To celebrate four years of Life is a Festival, today I’m sharing a conversation I had with my friend Ian MacKenzie about how to conduct a good interview. Whether you want to start a podcast or are simply interested in being a better conversationalist, I think you’ll find this helpful. On the show we go over how to research your guest so you can bring more to the party, how to create a roadmap for an engaging, spontaneous conversation, and how to make your guest feel safe to offer their most vulnerable storytelling. Ian and I share some of our favorite pre-recording rituals. We discuss how to offer precise, lean questions and find out what is most important to you. We end with a discussion of the creative spirit and how to cultivate your relationship with the Holy Ghost. Ian is a documentary filmmaker and host of the Mythic Masculine podcast. This conversation came from his Podcast Accelerator which is launching a new cohort in January. You can get sneak peak of Ian’s newest documentary Tamera, The Village of Lovers during their preview weekend: Reimagining Village, Dec 3 & 4, 2022. Links Ian MacKenzie: https://www.ianmack.com/ Ian’s Podcast Accelerator: https://www.ianmack.com/accelerator2022 Mythic Masculine Podcast: https://www.ianmack.com/mythicmasculine Tamera, The Village of Lovers: https://thevillageoflovers.com/ Reimagining Village, Dec 3 & 4: https://thevillageoflovers.com/reimagining-village Neil Pots interview: https://rolfpotts.com/podcast/tim-ferriss/ Tiimestamps :07 - Do good research so you have a lot to bring to the party :14 - Create a roadmap - not a list of questions :18 - Make your guest feel safe to create on their own terms :25 - Use pre-recording rituals :30 - Ask precise, lean questions that are important to you :38 - Practice your technique so you can let the Spirit move you