{"id":10692,"date":"2022-02-28T08:00:53","date_gmt":"2022-02-28T13:00:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.libsyn.com\/?p=10692"},"modified":"2022-03-02T10:49:51","modified_gmt":"2022-03-02T15:49:51","slug":"take-the-challenge-an-interview-with-melissa-llarena","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/libsyn.com\/blog\/take-the-challenge-an-interview-with-melissa-llarena\/","title":{"rendered":"Take the Challenge | An Interview with Melissa Llarena"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201c<\/i>In that interview, GaryVee said that if a listener were to launch her podcast as a result of their conversation then he\u2019d be their guest. In that moment, I decided to take the challenge \u2026”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

This series is all about Libsyn podcasters. Its sole purpose is to introduce these awesome podcasts to the world as well as share their podcasting insight to empower the community<\/i>!<\/p>\n

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Q & A with Melissa Llarena | An Interview with Melissa Llarena<\/h2>\n
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When did you think about <\/b>starting a podcast<\/b>?<\/b><\/h3>\n

I started back in 2017.<\/p>\n

Why did you start podcasting?\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\n

It was a dare.<\/p>\n

My husband heard a podcast interview conducted by James Altucher. Gary Vaynerchuk was his guest.<\/p>\n

In that interview, Gary said that if a listener were to launch her podcast as a result of their conversation then he\u2019d be their guest.<\/p>\n

James jumped on that offer and said he would also be a guest on any new podcast.<\/p>\n

My biggest lesson here is that while many of us are cynics when it comes to celebrity pitches, some are worth the effort. Of course, I lost hope at one point.<\/p>\n

I pitched myself to both men by writing 1K words a day about my podcast launch on Medium<\/a> to get their attention.<\/p>\n

So yes, around day 80, my brain was melting. However, something in me made me persist. I also loved the idea that a mom living \u201cmy suburban mom life\u201d could pull off such a challenge.<\/p>\n

It consumed me for 100 days. I ended up writing about 67,000 words; I had to count. My curiosity was too big not to.<\/p>\n

Ultimately, yes, it’s hard to get the attention of folks with millions of followers.<\/p>\n

However, knowing that Gary Vee had invested in Medium com and that I wanted to work on my writing skills, I found a way to enjoy the process.<\/p>\n

The day I learned via text that I snagged an interview with GaryVee, I was doing an unsexy \u201cparenting thing.\u201d<\/p>\n

I was in a swim class surrounded by tots in floaties and suffocated by the smell of chlorine.<\/p>\n

It’s important to know that even if your guest’s audience is unlike you in many ways, (i.e. Gary has a hard-hitting male hustle audience), as a podcaster, you can find commonalities.<\/p>\n

You can also\u00a0 ignore the whole feeling like you have to belong. It\u2019s okay to stand out in a crowd. Seriously, how many moms with 3 boys are hitting up GaryVee for an interview?<\/p>\n

Also, my writing fiasco played a role in helping me find my voice and speed up my thought-to-paper time \u2026 which is helping me as I\u2019m writing a book.<\/p>\n

Right now, I am sharing some of those insights on my podcast, as well as where I\u2019ve had to write during multiple lockdowns here in Sydney, Australia.<\/p>\n

What’s the name of your show and what is it about?\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\n

\u201cAn Interview With Melissa Llarena\u201d is the only podcast that features famous thought leaders across competitive disciplines around the world who courageously and creatively followed their curiosities before they felt totally ready.<\/p>\n

My plan is to shrink the distance between where you are today vs. your heroes. I do this by setting an example \u2014 interviewing my heroes!<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve had the honor to have interviewed some of the most candid and open guests. They have not been shy about sharing their deeply personal and authentically captivating stories.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve interviewed a range. Suzy Batiz, a self-made millionaire, who observed that I\u2019m taking my courage for granted. Cal Fussman, who graciously let me in on how his children helped grieve the loss of his dad (coming in 2022).<\/p>\n

On my podcast, guests who appear wildly successful and ambitious discuss topics pertaining to relatable situations.<\/p>\n

My questions tend to be deep and relevant to listeners who feel like regular media is missing realness.<\/p>\n

What’s your <\/b>podcast set up<\/b>?\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\n

Camtasia for my intros\/outros.<\/p>\n

Zoom for the guest interviews.<\/p>\n

My interface is Focusrite – Scarlett 2i2 – 2nd generation 2-in\/2-out USD audio interface<\/p>\n

I use an audio-technica microphone.<\/p>\n

How have you promoted your podcast?<\/b><\/h3>\n

I love being a guest on other podcasts. I also use Twitter <\/a>and Facebook<\/a> to get the word out.<\/p>\n

You can also find me on Instagram @melissallarena<\/a> I love audiograms in particular.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019d like to get on my list, you can easily do so, and I\u2019ll even throw in a free gift: My Courage Makerspace Playbook<\/a><\/p>\n

What do you know now that you wish you knew when you started? <\/b><\/h3>\n

100 episodes in, I wish I realized that we get to change as a result of these conversations, even ones where it’s just us behind the mic.<\/p>\n

Take the opportunity to listen to your guests and learn from them. Try what worked for them and see if it works for you.<\/p>\n

And for those who do solo episodes, use the audio to craft and refine your message in an intentional manner. Try reading your transcripts and catching any personal bad habits.<\/p>\n

Then, of course, storytellers should definitely use their podcast journey to see which stories give listeners goosebumps.<\/p>\n

Other than these insights, also get legal approvals for every single use case imaginable.<\/p>\n

I’m writing a book now about harnessing your imagination and I had to go back to my guests to get their approvals.<\/p>\n

And no, I didn\u2019t have to write another 67K words to catch them a second time, but can you imagine if I did? Lesson learned.<\/p>\n

I hope you\u2019ll take a moment to check out my podcast<\/a>! It\u2019s 100+ episodes deep and I have some amazing episodes already lined up for 2022.<\/p>\n

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Melissa Llarena took a dare. 67K words later she started her podcast with guest star GaryVee. Melissa interviews wildly successful thought leaders \u2014 her heroes \u2014 to get deep inside what really makes them tick. <\/i>Listen to her courageous and insightful interviews on <\/i>Apple Podcasts<\/i><\/a> or <\/i>Spotify.\u00a0<\/i><\/a><\/p>\n

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Have you ever thought about why some people are famous and others aren\u2019t and what separates them? Are they really that unreachable? Melissa Llarena bridges this divide, jumping in courageously to interview her heroes, including thought leaders across competitive disciplines all over the world.\u00a0<\/i><\/strong><\/p>\n

A mother of 3 goes from suburban housewife to podcasting innovator. Have you got that kind of gumption. Gnawing at the bit to test your mettle?\u00a0\u00a0<\/i><\/strong>We can help you with our <\/i>Start Your Podcast<\/i><\/a> blog series. If you are ready, we have the <\/i>best podcast hosting plans<\/i><\/a> around!<\/i><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cIn that interview, GaryVee said that if a listener were to launch her podcast as a result of their conversation then he\u2019d be their guest. In that moment, I decided to take the challenge \u2026” This series is all about Libsyn podcasters. Its sole purpose is to introduce these awesome podcasts to the world as […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":10701,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[1384,1374,1383,1379,1370,1368,1372,1376,1377,1371,1367,1378,1381,1373,1375,1250,1163,1382,1380,1369,1362],"class_list":["post-10692","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-rockin-libsyn-podcasts","tag-audiograms","tag-australian-lockdowns","tag-bad-habits","tag-cal-fussman","tag-challenge","tag-courage","tag-enjoy-the-process","tag-famous-thought-leaders","tag-gary-vaynerchuk","tag-gary-vee","tag-heroes","tag-james-altucher","tag-lesson-learned","tag-lockdowns","tag-medium-com","tag-podcast-set-up","tag-starting-a-podcast","tag-storytellers","tag-suzy-batiz","tag-take-the-challenge","tag-writing-a-book"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t