Words of encouragement.

I took my kids fishing over the weekend. It was cold, and after a while, I went and sat in the car to keep warm. I used my phone to play a couple of the episodes I had edited, so I could hear what it would sound like to a real listener.

It was bad. It was boring. I messed up on some of the editing. The music transitions are lame. The trailer episode is too long. The first episode is too educational, and I sound like I’m reading from a script (which I was).

I texted my spouse and two of my brothers (my sounding board) with a laugh-cry emoji. My partner said, “you just have to find your voice, it will get better.” My brother sent me a recording of himself doing a trailer for my podcast that had me laughing out loud.

Then I dressed up like Rachel “Ray” Gun for Halloween, tapped into my inner delusion, cranked up the music, and busted out my best/worst breakdancing moves every time someone rang the doorbell.

Just go for it! Who cares if the entire world is laughing at you? She competed in the Olympics and made her mark in history! A lot fewer people are even going to hear this podcast at all.

With renewed energy, I re-recorded my trailer. After 28 takes, I decided it was good enough, edited it, exported it, and sent it to my sounding board.

They were so encouraging. They complimented my podcast voice, said the editing was decent, and that my married name is kind of distracting. This is true. I haven’t decided what to do about that yet since I only started using my married name professionally about a year ago. It’s a fun name on paper, but it doesn’t roll off the tongue very easily.

Maybe I should adopt a stage name? Leave your suggestions in the comments below, and be sure to check out the real trailer for How to Kill a Bill.