Is Podcasting Right for You? About six years ago I attended the B Corp Champions retreat in Los Angeles. In 2026, Champions Retreat will be in Milwaukee! These retreats are always inspiring, bringing passionate leaders together, who care about people and planet, sharing innovative ideas on making a difference. I started chatting with the person next to me in a session. She asked me if I would be interested in being interviewed for a podcast on Conscious Leadership. I was surprised by the invitation. “What would I have to say that people would be interested in hearing about?” I sheepishly said, “Sure!”. And that was my entrance into podcasting… (an accidental podcaster, I would say). The interview covered a range of topics related to my journey of starting my business. It was an easy conversation, and after we finished, I thought about how I could share some of the lessons of my own leadership journey that aligned with different service offerings of my business, Vista Global Coaching & Consulting. The hosts were generous to share the recording with me. From there, I broke the full recording into segments on different topics. That was the birth of the Minutes with Mary podcast. My core motivation at that point was to introduce several topics related to my business: leadership, the B Corp movement, and a new leadership program we were launching. In all honesty, I didn’t do the type of strategic thinking I usually do before launching a new service. I was prototyping the concept of hosting a podcast. Prototyping was a skill included in the leadership program. The first interview provided four episodes to establish the foundation of Minutes with Mary. These episodes were 5-15 minutes. Short and focused. It was another year before I produced another episode. That may sound shocking. Aren’t podcasts supposed to drop regularly? On a schedule? Well..what became clear to me as I went down this podcast road was, if I had something I thought would be interesting for listeners to learn about, then I would host an episode. If I gained new knowledge or skills, I would create a mini-series to accomplish two objectives: solidify my own learning and share it with my audience. Full confession: This is not an orthodox way to go about launching a podcast. I view Minutes with Mary as a resource to complement my business offerings. I use it for business development when a potential client is interested in that offering. I share episodes as a component of my marketing strategy. My path may not be helpful in your exploration of whether podcasting is right for you, so here is a more thoughtful framework to make that decision. Purpose & Vision Why do I want to start a podcast? What is the core message or theme? Who is the target audience? What value will listeners gain from each episode? Content & Format What format will the podcast take? (interviews, solo episodes, panel discussions) How long will each episode be? How often will I release new episodes? Will there be seasons or a continuous stream of episodes? Guest & Collaboration Will I have guests? If so, who and how will I find them? What kind of preparation will I need for interviews or guest episodes? Production & Tools What kind of equipment and software do I need for recording and editing? Do I need help editing, or will I do it myself? Where will I host the podcast? (e.g. Spotify, Podbean, Buzzsprout, Sound Cloud) Marketing & Growth How will I promote the podcast? What social media platforms or communities will I use? Do I want to grow my audience over time? If so, do I have a plan? Budget & Monetization What is my budget for launching and maintaining the podcast? Do I plan to monetize it? If so, how? (e.g. sponsorship, ads, Patreon) Success & Sustainability How will I measure success? (e.g. downloads, engagement, feedback) What will keep me motivated to continue producing episodes? If you are interested in exploring the topic further, join me for a discussion at the WeTheChange Monthly Membership virtual meeting on September 24, 2025 @ 2 pm Eastern Time. You can register for the session here. Or you can connect with me to discuss in a virtual coffee.
