Awaken Your Confidence - Rachel Smets

Rachel Smets is the author of Awaken Your Confidence and stops by to share some insights into building your confidence. You can find her at Racehsmets.com as well as @rachelsmets and Facebook. and YouTube

We talk about overcoming imposter syndrome, and how telling someone "just start" doesn't work. Here are three things you can do to help boost your confidence:

1. Don't compare yourself to others.
2. Start Small
3. Failure is Feedback

On this Week's taping of the Ask the Podcast Coach show Carlos asked, "how do i become a popular podcaster when i was the most unpopular kid in high school?" to this point to the following people who were not popular in school:

Steven Spielberg says, " “I was a nerd in those days. Outsider, like the kid that played the clarinet in the band and in orchestra, which I did.”"

Taylor Switft says, " I remember when I was in school, the whole reason I started writing songs was because I was alone a lot of the time. I’d sit there in school and I’d be hearing people like, ‘Oh my god, this party that we’re going to is gonna be so awesome on Friday. Everyone’s invited except for Taylor

Charlize Theron - “I didn’t have any boyfriends in high school. I had a massive, massive crush on this one guy. He was a couple of years older than me and I did not exist in his world.

Selena Gomez " “I was bullied every second of every day in elementary and middle school.”

Lady Gaga " “Being teased for being ugly, having a big nose, being annoying. ‘Your laugh is funny, you’re weird, why do you always sing, why are you so into theater, why do you do your make-up like that?’"

Jessica Alba " “I’d eat my lunch in the nurses’ office so I didn’t have to sit with the other girls. Apart from my being mixed race, my parents didn’t have money so I never had the cute clothes or the cool back pack.”"

Cameron Diaz " “I’m a dork! When I was high school, I was a total goon! All the kids used to make fun of me. I was like all skinny and gangly and guys were like no thank you.”

Jennifer Garner - I was a real nerd. I wasn’t the popular one, I was one of those girls on the edge of the group. I never wore the right clothes and I had a kind of natural geekiness. I was in the school band and I think that has a bit of a stigma at the age of 13. If you’d asked me what I wanted to be, I would have said something like a librarian.

Kate Winslet - Winslet was bullied and teased for being chubby. Her nickname at school was Blubber, and she was once even locked in the art cupboard

Miley Cyrus - At school, there was an “Anti-Miley Club” full of “big, tough girls” who were “fully capable of doing [her] bodily harm” and went above and beyond in their bullying pursuit. Cyrus was once locked in a bathroom during class: “They shoved me in. I was trapped. I banged on the door until my fists hurt. Nobody came.” Other incidents included challenging Cyrus to a fight, which only ended when the principal stepped in. And when Cyrus wasn’t being physically abused, she was being teased, with classmates telling her, “Your dad’s a one-hit wonder. You’ll never amount to anything — just like him

President Bill Clinton - As a junior high schooler, he was picked on relentlessly for being a “fat band boy” with bad taste in clothes. He was also known as a band geek.

Michael Phelps - He was taunted for his “sticky-out ears” and lisp, as well as his long arms, which ultimately took him to greatness.

Tom Cruise - His Dad had the family moving a lot to find work. Tom says, " I was always the new kid with the wrong shoes, the wrong accent. I didn’t have the friend to share things with and confide in.” And at each school, he faced the fresh experience over and over again. He was small for his age and easily pushed around."

Walt Disney He was fired by a newspaper editor because, "he lacked imagination and had no good ideas." After that, Disney started a number of businesses that didn't last too long and ended with bankruptcy and failure. He kept plugging along, however, and eventually found a recipe for success that worked.

COMMENTS: 888-563-3228   A Podcast Can Be A New Start

When you start a podcast all of the stupid people who didn't know the "true" you are gone, and you can start from scratch. Don't let your past dictate you future. Podcasting has boosted the confidence of many leaders in their field who say the practice of talking into a microphone. It has helped people be better speakers as they are familiar with coming up with presentations.

So jump into the podcasting pool. The water is warm and friendly.

File For Download Only and Other Mistakes Others are Making

If you are using Libsyn.com (if you're not use the coupon code sopfree to get a free month) there is an optoin called "File For Download Only." This is useful for people who have membership sites, or VIP groups and they don't want the general public to have access to the file. The only want certain people to have access. The problem is two very popular consultants are telling their clients to use this all the time, and that is just bad advice. While this works for them (where they have multiple shows, and other outside circumstances) its not a good idea for most. Here is why:

1. If you want to use any of the automation at libsyn, you've somewhat shot your self in the foot
2. If you go back later and want to add this feature it's not easy.

So as you Mom use to say "If Johnny Johnson jumps off a bridge are you?" I ask, "Just because Cliff Ravenscraft uses file for downloads only, doesn't mean you should as well). 

Keep Your Wordpress Website and Plugins Updated

I had a handful of people contact me this week when the name of their podcast changed to "No Title" in iTunes. The reason? They were running an older version of the PowerPress plugin. Now the PowerPress plugin is not bad, but you HAVE TO keep it up to date alone with your Wordpress install. If you don't you are asking, no, BEGGING people to hack you and give you headaches. Then always have a backup of your website. I use Backup creator. I've used Backup Buddy.  I'm looking into ManageWP which just joined Godaddy.

Why I'm Changing the School of Podcasting

I recently changed the School of Podcasting to try a "Scarcity" strategy. To make a long story short, it didn't work for me. I apprecaite all those who wanted to help my business, but as a teacher the one thing I want is eager students. Now when I get them I have to tell them to wait 9in some cases months) until the site reopens. For more details, read this post on my blog

International Podcast Day is September 30th

Check out the Gratitude Award we you can get an award for having a wide variety of Review (Via My Podcast Reviews - free). For more information check out https://internationalpodcastday.com

Ready to Start Podcasting?

Visit www.theschoolofpodcasting.com

Mentioned in this episode:

2025 Audience Survey

I Want Your Opinion

I am doing an audience survey and I want your input to help me make this show exactly what you want. If you have a few minutes, I have a quick survey at www.schoolofpodcasting.com/survey25

2025 Audience Survey