Is Overthinking Holding You Back? How it Caused Me to Take a Podcast Break  [ep. 20]

The Struggle with Overthinking in Podcasting

Do you ever get an idea, maybe even get excited, and then before you know it, you have just about talked yourself out of it? Well, that’s what today’s episode is all about, that horrible word, overthinking. And let me tell you, I have first-hand experience with this when it comes to podcasting. I’m sure overthinking things is something many of us struggle with, especially when it comes to podcasting. 

The Long Break and Overthinking

Let me start by saying it feels so good to be behind the mic again. If you’ve listened to the show for any length of time, you may have noticed the gap. Maybe not, but for this “comeback” I want to explain the reason I took such a long time to come back and why I’m solo again, and how overthinking held me back from getting this show back up. So, I’m going to use myself as a case study, specifically to how podcast hosts can get in their own heads and it holds them back.

Even if you’re not a podcast host (yet!) but, you still have thought about starting a show,

yet months and months, maybe even years later, you still haven’t started.

I had a client who came to me and told me she had a mic for over a year but had not started because she just didn’t know where to start. I basically told her she’s ready, let’s pick a date and go.

Overthinking holds us back, and I am proof of this. That is one of the reasons I wanted to start this show up again.

I heard someone say on a podcast the other day, “If you are not sharing your message, someone else is.”

That really stuck with me! I was thinking, “oh my gosh, if I don’t bring this show back and talk about the things I wanna talk about, someone else is gonna do it and they’re gonna go listen to them.”

The Pivot and Solo Again

So first, I want to start with…why the break? What took so long for me to come back?

And for those of you that have been following this show from the beginning, first of all, I am just so beyond thankful for you. It means so much to me that you take the time out of your day to listen to this podcast.

I launched this podcast back in February of 2023 and I started off solo talking about podcasting. I just kind of got to this point where I was like, something doesn’t feel right. And when you get that feeling, sometimes you just need to change. So I think that is a huge fear of most business owners when it comes to wanting to start a podcast. You have this huge fear that no one will listen.

I mean, I had that fear. I still have that fear. But if you’ve listened to the podcast, it just goes to show that some people will listen. So thank you.

There are people that want to hear what you have to say and they will push play.

So if you are new here, or if you joined a little while back, you are still so precious to me. Believe me, you are. And I can’t thank you enough for being here.

But for those of you who’ve been here for a bit and are just really wondering why I’m solo again, let me backup a little bit and just explain why I started this show in the first place, how it’s evolved and what I’m hoping for it to become now, which will explain a little bit more about why it took so long to start recording again.

When I first started the podcast, honestly, it was really an experiment for myself so that I could understand firsthand what my clients go through when it comes to launching and having a podcast.

For those of you that don’t know me, I am a podcast manager. I help female business owners get their shows up and running, and then I manage it for them so that all they have to do is record. I do all kinds of behind the scenes things. I have a few previous episodes about what I do as a podcast manager, but I’m also going to record some more in the future.

But I wanted a way to reach more people.

What I did not intend to happen was me feeling a little bit lost so soon out of the gate.

Here I was, walking my clients through the podcast process, yet I failed to really gather what my true purpose was for my show. And let me tell you, it really makes you overwhelmed and you start to second guess yourself. I learned so much just from launching my show.

It also helped me know what I can now do for my clients and my future clients.

The Shift and Doubt

After about 13 episodes in, I had a fellow podcast manager and friend, Rachel if she would like to join me and co-host the show.

We sort of took the content in a slightly different direction than what I had originally started the show for. And I loved it. It was great. 

We talked about finding your purpose, going through the motions of being in a business and so on and so on. So the name Podcast With Purpose kind of stuck with that too.

But as many business owners do, Rachel went through a pivot in her business.

She wasn’t going to be doing podcast management anymore. And actually it led her back into the classroom. So if we have any teachers here, you know how hard and tough that schedule is. We both agreed that she should focus on her career and I would figure out the rest with the podcast.

Well, here’s where the overthinking came in and the long break.

Overthinking and the Decision to Restart

All of this was happening back in August of 2023, It is now January of 2024.

I went back and forth, not knowing what I wanted to do. I didn’t know which direction I wanted to take the podcast.

Did I really want to start it up again? 

I just kept going back and forth.

One day I think yes, the next day I want to just focus on my clients.

After about a month of overthinking, and let me just preface that I am a huge overthinker. 

I didn’t just overthink the podcast.

I overthink everything. 

I overthink any decision I’m going to make.

I overthink what I’m gonna eat.

I overthink everything. 

It’s exhausting.

So if you have a remedy, I need it. Help me out.

But after about a month of this overthinking, I decided I just wanted to focus on my clients. And when the time was right, I would pick the podcast back up. So that’s just what I did.

I also knew that when I did start this podcast back up, I needed to have a true goal or a purpose as to why I wanted to bring the podcast back. This is what I teach my clients.

That’s the funny thing because that is the very first step I walk my clients through, knowing exactly what you want to accomplish with your podcast. 

What is its goal?

How do you want to use it for your business? 

So I finally just asked myself, why am I not following my own advice?

We are our worst clients. We are our own worst critics. We are harder on ourselves. It’s easier for someone just to tell us what to do. And when you’re the person trying to tell yourself what to do, you don’t really wanna listen to yourself.

So all of this brings me to the point of this episode.

Why do we overthink things? 

Is it self-doubt?

Is it imposter syndrome? 

Is it all of the above? Who knows?

I probably fall into the all of the above category. 

I was doubting myself. I was doubting whether I was an expert enough to talk about podcast things. 

I had imposter syndrome. Do other people do it better than me? Are they going to listen to me? All of these things were doubting myself.

Around Halloween of this past year, not sure why that time stands out to me, but I was having this tug to podcast again. Every day it was coming to me. I just kept thinking about how I work with clients who use their podcast as a marketing tool for their business. And that’s exactly what I wanted this show to represent.

I want to provide information to you on how you can launch a podcast aligned with your business goals and ultimately grow that podcast to help grow your business.

And if you already have a show, I want to provide tangible tips that you can take back to your own podcast.

In full transparency, I hate posting to social media. How many others of you out there hate it? I don’t mind posting stories when I’m in the mood. But what I did realize during this break that I’ve had this fall off the podcast was that my Instagram had no new content, unless I went and posted something.

I think I really put two and two together and realized, my podcast is my content.

Anything that goes into Instagram was repurposed.

It takes the guesswork out of all of it. And that’s when I knew I needed to bring my show back.

So I’ve been working in pockets of time to come up with some amazing content to share with you on ways that you can incorporate a podcast into your business, and how to create workflows that work for you. Using it to sell your products or services, or just reach more people and honestly, to have more fun with it.

Focus on Your Podcast and Repurpose Your Content

I want my podcast to be the thing I focus on. Everything else that comes from your episodes can be repurposed.

You don’t have to come up with one thing for this, one thing for that, another for this.

Take what you’ve done on your podcast and divvy it out. One episode can be up to 15-20 different pieces of content, and you don’t have to do it all at once. You can do it throughout a month or even a couple months and go back to it. 

I have some ideas in the works, but I would absolutely love to hear what you want to hear.

Send me a DM over on Instagram @allisonnitsch and let me know what topics you want to know more of. Even if you already have a podcast, tell me what you want to know more of.

If I don’t know the answers to something, I’m going to find it, or I’m going to ask some guests to come on to help me talk about it.

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MORE ABOUT SHE PODCASTS WITH PURPOSE:

She Podcasts With Purpose is a show designed to help female entrepreneurs amplify their voice and find their purpose to help grow their business through podcasting. I am Allison Nitsch, a former educator turned podcast manager with a clear mission: assisting YOU in the creation and growth of your own podcast.

Discover how a podcast can elevate your business visibility and contribute to your overarching purpose. This show will help you determine if podcasting aligns with your goals, and provide you with a strategic roadmap to bring your podcast to life, reaching the ears of your target audience.

Join the engaging conversations to gain deeper insights into the transformative power of podcasting. Each episode I will provide you with tips to initiate, manage, and amplify your podcast, occasionally featuring expert advice from industry leaders to ensure your podcast’s success.

Tune in weekly as we delve into the intricacies of podcasting for business growth, grounded in purpose!

Make sure to subscribe to the show so that you never miss an episode, and to help others find it as well…please leave a rating and review!! That would mean the world to me. I would also love to connect with you on Instagram. You can find me @allisonnitsch for behind-the-scenes content and daily life adventures. And if you are ready to launch a podcast, or would like your time back by having someone in the podcast space take over your show for you,  visit my website at allisonnitsch.com.

Let’s embark on this podcasting journey together, driven by purpose and vision. See you soon!

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Allison Nitsch