► Tell us about you and your podcast
At Best Day Yet we teach kids mindfulness skills and positive self-talk in a way that is fun and engaging. In every episode listeners are guided through breathwork, animal adventures, and positive affirmations. Host, Marjorie Stordeur, is joined by two kid co-hosts "Ansel" and "Annie" who bring laughter and silliness to this upbeat and empowering show.
Our listeners are kids ages 3-9 and their families.
► Why & how did you start this podcast?
As a busy mom and educator who has always been conscious of screen time, I saw the value in podcasts for kids right away. My own kids could spend hours captivated by podcasts like Wow in the World and Circle Round. Family friendly podcasts had the ability to change car rides from agonizing adventures in sibling rivalry to opportunities to learn and laugh together.
I started Best Day Yet in 2019 after seeing the dramatic effects of affirmations or mantras in my own life. As a long time elementary educator, I often heard my own students putting themselves down out loud , i.e. “I can’t do this.” “I’m so stupid.”
This type of self talk was even more common in the very low income school where I worked during the 2018/2019 school year. I knew firsthand that this type of self talk was self-fulfilling, and it broke my heart to see these first graders talking to themselves into a future where they were held back by their own limiting beliefs about themselves.
My oldest really struggled with before school anxiety when he was in kindergarten and first grade. That year I scoured the internet for a program for him to listen to on the car ride to school to get him in a positive, strong mindset, but found nothing.
Also, I created Best Day Yet for kids like my son and those first graders who firmly believed they weren't smart enough. I wanted to make the episodes short enough to listen to on the drive to school, but fill each of them with tools kids could use to gain calm and confidence for their school day. Although the message is intended for kids, I always hope that the parents listening can use these tools to help themselves gain calm and confidence too.
► How'd you find the time and funding to do this podcast?
We release episodes every other Monday. It takes several weeks to produce an episode, since we write, record, and then send it to an audio engineer to mix the music, voices, and sound effects. I still work as a school library media specialist, so most of the writing and recording gets done around 5 am! We are in the process of gaining sponsorship for Best Day Yet, so some day maybe this will be a full time job.
► What do you gain from podcasting?
We are always looking to partner with businesses who share our goals to provide tools for empowerment and healthy lifestyles for kids and families.
Best Day Yet receives around 11,000 downloads per month and is growing exponentially!
The best thing about podcasting and creating Best Day Yet is hearing the amazing testimonies from parents and kids! Our initial vision of providing tools for calm and confidence on the car ride to school is working and it is changing lives!
► How does your podcasting process look like?
I usually write ideas in a notebook, and then draft many episodes just for fun. I look back at the many fun drafts weeks or months later and choose a few I like to type up. I usually choose the ones that make me smile or laugh aloud!
I write and rewrite those episodes reading them aloud between each revision. When I really like the way the episode looks and sounds, I record each speaker's part in our in home recording studio. I then work with Benjamin, our audio engineer, to get the desired mood and sound effects. We don't have guests, but we do occasionally feature the voices of our kid listeners.
► How do you market your show?
We are active on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. We have a website at www.bestdayyetpodcast.com
We have recently started an email list and a monthly newsletter. Most of our listeners say they found us on Apple Podcasts.
► What advice would you share with aspiring (new) podcasters?
Here's some advice for new podcasters:
1.Don't go into podcasting in general or podcasting for kids for the money. Expect to volunteer for the first several years, unless you've already pitched the idea to a network and have funding from the start.
2. Focus the most energy on having cover art that stands out and high quality audio. A lot of the podcasts that have come and gone had neither.
3. She Podcast Super Squad has been a very helpful resource as well as the community at Kids Listen.