Tales from a podcaster: Three things I’ve learned from my guests
It’s hard to believe that we’ve launched season 4 of our podcast, Run it Like a Girl. I’m grateful to the 80 women who have given their time and shared their stories. I started Run it Like a Girl with my brother because I love storytelling, and I love hearing stories from women who have managed to navigate their professional lives with great success. Brian wanted to be involved because he’s a teacher, and also a dad raising three daughters.
When we started our podcast we agreed that the stories we share would be from women across many fields. We weren’t interested in focusing only on women in corporate careers (although we certainly want to include them) but wanted to show our audience the endless career possibilities.
Here are three lessons I’ve learned:
1. It’s never too late to follow your dreams
Season 3 guest, Renee Brinkerhoff, owner of Valkyrie racing didn’t start racing until in her mid 50s. Before this she knew nothing about being a race car driver, but followed a 30 year urge and now owns her own team. Currently she is racing across every continent to raise money to help combat child trafficking.
Always remember, if there’s something you’re thinking of doing, but have second thoughts because of your age, don’t let that stop you.
2. Don’t listen to people that tell you that you can’t do something
One of my favourite guests is season 2 guest, Erica Oliver. Erica is the second woman from the ranks to become a combat diver in the Canadian military. People told Erica that she would never make it, but did she listen? No, she used it as motivation to make her dreams come true. Now, with a 20 year career behind her she has completed 4 international deployments including two in Afghanistan.
Always remember, just because someone says you can’t do something, doesn’t make it true.
3. If something doesn’t seem right, do something about it
Season 1, and Season 3 guest Anika Jess saw that women were under represented in sports, and as an avid sports fan that didn’t seem right. So, what did Ainka do? She started She’s4Sports, an organization that works to address gender equity and inclusion in sport.
Always remember, if there’s something that your passionate about, or you see something that doesn’t feel right, don’t stay quiet. Use your voice and an agent for change.
I’ve met so many amazing women hosting this podcast and it never ceases to amaze me how open, honest and giving my guests are. I appreciate every single one of my guests, and I’ve learned from each one. I’m also so grateful for our listeners who tune in to our episodes. It’s truly exciting to see our listeners climb, and I am so proud of the work my brother and I have done.
We’ve decided to release episodes weekly this year, and we’re already booking guests into January. If you know someone who has a great story they would like to share I would love to hear from you.