► Tell us about you and your podcast
A Contagious Smile. Is a platform that assists both special needs families and survivors of domestic violence. We shine the spotlight on amazing individuals who have battled through hell, conquered it, and now want to share their stories so that you too can find your inner light again just like they did. We also interview guests who can provide our listeners with information and resources that can also help. Let us help you find and bring back that inner light. Every smile tells a story. Share yours! I believe in a world where we help others and lend a hand, an ear, a shoulder, and or time. As someone who walked this dark scary journey alone, I promised myself that I would do all that I can to help others find their inner light again.
► Why & how did you start this podcast?
I started this podcast because I've been advocating for survivors of abuse and special needs families for well over 16 years now. And. The platform that I had been using for so long continued to grow, and I wanted individuals that needed a reminder, that needed a little. Pick me up, if you will. Have the ability to go to their favorite platform, Spotify, iTunes, Apple, or whatever the case may be. Could choose one of our podcasts. Have it in their ears and their ear pods or whatever they listen with. They can black out their screen and they can just hear in their head. How they are worth fighting for so that they can hear other survivors' stories of strength and it can light the way for them as well. I was approached by. A female not that long ago who never tried to get out of her abusive situation and she began listening to our podcast reached out to me personally and told me that because of these podcasts, she has left her abusive husband and secured not only her safety but the safety of her children. And. There is no greater word than that. If we can help one person, every step of this is worth it.
► How'd you find the time and funding to do this podcast?
I make the time in order to produce these three podcast shows because I think it's imperative that the resources are available to individuals that are in need of this information. My husband and I have been funding this from inception, however, we are in the process. Of beginning our 501C3. So hopefully that will be able to help take some of the burdens of the costs off because we also. Breed golden retriever puppies to help with the service support dog area, where kids and adults have to wait five-plus years in order to get there forever. Best friend.
► What do you gain from podcasting?
We do take sponsorship. We have a few that we have sponsoring certain episodes of our podcasts. We. Take donations towards our golden retriever breeding program for sponsorship. At this point, now that our numbers are so much bigger, I will be looking into other options for that, but I hadn't at this point because. We hadn't grown to this level until here recently I do this podcasting because I don't want anyone to go through domestic violence or any form of abuse and feel alone and left out and unworthy of fighting their way back. And starting their journey of healing They have a spark within them and I want to help find that with them. I want to take them down this journey and show them that they're worth fighting for. I also podcast about special needs families because I have a special needs family. I myself have had over 100 plus surgeries and I'm also a recent amputee As well as our daughter has had 34 surgeries. So we know how to advocate for ourselves, the underdog if you will. And we use compassion and unconditional acceptance..
► How does your podcasting process look like?
For each podcast that we do, I. And approached by a number of people on different subjects. And I vet them to make sure that they can bring awareness and resources. Not to mention I am on Pod match. I also am in several hundred different groups where people come and tell me that they are an expert in certain fields then. I. Basically, go in and Start learning about my upcoming guest. I also provide a questionnaire form for them to fill out. I do a pre-show interview where I ask certain questions. I also use Zoom.
► How do you market your show?
We are on 18+ platforms, We also have three different podcasts here at A Contagious Smile. We have the original A Contagious Smile, Where Evert Smile Tells A Story, A Contagious Smile's Teen Talk and A Contagious Smile's Unstoppable. Also, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook Page, Facebook Group, and our website as well as our YouTube Channel.
► What advice would you share with aspiring (new) podcasters?
For new podcasters, I would say that you have to be genuine, and authentic. You have to care about the topics to which you're discussing. You have to have topics that people find interesting. You have to have guessed that know about the topics you're discussing. And that could bring real value to your show.
► Where can we learn more about you & your podcasts?
www.acontagioussmile.com
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100083633709142
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100013658820137
https://www.facebook.com/groups/acontagoussmile
https://www.instagram.com/acontagioussmile/
https://www.tiktok.com/@acontagioussmile?lang=en
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCH-PY9wDzQ0ydVM1km6uBA
https://feeds.buzzsprout.com/2071161.rss