…little did I know that sitting on the other side of the microphone is even more nerve-wracking.
Listen to the Season 1 Finale HERE.
I already had an incredible amount of respect for the guests on my show. But this week’s interview taught me how it feels to sit on the other side and to be interviewed.
Wow, it’s scary! How could my guests all stay that calm?
There I was, in the hot seat, and Amanda Williams, who joined me recently at #impact Podcast, did a fantastic job raising questions about how and why I took that first step to start this show. People that know me well are aware of my tendency to get carried away with my storytelling.
I love to talk, and that is actually…
…one of the hardest parts about hosting the Podcast for me: letting MY GUESTS do the talking.
But as all the guests and bits that get edited out of the Podcast will attest, before the interview starts, it is ME rambling about pretty much anything that comes to mind. I can’t help throwing in some overdramatically performed story, be it telling my guests about my train ride to the interview, my struggle to set up the microphone or what I had for lunch. Yep, I can even turn that in a little fun story. There is some serious comedian potential here, I think, or maybe it is just the quirkiness of me being Austrian, as I discussed with Sarah Fung from Hula when we recorded Episode 14.
Oh, these poor guests of mine, they had to listen to me…
…go on and on about recording levels and software crashes and what my little daughter was up to after she woke me up that day. My urge to talk and perform might go back to my much-loved drama class days in high school when I was taking on roles in Shakespeare and Wedekind plays on the brilliant high school stage at Zirkusgasse, Vienna.
Performing “Gefährliche Liebschaften” at high school Zirkusgasse, 2001. Photo Credit: Sabine Edelbauer
I believe Christina Dean from Redress would approve of the brilliant DIY costumes that one of the actors and her mom put together for that school play with so much dedication and love.
See, I did it again…
…get back to your original thought, Regina! So I was being interviewed by Amanda, and I was rather nervous before we turned on the recorder, but once we were rolling that nervosity disappeared and I did what I do best:
I told stories.
Long stories.
I went on.
And on.
And on.
I am not sure if I even answered a single one of Amanda’s questions. I have to work on telling my story in a more structured way, and listening back to my talk with Amanda is a great learning experience.
Maybe you are wondering why I wanted to finish the first Season like this.
Well, just after I launched #impact Podcast my good friend Marlene, who listened to every episode since, raised one question: “If I did not know you, I would be wondering,” she said.
“Who is this Regina?”
She had a point.
This is how I started the very first episode of #impact Podcast:
“Hello, everyone. This is Regina, your host at #impact Podcast. Welcome to the very first episode. This time I speak to Sue Toomey from HandsOn Hong Kong. Enjoy.”
Yep, that’s it. Not more than that.
I felt it was better just to jump right in and I wanted to create a show that does not have a long introduction and endless pre-talk before getting to the actual conversation and topic of the episode, something that I find rather painful when listening to Podcasts. My aim is to let the guests shine and give them as much time as possible to raise awareness for their incredible work.
I thought people would figure out…
…what this show was all about and they would get to know me along the way. But let’s be realistic, not everyone, except my most loyal listeners, will listen to every single episode to the end, where I usually share more personal notes for people to learn a bit more about me. So that’s what this Season Finale is here for now. For all the people that are curious to hear what drives me and how it all started, there will be a place to go now. It is a steep learning curve, and I am taking all the feedback to heart. As a first time Podcaster, of course, there are many things to improve.
So after I told the stories of 21 amazing organisations in this first season, it was about time to share a bit more about me. For this first season’s finale I handed over the recorder to Amanda.
Amanda started preparing questions for the interview earlier last week, and she did not share them with me beforehand. I wanted to put myself in my guest’s shoes, who do get an information sheet about my vision for this Podcast with a few example questions ahead of the interview. But most of the time the conversation does take us different places, and unanticipated follow-up questions do come up.
This recording was no different.
I did not intend to share the embarrassing amateur attempt of mine to get an interview with Coldplay. But well, now it is out there, and maybe this will be the extra push I need to follow through, so I stay accountable to the things I promise to myself and my listeners.
These last few weeks, wrapping up Season 1…
…and reflecting on this Podcasting journey so far, I can’t help but feel a bit nostalgic as well. This Podcasting adventure has been a very rewarding one, but there were many setbacks and doubts along the way as well. Feelings that everyone out there starting from scratch will be able to relate to. It is right what they say about it feeling like a rollercoaster ride. Within a single day I can feel ecstatic, depressed, motivated, lonely and overly fulfilled. It’s emotionally exhausting but addictive at the same time and I am so excited to see what next Season will bring.
I feel incredibly humbled by the trust that each person that sat down to record with me put into me.
It is only now that I truly understand…
…how much guts it takes to be on the other side, being on the record and asked to reply to tricky questions about setbacks, visions and impact measurement.
The support I received from every single person along the way, the most supportive husband anyone could ever wish for, family and friends cheering me on, and all these kind acquaintances and strangers leaving comments, ratings, listening and following the stories I am sharing on the show, means so much to me. It is overwhelming at times that so many people believe in my vision.
I thank you all.
I will be back with more episodes soon. In the meantime, do enjoy going back to older episodes and look for your favorite topics here.
Every guest was special. Every story was impactful and moving. Every story counts, just like Matt Friedman taught me.
Every guest was special. 21 amazing talks and my fondest memories looking back with this brainstorm.
I hope you can feel the positivity and the inspiring power of this community of changemakers…
…that believe in their impactful missions just as much as I do, when you listen to the recordings. Let me know which moments touched you the most, which ones made you smile, which ones made you think, which ones made you act.
I mean it. Get in touch!
I want to know who is listening out there, because judging by the download numbers people are listening. Let me know how you like what you hear and what I should improve. You can do so HERE.
If you want to stay posted on what I am listening and reading for inspiration right now, subscribe HERE, and I will also let you know as soon as the new season kicks off. There is so much goodness ahead! I can’t wait to share more stories from the most inspiring changemakers out there with you.
To many more exciting, fun and thought-provoking episodes ahead. This is only the beginning.
See you next season!
