Podcasting is increasingly becoming a popular medium for content creation. Influencers, entrepreneurs, brands, and celebrities are all launching podcasts as a way to expand their reach and grow their audience. And this is all, obviously, pretty amazing. But did you know that starting a podcast can actually benefit your personal growth and development?
That’s right! Besides all the cool things starting and hosting a podcast can do for your business and brand, starting a podcast is also a great way to stretch your skills and grow personally.
From honing new skillsets to expanding your network, we’ve collected a whole list of ways that starting a podcast can help you grow and develop personally.
The Benefits of Podcasting for Personal Growth and Development
1. You’ll Learn New Skills
First and foremost starting a podcast will guarantee that you’ll learn a ton of new skills! Honestly, the list of new skills you can acquire from podcasting is pretty endless. You’ll learn about the best type of equipment you need for capturing great audio, you’ll even learn to recognize the difference between good and great recordings!
Add to the skill mix script-writing, content research, or how to ask meaningful questions to a respected guest.
If you’re doing the editing yourself, you’ll learn how to clip and cut, and you’ll learn new software, but you’ll also learn how to tell an effective story. And while many of these skills are podcast or audio space specific, many are transferrable to a variety of professions and business scenarios, not to mention the positive impact the acquiring and mastering of new skills does for our self-confidence.
2. You’ll Achieve Greater Subject Knowledge
Whatever your podcast topic and niche, without a doubt, your subject or niche knowledge is going to skyrocket the longer you host your podcast.
As you interview guests and research for podcast topics, you’ll find yourself diving deeper into your subject area than ever before. The more in-depth knowledge can open new doors to collaborations, better business decisions, and even opportunities for career advancements!
3. You’ll Build Authority in Your Niche
The next way podcasting can boost your personal development and growth is the way hosting your podcast can turn you into an authority in your niche. The more you learn, the more expertise you can share with your audience. As you continue to publish content around a particular subject, your confidence and knowledge will grow and you’ll begin to get noticed by your peers in the industry.
Not only will this help cement you as an expert in your field, but before long, you’ll become known as an authority in your space which could open up new opportunities like speaking gigs or guest spots on other podcasts.
But more than that, podcasting can help keep you at the top of your game. And again, this will always help boost your self-confidence and self-esteem. And it can even help you ward off imposter syndrome!
Related read: How To Consistently Conquer Imposter Syndrome
4. You’ll Be Able to Find Your Voice and Share Your Story With the World
Each and every one of us has a unique voice and story to share with the world. We all are aware of this on some level. But what might be less known is just how impactful finding your voice and sharing your story really is.
It’s a powerful thing when we find the courage to speak up and put our experiences and perspectives out there. Whether it’s through writing, public speaking, social media, or in this case, through your podcast, sharing our stories can have a profound impact on others and can help us feel more connected to the world around us.
This is one of the reasons we love podcasts and podcasting so much! It gives us an incredible way to share our thoughts, or views, and even our expertise with the world in a really authentic way.
5. You Can Achieve Self Awareness Through Podcasting
Another way podcasting can truly benefit your personal development and growth is through the self-awareness you can gain through hosting a podcast. Podcasting can help you identify and understand your passions, interests, your strengths…as well as your weaknesses and biases.
Through creating your podcast, you’ll learn more about your passions, what drives you, and what motivates you. You’ll also have opportunities to lean into your strengths, and you’ll also learn about your weakness. But all of this discovery are just great opportunities to learn and grow.
As you meet with diverse guests, you may discover biases or ‘blindspots’ you didn’t know you had. And while challenging, and often uncomfortable at first, addressing these in our lives leads to better relationships, with others, as well as with ourselves.
6. Podcasting Can Help You Grow in Confidence and Overcome Fear
The last way podcasting can benefit your personal development and growth is through the confidence it can help instill in you.
Creating and hosting a podcast will likely push you out of your comfort zone on more than one occasion, but this experience can be incredibly rewarding. It may require you to take risks, refine your communication skills, and practice vulnerability. But this will all help you stretch your self-confidence in ways you never imagined possible.
Sometimes we don’t even realize how much fear is holding us back — perhaps it’s the fear of rejection, or of not being good enough. And podcasting certainly challenges this! If you’re looking for new podcast guests, you’ll have to send out request emails, some of which may result in rejection.
You may be looking for guest spots on other podcasts. Again, you’ll have to reach out to people and face the possibility of rejection. But again, you’ll learn to face it, and grow from it!
And when you take some time to look back at how far you’ve come, you’ll realize just how much you’ve grown and developed in a personal capacity!
In Conclusion
Podcasting is an incredible tool to help you grow and develop as a person. It can push you out of your comfort zone and help you find your voice, share your story, and gain self-awareness.
It’s also a great way to foster relationships with people and build confidence in yourself. No matter what kind of podcast you have, no matter your niche, or your topic, starting and hosting a podcast can do amazing things for you personally, besides all the brand or business benefits a podcast can offer.
So, if you’ve been on the fence about starting a podcast. Consider this your sign! Not only will it be a great way to gain exposure and expand your reach, you’ll grow and develop within yourself in ways you never thought possibly!
If you’re looking for more guidance when it comes to starting a podcast, reach out to us and let us help you start your podcasting adventure!
You could also consider finding a podcast community to encourage and support you along the way. The Podcasters Platform is an amazing space for podcasters, no matter if you’re a seasoned pro, or just playing with the idea of starting a podcast. Not only will you get to lean on and learn from fellow podcasts and podcast experts, but there are so many courses and free resources to support you along the way.
