A show about purpose, passion and possibilities, with some insights into the hows and whys of our lives.

I have a journalism background, having spent my career at daily newspapers, weekly and monthly magazines, and nonprofit organizations where I worked in communications. I was always on the features side rather than hard news, and had the privilege of interviewing all kinds of people and learning about their lives and what they cared about.

My podcast is more of the same. In conversations and personal essays, my guests and I tell stories of our lives and expand our understanding of the wonderfully fine art of being human. In one way or another, I like to ask the questions "What have you learned?" and "How have you grown?"

My listeners tend to be kind and curious, open-minded and enthusiastic. I think that a lot of them value ethical behavior and spiritual truths, and that they have a sneaking suspicion that we're more connected to each other than we seem and have more power than we think we do.
 

While employed full time at a nonprofit, I also had the grand opportunity to co-host a Saturday morning radio show for 14 years. That was like being a features editor all over again. Great stories were everywhere!

The station ended the show in early 2019 so my co-host and I went on to do some sporadic podcasting. We had a lot to learn and kind of gave up on it for a while. Then when I retired in March 2020, I decided that podcasting was worth trying again. However, my co-host thought differently, so I was on my own. That scared me, and it took me two or three months to build up the nerve to move forward.

My big motivation was the general divisiveness of the media. One story in particular (I don't recall what it was) turned out to be the last straw for me. After reading it, I decided that I wanted to do a show of my own with the intention of bringing people together versus driving them apart.

In the summer of 2020, I began working with an engineer from the radio station, and he and I did 30-some episodes for YouTube. From there, I moved to doing strictly audio at a couple of studios near where I live. I recorded dozens of episodes before deciding to rename and rebrand my show in the fall of 2021.

While The Gale Hill Radio Hour is still a work in progress, I'm zeroing in on what I want this show to become.

I have great guests on the show, and my goal now is to widen its reach for the benefit of everyone: guests, listeners and those of us who work to make it happen.
 

I release the long-form conversations about twice a month. I spend a lot of time on those episodes, so I am now making a commitment to release short essays on the weeks that I don't have a full episode to publish. That way I'll have something going live every Wednesday.

I do not have a day job, though I still do freelance writing and editing for my former employer and have been doing that since I retired.
In 2023, I'm spending slightly less for podcast hosting ($12/month vs. $18) than I did previously. The recording studio costs me $100 an hour; I get some editing included with that but I also work with another engineer who charges $30 an hour.

Marketing is a new expense, which I'm now getting into. At the end of 2022, I spent $800 for social media marketing and coaching, and another $400+ for an online course about marketing. I also spent some money for another online course about the legal aspects of podcasting.

I am funding this podcast myself. It's worth it because this is what I enjoy doing.
 

I have not done anything with sponsorship so I can't talk about that. I can say that I truly enjoy all the learning and interacting that comes with podcasting, and I think that for me it's the perfect segue from full-time journalism and communications.
 

I have a desktop MacBook and an iPad. I do not do my own audio editing, though I meticulously go through the audio to give specific notes to the editor.

I really do find guests everywhere. At the store, at a party, lots of places. I know many people from my jobs, and I also receive show suggestions from friends and acquaintances. Finally, I pick up ideas reading news and feature articles in newspapers and magazines and, of course, online.

I prepare by having a conversation ahead of time with each guest and also collecting information. If it's an author I'll be interviewing, I will buy the book. I do not ask for a free copy. That's true for products too. For instance, there's a local granola maker who makes a delicious product and also supports a worthy cause. I interviewed her for my previous show and plan to interview her again one of these days. I buy her granola and have never asked for a bag for free.

I interview guests in person, by phone or on Zoom.
 

I really need to do MUCH more marketing. I'm only occasionally on social media, and sometimes I'll promote an episode on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. I also have some new YouTube episodes. I'm just now dipping into Instagram.

I don't have a breakdown to share, and I can't really say what channels are most useful.
 

My best advice is to love doing this! It's a lot of work.

Most helpful resources have been fellow podcasters who have shared a wealth of information.
 

Show's website: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1883679
Twitter: @HomeRadio
Facebook (personal): KathrynJ.Thomas.Jones3
Facebook (business): The Gale Hill Radio Hour
YouTube: YouTube@galehillradio
LinkedIn: Kathryn Thomas Jones
Instagram (coming soon): katethomasjones