Case Study: How Outsourcing Improved Podcast SEO & Growth

Leah Bryant [00:00:00]:
Welcome back to the Podcasting Problem Solver. I'm Leah Bryant, certified podcast growth Coach, producer, and your business growth sidekick. I help entrepreneurs and brands turn their podcasts into powerful marketing tools without burnout or winging it. And if podcasting has ever felt like just one more task on your already full plate, you are not alone. And today, I've got a very special guest, so someone I've had the privilege of working with behind the scenes. But now you get to hear her story front and center. She's someone who deeply understands the weight of leading a nonprofit, serving her community, and still wanting to show up well on her podcast. And in this episode, we're walking through what podcasting looked like before we teamed up, what changed, and how trusting a team made all the difference in how she shows up, shares her message, and protects her peace.

Leah Bryant [00:00:55]:
Whether you're thinking about outsourcing or switching teams, Chrissy's experience might be exactly what you need to hear. Before I bring her on, I want to officially introduce her. Chrissy Kirkman is the executive director of Finding Balance, the leading Christian nonprofit ministry dedicated to helping women find Jesus in the middle of their struggles with eating disorders and other food and body image challenges. She also hosts the Old School Food Freedom podcast, which is amazing, by the way. A former participant in FINDINGbalance's Lasting Freedom program, Chrissy understands firsthand the battle with food issues and the courage it takes to seek help. No longer a captive of diet culture, she is passionate about sharing the truth she's found and equipping others with hope and practical tools to walk in freedom. Chrissy, I am so pumped to have you here and to get to be on this side of the mic with you, because I'm usually behind the scenes, but welcome, welcome, welcome.

About Chrissy Kirkman and the Power of Podcast Community

Chrissy Kirkman [00:01:51]:
Thank you so much, Leah. It is thrilling to be here. We have so much fun together in general. So I was like, heck, yes, let's do this.

Leah Bryant [00:02:02]:
We do. We just always sing and laugh, and it's just so much fun.

Chrissy Kirkman [00:02:05]:
And it's a 90s party, like, all the time.

Leah Bryant [00:02:07]:
All the time.

Chrissy Kirkman [00:02:08]:
We have so much in common there, too. Yes, we get to kick it. Old school for sure.

Leah Bryant [00:02:15]:
Old school for sure. But I'd love to start off by rewinding a bit. When you first launched Old School Food Freedom, what did podcasting look like for you? Like, what was working? And then also on the other hand, too, because we all experienced this. What felt hard or overwhelming?

Starting a Podcast: The Challenges and Overwhelm

Chrissy Kirkman [00:02:35]:
Yeah. So podcasting was new to me. I was trying to learn it all mostly on my own, just on the Internet, whatever. I could find other podcasts, what I liked about certain podcasts, what I didn't like, and kind of just come up with a plan, sort of winging it, Jesus, take the wheel sort of thing. And as an executive director, I'm doing, we'll say, 90% of the work for the nonprofit ministry and a great team to help me, let's Maybe even say 85%, because this team is. Is really awesome, and they have always come alongside me to really support me, but there are a lot of, you know, balls being juggled in the air. And so it was a little scary to step into podcasting. And while I have talents and skills, I'm only one person.

Chrissy Kirkman [00:03:24]:
I'm not supposed to be just the only pilot flying the plane. And so it felt gentle to my spirit, gentle to the schedule at hand at any time to have someone come alongside me that knew some things. And so we ended up initially choosing a team. They're really. Their focus was marketing for Christian music artists and worship teams. And, you know, they were in Nashville and Kansas City and other places, and so that was their main lane. But they also had experience doing their own podcast. And so just some things unfolded, and I was like, let's do this.

Chrissy Kirkman [00:04:03]:
You know, can you do it? Well, sure, we can do it. And so they did it. It was a great experience. It helped us get off the ground. They did some of the heavy lifting initially to just get it smooth. Yet I was still taking on a lot of tasks that, you know, took me away from the other things I was supposed to do for a nonprofit ministry. And so it still felt overwhelming. Also, the thing, like, I knew it was going to be different, but until I joined Leah Branco, I.

The Difference a Specialized Podcasting Team Makes

Chrissy Kirkman [00:04:32]:
I didn't realize how different it would be to have someone who I know podcasting. I do podcasting. I'm a podcasting ninja. I keep it, you know, like, I know trends and what's working and what's changing, and I'm keeping up with that stuff. And I have other clients who are experiencing things and having issues of their own, and we're problem solving it together, right? And we're learning things, and then SEO comes into play, or all of those things were happening over here that weren't happening there. So what was really taking place is I was getting great editing, a little direction and some administration of, you know, the scheduling, the show notes, and things like that. So it was helpful. But there has been a significant improvement in, like, a million ways since Joining you.

Leah Bryant [00:05:23]:
Oh, that's so good to hear. And I'm so glad because that's exactly what I want LBC to be known for is A, that we care and two, that we make it easier. Because podcasting is hard, right? Like, it's a lot people don't realize. So in talking about that, it's a lot, was there anything that you found yourself spending way too much time and energy on? Like the stuff that felt like a full time job. And I know you mentioned some of it on top of what was your actual mission. Now you said that some of the podcast things was taking away from things that you wanted to focus on with your work. If you could speak just like into those pieces.

Outsourcing Podcast Tasks and Regaining Focus

Chrissy Kirkman [00:06:02]:
Your first episode of podcasting, Problem Solver, really opened my eyes to the fact that I was wasting and spending and wasting so much time worrying about the perfect title of every episode before I even hit record, before I really knew what direction the Lord was gonna take this in.

Leah Bryant [00:06:20]:
Right.

Chrissy Kirkman [00:06:20]:
I would stress out and I'm a creative person, but for some reason I kept facing these blocks, like mental blocks with titles. And then I listened, you know, six seasons in to the when you had your first episode and I was jotting down things, it took me probably an hour and a half just to get through that whole episode because I was making so many notes. It helped me improve. So I would say, literally listen to Leah, do not waste all this time because you and your team come up with great episode titles and sometimes there's another title that blends together right between what your team would say and what I'm thinking or something that was said in the podcast. So that was a lot of time I didn't need to spend and I think even just show notes could be really hard. I am not an SEO person. Can I learn it? Yes. And I think that's the thing.

Chrissy Kirkman [00:07:10]:
If you're starting a podcast, you're probably a self starter and you're probably got this initiative and you're performance driven. Maybe. But like, if you're that way, you might even feel like you have the ability to learn. Yes, you might, but is that what you're supposed to do? Like if someone else can help you and do it and do a really good job and I'm telling you, finding balance. Our old school Food Freedom podcast, we have seen analytics going through the roof. I can't believe it's still trending upward, upward, upward. We've never gone down. Lord Jesus, help.

Chrissy Kirkman [00:07:43]:
But like, but like it just keeps going up and I feel like it's this combination of everything your team provides. Yeah. Love it. Thank you. Thank you.

When to Seek More Podcast Support: Moving Past Fear & Overwhelm

Leah Bryant [00:07:52]:
Yes. No, I think it's a joint effort too. Right. Because it's. You lean on your community.

Chrissy Kirkman [00:07:57]:
Yeah.

Leah Bryant [00:07:58]:
You are taking their feedback, their suggestions, what they love and like really showing that and giving that back to them. And I think that that is also resonates with your audience because when you listen to what the people want.

Chrissy Kirkman [00:08:11]:
Yeah.

Leah Bryant [00:08:11]:
They're going to keep coming back. Right. Thank you for that. But I do think it's a joint effort, so, Yes. I love that so much. When you were working with the other team, at what point were you just like, okay, maybe I need more support with this podcast. And what led to that part of where you reached out?

Trust, Delegation, and Making the Leap

Chrissy Kirkman [00:08:32]:
I believe in God and Jesus and the Holy Spirit. And I kept feeling the Holy Spirit prompting me for probably, Leah, I'm so sad to say that it's that we didn't get this going sooner, but for minimum six months, I just kept feeling drawn back. Like I would find myself coming back to your website and scrolling through and you would send emails and I would read them top to bottom multiple times. And I learned so much from you. And I just kept feeling drawn back to you. And I brought it to my board of directors multiple times. And they're like, what are you waiting for?

Leah Bryant [00:09:08]:
And.

Chrissy Kirkman [00:09:09]:
And I'm like, I'm not sure. And so here's what I was waiting for. It felt too hard to think of. Even though I know it's not totally working for me, it's in a steady rhythm of I know what to expect, I know what to come. The thought of, I'm already overwhelmed, melting down half the time because of performance driven, perfectionist problems. Right.

Leah Bryant [00:09:30]:
Right.

Chrissy Kirkman [00:09:31]:
We're a work in progress. No shame on me. But like, it just felt like it would be too hard. And so I. I think fear kind of held me back for a while, but at some point I just made a plan. Like, I felt the Lord saying yes. The board was saying yes. My team was like, let's do this.

Chrissy Kirkman [00:09:47]:
And I just had to carve out time, make a plan. I contacted you. It went better than expected. And the other thing is you stayed in touch with me.

Leah Bryant [00:09:57]:
Yes.

Chrissy Kirkman [00:09:58]:
You've never been salesy. You've only been friendly and approachable and relatable. I think you and I just click right from the start too. So that helped. And we had a lot in common, so that kept me coming back. But like, when I was just overwhelmed and melting down a lot because it felt like too much on top of everything else. Like, I knew we had a good thing going and we were making an impact because people were telling us, you know, we were hearing that feedback, but I didn't want it to go away, but I couldn't sustain it the way it was.

Leah Bryant [00:10:28]:
Right. Well, I think, though, too, how brave of you to a, to step back and have that realization, like, okay, I have to push past my fears and really think about this and do what's best for not just you, but for everyone. Right? Yeah. And like, that leap of faith, I love that so much. And yes, like, the discovery call I had with you way back when was probably one of my favorite.

Chrissy Kirkman [00:10:54]:
Yay. It was good.

Leah Bryant [00:10:55]:
It was so much fun.

Chrissy Kirkman [00:10:57]:
It was fun.

Leah Bryant [00:10:58]:
It was so fun.

Chrissy Kirkman [00:10:59]:
I think we shed some tears too.

Leah Bryant [00:11:00]:
We did. We did.

Chrissy Kirkman [00:11:02]:
We totally did. It was awesome. Like, God was in it.

The Onboarding Experience: Trust, Alignment, and Process

Leah Bryant [00:11:05]:
Oh, it's so good. It's so good. And like, I am one of those people that, like, when I meet a podcaster and I truly believe in what they're doing with their podcast, like, I do want to keep up with them. I do want to, like, send unsolicited advice or suggestions.

Chrissy Kirkman [00:11:24]:
It's fine.

Leah Bryant [00:11:24]:
Memes and like, all the things. Right. And just like, I'm a person at the end of the day. So thank you for recognizing that. It's so good.

Chrissy Kirkman [00:11:31]:
You're welcome. Thank you for being you.

Leah Bryant [00:11:32]:
Thank you. Thank you. So you reached out. We had our call and sent all the formalities and did all that fun stuff. One part that I don't talk a lot about, and I would love to hear your answer to this because I'm always here to improve and make things better, but I would love to hear, and I want you to be honest, but like, the onboarding process with Leah Bryan, co, Like that transition with not just me, but also like, with the team with Brittany Wright. Your show notes, like, was it what you expected? Did it go okay? Any feedback? We just love to hear that experience.

Protecting Brand Voice & Mission During Transition

Chrissy Kirkman [00:12:08]:
Yeah. Okay. So I've already said I was scared. Here's another part. As executive director of a Christ centered nonprofit ministry, I am very protective of the messaging.

Leah Bryant [00:12:20]:
Yes.

Chrissy Kirkman [00:12:21]:
Because I want to make sure it's scriptural. It's my responsibility. It reflects on. Not just that, it reflects on me. And I want to make people happy, but it's like, I'm doing this work for the kingdom of God. I'm reflecting Jesus. And so I want to make sure everything that's being said and shared and in show notes aligns with our ministry and our mission and scripture. And so that was really scary for me to think of, like, bringing anyone else in.

Leah Bryant [00:12:48]:
Right.

Chrissy Kirkman [00:12:48]:
And so there was a lot of fear and just nervousness and, like, treading lightly. But, I mean, I just prayed about it. I kept putting it in the Lord's hands, and he kept bringing me back. So I'm like, okay, we're gonna. I'm gonna step out of the boat, and I'm gonna walk on water with you, and I'm not looking around.

Leah Bryant [00:13:03]:
I love it.

Chrissy Kirkman [00:13:04]:
I'm not gonna sink. Let's just do this. And so the onboarding process was so much better than I thought it was. Literally, it was fun. Like, we had fun. And I felt immediately it was like, whatever cinder block was, like, on my chest, it was removed. Because I could see from the start, from our first meeting, like, everything I thought about you was real. You know, what you're doing.

Chrissy Kirkman [00:13:28]:
This isn't your first rodeo.

Leah Bryant [00:13:30]:
Right.

Chrissy Kirkman [00:13:31]:
You clearly are here to support me. Like, I already felt supported. Like, you are willing to do this, this, this, and this, and even some things that you were willing to do. I almost felt guilty. Like, I felt guilty that I would allow you to do those things and. And thinking, no, that's your responsibility. Like, you know, the little voice in your head that's like, no, shame on you, and, you know, shame off me. How about, like, we are paying you to do this service.

Chrissy Kirkman [00:13:55]:
It's okay to say, oh, you're here. We're aligned. Let's do this. And so it was fun. It was easy. There were some things that, like, were a little bit, like, okay, I've gotta just work through this part and get used to this new way, or, you know, it's a new process and just, you know, just newness of those things. Yeah, yeah. But, like, Brittany's been great, and I would love to say this with show notes.

Chrissy Kirkman [00:14:20]:
Like, if there was something that I thought, oh, I can see how we would word it different, that would be more in alignment with finding balance, or especially the fact that we are dealing with eating disorders and food and body image issues and how it aligns with scripture and what Jesus says about it. So there are some things that I could tweak. And I used to feel guilty in the beginning. Like, maybe I couldn't. Like, no, no, you give me full permission. Like, if you're worried about, like, well, I still have full permission. Yes, you can totally still tweak those things, and no one's gonna get upset, and you're not gonna hurt anyone's feelings. And that's the Cool thing about Brittany and about you, Leah, is that you're learning this space that, you know, you previously knew really probably little about like Christ Centered Eating Disorder, resources and support.

Chrissy Kirkman [00:15:04]:
So you're learning as you go. And I see that you both constantly absorb the. That new information. So you're sponges and we're all kind of sponges soaking up information all over the place.

Leah Bryant [00:15:15]:
Yeah, I love that so much. And yes, that's like, even though, like we are maybe like doing the editing and content editing. Right. Like maybe taking out pieces that we seem or leaving things in or whatever. But it also goes with the show notes, like writing show notes and trying to capture finding balances, tone. And this goes with any podcast that we work with. At the end of the day, it's your podcast and it's your brand. And we wanna make sure that what we're putting forth is meeting the standards that you have for like everything that you would do.

Leah Bryant [00:15:46]:
Yes. Even though we may do something always, like, feel free to. And you have like, we've talked through editing pieces before where I may have thought one thing. You have thought one thing. And then like when we've talked about it, it's like, oh, that makes so much more sense. Or you know, like just the point of view where you're coming from. And it's all really just about a collaborative and not just, oh, this is someone that is doing this. For me, it's really just more of like a joint effort.

Leah Bryant [00:16:10]:
Right. I think that really matters, especially like when someone cares about what they do. I just think that's really great. So thank you for sharing that.

Chrissy Kirkman [00:16:17]:
You're welcome.

Results, Impact & Validation: How Outsourcing Grows a Podcast

Leah Bryant [00:16:18]:
So I know you've said this quite a bit, but was there a moment where you were like, oh, my goodness, thank you, Jesus. This was the right decision.

Chrissy Kirkman [00:16:30]:
Leah. There were so many. I'm not sure that I could even pinpoint, like, I felt that so many times and I would come back and tell my team and tell the board and look, numbers are not everything. So while, yes, we just recently hit a milestone of 25,000 downloads and we have quickly surpassed that in that now we're seeing that we have more downloads per week per episode. So I'm just seeing this upward trend and we. Well, I think what I feel in that and see in that is that it's translating to people are coming to finding balance. They are taking our eating issues tests to know, like, do I have an eating disorder? Do I have just eating struggles? Or, you know, where do I stand with this? They're taking our eating Issues test. They're doing that, or they're signing up for our prayer group interest form, and they're stating that they learned about us through the podcast more now than we've seen seen in the past.

Chrissy Kirkman [00:17:27]:
And so that is the call to action. It's working.

Leah Bryant [00:17:30]:
Yes.

Chrissy Kirkman [00:17:31]:
We're getting this message of freedom out there. People are resonating with it, and they're coming back. So I think the more I see that happening, it's this ripple effect of, like, I still am having that feeling is like, this was the right move at the right time. Thank you, Jesus.

Leah Bryant [00:17:49]:
I love that so much. I know you've said this before. I don't know if you said it since we've been recording. Oh, my gosh. Thanks, Perry. Menopause. Yes.

Chrissy Kirkman [00:17:58]:
We're in it.

Leah Bryant [00:17:58]:
But I do know that you have said that it feels like we are part of your team.

What It Feels Like When Your Podcast Vendor Becomes Part of Your Team

Chrissy Kirkman [00:18:05]:
Yes.

Leah Bryant [00:18:05]:
Um, not just like, the subcontractors doing the work. I would love to hear what that means to you.

Chrissy Kirkman [00:18:12]:
Totally. I feel like I can message you on Slack and let you in on something or ask your thoughts or opinion or. I'm thinking about this. What are your thoughts? Because I know that's your lane and you know there's a dead end and you're not gonna let me just crash off the end of it if you can help it. And you'll always give, like, your insight and your expertise, and you still say, and whatever you decide is fine. Like, you always put it back in my lap. So I remember I have the agency to make this decision on my own, but I'm gonna offer you my feedback since you asked, like, some of my thoughts. And so that always feels good.

Chrissy Kirkman [00:18:51]:
And I think just, again, the permission to be able to make edits and changes and to voice those and not feel guilty. Like, sometimes we just feel like we can't use our voice. We can't speak up for our needs. We communicate well. Same with Brittany. Like, I know I could message her if I needed to or get a message through you to her. And I don't know, y' all just feel like part of our team big time.

Bringing Strategy and SEO Into Your Podcast Growth

Leah Bryant [00:19:14]:
I love that so much. Now I want to switch gears a bit. And at the end of April, beginning of May, I became a Certified Podcast Growth Coach. And with that certification, I learned a lot of new things in particularly about SEO as it pertains to the podcast players and just, like, strategic ways to do things within the player to help bring more listeners to you and, like, really to lean into that strategic piece. And I want to touch base on this, because part of that was I had sent over a Google Doc with like, some suggestions about keywords, some description updates, and just, like, things that we could do strategically within Buzzsprout, where you host, that could really drive forth change. And what I love about this the most is that wasn't met with resistance. You met that with, oh, my gosh, I love this so much, and here's my thoughts. And I think that that was really impactful because after that, you also saw a bump in your numbers within the 30 days of doing that.

Leah Bryant [00:20:19]:
And I think that that really shows not just to your willingness to change, but your willingness to be able to want to reach more people for that full impact of what you do and bringing that ministry in, helping people find you and Jesus and all the things. And I think that's just really great. And if you have anything to add to that, I would love to hear.

Chrissy Kirkman [00:20:40]:
The process at first, when it came, it came during a busy time. So in my initial, if I'm being real, like, my initial feeling was, oh, this is a brain space I wasn't prepared for. Like, not that it was any. You know, I just. My brain had to get it, so I had to time box and, like, create time to do that. But then once I got rolling again, it was sort of fun. It was like, okay, this is new. And, yeah, let's go there and, like, really, let's think about what we're thinking about or what we haven't really been thinking about.

Chrissy Kirkman [00:21:06]:
You know, like, sometimes we're just in that high pace and we don't know how to slow it down. We don't know where the break is. And so, so true. So it helped a lot, and it was incredible. Once we identified those different criteria and you started putting in place whatever you learned, I'm telling you, it was, I don't want to say instant, right. Really quickly we saw big change, and it's not stopped. Like, it's making a difference.

Leah Bryant [00:21:34]:
And that's so good. I love that so much. And I think that also speaks too, to the content that you're putting out there, right? The thought and the strategicness and leaning into your community and everything that you do as, like, the host. And then what finding balance does, I think that really just is a testament to all the hard work that you're doing. So pat yourself on the back, too. So good. Okay.

Chrissy Kirkman [00:21:55]:
No, I patted myself on the back.

Leah Bryant [00:21:57]:
I love it.

Chrissy Kirkman [00:21:58]:
Also, strategery. Can we just say strategery? Remember that? I love it. I think that was 90s SNL. That was a little. Little George Bush. I love it. Strategy.

Leah Bryant [00:22:12]:
Sorry, I'm going to have to start using that.

Chrissy Kirkman [00:22:16]:
What is this podcasting? Problem solver. Strategery.

Leah Bryant [00:22:21]:
Can't even say it.

Chrissy Kirkman [00:22:22]:
No. Easy for you to say.

Leah Bryant [00:22:25]:
Oh, my goodness.

Chrissy Kirkman [00:22:26]:
This is what we do behind the scenes. We just go there and it just makes it fun.

Leah Bryant [00:22:30]:
Right.

Chrissy Kirkman [00:22:30]:
Like it does.

Leah Bryant [00:22:31]:
Because podcasting shouldn't be. Even though it may be part of your job, like, either, like my side and your side, I think it should still also be fun because if you're not enjoying it, then you could hear that in your voice. You could totally hear that in your voice and, like, what you put forth in your content. But now with all the changes and all the things that we've done, and thinking back to when you first started and where you are now, what would be something you would say is your favorite part of podcasting process now?

The Rewards: Listener Feedback and Community Impact

Chrissy Kirkman [00:22:58]:
My first thought was hearing feedback from the listeners, and it's happening more and more now that I receive actual emails. People aren't really using our speak pipe as much. And maybe it's that I need help knowing how to say things that will get them to maybe want to take, because in the beginning, I think we had one or two, but, like, it's been out there for a couple years now, and, like, I guess I just need some. So here you can hear this process, Leah. I need some assistance, like, figuring out what calls to action or what I need to say to help them to take that next step. But anyway, hearing the feedback from our listeners, getting emails, getting texts, they bring things up in our community, and then it gets everyone all stirred up, which is really cool. And that it's not just something we're doing for entertainment. It's making a real difference.

Chrissy Kirkman [00:23:50]:
Our mission is happening when people feel Jesus, see Jesus, experience Jesus right in the middle of their struggles with food and body image or, you know, over exercise or whatever, is out of balance. They're being met with grace and love and compassion, and we're helping to remove the shame and remove the condemnation that we feel when we struggle with these issues. And so mission accomplished. Every time I hear that, and for every email or every piece of feedback I receive or our team receives, how many more are not taking the step to spend the time? Right. So it's working.

Leah Bryant [00:24:31]:
Yeah, because you think about it, 25,000 downloads equates to 25,000 people.

Chrissy Kirkman [00:24:36]:
Yeah.

Leah Bryant [00:24:36]:
I mean, that's a lot of lives that are being changed by listening to the podcast. Gosh, I have cold chills just thinking about that. I mean, it's amazing, right? It's so good. So good, so good. So all of that said, what would you say to someone who's maybe afraid to give up control because this kind of feels like the way that you were or feels nervous about, like, outsourcing something that is so personal.

Advice for Podcasters Nervous to Outsource: Overcoming Fear

Chrissy Kirkman [00:24:59]:
Yeah, I get it. I see you. I was there and you heard me. Like, it took a solid six months of just thinking about it and dreaming about it and feeling pulled. I was literally feeling pulled. And even in my being pulled, there was that fear of just like you're saying, feeling nervous. I'm out. This is so personal.

Chrissy Kirkman [00:25:21]:
I mean, this may be a podcast that. It's your podcast and it's your voice and. And you are only one person. And with cell phones and just an age of technology, like, this is just the age that we live in, right? That we are being conditioned and have been conditioned for years to consume more. And I'm talking digital, just information and do more and do more. You have a limited capacity. Your body and your mind need rest. You need a support system that can come alongside you.

Chrissy Kirkman [00:25:51]:
That's what Leah Bryant co. That's what she does. That's what her team does. That is what it's there for. And so I know I felt really hesitant in the beginning with those aspects and was immediately met with just a relief. That cinder block that you feel in your guts, in your. On your chest, was just like. And then my shoulders kind of just like my body sort of settled in and I could just take this big, deep, cleansing breath or five and like, okay, this is going to be okay.

Chrissy Kirkman [00:26:21]:
This is going to be good. And I've never regretted it for a second.

Leah Bryant [00:26:25]:
I love that so much. And thank you. That means a lot to know that, you know, my mission, that everything that I want LBC to do, that we are doing it, and that, you know, it's being felt by our clients. And it's nice to hear at the end of the day. So thank you.

Chrissy Kirkman [00:26:40]:
You're welcome. My pleasure. Thank you.

How to Connect with Chrissy Kirkman & Finding Balance

Leah Bryant [00:26:43]:
Okay, so, Chrissy, thank you so much for sharing your journey with us and your transparency, but also your voice and your mission and your trust. It means the world to me and to everyone at lbc. I just want you to know that. And before we officially wrap up, I would love for you to tell folks where they can connect with you, support your ministry. If there's anything that's coming up you would love for people to know about, feel free to share all the things. And I will also put everything into the show notes too. So don't worry about making notes. Just listen and enjoy what Chrissy has to say.

Chrissy Kirkman [00:27:18]:
Yeah. So you can come to findingbalance. Com when you search Finding Balance, by the way, in Google or wherever you search. All one word. Finding balance. Finding is all caps. Balance is lowercase. There's balance in that.

Chrissy Kirkman [00:27:32]:
I don't know. But anyway, when you do Finding balance as two words, you can come up with a lot of different things that some are just not aligned with where we are. But Finding balance. Com, if you feel like you struggle and you're not sure, like, where you stand with eating disorders, we have a free eating disorder test that you can take just to kind of see what you're up against. And we have so many resources and things that will help you. One that's really good that you might find helpful is we have a. It's called the Daily Vitamin E Devotional. So five days a week, or if you just want to get in on Mondays, you can select that option, but it'll come to your email inbox.

Chrissy Kirkman [00:28:10]:
And it kind of starts your day with a scripture and a devotional that's related to food, body image, all of those things, and what God says, if that is important to you. So if once you sign up for that, then you'll be on our list to receive information and newsletters and free things and specials that we have. And that would be really cool. You can follow us on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, all of those things. And then we have a hello Freedom community that is under development right now. And so we hope and pray that that will be ready to go live in January when diet culture is screaming at you, gaslighting you, telling you all about how horrible you are, how horrible you look, how you need to get it together. So come hang out with us.

Leah Bryant [00:29:00]:
Hello, Freedom.

Chrissy Kirkman [00:29:01]:
Hello, Freedom. Right? I mean, honestly, so good.

Leah Bryant [00:29:04]:
And I will say I. I am on your daily email and there is not a day that goes by that I don't open that up. And I was like, oh, my gosh. This was written just for me. It's so amazing.

Chrissy Kirkman [00:29:14]:
Oh, listen. I found finding balance in 2019. That's when God showed me I had never even heard of him. We've been around since 2002, and when he led me there, that was the experience I had back then. And it's 2025 and I'm still feeling that way. I mean, I love it. I still receive them. I open them every morning.

Chrissy Kirkman [00:29:34]:
And there are times where it Just brings me to tears. Like, God, you're listening, you're real. You're like clearly seeing that I needed to read this. Thank you. Just these whispers. Yeah. It's so sweet.

Leah Bryant [00:29:43]:
Yes. It's so good. I also want to say that while working on your show, I'll share my most impactful episode for me, which it might be the same as you. I'm not a hundred percent sure. Actually, I'll let you share first.

Chrissy Kirkman [00:29:57]:
Oh, okay. Well, I would say it's the social media reset where we're unplugging and reconnecting with God and reclaiming our joy. And the guest was Ali Marie Smith. And so that was the first time she came on. And then a few weeks or months later, she came back because she, in that episode, she challenged me kind of just like sister to sister and supportive challenged me to do a social media break, a reset.

Leah Bryant [00:30:25]:
I love it.

Chrissy Kirkman [00:30:26]:
And you would have thought I was a drug addict in the middle of an intervention. Leah, you were there behind the scenes. You heard it. I was flipping out. I don't think it comes across as scary as it was in the moment, but it was enough where Allie was like, did I push you too hard? I'm so sorry if I did. I was like, no. It's just clear that it's a problem. It's a problem for me.

Chrissy Kirkman [00:30:47]:
And I had been writing in my prayer journal, Lord, I feel like my phone is a chain around my ankle. Like I feel bound by this. Help me. So he sent her to help me in the middle of this recording. And she had just written a book that wasn't out yet. Social Media Reset by Ally Marie Smith. And it's actually out now. And we got our copy.

Chrissy Kirkman [00:31:08]:
Right? Like you got a copy too, right?

Leah Bryant [00:31:09]:
Yes.

Chrissy Kirkman [00:31:10]:
And so anyway, I did a social media reset because of that. I am not the same. My relationship with social media is totally different. And when I talk about a cinder block off my chest, I didn't know there were so many cinder blocks holding me down. And most of them stemmed from my relationship with social media and technology. Yeah. So I would say that would be mine. And then we did a follow up episode to see how it was going.

Chrissy Kirkman [00:31:34]:
And that just came out. And so that would be my second one, I guess, just because it feels impactful, because it made a difference, like immediately in my life.

Leah Bryant [00:31:42]:
Yes. And that's episode 62 and 67. I will link both of those for you below. Those episodes have probably impacted me the most. Of all the ones that you've done that I've been a part of. I just. There's just something about a lot of technology these days and just hearing your story within that. And then there was just so much that came up and it was just so good.

Leah Bryant [00:32:02]:
So you'll have to go listen. I'll link all of that below. But yes. So if you're listening right now and thinking, I want podcasting to feel like that, come say hi. You don't have to do this alone. I am here to help out. You'll find links to the Old School Food Freedom Podcast and all the ways to connect with Chrissy down in the show notes. Go give her a follow and support the incredible work that she's doing.

Leah Bryant [00:32:28]:
Until next time, friends. Keep your mic on and your mission loud. But above all, keep it seamless and I'll see you next week.