► Tell us about you and your podcast
Get the "Tea"! Real Talk With Deb & Nia is a mother/daughter intergenerational deep-dive into topics, both broad and specific, from home-schooling to life-schooling and young adulthood to elder-caregiving. We share our successes, losses, challenges, and epiphanies with an openness and vulnerability we hope will liberate our audience (and ourselves) to live life free from unnecessary boundaries, judgement and self-flagellation.
Are you a mother and/or daughter looking to nurture your growing relationship? Have you been searching for strategies and ideas that might help repair a challenged one?
Whether you’ve been trying to find tips on how to foster a deeper connection with your loved one, or simply want to celebrate the incomparable mother-daughter bond, The Real Talk with Deb & Nia podcast offers “out-of-the box” and “straight-to-the-heart” encouragement and actionable ideas!
Join us (and some pretty cool experts) as we vulnerably explore ourselves, relationships, entrepreneurship and life. It’s an engaging, expansion journey that’s sure to grow us all!
► Why & how did you start this podcast?
We’re just your average introverted, slightly quirky, generally optimistic mother/daughter duo. Sometimes we get it beautifully “right” (whatever that is). And, sometimes our life and relational experiences cause us to feel disconnected and off-balance. Yet, all of the time we are bound together by our commitment to hold fast to what we really, really want…an unbreakable bond of forever-love.
We began this journey six months after our mom/grandmother's transition and in the midst of a global pandemic. It was January 2021 and we really had no idea where it was going. From agreeing to start our cathartic and affirming adventure to releasing our first episode was about three weeks. While we love listening to podcasts, we were neophytes, so there was a lot of foot-dragging. In the end, we just took the leap. And, to our surprise, we began to get a following and discovered a real vision for our purpose. We explore topics designed to heal and empower ourselves and our audience.
► How'd you find the time and funding to do this podcast?
We had no idea how much time this "endeavor" of ours would absorb. It quickly became consuming. It doesn't have to, but we decided to make it a business. Because we release new episodes weekly, chat with expert guests, maintain a website, integrate various multimedia sources and really leverage social media, it just takes more time. It helps that Deb is Creative Story and Media Coach and both mother and daughter are writers. We try to keep our costs low by doing lots of organic marketing and create content for guest to share with their audiences. Since we already had a lot of tech, media talent and software, our podcast-specific costs are less than most.
► What do you gain from podcasting?
Right now we don't have any sponsors, but are open to the right fit! :-)
Podcasting has been the most amazing experience. It will bring up all your "stuff" because there is so much to do and requires a lot of attention. You can't create something that people will return to week after week without effort and thought. Yet, it is soooo worth it. We have grown exponentially and our relationship and appreciation for one another's gifts and talents has deepened. Best of all, we have met some of the most incredible human beings and broadened our own perspectives. It is an incomparable experience.
► How does your podcasting process look like?
We use (and love) Buzzsprout as our host and are blessed to have a friend who is a sound engineer to edit our shows. We use the app Teleprompter to run our scripts, Descript for our scripts and in-house recording and light editing (ums and ahs), ZOOM to record guests and have an in-house set-up for shows that are just the two of us. (Mixer: Pro FX6, Mics: Digital Reference DRV200).
For each show we identify and book a guest, record and edit the show, write copy and prepare a podcast page, create complementary media, upload the show and then bomb social media. Wash. Rinse. Repeat.
► How do you market your show?
Some of the ways listeners find us is word of mouth, social media (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn (not the best source for us), and YouTube. We are on most of the major streaming platforms including Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher and Spotify. We have been waiting FOREVER to hear from Pandora. Instagram and Facebook have been the best sources of new listeners for us and has allowed us to grab a global listener base.
► What advice would you share with aspiring (new) podcasters?
Our best advice:
Plan ahead as much as you can, but don't wait until you think you have a perfect plan. You'll never FEEL ready...until you start. Begin with a monthly schedule and add days if you feel comfortable. Consistency is key. Create a process that you can duplicate for each episode. Disorganization will make everything take longer. Don't compare yourself to others. Be authentically "you". That will resonate with your audience more than the most expensive sound equipment. Keep growing by reading what others have written and listening to other podcasts. Be creative and trust yourself and the process. Your voice matters!
► Where can we learn more about you & your podcasts?
Website: www.RealTalkWithDebAndNia.com
Facebook/Instagram/Twitter: @RealTalkDN
Email: info@realtalkwithdebandnia.com