“How to Become the Center of Influence Through Honest Podcasting” with Jenna Parris of the MAMA SAID Podcast
As part of my series of interviews about “How to Become the Center of Influence Through Podcasting”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Jenna Parris. Jenna is a musician and mother of 2. Growing up in Los Angeles, Jenna began singing at a young age, ultimately pursuing a professional singing career until realizing the spotlight was not where she envisioned herself long-term. She continued singing to fulfill her lifelong passion, but also was engulfed in a successful career in the fashion and marketing world. It was only a matter of time before she would meet her husband, have two beautiful children and realize her greatest talent of all, motherhood.
Jenna left her career behind to be a stay-at-home mom, which turned out to be the most challenging, yet most rewarding job she would ever have. She struggled as a new mom, trying to find that perfect balance in her life, looking to books and articles for answers, but couldn’t find the help she needed to feel like she wasn’t alone. It wasn’t until the beginning of her second pregnancy when she met actress Jamie-Lynn Sigler, who was also pregnant with her second child that it all clicked for her. Together, they would talk for hours on end about the challenges and rewards of being an expecting mom, addressing all of their goals and fears.
After several months of being each other’s confidants, they realized that their open and honest dialogue with each other was exactly what other moms needed. From that, Mama Said Podcast was born; a safe-haven for fellow moms and parents to talk about the things that no one else is; hard subjects, embarrassing moments, sticky situations. Jenna is grateful for her new career as a podcast co-host, as it not only helps her navigate through motherhood, but for the mamas listening and sharing their stories as well.
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Can you tell us the “backstory” about why or how you got started as a podcaster?
Well, thanks so much for asking ME to do this! The backstory goes like this: I knew Jamie-Lynn Sigler for a few years through my husband, but we were just “instagram buddies”…nothing more. We started DMing each other when we realized we were both pregnant with our second child, due 1 month apart! DMs lead to texts, texts lead to phone calls, and phone calls lead to lunch dates! Jamie and I were open, honest and vulnerable with each other about the pretty and shitty of pregnancy, birth and parenting. We depended on each other for advice, laughs and to not feel alone. We would often look back at our text messages and laugh, and eventually we realized our raw conversations could really help other mama’s out there. After about 9 months of brainstorming and planning, we gave birth to a happy, healthy podcast called MAMA SAID!
Can you share a story about the most interesting thing that has happened to you since you started podcasting?
I talk a lot about having anxiety on the podcast. I am open and honest about it, because I know there are other moms out there that are suffering as well. Sharing details about my anxiety on the podcast has not only made me feel like I’m getting things off my chest, but it also motivates me to get the help I need to heal. I feel like I have a responsibility to myself and our listeners to put my money where my mouth is!
Can you share a story about the biggest or funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
We’re still so new! But I think the biggest mistake I once made was to not do research on a guest. I couldn’t engage in the conversation, and it left me feeling very lost throughout the entire episode. Needless to say… do your research!!!
How long have you been podcasting and how many shows have you aired?
We aired our first episode in February, so it’s been 6 months! We are still newbies, with 28 episodes under our belt.
What are the main takeaways or lessons you want your listeners to walk away with?
We want our listeners to know that they are NOT alone in this crazy thing called parenting. When I had both my children, I felt ALL the emotions… sad, excited, scared, happy, depressed. It’s not easy to admit that sometimes you want to flush your children down the toilet, run away from your husband and become a professional rosé drinker… so I guess the takeaway here is… maybe after people listen to our podcast, they won’t feel so bad about having the same exact thoughts 😉
Check out the full interview in Tracy Hazzard’s Authority Magazine article about Jenna Parris!
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Podcaster Influencer, Jenna Parris of the MAMA SAID Podcast shares the best ways to:
1) Book Great Guests. I’d say about 95% of our guests are either a friend of mine or Jamie’s. I think having a connection to the guest makes it a very personal and intimate conversation that flows naturally. If we don’t know them, we do our research so it seems like we’ve been BFF for a long time.
2) Increase Listeners. Social media helps with increasing your listeners. Talk about your guest the day before the episode airs…get people excited for what’s to come! Also, creating a private FB group has really helped. The mamas (and some dadas) that are in the group are our super loyal fans, and they organically spread the word for us!
3) Produce in a Professional Way. This was something Jamie and I cared a lot about. We didn’t want to have a podcast with bad sound quality. Make sure you do practice runs! And if you’re lucky like Jamie and I are, you’ll have an amazing producer who knows our voice, our vibe and keeps the episode sounding natural, even after all the edits!
4) Encourage Engagement. Giveaways on social media are an amazing way to encourage engagement!
5) Monetize. We are incredibly lucky to have sponsors on our show…I know not everyone starting a new podcast can say the same.
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 Jenna Parris!
