To my own surprise, I’ve managed to achieve a number of things I never thought would be possible, most of which, early in my career, I never would have imagined doing at all:
- I got a PhD (surprise #1; I never wanted to go to grad school) from an ivy league school (surprise #2) – then decided not to go the tenured faculty route after all (surprise #3)
- I had a child in my 40s
- My main TED talk (I’ve given three – all of which were unexpected invitations) has nearly 7 million views
- I’ve been a guest on national TV news programs
- And I’ve run a successful business for 15 years and counting (>90% of all small businesses don’t make it past the first year).
I may not have set any world records, but I certainly consider them personal bests. At the very least, I’ve managed to surprise myself regarding what I’m capable of doing. And that’s a beautiful, self-empowering revelation.
Give it a try. Take five minutes over your morning coffee and ask yourself: what’s something you’ve achieved which your “younger self” would have looked at and thought, “Wow, I’m actually going to be able to do THAT?!”
Of course, some people aspire to more than just personal bests.
For example, this week on the Speaking to Influence podcast, my guest is Chris Krimitsos, founder of Podfest™ Multimedia Expo, who holds the Guinness World record for the largest attendance for a virtual podcasting conference in one week – not just once, but TWICE, for 2019 and 2021.
Chris is the guru of all things podcasting. And the fact is that nowadays, if you’re looking to expand your reputation as a go-to thought leader in your field, you need to be on podcasts. Whether you’re a host or a guest, or just aspiring to be one, Chris has insights about how to be the very best.
I loved our deep dive into:
- the unique relationship between podcasters and their audiences
- Why “facts tell and stories sell” (hint: “A listener gravitates more to a story than an expert opinion.”)
- how to create searchable and on-demand content
- what to bear in mind when pitching yourself to show hosts as a podcast guest
- How to be the kind of guest hosts want to invite back, and
- How to leverage podcasts to build your own thought leadership.
If you want to be viewed as relevant in this day and age, you won’t want to miss this!
Listen to the full conversation here or watch it on YouTube here.
