100: Celebrating a Milestone with an Unscripted Q&A—Part I

One of my main objectives for the year ahead is to be more experimental — to stop overthinking and over complicating everything and take more chances.  

That’s exactly what I did for my 100th episode. 

Here’s how that worked. 

I scheduled time to record the episode on a Wednesday after an aborted attempt at something that was way too complicated and had too many opportunities for failure that would impact others. [If it had only been me at risk I might have pushed through, but I hate wasting other people’s time, so I opted for the safe route and chose a different path.] 

Early on Wednesday morning I posted on Facebook that I was recording my 100th episode @ 1 pm and invited people to submit questions that I could answer. Then I sent 10 direct messages to people who I knew might share a question and personally invited them to do so. 

By noon I had 24 questions and was ready to record my responses at 1 pm.  

Then I had another idea — why not broadcast the recording LIVE on Facebook. After all, that had been the initial plan. 

So, I did.  

It took me close to two hours to answer all of the questions and episode 100 and 101 were born as a two-part Unscripted Q&A. I hope you find value in these two shows and invite you to submit your questions so I can address them in future episodes here: [email protected] Just put Question for Podcast in the subject line and insert your question in the body. 

Here are the questions I responded to in this episode:  

Jeff Meister — You've been working in this space for a while but you're not getting the traction you want or expect. You feel like you need to make a pivot. How do you do this without scrapping or losing everything you have done so far and one of the first five or so "essential steps" to take? 

Matt Cubbler — What is the best and most proven way to drive listeners to find and then subscribe to your podcast? 

Trivinia Barber — How do you prep for your shows? I just started my podcast and want to streamline my prep process! 

Justin Schenck — (1) In the first 100 episodes what's the most rewarding part so far? (2) When building your speaking business what do you find potential bookers want to hear more of from the speakers they hire? 

Mary Villoni — Working in the nonprofit industry I find that my clients struggle with telling their story on paper. Often times their mission gets clouded with big words about helping large populations of people that seem impractical. What advice would you give to help craft the charity message so it attracts more donors? 

Doug Fitzgerald — How do you plan, prepare, and stay consistent in sharing your great value-added content on social media to get your message heard? 

Antoine Dupont — (1) One of the biggest mistakes you see business owners make over and over again? (2) What are the three business books that should be given to any new business owner? 

Ernie Lansford — What have been your greatest challenges you faced personally getting your message heard? How did you overcome them? 

Kevin Monroe — Knowing what you know now, if you were starting fresh are working to upload for your business today, how would you prioritize your time and where would you focus your energy? 

Colleen Dupont — How do you whittle down your message? Your authentic voice. 

Terry Wood — What were the biggest challenges you faced in transitioning into full-time employment and stepping out of the traditional marketplace? 

Jen Singer — How do you soldier through a speech when you're handling tough times behind the scenes? 

Please join me next week for the responses to the remaining 12 questions. 

Michael 

P.S. Submit Your Question: If you have a question you would like me to address in a future episode, please send it to: [email protected] and put “Question for Podcast” in the subject line then insert your question in the body.

One of my main objectives for the year ahead is to be more experimental — to stop overthinking and over complicating everything and take more chances.  

That’s exactly what I did for my 100th episode. 

Here’s how that worked. 

I scheduled time to record the episode on a Wednesday after an aborted attempt at something that was way too complicated and had too many opportunities for failure that would impact others. [If it had only been me at risk I might have pushed through, but I hate wasting other people’s time, so I opted for the safe route and chose a different path.] 

Early on Wednesday morning I posted on Facebook that I was recording my 100th episode @ 1 pm and invited people to submit questions that I could answer. Then I sent 10 direct messages to people who I knew might share a question and personally invited them to do so. 

By noon I had 24 questions and was ready to record my responses at 1 pm.  

Then I had another idea — why not broadcast the recording LIVE on Facebook. After all, that had been the initial plan. 

So, I did.  

It took me close to two hours to answer all of the questions and episode 100 and 101 were born as a two-part Unscripted Q&A. I hope you find value in these two shows and invite you to submit your questions so I can address them in future episodes here: [email protected] Just put Question for Podcast in the subject line and insert your question in the body. 

Here are the questions I responded to in this episode:  

Jeff Meister — You've been working in this space for a while but you're not getting the traction you want or expect. You feel like you need to make a pivot. How do you do this without scrapping or losing everything you have done so far and one of the first five or so "essential steps" to take? 

Matt Cubbler — What is the best and most proven way to drive listeners to find and then subscribe to your podcast? 

Trivinia Barber — How do you prep for your shows? I just started my podcast and want to streamline my prep process! 

Justin Schenck — (1) In the first 100 episodes what's the most rewarding part so far? (2) When building your speaking business what do you find potential bookers want to hear more of from the speakers they hire? 

Mary Villoni — Working in the nonprofit industry I find that my clients struggle with telling their story on paper. Often times their mission gets clouded with big words about helping large populations of people that seem impractical. What advice would you give to help craft the charity message so it attracts more donors? 

Doug Fitzgerald — How do you plan, prepare, and stay consistent in sharing your great value-added content on social media to get your message heard? 

Antoine Dupont — (1) One of the biggest mistakes you see business owners make over and over again? (2) What are the three business books that should be given to any new business owner? 

Ernie Lansford — What have been your greatest challenges you faced personally getting your message heard? How did you overcome them? 

Kevin Monroe — Knowing what you know now, if you were starting fresh are working to upload for your business today, how would you prioritize your time and where would you focus your energy? 

Colleen Dupont — How do you whittle down your message? Your authentic voice. 

Terry Wood — What were the biggest challenges you faced in transitioning into full-time employment and stepping out of the traditional marketplace? 

Jen Singer — How do you soldier through a speech when you're handling tough times behind the scenes? 

Please join me next week for the responses to the remaining 12 questions. 

Michael 

P.S. Submit Your Question: If you have a question you would like me to address in a future episode, please send it to: [email protected] and put “Question for Podcast” in the subject line then insert your question in the body.