VOL. 130 | NO. 153 | Friday, August 7, 2015
Career Corner
Angela Copeland
Loving What You Do
By Angela Copeland
Last week, I had an experience that inspired me. I want to share it in hopes that it might inspire your day the way it has mine.
I attended a conference in Fort Worth, Texas, called the Podcast Movement. I went with relatively low expectations – to meet a few people, and to learn something to help me with the career podcast I host. What I would learn, and who I would meet, I wasn’t quite sure.
The conference lineup was impressive. Keynote speakers included Aisha Tyler from “The View” and “Girl On Guy Podcast,” Marc Maron from “WTF Podcast,” and Sarah Koenig from “Serial.” Aisha shared her process for producing and editing her own show each week. Marc shared his interesting recent experience interviewing President Obama – and what it was like to have the Secret Service scan his home. Sarah shared the amazing process behind making the hit podcast “Serial.”
But, even more than the speakers, what truly inspired me was the group of attendees.
If your work has ever sent you to training or a conference, you know what it can be like. Attendees are often disinterested. They go because their boss told them to. They cut out on the workshops early to head to the bar, and by the last day of the conference, it’s a ghost town.
But at this conference, the attendees showed up early, stayed late and were completely engaged. Some of the workshops were packed with people in chairs, standing, sitting on the floor and even standing outside the room listening.
The thing I came to realize about podcasters is that most of them started creating shows as a hobby. This meant that each person had financed their own trip to Texas to learn about podcasting. They had taken time away from their family and their corporate job. A job that was often very, very different than the topic they are podcasting about.
Because one of the keys to a successful podcast is being authentic, each host was truly passionate about their subject. When a host would describe their podcast, the story would typically begin with a journey. The journey was a process of self-discovery. It was how they found their true passion and calling – and eventually, what led them to start a podcast.
Surprisingly, a number of people got choked up just talking about how special their podcast is to them. I don’t know about you, but I have never attended any professional conference where anyone choked up telling me about their job.
Most of the people I met were also hoping to eventually turn this labor of love into a full-time job. But they weren’t sitting back and waiting for someone to tell them what to do. They were out there, doing it – even if they failed, and even if it was in public.
I left the conference inspired by so many people who are taking charge of their careers, their time, and their destiny – truly loving what they do!
Angela Copeland is CEO and founder of Copeland Coaching and can be reached at CopelandCoaching.com.