a podcast on just about any topic, a host to suit almost any personality, and a program length to fit any time period. 30-45 minute commute in the morning and an interest in earning a little extra cash on the side, no problem — try Side Hustle Show with Nick Loper.

Are you a sales professional with a longer 45-60 minute drive (or want to a program to span your day in the car driving from appoint to appointment) — allow me to suggest In The Arena with Anthony Iannarino. or the podcast Sell or Die with Jeffrey Gitomer and Jennifer Gluckow.

Are you a creative person short on time but have a long list of ideas you’d like to put into action — you have to listen to Jason Zook’s Action Army Podcast. and Chris Brogan‘s invaluable (but far too infrequent!) The Owner’s Mind podcast.

Excited and inspired to take action

Excited and inspired by these shows, their content, and their hosts, I really wanted to start my own. I thought I had some value to offer an audience (if only a chance for them to learn from my mistakes!), so this week I took a lesson from a recent audio book I completed (“The 10X Rule” by Grant Cardone — you really need to listen to this one at 2X speed!) and simply dove in before I had a chance to “prepare my way out of it”. You know, that thing where you have an idea that you really want to put into action, but you talk yourself into “getting ready and doing all the vital research required to make it successful? <cough-cough-BULLSHIT-cough-cough>

Instead, I decided I would simply pull into my parking spot at work, launch the Spreaker podcasting app on my iPhone and use my cheap-bastard-brand Bluetooth headset to record all the things I was thinking about on my drive to work. The new ideas I wanted to explore, lessons I learned from the podcast I was listening to,  cool projects that friends of mine were putting out into the world — basically all the stuff that was just running through my mind that day that I felt might be of value.

An audio action agenda, a talking to-do list, a mental monologue.

I didn’t worry about setting up a landing page or registering a domain or the audio sound quality or even a name for the show — I called it what is was “Running Through My Mind“.

I’m sure the domain and dedicated web page will come soon enough. For now you can reach it with a redirected link from my site and play individual episodes or subscribe to the podcast feed on the Spreaker show page.

I hope you find it of value, I hope you’ll choose to subscribe, I hope you’ll send me a message or post a comment and maybe even recommend it to someone else who has been making excuses instead of actually making stuff.

It’s easy — just hit record and then hit post.

Here is my inaugural episode.

Let me know what you think!