Behind the Mic – Two Years of Better Than Fine
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Photo courtesy by Michal Czyz on Unsplash
“Have you ever thought about starting a podcast?”
It seems like such an innocuous, even kind, question. When Mika Opp, an Assistant Instructor for the University of Pennsylvania’s Master in Applied Positive Psychology (MAPP) program, asked me that little question in December of 2019, I was driving north from New York City, heading home for a holiday party. We were so engrossed in conversation I nearly ran out of gas on the highway, but that moment was a pivot. Many MAPP Alumni have such pivot moments. A moment that someone believes in them more than themselves and sparks a change. This isn’t my only MAPP Memory Gem, but it’s a big one.
In fact, I had thought about it. I’d thought about it a lot. What Mika didn’t know was I’m a podcast junkie. What she also didn’t know was the trail of failed content creation I’d left in my wake before MAPP. I’d started my first blog at the age of 16. I’ve had three inconsistent (and now defunct) blogs since. I’d had two web series back before Netflix streamed, was in Kickstarter’s beta/launch as an author, a failed YouTube channel called Feminist Fitness, and on and on. I’d been telling myself I couldn’t start another project. That I’d just give up or be inconsistent or (gasp!) be boring on the mic.
Fortunately, Mika didn’t buy into my resistance and managed to convince me. Over the next few weeks episode ideas seeded themselves in my brain until I was committed. But what to call it? I’d learned of Positive Psychology through a friend who saw me struggling in my divorce and recommended I try a Coursera course about happiness. At that time, on the hardest days I’d tell myself “I’m fine, I’m fine, everything is fine” to get through. As my awareness of flourishing grew it occurred to me: I deserve to feel better than fine. Instead of giving into my struggles I felt my calling to apply to MAPP and the rest, as they say, is history. For me, Positive Psychology was all about feeling better than fine. The name of the show, Better Than Fine, was born.
I was in. But how to keep myself from the inconsistency of the past? I made a few simple rules for myself to keep it going. It should be fun, or at the very least interesting enough that I want to keep going. Otherwise, I would be allowed to stop instead of slowly petering out. In the past I’d also had grandiose notions that my projects would go viral and measured myself against that bar, whittling motivation when that didn’t happen. I decided that success for the project would mean consistency of creation instead of dollars, subscribers, or sponsors. It also needed to be easy enough that I wouldn’t feel overwhelmed by just another deadline or obligation.
There are a few important things I couldn’t know when I quietly recorded the first episode of the Better Than Fine podcast on February 24, 2020 (titled “What is Positive Psychology?”, of course). While I’d been watching the news out of Wuhan, I didn’t know the pandemic would upend our lives for years to come. That also meant I couldn’t predict the acceleration of interest in wellness and well-being. I also didn’t realize just how primed some people in the fitness industry were to embrace Positive Psychology in earnest.
Two years, 112+ episodes, dozens of interviews, and tens of thousands of downloads later I feel deeply grateful for the opportunities that came with the show. One of the biggest pleasures of the show are all the incredible guests, many of them MAPPsters, who’ve joined me. Second to those connections is a career-shifting opportunity. A year into making Better Than Fine, a fan of the show approached me to collaborate on a major project with National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM), the world’s largest certifying body of personal trainers and group fitness instructors, with an offer to produce and distribute the show. This was incredible for a few reasons. First, I have fans! Who knew!? Secondly, that a major player in the fitness industry was looking to take positive psychology more seriously. After 2 years of consistency solo, I’m now getting paid to pick the brains of interesting people on topics I love exploring.
The Many PodCasts of MAPP
I’m far from the only podcaster amongst the MAPP alumni. In fact, many alumni are hosting their own Podcasts. Here are just a few of them:
Andrew Brady (MAPP 10) - For The EVOLution of Business started in 2018
Topic and Audience: Creating more purpose driven businesses and a more equitable, sustainable economy. Targeting entrepreneurs, business leaders, activists and policy makers. Andrew’s podcast is looking for guests that can support the questions: How do you apply Positive Psychology to evolve businesses to be more inclusive, equitable and sustainable? What would it look like to implement wellbeing focused economic policy? You can email him at atbrady3@gmail.comCandice Reed (MAPP 4) - Leveraging Latitude: Cultivating a Full Life in the Law started in 2021
Topic and Audience: The Leveraging Latitude podcast explores the various paths to cultivating a rich and fulfilling life in the law through conversations with leading lawyers and thought leaders from across the legal industry, While the core audience is lawyers, most of the podcasts are not legal in nature and may be enjoyed by people outside the legal industry. Candice says they’re looking for guests. “I'd love to hear from MAPP lawyers or legal influencers on topics they think would be interesting and relevant to the legal professionals.” You can email her at creed@latitudelegal.comDana Fulwiler Volk (MAPP 14) – Teacher Fan Club started in 2021.
Topic and Audience: A wellbeing podcast and gratitude intervention for teachers. Our target audience includes both educators and their fans. We host conversations on a variety of wellbeing topics with experts and educators, while also inviting guests and listeners to celebrate an impactful teacher in their lives (sometimes live on the show!). We also facilitate professional learning through both public and private episodes. Dana says they’re looking for guests who can support and celebrate educators. You can find them at www.teacherfanclub.com (social media links are on the website) or email hello@teacherfanclub.com.
Starting your own Podcast
Perhaps you might want to be a guest on one of these Podcasts, or, maybe you even want to start your own! If you’re thinking about starting a podcast here are a few things I learned along the way:
1. Pick a schedule you know you can stick to. I found weekly was frequent enough to keep me on the hook but not so much that my audience got bored of me.
2. Get the right gear. You’ll want a good mic. If you’re going to publish to YouTube you also want a good camera and lighting. They don’t have to be expensive, but they’re necessary investments.
3. Decide who you’re talking to. I still struggle with this one. I wanted to influence the world… but really, I’m influencing one listener at a time, one moment at a time. Know your audience, respect them, and speak to them.
4. Lower your barrier for entry. Other podcasters have told me they find podcasting to be a lot of work. I approached it with the mindset that I’d keep edits and overhead low so that I could do a lot of the parts I like (talk to people) and few of what I didn’t (hours editing). In the beginning I used Zoom to record, put full episodes up, and used Anchor to distribute. I saved the fancy stuff for when the producer came on board and now, I let him handle the heavy lifting.
5. Have a game plan for when you’re stuck. Content creation can feel really hard. At times you may tell yourself you don’t know anything or feel like you’re speaking into the void. Occasionally mapping out your expertise is one way to remind yourself of just how much you have to offer. You can also pick the brains of friends and colleagues who are in your target audience about what they’re struggling with or interested in to find episode inspiration.
6. Keep your expectations reasonable. As with any other social media, growth is hit or miss and can often depend on who you already know. When I’m frustrated with a “low” performing episode it’s helpful to remind myself of the times when I was in awe that 20 people bothered to listen to my little show. Think of it like caring for your house plant. Growth comes slowly and with consistent nurturing.
7. Remember to keep it fun (or at least interesting) for yourself.
At the onset of your MAPP year we’re told to expect that MAPP will shift things for you. Some will shift careers or relationships. I’d expected to shift industries, maybe where I was living; but what I didn’t expect was to be podcasting and working more deeply in fitness and wellness. One of my biggest takeaways from the last 2.5 years: in podcasting and in life be willing to go where the process takes you.
Darlene Marshall is a Holistic Wellness Coach working in the fitness and wellness space since 2012. She's an expert at the intersection of fitness, wellness, and well-being. In 2021 Darlene was named America's Favorite Trainer by BurnAlong and she hosts the Better Than Fine podcast on the NASM Podcasting Network. She's certified with NASM in Wellness Coaching and Personal Training and has a Masters in Applied Positive Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania. She has additional certifications in Nutrition Coaching, Neurolinguistic Programming, and 200hr YTT in Alignment Yoga with training in sleep coaching, motivational interviewing, meditation, and mindfulness. You can find her on Instagram @darlene.coach
