My Journey to Becoming a Strategic Podcast Producer

Nowadays, I’m a bonafide podcast ninja, slicing through ums and uhs as a podcast producer for coaches. But that hasn’t always been my job! Deciding to become a strategic podcast producer and hiring a team are some of the best decisions I ever made for my business – if I had never done those two things, Leah Bryant Co. wouldn’t be what it is today! 

I was so grateful to be featured on an episode of The Mindshift Podcast with Darrell Evans (which I produce!) to talk about my journey from fraud investigator to podcast editor to strategic podcast producer. 

In addition to being a fantastic podcast host, Darrell is a serial entrepreneur, investor, and Co-founder of Yokel Local Internet Marketing. Working with Darrell has been absolutely incredible (you can read all about it in this case study!) 

Podcast Producer for The MindShift Podcast with Darrell Evans

Getting in front of the mic to be featured on The Mindshift Podcast was a truly lovely experience. Darrell is so talented at pulling amazing mindset details out of a person’s life, and I wanted to share the episode here along with my story!

Leah Bryant before Leah Bryant Co.

I actually started out my career as a bill collector, which…wasn’t the best fit 😆 Thankfully, my manager saw my talent for digging into the details and finding all the missing pieces of something to see how they come together. He mentioned that I should look into fraud investigation – which led to a ten-year career as a credit and debit card fraud investigator!

How I became a strategic podcast producer

I absolutely LOVED my job, but it was super stressful. When my husband, David, and I wanted to start a family, I decided that I’d be better off staying at home with my new baby. Once I was a stay-at-home-mom, I felt super blessed to be with my baby all day…but I also felt like I wanted to find something that would give me some mental stimulation and an identity of my own.

So I started to work as a virtual assistant, which definitely gave me plenty to do! While I was busy, it wasn’t my passion, and I wanted to see if there was another way I could make money that tied into something I already loved to do. I was – and still am! – a podcast aficionado, so I found Lauren Wrighton’s Podcast Manager Program…and the rest was history!

From strategic podcast producer to podcast producer for coaches

As soon as I leaned into something I LOVED doing, my business grew exponentially! At first, I was working with anyone who wanted to do a podcast, but it didn’t take long until I realized that if I really wanted to grow, I’d have to choose one client and speak directly to them and their needs. So, I niched down to serve coaches, helping them expand their marketing strategy business ecosystems with podcasts.

Running a business is a balancing act

I’m one of those people who naturally doesn’t need a ton of sleep – I love to get up super early in the morning and stay up late. Working in those quiet moments before everyone else is awake or after everything has settled down for the day is my jam! 

The best part about working for myself is getting to be the boss of my own schedule. At first, it was actually challenging to not tie myself down to the same old 9-to-5 mentality. I had to take a step back and realize it’s MY business, and I can do things however I like! Now, it’s one of my favorite things about being a business owner.

Expanding into a team

When I started working as a podcast producer for coaches, I had zero desire to start a team – I was kind of stubborn about wanting to do everything myself! Then I got really, really busy and I had to get honest about needing help. One of my favorite jobs was being the podcast editor, so I started outsourcing other elements, like transcriptions and show notes, to other people so I could make more space to work in my zone of genius.

At first, writing those checks to other people can be super scary!  What helped was switching my mindset away from the thought that I was giving something away, and instead thinking about how I was making more room to help more clients. Ultimately, that turned into more growth than I ever could have imagined…now, I work with a team of over a dozen fabulous women! 

What’s on the horizon for Leah Bryant Co.?

I love figuring out each new phase as it comes – right now, that looks like hiring even more women on my team, and launching new services (like the ProfitPod Launch Program I just launched with Sunny!) I feel so grateful to be able to work with my clients and team, doing what I love and helping them grow in their businesses!

Want to chat about all things podcast management?

Let’s hang out on LinkedIn or Instagram – send me a DM anytime!