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Clarissa Rayward

Lessons and Insights From Three Years of Podcasting with Clarissa Rayward, The Happy Family Lawyer

October 22, 2019

When I found out that my friend, Clarissa Rayward aka “The Happy Family Lawyer”, was coming up to her third anniversary of podcasting, I knew I needed to have her on the poddy to talk about the impact that picking up a microphone has had on her business and her life.

As a super busy family lawyer, wife, mum, author, blogger, speaker, membership site owner, course creator and more (phew!), I knew that podcasting would be a time-consuming addition to a very busy schedule.

Her answer, though, didn’t surprise me. 

Simply? It was YES – podcasting was, and still is, worth it.

But, not for the immediate reasons you may expect.

If you have ever considered starting your own podcast but dismissed it on account of your busy schedule, this episode of Stevie Says Social podcast is a must listen!

So, let’s dive in!

Listen On: Apple Podcasts | Spotify

Here’s what we cover:

  • What made Clarissa decide to start a podcast; 
  • The impact that podcasting has had on her legal business;
  • How podcasting has enabled her to build a second business around the content that she produces;
  • How her information products, including course and membership, are fuelled by her podcast;
  • The opportunities podcasting has given Clarissa to network and speak with people she admires; 
  • How Clarissa has improved over the past three years of podcasting;
  • How to get over the fear of starting; 
  • Clarissa’s three top tips for those looking to start a podcast;
  • Clarissa’s podcasting process, and the importance of systems and processes; 
  • And more

Transcript

STEVIE: In this episode, I am talking to a seasoned podcaster. Clarissa Rayward of The Happy Family Lawyer and Happy Lawyer Happy Life all about her experiences, tips, and tricks into starting a podcast three years in.

STEVIE: Hey guys, and welcome to Episode 80 of Stevie Says Social Podcast. Today is going to be a good podcasting episode because I’m talking about podcasting. Once again on the podcast with fellow podcaster. Clarissa Rayward. 

Now Clarissa is known as the Happy Family Lawyer and she is a family lawyer, a wife, a mom, all of the things he’s really passionate about relationships, people and family. And he uses his industry knowledge and skills to change the way that Australian families experienced divorce and separation. 

In other words, she does law differently. And that is what I love about her. Now, she’s equally passionate about the legal profession. And another arm of her business really focuses on lawyers who want to make the best of their lives inside and outside of the law. Now Clarissa and I first came in contact at a social media marketing workshop a couple of years ago. 

And I as an ex-lawyer connected with absolutely everything that she does, I think is absolutely incredible for the profession. And it’s completely different to the way that a lot of professional service businesses, marketing themselves and the way that they kind of portraying themselves. She’s all about color and positivity and happiness.

 And I think that is So cool. Now she is also if the above is not enough. She is also an author, a blogger, a speaker, a membership site owner, a course creator, and she’s a podcaster. Now I heard Clarissa was coming up to three years as a podcaster. And I knew that I had to have her on my podcast to talk about everything to do with her experience around starting a podcast and what impact it has had on her business. 

I could talk until the cows come home about how impactful podcasting has been for me, but I think it’s really useful to hear it from somebody else. Now guys, if you want to go over to steviesayssocial.com/80 there is also a very cool podcasting freebie for anyone thinking about starting their own podcast from scratch in 2019, or 2020 or2021.

 If that is when you are listening to this podcast. It is a podcasting equipment cheat sheet. It has the exact microphone that I recommend that he patches, all of the equipment and software that I use and how to get started really easily head to steviesayssocial.com/80 to get your hands on that. You will also be notified when my podcasting blueprint goes live, which is very exciting. 

And if you want to start a podcast from scratch, guys, this is the blueprint that you need. All right, I’m going to get straight into today’s interview with Clarissa It is a good day, she has some really great tips around her experience, and also the impact that podcasting has had for her sorry. Without further ado, let’s get into today’s podcast episode. Enjoy. Welcome to the podcast. Clarissa,

CLARISSA: Thank you so much for having me. 

STEVIE:  But the second time. 

CLARISSA: Again. 

STEVIE:   So funny. We’re talking about podcasting on a podcast in advance of my course on podcasting. So it’s a little bit of a triple whammy today. 

CLARISSA: But it makes a lot of sense really to talk about the podcast. 

STEVIE: Right? Now I have just recorded actually a little bit of an intro and I was going through your website and all of the millions of things that you do. And I think I explained it pretty clearly. But you do a lot of things. So I’m actually really curious to see how you explain all of the different things that you do.

CLARISSA: Probably not well, I say it this way, in my day job. I’m a divorce lawyer and I run a public corporate spin chemical center where I specialize in working with people going through divorce and separation in a way that keeps them out of the court and in a perfect world enables them to remain friends. After that experience. I then have a what I call a side hustle that’s developed over the last few years working with other lawyers. 

So Stevie, you from your own experience of being a lawyer. It’s a pretty tough profession. And the rates of psychological ill-health in our industry are pretty high. 

So my own experience of trying to work out how I could be a lawyer and maintain some sense of being a good human being led me to doing a lot of research around happiness and wellness in our industry, and more generally. And so now I spend a lot of my side hustle time working with other lawyers, on their businesses on happiness. Just in different ways, we can practice law to try and create a more sustainable, professional future for most of us. So that’s sort of how I try and explain it. 

STEVIE: I love it. I actually got it’s so funny. So for everyone that’s listening, I am an expert, would you call it a member in your community, and it’s a Facebook community. And I have to say it is hands down the most genuinely engaged and supportive online community I have ever come across. 

And my Facebook feed is literally at the moment, the only reason I really go on Facebook is to check out what’s happening in your community. I’m not even a lawyer anymore. So kudos to you on that. Honestly, it’s such a, it’s really hard. I know how hard it is to build community and you’ve done a really great job with it. 

CLARISSA: Thank you and you’re right as the club constantly amazes me about the engagement and the kindness and the people that are in there. 

STEVIE: Yeah, 

CLARISSA: And I think it is a really unique group of lawyers. One thing I’d say about it, but it gives me hot every day that there are so many great lawyers out there doing great things. And it’s just bringing them together to I guess keep them all inspired and keep them moving forward. That’s become really important to me. 

STEVIE: Actually, as well, I will say one of the most incredible marketing savvy group of lawyers I have ever come across so and I think that probably is driven Well, it would be driven by you, your background and interesting things such as social media and blogging and that sort of thing. But you really push that kind of attraction marketing with that group of people. 

And that is speaking my language because there are not enough people in professional services that are using that real kind of content marketing, attraction marketing, speaking about what it is that you do, and helping people so that you attract the right people. And I will say, and I’m sure that a lot of people from the club will listen to this podcast episode. So for all of you guys, you’re doing such an amazing job of that type of marketing. And it kind of this is so geeky, but it makes my marketing heart sing. 

CLARISSA: Thank you. And thank you for teaching us all of your tricks. 

STEVIE:  Alright, so let’s switch to podcasting. So the reason why I wanted to have you on the podcast today is I have got a little bit of a sort of a blueprint coming out on podcasting. And I said, just before we jumped on the podcast, I have recorded a couple of podcast episodes on podcasting, talking about my experience with podcasting. 

God, people are going to get over just hearing me talking and my voice for 40 minutes at a time. So I actually saw you posted on Facebook, that is your three year podcasting anniversary. That was a couple of weeks ago. Hey, 

CLARISSA: Do you know I’m trying to work out what it is? I think it’s in maybe two weeks. I think it’s September. I think the poster did was we’re sharing the video with my daughter because she features in the intro to my podcast when we filmed her.  

Facebook memories. So that must have been three or four weeks before the podcast launched, of course. So I’m I’ll try and work it out while we’re talking. But it must be the first week of September, I think. 

STEVIE: Congratulations!

CLARISSA: Yes. 

STEVIE: And that’s so cute. So it’s London, isn’t it yesterday? 

CLARISSA: Yeah. Yeah. 

STEVIE: So she jumps on at the beginning of Clarissa’s podcast. And obviously, it’s talking about being happy in law. And what does she say? It’s just such a cute little one-liner. 

CLARISSA: Be happy. And then laughs. Yeah,

STEVIE: Yeah, yeah. And it’s just so perfect for the podcast because she would have been such a little girl, then three. Yeah. And yeah, it’s a nice kind of high five introduction to the podcast. But what I’m going to talk to you about because there are so many people that have thought at the moment, podcasting is having its second Renaissance, I remember a few years ago, it kind of piqued a little bit. 

But I swear at the moment, actually heard I don’t it’s a little bit of a funny quote. But somebody said the other day that every girl with a pulse is starting a podcast in 2019. But it does seem the thing at the moment that everyone’s doing. So I guess I’m curious about why you decided to start a podcast. 

CLARISSA: Yeah, so for me, a couple of things happened all at the same time. I was writing a book called happy lawyer a happy life. And as a part of that was doing a lot of research. And I was also good friends and good friends with a guy by the name of Rawnsley Bass who at the time had launched a podcast called Bon Appetit. And it was really successful. He was just nailing podcasting. And that was what actually introduced me to podcast prior to that I didn’t ever hear of the things I’d certainly never downloaded one.

 I didn’t understand it at all. And as I sort of watched Rawnsley, launch his show and build into that space, I’ve obviously started to listen to a whole lot of other podcasts. And I thought, well, this is a fascinating, medium, it’s a really great medium, it’s easy to do. But I sat on that idea for probably two years going, that’s a great idea. But you know, I’m a divorce lawyer. And all I could think about at the time was, who would really want to listen to a podcast about divorce. That doesn’t sound overly interesting to me as a divorce lawyer. So I was sitting there going, I love this medium, I feel that podcasting is a great thing. 

But how on earth can I make that useful? For my business and for me, and for people that are, people would actually engage with something like that. And to cut a long story short, as I started to write my book around happiness, and was obviously speaking to lawyers, as a part of that sort of research. I thought, hang on a second, this would fit for the podcast, interviewing my colleagues and understanding their stories. That would be interesting. And that’s sort of where the idea stemmed from thereafter. 

STEVIE: And so your podcast, it’s not so much kind of information, is it? It’s more storytelling? 

CLARISSA: Hmm. Very much. So in each episode is usually an hour to an interview with a lawyer about their life. It’s a little bit, I guess, Andrew Denton style, just genuinely chatting to people about who they are, where they’ve come from, why they do what they do, how they’ve managed, the ups and downs that life throws them. And I’ve really enjoyed the opportunity to just talk to people about their own life, you’ve obviously been on my show, Stevie. 

It’s such a rare thing in this day and age to have the opportunity to just have someone’s attention for a full hour with no distractions, and just deep dive into how they’ve got to where they’ve got to and everyone has an interesting story when you have the chance to just be curious about their life. 

STEVIE: Yeah, I couldn’t agree more actually think one of the biggest things in terms of podcasting for me is the chance it’s given me to talk to people, just conversationally, that I wouldn’t otherwise have had the opportunity to talk to. And it’s part of my job, and I pinch myself every day, you know what I mean? That is so cool, 

CLARISSA:Completely it does, it gives you this amazing excuse really, to reach out to people that you would otherwise never have the chops to reach out to, and,my superhero moment, in podcast land for me, which will make nothing to anyone that’s not a lawyer was the opportunity to interview Michael Kirby former, rock star in our world, 

STEVIE: Really. 

CLARISSA: And I got to go to Sydney, I got to visit his chambers. I got to sit in a nice biscuits with him. I never in a million years would have ever happened, but for the show, and that’s perhaps a selfish reason to be podcasting. But right up there, Michael Kirby’s, and then the whole full spectrum of different people that I’ve had the opportunity to meet. It’s just been such a wonderful experience to have an excuse now, travel around the country and say, Hi, interesting person. 

STEVIE: Yeah. 

CLARISSA: And I told you for an hour. 

STEVIE: Yeah, totally. And so I did just as Kirby know, nor had he been on a podcast before? 

CLARISSA: No, he hadn’t. 

STEVIE: He is in his 80’s now. 

CLARISSA: He is also a deficit door now, as I discovered the second question into the podcast and he’s saying. “I’m sorry, I can’t hear you’. And I’m thinking, ” Oh my girl we have to put an hour .”

STEVIE: There’s gonna be a lot of editing this particular podcast episode. 

CLARISSA: Funny, very funny. 

STEVIE: Ad maybe though he was always my favorite going through law school? And I think probably, really, and yeah, that is such a cool opportunity in terms of, it’s just not something you would be able to do. And it’s something that’s going to be there on your podcast for people to listen to over and over for the next 10 years. 

CLARISSA: Exactly, exactly. 

STEVIE: So in terms of what it’s actually done for your podcasting, in terms of the networking side, that’s so great, but what about professionally, what sort of impact has it had on your business? 

CLARISSA:So it’s really enabled me to create a business, happy, happy lawyer happy life, the podcast is now a business, happy, loyal, happy life, where, as you mentioned before, I have an online membership called the club, I run a lot of training, I do a lot of coaching, I do a lot of public speaking, there’s a whole business that has stemmed from what began as a book. And then, I created the podcast off the back of writing the book. So for me, the podcast is now I guess, a cornerstone piece of content. And as you said, content marketing and attraction marketing are things that I really believe in. And the podcast sits at the heart of my business structure for that, that side of my business. 

STEVIE: And I think that’s the thing, a lot of people will talk about, the monetization of podcasting, right, and they’ll talk about, how do I get sponsors on my podcast? Or, how do I do that kind of direct ROI, but I actually agree with you my experience has been really similar. Starting the podcast, has actually allowed me to springboard off into a whole heap of different things that I think it really lends itself with your membership, building a community around what it is that you do, building a tribe building information products, there’s so much opportunity, once you have an audience of people that are engaged and want to hear what you have to say, 

CLARISSA: It’s completely completely the case. And it interests me, when I’m running a course, or when I’m opening up the membership for new members to obviously track where people are coming from. And almost every person in some way, shape or form is saying, I’ve been listening to your podcast for a while. And, and so I think that opportunity for people to just freely engage in such a high-value way like yourself daily, there’s an awful lot of work that goes into producing a podcast, instantly doing that, in my case for three years on a weekly basis. So that’s a huge investment. 

But that investment, I think, is so worthwhile. Because it’s a joyous day, it’s interesting that it’s a really lovely way to build a marketing piece, I guess, with a new business. But by the same token, if you’re doing well, you really can create relationships with people that will naturally lead them into whatever it is that you’re ultimately selling to them. 

STEVIE: Yeah, and I have had the exact same experience. So in terms of the marketing channels, for things such as online courses, I actually tracked that as well. I’ll see, people coming in our Facebook advertising, for example, and people coming in off different types of marketing. 

This is a bit geeky, so marketing geek, but the conversion rate, so the people that actually kind of listened to the podcast, so my podcast, and then actually come in and end up working with me, or, buying my course, or whatever it is the conversion rate is 7 or 8% higher than it is for Facebook advertising, which is really kind of that cold audience, you never going to create that connection with people that you do with the opportunity. I don’t know any other marketing medium where you can literally be in somebody’s EF up to an hour uninterrupted.

CLARISSA: That’s right.

STEVIE: It’s incredible. Yeah, 

CLARISSA: It’s so valuable. And the voice I think there’s just something about voice. There’s something about audio. That is 

STEVIE: Yeah, 

CLARISSA: Awful. And even times above video, because, again, I think what we all about podcasting is that you can play it in the car, you can have it going,

STEVIE: Yeah, 

CLARISSA:  It’s sort of doesn’t need your full attention if that’s a terrible way of putting it, but it can still have your full attention. So it’s that capacity for the medium to be so flexible. But I think also makes it so valuable.

STEVIE: To do before I discovered podcasting, I used to drive to work every day with my Wi-Fi on my phone and my laptop open with a video playing, because I just wanted to listen to it. Queensland police would be on to me right now, I wasn’t actually watching the video your so right? It allows you to completely multitask. You can be, going for a walk around the river, or you can be at the gym, not that I have done that for the last nine months. And be listening to a podcast at the same time, which I think is really cool. Now, you mentioned before that it’s tough. And I actually completely agree because you have a weekly podcast, are you judging him? So you’re producing one-hour episodes every week as being a speaker, being a lawyer doing all of the things, how do you manage that? 

CLARISSA: I just work all the time. I’m not about to try and pretend otherwise. 

STEVIE: Somebody else says that.

CLARISSA: I can be really honest right now, I do work all the time. And I’m not someone that believes in that sort of distinction between head days of work hours, and these are home hours. I’m the mom of two kids, I have an amazing husband that puts up with my workaholic tendencies. But, everything just merges into this messy bubble of crazy and it sometimes means that it’s 11 pm. I’ll be recording an intro and outro to an episode that will be going live tomorrow. And that’s just how it is. 

STEVIE: Yeah, what you doing it all yourself recording, editing, all of that sort of thing? Are you just recording and handing it off? Yeah, how does it work in terms of your process 

CLARISSA: Recording and handing it off. So I have an amazing sidekick Emilia familiar raise looks after the back end of my podcast. And that in itself has been a really interesting little side venture out. I’ll tell you this story because I think it’s important as well for people thinking about business generally. But podcasting as well. 

Emilia has worked with me for many years at my law firm. And prior to that in a cafe that I used to run, and she very sadly ended up with a very serious health issue that resulted in her not being able to work in the office anymore. had to have some very significant surgery about a year ago. And so she’s been working in my team, we’ve worked together for many years. And then the result of this injury meant that she was going to be out of work, which was obviously going to cause lots of financial difficulties for her and her family. 

And so we sort of the two of us worked out, but all she could do the back end of this podcast, she just had to sit down and watch a few YouTube videos. And we’re working out which she’s done. And she’s been running the back end now for a good two years. And I so all I have to do, as you said, is a record and then not an hour, it’s magic, really, it goes into Dropbox. And Emelia does whatever Emilia does, and she uploads it to my website. And then I just edit the show notes. But off the back of that, I called her Emelia Mills. 

She has built a business now helping other podcasters do exactly the same thing. And I’m so proud of that. Because she’s gone. Okay, my life change because of this thing that’s happened to me. And there’s not much I can do about that. But I’ve got this skill and I’ve learned this skill, and there are other people that need help with the same thing. And so now she’s doing that for a lot of people that you and I know that as well. And I think that for me is just such a savvy little entrepreneurial businesswoman. Right? 

STEVIE: Totally, it’s hard, what is the name of her give her a little Pod

CLARISSA: Pretty Podcast. And if nothing else would have made it does have she’s followed everything that you and I teach Stevie. So she’s got this amazing, downloadable for anyone that’s wanting to set up a podcast that will literally walk you through how to do it yourself. So she’s all of that high-value content on her website and just has been really savvy about saying, I know people want to do this if you want to do it yourself. He’s everything that you’ll ever need to be. 

STEVIE:  That’s awesome. 

CLARISSA: Right? If you don’t want to do it yourself, I’m here to help you.

STEVIE: And there’s a lot of other people in your community. So other lawyers that have started podcasts have Yeah, actually. Yeah. Which is so cool. I just think it’s not something that the traditional when you think of, law, you kind of go oh, it would not be the obvious thing that I know, a lot of my ex-law colleagues would have gotten into.

And that, again, is a testament to the fact that your communities, so marketing savvy, and they understand this stuff. And I’m actually curious to see how they go with their podcasts and what it has on their business. Because I know that a few of them are quite me. 

CLARISSA: That’s right. Yeah. It’s funny. I’m trying to think of the firm just the other day, I saw insert big-name law firm and pull off my account. Think which one that’s probably a good thing right now. 

STEVIE: Yeah, you mentioned, about it. 

CLARISSA: Has just launched said podcast about something. So it’s really quite interesting. As the legal industry is not exactly fast-moving when it comes to change. You’re starting to say the biggest players go hang on a second. 

STEVIE:  Yeah, I’m seeing it everywhere. I honestly am. It’s so crazy. My mom was actually saying to me yesterday, podcasting is becoming quite a thing. I’ve been looking up all of the crime podcasts. Well, that it’s a big thing now because she’s going mainstream. Exactly. 

So I’m keen to know one of my questions because one of the things that I found is that I put off studying for a long time because I thought I was going to suck, and I did suck from my first podcast episodes. I listened back on them, and Oh, my God. Listen to my first year. Oh, really? That’s lovely, thank you anyway. So I give myself about five and a half out of 10. But you learn, right, you learn by doing, I guess, is my point. 

CLARISSA: Yeah. 

STEVIE: And I think the fear of stuffing is the reason why a lot of people don’t start in the first place. So I’m keen tonight, how you think he has improved over the last three years of podcasting. 

CLARISSA: Hugely as you said, you learn by doing so. I remember the very first interview that I did was with one of my best friends and more Fiona Collie and initially and I know each other really well. And I was so nervous. And then after I’d done the interview, I went to record the intros and outros because I do it backward. That’s just me. And I must have done, 50 takes of this damn 32nd intro 32nd, outros? golly, if I have to do this every week, I’m gonna die. Because this much time doing a 32nd intro and outro. 

And, now I don’t even breathe, I just bought a little Villa and something goes wrong in the middle, and I don’t even care anymore. And I just go done records and move on. You absolutely get that. And I think it’s anything in life, the more you do something, the better you’re going to, to get at it for me interviewing in the way that I do, which is obviously very personal, and really trying to understand the human being that sits behind the person in front of me their own experiences, how they see the world. I’m really,

It’s learned some techniques and questions and style ways of relaxing people that have become incredibly helpful for me, part of which I probably had because my life is divorce law. Well, I obviously talk to people on a daily basis about personal to them. And it’s my job to make them feel comfortable enough to share those experiences with me. But extending that what the podcast is really got me thinking about is how to do that better.

And so that skill set now pushes into all of the work that I do coaching work, work with my clients in my divorce business, I really got so much better, I think, being able to really understand people. And that’s been a really great thing. But that’s just come from doing, doing doing doing and reflecting when you do an interview, you do interviews, and you think that wasn’t my best and why wasn’t that my best? And 

STEVIE: Do you listen back to your episodes?

CLARISSA: Sometimes? 

STEVIE: Yeah, sometimes? Sometimes it depends. No, I really don’t need to do that again. Yeah, sometimes with some back end, I hate doing it. Because I just don’t like the sound of my voice. Or if I think I’m exactly like you a podcast didn’t go particularly well. I should be, but it’s cringe-worthy sometimes. Isn’t it? You think so?

CLARISSA: It can sometimes get tricky. Some guests, for me, anyway, are really easy. You can really connect with them. You have a really natural conversation than others. It’s pulling teeth. And I’m watching the talk and I’m at 40 minutes thinking I’ve got to get another 10 minutes out of this person, what else have I got? 

STEVIE: Yeah, 

CLARISSA: That in itself can challenge as well. 

STEVIE: Challenging, And then that’s the opposite. Sometimes there’s the talking you can’t do it in edgewise and you looking at the clock and you read, over an hour? I need to stop asking questions. This was quite interesting. But I’ve loved it. And I would say for me, it’s 100 times over is worth it. Has it been worth it for you? Would you go back and do it? 

CLARISSA: Absolutely. Again, absolutely worth. Yeah, absolutely. It has been a game-changer. And I say often on my show, I won’t stop podcasting, just because of the personal satisfaction and joy that it gives me even if people stop listening, I think I’ll still be recording just because of the chance to talk to people. As I said, it’s just so real in this day and age, and, have a conversation without a buzzy phone or any level of interruption. It’s just not something you even get to do with your friends. that element. 

STEVIE:  And I think going back to your point around the fact that you’ve really worked on making people feel comfortable, I think if you can record podcasts, make them into conversations and make it so that the guest doesn’t feel uncomfortable because it can be really nerve-wracking. It sounds so funny. But as soon as you hit record a conversation can become a really bloody nerve-wracking thing, whereas otherwise, it wouldn’t. 

So I think that’s a skill actually, even personally, it’s something that I really need to work on. Because a lot of guests come in, and they’re super nervous, right? And you need to not calm them down. But make them feel comfortable so that you get the best out of the episode. 

CLARISSA: Yeah. Which, I need your in-person interviews. And so I must say the capacity to obviously observe if someone is nervous is so much easier when you’re sitting across the room from them. 

STEVIE: Totally. 

CLARISSA: And it is much easier in that space as well. And I think if anyone listening is thinking about podcasting, obviously, one of the things you have to think about it, how will I do this. And obviously, I know you do a lot of online interviews, which I think is awesome as well because it gives you so much more scope, I’m very much, because I have only been doing in-person interviews, obviously really limits my capacity to talk to people. But for getting on an airplane and going to Switzerland, I’m sort of surrounded with people in Brisbane or when I travel around Australia, so, but the advantage of an in-person interview,

I started off doing some online interviews, and I found it much harder to really capture and dig into the person. Whereas when they’re in the room with you, and you can look them in the eye, the capacity to make them feel relaxed and comfortable, and then be more authentic and open. I found this a lot easier. 

STEVIE: Totally. And I think your style of podcast that real storytelling style. I don’t know if you could really 100% achieve with just doing it online, I know exactly what you mean. Because you kind of just get to a point when there’s a certain level of connection. And sure, as you can be on zoom, and you can see each other and that sort of thing, but it’s just not natural. 

CLARISSA: Yeah. Is it not the same? 

STEVIE: Yeah. So what advice would you give to anyone that’s thinking about starting a podcast that potentially isn’t one of the sexier industries or one of those obvious kinds of podcasting topics? What advice would you give to those people based on your experiences over the last three years?

CLARISSA: Um, so a couple of things I think you mentioned before, what I’ll call the mindset piece, the fear element of should I? The answer is yes, you should. And I have this sort of very basic life motto that I live by, which is what is the worst that happens? So the worst that happens? 

STEVIE: Yes, I love that!

CLARISSA: You launch your podcast, and no one listens to it. And oh, well, did anyone die? No, great. So really, we’ve got nothing to lose. So that may be the first thing that good old lack of self-belief thing that so many of us struggle with, that just needs to go. 

And you just need to have a very simple clarity self-model of what’s the worst that happens, the worst that happens really is nothing. And we’ll get on with it. So launch the podcast is the first thing but before you do, spend some time genuinely thinking about what would be interesting to your audience. And if you don’t yet have an audience, then you’re going to really need to think about what is the bigger picture here, the podcast is one piece of a bigger business puzzle. And I would really encourage people to spend time thinking about what sort of my business mentors would call a product ecosystem. 

So what is the next step, the podcast is one piece, but what’s the next step and the next step in the next step. And so for me, when I launched Happy Lawyer Happy Life, I’d written my book, and it was ready for launch. And I knew that I was going to be ultimately producing an online course that is a happiness course, I had no idea at that time that I would end up with a membership and all of these other pieces, but I certainly knew that I was going to have a book and I was going to have this course. And so understanding that product ecosystem. 

Before you begin, I think is really important as well, because it will give you purpose to what you’re doing and where you’re going. And then my other piece of advice is, be ready to be consistent and be ready to invest energy and time, this is not something that you’re just going to be able to pop out on iTunes and sit back. 

And it’s just going to create magic for you. It will require weekly investment, not only in the recording and the actual organizing of your interviews but then in the pushing out process, you’re going to need systems around, for me, it goes my podcast goes live most of the time, on a Wednesday morning, and then I have a process where I push that out on Facebook, I push that out on LinkedIn to depending on my guests, and what they’re sort of whether they use social media, I will obviously connect with them and try and get them to assist me with that. 

And it’s a constant marketing exercise. It’s not something where you can just go publish on the website, and somehow the magic internet podcasters will find your podcasts like no, no, no. So there’s energy in that. And you again, I think really need to think about the processes and the systems and, and your own time. How are you going to manage that? Will you need people helping you with that? What does all of that look like? So they’re probably my immediate tips and thoughts. 

STEVIE: No, they’re amazing. And the two that really stood out for me is the product ecosystem, and then the systems and processes. Because going back to what I was talking about before with the monetization, often it doesn’t come immediately from the podcast itself. 

But the authority and expertise that builds up gives you the opportunity to create so many cool things as especially if you’re a service provider, you can actually have additional income and revenue streams around information products, where I would never ever recommend that somebody tries to release a course or start a membership or any of those things without having, whether it’s a podcast, or a YouTube channel, or blog posts or whatever. 

But I actually think podcasting is the most powerful of those at the moment. Regular, consistent, valuable content going out. So I love that point. And when it comes to the systems and processes, that is one of those things that I did not have nails, and I spent a year of podcasting madly recording podcasts the day before that was supposed to go live and did not make life easy on myself. And I think I’ve now got standard operating procedures and I have a person that’s helping me with podcast editing, and all of that sort of thing. 

And it’s just really streamlined what I do, it’s avenues to get ahead, coming up to, big important things in life running tab time off, and it’s been a complete game-changer for me. So that actually probably very similar to the points that I give to someone looking to start so thank you 

CLARISSA: Oh, no, that is okay. System processes change a lot when 

STEVIE: They do.I’m just starting to discover this is I stopped hiring andI’m like, wow, this is a whole new world I don’t have to do everything myself.

CLARISSA: And I know that there are people you’ve obviously got people helping you with editing, I’ve obviously got Emelia doing that. For me, it does make a big difference if you can afford it to add to make some of those components off. But by the same token, many of us begin by doing all of those pieces ourselves and that’s not a bad thing. Because at least then how it all works. And I think 

STEVIE: I think there’s value in kind of learning what’s involved in the process. 

CLARISSA: Yeah, 

STEVIE: And that’s so thin as well. So thank you so much, Clarissa, this has been so helpful and thank you so much for sharing your knowledge with everyone thinking about potentially starting a Poddy sometime in 2019 

CLARISSA: I say go for it.

STEVIE: That’s no joke guys. The best thing I’ve ever done for my business and it sounds you agree Yeah, definitely. Get on it. Get on it guys. How can people find out about you if they want to know a little bit more about all things Clarissa 

CLARISSA: Oh golly. I’m probably everywhere really I tie all over the web. But I guess my main websites plural Happy Lawyer Happy Life for anyone in the

STEVIE:  The legal game that’s sort of interested in that world. And then the Brisbane Family Law Center is my law firm. And yeah, you can find me on all good social media channels where I probably spent far too much time Don’t we all? And what’s the name of the Podcast.

CLARISSA: Happy Lawyer happy life. 

STEVIE: Go and subscribe guys. There’s an episode with me included. Well, how long ago was that?

CLARISSA: I’m gonna say at least a year ago. Yeah. 

STEVIE: Yeah it would, Actually, it was about nine months ago. 

CLARISSA:  Just about the program. 

STEVIE: Thank you very much. For that, I really appreciate having you on the podcast 

CLARISSA: No worries at all. 

STEVIE: And there you have it guys I hope you enjoyed that podcast interview as much as I enjoyed recording it. It hopefully has convinced you that podcasting is the best thing that you can do for your business. It has been for me and it definitely has been for Clarissa if you want to get started, and you want to know which microphone to buy, what software to use and what equipment you need. 

Head to steviesayssocial.com/80 and download the freebie there. You will also be notified when the podcasting startup podcast from scratch blueprint goes live very, very soon. Now if you enjoyed this episode, please I would be very grateful if you headed over to Apple podcasts if that’s what you’re listening and subscribed to be notified when new episodes go live every single Tuesday. And please leave me a rating and a review on Apple podcasts when you are they are now pretty much contrary to what all of the different podcasters say it has no bearing on who listens it has no bearing on the top, so anything along those lines, but I do love reading them and I would be so grateful if you would take a moment to go and leave a quick rating and a review there. Alright guys, I’m going to leave it there. I will see you next week.

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