Celebrating The Podcast’s One Year Anniversary with Kathryn Thompson

Hey hey, Kathryn here! I’m so glad you’re tuning in. If you’re new to the show, welcome. I’m so glad you’re here. If you’ve been around for a bit, you know I’m all about keeping it real with you. Showing you all the sides of entrepreneurship (& life). I mean it’s all connected, right? 

Kathryn Thompson  00:00
Hey, hey, Katherine here. I'm so glad you're tuning in. If you're new to the show, welcome, welcome. I'm super stoked that you're here. If you've been around for a bit, you know, I'm all about keeping it real to show you all sides of entrepreneurship and life when it's all connected, right? 

And if I'm being really real with you, and you listen to last week's episode, you know that we hit a massive milestone with the show. And that is we celebrated our one-year anniversary. And then all the realness that week crept up on me, and I had nothing planned. It's true Catherine fashion, I sometimes go too much with the flow. And before you know it time has passed. I'm like, how did that happen? How did we hit our one-year anniversary, I just somehow didn't know about it. It's not like the dates changed or anything, but it's what happened. 

And so I was so honored to have Suze as the guest for our one-year anniversary, to share all about luxurious simplicity, and radically redefining success. But if I'm going to walk my talk, and do what I often encourage and empower my elevate business accelerator women to do is to celebrate, celebrate all of the moments, not just the big milestones, not just you know, the big cash months, or whatever those big milestones are in your business. But the little steps, the moments, the time, all of it, we should be celebrating all of it. And I know, it's not something that I'm super good at. But it's something I've gotten way better at. And so I'm really excited to share all of the things that I want to share with you on this episode in celebration of our one-year anniversary because it's been such a ride. And so many things have happened over the year that had me continually reminded how grateful I am for this opportunity for an opportunity to show up each and every week with and connect with you, in this way to connect with the guests that we've had, how deeply grateful I am for all of the comments, all of the support all of the shares, all of the likes, all of you who have slipped into my DMs and shared with me your biggest aha Oz and your breakthroughs. All of you have responded to my emails, saying how much you enjoy the show and my emails and the content that I'm putting out. All of that means the world to me, it's one of the reasons why I do this show not to get the likes, not for the validation for the connection, to be able to connect in this way, which is way different than social media or email, right. It's just such a different platform.

There's something so wonderful about being able to sit in my house by myself and talk to a microphone, but also have guests on and to connect with people all over the world. So let's celebrate be the sought after entrepreneur podcast by number one. Connect with me over in the DMS, let me know that you're listening, let me know that you enjoy what I'm sharing and the guests that we have on. Tell me what your biggest breakthrough or AHA has been Telling me. One of the cool things you learned this year, maybe about yourself, your business, maybe you've made a connection with one of my guests from the show, I would love to hear from you. So come on over to Instagram, shoot me a DM let me know it would mean the world to me, or you can email me that works as well. But I would love to hear from you. So that's number one. That's how we're going to celebrate. 

And number two is, let's dive on in to reflect on this past year. What I believe we did really, really well when we launched the podcast, what I'm celebrating what I'd probably do differently, although I don't like to necessarily look at things like oh, I regretted doing that or whatnot. But I think there are some things we could have done differently. And that leads me to the next thing is what I see us doing going forward and how I see the show sort of evolving going forward. So this podcast, like I said launched a year ago and honestly, I think we did a lot of things really well. And I don't think I would have done anything differently. We celebrated so hard going into that launch week that we ended up ranking number one in Canada in the marketing podcast world. I think we ranked top five in business in Canada, we ranked top 40 In the US, and then we were ranking around the world. And honestly, that was so amazing to see our podcast, my podcast, you know, spread out with all of these other really amazing business leaders. And so just to be ranked among them, that was amazing. And I couldn't have done it without your support, you know, each and every one of you that listen, that downloaded that share that subscribed helped us get ranked in that way. I had the most amazing support behind the scenes, right. 

I know one of the things that I often get asked from people who want to start a podcast, they're like, What can you tell me about starting a podcast and this is a perfect episode to listen to, if you're wanting to start a podcast because I'm sharing with you. One of the things I know for certain I'm so glad I didn't invest in in that was an editor, I am so freaking glad that I don't have a podcast editor or that I'm not editing that I have a podcast editor pardon me. Because I think I probably would have got three episodes in if I was editing my own show. And that might seem like a no brainer, you might be like, I would never try to edit Well, again, in true Catherine fashion, I try to do everything. I try to do everything and not from like a perfectionism or control. It's just again, I'm a manifesting generator, I move really quickly. And I oftentimes think it's easier sometimes to just get stuff done in the moment. Plus, as you know, I'm gonna go with the flow kind of person. So it can be hard sometimes to work with a team who will require things being planned out in advance, notice when things needs to be done, right. And so I in my energy move very quickly between things. And so sometimes it feels like it's easier. But I know for certain that having a podcast editor was the best investment I ever made behind the scenes to really help edit the show. And so I'm just so grateful for my editor.

 He's amazing and brilliant. And honestly, one of the easiest team members I've ever onboard in my business, we work so seamlessly together. So that's one of the things like I said, I'm so glad I did right out of the gate. But with all the hype, and the hoopla and the amazingness, with the show when we launched, you know, and we ranked really high. One of the things and I know better but one of the things that like I never really thought about necessarily was a growth strategy or what to do after the launch. Right. So yeah, it's great to get ranked off out of the gate, so to speak. But it's like maintaining that ranking. And we're still ranking, you know, on the charts and whatnot. And surprisingly, I've been ranking in places around the world, like Italy, and Ireland and the Emirates, you know, like, there's been some pretty cool places where the show is ranking right now. And it's so lovely to see. Because I'm always curious about you know, what people are finding interesting in the Emirates about my show, or Ireland or Italy, for that matter. 

I'm located in Canada, as you guys know, right. And so to have a global audience, really, really means the world to me, and I'm just deeply honored every time I look at the charts. I'm like, wow, we're ranking there. Like, I wonder why, you know, like, it's so interesting. So that's why I would love for you to connect with me in the DMS because I want to know, I want to know, what is intriguing to you and what is inspiring and you know, inspirational of why you're, you know, listening each and every week. And like I said, it means the world to me. So I think having a growth strategy of some sort to at least maintain month over month over month growth in your podcast, we have grown month over month. But we've also equally hit plateaus, from month to month, and we've equally had dips in months as well. 

So again, being totally transparent with you and real because I think if you are even thinking remotely of starting a podcast perspective is huge. And context is huge. And it's really easy to get wrapped up in these podcasts celebrations where it's like, oh, man, I have like 5000 downloads or 10,000 downloads or 5 million downloads or whatever it might be or have this many people following and this sponsorship and my podcasts making me this much money. And we focus so much on those wins, which is amazing and 100% we should focus on those. It's brilliant. But I think it comes without context sometimes of like what it was like and this is what it was like in that first year. I think when we launched, we were you know hitting 100 downloads A week or more, and then we dipped down to like 30. And it was like what happened, you know, well, the hype of the launch was over. And then we shot back up to over 100 downloads a week, which was amazing is amazing, right? So you know, and then we kind of plateaued around there. And then depending on the episodes and whatnot, it would dip down sometimes. And it wasn't always solo episodes that dipped, or guest episodes that dipped, it was like, you know, sometimes it was a guest episode that dip down, you know, to like, 50 downloads a week, which is really low for us. And so, you know, it's, it's how to keep and maintain that steady growth, month over month is something that I would love to wish I would have done maybe differently or had more of that foresight planned out of the gate. But I think I was so excited just to get the show off the ground, and anybody that's launched a podcast, or is thinking of launching a podcast, there's a lot of work that goes into getting it off the ground, right, you know, registering for Apple and Spotify and hiring an editor and recording those first episodes. 

And it's so hilarious, because this is probably something else I would have done differently. And I went back to listen, and I'm chuckling to myself here. We're just kind of comical in and of itself, because I'm sitting in my house by myself. But it's so funny because I went back to listen to those episodes. And in the early days, I used to script out everything. And you and I both know that when you script something out in writing on a piece of paper, while it wasn't a physical piece of paper, but it was like a Google Doc, and you're trying to read it. There's nothing natural about that. But welcome to the intros to podcasting. And you'll hear this from other guests and big shows and whatnot where they say like, you know, in their their podcasts, the same thing, right? Those first couple of episodes are super freaking awkward, and you're trying to figure it out and figure out the rhythm of it. And all that I think I found sounded robotic, then maybe it was a bit nuanced. Maybe people didn't You didn't hear it in it. But honestly, I was I was freaking out doing that. And sometimes I can sound really good, you know, and podcast editor or podcast hosts, often sound really good. And we're like, oh, man, they make it look so easy. But honestly, behind the scenes, you would have laughed. I tried to record, I remember that, leading into that week, I had to have all of the intro episodes live. And I think we went live with six I can't remember now. But I think we went live with six. 

And I had to have them all done at a certain time and uploaded and I needed to give my editor enough time. And I had heard from people to not sit down and record all of the episodes in one shot. Because your voice won't be able to take it. And I was like I talk all the time I should be able to do this. Yeah, no, I tried to record I think all five, we had one guest in that in that intro section. And I had tried to record all five of the solo episodes and like, my voice was so raspy, I was choking, it was brutal. So had I what I would have done different, like I said, as having that growth strategy, I probably would have tried to have a bit more of a natural feel. But honestly, I think if you if you hear from other hosts will say the same thing is like those first couple of episodes are super awkward, you just got to get them out of the gate. And you just got to move forward and keep doing it. And one of the things that I'm super proud about for us is and what I'm celebrating and what we've done really well is the consistency of the episodes. I think for me, that was one of the biggest things my mentor Courtney Elmer had shared with me is like a lot of podcasters have this idea of starting a podcast and then they get you know, like three months in or four months in. 

And it's a lot of work to record. It's a lot of work to, you know, do all of the planning of it, and what the topics are and all those sorts of things. And so she said they, you eventually sort of drop off and she was like if you can just keep consistency with your episodes. And so I'm super proud of us that over the last year, you know, week after week after week, I brought you solo shows and guest episodes and I am equally celebrating the phenomenal guests that we've had over the last year that have talked about things like for money to success and redefining success to you know, spirituality and energetics to, you know, re-launching and pivoting to financial planning, you name it, we've covered it and that to me is a huge, huge honor one that people Want to be on my show. But to that, I have the opportunity of interviewing them. And I'm going to pat myself on the back as well because I get told this pretty much after every episode, that I'm a phenomenal interviewer. And at first, I was like, Oh, thank you, and kind of surprised by it. And then I was telling one of my friends about and they're like, of course, you are like, you're a phenomenal interviewer, like, you're an amazing host to interview people. And I was just like, I never really thought of myself that way. But I'll let you in on a little secret. I don't have the show scripted. 

For most of my guests that come on, I intuitively flow with the conversation. And I think that's what really makes those interviews really special because I really don't know what I'm going to ask them, I kind of have like the first or second, maybe even sort of third idea of where I want to focus, obviously, based on their story, and based on the research I've done about them. But I honestly just sort of like flow with the guests based on what their responses. So I play off what their responses. And that's just intuition guiding me through it. And that's what makes me a good interviewer. So I think that's one thing we've done really well is, number one, not really having these, like really structured or dry interviews. 

They're kind of like conversational, and flowy, which is really, really amazing. And to really attracting some, some really standout guests, and I'm getting about two to three pitches a day right now, which is amazing, you know, I have people that I'm turning away that I'm like, I just, you know, I just interviewed someone similar to you. And we just talked about that. So we're going to talk about something different now and whatnot. So it's really amazing to see people reaching out to me and wanting to be on my show, that just is such an honor. And the other thing I would have done differently, I think is when it comes to growth strategies is really leveraging other people's podcasts, so pitching other people's podcasts and being on their show. But I think like a lot of hosts will tell you, you know, those first couple months of having your own show is really freaking awkward. Like, if you're doing solo episodes, you're recording your house by yourself, it is awkward if you're trying to follow a script that can feel really unnatural. It's kind of nerve-wracking, even though like I said, you're sitting in your house alone. So there's no one really you're not staring at anyone, no one's you can't see anyone's face or eye rolls or frowns, or whatever might be might be going on in their face or anything like that. So you can't really see that. So I think I think I would have implemented that as part of my growth strategy. So that's a really amazing growth strategy as being on other people's podcasts. 

And then I also think I would have maybe kind of tested a little bit with maybe some paid ads, like low-cost ads to sort of drive some traffic to the show, that would have been sort of like another strategy. These are all strategies, by the way that I'm looking at carrying forward, going forward in the year in the year to come is to really focus on the growth of the show, also continuing to bring on really epic guests. And like I said, I'm getting two to three pitches a day right now. And so the pitches are hot. And there's a lot of amazing people, the competition is hot when it comes to the types of pitches. And right now I'm really leaning into like authenticity and how you're different. And can I feel, you know, am I moved by what you're sharing? Do I feel that viscerally you know, because oftentimes, I will get a lot of pitches that are like, same same, right? It's just like talking about the same thing. It's not there's nothing really different. It's kind of like, you know, if you've listened to the last 10 episodes, you would have seen that we've had some type of topic that you're wanting to talk about already on the show that sort of thing. So So again, bringing on some more amazing guests for you guys. And then I think the other thing that you know, I really want to sort of test out but it's difficult for me because I am long winded is a combination of short and long episodes, like really snappy episodes that are like quick tips. 

And like here you go hit the ground running sort of stuff. And then obviously right now we've been doing a lot longer episodes. So that's something I probably would have done differently in the last year just kind of testing and playing with that a bit just to see if the shorter episodes resonate more with you and if you're listening right now and you're like heck yeah, I'd love the shorter episodes because, you know, these longer episodes, it's harder for me to, to listen to when I'm working or that sort of thing. So the only time I really listen to podcast is when I'm walking or me King separ we just had this conversation last night with a couple of friends is like, that's where they're listening to podcasts. So, if you're going for a 20-minute walk, and then episodes an hour, you know, it's a really long episode to try and work in. So that's something I would have done differently is just sort of play with that. But the beauty of being in this game and podcasting is that, for me, it is something I thoroughly enjoyed doing, and I absolutely love. And so going forward, these are some of the things I'm going to be bringing forward from a strategic perspective, right, it's like, is really starting to get the message out there and grow it in different ways is, I absolutely love being on other people's podcast episodes as well like serving and delivering value to their audiences and connecting with them, and sharing what I have to share. But I also think, you know, testing and tweaking some of the content to appeal to your lifestyle, right? So what is your lifestyle and to appeal to that, because at the end of the day, this is for you. Everything that I'm doing is for you? Yes, it's a really amazing way for me to express myself and to share and to add value. But really, it's for you. And so it's got to fit into your lifestyle and to what you're doing, and when you listen to shows and that sort of thing. And so, what I'm really looking forward to going forward, you know, in the next year is, like I said, to continue to grow it bring on more amazing guests, people that are carving their own path, who are trailblazers, who are not afraid to go against status quo, who are not afraid to do things differently, but who make us feel you and I feel something when they talk, when they express themselves.

 It's like, you know, you can feel it in all parts of your body like, Heck, yes, this makes so much sense or this is so so helpful. And the other thing that you know, for me going forward is, well, I started to be the sought-after entrepreneur podcast. And I absolutely love the mission behind it, which is really helping people ditch the cookie-cutter one size fits all approach to marketing. And what I offer predominantly in the Elevate business accelerator, is helping entrepreneurs, soulful coaches, really go against the grain and ditch that cookie-cutter one size fits all approach, right. And that is why I started this podcast was to empower others to give them permission really to do things their own way. And it's one of the things that I often hear from my clients, while they're getting really big wins. And they're selling amazing things and programs and all those sorts of things and filling their programs and effortlessly doing things. But one of the things that really stands out for me is I had a client recently that signed up in elevate business accelerator, and she had worked with other coaches and her work is extremely esoteric, like we're talking really esoteric, it's so hard to put into words. And you really truly have to experience what she does. She was on the podcast Two episodes ago. So it was Tracy Yates, and she came to me and she was just like, you know, I've been putting out content for about a year, I've been doing all of the things that you know, everybody tells me I need to do. She came from 25 years as a marketing agency owner, she owned an eight-figure agency. And she's so she knows marketing inside and out. But she was like I've pivoted now and I'm doing this like really esoteric, really deep transformational work and everything the marketing world tells me is so different than what, how I express my work. And so why she joined elevate was because she could see how I was really empowering people to step out of that cookie-cutter to do things differently to express themselves in a different way. And that to really start to challenge mainstream marketing for what it's worth. And so that's what this podcast is really an intro to. And that mission is something that I really want to carry forward. 

Right. And one of the things Tracy said to me, I think after our first one-on-one was like, I finally feel seen, like I've never really feel felt seen by a coach before because you actually understand me and we've cultivated and created a strategy for her that's like off social media, right? I think oftentimes, we think, Oh, I gotta market on social media. And I've got to do this thing this way. And I've got to pump out content and be consistent there. And that's the only way to grow. And that is a mission that I'm on to to bust 100% And that's not going to change. So the podcast in and of itself, like I said, going forward isn't going to change its mission. If anything, it's just going to get more refined, and more granular in that and more powerful and more bold and that's going to be not only through solo episodes but also with guests that come on and getting really specific with the type of guests that we accept, although we are quite specific right now. But it's like, when when we're looking at the type of content getting a lot more curated with it, when it comes to, you know, how to really showcase the different ways in which you can grow your business and that there's no one size fits all, or there's no like, proven path, like, yes, what works for me, likely doesn't work for you. And I know, so many entrepreneurs who are frustrated or tired. And I know I was I was about a year and a half ago, I nearly packed her in and said, You know, I think I'm gonna pivot all together and do something totally different. Because I was so frustrated with the online space and the way in which marketing was selling, there's a right way and a wrong way to do things. And I'm a rebel with a cause. And I don't like to follow rules, like many of you, I'm sure listening to this. And so it was really frustrating to me. But I realized, then about a year and a half ago that I could make a massive change, because I had such a unique perspective. 

That I have 20 years of experience in marketing and sales, I came from a corporate I was trained in a very masculine way of selling. And I left corporate open the wine business, as many of you probably know, sold that came into the online space. And I can see from a galactic or bird's eye view perspective of like, what has worked traditionally to date. And where things are changing, as people become savvier as the collective consciousness starts to raise, as people realize, potentially how they've been marketed to in the past. And I can see all of these perspective, from my experience. And so that's what I see going forward is that it's just going to be more powerful, bolder, more cutting edge more revolutionary. And I don't use those words lightly. Because I think that again, we can over glamorize or overstate or over-promise, but the work that's going to be coming out more so for me is, like I said, it really is game-changing. Because I have this unique perspective, I'm innovating the way the marketing space is done, predominantly for soulful, conscious leaders who want to do good work and want to change the world. But the way in which they've been taught marketing doesn't fit within their business, these, you know, false scarcity, or FOMO, or spending a lot of time agitating people's pain points or creating this, like, you know, desperation of like you gotta buy now, or your business is going to fall apart. Or if you continue to operate your business in this way, you know, it's gonna fall apart, you know, these doomsday messages that just create a lot of fear and anxiety and just, you know, literally fry our nervous system, to be honest. It's that what I'm innovating, I'm going to innovate the way we do marketing so that we're basically bringing the heart and soul back into business, we're a lot more integral with business, we're a lot more ethical when it comes to marketing, that we're transparent, and that if we are promising something, there's context with it. 

For example, if someone's promising, you know, oh, I'm gonna help you reach a 10k month, you know, there's context to that of what it actually really frickin takes to build a 10k month business, right? Are you willing to put in that work? These are the things that I feel like, need more context and need more transparency need to be more ethical. And on the last episode was Susie, we talked a bit about this right is how to radically redefine success and some of the things in the industry that need some overhauling and innovative techniques and tactics. And I'm here for that. And that's kind of what the show and what you're going to hear more in the show going forward. One of the other really cool things that we launched that I'm super proud of and that we rolled out over the podcast this year was my quiz. What's your elevated edge? And I think that's a really great starting point. If you're in business right now. And you're like, you know, I feel like I've been doing all these things. I'm doing what everybody tells me I need to be doing like showing up on social consistently and posting every day or multiple times a day, and I'm sending emails every week. Maybe you're not sending emails at all. I know a lot of entrepreneurs that are like, I can't even get to my emails. But if you're sending the emails and you feel like you're doing the things maybe you're launching, maybe you're working really hard and you're broken Order every day, you don't even have time for social media, whatever that might be. I launched the What's your elevated edge quiz, it was one of the most profound and thoughtful things I've launched to date besides the podcast. And I did that because I wanted to, again, give people permission to do things their own way. And to really identify what they're elevated in Edge is, what their unique energy expression is, right? And that quiz and the results that come out of that quiz are phenomenal. I had one woman tell me that, you know, she had she took it, she started to read the results, she had to step away, she had to come back and read it step away. And it took her about a week, week and a half, to really sort of digest it all and reflect. 

But what she responded with, as feedback or reflection was, you know, she finally felt seen, and that's one of the things, pretty much every single one of my clients I've ever worked with, says to me that I see them for who they are and what they stand for. And that's why I created that quiz to help entrepreneurs break free from the cookie-cutter and break free from the strategies and tactics that have never really felt aligned, but you've done them because you felt like a head too. And kind of give you a blueprint, we call it a star map of, of really how you're meant to show up in this world, and even down to the social media platforms that your energy is good for, you know, the one client I was sharing before Tracy, you know, she's highly sensitive, a lot of my clients are highly sensitive. And so being on social fries, their nervous system, and yet we're taught that we have to be on social. So if you feel compelled to take that quiz, and you haven't already done that, and you feel compelled to take the quiz, I'd love to know your results, by the way, because it's super fun. But, you know, I'd love for you to take that quiz that links in the show notes. That's one of the other things you know, we're super proud of over here at creatively owned and the be the sought-after entrepreneur podcast because it's something that, like I said, has was so thoughtful and profound. And the results pages aren't something that you just like download, and it's a freebie and you never look at it. Again, it's something you can revisit time and time again. And it's basically one big fat mirror to help you see how brilliant you are, what that elevated edge is and what your unique expression is, so that you can shine more brightly in this world. So that is where we see this show going. I've had a lot of sparks of insight, as I evolved, the show will evolve, the topics will evolve, the way I show up on the show will evolve. 

But my true mission, I know for certain is to bring more truth and transparency, and ethical practices into marketing and sales. And also to rewrite the way in which we use language to sell, you know, more empowering language, more uplifting language, more language that puts the choice in the consumer and not hurt not create this, like the fear that if I don't buy this thing, and if I don't do this thing, and if I don't act now that you know, my whole business is going to crumble, or my life's gonna fall apart, or I'm never going to find the solution or I'm never going to be happy or fulfilled. To me, that's all just bogus. And so I want to empower not only business owners to be able to market and sell in a way that really is heart-centered and not just, you know, cloaking it as heart-centered, but also empowering consumers to buy in a way that feels good for them and to steer clear of sales tactics and energy that doesn't feel good to them. Because I, again, I hear so much from my clients who come to me and they're like, Well, I was told I needed to do this. And I often will respond and say, you know, how does that make you feel? And oftentimes, they're like, it doesn't feel that good in my body. And so if we stop long enough to question ourselves of what we think feels good, and what doesn't feel good, then we're able to make those decisions with a hell of a lot more self-trust and leadership within us. And that was one of the things you know, oftentimes they elevate women will by that by the end of the conversation and coaching, they'll say so what you're saying Catherine is I'm just supposed to follow my own rules. And I'm like 100% so trusting yourself. Leading yourself is ultimately the goal here and for me, I'm able to do that with this podcast. I'm able to do that with the guests I bring on I'm able to do that with all of the content that I share. So with that, I want to thank you again for tuning in weekly or tuning in when you can to the Podcast, and thank you again for all of the support over the last year, it's mean meant the world to me, for all the reviews and the time you've taken to reach out. As I said, I'm forever grateful to my guests.

 You guys are frickin amazing. If any of you are listening right now, I absolutely adore each and every one of you. The ability to be able to connect with people all over the world to reach a global audience, again is like has completely blown my mind. I don't think that that's been probably the biggest surprise for me if I'm being 100% honest, is the depth and the reach that this podcast is, you know, afforded me I've been able to reach so many of you all over the world and that is so inspiring. So I want to thank you again, and I appreciate all of you. Please reach out please let me know how you're doing and I hope you guys have a fab day. Cheers.