Episode #27: Is Starting a Podcast for Your Business Right For You (with Dr. Lorissa MacAllister)

Terra Bohlmann (00:19): Hello. Hello. Welcome back to the fast track entrepreneur podcast. I'm your host, Terra and I am beyond excited about talking about our topic that we're going to do today. It is so cool. I have a client who is beyond brilliant and I'll introduce her, but we went through a process where now she's launching a podcast. So when we talking about it I was like, will you come on my podcast so we can talk about how we went through this thought process and she's the way she does it and thought about it and the the ups and the downs and the how tos like she is going to share it all with you today. So if you've ever thought about having a podcast or maybe you haven't thought about it, but you know you need to get some, put yourself out there and get some more exposure for not just your own business, but podcasting is a great way to meet other people as well.

Terra Bohlmann (01:16): So let me introduce you, our guest for today. So her name is Larissa McCallister. She is a PhD and she's also the founder of [inaudible], which is an evidence-based consulting firm that uses a people-centered approach that is both multi-dimensional and multidisciplinary and via creates, creates healthcare environments where people thrive and via helps healthcare providers specifically more effectively accomplish their missions. Lorissas and Enviah work to gather to integrate people, technology systems and space and sharing the healthcare environments are driven by health and care. Dr Lorissa MacAllister is a researcher, she's a speaker, she's an architect and she's a writer who is blending her years of experience and expertise in healthcare and architecture to pioneer a unique approach to design and the healthcare industry and beyond. She speaks nationally to help bring about transformative change that benefits stakeholders, patients, the community and the environment. She has an upcoming podcast launching, which is exactly why we're talking about the topic today is launching a podcast right for you.

Terra Bohlmann (02:35): So please join me in welcoming Lorissa MacAllister. Hi, Lorissa. Terra, thank you so much. That was a really lengthy intro. All the accolades, no problem. And it's one of those things that, you know, I want to tee up our guests. Well like it's, it's, and it's important, I love for the guests to be able to sit back and be like, man, like pretty awesome because you are. So I also wanted to share the fact that you do own a fabulous consulting company and a very specific niche and you also have this very unique expertise, which is why we know doing a podcast is going to be amazing for you. So let's just jump into it. So where are you calling in from today?

Lorissa MacAllister (03:24): I am calling in from Grand Rapids, Michigan today and dark. And

Terra Bohlmann (03:31): Yes, I hear you. I'm from the Midwest, but now that I've lived in Houston for 13 years and I miss the changing seasons so bad. So I don't miss the gray, but I definitely miss the difference between spring and fall. So anyway, so yeah. So let's talk podcasting. So let me just ask you a question about it. What made you even think that a podcast would, would be beneficial, not just for you, but you know, for your company? What made what first like struck your interest about it?

Lorissa MacAllister (04:02): Yeah, so I am kind of unique because I have never really been socially engaged. Talking to the community about our work. I speak mostly to our client base. And so I've been really, really focused over the last 10 years putting my head down and saying, okay, I just need to build this business. I need to build the system. And I'm very focused on the expertise that we have and getting it into a systematic way to really launch it to every one of our clients. And so I feel now that we've had proof enough process and I wanted to make that leap out and I said, okay, what is the best way to do that? I started an Instagram account and a Facebook and, but I just wasn't feeling like it was articulating really the goal of what we do at Enviah, which is helping organizations

Terra Bohlmann (04:54): Change. Absolutely. And I think you're not alone and how most women entrepreneurs feel is like, okay, I have this amazing concept or this in your case. Like she has a brilliant framework on how to go into companies and really just produce change. And it's like, okay, so you can build an audience on to me, Instagram, you can Facebook and email lists. There are all kinds of ways to build an audience, but there's something about when you build a podcast and create that consistent content out there, it's really like a different type of niche audience. So let's just, I mean we are listening to this podcast now, podcast listeners tend to be educated, they're intrigued, they love to learn, and they love to be inspired. So if that is in alignment with who you want to serve, then a podcast could be perfect for you.

Terra Bohlmann (05:50): So when we started exploring this idea for you, so it was like, you know, well gosh, there's a lot that go into it. Right? What were some of your initial thoughts that came up when it was like, okay, I'm going to do a podcast? Like what were some of those things that came up? Like the questions that you start running through your head like that. I'm sure so many other people. I would think like this field is this field hard as it's going to be easy. What kind of stuff came up for you?

Lorissa MacAllister (06:18): So I think it's really a lot like how you're building your communication to who you're talking to, understanding your audience. So I started to really dive into who was I trying to communicate to and why was I trying to communicate to them and why would they be interested in listening to me. So as I started to build that person, and it's kind of back to some of the work that you share about, what does your ideal client look like? This is the kind of the ideal podcast person that I want to speak to and who's really interested in why would they be interested in the work we do. And a lot of our work is really science-based and evidence-based. And really our goal is to help organizations to transform but give them practical applications of how that transformation can happen. And so the intent was for us to be able to share that expertise and understanding to folks that are rising in the ranks and really wanting to know how they can do something tomorrow in their organization.

Lorissa MacAllister (07:16): So I started to really describe this person and I really wrote a long paragraph and then I continued to send him to evolve that and say, okay, who am I talking to? Why would they be listening? What are they doing? What are they, what are their challenges, what are they grappling with? And getting into the details of what they're might be interested in. And that I started to actually speak to me about some of the topics that I could really quickly say, yeah I have so and so that I would talk to you just to like I would have a conversation with anybody where I would bring that network together and I recognize that. Yeah, I guess I do have some other topics that could, I could share with them.

Terra Bohlmann (07:57): Oh so good. So that is like her, that is, it's brilliant. It's a step one. And you know, something I worked through with my clients is always, I call it the perfect customer profile. We build out down to what his or her name is like. We get super specific around who your signature offer serves. She did the same thing but from, which is probably very similar to who her perfect customer profile is, but maybe a little tweaked because of, you know, customizing it for the podcast listener, which may or may not be the exact person who makes the buying decision for her, but it could be the people who need to know the information that can also share it. Your podcast audience is going to be a little wider than who you typically would want to get in front of to be able to serve from a who would, who you transact with, like in your, in your company.

Terra Bohlmann (08:48): So I love that. So step one, get really clear on who your podcast listener is as well as, and I think one thing we talked about was like when are they listening to the podcast, right? Like is this, they're doing it on a commute to work, are they listening to it? When they're on a job like you, you want to be that detailed on where you're gonna, where your podcast listeners is going to be consuming your content so that you can really speak to that. And it also tells you when you should drip out your podcast, you know, like if it's a commute, you know, then you want to be able to have your newest, your weekly drip or depending on how often you're going to drip out your podcast, it's, you know, you may want to do it at, during that commute time. If they're going to do it at the gym after work, then it may be a five o'clock drop. So all this kind of stuff tells you exactly how you have to put your podcast episodes together. So, so that's perfect. So step one, be really clear, and even if you just get a scratch paper or pull up a Microsoft word document and start typing about the person who's the perfect listener for you. So that's a fabulous step one. So then after you decided, okay, who's going to be, and maybe what you share with us, like who's your ideal listener for your upcoming podcast?

Lorissa MacAllister (10:11): Yes. So my ideal listener for my, my podcast is really a person that wants those proven concepts to be able to, because we work in the medical field and that we work with rising executives in the healthcare field to be able to help them to transform. So we want them to, they want facts, they want details, and they want rapid-fire information and they want it put together in a really clear way. So being able to craft and understand what those might be, they want to know their roadblocks. They'd want to know what's going to be, what's going to be a barrier to them. They want to understand how that organization that we're talking to, the person that we're talking to, the CEO that we're talking to and how their organization compares, what's the cultural differences, why, you know, what, what might have been an issue with them.

Lorissa MacAllister (10:56): So all of those components that they're interested in really kind of came to light. And that as I started to describe that ideal person then I moved to, okay, what is my passion and what is my expertise? And understanding and putting, using the entrepreneurial framework of how to start a podcast, to be able to look at both panels to say, okay, what is my passion, what do I bring to the table and what gets me going inside and what is the expertise that I could share with this person that I've now created? And started to really ideate over those components to really create those two panels and coming back to it multiple times and layering in additional things that I talk about. And that became a real way to say, okay, I guess, again, I'm still trying to convince myself that this is the right answer, right. So I'm like, okay. So I think maybe I have something here that I, I feel like confident enough that I, that I could share.

Terra Bohlmann (11:56): Yeah. And what she's referencing. And so it's the total shutout for John Lee Dumas on. He's the founder of any runs the podcast Entrepreneur On Fire, which is a top top podcast. If you go to even his website, and we'll put this in the show notes, he has a free podcasting course that you can take. And then part of his company, they have a community of podcasters that they serve. I'm not quite for sure what the fee is, but you know, he's got a fabulous free course that you can take. How long did it take you to consume that content?

Lorissa MacAllister (12:29): I did it in a couple of hours. I actually, I watched it and, and it's really well laid out, so it's very kind of spoon-fed and you just like, you watch one video and then you can kind of pull that together. So he was the one that put (he called it the persona). It was the avatar. So developing an avatar was how he described it. But I think I, it really, I put it around the key client that I wanted to talk to. It was helpful for me to more talk to my client base as opposed to think this is the avatar that I was making. So

Terra Bohlmann (13:07): Yeah. Yeah, no that's cool. And you know, so you can consume this how-to, which pretty much answers the majority of the technical questions, the how-tos that come up for you. So there's no reason in this day and age if you feel called to start a podcast to give yourself and your company a platform where you can, establish yourself as the expert in specific topics. And you can also interview people who your audience would serve and people who you typically wouldn't be able to maybe get in front of if you didn't have a platform for them to share. Right? So there's, there are these kinds of behind the scenes strategies on why it's really awesome to have a podcast and there are millions and millions of millions of blogs out there. And from a podcasting perspective, if you look at data and I will geek out about this because you look at the bell curve of the how many podcasts are starting. While it seems like there's a ton, it's not even scratching the surface with how people are going to consume content going forward. So really there's no better time to start when you might as well get in and start going with your episodes. And you know, your first few maybe, you know, not the greatest in the world. And that's okay. We have to get through our perfectionism stuff that goes on in our head and just keep pushing through because each one gets better and better. So I

Lorissa MacAllister (14:33): Realized that as well, Terra, that my audience, I've written a lot, I've written research articles and things and I've continued to try to water it down and I've realized that even if the information that I've shared, they, people don't have time to read it anymore. Right. And so to be able to to it. And people are always telling me, Oh, I just wish you could talk about this instead of, you know, reading your article. What do you want me to know about this? Well, okay, so I realized more and more than it, even if I put that effort into writing, it wasn't going to, I mean, I'm still will do the research and writing, that's very important to kind of advance the field. But this is the way people are moving and shifting as we move forward and as everyone's so busy to be able to kind of turn it on and get it in.

Lorissa MacAllister (15:20): And that was the other barrier I was really nervous about is I don't have something to talk about for an hour to somebody. Right? They're not going to, they're going to tune me out. But really, it could be 1520 minutes. It doesn't have to be, an incredible long conference. And so that's in my head, I'm speaking, you know, I got a conference and I need to fill the time for an hour and I need to be on point. And, and, and so this is really, it is a down and the dirty hand of like share your thoughts and ideas and engage the audience and hopefully have some nugget that takes, you know, they can take away and say, yeah, okay, that one thing is good enough.

Terra Bohlmann (15:58): Right. Totally. And I'm in a podcast group, so I'm in, I'm in a mastermind, I don't just run the mass a mastermind, but I'm in one. It's a small group, so maybe about 10 of us have podcasts that are in the mastermind I'm in and we're in this like we use Voxer, which is like the walkie talkie app on your phone. So we're in a group and we're always sharing all kinds of really cool ideas and metrics and strategies that we're going to do going forward with our podcast. And one thing we recently came up with is doing like a five minute Friday of some sort or just doing these little mini-episodes. That could be five minutes, it could be seven minutes, it could be you know, as big as 15 minutes.

Terra Bohlmann (16:43): But it's, you know, these kinds of very niched quick thoughts. That would also be a podcast episode. So as things are happening in your industry like you become the reporter of what's going on, right? So it's really kind of cool to have some sort of platform that's systematized because when you have a podcast, you know there's, everyone consumes them differently. Like you may be listening on iTunes, there are the podcast apps, they're Spreaker, there's Stitcher, there are so many ways that you can listen to podcasts. And if they subscribe to you, then it's just next on their list, right? So it's completely a systemized way to get content in people's ears that are interested in it. But like Lorissa was saying, maybe don't have all the time to read. She's a researcher. So obviously that's going to always be important. But one thing I even started doing it for my top blog posts, I have what I call mega-blog posts.

Terra Bohlmann (17:43): So every now and again I write like a blog topic. And I've done is I've gone to the ones that are the most popular and I've recorded audio of just me reading the podcast and I got this idea from audible, which I found out about recently. I'm like so behind on the whole book thing because I'm like an old school. I like to read books. And I found out about the audible app and something about my first Audible I read was Oprah. Her book called "A Path Made Clear", which I gave out to everyone at the Miami mastermind. And I was listening to that book and I thought there's something really cool to have Oprah in my ears. So I was like, why can't I go back to some of my top blogs? Because you can look at Google analytics and see which ones are most popular and just do a voiceover and say, Hey, here's two options.

Terra Bohlmann (18:33): You can read the blog or here's audio above it that you can just hit play. And it'll be me writing the blog. So there's, it's, we have to be able to create content in a way that our people want to listen to it. And I think that's brilliant to be able to say, Hey, like I realized the time, my executives are busy and they want a faster way to consume content. They won't listen to 60-minute podcast anyway. Probably they don't have time. But that commute, if it's 20 minutes or that run, you know, that couple mile run, you know, they can consume it then cause there's something exciting about are you this way too about being able to check, you know, put a checkmark after, Oh I did that, I listened to it, check onto the next done. I read that book done and we want to give our listeners that done feeling as well. So. Very cool. So then, so after you did that and you looked at, you know, John Lee Dumas's, you did his, his free podcasting course, you know, what came up

Lorissa MacAllister (19:37): For you then? Like were you nervous about the tech or you yeah, well then I, then I kind of, I said, okay, I have proof. I have a, I have a concept, right? So now I want to see what the landscape is. So what's the market like? Right? So I did my own market study to say, okay, what else is out there, what other podcasts are out there, what is out, what else could potentially be similar? So I did a series, again as a researcher, I'm going to go into all the details of what type of, what type of conduct is available, what's out there. So I came up with a list and recognize that there was a void in the field of what I was trying to really share with the community. And so there was some tech focus, are there some that are more focused around certain types of healthcare systems and the Canadian healthcare us, but it's some improvement ideas, but not necessarily at the executive CEO kind of real brass tax information, but then evidenced led transformational change work. Right? So that gave me that opportunity to kind of prove it out was it right. Yeah.

Terra Bohlmann (20:41): And that's, and she's so right on that. So what you'd want to do is do your research, go to wherever you consume your podcasts, look at the top 100 go down. And I, I'm sure this was what she did was you look at the different categories and the same way you know of a client who Lorissa who's also in the mastermind and her name is Dr. Cindy Childress. And one thing she teaches people how to write their books and she's like go straighter. And she always leads with where's your book going to be? You're walking into Barnes and noble, what section is your book in? Right? Same thing with the podcast. What, where's your podcast going to land? Are you in, you know, entrepreneur, you know, women interest, are you in, you know, you want to find where your podcast is going to land?

Terra Bohlmann (21:27): And when you know that, then you can also look at that landscape and say, Oh wow, okay there are other podcasts here. But what I love that Lorissa did is she can look at her category and be like, this is a gap, which is a wide-open space for her to go in. And, and also know and be okay with, well we always look at, Oh, how many listeners do we have? And we want to look at those metrics. She doesn't need millions of people listening to her niche podcast. Right. It's going to be more about the type of person and executive-level type of person versus just tons of numbers. And so she of course starts setting up the metrics and whatnot. Because you know, that's every, it was funny in writing her, she was like, did I miss anything or do you know?

Terra Bohlmann (22:14): And everything I would read her, you know, the reasons, you know, she should do a podcast and whatnot. And I was like, Oh well we gotta look at competitive. And then the next section, competitive analysis, I was like, Oh my gosh, you've so thought through this that we have to share it with everybody on, on my podcast. So, so, okay, great. So after you did that and you figured out your categories and your competitive landscape, then what happened? Then I just visioned out how I would run the podcast and then put little structure. And that was where I was like, okay, maybe I'm a little too much OCD and like putting this out. But it gave me topics and a way that that structure came together to identify what are the meaningful things. And again, back to the audience, I'm speaking to. I want them to be able to have something that they can come away with that's grieving and crisp and something that they can do when they turn off the podcast and walk into work. And so really getting, honing that in. So while I'm having the casual conversation, I'm able to elicit that so that those comparative analytics are there so they can, they can pull and apply it into their space. So really creating more of a, what I would say, a rubric for my podcast. And again, back to the science. I love it.

Terra Bohlmann (23:27): It's all good. But so that, that was the structure that I, that I followed. And then after for that it was exploring the tech side of all of this. So now saying, okay, I got the process, I got that, all of that. Now how do I make this happen?

Lorissa MacAllister (23:46): So then I was exploring the tech and I was just speaking with Terra about, I'm a little bit daunted about the whole tech interface and cutting, and I'm an architect so I can, I totally get the moving space around, but moving copy and audio stuff, I was like, Ooh, this is way over my head. Yeah, definitely something I can do that.

Terra Bohlmann (24:08): Right. And I said, please don't like this is one of these great opportunities that there are people who all over the world, like my podcast editors in the Philippines, right. That love to do this like this is, they love to edit things and that they can do it quickly, a lot quicker than us. So we can play, we can stay in our lane. And I'm like, Lorrisa, please, you got to keep you in your lane because only you can do for these healthcare companies. What, you know, only you can do that. So so yeah. So it's really about, okay, who do you need on your team to help you make this happen if you're not wanting to do it yourself? I mean there's, you know, some, I'm like in that scary zone because it's like I have a computer science degree, so I'm techie enough.

Terra Bohlmann (24:50): But like I also, it's also could be a black hole for me because I could think that stuff's fun. And oftentimes I have to like never allow myself to edit my own website because it will be, it's a black hole for me. And next thing I know I'm like six hours later, like, wait, what happened? I lost six hours in my day. So you have to be mindful of like, you know, where your genius zone is and where, how you make money in your business, and what you enjoy doing versus like the things that just can take you off the path. We call that shiny objects under him. Right, right. So, yeah. So you've got, you know, then you think about, okay, the tech, the team, right. And then at what point did the naming come in for you or are you going to get to that and your next step?

Lorissa MacAllister (25:34): Yeah. So so the whole process of the interview structure, I really want it to be reflective of our brand and our engagement. So when you as a consulting company is all about the experience for our engagement and we really get to know our organizations, understand their culture. Again, my background is in architecture, but I'm also a social worker. And my specific Ph.D. work is in regards to looking at how the environment impacts culture and behaviors. So a part of what we want to do is better understand that whole entire system through the interview process and then moving to better align that organizations with the built environment and the organization's success. So how do they generate revenue, how do they operationalize and vision out their ideal model? And so that whole conversation started to reflect naming. So the name that we came up with was really kind of a reflection of the understanding that we really wanted to rethink and rework and then realign organizations. So that is the name I'm looking for, building the science of a business transformation. So again, the name, rethink, rework, and realign.

Terra Bohlmann (26:50): Oh, I love it. I love it. Like that's so cool. And I, you know, I can almost picture, you know, the branding and whatnot like and is, so is your podcast, so you can do one of two things. Like if you're a personal brand, you tend to put, you know, if you even look at the fast track entrepreneur or there's like a picture of me on that, right? But then sometimes when you look at the cover art, it's just the name of the podcast. So have you decided like is it going to be, are you positioned as the face of the brand or do you want your photo on it or is it going to be more about the podcast brand?

Lorissa MacAllister (27:24): So at this point, again, I've been really removed from our brand intentionally. So because we really are trying to create a whole new way of looking at how buildings and environments are impacting people and their operations working together and so at, in via that, that is the whole science behind what we've been building. So at this point, within the podcast, the goal is to have the podcast be the examples and highlighting the case studies. And all of these as the work samples of what that is. And I am the voice of that. And so that is how we're framing it. So while it's still within the methodology of what we've been engaged with via that actually the rethink rework and realign fits with our methodology of discover, design, do, so we're reframing a little bit of how we communicate our system, but that, that really reflects how we work with organizations. We help them rethink their work. Yeah. Have them rework their work and then everything, when they're aligned, you actually move to really hire optimal outcomes and thrive as an organization.

Terra Bohlmann (28:37): I love it. So, yeah, so you can see kind of how they thought that through from a strategic perspective. And oftentimes I've seen where people are like, I'm on a podcast and they just go, which I have so much in me for people who can do that. Right? It's kind of, what do they say, ready, fire, aim or something like that instead of where I, you know, I'm trying to be much more intentional, but even if you feel like, yes, I'm going to do a podcast and I'll figure it out as I go along. Like, you know, that's totally cool. Like, don't let us siphon or you know, make you second guess things, but just when in doubt take 30 minutes of quiet time and whether you just journal about it using these steps, which is, let's get really clear on who is your going to be, your listener, what's it going to be about, how are you going to structure your podcast episodes, right?

Terra Bohlmann (29:30): And maybe some potential interviews you want to do. And in my case you can see that it's different, it's sometimes I interview and then sometimes it's a solo episode and then I interview and it's a solo episode and then I might just have a, you know, a five minutes type of thing. So like, you know, you want to be really clear on are you going to always be interviewing guests? Are you going to alternate or is it just going to be yours? Like there's plenty of podcasts where the host is the person and they just, they just go and they don't have guests. And then eventually, how do you want to monetize it? Right. So I think it's, it's great to have a podcast. It's fairly affordable to invest in creating the platform. Yeah. But you know, you also want to be really clear on kind of what's the longterm gain.

Terra Bohlmann (30:18): And so even if you're like, wow, this might be a good fit for me to start a podcast from for my company, you know, just sit down and I invite you to, if you, you may not be as analytical as both Lorissa and I, where we go through like a what if then else scenario in her head, but you know, just, we invite you to sit down and just, you know, journal about it. Give yourself 30 minutes. Think about what this could look like, who you're meant to serve, what's the outcome, you know? I mean, is it, do you want to have people drive traffic to your website? And if you do, then awesome. Like I have terrible men.com/podcast with all the show notes episodes where if I mentioned something like, Hey, here's this free podcasting course you can take, I'm going to link to that. So if people are driving, you know, we don't want them feeling like they have to grab their phone and type notes, then like just go to the podcast notes and you know, and, and get what you need. So there's a lot to go through and, and the thought process, but if you're more creative and you know, don't want to go through a huge process then, but you know, we just invite you to just journal about it and that's going to get you so much further than you then you think. Right.

Lorissa MacAllister (31:34): Yeah. I also think that your idea about blogging, like if you go through this and you think, yeah, I don't, I don't know if I have enough. I feel like if you wrote a little bit more about each episode and that would be okay. And write it out and get it out and put it out and then decide, yeah, okay. We can dive deeper and bring examples. And I think that that too is helpful because you're just, I think the biggest thing is just to take the leap and put it out there. Right. And don't be afraid. And I think that's, that you're very good at coaching through that.

Terra Bohlmann (32:06): Yeah. Coach through the fear because we all we think are, I can't, like, I'm like, when I listen to my podcast back, I'm like, Oh, like our voice is usually annoy ourselves. Certain things, you know, you notice all the likes, you know, you notice that. And of course, you can have them edit it out, but you know, there's also something very like organic and having just a conversation. And the biggest compliment I ever get is when I listen to your podcast, I feel like I'm just listening to friends and that's kind of the vibe that I want to put out there. So you want to really be clear on what's the vibe, is it going to be formal, is it going to be a casual, is it going to be, you know, back and forth kind of thing. And you just put out your imperfect self, like to get started. There's such beauty in that and you know, like, like she said, just of course everyone's going to find fear in doing it and you just have to push through it and it gets easier and easier, I promise. So, yeah. So so after that, was there anything else that you went through or you wanted to share with us?

Lorissa MacAllister (33:17): I think more just what you were just, yeah, sorry. The goal that you were saying is just the, what's the goal, and the purpose to kind of just reflect on what that is. What's the vibe? What's the, what is that real like you want people to come away and say this about it. And defining that as, as kind of the icing on the cake of, of what it is. So a lot of times when I'm writing to you, you write the beginning at the end of your summary. And so that's where I feel like you really need to kind of go through this whole methodology and the whole system and then come back and say, okay, what's the final purpose? What is the goal if I put all of this together?

Terra Bohlmann (33:56): Yep. I think with the end in mind, as, as, as we hear quite often, and it's very much like if there's an intention of I want to monetize this and how do people monetize? Well, let's talk about that for a second because that might be, it's part of a business model, right? So some podcasts to be on it, you have to, there's a sponsorship fee, right? You have to, it's like they call it to pay to play. So you charge for people to be on your podcast, right? And then you go and promote it and whatnot. So that's one model. One is getting other types of sponsorships where this is great, especially for a niche podcast. So it wouldn't surprise me if you know, Lorissa gets going and six months down the line, someone who wants to partner with her, especially whether it's in the architectural space or they want to get in the ears of, you know, healthcare executives and stuff like that.

Terra Bohlmann (34:46): Like they'll say, okay, you know, we'd like to sponsor your podcast. What's that look like? And you could say, Oh, for a sponsorship, you know, we'll run a, you know, 30-second commercial at the beginning or in the middle or what have you, and we'll charge you X dollars. Or you could say, you know, that's one way. It's the same way you would get sponsorships for a blog or what have you. Or you could say, you know what, wow, this is a great thing. And what, what I do is I am a paid ambassador. So for a year, I would be an ambassador for your brand and I'll mention it on the podcast. I'll, we can run some commercials, but I'll also put you on the blog, the blog or the website and you make it a bigger opportunity for them than just, Oh, it's $250 to run a commercial or something like that.

Terra Bohlmann (35:36): So there's ambassador opportunities, sponsorships. There's also the way that most people, I would say most people because, in order to get those, you need the numbers and you know, and proof that people are listening and whatnot. But you know, the other way that most people monetize is you can run your own commercials or you can drive people to your own website to look further at your offers on how to work with your type of thing. But don't, yeah, just don't be hesitant about giving that opportunity for people. Right? So if you have a listener and you have something that's amazing for them, let them know about it and, and drive them back to your site or to join a Facebook group that you may have or you know, to bring them closer to you because they're listening because they're getting value and they want it.

Terra Bohlmann (36:30): They want to know, like, what else can I do, you know to move closer to learn more and whatnot. So, you know, always have your way that you can bring people through and serve them at a deeper level. Yeah. So have you you know, so as far as launching the podcast, or we're going to be wrapping up here in a minute, but you know, what, what kind of things are coming up for you on the launch? I mean, we had talked about, and one thing John Lee Dumas puts in his, his training, which I'll give you a little hint, is to launch with a few episodes. Don't just launch with one launch with a simple episode, which is about what your podcast is going to be about, right? So that, because if you think about how people listen, they may join in episode 227, but most likely they're going to scroll to the bottom and say, okay, what is this about?

Terra Bohlmann (37:20): And I want to listen, number one, I want the first chapter, I want the first chapter to see if I like it. Yeah. So how many are you going to launch with? I, at this point I have six lined up. And so that was the intent to be able to launch with at least six and get that system in place. So there's a whole backend to be able to get that out there as well. But I would say in April for sure. Awesome. Well then go check out her podcast as well. And what's really cool is, and I invite you to do this even for this one, is you know, to also subscribe and then also review it. Like I love reading any of the, you know, and I do, I'll go look at the reviews and you know, five-star reviews. And if it's not a five-star review, you know, I want to know why it's not like, you know, so because we, we want to provide our listeners with massive value on, especially at this point.

Terra Bohlmann (38:13): It's like it's all about making a decision. Is the podcast for me or is it not for me? And if it's not, that's okay. At least you're listening to this, you've gone through a process to go, Oh, that sounds, that's too much. I don't, I don't think I would do that. Instead, I'll just start a YouTube channel or I'll do, you know, just keep blogging or what have you. So the whole purpose of this is for you to feel like I could do that in a spot. And I love with, with Lorissa, it's like her niche is, I mean, it's so niched and for her to have space in the podcast world is like, is amazing. Right? Versus, you know, I like for me, I speak to women entrepreneurs, which is, it's a pretty big market, but it's also going to make it much harder for me to go from, you know, number thousand all the way to number one, right.

Terra Bohlmann (39:01): In my category. So yeah. And so for her, I have no doubt within like six months she's going to be, you know, a top podcast in her niche. So, and that's really cool from a, it gives you so much opportunity going forward, so thank you. Yeah. So remind us of the name of your podcast again so everyone can go, least listened to your first couple of episodes. Rethink rework and realign. Perfect with Dr. Lorissa MacAllister. So that's perfect. I love it. So I always do one last thing. And I didn't prepare for this and as a researcher, I'm sure she's like, Oh my gosh, Terra, what are you going to do to me? But one thing I like to ask every podcast guests that I have is you know when we go to wind down like as women entrepreneurs, we've got a million balls in the air.

Terra Bohlmann (39:51): We're wearing multiple hats, you know, whether it's mom, you know, mom, spouse, you know, dog keeper, all kinds of referee show for everything, you know, when we go to, you know, rest at the end of the day. Like, one thing I always like to do, especially in the holidays, is I love to just binge watch on hallmark and lifetime. It's an easy way for me to disconnect. And so one thing I like to ask people is if there were to be a made about your movie on lifetime or it could be on the big screen, that's totally fine too. Because of which actress would play Dr. Lorissa MacAllister.

Lorissa MacAllister (40:30): That's a tough one. But like right out of the top of my head. Sigourney Weaver. I don't know.

Terra Bohlmann (40:37): Oh my gosh. I'm so glad you said that. Because I was curious about what you're going to say like, but yeah, no, I can totally see that now. That's really, really good. What is it about her that resonates with you?

Lorissa MacAllister (40:47): I don't, her stature and just her approach to things. Very rigorous, but also she has a hard side, but also fun side as well.

Terra Bohlmann (40:58): I love it. Yeah. That's so cool. I love it. I love it. That's awesome. Yeah. So didn't want to scare you too much, but I always think that's, I was like, and it's always, everyone's usually right on, like when I say some, sometimes you know, I'll be like, oh, I bet she's gonna say like Jessica Alba, you know? And then it's like someone, I'm like, no, that's even better. So yeah, my whole life I was told, I look like Jodie Foster, so I'm like, well yeah, she's looking amazing actress. So I would take Reese Weatherspoon and like super bubbly and you know, all that good stuff. So. Very cool. Well, thank you so much for sharing all your insight on whether or not you should do a podcast. I appreciate so much the logical way that you went about it because it's going to tell, it tells me that when you go through that and then you're committed to doing it, it's going to be successful.

Terra Bohlmann (41:46): Right? You're not doing it, you know, for happenstance. It's very, it's very intentional and it becomes, yeah, it very much becomes about your visibility strategy as well. And for anyone who wants to be interviewed on podcasts, the best way to do it is to start your own podcast. The best way to get more speaking gigs is to have your own event and you know, and whatnot, and you start meeting people. And it's really a cool community of, of like-minded people. So thank you so much for the encouragement. And that really was the push that I needed to be able to say, yeah, I can do this. That's scary, right? It's just, it's not. It's not, and it's not the end of the world of, you know, you mess up or what have you. It's like, it's just life. And that's what's cool about the podcast is, you know, it's just like having a conversation like you would, with anyone. So I love it. So here's to you going and starting some more podcasts, we need some more amazing women entrepreneurs out there that are doing it. So thank you again, and I can't wait to hear your few first few episodes. Take care of things. Bye.