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So... how are you doing? Are you okay out there? I'm doing much better this week, mostly because I tried to avoid the all-too-heavy topics I got into last week.
One of the things I'd like to do with my show is to do a check-in with you, the working podcaster, trying your best to survive under conditions forced upon us by a stupid virus. And vice versa. I’ll start.
Obviously, we're on lockdown. And by “we” I mean me, who always works the studio I’ve built in our home, as well as and my lovely wife, Sheila Dee, who’s been on Work From Home orders for a couple of weeks now. We’re both doing great, getting along just fine in close-quarters.
The less-than-great news is that we’re both presenting slightly elevated fevers. No other symptoms to speak of -- no cough, no shortness of breath, no loss of smell or taste -- other than a little sleepiness that comes with an elevated temperature.
Yes, we have called into our local COVID19 hotline and described our symptoms, travel history, and possible exposure vectors with medical professionals. They’ve advised us to do what we're doing: quarantine at home.
So we are. We're reading to the grandkids a couple of nights a week, but via video. Much in the same way we’re staying in touch with friends and family, as well as how I stay connected with clients. Which is always the way I’ve interacted with clients, as clients of my firm are scattered around the world.
With that out of the way (and really, we’re fine), I want to let a couple of other working podcasters have some time to share how the COVID19 pandemic has impacted their work. Notable, Sam Walker from Sam Walker’s Desert Diaries as well as Thom Rigsby from 7 Minutes In The Morning. I’m including the highlights of their comments in this article. You can read the full transcript below or listen to their audio comments on the podcast.
Sam Walker: Hi Evo. My name is Sam Walker and I used to be a broadcast host on the BBC for nearly 20 years before I quit my entire life and moved to Phoenix, Arizona last year. See the podcast, Sam Walkers Desert Diaries for details.
I also work as a podcast developer and editor, working with a bunch of clients both in the UK and the States. For a lot of my clients, it's kind of business as usual. Other than the approximately 48,000 (OK, slight exaggeration) calls over the last few weeks with clients asking me, ”How can I do my interview show now that I can no longer be in the same room as people?”
Also, I've been talking to a lot of people about changing the entire nature of their podcast. One of the podcasts I make for women's business organization, Northern Power Women, is usually taped in front of a live studio audience every month. Clearly that isn't going to happen for a while. But there’s still an active network of thousands of senior business leaders who all find themselves sitting and working from home thinking, “What the heck do I do?”
So we've completely reshaped that whole podcast and will switch from a monthly hour-long podcast to a weekly 15-minute podcast. And now it’s all about the challenging times and how to work through it.
From a personal point of view, it’s been really weird. I've really realized that I like sitting in my little home studio, editing, developing, writing frameworks and narratives for large podcasting products… all of that is great!
What’s less great is these little people knocking on the door every five minutes, which is really challenging. Especially when my brain is right in the middle of trying to work out quite a complicated structure for something. Or when I'm trying to talk a stressed-out client in the UK off the ledge. And all while this tiny human is distressed that they've got orange squash all of the front of their shirt. (Do you know what orange squash is? No. Let's move on.)
And I do miss meeting you for coffee, Evo. Let’s put that on the diary calendar for what, five or six months’ time?
Thom Rigsby: Hey there. Evo. This is Tom Rigsby from what is usually a five day a week video podcast called 7 Minutes In The Morning. I say normally five days a week because this whole Coronavirus thing has caused us to switch to seven days a week.
And we changed our content model to focus on the things that business owners and leaders need to focus on today to survive this virus outbreak. And once we are over the hump and are ready to reboot our businesses on the other side, we’re helping our listeners prepare for recovery. Because there’s some real worry around how businesses will be able to fulfill all those orders, do those services, and generally get back in the swing of things when restrictions are lifted.
And I do try to include that little bit of inspiration, like a quote of the day or something, so that we're not always talking about doom and gloom.
And finally, we're nurturing our thriving community of business owners and leaders that participate in the show every day. Some participate while the show is live. Some follow up later on in the comments. There's a lot of chatter that goes on in between the members of the community, and that's fantastic. We want to really promote and facilitate that. Especially right now. Because it's always difficult for business owners to have the support and nurturing that they need. Business owners often see the world differently. Connecting with other people that see the world differently as well can be a real encouragement. When times are especially tough, it's great to know that you're not out there alone.
I’m happy to report that our listenership is up, as is the number of people participating in the live show
I wish both Sam and Tom the best and express my thanks or sharing their thoughts. And yes, I want you to share your story with me. Send me your audio clips of how you're doing as a working podcaster. What does the pandemic mean to you? And how have you been impacted? Keep the clip to a minute or two and send it to me at evo@podcastlaunch.pro.
I shall be back on Monday with yet another Podcast Pontifications.
Cheers!
Podcast Pontifications is written and narrated by Evo Terra. He’s on a mission to make podcasting better. Allie Press proofed the copy, corrected the transcript, and edited the video. Podcast Pontifications is a production of Simpler Media.