Why You Need to Start a Podcast with Mary Gooden

Jillian

Hi, Mary. How are you today?

Mary

Oh, I'm so fine, Jillian. How are you?

Jillian

I'm great. Thank you so much for being on today. I am excited to chat.

Mary

Yeah, me too. I love talking about podcast and anything related to sharing our voices and visions with the world. Yay.

Jillian

Yes. I am all about sharing our voices and getting our message out because you'll never get what you want if you don't ask for it.

Mary

Oh my gosh, it's so funny that you said that. I've been saying that all week. I just hosted some guests here in Sedona, and it's so true. You're only going to be able to receive that which you're willing to ask for.

Jillian

Yes, I know. Our voices hold so much power. They do. So to begin with, I would love for you to tell us about you, your business, and how your podcast ties into all of it.

Mary

Oh, absolutely. So, again, my name is Mary Gooden. I'm moving into Mary Gooden Hamilton. I'm taking my husband's name five years. It's coming. It's happening. So I need to start using it right, because it's my voice. I am CEO and founder of Divine Destiny Publishing. And I am in eternal service. I'm a fully embodied channel for divine feminine, Christ, consciousness, energy. I am an eternal service. I mean, I can wrap it all up into one big bow, and it really is all part of the big mission to restore the highest frequency of unconditional love. So as a number one international best selling author and publisher, we use books to share voices and visions of magical humans all over the world that are sharing truth of how we came here to create lasting change in all kinds of ways, transformation and divine love. And as far as bringing this energy into podcast form, it was kind of a nobrainer. I was just telling Jillian Grover, for three years, I had been asked both physically by another human, like, do you have a podcast or when are you starting your podcast? And a lot of times it was in the yoga studio. I owned a yoga studio, so I was constantly sharing the message right. Sending the vibes out, sharing the frequency. And three years. Three years it really took me to finally say, I can do this. And I don't think it was about what to say. It was more about the technical aspects. And I'm one that like, I just want to do everything myself. So literally, just like we do with our stories and our voices in everything we get in our own way.

Jillian

Yes, definitely. Yes. I know we're our biggest stopper of doing things, and half the things we worry about never happen, ever.

Mary

It's so true, right? I mean, we can make them happen, but it's just so interesting how we can play out our circumstances, but, you know, so much forgiveness in the world because it's just what they taught us.

Jillian

Yes. How did you handle that text side. So you had your message, but yeah, when you got into it, did you Google or how did you handle it?

Mary

I'll tell you the magical story that the universe provided for me as I was set. I was in publishing. I started my publishing company early in 2021, and that just aligned me to wanting to be a guest on podcasts. So the more I started to get my feet wet and understand Zoom, because we have this amazing evolution that took place over the last three years, and we had to learn how literally, when that happened, and I had to shut my yoga studio down, and I was like, I teach physical yoga. I was like, I've got to learn how to use Zoom because I've got to get this stuff. It wasn't that I could just shut me down and not serve, so I had to learn how to use Zoom. So that made it easy. And then shout out to my dear friend Pamen Lorenzo. He was the first podcast interview I did, and his podcast was Leaders With a Heart. And I went on and I wanted also to be able to connect with him and build a relationship so I could send my authors there and get my authors used to speaking on podcasts. And so he miraculously, towards the end of the year, him and I had been collaborating for six or seven months. He started a class on how a challenge, like a chorus on launching your podcast in three weeks, and all those technical barriers, you kind of brought everything to the surface, and it really made me realize that I could just get on Zoom and do this thing. And I still tried to after I even started recording Ted episodes, I still tried to put a deflection in place.

Jillian

Yes. We try to make it more difficult than it is.

Mary

I'll tell you about that. Yeah. I wasn't impressed with the video because I'm so animated, and I don't generally re watch anything that I have video, but with podcast, I had to. And I was watching my first ten episodes, and I'm like, These videos don't look good. Look at you. And I got really and I said no. So I launched my podcast in March 2022 as an audio podcast, and it is titled Shiny Your Soul Light sharing the Voices of Visionaries, leading in the Golden Age.

Jillian

That's awesome. Yeah. We find a way. Like, things come to us. Like his course came to you at the right time when you were supposed to receive it. What would you say was your biggest fear around starting the podcast?

Mary

I feel like from a three dimensional place. Do you think anybody will even listen to it?

Jillian

That was actually mine. I just did a solo episode before this, and I answered all the questions I asked my guest, and that was my answer.

Mary

Well, you know, it's a big thing. Like, does anybody even and I do this with publishing, too, and we know the truth, but does anybody even care what I have to say? People don't write their books because of that. Like, they have all this channeled information, but we don't release it because of the fear of being I think from the deepest layer, it's the fear of actually being seen.

Jillian

Yeah. But then the first time that you get a message that somebody actually was listening and learned something from you is, like, the best feeling in the world, even just one person.

Mary

So I haven't gotten that so far. Just well, I do, actually. I'm lying. I did get that. But, you know, I tried to do that for others, knowing that, because it's that one message on that one day, in that one moment when you're looking at yourself in the mirror and you're like, do I really want to do this anymore?

Jillian

Yeah, just go back and remember that one message. You know, reaching one person is one person can change the world.

Mary

Because you never really are. Once the one gets it, it's always going to ripple. It's always going to ripple. This is the truth. It doesn't stop rippling.

Jillian

Yes. And some people are just more quiet about it. They don't reach out to you, but they're listening.

Mary

They are, aren't they? You know how I tell I love to share that because I share that a lot. Again, with my publishing experiences. It may not be that anybody ever does say, I heard you, or I read your chapter. The one way that you can tell is how the universe gives back and how easy things become or how you make these connections that come out of nowhere. That's how you can tell.

Jillian

Yes. Yeah. I've made so many great connections from my podcast, meeting new people on the podcast as guests. Yeah, it's been amazing. How do you keep up with being consistent with your podcast? Like, I think that's the big thing. Consistency is key. Like, you got to keep releasing your episodes.

Mary

Fun, fun. Question, Jillian. You have to promise to release at least an episode a week or set your grounds. Like, I'm releasing two episodes a month or whatever, and you just have to stick to that. It's just in my planner. It's just in my planner.

Jillian

Now.

Mary

When I first started, I tried to get ten or 15 under my belt, so I didn't feel pressure of like, oh, I have to edit and do it all right away. But I also have found now that I've been doing it for March or however many months, six or seven months, that if I schedule enough space from the interview, I could get the whole kitten caboodle done and ready to receive. But right. I put it in my planner. Like, every Sunday night, I release an episode, and if I failed to get it ready, then I need to take the extra time to get it ready?

Jillian

Yes. Put it in your planner at the beginning of the month. That's what I do. I schedule. Obviously, now I have to go to another building. I have to get in my car and drive now. So I have to schedule it way ahead of time to make sure I have the space available. That's really been helpful for me. If you're checking out your library.

Mary

And I did slip up a few times and, you know, we're only human, I was like, oh, my gosh, it's been three weeks. What are you doing?

Jillian

Yep.

Mary

And you know what? I fell into that maybe, I don't know, over the trap or into the experience of I was doing almost four interviews a week, and then I got really I know. What are you doing? I felt like I was trying to get my backpack full, and I realized, well, you don't have to fill your backpack anymore, so let it be easy. Let it be fun.

Jillian

Yes, exactly. Yeah. A lot of people talk about batch recording, which is great if you have the energy to do the batch recording. If you don't, then it's not going to work out well.

Mary

Yeah.

Jillian

Yes. And I also like to say, like, always take into consideration, like, the holidays that are coming up. Like, I'm taking the two weeks off. There's no podcast episode like the two weeks around the holiday because I want to enjoy it and not be trying to promote a podcast episode.

Mary

You're absolutely right. I blocked my whole calendar. I love that you bring that up. These things are important to think ahead, especially over holidays.

Jillian

You just don't want to yeah, exactly.

Mary

This is the thing. This is your thing, right. There is no pressure coming from anywhere from you. So do it when you want to that degree, even if you have to miss a week. And, you know, this is about the fun of it. It's about being real and finding pleasure and enjoyment in it.

Jillian

Yes. Have fun with it. Yeah. It's not fun anymore, then you're not going to want to do it at all. Do you have, like, a structure to your podcast? Like, is there a formal intro or do you do a new intro every time? Do you have an outro?

Mary

I have a formal intro now. I'm not fancy yet. I don't have it all pre recorded, so I say the same thing every time. It's part of my ease and not having to figure out how to yes. Something on the front and something on the back. So I have a scripted intro. Some of the words come out a little different. And then I do I have an intro. So I do my little intro. We take a moment of stillness and silence, and then I read and then I announce my guest. I kind of read a little bit of their bio, and I have about three or four questions. And for me personally, I like to try to keep my episodes under 30 minutes. I just do what I like because I like to keep myself and like, I won't listen to things for over 30 minutes usually, unless I'm hiking and then I can listen to the whole book on tape. But I do I have a series of questions. I send those questions out to my guests beforehand so they have an idea, but it all turns in very organic. So don't even play in that realm. Like, even with a list of questions, you're still going to get an organic conversation out of it.

Jillian

Yeah, I usually have questions for my guests and it's like a guideline because once in a while your mind goes blank and you're like, wait, what was I going to ask them?

Mary

Done.

Jillian

Yes. It's good to have a reference to go to.

Mary

It's great to have an editor.

Jillian

Yes, it is.

Mary

To be able to edit things. Always remember that too. Nothing's perfect anyway, but you can always edit things out. I remember my first couple of shows I messed up somewhere and my mind was like, start the whole thing over, you know, go start the whole thing over.

Jillian

Silly to start your last sentence. That's what I always say.

Mary

That's a good tip. Yeah, just start just pick up that same sentence.

Jillian

Go from there. Are you working on any ways to start growing your podcast?

Mary

So it's so interesting and fun that you asked me this today. No, it is. I haven't looked at any ways of monetizing and growing in that realm. I have quite a bit of visibility just through the publishing, but a couple of people have moved towards me or have started really talking about how they're moving into getting sponsors and anchoring more into creating that aspect of monetizing the podcast and growing the audience and growing the visibility. So I don't have a lot of information other than a twinkling in my eye that a lot of times when people come towards you with new experiences. Like, for me, it's like, oh, they're coming to share something with me that maybe I'm ready to step into the next phase. I use Anchor as my platform and I know there's ways you can grow and monetize there too, but I haven't actually clicked the button.

Jillian

Yes, they do have a great you can make an ad for Anchor and they put it right in your episode for you. And I know they have, I believe, a subscription membership I forget what they call it on Anchor, but something where people pay monthly and you give them like an extra episode or something like that. So there are lots of different things to do.

Mary

Yeah.

Jillian

Depending on what you want to do, what you have the capacity to take on.

Mary

So true.

Jillian

Right? Do you have, like a big goal with your podcast or what does, like, the future of your podcast look like?

Mary

I'll speak very transparent to this just being an internal service. My goal with my podcast is that wherever it lands, that it does what I came here to do, which is to raise the frequency of unconditional love. And so we talk about that. It's for eternal service. So I don't have any you know, it's all about using my voice and sharing my vision and gaining visibility. So whatever that does for eternal service, I enjoy doing it. I enjoy meeting people. So it's already gifted me. I'm already receiving from it. There is a funny little story behind that. And how I move that energy back through humanity, through my podcast, is I always have flowers. Every week, I'm asked to go get myself flowers, and when these flowers move on to their next shape or form, I take them up to the land of sedona. And these flowers carry the vibrations of everything that we speak of and everything that we talk about. And most of my sharing is in a high vibration of just joy, peace, and freedom. And so I bring that frequency up through the rose flowers, and I seed them back into the soil. So it really is about eternal service for me.

Jillian

That's such a beautiful thing to do and a beautiful way to look at it, too. Yes. We're already receiving so much from it, and I just love that.

Mary

I feel, like, so blessed and honored to know what I know or connect with what I connect with, and to have the freedom to do that kind of to be that kind of person.

Jillian

Yes. My last question is, if you could give one tip to somebody out there who's thinking of starting a podcast, what would you tell them?

Mary

Do it.

Jillian

Do it right now. No.

Mary

Yes. Seriously, the podcast. It's not the podcast that's really inviting you. It is the service of humanity that needs to hear your voice. You didn't think that it was time for you to set up a podcast. You were gifted with the invitation from other sources. I'll get really magical, and it's not that. It's not, oh, I think I'll start a podcast. It's guided. It's time. Do it. Do it now. Work out the kinks as you go. Because no matter what, no matter what, anything that we do that's new to us is going to feel like it has a kink or two. Doesn't matter if you're starting a podcast or mowing the grass.

Jillian

Yes.

Mary

It makes absolutely no difference. So do it right now. Get on your zoom as soon as you turn this episode off and call your girlfriend or your boyfriend or whoever and record your first episode just from play, and you'll realize instantly how fun it is.

Jillian

Yes. I always like to say if your 100th episode is as good as your first, then you didn't grow or learn anything. Like, your first is not supposed to be your best episode.

Mary

Right? Yes, I know.

Jillian

Thank you so much. Oh, my gosh. I just love this conversation. Can you let my listeners know how they can connect more with you?

Mary

Oh, it's so easy. Even though I said in the beginning, I'm starting to use my newer last name, www.Marygooden.com Marygooden.com. And that will kind of just bring you to my website. I am on Facebook as Mary Gooden. I love it there, too. I don't play too much in any of the other platforms, but my website will get you everything that you need to know. You'll learn so much about me, and then you can book a call and we can get on one of these fun little chat.

Jillian

Yes, I would definitely have that in the show notes. Thank you again so much for being here.

Mary

Thank you for having me. Truly. It is a gift that we get to share our voices, and I appreciate you sharing mine.