My experience as a first time Podcaster

Hi everyone!! I'm Teo, and, as you could already guess by the title, I have recently started my first-ever podcast, No Fixed Address, for UIC Radio. And let me tell you, it has definitely been an experience.

Before this, I had no real experience in the world of broadcasting. I had been a guest here and there on some podcasts, which I really enjoyed my time on, but I was never the one putting in the actual work of coming up with episode ideas, producing, or editing. So, when starting my own podcast, I naively assumed that podcasting would be easy. I really thought it would be as easy as sitting down, starting the recording software, yapping for a bit, and then uploading it. Spoiler alert: it was not like that! I found out incredibly fast that I had underestimated the preparation that goes into a podcast episode.

One of the biggest struggles for me has been figuring out what I want to talk about. I'll genuinely brainstorm ideas for hours on end, and somehow nothing ever seems "good enough" for an episode. I'll have a full episode outline written, and by the time I press record, I am already second-guessing everything. And I know, this is the perfectionist in me talking, but if I care about something, I want to feel like I'm doing it justice. And this podcast, I definitely care about.

(throw back to me recording my first podcast!!)

Even after I come up with an episode idea that I have (somehow) decided is good enough to be shared, it's time to record. This should be the easy, fun, and enjoyable part, right? Well, the moment I hit record, it's like I've never spoken a word of English in my life before. I'll find myself stumbling over the easiest words out there, or my accent will slip through the cracks a bit too much for my liking, so now I am stuck rerecording the same 5-word sentence at least 10 times. The first time I recorded a podcast, I found myself thirty minutes deep into my allocated recording time in the studio, and I only had like 3 minutes of usable audio.

But, even with all the self-doubt, hours of brainstorming, and rerecording everything at least 3 times, this process is growing on me. It's definitely all over the place at times, but it has been so cool realizing that I'm slowly getting more and more comfortable producing and recording my episodes. I get to create my own personal bubble, with my voice and my ideas, which is so incredibly exciting. It's also so rewarding to see everything come together at the end of a recording session. I'm always like, "Wow, I actually made this, all by myself!"

So yeah, I'm 6 episodes down, and still a long way to go from being a professional podcaster, but I'm figuring it out. I'm still overthinking every theme I choose, wondering if it's really good enough, and rerecording a million sentences, but I'm growing while doing it! I'm learning, experimenting with new things, and enjoying every step of the way. So, here's to more episodes, and hopefully fewer takes per sentence :)

To everyone who has listened to even one minute of my podcasts so far, thank you from the bottom of my heart!! And to those that haven't, come join us, every Thursday, 2-3 pm, at the No Fixed Address Podcast!!