This series is all about libsyn’s podcasters. Its sole purpose is to introduce these awesome podcasts to the world as well as share their podcasting insight to empower the community!
Q & A with Monica from Dear Workplace & Curious Monica
When did you start podcasting?
We started our shows this March 2021! And after a successful start with the two shows, we are looking to do more later this Fall.
Why did you start podcasting?
We started making podcasts at InnovatorsBox about the workplace because of two reasons. First, because I loved how heartwarming and encouraging high quality storytelling podcasts provided. Whenever I went through difficult times in my career or when I wanted to find new inspiration, listening to podcasts always fueled me with new insights, hope and inspiration.
The audio format was intimate but permitted me to engage while I went around my day, commute and even grocery shopping. It permitted me to actively listen, wonder and be more curious and less scared to face the challenges I had at work and life.
But the second reason was the real push for why I wanted to start podcasts at InnovatorsBox – the hunger for deeper diverse storytelling.
During COVID I noticed how easy it became for us all to go back to our comfort space and inner circles. But when we only spend time with people and content we feel comfortable, how can we gain new insights and understanding of differences?
I wanted to help create a safe room for people to reflect, rethink and know that they are not alone. That there are different people in different jobs asking the same questions and we’re all learning how to navigate this world with creativity.
And as I saw 100s of people attend our virtual global innovators meetup during the pandemic I knew how hungry people were to connect and learn from diverse stories. So I wanted to create shows that warmed their heart and kindled their curiosity to stay curious, creative and know that they can always make a difference if we step into each moment with intention and care.
So each time we produce a show we think about how this could create a ripple effect for the listeners. Have we left them hungry to learn more about something new?
Have we left them wondering about something new about their colleagues? Have we helped make this world a better place?
When we can say yes, we know we have done the show right. And we hope we never forget that heartful intention to encourage the world with more creativity, curiosity, and courage in this world.
You can read more here that I shared in my blog – here!
What’s the name of your show and what is it about?
We have two shows!
- Dear Workplace studies trends, changes and challenges at work.
- Curious Monica studies how different people thrive at different work.
In Dear Workplace, in each episode I cover a theme in the workplace and studies how different people tackle, engage or have felt challenges to learn how we tackle those challenges and changes at work.
In Curious Monica, I cover different jobs or industries per episode so that we get to have a lens of how people work and thrive at different jobs. This was out of curiosity and realization that most of us only work in one field or one domain and don’t really have the chance of learning about other people or their jobs.
If we only had a show about one job, then what are the chances we keep branching out to learn more? So I’m following my curiosity to study different jobs and sharing what it’s like to work in them to enlighten others!
You can see some summaries of our past shows here! More blogs will be shared as it doesn’t include some of our latest shows.
What’s your podcasting set-up?
I’m grateful for my talented audio engineering team! We recorded all our guest audio on Zoom and I recorded my narration in the closet with a blanket over it with a small microphone over voice memo.
This was the best DIY approach we could think of and I’m glad it’s working well! My production team then does the magical audio engineering where we clean up the audios and include our original soundtrack that we created at InnovatorsBox Studios.
Softwares that my team loves using are Digital Audio Workstation, commonly abbreviated as a “DAW,” ProTools by AVID, GarageBand by Apple, and iZotope RX.
The key is to find a production setup that works best for you and determine how you want to have the process that streamlines to create the best quality you want.
How have you promoted your podcast?
We prioritize thoughtfulness and intentionality. As a podcast listener I’ve noticed how certain promotions made me feel more loyal versus disengaged.
I knew I didn’t want to be the flashy salesy “listen to me every time a new show is out” type of messaging. That wasn’t us. That wasn’t how I wanted our listeners to feel. So while we relied on word of mouth, we focused on creating high quality creative and fun content that would get people curious and hungry to learn more.
We also internally focused on systematizing the process to manage the workload.
Once we set up our branding, social media channels, website, original music, and plans for the show, we then worked on how to set our weekly process.
Every week as we build the new show script, we’d create preview graphics, guest quote graphics, guest quote reels, 1 min preview video, and also a video that we could upload on Youtube.
We love using tools like Canva, Headliner, but the design and editing is really led by our graphic designers. I’ve tried to test out different times we schedule social media posts but also when we follow up with guests to see when it’s best.
And staying alert to trends which means reaching out to opportunities to share our stories like this one! We’re still learning but as I see how we continue to find new listeners and new fans, I’m reminded how the care and thoughtfulness communicates across the screen.
People know when you create things with care and with the listeners as the protagonist in mind.
Find us at our social media channels and at our show at your favorite podcast platform!
Twitter: @InnovatorsBox @monicahkang
LinkedIn: Dear Workplace, Curious Monica, InnovatorsBox, Monica H Kang
Instagram: Dear Workplace, Curious Monica, InnovatorsBox, Monica H. Kang
Facebook: InnovatorsBox, Monica H. Kang
TikTok: InnovatorsBox
What do you know now that you wish you knew when you started?
This is tricky! Sometimes not knowing what you are getting yourself into is part of the fun of discovery but also key to not get discouraged.
I feel I knew just enough to be aware that this was going to be fun, hard work and investment for the long run to not let the fear of the unknown discourage me.
I’m glad my learnings in 2019 interviewing friends doing podcasts and audio engineers led me to understanding how the quality of the content and intention really mattered.
That’s why as I got ready to do my shows this year, I focused on team development and the quality of the show content we wanted to produce. The only thing perhaps I wish I knew was how do-able this is once you put your mind to it.
I feared that not having the right audio and video equipment would make it hard to do a good podcast. I thought the only way I could also produce good content was interviewing people in person.
COVID in a way made that easier as everything went online. While more people got comfortable interviewing online, so did we as a host for any events and workshops and hence including podcast interviews.
So for those who are hesitating, I’d advise you to go with your gut. What content you feel is missing, how can you uniquely share it, and why do you care to do it. Find why you want to do it, build a team, and start today.
This market is only going to grow more from here and there is so much more room to play with. The key is that you really have to care what you want to do. If your reason is to simply be famous and make money, you are here for the long reason as this is a marathon.
Monica H. Kang wanted to share her inspiration and give people motivation. A reason to be creative and be happy without limitations. She started podcasting to reach people who were maybe feeling stagnant in their careers’ great inspiration through storytelling. Both of her podcasts bring in guests with highly personal and engaging stories about their life and careers. Listen to Curious Monica on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and Dear Workplace on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
Monica was feeling stuck and uncreative in her career. She worked out how to become more creative and discovered a love for podcasting and these stories about life and work in both of the podcasts she hosts Curious Monica and Dear Workplace.
Did you have a problem you needed to solve and not only figured out how to solve it but want to share how you did it and know others that inspired you? We can help you with that! Start a podcast. Check out our Start Your Podcast blog series. If you are ready, we have the best podcast hosting plans around!
