Focus on self improvement from a fresh perspective for business, career or personal life

I am a professional speaker, podcaster and narrator with a specialty in leadership, change, challenges and success.

This podcast is about the ideas that could be your breakthrough for change in your business, career or personal life. I speak on topics of self-improvement from a fresh perspective and interview a variety of entrepreneurs, business owners and thought leaders to reveal their ideas and solutions to the challenges of success.
 

I started out like most beginning speakers 5 years ago. I was new to the arena and wasted a lot of precious time waiting or hoping to get onto other people's platform and make it BIG. That was actually a BIG mistake. I was spinning my wheels not realizing that I needed to create my own opportunities AND earn my stripes. Then I had a mentor ask me an important question, "Why not just build your own platform?"

That got me thinking and I started researching. I had experience in live radio and was very interested in podcasting. Then it hit me. Why not build a virtual platform. It doesn't matter where I speak, I just need to serve my audience any way that I can. So, I decided to start my own podcast.

My initial goal for the podcast and still is was to save lives from being wasted away because people thought they were not good enough or that this is just as good as it gets. I wanted people to know they have a sacred birthright to become better and produce better out here in the world. I wanted to build a platform to help minimize suicide rates by showing people through the experiences of others with adversity how to champion up and grow forward with their challenges.

Today that goal is to change lives by helping people see that change, growth and challenges are the success steps to becoming better as a human being period.. If we can't change the whole world, we can surely change OUR world.

I started my podcast February in 2019. I released my episode within 3 days of signing up for a hosting service. I believe in taking action sooner than later. Procrastination is not a good companion for productive change.
 

Well, I started my podcast off of the money I had saved for the very reason of building my speaking business. But here is the thing, starting up a podcast is simple if you know WHY you want to do it. Then all you have to do is find a podcast host(monthly fee-not expensive), purchase a good microphone, headphones and you are good to go. I may be leaving out some other little things that will make your start smoother. But my point is that it was not hard. Just took a vision, a plan and action.

I release 1 episode per week. I do this because consistency is key. I like to keep feeding my audience with weekly food for thought. When I first began it would take me 4-5 days to produce an episode. Now it only takes me a 2-3 hours.

If you have a day job I would suggest to set time when you are not at work to do the podcast. Or set time aside on the weekend(few hours or a day) to record. Use a sick day, or a vacation day to chunk away at some things if you need to. I believe there is always time to do the thing that you know you need to do. You have to create that time.

I fund my podcast myself for now but the vision as with most podcasters is to have sponsorships or affiliate partnerships to help with the funding. Currently I spend about 10 hours a week devoted to podcasting and marketing. I set time on my calendar and block it off without any distractions.
 

Podcasting is about serving your audience. That's the true gain. You are actually impacting people's lives in a unique way. Podcasting benefits you also in other ways such as sponsorships and affiliate partnerships if done right. But it is a patience game. It does not happen overnight. It takes time and credibility for people to want to invest their time, energy and money. That's why it must be taken seriously and treated with value.
 

I use buzzsprout as my hosting site and I love them! Would highly recommend them to anyone. For recording and editing software I use Audacity and Descript.

To find my guest I will post on my social media pages and in groups. I will use a little simple CTA like, "if you feel you could be a good fit for our show or know someone that could be, go to the link here or feel free to share it". Most of my guests share their episodes and provide word of mouth. I also use the power of testimonials in my post with the CTA I just mentioned.

Currently I interview my guests through Zoom and Riverside.fm.
 

I have a breakdown of listeners and this all comes from my hosting provider, Buzzsprout. So I am able to see demographics, time frames etc... It helps me to better understand my audience.

I find instagram to be very usual. I also find value in facebook/instagram stories and reels. Email newsletters work to!
 

To the new podcasters coming along, make sure you know WHY you want to do a podcast. There a plethora of people doing them especially since covid changed how we interacted. Podcasting takes alot of patience, creativity and a willingness to learn and adapt.

Decide where you want to go with it. Don't worry about fancy equipment. MAKE sure you know your message and what energy you are putting out to your potential audience. If you do this your podcast will grow with time.

Google podcasting and study the podcasters who are successful.. Learn their story and how they adapted .
 

You can learn more about me and my podcast by going to https://adrianstarks.net/podcast/ or https://linktr.ee/adrianstarks. You can find me on insgtagram @_adrianstarks

Website: https://adrianstarks.net
Facebook: Adrian Starks
Linked In: Adrian Starks
Twitter: _adrianstarks