Your Podcast is a Launching Point for Making Money

Unedited Transcript of the Episode:

Andi: Hi, I’m Andy smiley, your friendly podcast guide. I help you increase your downloads without letting your podcast take over your life. Today. I’m sharing a conversation I had with Monique about her kid podcast. Time traveling, Tanya. If it isn’t obvious from last month theme, I love kid podcasts. So I was super excited to include a history kid podcast in this month’s Roundup. Of history, podcasts.

Monique’s passion for her show reinvigorated my excitement for my podcast in a way I didn’t know I needed. So I’m sure she’ll help you get excited about your podcast again, to. And here’s your friendly reminder that I’ll talk about the main things I learned from this chat at the end of the episode.

So you don’t have to take notes. Unless you want to.

Andi: Monique, thank you so much for being on the Friendly Podcast Guide today. I’m so excited to talk about your kid podcast, Time Traveling Tanya. But before we dive in, I want to introduce you a little bit to my listeners.

Monique: Wonderful.

Andi: I have two questions for you.

The first one is what is the last podcast you listened to for you? Not for editing, not for anything, just for you.

Monique: Oh, I know what it is. Um, I’ve been listening to the Happiness Lab.

Andi: yes. Okay. I don’t listen to it regularly, but when I do, I love it. I need to just, that just needs to go back to the top of my list.

Monique: Yeah, my, my, not to start on the down note, but my husband and I, we had to say goodbye to our 18 year old dog about two and a half months ago, you know, love and light, all peaceful, no regrets. He was 18, but we knew pretty quickly that we were going to get, of course, sad and be grieving. And so we made ourselves immediately both start listening to the happiness lab because it just gives specific tips on scientifically proven.

ways of being happier. And so that’s kind of been our kind of commitment to each other. So we wouldn’t turn into just a bunch of sad facts without a dog. So, um, and ironically, having a dog is one of the things that makes you happier, but we got to get through the grieving process first before we move on to another pup down the line.

But yeah, the happiness lab, I very, very much, uh, they’re short. They’ve got some good little tips and tricks and things that just , remind you that most of the time your brain is lying to you. And, although I do think women should, especially women, should trust their instincts and their gut, when it comes to happiness.

A lot of times our brains are lying to us. So, that’s been a good reminder of things to do. Stay on the positive road.

Andi: Definitely. Okay. The second question is what’s a simple life hack that is making your life better right now?

Monique: Maybe this goes along with the happiness lab. Okay. I’m doing my best every morning to stretch. I know it’s a small thing. Um, and I, I’m just trying to be better at not waking up and immediately getting on my computer into work. Granted, I’m immediately on my phone, terrible habit, but just taking extra time to sort of center myself and breathe and stretch and just get ready for the day that has helped me it just starts my day off right, I guess, if I do a little stretching.

Andi: Yes. Okay. Now that we’ve known a little bit more about you, let’s dive into time traveling with Tanya.

Monique: basically Gertie sort of serves as the Be all know all because she’s the time traveler and teaches Tanya various lessons that she can apply to real life by going back in time and meeting these cool, different, inspiring people from history. Um, and I come from, I’m a comedy writer. And so everything I do comes through the lens of trying to make it funny and accessible.

And I also just think you learn more when you’re having a good time. Those lessons really stick. And so. Yeah, it’s a history podcast and it is a kid’s podcast, but more importantly, I think it’s just fun. It’s silly. You know, Tanya’s basically a version of me as an eight year old, like a little precocious, silly little thing.

And, um, so yeah, it’s, it’s super fun.

Andi: I agree. It is very fun. We love, love, love Kid Podcast at our house. And, um, when we, we love Go Kid Go and you’re on the Go Kid Go network. And so we listen to anything Go Kid Go at the moment. And when we saw yours, I was like, Oh, yay. Cause I like, I love history. I love learning about history. And so it was fun that you like package history in a way that my kids also like to listen.

So it’s just a win win.

Monique: Yeah, it technically is a kid’s podcast, but I cannot tell you how many people as adults love it too. And, and that, um, I write it again coming from that comedy background. I write it with adults in mind So, you know if you watch something like well, this is my big dream long term but like bluey there are jokes and there are parts in there that Adults get just as much as kids or maybe that goes right over the kid’s head But adults will get it and I love doing that.

Andi: Totally. Well, yeah, those are my favorite kind of kid podcasts. Those are the ones that I’m like, yeah, we can totally listen to another one. But, like, the ones that are a little, that just don’t have anything to give for me, I’m like, hmm, you can listen to that one by yourself.

Monique: yeah, that was kind of my idea too I just wanted adults to be able to play it in the background and not get annoyed and actually have a good time with it, too, while they’re driving to school. You know, they’re short episodes, they’re maybe 15 minutes ish long, so it’s a little quick bite of fun, and then, You learn something, the kids learn something, hopefully you’re laughing at the same time.

So yeah,

Andi: Totally. So, what has been your favorite part of creating Time Traveling Tanya? I know we talked about like comedy and all those things, but is there like one part that’s been super fun and like your favorite?

Monique: I probably have two parts. Um, I love, I’m a history buff too. And I, history buffs in a weird way. It’s not like I know a ton of things. I just love history. Um, it, I watch documentaries all the time. My friends are always laughing at me because they’ll be like, Oh, I saw that on a documentary. So I wanted to be able to combine that idea of fun and true facts. And so I think one of my favorite parts is the actual writing process because I am a writer. And so I love, I usually pitch the episode ideas, finding stories that are kind of familiar, so you’re not just like, who? Um, or you at least understand how maybe connected, like nobody knows who Vesta Stout is. Well, that’s the woman who invented duct tape. We all know what duct tape is.

So finding, finding an interesting hook, and then trying to tell a story that nobody else has told, or tell it in a way nobody else has told. Um, when I did the take me out to the ball game episode, Um, and I swear it was not my feminist agenda, but in doing research more, I found out it’s a secret ode to women suffragists of the time.

So it’s like this secret feminist song. I had no idea. So I think part of what I love so much is that I’m learning as well. And then , the writer in me and the editor in me loves the puzzle of trying to make it fit into this funny little world and then going back in and adding punch up jokes and little sassy things that Tanya can say.

The other favorite part probably is Gertie, um, who of course is my best friend, uh, Tanya’s best friend, the Galapagos Tortoise. I say mine because I am Tanya. I play Tanya.

Andi: Yeah. Yeah. I totally get it.

Monique: Yeah, it’s basically again. It’s basically me just little in fact the art is me as a Like little kid, I have these little space buns on my head.

And so we use that as the reference for Tanya herself. But anyways, Emily. Churchill is the actress who plays Gertie, and she’s a really good friend of mine. And. It all came because she has this crazy, great voice. She just has this very cool, unique voice.

She’s a voiceover actor here in Los Angeles and she has this really unique voice. And so I wrote the character with her specifically in mind. And as we’ve done more and more episodes, And just got into a better groove. I love writing stuff and then hearing how she’s going to interpret it and hearing her voice over and back so that I can, you know, pick out what I like.

And I don’t do the editing of it, but, um, I am able to like either give her direction or just laugh at things. And I’m like, Oh my gosh, you know, and it’s going to kill it the way she delivers this line or that sort of thing. So,

Andi: That is so fun. Well, and you get to work with one of your friends. Like that’s awesome.

Monique: yeah, it’s great. It’s why. As a creative person, I do what I do.

Andi: I love that. Speaking of Gertie, why did you choose, like, a Galapagos tortoise, turtle? Is she a turtle or a tortoise?

Monique: She’s a tortoise. We make that very clear.

Well, one is because they’re one of the longest living species on the planet, and so I like the idea of like this older, wiser uh, being. Um, and honestly, I just thought it was funny because they’re known as being old. I had the opportunity to pitch, A show idea to go kid go I looked at everything that they had and I just tried to fit something that would fit their world and so I like this idea of Um the backstory to Gertie is that she went to a scientist.

She asked for a little Um, she just wanted help making her a little bit faster So she could like get to the grocery store quicker those sorts of things and whoops There was an accident And somehow it made her super fast where she could go back in time and it turned out to be a happy accident And so I guess that’s where Gertie came from, and the whole Galapagos tortoise, and like I said, she’s 186 years old, which I think I picked that age, cause that’s one of the oldest tortoises was that age.

Andi: Oh, my goodness. I love that backstory. I feel like I just probably missed that episode, but that’s a lovely backstory. And I have to go find it so that my kids can listen.

Monique: it’s, it’s, we’ve never done a full episode on her history, well, a little bit, we did the Darwin episode, because we went back and met Darwin, um, who, met Gertie when Gertie was a baby tortoise. And so we go back to her birthday and we meet Darwin. And I think there’s like a short little line in there again, a little throwaway line.

I love little Easter eggs in my writing in general, but especially in time traveling Tanya. So there’s little Easter eggs where she’s like, Oh, well, I meant to just want it to go a little faster. And whoops, happy accident. That’s my best Gertie impression.

Andi: I love it. So she really does. I really enjoy listening to all the different voices you have

Monique: think kids really like Gertie as well, which makes me really happy to, um, yes, of course, Tanya is the name on it, but I love that Gertie is becoming this little star sidekick, like, I think it’s

Andi: Yes. Beloved character for sure. I love that. show as a whole, what’s been the most surprising thing since starting time traveling Tanya?

Monique: you know, one of my goals is to really be inclusive in the stories that we tell. So I am half Hispanic and Native American and then also white on one side. I grew up, like a lot of kids that are mixed, just not feeling like I fit in anywhere, not seeing myself represented, we kind of all know this by now, that, representation is important.

I really go out of my way when I cast the roles to make sure that the actors that I cast to play the various, um, special guests that we meet are, cast correctly, um, and accurately. We went and visited, um, the Pueblo Indians and. It’s a great episode and talk about and I’m my ancestry is from the Pueblo Indians. And so we talk about how They made the pottery and the beautiful hills that they lived in and just their whole story, but to be able to find an actor who is a Pueblo ancestry wasn’t easy.

It is extra work for me, but they feel, they feel just as good about being asked and being a part of this as I feel like the listeners do. Um, same thing with, we did a couple episodes with, the woman who was the first woman to fight for on campus, um, accessibility.

She was a woman who was in a wheelchair. This was at Michigan state university. And so again, I went and found actors on a, disabled actors website to find someone that was actually in a wheelchair and I got a response back after she recorded it her part just saying oh my god, I started tearing up when I was Recording this because I felt so seen and I wish I wish I had known that she Existed and I just think it’s been really beautiful to have you know, my friend that did the voice of um, Celia Cruz, and she’s Cuban was like, Oh my God, you did such a great job of explaining Castro and communism, but for kids, and I’ve always had a hard time explaining to my kids, you know, oh, this is why grandma and grandpa fought.

And she’s like, but you did such a great way of doing it. Maybe I’m on my period, but it made me cry. Like, I get a lot of that from the actors. Not, not that they’re all on their periods. But, um, it, that’s been really surprising how much that actually matters. And it is worth the extra effort and work that I put into that part of it.

Andi: That’s beautiful. Oh, I love that so much. And that extra effort. I know it comes through on the show, like from, I, you know, we don’t know that that’s what you’re doing and that’s who you’re finding. But I feel like just that love and care definitely comes through in the episodes. And I think that’s one of the reasons that we all love time traveling Tanya.

Monique: Thank you. Yeah. It’s not only is it the right thing to do, but there have been a few times that, and I ask them, when I cast them, if there’s anything in this script that doesn’t feel right or doesn’t feel authentic, please say something. This is your story to tell more than it is mine. And so I’ve had a couple times where they went actually, you know, in Judaism we use this phrase, or actually, here’s how I would say it, um, from my.

culture or whatever the situation might be. And so I love being able to, um, work with them in those ways and just make it that much more authentic.

Andi: Yeah, that’s awesome. Well, and that’s like a, added benefit. Like, yes, you have to do more work to find people that it matches with, but then you get another resource to make sure that you are telling the story right. So that’s

Monique: Yes. Yes.

Andi: Okay. I love that even more.

Monique: It is really one of my favorite parts of it. As much as I love hearing the whole thing, just, I’m really proud of that. Um, not just the story that gets to tell, but who I’ve included in that. I think it’s extra important that those stories are told and, and so that a little girl that’s mixed like I was feels that they can see themselves.

I mean, that’s, it feels so obvious to say, but I think it does make a difference.

Andi: Well, and I think, yes, we’re getting better at it, but there’s still room for improvement. So I feel like we’ll take any and all. educational opportunities to learn about people who maybe haven’t had their story told, or maybe they’ve only had it told five times when, like, a history book tells, , the same stories over and over again.

Monique: Exactly. Yeah. And it’s a good challenge. I mean, some of the stories we’re telling are not easy to tell, but I don’t want to, you know, talking about Jackie Robinson, there’s obviously a lot of, Um, you know, how do you talk about racism for an eight year old to hear it? That’s a good challenge that I like to try.

To have and find a different way or again someone like sally ride Um, we all know that she was the first american woman astronaut and I could tell that story again But can I find a different angle? Well, did you know that she was a tennis player and that well everything it took for her to become an astronaut?

Like that’s more the angle that I took in this story. So I find that really Fulfilling as well as finding those unique angles and trying to think of the audience when it comes to that stuff You

Andi: Speaking of your audience, what sparked your interest in starting a kid podcast, like a podcast for kids? Why did you decide to do that?

Monique: Well, partially I just got the opportunity with Go Kid Go. A friend of a friend recommended me and, I’m a comedy writer in Los Angeles and it is very hard to break into this industry, especially right now. And one of the sayings of go kid, go is it’s like Pixar for your ears. And I loved that idea.

Love that idea. And I’ve always been, again, a history buff, um, aunt Mo to lots of kiddos. Um, I like, I come from an improv background, so I like to be silly. I like to have a good time. So it just kind of felt like a good fit in that way, especially when I was able to pitch. My own ideas and so I didn’t want to pick something that I wouldn’t stay enthusiastic about that wouldn’t keep my attention And so yeah, uh, and I think I had a few other pitches that were kind of similar But this is the one that Stuck the most and they loved the idea and then I just ran with it

Andi: so one thing that I don’t feel very comfortable talking about, but I am working on being more comfortable about is money. So I have some

Monique: Yes. I like money. Next question. No,

Andi: Yes. Well, we all do. And I feel like in podcasting, sometimes the money side is a little bit harder to make happen. So, or I feel like some of us get really stuck in the only way to make money is through ads, but there are, there can be other ways. Ads are a great way, but, um, so, do you make money from time traveling Tanya right now?

Monique: no, I do not. Um, but the nice thing is given that I’m not self producing it, it is not costing me money. It definitely costs me time. And it does take a lot of time to be quite honest. But, um, no. And I think one of the, And I don’t want to tell their story too much because it’s not my place to tell, but I do know that Go Kid Go is, what I understand their model, it’s more that money comes from sort of the various branches and derivatives of whatever the main show is. So you’re just time traveling, Kanye, one of the ideas is I’m building that IP, that intellectual property.

Um, so that it’s mine or ours. We share it. Um, and so. It’s established and then from there we can do offshoots of things. And those are where potential, um, monetization can come in.

Andi: Definitely, yeah. I absolutely love that you said that because, um, I feel like what podcasting is like at its core is you’re building a community of people who like your show. You’re building a community of people who like the way that you approach situations or whatever your podcast is.

And then you do something adjacent to that. That makes the money.

Monique: Yeah. Well, and I, I’ll give you two examples where it’s our, it. Maybe didn’t, hasn’t directly brought me money, but is, um, and I’m really glad that you’re asking this too, because women especially should be talking about this more.

We should talk about it, and it’s how we hopefully stop the powers that be from taking advantage of us. Not that, not that. Go kid go is but I just mean like in a job when I so yeah So here’s a great example that same friend who um was in my circle that kind of got me connected with go kid go Maybe like a year later had an opportunity Um, they were looking for freelance, uh contractors Writing in like a comms team for a charter school system well, no, i’m not a teacher and I don’t have that sort of background, but They knew I was a creative person.

They knew I was a good writer and I have this educational platform that I’m already using. So that led to me getting this other job that I’ve been in for about a year now, um, writing for the comms team for this school district and finding other creative ways to, um, combine my passion for telling under represented stories, connecting to underprivileged people.

Um, I think that part’s really important. So even though it’s not in the film and television world, which is what my ultimate aspiration is, it’s still doing the things that I really love and am passionate about. So it’s making it Feel less like a job and more fun. And speaking of the money thing, when it came time for, they wanted to know what my, um, hourly rate was.

And so I was able to reach out to my friends who also worked for them and said, what are you getting paid? Because again, we need to talk. I would have way undersold myself. And instead she was able to tell me what she was getting as a contractor. And I was able to get much more, um, fair, equitable rate. The other opportunity we have that I’d love to talk about if you don’t mind is we have actually paired with for go, can go, we have partnered with an ed tech company called Worley ed and they’re a really cool, innovative education company that works with, um, like music education. So the first 10 episodes of time traveling time happened to be musical episodes. Um, and it’s just happened to be because we partnered with this ed tech company that can basically have a 10 episode module, a history module on musical.

Figures. This module is now available for schools. So basically every episode comes with accredited state aligned. Lesson plans, and it’s all done on various online platforms that teachers are already using, and the exciting thing is, schools and teachers and school districts can use state and federal funding, for artistic, um, Lessons and

Andi: Oh, cool.

Monique: So that’s one of the things that I’m working on right now is trying to make that more aware that if you’re a teacher and you like this, or if you think your kids would like this, you can have it paid for to have these episodes that come along with this lesson plan in your actual classroom. So. That has a potential, because it can be done all over the country.

That has a potential to bring in some decent money. Um, we’re still working on it. It’s still new, but I’m excited about that idea. And I’ve had friends whose kids listen. I did this episode about Joyce Chen, who is a, Chinese woman who brought, basically brought Chinese food to popularity in America.

She , made dumplings popular in America, those types of things back in the, I think it was in the fifties.

And a friend of mine sent me a text that her daughter Penelope, they went out for Chinese food and they go to order food and she goes, Hey, have you ever heard of Joyce Chen? She was immigrated from China. And so she. She thought about those lessons later and then she told her mom, they should really have these in our school because kids would love listening to it.

So out of the babes mouths, even they see how this could be a fun way to learn in school. I mean, really, I want it to blow up and be the next Bluey. That’s my big life goal, but

Andi: I mean, that

would be awesome. We would like Yes. Kid podcasts are such a great tool for kids For me at home as a parent, but also for teachers that I don’t know if they realize how awesome it could be. And so I feel like one of my goals, at least at my kid’s school for now, maybe eventually we’ll make it bigger.

But like, I feel like it’s just to help them know what’s out there, like know what kid podcasts are. That they can talk about. So like, like my son had like a whole unit on like ocean animals. And I was like, Oh, here are a list of different kid podcast episodes that you could play and like have them color a picture while they’re listening.

Right?

Okay. So. I want to talk about a specific episode. Um, you gave me a couple of options of some of your favorites and I, we’ve got to talk about, okay, let me make sure I say her name right. Noor Anayat Khan. I do?

Monique: Mm hmm. Pretty good.

Andi: She, she was a spy and also Tanya in this episode, trying to be a spy.

It was absolutely adorable. It was just such a fun, such a fun episode. So what made you want to do this episode? How did you find out about Madeline the spy? That’s like her. Her,

Monique: Code name.

Andi: So how did you like learn about her? What made you want to do this episode?

Sure.

Monique: I come up with 10 pitches of who i’d like to go visit that way go kid go can approve it and make sure we’re on the same page And I always, again, inclusivity is very, very important to me, because again, I’m trying to bust in myself and it’s really hard.

So I make sure at least half of the episodes are women. Um, and I make sure that I mix up, The story that I’m telling that there’s different ethnicities. I want there to always be a native American story because I’m native American, and I think that’s important. And those are not told very often. I want there to always be, um, a LGBTQ plus story of one way or another.

That may not be the focus of it, but I want to make sure that that person is represented there’s one where we specifically say gay people. And I, again, I’ve had friends that were like, Oh my God, I can’t believe you use the word gay.

Thank you so much. I would have loved that as a kid. honestly, when with Nora and Yat Tang, , I was just looking for someone who was, Muslim. Yeah. She was an Indian Muslim who was a British resistance, a resistant agent. In France, who fought in World War II. Um, and it, honestly, it was because I wanted to have some positive Muslim representation in there. I also have a, in that same season, I , made sure to have a Jewish, story told.

Because my in laws are Jewish. So, yeah, I think her idea came, it came from, I wanted to find a Muslim hero. And she was just really cool. Like, how could

you not tell the story of a spy? A real live spy. I always try to pick someone that’s dead. Cause I don’t know what the rules are of, if somebody’s gonna be like, that’s not how I really sound.

And I don’t want it to be someone so well known that people are trying to compare some kind of impression. So I liked the idea of someone who is no longer alive. Uh, spoiler alert, she refused, she didn’t want to fight because it went against her religion. So she said, how else can I help defeat the Nazis? Cause that’s who they’re fighting in World War II, she went, okay, I’m going to do this instead.

And she wasn’t perfect at it at first. They didn’t think she was going to be able to handle being a spy. You know, they didn’t think that she was strong enough or couldn’t do a good job and then she Never told anyone. She, to the very end, spoiler alert again, um, stayed true to her country and saved countless lives, helped us, helped us win the war.

Monique: My friend that did the voiceover is, from Canada, so she speaks, speaks French, um, she also is Muslim, like all the things fit perfectly that I found her and she, I thought she was an amazing, um, character and is.

She did a

Andi: Yeah, truly, that was going to be my next question is how did you find someone with such a perfect voice? Because she did such a good job of like embodying the character. Like, did you have to give her any direction or

Monique: you know, we got them. I think we did a quick zoom call just so she could go, how does this sound? And kind of did a couple lines for me. And I was like, yep. The biggest kind of direction I tend to give people, and it really depends on which role the only notes I usually have to give are like, I just need you to be bigger and more enthusiastic, and it almost feels a little over the top, but when I see the difference of some of the older episodes, that are still great, but versus the newer one where I knew that, and have that direction to give, um, it’s just so much better and more entertaining

Andi: So to wrap up, what is your biggest piece of advice for podcasters?

Monique: Oh, that’s a good question.

It’s challenging, but I think it’s, if you have a passion and because it just takes a long time for anything to pick up and unless you’re lucky and you have one of those, you know, serial podcasts that takes off, um, I think just being patient and just sticking it out for the long haul.

So let’s hope what you do, you love, cause you’re going to be working at it for a while before any, any payoff comes most likely, but that’s life, right?

Andi: I was gonna say that I feel like that’s maybe the best piece of advice because it is life. It’s not just podcasting. It’s pretty much anything, but I feel like sometimes people think, oh, this is gonna be different. Honey, it’s not. You’re gonna be doing something for a while before you get any Like big payoff.

And that’s just, that’s just life.

Monique: yeah, I really thought oh, and I don’t have to produce it and I’ve got this Great company behind me and yes, there is that but it’s still the same challenges as the other podcast I used to self produce and there’s still a lot of work. I have to do on my own and I have to be Proud and confident of it. So don’t hide it.

Don’t be embarrassed. Oh, I just have a dumb little podcast know what you do and your art matters and whatever story you’re telling or whatever Your whoever your audience is they deserve to have the best out of you So again do something you love because you’re gonna if you do something you love you’re gonna have to do it long term It’s gonna take time but hopefully If you believe in it, you’re audientable too.

Andi: Yes. Oh, I love that. Okay. So where can people find you?

Monique: Yes. Okay. So me personally, I’m not going to give you my home address. That’d be weird. No, um, I am So mostly these days i’m on instagram at the monique madrid if you just look up Monique Madrid, not a lot of people have that name, so it’s pretty easy to find me, and then of course you go to the GoKidGo site, you can find Time Traveling Tanya there, and there we are on all the various platforms that you can get your Podcasts, and then, I, I mean, if anyone is interested in bringing Time Traveling Con to their school, you know, maybe they can reach out to you, and I’ll, I’ll give you some information, Andy, that you can pass along, and you can refer them to me, because that, to me, would be really cool.

Let’s have little kids know that Take Me Out to the Ball Game was to celebrate women voting. Like, that’s such a cool

Andi: Totally.

Monique: If it can make a difference in just one or two little lives of little kiddos who then go, Oh, have you heard of Joyce Chen? She brought Chinese food to America. That might inspire her to do something cool someday. And so, again, maybe I’m not a parent myself, but I am helping kids and families, and I’m really proud of that.

Andi: Definitely. Well, thank you so much for being on the show today. Thank you so much for making a lovely kid podcast that our family loves. And yeah, it’s been a delight talking to you today.

Monique: You too,

Isn’t Gerdy his voice, just the best. It was so fun to dive into the, behind the scenes of time. Traveling. Tanya, I have so many takeaways for how to make my show better, but

here are the top five things that I learned from my conversation with Monique.

The first thing I learned is to have a mission or a passion that is integral to your show, but it doesn’t have to be like the overarching umbrella mission.

It can be a mission for just like a specific part of your show.

Like for Monique, she really wanted to have voice actors who correctly represented the characters. From for her episodes like Madeline, um, like we talked about in the episode, she wanted to make sure that that voice actor. Um, was Muslim and could speak French. And it took some time, but she found someone

that could accurately represent Madeline the spy. For me on my show, I realized that I’m kind of doing this already or at least trying to, yes. My overarching goal for my podcast

is to help podcasters who are also moms improve their shows and increase their downloads without letting it take over their life. But there is like this mini mission within that. That I have in each episode where in some way I talk about money in my solo episodes.

I tell you how much money I’ve made. In this past year. And in my interview episodes, I talk about money with my guests, how they’re making their money, if they’re comfortable, even how much money they’re making, and the reason that I do that is because I want to make talking about money, less taboo, especially for women, but also just for podcasters in general, because. Money is just kind of a taboo subject and I want it to be less of a taboo subject. And that’s my mission and that’s why I talk about money. Quite often. On my show.

The second thing that I learned from Monique is that time and effort is noticed, even if it’s subconsciously. While listening to time traveling Tonya with my kids. I didn’t know that she put that extra effort in. To find voice actors that, um, accurately represented. Her special guests, but there was something about it that I was like, Ooh, I just really liked the show.

This. It just really tells the story in a great way. And now I know that one of the reasons that I like her show is because of that time and effort that she puts in to find voice actors that match.

So just know that when you were putting that extra effort into. Add sound in an interesting place, or to ask a question that you think is really interesting. Maybe no one will notice it consciously, but I can almost guarantee that subconsciously people are going to be noticing your time and effort and they are going to keep coming back because they know that you are trying your hardest and putting your best into your show.

The Helen’s almost more of a, of a reminder that yes, you’re doing your best and people notice.

The third thing that I learned from Monique is to use your podcast as a launching point for money-making opportunities. We all know that it’s kind of tricky to make money from podcasting itself. But. Monique reminded us that there are so many different ways that we can make money that. Is adjacent to our podcast. Monique talked about two different ways that she’s making money from the podcast, but not like directly from the podcast. The first one was the experience that she gained from. It helped her to get another job. And then. She and her network packaged, um, several of the episodes and they’re using it to help kids learn about music through the podcast.

So, this is just your friendly reminder. And honestly, my friendly reminder that.

There are a lot of different ways that you can make money through podcasting. And a lot of the time, you just have to get a little creative to figure out how to do that.

The fourth thing that I learned from Monique is to dream big, have those big dreams. Her big dream is to be the next bluey with time traveling Tanya and.

It’s just so inspiring. I love hearing about other people’s big dreams and she inspired me to dream big. The way that I decided to carry this out this week was. That I have a dream like podcast guest list, like podcasts that I want to guest on. And this week I added how I built this to that list. Like I want to be, get, be a guest on how I built this. And if you’ve heard of that podcast, it’s where guy Roz, interviews people with amazing businesses that are really successful.

So I’m putting it into the universe that I’m going to be a really successful business business owner. So that guy Roz wants me on his podcast.

So, this is my invitation to you to dream big make a dream podcast list. Make a dream guest list. Like dream guests that you want on your show or. Shows that you want to be on.

And the last lesson that I’m going to share from my conversation with Monique is to know what your audience wants and coach your guests to do that thing. So sometimes Monique has to give feedback. And the main feedback that she says that she usually has to give is to be a little bit bigger because the audio format and kids in general, just like it when it’s a little bit bigger so, what can you do with your guests to help them? Reach your audience the best, one thing that I make sure my guests do when they’re on the show with me is they, is I asked for a piece of advice. I don’t just assume that they’re going to give it. I ask for it. And I didn’t do this with all of the episodes. I realized halfway through doing all of my interviews. That. Yes, there are a lot of good things that are coming out of these interviews, but I wanted to make sure that if there’s any specific piece of advice for podcasters, that my guests could give it.

And all of you could get the awesome advice straight as advice and not just gleaned from stories and from the interesting things that these podcasters are doing. As a quick recap, these are the five things I learned from Monique first, have a mission or passion that is integral to your show, but not maybe not the entire umbrella, like have. Many missions, I guess. The second thing is just her reminder that your time and effort is noticed, even if it’s noticed subconsciously and no one tells you that you’re you, you really are doing a good job. The third thing is to use your podcast as a launching point for money, making opportunities, the fourth thing is to have big dreams, do not dream small dream, big dream, like Monique does of being the next bluey.

And the last thing is, know what your audience wants. And coach your guests to do that for your audience. So then your guests are speaking to your audience in a way that they really like, and your audience gets the most out of the conversations that you’re having.

Will you share this episode with your podcasting friend? Who’s been struggling with making money on their podcast. Monique will inspire them to look for money making opportunities that may already be in front of them. But. They just have to be creative to actually attain those money-making opportunities. In next week’s episode, you’ll hear a conversation I had with TK, the host of the, for the love of history podcast. You’ll learn so many different ways that you can build a community. Around your podcast. Thanks for being here and I’ll see you next week.