January 17, 2025 • 11 mins
Are you tired of blending in with the crowd? Live from PodFest in Florida, where I delivered my first major speaking engagement in a giant dragon pool floaty, I’m here to show you how authenticity can fuel podcast growth like nothing else. Your unique perspective is the power behind your message, and embracing that unapologetically sets you apart in a crowded podcast landscape.
By sharing personal stories, leaning into your quirks, and even getting a little “spicy,” you build a memorable brand that resonates with ideal listeners who crave real, raw content.
Let’s talk about why stepping outside the box ignites genuine connections and weeds out anyone who isn’t aligned with your vision. I’ll reveal how documenting your journey, even the messy middle, can transform your show into a relatable, binge-worthy platform.
If you’ve been masking parts of yourself, it’s time to let go of “shoulds” and spotlight the true you. Your story deserves a microphone, and your willingness to be vulnerable might be exactly what someone else needs to spark their transformation.
Get ready to stand out, attract your dream audience, and make a lasting impact.
Grab a PODCAST CPR AUDIT, and let's get your next 30 days profitable https://podcastcpr.com/
Connect with me on Facebook jennifer.dragonette
Join THE BOLD ACTION COLLECTIVE, each week we gather and create a custom plan for you and your business to move the needle forward and get your show growing and your business profiting. Join the COLLECTIVE today, and never feel stuck or alone in your company again. https://theboldactioncollective.com/
jenn@jdragonette.com
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Hey Podcaster, how are you?
(00:02):
We are live at PodFest in Florida andI'm actually coming to you after my
first huge live speaking gig and I wantto talk about the power of showing up
As your authentic self and how that isactually going to set you apart from
every other podcast and show out there.
(00:25):
This is the key to your successand what you need to be doing
to get your show growing.
Are you ready?
Let's go.
I am here and I am actually Talkingto you from my bed, because let me
tell you going to a live event as anintroverted extrovert is exhausting,
(00:49):
but it's also one of the most rewardingthings and it brought me to the reminder
of how when we show up as ourselves,and we actually make human connections,
that's where the magic happens.
And that's part of this beyond thedownloads, right, is that we actually.
Need to make connections.
So many times as we're buildingbusinesses, starting podcasts, YouTube
(01:11):
channels, whatever it is you're doing,you don't really think about the person.
Yeah, we might create our avatar.
We might do this.
We might do that, but that'sputting everything in a box.
And.
If you're listening to the show, myguess is you are not in the box thinkers.
So why I'm bringing this up and why thishit so home for me today is that I was
(01:31):
so nervous showing up today because Ichose to wear a giant dragon floatie.
Yes.
Think pool ring with agiant head and a tail.
And this is how I delivered my speech.
My professional speech.
And I was like, well, they're either goingto love me or they're going to hate me.
(01:52):
But guess what?
It's going to weed out the peoplewho don't fit into my show.
But what I didn't expect was howmuch this branding with wearing
this giant floaty all day.
It started conversations andit actually drove people to me.
And the thing is, is that's who I am.
I am the person that shows up inthe weird outfit, the float pool
(02:15):
floaty, you know, and it becamelike a joke and it became a thing.
talking piece.
It became all these different things.
So what I'm trying to get at is thatrealistically, when you hide these
parts of yourself and you don'tgive them to your audience, that's
part of why your show isn't growing.
(02:36):
That's probably part of why I've seendifferent areas of stagnant times
podcast is because I haven't beenshowing up as myself because we have
some expectation or some thoughts.
or something that makes us think we haveto be a certain way or do things one way
to fit into this group and one way to fitinto that group and we have to kind of
(02:59):
like chameleon our way into this space.
But that's not true because the peopletoday that thought that I was ridiculous
in some pool floaty, guess what?
They're probably not going to wantto be in my space and that's okay.
Because when you show up andyou want to be for everybody,
you're going to be for nobody.
(03:20):
And I would rather be alittle spicy than all vanilla.
Personally, over here, you know that depthof flavor and like a really good salsa.
Like, yeah.
Not, don't get me wrong, I do like agood vanilla ice cream too, but that
depth of flavor and salsa, mm, yeah.
And that's what youshould do in your brand.
So as you're thinking about how togrow your podcast, and what to do next,
(03:44):
and we just came into this new year,and we're like, New year, new me, well
maybe it's time to be the real you.
Maybe it's time to put all those boxed upversions of you, aside and just step out.
Do you need to do something crazylike I did and be like, Hey, I'm
going to pitch to talk about my book.
When everybody knows me for podcasting,I'm going to talk about your story
as someone's life raft instead of howto podcast a little outside the box.
(04:10):
And then on top of that, I'm going toshow up not like everyone else in normal
everyday clothes or business attire.
I'm going to be the girlthat wears the pool floatie.
I stepped outside my box and what happenedtoday, the amount of networking that
showing up as myself brought was so manygreat connections that are not only gonna
just, you know, possibly become clients,but beyond that, I just made friends.
(04:37):
I made an impression.
I changed some lives after my talk.
I heard so many people come up to meand be like, I can relate to your story.
It was so impactful and I wasreally surprised because let's
be honest, I blacked out forthe, for the entire speech, but.
It was so nice to have those people comeup and that's part of my story, right?
(04:57):
I reached out to the lady that helped me,that saved my life through podcasting.
So while you're going through this wholenew year, new me, do I keep podcasting?
Can I be part of the 15 percent club?
And that is 15 percent ofpodcasters actually make it.
And you want to be part of that club.
(05:19):
How you're going to remain partof that club is to be authentic
to yourself and to be yourself.
And if you don't know who that is,like, I don't know, I'm struggling.
I'm coming back from a lot ofthings that I shed last year
and rediscovering who I am.
But I am that silly person.
I'm that silly person thatwears the floaty to an event
(05:39):
that takes up so much space.
I'm not the girl in the corner anymore.
And I never really was that girl.
So I want you to take a look atyour podcast and just see like,
hey, is this still on brand andaligned with who I am as a human?
who I am as a speaker, who I am asa coach, consultant, whatever it is.
(06:01):
Like, who am I who are you actually?
Are you letting your audience know that?
Well, the more you know, themore Things are going to change.
You know, I just had so many conversationstoday that people are like, I'm going
to wait to start until XYZ happens,or I'm going to go in this order.
I'm going to do this and this and this.
I'm like, yeah, but you'rein the midst of it right now.
(06:23):
That's when your emotions are the highest.
And when you talk from anemotional standpoint, people are
going to connect to that deeper.
So why wait till you're allthe way through the process?
Use your show a little bit likea journal in a sense, as long as
it fits into your topic of like,Hey, here's where I'm at right now.
Here's how I'm going through this.
(06:43):
Here's how I'm doing this.
Here's the messy middle.
People are craving that authentic, notput together, like this is real and raw.
You're still steps ahead of your client.
Whether you're one step or 50 steps ahead,you can still turn around and reach back.
And that's what I want you to rememberas you go into this, you know, we're
(07:03):
still in the beginning of 2020.
Oh my goodness, what year are we in?
2025!
You know, as we go into 2025, youreally need to figure out, like,
what it is you want to stand forand who you want to be to do it.
Do you want to blend in ordo you want to stand out?
Because blending in is boring andblending in might be why you're
working so hard to get nowhere.
(07:25):
Like, be the weird girl that shows upon stage in dragon floatie and talks
about, you know, how at some pointshe had suicide ideations and had
a plan and her life turned around.
I mean, it was a pretty heavy storyto show up and deliver in a pool
floatie, but of course the triumphside of it also came from the story.
(07:49):
There's just so many differentaspects that you can really lean into.
And I think this year is all aboutforgetting what we think we should
be and start being who we need to be.
And this might take some inner work ofyou being like, ah, did I want to do this?
Did I want to do thisto please someone else?
(08:10):
Do I think this is all my options are?
And really start thinkingabout those things.
And that's what's going toset your podcast apart from
other people, is being you.
Be the weird person.
Be the wacky person.
Be the If you're weird and wackyand it's fake, stop doing it.
And I bet you'll, you, you will connectand align with more ideal listeners
(08:33):
that will actually come into yourspace and either, you know, become
allies or whatever it is that youknow, they're meant to be in your life.
I created a lot of connectionsand a lot of memories with people.
And when they go to look at things,they're going to remember who I am.
Be like, Oh, you're the life raft girlthat also does podcast production.
Yep.
(08:53):
That's me.
So I really need you to stop being soin the box and start being yourself.
So I challenge you to lookinward and be like, what is one
thing that I am masking per se?
Like, if you think you have to show upwith a full face of makeup because you
(09:14):
do clips of your video to put out thereand you hate makeup, that's not you.
You don't have to do that.
What would happen if you didn't do that?
Would you be willing to test it out?
Maybe it's worth a try.
So that is the biggest takeaway fromday one and my first giant speaking
gig is that the, the talks that werememorable today were the ones with the
(09:39):
people who had stood out that didn'ttake the norm, whether that was drop
in cuss words like crazy and wearingfun outfits, whether that was their
delivery, whether it was someone like mewearing a, a freaking dragon life load.
But figure out your thing andmake it happen because, you know,
(10:02):
we all need each other's story.
Somebody's story saved my lifeand you sharing your story.
I'm sure could can impactand save others lives, too.
So go be you, go out and be amazing,have an amazing day because you
are worthy, you are wonderful, andyour story deserves a microphone.
(10:22):
Now go do it!
Hey Podcaster, how are you?
(00:02):
We are live at PodFest in Florida andI'm actually coming to you after my
first huge live speaking gig and I wantto talk about the power of showing up
As your authentic self and how that isactually going to set you apart from
every other podcast and show out there.
(00:25):
This is the key to your successand what you need to be doing
to get your show growing.
Are you ready?
Let's go.
I am here and I am actually Talkingto you from my bed, because let me
tell you going to a live event as anintroverted extrovert is exhausting,
(00:49):
but it's also one of the most rewardingthings and it brought me to the reminder
of how when we show up as ourselves,and we actually make human connections,
that's where the magic happens.
And that's part of this beyond thedownloads, right, is that we actually.
Need to make connections.
So many times as we're buildingbusinesses, starting podcasts, YouTube
(01:11):
channels, whatever it is you're doing,you don't really think about the person.
Yeah, we might create our avatar.
We might do this.
We might do that, but that'sputting everything in a box.
And.
If you're listening to the show, myguess is you are not in the box thinkers.
So why I'm bringing this up and why thishit so home for me today is that I was
(01:31):
so nervous showing up today because Ichose to wear a giant dragon floatie.
Yes.
Think pool ring with agiant head and a tail.
And this is how I delivered my speech.
My professional speech.
And I was like, well, they're either goingto love me or they're going to hate me.
(01:52):
But guess what?
It's going to weed out the peoplewho don't fit into my show.
But what I didn't expect was howmuch this branding with wearing
this giant floaty all day.
It started conversations andit actually drove people to me.
And the thing is, is that's who I am.
I am the person that shows up inthe weird outfit, the float pool
(02:15):
floaty, you know, and it becamelike a joke and it became a thing.
talking piece.
It became all these different things.
So what I'm trying to get at is thatrealistically, when you hide these
parts of yourself and you don'tgive them to your audience, that's
part of why your show isn't growing.
(02:36):
That's probably part of why I've seendifferent areas of stagnant times
podcast is because I haven't beenshowing up as myself because we have
some expectation or some thoughts.
or something that makes us think we haveto be a certain way or do things one way
to fit into this group and one way to fitinto that group and we have to kind of
(02:59):
like chameleon our way into this space.
But that's not true because the peopletoday that thought that I was ridiculous
in some pool floaty, guess what?
They're probably not going to wantto be in my space and that's okay.
Because when you show up andyou want to be for everybody,
you're going to be for nobody.
(03:20):
And I would rather be alittle spicy than all vanilla.
Personally, over here, you know that depthof flavor and like a really good salsa.
Like, yeah.
Not, don't get me wrong, I do like agood vanilla ice cream too, but that
depth of flavor and salsa, mm, yeah.
And that's what youshould do in your brand.
So as you're thinking about how togrow your podcast, and what to do next,
(03:44):
and we just came into this new year,and we're like, New year, new me, well
maybe it's time to be the real you.
Maybe it's time to put all those boxed upversions of you, aside and just step out.
Do you need to do something crazylike I did and be like, Hey, I'm
going to pitch to talk about my book.
When everybody knows me for podcasting,I'm going to talk about your story
as someone's life raft instead of howto podcast a little outside the box.
(04:10):
And then on top of that, I'm going toshow up not like everyone else in normal
everyday clothes or business attire.
I'm going to be the girlthat wears the pool floatie.
I stepped outside my box and what happenedtoday, the amount of networking that
showing up as myself brought was so manygreat connections that are not only gonna
just, you know, possibly become clients,but beyond that, I just made friends.
(04:37):
I made an impression.
I changed some lives after my talk.
I heard so many people come up to meand be like, I can relate to your story.
It was so impactful and I wasreally surprised because let's
be honest, I blacked out forthe, for the entire speech, but.
It was so nice to have those people comeup and that's part of my story, right?
(04:57):
I reached out to the lady that helped me,that saved my life through podcasting.
So while you're going through this wholenew year, new me, do I keep podcasting?
Can I be part of the 15 percent club?
And that is 15 percent ofpodcasters actually make it.
And you want to be part of that club.
(05:19):
How you're going to remain partof that club is to be authentic
to yourself and to be yourself.
And if you don't know who that is,like, I don't know, I'm struggling.
I'm coming back from a lot ofthings that I shed last year
and rediscovering who I am.
But I am that silly person.
I'm that silly person thatwears the floaty to an event
(05:39):
that takes up so much space.
I'm not the girl in the corner anymore.
And I never really was that girl.
So I want you to take a look atyour podcast and just see like,
hey, is this still on brand andaligned with who I am as a human?
who I am as a speaker, who I am asa coach, consultant, whatever it is.
(06:01):
Like, who am I who are you actually?
Are you letting your audience know that?
Well, the more you know, themore Things are going to change.
You know, I just had so many conversationstoday that people are like, I'm going
to wait to start until XYZ happens,or I'm going to go in this order.
I'm going to do this and this and this.
I'm like, yeah, but you'rein the midst of it right now.
(06:23):
That's when your emotions are the highest.
And when you talk from anemotional standpoint, people are
going to connect to that deeper.
So why wait till you're allthe way through the process?
Use your show a little bit likea journal in a sense, as long as
it fits into your topic of like,Hey, here's where I'm at right now.
Here's how I'm going through this.
(06:43):
Here's how I'm doing this.
Here's the messy middle.
People are craving that authentic, notput together, like this is real and raw.
You're still steps ahead of your client.
Whether you're one step or 50 steps ahead,you can still turn around and reach back.
And that's what I want you to rememberas you go into this, you know, we're
(07:03):
still in the beginning of 2020.
Oh my goodness, what year are we in?
2025!
You know, as we go into 2025, youreally need to figure out, like,
what it is you want to stand forand who you want to be to do it.
Do you want to blend in ordo you want to stand out?
Because blending in is boring andblending in might be why you're
working so hard to get nowhere.
(07:25):
Like, be the weird girl that shows upon stage in dragon floatie and talks
about, you know, how at some pointshe had suicide ideations and had
a plan and her life turned around.
I mean, it was a pretty heavy storyto show up and deliver in a pool
floatie, but of course the triumphside of it also came from the story.
(07:49):
There's just so many differentaspects that you can really lean into.
And I think this year is all aboutforgetting what we think we should
be and start being who we need to be.
And this might take some inner work ofyou being like, ah, did I want to do this?
Did I want to do thisto please someone else?
(08:10):
Do I think this is all my options are?
And really start thinkingabout those things.
And that's what's going toset your podcast apart from
other people, is being you.
Be the weird person.
Be the wacky person.
Be the If you're weird and wackyand it's fake, stop doing it.
And I bet you'll, you, you will connectand align with more ideal listeners
(08:33):
that will actually come into yourspace and either, you know, become
allies or whatever it is that youknow, they're meant to be in your life.
I created a lot of connectionsand a lot of memories with people.
And when they go to look at things,they're going to remember who I am.
Be like, Oh, you're the life raft girlthat also does podcast production.
Yep.
(08:53):
That's me.
So I really need you to stop being soin the box and start being yourself.
So I challenge you to lookinward and be like, what is one
thing that I am masking per se?
Like, if you think you have to show upwith a full face of makeup because you
(09:14):
do clips of your video to put out thereand you hate makeup, that's not you.
You don't have to do that.
What would happen if you didn't do that?
Would you be willing to test it out?
Maybe it's worth a try.
So that is the biggest takeaway fromday one and my first giant speaking
gig is that the, the talks that werememorable today were the ones with the
(09:39):
people who had stood out that didn'ttake the norm, whether that was drop
in cuss words like crazy and wearingfun outfits, whether that was their
delivery, whether it was someone like mewearing a, a freaking dragon life load.
But figure out your thing andmake it happen because, you know,
(10:02):
we all need each other's story.
Somebody's story saved my lifeand you sharing your story.
I'm sure could can impactand save others lives, too.
So go be you, go out and be amazing,have an amazing day because you
are worthy, you are wonderful, andyour story deserves a microphone.
(10:22):
Now go do it!
Popular Podcasts
40s and Free Agents: NFL Draft Season
Daniel Jeremiah of Move the Sticks and Gregg Rosenthal of NFL Daily join forces to break down every team's needs this offseason.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
The Bobby Bones Show
Listen to 'The Bobby Bones Show' by downloading the daily full replay.