Be Digestible and Relatable to Create a Bingeable Podcast with Monica C. Guidry of the Whole HeART Podcast
As part of my series of interviews about “5 things you need to know to create a very bingeable podcast”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Lifestyle Strategist, Podcast Host and Author Monica C. Guidry.
The idea of helping women overcome life’s hardships and hurdles was born of Monica’s own battles and victories. It is the triumph over her own struggles that fills her heart to overflow as she aids women in discovering, that there is purpose in their pain! Monica has been married to her husband Terrell for nearly 20 years and having originally been told by doctors she could never conceive, they are the proud parents of 4 children, son, Terrell Jr, Warren, daughter Naomi, and baby Asher.
She is also the author of two books: True Worship and her latest release, a journal titled, I AM.
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Can you tell us a bit of your “personal backstory? What is your background and what eventually brought you to this particular career path?
I grew up on the Northside of Columbus and was a part of a middle-class family, dad firefighter and mom who stayed home for the most part of my formative years. Upon graduating from high school I attended The University of Cincinnati until I met my future husband, I was married at the age of 21. My husband and I tried to conceive early on, but I was told that due to some medical complications that I wouldn’t be able to have children, but because my faith plays a very huge part in my life, we never stopped trying even with being told I would never, eventually 8 years later, through many tears, and many many procedures and medication my first son was born.
Most of my triumphs in life have been born out of pain. After my baby girl was born, I was almost killed during a home invasion when a man attacked me with a knife, if I hadn’t physically fought back, my life would have been taken in front of my children. After that attacked I was crippled with fear but decided that I NEVER wanted to live in fear again, and started teaching people how to overcome it.
My husband and I, although blissfully married now, have not always been so happy, we almost ended our marriage after 10 years, but with tonicity and hard work we fought to stay together not for our children, or anyone else, but for each other. I have many stories like that, where seemingly tragic things fueled me to fight, stand and become a better woman. And here I am today, stronger, wiser and sharing my story along with many others on how to use your pain to pursue passion and purpose and ultimately live a life of joy.
Can you share a story about the most interesting thing that has happened to you since you started podcasting?
The most interesting thing that has happened to me since starting my podcast would be the number of people that tune in each launch day, I never imaged that so many people, who I didn’t know, would be interested in what I had to say.
Can you share a story about the biggest or funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson or takeaways you learned from that?
Because my show is fairly new, I’d have to say, upon starting, my first show I just kind of went for it, I had no format, I just started talking, I felt like I was talking for HOURS, but when I got done, I had only recorded about 14 minutes of talk time ((HA)) My take away was to definitely do bullet points to make sure I cover all my bases.
How long have you been podcasting and how many shows have you aired?
I completed my first-month last week, I’ve aired a total of 5 shows, and I’m already in the top 50% of the most listened-to shows.
What are the main takeaways, lessons or messages that you want your listeners to walk away with after listening to your show?
I want people to take away that, it’s never too late to start, and passion and purpose are on the other side of fear. That life’s hardships are simply stepping stones and we are more than the title of mom, wife, grandmother etc.
In your opinion what makes your podcast binge-listenable? What do you think makes your podcast unique from the others in your category? What do you think is special about you as a host, your guests, or your content?
What makes my podcast binge-listenable would be that the content is digestible and relatable, listeners feel like they are having a conversation with their bestie, my listeners are my friends, which is why I start out saying “Hello friends” ☺
Doing something on a consistent basis is not easy. Podcasting every work-day, or even every week can be monotonous. What would you recommend to others about how to maintain discipline and consistency? What would you recommend to others about how to avoid burnout?
This is something I think about all the time, how not to burn out, being a go-getter, I’m very intentional about not going overboard. I usually record two shows in a week to make sure I have enough in my back pocket so that I’m not scrambling at the last minute for content. Also, I keep my “why” before me at all times, so that I never lose sight of my mission.
What resources do you get your inspiration for materials from?
My inspiration is birthed from my own experiences.
Is there someone in the podcasting world who you think is a great model for how to run a really fantastic podcast?
In the podcast world, I really love Annie F. Downs and ironically she also calls her listeners “friends” yeah she’s my bestie, just doesn’t know it yet.
What are the ingredients that make that podcast so successful? If you could break that down into a blueprint, what would that blueprint look like?
The ingredients would be simply put: her mission, vision, and audience. She’s figured out her mission, came up with a vision for what she wanted to see, and then made sure she’s speaking her demographic every time she speaks.
Can you share with our readers the five things you need to know to create an extremely successful podcast?
5 things you need to know would be:
- Research your content.
- Outline your show from beginning to end.
- Find a good podcast host platform.
- Don’t leave your audience out, engage them, invite them to ask questions or voice their opinions on topics of discussion.
- Promote. Promote. Promote.
Check out the full interview in Tracy Hazzard’s Authority Magazine article about Monia C. Guidry!
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Podcast Influencer, Monica C. Guidry of the WHOLE HeART Podcast shares the best way to:
1) Book Great Guests. Instagram has been a great way that I’ve found solid guests! I follow people that share the same vision as me and my listeners and I simply ask if they’d like to join me on my show, I’ve been extremely blessed that no one has said no yet
2) Increase Listeners. I ask my close friends, and my family to listen and then ask if it’s okay, on launch days to tag them in my links so that their friends and family can also see that my show is live.
3) Produce in a Professional Way. Make sure you have professional equipment, you don’t have to blow a lot of money, Amazon has a ton of podcast kits for under 100.00, starting out that’s a pretty good deal, also, invest in a MAC book pro, it has garage band which is where I master/mix all of my shows, and it’s very easy to use.
4) Encourage Engagement. Encourage your listeners to ask questions or chime in on the topic of discussion, have a website or social media presence so they can follow-up with you.
5) Monetize Your Show. Find a podcast host site that lets you collect sponsorships as you are starting out, redcircle is who I use, new, but extremely user friendly and FREE.
What makes your podcast binge-listenable? What do you think makes your podcast unique from the others in your category? What do you think is special about you as a host, your guests, or the content itself?
Check out the full interview in Tracy Hazzard’s Authority Magazine article about Monia C. Guidry!
