Keepin' It Real Behind the Scenes of my New Podcast Episode 1
The Gong Show you didn’t see (hopefully)
Last week, I did my first episode of the Courageous Self-Care Experience. It didn’t go quite as smoothly as I had hoped.
From the outside, it probably seemed fine. Behind the scenes was a different story and so I wanted to give you a peek behind the curtains because it was kind of funny (in retrospect), and there were some great learnings.
Behind Curtain #1 - The Set Up
When I did the Courageous Self-Care Podcast a few years ago, I did the whole thing myself - filming, editing, distribution, etc. All the things. For 200+ episodes.
This round, I’m working with a company who does all the things. All I have to do is show up with content. The rest is taken care of, and it’s a dream. How amazing to just be able to do the part that I love.
And, of course, there are some growth edges because I have to rely on more than just myself. *Waves white flag of surrendering control
Over the past few months, I did a bunch of trainings to get prepared for the new format because the show streams live as a web TV show and then gets put up as a podcast after.
The plan for Episode 1 on Thursday morning was for me to arrive 10 minutes prior to going on air to get settled and go over any last-minute details.
At 9:50am, I clicked the link provided. The screen went to the message: ringing…
And it stayed there.
Ringing…
2 minutes passed.
Ringing…
3 more minutes passed.
5 minutes to and no connection.
I sent an email to the sound engineer I’d been prepping with. No answer.
Thank goodness for Central Channel Breathing; that’s all I have to say. It kept me cool, calm, and centered as I watched the minutes disappear.
My mind, of course, asked logical questions like:
Do I have the right date? (Yes, I double-checked.)
Do I have the right time? (Yes, I triple-checked.)
Is this whole thing a scam? (Fingers crossed!)
“Well,” I thought to myself, “I guess I need to be ready to go right on.” I wasn’t quite sure about how tight a live schedule would be so as the seconds ticked by, I readied myself to just jump right in.
9:59 turned into 10:00 (the scheduled start time), and I heard a voice. (It wasn’t God; it was a different sound engineer.)
“Christina?”
“Yes…”
“You have the wrong link. I’m sending you the right one now. Your regular guy is sick today, so I’ll be doing the show for you.”
This new guy didn’t seem stressed, so I took the cue, clicked the new link as soon as it arrived by email, and encouraged myself to go with the flow.
We got started a few minutes after 10:00, and all was well. (Mostly. That takes us to Part 2.)
Behind Curtain #2 - Apparently, I Can’t Count to 15
The way we had decided to set up the show, it was supposed to be divided into 4 parts with 3 breaks for “a word from our sponsors”.
Parts 1, 2, and 3 were to be 15 minutes, and then 8 minutes for Part 4.
I had the content all ready to go but I was a little discombobulated from starting a few minutes late. Also, I didn’t really look at the start time because the plan was for the sound engineer to give me a 2-minute warning before the break and then a 1-minute warning and then 30 seconds.
Off I went on Section 1. I had a wonderful time talking to myself because I just love teaching. It was great! I had an eye partly on the clock and partly looking for the countdown. 10:15 came and went with no message. Then it was 10:18. I kept going with outer confidence and inner uncertainty.
At 10:20, I suspected it had been 15 minutes. No time warnings, but I went to a break nonetheless.
The ad started to play, and then, “Christina?” (Again, not God; it was the engineer.)
“Yes…”
“Did you not see the chat?”
“What chat?”
“It’s the red button. You have to click on it.”
“Oh! No! I did not see that.”
Once I clicked on it, I saw the time warnings that had long since passed. Oops.
“Okay, I see them now! I’ll be more on track for this next bit.”
Something I do not excel at is math on the fly while talking passionately about exciting topics like breathing techniques and inner and outer self-care. Who cares about the time when our lives can be changed right now as we expand our awareness???
So, the next segment came to a close, and I saw the countdown this time. Yay for the win!
However, it turned out that I only had 10 minutes left for the last 2 sections rather than the 23 minutes I had planned. No matter, I adjusted on the fly. That I can do.
At the end, I wrapped it up. Overall, pretty good. Apart from forgetting to mention my book, the free resource I had intended to share, and my website. Oh well. Next week.
The good thing about a situation like this is that we only have to go through the first time once. It’s a huge consolation. The second time, we’re so much more informed. Next week, I’m anticipating it will be much better.
Behind Curtain #3 - I Forgot About Humility
Reflecting on the experience, I realized most of the discombobulation could have been prevented if I had just been a little more humble.
Here’s why.
The day before the show, I had a meeting with my regular sound guy. I had planned to practice the intros and outros. During the actual call, I asked a few questions, and then he asked me if I wanted to practice.
“No, I think I’m good,” I replied.
I don’t know what possessed me to think that I would know how to do something I’d never done before with the added pressure of being live, but that’s what happened. I was overly confident and very lacking in a beginner mindset.
What a good lesson. It’s so okay not to know things. Especially brand new things. It’s helpful to be humble and ask for help. It’s okay to potentially look uninformed to the sound guy during practice. It would have been a very good idea to admit I didn’t know what I was doing. I probably would have discovered the chat feature that way.
Lesson learned. *blushes furiously
So that wraps up Episode 1!
What an abundance of learnings in 1 hour. I’m excited for Episode 2 coming at you live on Thursday April 3 at 9am Pacific. I’m anticipating that the behind the scenes and what you see will be more aligned this time 😜
You can watch it live on any of these platforms (and the replays are also there):
If you have burning self-care/spirituality/life questions or want some free laser coaching during the call, you can either call in or ask your question by clicking the “leave a comment” button below, or if you’re reading it by email, simply reply and ask away.
May you have a week filled with powerful learnings and fantastic evolution. 🧬
With perfectly timed love and exquisite courage,
Christina
🕺🏻Creator of Courageous Self-Care
🕺🏻More humble than last week
🕺🏻Cooking up some fun new features for the show (stay tuned!)
Breathwork 🌬
9D Breathwork is the Cadillac of breathwork. You can talk about an issue for 10 years or release it in a couple of hours of conscious breathing. There’s nothing like it. Freedom is just a few breaths away.
Monday April 14: 9D Breathwork - Virtual Session: Breathing Beyond Grief and Loss- You don’t have to suffer through grief. Your breath is the solution.
Saturday April 12: in person 9D Breathwork Journey (Calgary) 6:45pm - Self-Mastery & Enoughness Journey. You’re more than enough; it’s time your subconscious figured that out.
Monday April 21: 9D Breathwork - Virtual Session: Down Regulation and Regeneration- the perfect antidote to low immunity, feeling run-down, exhaustion, burnout, or overwhelm
Yoga 🧘🏻♀️
Friday April 4: Online Yoga Class (Yoga for Divine Alignment)
Transformation awaits! Experience what it feels like to unify mind, body, and breath simultaneously. Why would you want to do that? In this unique style of yoga, you’ll awaken your inner healer so that your mat becomes a healing sanctuary. Whether you desire physical, emotional, financial, or mental healing - it’s available. Truly, your life will never be the same.
Remote Healing ❤️🩹
Tuesday April 15: Remote Healing Session - Join us for a powerful session and experience common outcomes like enhanced wellbeing, increased energy and clarity, removal of subconscious blocks and stuck emotions, and amplified calm and relaxation.
Soulful Time Management 🗓
Fri April 4: Sacred Success Friday Review
There’s time management, and then there’s Soulful Time Management. Get organized in a way that honours your entire being. This session is the perfect antidote to overwhelm. You’ll be guided through my signature planning process that will help you feel more present, gain clarity, and celebrate your accomplishments.
