Examine What It Means To Change, Be Changed & Face Change In Life

I'm Aden Nepom. I'm a pragmatic and playful advisor on communication, collaboration and change. I'm a world travelled (and award winning) performer, a senior facilitator at On Your Feet Improv for Business, President at The Art of Change Skills for Life, and host of The Changed Podcast.

The Changed Podcast is a personal project for me, in which I invite guests to share stories from the fork-in-the-road moments of their lives so that we can view how those experiences shaped their paths and perspectives. I’m also interested in building a collective definition, or a sort of human tapestry of meaning, around what the word ‘change’ even means to us.

Because going through the experience of change is fairly universal, whether careers, hair, lovers, or any other number of things (hello socks!), the audience for the show comes from all kinds of backgrounds too. What they have in common is they like waxing philosophical, and they love listening to stories.

I make the promise to my listeners that they'll hear stories from guests they care about. That doesn't always mean well-known names, though I've enjoyed talking with recognizable figures like funny-lady Mary Jo Pehl, Actor Todd Stashwick, and renowned scientist Dr. Gerald T. Nepom. But I put the effort in to pick a variety of guests from all kinds of backgrounds, because to understand the human experience of change it can't be all one thing. Not all famous. Not all dancers. Not all coaches. Simply human.

A few years ago I was arguing with my (then 4 year old) step daughter about something ridiculous… probably wearing pants. As I tried to sympathize with her perspective, in the hopes to sway her point of view I heard myself saying, “Look I get it. Change is hard.”

And then I paused.

“Is what I’m saying true?” I thought…”Or am I just setting this child up for failure in life?”

The truth is that to say that Change is hard is a gross generalization. It would be equally disingenuous to say that change is easy. But as the owner of a business called The Art of Change Skills for Life, I felt like I had to do better than simply telling her that even when change is hard, you just suck it up and put on pants.

I regrouped and told her “Amelia, I’m sorry I said that. I get that this change feels hard to you right now. Sometimes changes you go through might feel that way. BUT they don’t have to… and not all changes will! Most of the time it depends on how you choose to respond at that time.”

It was that interaction with my kiddo that got me thinking about how we as people on the planet think about CHANGE. And suddenly I was insanely curious about how other people think about, experience, and are changed by change.

My colleague Gary Hirsch at On Your Feet is a big believer that to give something meaning, instead of looking for a definition, one should listen to, and tell stories. So, it is in the interest of understanding ‘CHANGE’ and what it means in all its definitions that I invite my guests to tell stories of pivotal moments in their lives.

3 years of pondering and a few months of action later, The Changed Podcast was born.

This is actually my second podcast. My first podcast, Positive Thinpact helped me to learn about how podcasting works, how to tell people your show exists, and how to edit audio! That knowledge was incredibly helpful in creating this project.

Well... fortunately or unfortunately staying at home because of a global pandemic was the tipping point on the "will she or won't she?" question.

I already had the software and equipment from my first project, and now I had time.

But... I also had a head start. In January of 2020 I had finally convinced myself it was time to bring this show concept to life. I started booking guests, and prior to shut down I had already recorded a few interviews.

Even with that I did have to split my time between pivoting my business, and laying the groundwork to launch a new project. People underestimate the importance of a launch. If you want listeners... it's critical.

So from commitment to fruition it took me 6 months. That's how long it took to edit the first 6 episodes, create a website and start the initial launch campaign.

Once I launched things sped up. I went from taking a week to edit an episode and was able to get it down to 2 hours. I also made templates for all my guest correspondence so that communication, booking and setting my guests up for success became streamlined.

Now as I am gearing up for season two I no longer have the luxury of time that I did. So I'm starting to understand the difficulty of balance most people experience.

I'm finding that small goals are much more helpful than big ones.

Also, having a husband who makes sure that I stop to eat meals, makes sure the kiddo is handled and keeps clean laundry in the dresser helps immensely. He is a saint. A generous and loving saint. Who is immensely talented himself.

For my first season I was unwilling to entertain the idea of monetizing anything. I refused to talk about it. I just wanted the Changed Podcast to be a gift! As a result my podcast does not currently generate money.

Recently a colleague of mine pointed out that letting people know how to work with me, or recommending books for example is not the same as running some sleazy scheme. So, now I'm thinking differently.

I realize now that having a Patreon for my listeners isn't just about monetizing the show. It's actually a way to make sure I'm communicating with my listeners and getting feedback to ensure that I continue putting out quality content. Understanding whether or not what I'm doing is resonating is reflected in their financial participation.

Something I didn't actually think about when I started the show was that it would lend to my professional credibility. I just wanted to have a way to open doors to conversations with interesting people! But the professional recognition is an absolutely lovely perk.

My guests are hugely curated by me. I've reached deep into my personal and professional network to connect with the people I am interested in inviting on the show.

I use Streak in my gmail to keep track of who I've reached out to and who is where in the process so that I don't let a guest slip through the cracks.

Other ways people can end up as guests on the show, is they are introduced to me through previous guests, or they fill out the 'Be a Guest' submission form at the Changed Podcast website (https://www.thechangedpodcast.com). Filling out that form does not guarantee an interview on the show.

I use Zoom to record and I edit everything in Davinci Resolve (the free version). I don't have a fancy podcasting mic, but it works well enough. At some point I will upgrade all of my equipment, but it's working for now.

I used GarageBand to compose the theme song (you'll hear it at the intro and outro) myself.

My show goes out on all the socials, and I'm also making smart use of SEO on the podcast website. I have a mailing list, and I am building the community. I suppose a lot of listers come to the show because my guests let them know about their interviews. But also... I am constantly talking about the podcast. Never underestimate the power of your excitement. Half of my listens are people listening directly on the website. The other half are a mix of iTunes, Amazon, and the broad category of other.

Listen to podcasts, make note of what you like and what you don't like that they do. Have a clear one sentence summary about what your podcast does, and why it's compelling for your listeners and get used to saying it in the same breath as the words "I have a podcast."

Understand that to make a great podcast takes time, effort, energy and relationship with your listeners. Also there are millions of podcasts. Temper your expectations for what loads of listens means, and focus instead on consistent listens. Your audience will build over time if your putting out the content they want.

Visit the podcast website: thechangedpodcast.com

Tweet at us @theChangedPod

Talk to us: podcast@artochange.com

Support us on Patreon (Launching March 2021): patreon.com/thechangedpod

Art of Change Skills for Life: artofchange.com