► Tell us about you and your podcast
Hi I'm Jay Shifman. I'm the host of the Choose Your Struggle podcast which seeks to end the stigma around issues of Mental Health, Substance Misuse & Recovery, and Drug Use by having honest and vulnerable conversations.
► Why & how did you start this podcast?
I'm ten years in recovery from a prescription pill addiction. I've been doing this work for about a year and a half and when the pandemic hit, I saw that I wouldn't be able to continue speaking the way I was before. So I started the podcast as a lifeline both for me to reach people I felt the message would truly help and for me to still feel I was having the impact I wanted to have while on lock down.
► How'd you find the time and funding to do this podcast?
This is my full time job, this work. During the lock down, I've been able to give a lot of focus to the podcast. I do the whole thing myself. I find the guests, I find the sponsors, I host the show and do the editing.
► What do you gain from podcasting?
I certainly don't do this for the money. I do this because I truly believe in this message. I've acquired a few sponsors but it's been tough. The topics are ones that people truly feel, but sponsors are shy about. Which makes it tough! But that's ok. I know they'll come.
► How does your podcasting process look like?
I use Anchor to host the show, and Audacity to edit. I use Zoom to record. It's a lot of work! But I love it. Well, most of it. I hate editing!
► How do you market your show?
I market my show HARD. All over. Social media, every website I can find. Sometimes I pay for it but mostly it's just me hustling to introduce it to new listeners.
► What advice would you share with aspiring (new) podcasters?
I saw a stat that something over 90% of podcasts don't make it to 25 episodes. If you're getting into this because you think it will be easy or you'll make a lot of money fast, you'll hate it. Know it's really, really hard work and if you're only doing it for the money it's not worth it. You have to love it.