Becoming happier in a year of devastation and anxiety
I was rather proud of how well I held up in 2020 despite everything thrown my way. The loss of my job was a silver lining. Family illnesses taught me the importance of the present. Staying home allowed me to grow my business.
Yet, we entered into autumn and changed our clocks. More darkness, cooler weather, and the imminent “how do we celebrate the holidays this year?” settled into my anxiety-prone brain.
I about lost it.
Something needed to change because I was right on track for burnout and an anxiety attack. …
Solopreneur | Podcast Manager | Cat Mom
Bio
Hi there! I’m Kristi Jacobsen — a solopreneur, podcast manager, traveler, Canadian, equestrian, and cat mom. I’m also currently a Senior Customer Service Manager, but I’ll be breaking free from the customer service life in March 2021 to become a content creator and podcast consultant.
I’m a 34-year old Los Angeles resident with a passion for travel and a desire to become a digital nomad (when it’s safe, of course). My family and I moved to the United States in 1994 and I grew up in New Jersey. …
5 Things to Do Instead of Scrolling Through Social Media
How many times do you pick up your phone in a day to scroll social media? And how long do you spend on apps like Instagram or Facebook?
My phone tells me I spent 8 hours and 5 minutes on Instagram last week alone.
That’s a lot of screen time. Yes, some of it was for my business, but I estimate that time was only around 30 minutes.
7.5 hours spent scrolling through Instagram in one week. Yikes!
Work from home and quarantines gave us greater access to picking up our phones, and social distancing prevented us from interacting in…
Let go of perfectionism
Gone are the days of airbrushed, photoshopped, and autotuned perfection. Audiences today crave authenticity.
Authentic brands, podcasts, and other media create a like-know-and-trust factor with audiences. People want to connect with and buy from brands they feel represent them, live up to their brand promise, show their true selves, and connect with their customers.
In fact, eighty-six percent say that authenticity matters when deciding what brands to like and support (Forbes).
So how can you create authentic content as a podcaster without divulging your deepest secrets?
Know Your Why
When planning your podcast, understand why you want to start one. If you’re going…
Key skills to be productive and stay connected in a remote work environment
2020 saw a complete shift in the workforce. Office employees once confined to cubicles and tiny offices now worked from bedrooms and kitchen tables. Cats and dogs (and for some, kids) replaced chatty co-workers and over the shoulder supervisors.
Employees learned how to self-motivate, stay productive, adapt to new environments, and communicate with colleagues and employees. There was also a tech adaptation, with roommates and spouses sharing WiFi, less access to office supplies, and a lack of hardware such as scanners and printers.
Work from home is frustrating for some, but others found an opportunity in the change — a…
Understanding your podcast goals and objectives is key to choosing the right hosting platform
One of the first questions I’m asked in podcast consulting meetings is how to get a podcast on Apple or Spotify.
It’s not quite as simple as uploading to Apple Podcasts or Spotify. The podcast distribution model is very similar to the music streaming model — there’s a middle man that helps get your content out to the world.
Just as platforms like DistroKid and TuneCore help artists get their music onto Apple Music and Spotify, podcast hosting platforms help distribute your podcast to the listening platforms.
What do hosting platforms do?
A hosting platform is a place where your…
Stay-at-home travel ideas for the wanderluster
Be honest — are you itching to book a flight halfway around the world just to get out of the house?
We all hit the big red pause button on international and even domestic travel when the pandemic hit in March. With travel restrictions, health advisories, and our communities’ wellness in mind, we canceled trips and sat on our couches waiting for the “all clear” from government officials.
Except, nearly a year later, and we’re still waiting.
And if you’re itching to get on a plane and find yourself in a new destination, then know you’re not alone. I had…
The exclusivity has me hesitating to say “yes”
Clubhouse exploded on to the scene in the last few months, and my Facebook feed quickly filled with requests for invites, mentions of clubs, and how-to guides.
Not sure what Clubhouse is? Here are the basics: it’s an audio-based social media app that connects people from around the world through “rooms.” Users can hop in and out of subject-based rooms, connect with other users, and have impromptu conversations.
I registered at the beginning of the month by invite and joined clubs for podcasting, marketing, and entrepreneurship, among others.
As a podcasting club member, a room popped up in my notifications…
Why focusing on one thing at a time is more productive
We’ve all seen it before, a job listing that includes “multitasking” as a desired job qualification. My job description and my employees’ job descriptions include it.
I once prided myself on being able to multitask. Answer the phone, hand motion something to a colleague, and continue on an email. Jump between data entry, emails, and helping co-workers. I was effective at my job by multitasking, or so I thought.
Within the first week of work-from-home, I realized how ineffective I was when multitasking. …
It’s about time podcasts had a social network
First, we had last.fm to track and share our music listening habits, favorite albums and artists, and connect with fellow audiophiles.
Then came Goodreads, a social cataloging website for book lovers and a popular place to receive recommendations and join book clubs.
Yet platforms to catalog and share podcasts remained elusive. Sure you could share podcasts and episodes on social media, but it’s not the same as seeing all your friend’s favorite podcasts in one place.
Until now.
Enter Goodpods, a podcast player and social space launched mid-pandemic.
Though the app is in its infancy, it holds promise. There isn’t…
