► Tell us about you and your podcast
I am an Air Force veteran and when I left the military I struggled with the transition. I started a blog (airmantomom.com) to help me find myself. Through that journey, I started interviewing service members and found the stories of military women fascinating. I decided to dive down this path and started the Women of the Military podcast. The goal of the podcast is to help share the stories of military women but I found that young women considering military service found the value of the stories of other military women. The podcast helps young women who are considering military service but also provides a place to highlight the stories and history of military women.
► Why & how did you start this podcast?
In 2017, I did a 31-day series in October. My focus for the series was deployments. By chance my guest ended up being women and not men like I expected. Each story I shared I found fascinating and was blown away by all the things women had done in the military. It made me want to hear more stories of women. So I switched the focus from deployment to stories of women who have served. I love getting to highlight the stories of women and I have learned so much history from each interview I have done.
I recorded about ten episodes before publishing my first episode. I had the idea for a podcast in September 2018 but the launch didn't happen until January 2019.
► How'd you find the time and funding to do this podcast?
I do weekly episodes. I have been able to create a process to help make podcasting take the time that I can fit it into my crazy life. These systems have saved me so much time. I squeeze podcasting in between my role as a stay-at-home mom. I love it and because of that, I am able to get it all in. But without the systems, I created it really helps save time for finding guests and getting the show created.
► What do you gain from podcasting?
I have been lucky to partner with a handful of sponsors over the years. It has given me the opportunity to pay for the podcast. My first sponsor came within my first year of podcasting and had less than 10K downloads. My primary income comes from my freelance writing opportunities that have come from podcasting. I am always open to working with sponsors but it isn't my focus. I have been lucky to have companies reach out to me.
Podcasting has opened doors to be a speaker, connect with amazing people, and help others as they join the military.
► How does your podcasting process look like?
I do interviews primarily on Zoom. When I first started podcasting I spent a lot of time preparing for the podcast. But now I have a list of questions to help me prepare for the interview with my guests. It gives me the limits. I also start the podcast with the same question and end the same question. I use Adobe Audition for editing. Editing is one of my favorite parts of the process. It does take time but I love hearing the stories and listening. It is different from than the interview.
► How do you market your show?
I have a waitlist of women waiting to share their story on the podcast. Often I get pitches from various media contacts if they are a good fit I consider them based on the schedule. I keep a dedicated space for those who have been waiting to share their story. In the beginning, I would use LinkedIn to find women veterans to share their story.
► What advice would you share with aspiring (new) podcasters?
You can do it. Start where you are and learn along the way. YouTube and Google were how they help me.