Guest FAQs — who are you & what are you doing here podcast

Guest FAQs — who are you & what are you doing here podcast

WAY(DH) = Who Are You and What Are You Doing Here

First thing’s first: thank you.

Hello WAY(DH) guest! First of all, thank you for being willing to have this conversation with us. We know that your time is valuable and invitations like these likely come your way quite often, so it is not lost on us what a big deal this is.

We also know being on a podcast and broadcasting yourself for all the world to hear can potentially bring some stuff up for us — excitement? questions? terror? We hope no terror, but regardless, we’ve created this guide to hopefully dispel any fears and clear up as many questions as possible up front.

Of course this list isn’t exhaustive, so just email/DM/text Bibs with any additional questions, suggestions, requests, etc. We like to keep things flexible around here, and above all else, we want to make sure you feel comfortable. We’re here to collaborate with you, and to support you in sharing whatever message you want to get out into the world.

Let’s get into it!

Frequently Asked Questions.

1. Why should I be on the ‘who are you & what are you doing here’ podcast?

NOTE – If you’ve already said yes to being on this podcast, feel free to skip right on over this question. If you’re still on the fence, read on.

Look, we’ll keep it really real with you… we’re not going to hard sell you on coming onto our podcast. As someone that’s been on the receiving end of far too many cold emails that have left me and my inbox feeling both violated and infuriated, it’s really important to us that you come onto this podcast because you want to, not because we’ve twisted your arm into saying yes. I can really only speak for myself, so that’s what I’ll do here. To share more about why I started WAY(DH) and why I personally want you on the podcast… well, I started it mostly for selfish reasons. At the start of 2022 I found myself climbing up a ladder that was bringing me

  1. the illusion of success,
  2. little fulfillment, and
  3. loads of anxiety and burnout. 😃

Sound familiar? I knew I had to make a change, I just wasn’t sure what change. All I knew is that what I was doing was not 👏 it 👏. 😏

So I thought, what better way to gain inspiration and ideas on how I can restructure my own life than to learn more about how others that I admire are living theirs?

And what would be even cooler than just having these conversations in a private setting? Recording it for all the world to hear, of course! Because I know I’m not the only one feeling this way 🥴 and I’d love for us to support and connect with folks feeling similarly, and offer them some community and inspiration along the way, if we can.

So here we are. I find your story to be fascinating and inspiring in more ways than one (that I’ve likely already emailed or messaged you about in more detail 😛). And I’m incredibly interested in hearing more about how you are living your life…

In particular, I’m interested in hearing how you’ve structured your life within the confines of our societal structures (i.e. capitalism), and how that’s going for you. That sounded snarky but I’m serious. I want to hear what you love about your life, what you hate about it (if anything). What’s working well for you? What’s not working so well? Are you burnt out? If not, HOW? (Teach us your ways 🙏).

More generally, I love having deep conversations. I love talking about the shit most people don’t talk about. I think social media has fucked so many people over, tricking us into thinking that arriving at a perfect life is a common let alone possible thing, and I’d really like to dispel that myth by talking about the reality of the human experience, which, as we know, is both incredibly beautiful and incredibly horrifying…. and everything in between, all at the same time. Sigh.

I think there are people out there who would really and truly benefit from hearing your story, and who would find a great deal of healing in meeting you in this way. I know at least I would.

So, what’d’ya say?

Want to engage in some real talk with me and blast it out into the universe together? 🤓🤝

In all seriousness, I encourage you to ask yourself if this feels like a conversation you want to have. If yes, GREAT! If not, no hard feelings, but if you can let me know that it’s a no for now that would be lovely.

And if you’re at all unsure, reach out! I’m happy to talk in more detail to help determine if this feels in alignment or not. Thank you for reading this far and I so hope to talk with you soon! Either way I appreciate you more than you know and am wishing you all good things on your path ahead!

2. What kinds of questions can I expect in the conversation?

The questions we ask you will be catered to you and your story specifically. With that said, most conversations do have a loosely structured flow to them, which you can see below.

  1. How are you today (really)? Share a high & a low from this week. — we’ll both answer.
  2. How do we know each other? — we can go back and forth for this one.
  3. Introduce yourself. Who are you and what are you doing here? — In 1-3 sentences. This is meant to be a brief introduction to you and just kickoff our conversation, so no need to overthink it!
  4. What do you spend the majority of your time doing here? (Usually your job).
  5. Tell me more about why you do what you do.
    1. Is this a dream job, a stepping stone, a means to pay the bills?
    2. What made you decide to take the path that you did?
    3. Have you always spent your time doing what you do, or did you make a shift at some point in your life?
  6. How do you feel about your job and life most days? Tell me more. (Why?).
  7. What do you cherish most about your work (if anything)? What do you cherish most about your life?
  8. Especially if you’re living your dream: what are some of the more challenging pieces of your life and/or work? What do you wish could be different?
  9. Have you ever run into burnout? Do you / how do you prevent this?
  10. What do you wish you knew before you began pursuing this path?
  11. What would you spend your time doing if money were no object?
  12. What is one lesson you’re learning right now? (Can be related to anything; doesn’t have to be work).
  13. Tell us about an embarrassing moment in your life. (Can be about anything; just meant to connect with audience more & add more levity to the conversation).
  14. What are you working on right now? How can people find you and support you?

These interviews are conversations more than anything, so we’ll see where the wind blows as we’re talking. I love to ask unscripted questions that come to me in the moment, as that’s often where the magic really happens! ☺️ Feel free to do the same. As much as I want to ask you all the questions, this can be as conversational as we want!

a. I have some questions/topics that I’d love to cover in our conversation. Can I ask you to ask me about those things?

Absolutely! Assuming the WAY(DH) team feels comfy discussing those things and that they feel in line with the intention behind the podcast, we WANT to talk about what you want to talk about!

Email those questions to bibs@bibs.live and we can discuss how we want to integrate them into the episode.

b. I have some questions/topics that I do not want to be asked about. How do I inform you of these things?

If there are any topics that are off limits, by all means just share those with me, via email or on a call, and we’ll be sure to steer clear of those. It’s critical to me that you feel respected throughout this process and consent is a huge part of that! While I love talking about what most people don’t talk about, I only want to cover things that you personally do feel comfortable and safe sharing with folks.

c. What if you ask me a question I don’t want to answer?

‘Pass’ is a perfectly acceptable answer!

While I always try to ask questions that feel appropriate and sensitive to the conversation we’re having, I recognize that my boundaries aren’t always going to align perfectly with yours, and that’s a okay! Just let me know you’d rather not answer and we can move right along. 🙂

d. What if I say something during the conversation that I end up realizing afterwards I don’t feel comfortable sharing with the world?

As long as you talk to us before we’ve finished producing the podcast / before we’ve published it, we’re happy to make adjustments if at all possible/as needed! Please see your contract for more detailed information on this.

3. How does the recording part actually work — logistically speaking? Do I need any special equipment?

You (almost) definitely don’t need any equipment you don’t already have. If you have a smart phone and/or computer along with some headphones/earbuds, then you’re good to go. Here’s the nitty gritty of how the recording setup will work.

  1. Zoom Link. Once we’ve scheduled a time to record your episode, I’ll create a Google Calendar event that I’ll send your way. We’ll meet in the zoom link in the event description at the time of the recording. I’ll record the zoom meeting so you don’t have to worry about that.
  2. Lighting Setup. Be sure that you are as well lit as possible for our call. It can often be helpful to set yourself up right in front of a window with a lot of natural light, or else just sit in front of a light(s) — ring light if you have one! — so that we can see your beautiful face in the recording. 🤩
  3. Computer Battery. Be sure your computer is plugged in and charging during our call. We don’t want any computers dying on us mid-episode!
  4. Shhh. 🤫 Try to get yourself setup in as quiet of a place as possible to reduce background noise.
  5. Video & Audio Check. Check, 1, 2…
    1. Video. Please be sure your video is turned on for the zoom meeting.
    2. Audio. Please be sure your headphones are on and connected to your computer/zoom app. If you have noise-cancelling headphones/earbuds, use those!
    3. Optional: microphone. If you already have a standalone microphone and are using it (in addition to your headphones/earbuds), please make sure it is connected to your computer/zoom app, as well.

Now, you don’t technically have to do anything aside from these first few steps in order for our podcast to be functional. So feel free to leave it at that, and I’ll just see you in the zoom link.

HOWEVER, zoom video and audio quality are known for being good, not great. If you’d like to opt for slightly higher quality video and audio on your end, please also complete the following steps, along with steps 1-3. I’ll be doing these steps on my end to improve my audio/video as well.

  1. Quicktime Audio Recording. Skip this step if you do not have a Mac. Record your audio via the Quicktime app on your Mac.
    • Step-by-step instructions —
      1. Double check that your headphones and/or microphone are connected to your computer.
      2. Open QuickTime Player (in your apps).
      3. Click File.
      4. Select New Audio Recording.
      5. Click on the icon to the right of the record button.
      6. Select your microphone.
      7. In case you want to listen to yourself while recording, adjust the volume bar to your liking. (We recommend turning this all the way down).
      8. When we begin our zoom call, click on the record button.
      9. When we’re done with the episode, pause the recording.
      10. Select File.
      11. Select Save.
      12. Give the recording a name. Here’s a file name format that you can use: 20YY-MM-DD — WAYDT — YOURNAME
      13. Select Save.
  2. Phone Video Recording. Phone cameras, especially iPhones, tend to have better video quality than computer cameras. If you’d like, you can set your camera up right by your computer camera, and record yourself on your phone while I record us on zoom/your computer.
    • Step-by-step instructions —
      1. Plug your phone in. Make sure your phone is fully charged and if possible, is charging during our call.
      2. Tripod (or makeshift tripod) setup. If you have a tripod for your phone, simply set up your phone and tripod to be as close to your computer camera as possible. Just make sure you’ll be centered in the frame when you hit record!
        1. NOTE: be sure your phone is in landscape mode (the wide way!).
        2. If you don’t have a tripod, you can prop your phone up using whatever items you already have in your household. Again, just make sure you’re centered in the frame.
      3. Record. At the time of the recording, open your camera app, and hit record. Be sure to record a regular VIDEO and not a photo or time lapse… I’ve definitely done this before. 🙈
      4. Stop Recording. When we’re done recording the episode, stop the recording.
  3. When we’re done recording, send me your content! Google Drive probably works best. Let me know if you don’t have a Google account and we can explore other options!
    1. Send me your Quicktime audio file.
    2. Send me your phone video recording.

NOTE — if you have podcast recording experience and have suggestions for how you’d like to do this differently/better, just reach out and we can definitely adjust! For example, if you have your own camera or anything else. We’re always wanting to optimize and we fully recognize this isn’t the only way to record a podcast. 😄

4. Okay I get how the recording piece will work, but what about after we record? Can you summarize the full process for me please?

Surely. Here’s what the full flow generally looks like —

  1. Invitation. I’ll invite you to be on the pod. You’ll (hopefully) say yes. 🤞
  2. Contract. I’ll send you a podcast guest contract to sign via PandaDocs. (This mostly just says you won’t sue me for sharing our conversation on the interwebs 🙃).
  3. Schedule the episode recording. We’ll schedule 1-2 hours to have our conversation. We’ll only need one hour, but if you have the extra time, sometimes it’s nice to have a buffer. I’ll send you an invite through Google Cal once we’ve finalized a time.
  4. Optional: discuss what we want to cover. I’m happy to discuss any specific questions or topics you/we’d like to cover before the actual episode recording. If you don’t have anything in particular in mind, I’ll come with some questions, and we can just let the convo flow however it wants to flow!
  5. Record the pod! See step 3 above for details on this one. 😀
  6. Share recording files. If you recorded your own audio and/or video to supplement our zoom recording, please send those to me via GoogleDrive as soon as possible so we can begin production.
  7. Production. We’ll then get to work on producing the podcast! This means splicing together all the different audio/video files, cleaning up the sound quality, cutting out pieces of the conversation we don’t need, etc. This is usually the most time-consuming step, so we appreciate you being patient with our small team! Feel free to reach out and ask for a rough publishing date if you’re looking for a status update.
  8. Publish. WAY(DH) is published to all major podcasting platforms, plus Youtube.
  9. Time to spread the word! Once the episode has gone live, we’ll reach out to you via email with links to the episode and content related to the episode that you can share with your audience. This typically includes an image, and at least one video file. If you feel so inclined we invite you to share these things with your audience/on your social media page, and tag @bibs.live and #waydh.
  10. Thank you + feedback! We can’t thank you enough for taking the time to be on the who are you and what are you doing here podcast. We hope you enjoyed the conversation as much as we did. We’d love to hear any feedback you have on the process, from invitation, to recording, to publishing and sharing. We’re always looking to improve and appreciate you helping us do that!

We appreciate you!

5. Do I get paid for being a podcast guest?

Paid in love, yes! In all seriousness, in line with podcasting industry standard practices, we don’t currently compensate guests monetarily. We do, of course, typically promote our guests and provide exposure to their work and platforms, which we hope will provide them support in its own way!

Questions? Concerns? Get in touch anytime.

Bibs Leitzmann

Email: podcast@bibs.live

Instagram & Facebook: @bibs.live