How to Use Your Connections to Grow Your Podcast

Unedited Transcript of the Episode:

Andi: Hi, I’m Andy smiley, your friendly podcast guide. I help you elevate your podcast and feel less alone while you’re doing it today. I’m sharing a conversation I had with Megan. The host of the search for the silver lining a kid podcast about Aila who wants to become a girl night for king Arthur. During this conversation.

I tell Megan that her podcast is one of our favorites, at least three different times. I wasn’t trying to fan girl, but it just happened. Just so, you know, I’ll recap the top things I learned from this conversation at the end of the episode. So you don’t have to take notes unless you want to.

Andi: Megan, thank you so much for being on the friendly podcast guide today. I cannot wait to talk to you about the search for the silver lining. But before we do that, I have a couple of questions to introduce yourself to my listeners and kind of me. So the first one is what is the last podcast you listened to for you?

Meagan: For me. Oh, that’s a good question. Um, I mostly listen to them with And, and we listened to the Go Kid Go has a full repository of podcasts for all of your podcasting needs. So I would say the last one I actually listened to was, um, musical time machine.

Andi: Oh, that’s a good one.

Meagan: they have.

Andi: We love, we love go kid, go at our house. We have a story button. Um, it’s like a kid podcast, old time radio looking thing that plays kid podcasts. And, there’s a lot of go kid, go on there. And when they. When they realized that not all of the go kid, go shows were on there.

They were like, mom, what else is out there? And so now we’re just going through them in my, just like on my phone and my podcast app. And it’s like a whole new world. They’re so excited.

Meagan: Yeah.

Andi: Oh man. I love that. Okay.

What is a simple life hack that you have that is making your life better right now?

Meagan: Um, I would say, well, I’m actually like kind of in need of one, but I would say the things that I’ve learned to do with this whole process is just to lean on people who have subject matter expertise. So it’s hard to do when you’re running your own company and you know, it’s that age old, like if you want something done, right, you just do it yourself.

Like, it’s just easier for me to do so much of it, but then you have so many balls in the air that eventually something is going to fall. So I have to learn to let go of the things that I don’t quite have like full expertise on or I feel like somebody, you know, finding somebody competent that can come on and help.

So even for this podcast, you know, it requires really pounding the pavement to try to get some PR and awareness. And I’ve leaned into two friends of mine, um, Don Fallon and Karen Hart. They’re in PR. And so they’ve been able to give me invaluable advice. So instead of me, you know, trying to reach out and do one more thing in addition to the writing and the packaging and getting the talent and all this other stuff is they’re really helping me to kind of put things together and like, what’s the narrative, what’s the angle.

And these are the people that you want to reach out to and this is how you want to grow it. Uh, so I think my hack really is just learning to lean on other people. Whereas in the past being kind of a, control freak, you know, like OCD wanting to do everything myself and also needing to, you know, when you work with talent, it’s my reputation on the line.

There’s a lot of legality. Like, I want to make sure everything is being looked at, so yeah. So that’s my hack is really to just lean on the people around me that have core competencies that I don’t and get their help.

Andi: Definitely. And I think truly that can, that works really well in podcasting, but I think that’s pretty much across the board, right? Where no one can be good at everything. So find the people that are good at the things that you’re not good at and lean on them. I love that.

Meagan: Everybody has to play to their strength and there’s only so much time in a day. So it’s really, you know, hard to do all be all things

Andi: exactly. Okay. So now that we know you a little bit better, let’s dive into, um, the search for the silver lining. So I have to say before we start, my children love this podcast. We recently went on a road trip to, for a family reunion, and we just downloaded all the episodes and I’ve been hoarding them.

Like I saved them for this trip because I knew that they would love it and they would stay quiet because each episode is like 15 ish minutes. Yeah. And so I knew that if I hoarded them, I had like, I think six episodes. So like, that’s a long time. Like that was a lot of driving that we were able to do with no kids whining.

Everyone’s just listening and excited about Camelot. So it was a beautiful thing. So thank you. Thank you for

Meagan: Thank you. I’m the great feedback.

Andi: Yes. Well, yeah. So I want to know what made you want to start this podcast?

Meagan: Well, I, you know, this, this was my daughter’s project. This was her idea. It was during covid. And one of the exercises that they had in school was to, um, you know, just be writing their feelings. And she ended up writing a collection of short stories based on she had fallen in love with King Arthur. She read the Magic Treehouse book series, and one of them was about King Arthur.

She read it over and over again. And It’s so funny because I was the same way when I was a kid. I was just obsessed with all things Camelot and the sword in the stone. And, um, So she had written all these stories and wanted to be a girl knight and she got into fencing, which is really unusual for a child, but she came out of the womb, like wanting to sword fight.

And so we found a place for her to get into fencing. And so she, when I read these stories, I was like, you know, it’s so cute because each one is like a lesson. So it was at the time, it was written by a six year old for six year olds. And it was about a kid that loses their teddy bear at the park. And When she goes back to find it, another kid has found it.

Um, and she felt like, okay, well now he’s happy. I lost it, but I made his day. I don’t want to take it back from him. So Isla was always like this glass half full child. She just didn’t stay upset very long. She was always able to find the silver lining. which is refreshing for me as a parent with the work that I do.

I’m not always like that. You know, I could kind of get really upset and depressed by the trauma that I’m around and she could always see the positive. And so when I read these stories, I was like, you know, this would make a really cute collection of children’s stories. And I put together a deck and I started shopping that around and It was a mutual friend that had said, why don’t you make this a children’s podcast?

I met somebody that’s in that space. Don’t, don’t know him that well, but if you wanted to meet them, I could make an introduction. And the rest is, you know, history. That’s now, now, here we are, a year in, and, and we have a podcast that’s on the air, so it was a great introduction.

Andi: Yeah, that was a

Meagan: Very fruitful.

Andi: great choice. We’re all glad that you made the choice to make it a kid podcast. Um, I love that. It’s like based on your, on your daughter’s like stories. That’s absolutely lovely. And the main character in the kid podcast, the search for the silver lining is Isla, and that is your daughter’s name too, right?

Meagan: Yes. Yes. It’s about her and her, how she kind of navigates through the world. And she thinks that the silver lining is, you know, at the very beginning when she’s having a hard day and, and her mom, me is based on a real conversation where she heard me telling someone that there’s gotta be a silver lining.

And she thinks it’s an actual treasure like the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. And she wants to try to find it to make me happy. And we ended up having a conversation where it’s actually the good within the bad. And. In every bad situation, you don’t always see it right away, but sometimes there’s got to be something good that you can find.

So, um, yeah, so the story is just her on a quest to find the silver lining in each, at the end of each episode, she realizes, you know, it’s been there all along. It’s just up to her to find it.

Andi: And I think that is a beautiful lesson for kids because kids don’t always see things, they don’t always see the silver lining because it’s very like, they’re very black and white, which makes sense. They’re learning how to be in the world. But I think, so I think it’s good for them. But I think it’s also like a good reminder for me as I’m like driving around with the kids to be like, You’re right.

Like, yes, we’re stuck in traffic, but you know what, we’re all here together listening to a podcast. Like, you know, I feel like it’s just a nice reminder for me also in whatever situation we’re in.

Meagan: It’s that like, I mean, the example you gave just there is a conversation we got into literally a week ago, we were going out to my parents and we were in standstill traffic and my husband and I were just like, So frustrated. We were already late. And, you know, as we as we kind of creep by the cause of the traffic, there was a mangled car.

And I was just like, you know, that that makes me so sad. Like all this time we wasted being frustrated and like just focusing on the negative. And we are here safe in our car and somebody’s world. Just hopefully, you know, it was Not catastrophic, but someone’s world just changed and that’s how quick it can be in a dime.

So we have to just always be Grateful in the moment and and try to remember that, you know again perspective So obviously like, you know, we’re not going to like drive that lesson home with idle. Like that could be us, but it is one of those things where you’re, you know, you’re thankful that, you know, we are in traffic, but the silver lining is like, we’re here, we’re listening to, you know, music.

We’ve got imagined dragons, we’ve got air conditioning. We’re on our way to go see your grandparents. Everything’s fine. And you know, it’s nothing to really don’t sweat the small stuff. Well,

Andi: a through line of your show is just that, well, I, it’s kind of obvious, , because the show is called the search for the silver lining, but I feel like it’s beautifully done in, in a, not in your face sort of way. It’s like, Hey, just.

Look for the good and I love it. So one of the interesting parts of your podcast is that you have celebrities do the intro and outro of each episode. How did the idea come to be? How did, how did that become part of the show?

Meagan: that was, you know, just a stroke of luck. I feel like the work that I do on the philanthropic side of MDC Productions is I do a lot of talent engagement with the movie studios I work with. We do screenings for kids that are sick and we don’t want to have them at a regular theater and a special events and red carpets and whatnot.

So. When Isla had this, again, it was going to be a book, and we were going to call it The Search for the Silver Lining. And I had done some work with Robert De Niro, who did The Silver Lining’s playbook. And it was really a movie that gave, I feel, gave people hope, um, In the wake of divorce, and I was like, you know, this is a really good message to share for kids in the wake of covid and bullying is on the rise.

And, you know, there’s so many awful things these Children are dealing with. And the new cycle is so scary for them. So maybe he could write a little forward in the book. And once it became a podcast, I was like, maybe he could record something and I don’t have any money to pay him. And It’s Robert De Niro, but you know, he’s met Isla and I thought that it would be nice to just have him lend his voice.

And then, then I mentioned it to Liam Neeson who I’d worked with, and he’s just got the most recognizable, wonderful, distinguished, warm, perfect voice and could listen to him talk like he could read a phone book and I’d be happy. So he came on and he recorded that, um, ending that plays at the episodes.

And then I was like, you know, while I’ve got them, maybe I can get some other talent. We actually hadn’t even finished all of the episodes yet. And I was like, you know, Kristen Bell would be great for this one. And Emily Blunt would be great for that. And, uh, you know, Chris Hemsworth is like all about the mind over matter, mental health.

And so we kind of just assigned our wish list talent to which episode topic, um, you know, we were presenting. And, um, I pitched it and they agreed and it was just a really wonderful marriage of just like them lending their voice just to like get some attention and hopefully deliver content that was, you know, quality that would keep kids engaged.

Andi: Definitely. I love it. I feel like my kids don’t really care. It’s more like maybe I’m like, Hey, I know that voice. I feel like

Meagan: Kids won’t even recognize for the most part, and that was a conversation I had with Go Kid Go, is that they won’t necessarily recognize the talent and certainly, you know, Not some of the more serious films that these adults have done, but these actors have done, but the parents will listen and potentially Sponsors or if one one day springboard this into some sort of like movie idea It’s just nice to have talent attached and also they have children a lot of them are parents themselves So it’s just one way to kind of get some attention and makes, make it a little bit different.

You know, I done a lot of research and there wasn’t a lot of celebrities doing children’s podcasts. So I was like, maybe I could just, you know, be like, kind of like a little feather in our cap if we could just spice it up a little bit.

Andi: totally like a unique aspect. I love it. I feel like you do what you gotta do to get your name out there. And I think that this is a great way to do it. At

Meagan: It was a fun twist. We got Charlie Hunnam like midway through the season and no children are watching sons of anarchy. Or King Arthur Legend of the Sword, which was like quite the bloody Richie movie, but he played King Arthur. So I said, you know, this is a, this is for kids and it’s King Arthur. And, um, you know, would he want to lend his voice?

And he did. So I thought that was, you know, really amazing. And then my hockey, I play ice hockey. So my hockey teammates were like, Oh my God, you have Charlie Hunnam? Like, we love him and we’ll, we’ll listen. They wouldn’t have listened otherwise, you know, but they liked him, so I thought that was pretty funny.

Andi: That’s adorable. I love that. Okay. So I feel like we’ve been talking about a lot of the cool parts of your show, but is there a favorite part that you have of creating the silver?

I almost said the silver linings podcast, the search for the silver lining. I love that.

Meagan: Um, I, I think my favorite part of it is, collaborating with my daughter. You know, this is her vision. And ever since she was born, you know, my motto is kind of like, it’s her world. Now I’m living in it. I’ve had my fun, my time. And, and, you know, it doesn’t mean everything that I do stops, but this is so much fun to be able to do with her and marry my world of the work that I do and the philanthropy and, um, working with the talent and some of the excitement that they bring with her vision.

And then also. working with her and writing with her. A lot of this is her writing and I know it’s really hard for people to believe until they meet her and she’s like a little 30 year old and I have to remember, you know, I’m like, she’s a child, but her innocence is, is there, but also her empathy is like, you know, bottomless.

And, and that is also, you have to be careful about that for a child that feels so much empathy is to just really protect and nurture and make sure she doesn’t feel so bogged down. She doesn’t have to save the world. And, um, But just to walk that line with her and navigate this, it’s very new for both of us.

Um, and it’s just something that we’ll always have, even if it ends tomorrow, you know, we did it and it was just so much fun. And I’m so proud of her. She records it and she practices, she prints out the scripts and she reads her lines and works on her inflection. And she’s had some advice from the talent I work with, you know, , like acting tips and, um, So, yeah, that’s just been the best part of it is, is the fact that I get to do it with my daughter.

Andi: Definitely, wait, so she voices Isla.

Meagan: She voices Isla.

Andi: Oh my gosh. I love that so much. That makes it even better. Like we already obviously love the show, but that is so sweet. And truly one thing that my, I have noticed out my kids and other kids is when there is a kid’s voice on a kid podcast, it just like immediately shoots to the top of my kids favorites.

So

Meagan: agree. And I think the parents are more willing to listen. No parent wants to hear over and over again. Their kids listening to podcast where it’s an adult playing a kid voice. You know, it’s like you can listen to it once or twice and then it’s like, okay, you know, we’re on the 12th time, but I can listen to the Children speaking and laughing, you know, over and over again.

It’s just there’s such an innocence about it. And I think that’s what, you know, I’m hoping that children will connect with.

Andi: Definitely. So speaking of you and Isla writing, what made you decide, to write all of Merlin’s lines as rhymes.. My kids think is so fun and like hilarious that Merlin is always rhyming. And also like, was it hard to write in rhymes? Because I feel like that would be really hard for me.

Okay.

Meagan: that was, um, Jennifer Clary. So she’s one of the co founders of, of go kid, go. She took some of the early iterations of what I had adapted from just the book. pitch into, um, a podcast format just so I could see how they should be developed. And she started introducing some of the rhymes.

And so I, wanting to stay true to Isla’s voice, I was like, can I, can I just take a stab at writing? Like they gave me a writer that I could, that could work with me, but I really wanted to stay true to Isla’s vision for at least the first go around. They trusted me. It was amazing. And he was amazing. Ben Fleck.

And so I loved the idea of having Merlin be this quirky, rhyming. And so Isla and I just had so much fun with it. And I’ve always liked to write and I’ve always loved to write poetry. And so I would come up with these quirky lines and Isla would be like cracking up. So I was like, I think the kids will like this, you know, I didn’t want him to be like cheesy, but.

I thought it just, it broke up some of the, like, you know, more serious topics by having him be this eccentric, you know, rhyming wizard.

Andi: Oh yeah. Every time, every time he talks, I just picture like, like a cartoon version of Gandalf almost rhyming. And I love

Meagan: And the actor they found for the voiceover actor is amazing. He reads it just how we pictured it in our heads. He’s just so quirky and funny, but he’s got the wisdom in there and.

I love it.

Andi: Yeah. I love it too. Yeah. Merlin. I think as an adult, Merlin’s one of my favorite characters. Cause he’s like all knowing, but he doesn’t tell them everything, but also he’s like quirky, all this, like, he’s just a fabulous character. So good job. You wrote

a

fabulous character.

Meagan: you know, you have this like nine year old girl that goes in another world and you know, you teach your kids stranger danger, but you want him to be trustworthy and funny and approachable. So he can’t just be this scary wizard and he can’t just be this kooky rhyming guy. So, you know, I had, I hope we were able to like marry that into.

You know a wise sage someone who’s like her mentor and you know

Andi: Yeah, no, totally. And I love, and I love that you were thoughtful about that because it’s true. Stranger danger is a thing, but also I feel like I like that, um, Isla is learning to, that there are adults that you can trust. You just have to like vet it out a little bit.

Meagan: Right?

Andi: So what has been the most surprising part of like making this show for you since you’ve started?

Meagan: Um, I would say What is the most surprising and probably the most rewarding is the feedback that I get so I don’t really know The full listenership because we’re so new But because of the talent, I feel like it did attract some attention from, you know, from their fans. So I was getting some random outreach from people who were like, Oh, I was listening to it in the car with my child.

And I got an, I got an email from someone whose son is 12 and he’s autistic and he does not do car rides well. And she said, they put this on and he loves it. And he, it’s like nice for the whole family because he calms down, he listens to it. He wants to know what’s going to happen next. And. So for me, it’s like so emotional, like the, the reward of, of hearing that, like my daughter’s stories or, you know, it’s, it’s really kids helping kids, you know, this is her thing.

I’m just the facilitator, but to be able to know that we’re helping other people or entertaining other people and being that I work in entertainment, it’s so nice to be somebody that’s putting out good content that is, you know, positive for kids in the, sweeping field of like negativity that they’re always exposed to.

It’s really nice to, to help.

Andi: definitely. I love that. And so like, I feel like I’m a step out from that. So I just tell people about kid podcasts and I feel like I get so many messages that are just like, I didn’t know kid podcasts exist and now I do. And they’re amazing. And I’m like, I know. I’m so glad you’re on the boat with me now.

And I, yeah, it’s just such a beautiful thing when you can help parents. Parent better, not better, but just like easier, I guess. Just like give them another tool

Meagan: That’s exactly it’s it’s empowering. And I feel like at its core, you know, we want to empower Children, but also for parents, it’s, there’s just, you don’t know, there’s just so much. And, you hear the warnings all the time, like with social media and the bullying in school and the like harrowing news cycle, and you don’t know, what to trust.

So to have a trusted resource like yourself, who is kind of compiling and listening to yourself and making recommendations, that’s really helpful for parents and hopefully for them to be able to go to go kid, go and it’s so wholesome. And, um, and that’s what I really love. That’s, that’s why we went with them. I just got such a good feeling, you know, about them from day one.

Andi: oh, I could, I could talk about go kid go probably all day long, but we, we are not here for them. . So one thing that I don’t feel very comfortable talking about, but I want to force myself to get more comfortable talking about is money. So, um, we’re going to talk about money for just a minute. I’m like, what’s it called? When, when you like force yourself to do something, something therapy, it’s like, whatever.

Yes. Thank you. It’s immersion therapy for me being uncomfortable about money. Here we are. So have you made any money from your podcast yet?

Meagan: Um, no, um, I’m comfortable talking about it as well, but unfortunately zero dollars, but that was never, I mean, the goal was not to make money with this. It was really to, um, Obviously be able to have a project with my daughter to bring it to life and to see if we could help other children. And one of the things that I talked about with GoKidGo early on was that I wanted it to be free for children.

And I don’t know, you know, the way everybody was kind of hit during COVID and the pandemic and the way everything is right now. It’s just, I don’t want it to be like one more subscription. So a young child doesn’t have access to this content. We didn’t do it to make money. I don’t want Isla and I to be making money off of other children who, you Like to listen to it or benefit from it.

So it was really something that we were all in agreement out of the gates. They, they never, you know, resisted where, whereas I’m sure other platforms would have been like, you know, we need to have this behind a paywall. I knew it wasn’t going to be a big moneymaker. And I know children’s podcasts aren’t necessarily a big moneymaker, but they are a growing medium, one of the fastest growing.

And from this, there are a lot of other avenues where hopefully we could take this down the line. You know, an animated series would be amazing. I don’t think we’ve seen any sword in the stone type story since like the 1970 with the Disney sword in the stone. Um, I, and then there was like Merlin, which was for adult streaming on, on Netflix and the legend of the sword with Guy Ritchie.

And, um, that was really for adults. So there’s other opportunities and, and I’d love to still go back to explore that book deal and get a children’s, you know, and again, not, not a lot of money in that either. There are just going to be little children’s books, but the more we can get it out there, I think there’s other opportunity that will come from it.

Andi: definitely. And I love, sorry, I’ve got this hair that just keeps bugging me, I love that you didn’t go into it being like, I’m going to make so much money, but also you’re like, there are opportunities that will come from me bringing this service to the world. And I think that that is. That’s such a great mindset to have being like, you know, I am open to the opportunities, but also I’m not here to like make this inaccessible for the kids that for kids that need it.

Meagan: Right. Right. We just want to entertain. I, you know, again, being around so much talent and loving their movies and seeing how much children and families are impacted by their movies as, as a form of escapism. You know, I always feel like what, What can I contribute?

There’s a lot going on in the world today that I don’t agree with personally, politically, spiritually, but I can’t come out swinging. I can’t fight at every turn. Some of the things are so much bigger than me. And so, um, but I can put out good content. I can be, Um, a positive role model for my daughter, I can encourage her to put out, you know, to meet the negativity with positivity and that you can’t really put a price on that.

And so, but down the road, I am mindful of the fact that people do need to get paid. You know, it’s people’s time and it’s not just me. It’s writers and editors and, um, voiceover artists. And so, and go kid go, and they’re being respectful of their time. And so. Down the line, you know, I’d be, I would love to get some sponsors.

I would love to work with a streaming platform and, you know, even, even to see something like this as a live action type of Harry Potter world, like for, for children, it’s like magic and dragons and nights. There’s a lot for the boys and at the heart of it, it’s a girl that’s trying to like, you know, prove her worth.

So I feel like there’s something for everybody.

Andi: I completely agree. Yeah. My kids are obsessed. I don’t know how many times I’m going to say on this episode, but my kids

Meagan: Music to my ears.

Andi: Well, I have to say, okay, so we’re going to talk about before we hopped on, I asked Megan what her, what one of her favorite episodes was. And, um, you said you had to, we’re only going to have time to talk about one, but, um, was that first episode, the big discovery and, um, just for a little context, this is the first episode when Isla first finds a penny and goes to Camel and it’s like such a fun adventure.

What made this one of your favorite episodes?

Meagan: Um, well, it was a culmination of many things. The first of it being that, like, this was the realization of a dream and something we’d worked for for so long come true. So that was wonderful. And, um, the feedback we got was amazing. Like, people loved the rhymes. It was the first time they had heard this

type of story.

So, um, but I also loved that it really, it was, you know, Based on my daughter and a lot of her experience has kind of rolled into one. So she’s playing ice hockey, she’s with all the boys and she wants to be an equal and knows that she has to also prove her worth. You know, you don’t just go in demanding equality.

You want to actually show that you belong there and you’ve earned your space. So it was kind of modeled after like what the conversations that we had at home and leading up to it is like, you know, you have every right to be there and this is, you treat people with respect, you treat it with respect and return.

Um, and she’s, she’s sets out to prove her worth and she’s also kind of hiding her identity. You know, he, she’s this time traveler from the future. So we did work in some of the magical element, but at the same time, she meets and befriends this young, um, Boy with, you know, who’s, who’s training in Camelot and it turns out that he is King Arthur in disguise and he’s going there to see the, the Knights that are training to become Knights who will serve him.

You know, he wants to see what they’re all about without being King, without coming in with his crown and how, how people treat him when they think he’s just like them. Because he is that at, you know, the whole story of King Arthur’s obviously he was just a boy raised on a farm and didn’t know he was the son of a king until he pulled that sword from the stone.

So it really shows that like, no matter who you are, where your background is or where you’re from, everybody inside has that feeling of wanting to be accepted and proving their worth. So yeah, I think that was just, there was so many little like adult themes woven through that I think touches kids in a way that like, they don’t really get the full gravity of it, but they walk away feeling like, I feel like I’ve learned something, but the parents know so that there’s a lot of conversational starters there that they can work, you know, work with their child after.

That

Andi: Yeah, truly like the whole show, but especially this first episode, I noticed that,

Meagan: other people

Andi: do I even word this? It was like, Isla was being underestimated, right? Like they didn’t think that she could do all of the things that she knew that she could and she was like, like capable and worthy of doing all of these amazing things and becoming the first girl knight.

And I think a lot of times kids get underestimated. And so I really loved this first episode where you were like, no, don’t let other people underestimate you. And if they do, don’t let them. Don’t let that, like, reflect back on yourself. Don’t underestimate yourself. And I just, I absolutely loved that,

Meagan: and also to have one person in this case, like in the real world, it’s it’s her mom. And when she goes to Camelot, it’s a Merlin. It’s also shows the importance of having like somebody who believes in you and and reminds you. And if and if if for nothing else for these Children, it might just be a character from a movie you see or book you read or story you remember like this.

But hopefully it’s a parent or a coach or a teacher. But Somebody that just reminds you of your worth as well. And just, it’s like, you know, you’ve, you’ve got this. And the kid’s like, you’re right. I do like it. Sometimes you just need that little reminder

Andi: I completely agree. Yeah. Sometimes you just need that little push almost that she gets from, like you said, both her mom and then Merlin in Camelot. Um. So in the first episode, Isla gets to show her sword skills. And you said that Isla is a fencer.

So is that why you added that, that part of her, like being really good with a sword into the show? Wow.

Meagan: And then I fence, right? Like, so he really wanted to be able to, and again, it’s something that is so, um, bizarre to me, like, without even getting into, like, the spirituality of life, like, she literally came out of the womb wanting to sword fight, and whether it was like playing with like wooden spoons or, you know, getting a styrofoam sword.

She’s like from the medieval times, I think, but she, when we found out that there’s actually a fencing academy, that’s in our town of all places, . So we enrolled her and she just, she fell in love with it. She’s an amazing coach. . He was a fencer for the Olympic team and, um, he’s amazing. And it’s teaching her so much about discipline and balance and conditioning and it’s helped her with her podcast.

Andi: Ooh, that is so cool. And I honestly, that when we were listening to that first episode, I was surprised that Ila was so good because that’s not really a thing that you think about, like even just kids in general being good at swords. So that was really fun. That’s such a fun, like tidbit, like behind the scenes of why she’s, she is fencing immediately.

She is sword fighting immediately. Cause Ila was like, hello, we’re adding it.

Meagan: it does. I think it comes up in like, I’m not sure if we left it in, but in one of the episodes she does explain to Merlin that in the future, which he knows cause he’s all knowing, but she fences and everything has its like evolution through time. So obviously we don’t run each other through with swords anymore, but fencing is an evolution of, you know, what we had in the past.

And so, um, so she does, she is able to bring something of value back to the past, which is her knowledge of, of self defense and sort of fighting in the future.

Andi: Totally. I love it so much. Yes. We are all about like. So I have two little girls and a son and it’s really fun for truly, my son is just as into it. He’s like, go Isla. Yeah. But like it’s really fun for my two daughters to be like, Isla’s awesome. She can do anything. I can do anything. Cause Isla can do anything.

I’m like, yes, yes to all of that. So we, yes, we love Isla at our house. Truly speaking of that, my daughter, every time now she finds a penny, she will wish on it to go to Camelot. So I was wondering how, like, how did the lucky penny play into that? Like who decided that that was the way to get to Camelot?

Meagan: That was, again, I think that was Jen. She wanted there to be some sort of token to make it relatable for their Children. Like it wasn’t just like Isla was this special chosen child. Like there was something that other kids could have, you know, have and see and think and remind them. So Isla and I were like, you know, we always had this tradition and I had it growing up with my mom, which was, you know, find a penny, pick it up.

And then my mom’s like running around picking up pennies and um, you And then I ended up and when you’re growing up, I’m like, Oh my God, mom. And then when I have Isla and you teach the same thing, you know, it’s a way to just kind of like, it’s a tradition. And when I started researching, I realized it actually originated back in these medieval times and they had these like tokens, these golden tokens, and that’s where this like ancient, like, find a, you know, Penny pick it up type of thing came from.

So we worked that in and now she’s a, a lot of her friends say the same thing. Like whenever they see a penny, they think it, and she’s got her younger cousins are like, I wish we had magic pennies. And, you know, so it’s taken on its own little life form of its own, which is cool.

Andi: That is so fun. Yeah. No, my daughter, every time, every time she finds a penny and, and I’m just like, I love it. I’m like, yes, girl, live your best imagination life. Like, and, and she’d be like, Hey, I just got back from Camelot because obviously when you pick the penny up, time, time stops here so you can go have your adventure.

And we’re like, Oh, well, what did you do? It’s

Meagan: think that’s amazing. So she has her own adventures.

Andi: Yeah, it’s, it’s absolutely lovely. Yeah. So how many episodes are going to be in this first season?

Meagan: We have three more left. We have, yes, we have three more left. So then, and then, and then hopefully we’ll be back for, you know, We’ll get more episodes going.

We have a whole bunch written already. Um, because again, this was based on children’s book series, so I just need to adapt them. But again, I’m not sure what the future holds. So hopefully we get, you know, a demand for a second season and we can come back with more talent and more fun stories. And we’ll see.

Keep it going.

Andi: Definitely. Well, that was going to be my next question because my children are already asking. They’re like, so when this is done, when is there going to be more? I don’t know, but I can ask. So here we are.

Meagan: Well, it’s definitely go kid, go. I mean, I’ve, I’ve wanted to work with them, you know, I’m in it for the long haul with them. We’re approaching the end of this season. So it’s definitely on the docket to have the conversation with them and figure out what we need to do to move forward and have a small little hiatus, and then jump back on. And, um, it won’t, it, it will hopefully be easier the first time around. I did all 10 episodes at once, like before they greenlit it, like they kind of wanted continuity and to see like where I was planning on going before they invested in me and took a chance with me.

So I spent almost a year of just like writing and, um, So now I think that there’s an audience and there’s some engagement and people like it, then it’ll be a little bit easier. You know, we can kind of write as we go and just kind of stay ahead of the curve that way.

Andi: Totally.

Meagan: Hopefully.

Andi: Well, we love it at our house. We tell everyone about it and hopefully that will help, but thank you so much for making this amazing podcast and for coming on my show today. This has been delightful. I’ve loved talking to you.

Meagan: I appreciate it. I thank you so much for having me. It’s just, the more I can spread the word and get it out there. Like I said, this is the part that’s hard for me. I’m usually the one behind the camera or doing the interviewing and talking about myself and the project is, you know, it’s a learning curve.

So I’m not always the most comfortable, but it’s something that we are passionate about. So I appreciate the opportunity to talk about it.

Andi: Definitely. I’m, I’m grateful that you, that you went out on a limb and did something uncomfortable.

Meagan: Well, you made it very easy.

Andi: Thank you so much.

Wasn’t it so much fun to hear about this podcast project Megan has with her daughter. I’ve had an idea to start a podcast with my kids for a while. And this conversation definitely brought that idea back to the front of my mind. I’ll think about that more later. Here are the five things that I learned from my conversation with Megan.

The first thing I learned is lean on others and don’t do it all yourself.

Usually when I hear this. The first thing I think of is. Now I have to pay someone to help me. And that is not always the case. That could just be a couple of podcast friends that you run a new intro by just like text them and be like, Hey, what do you think of this intro? Or maybe that is just a babysitter that comes over a couple times a week, so that you have time to work on your podcast, uninterrupted by small children, or maybe that is. Technology tools.

Like I used a script to help me edit quicker. There are so many things out there that can make. Podcasting easier things and more importantly, people that can make the experience better and help you improve faster. So, We all need to make sure we’re using those. As much as possible. The second thing I learned is to get creative with the connections and assets you have.

So Megan has a very unique job that that makes it so that her connections are famous. She has cool, famous friends, like Liam Neeson, who she can reach out to and say, Hey, will you be on my podcast? Not all of us have celebrity friends that can elevate our podcast, but. That doesn’t mean that our connections and our assets. Can’t help us in ways that maybe we haven’t thought of.

So. Truly after I had this conversation, I made a list of all of the people that I could reach out to that have podcasts that maybe I could be a guest on their show I also made a list of different communities. That I’m a part of that I could say, Hey, I have a podcast. Do you want to hear more about it?

So while I do not have celebrity friends, I do have connections that can help my podcast grow

and make my podcast better.

The third thing I learned from this conversation is to make a wishlist, a shoot for the stars list and work toward it. Don’t just let it sit in a drawer, like make your list, make it a little, at least a little outlandish, but don’t just set it aside when you’re done work toward it.

Ask those people to be on your podcast

this is something that I’ve been trying really hard to be better at. So when I was making my list of people that I wanted to talk to for season two of the friendly podcast guide,

I wrote down people that I had reached out to before and had never gotten back to me or people that I was like, no, they’re never going to actually respond to me. And while some of them haven’t responded to me. Other people have

and it has been so exciting and fun and has just made creating this podcast and this season so much more exciting than it already was. And it already was really fun.

The fourth thing that I’ve learned is to get feedback from knowledgeable people. There were several different things in the search for the silver lining that my family loved that came from advice that Megan got from outside sources. Especially Merlin’s rhymes. That is one of my kids’ favorite parts and truly one of my favorite parts of her podcast. And that didn’t originate from Megan that came from the network that she went with. Go kid, go. So to implement this for my podcast, I’ve started a list of people that I know are good at podcasting, and they know my podcast that I can reach out to

when I’m stuck on something or just routinely to make sure that my podcast is still feeling fresh. And is being the best that it can be.

The last thing that I wrote down that I learned from my conversation with Megan is to let your passion for your podcast and your mission push you out of your comfort zone. Um, at the end of our conversation, Megan talked about how doing PR and marketing for her podcast and talking about it to strangers like me.

We were strangers before we got on there. Now we’re friends. Was hard and definitely out of our comfort zone and. That was such a lovely reminder to me. That. My mission is important enough. That I need to get out of my comfort zone and make sure that I am. Talking about my podcast, when someone asks me how I’m doing, instead of just saying good, saying I’m great. A new episode just dropped of my podcast and it’s a delightful one where I got to talk to one of my favorite kid podcasters. Which is definitely out of my comfort zone.

I don’t really like bringing up my podcasts unless someone else asks me about it first. And then I’m an open book and I’ll tell you anything.

But Megan helped me remember that, doing things that are out of my comfort zone, talking to people about my podcast, without them asking about it first, or reaching out to a podcast, to be a guest on their show when. I have no idea. If they’re going to say yes or not. All of these things are outside of my comfort zone, but I need to remember that my mission is important enough to go outside of my comfort zone.

Will you share this episode with your podcasting friend? Who’s been struggling with feeling like they can’t create a podcast or keep creating their podcast because they don’t have enough knowledge or connections. Meghan will inspire them to use the connections and assets that they already have. Next time on the friendly podcast guide. You’re just going to get me.

I’ll give you an update on how many downloads I got in my first month of season two. And how much money I’ve made so far this year. You’ll also hear about the experiments I’m trying next month, including trying to give my listeners a nickname. Thanks for being here. And I’ll see you next week.