I absolutely love the way this interview came about, so of course I have to share it with you before we get into the meat of the interview. You may or may not have noticed that I've been working on stepping up my engagement on social media this past year. I wish I could tell you I was stellar at it now or had a really structured and consistent way of showing up, but I'm not quite there yet. Getting better, so I'll leave it at that. I think I connected with Ray on Twitter because I followed him from one of those Twitter emails that suggests other followers for you. For the most part, I'll look at someone's Twitter bio then click through if it looks like a relevant connection and then visit their site before I follow them (I'm sure I followed way too many spammers before implementing this process). Needless to say when I went to Ray's site "The Podcaster's Studio" I was sold, and not just because he's using Genesis (because that would just be silly), but because it was clean, easy to navigate and most importantly, had a TON of great content and podcasting tips! Ray's background and how he ended up at The Podcaster's Studio is amazing (I think this might be one of my favorite parts of the interviews... hearing the story that brought people to where they are today). From an aspiring Disney employee to Law Enforcement to getting a Master's degree in Sociology... Ray's story is inspiring to say the least. One of his first podcasts was a podcast on "How to Pick Produce"... literally, it was called "Produce Picker Podcast" and it was on how to choose and buy produce. And if this isn't an example of how you can podcast about anything, I don't know what is. And that's not a dig at the Produce Picker Podcast, because Ray had some real life experience and market research that inspired him to create the "Produce Picker Podcast". Oh. And it also landed him on "Emeril" (as in Emeril Lagasse). Not too shabby, eh? We also talked about making money with podcasting (which I'm sure is something many people are curious about). One of my favorite quotes from Ray and this interview was: "If you're getting into podcasting for the money, try something else". Before you get discouraged, make sure you listen to all of this interview. Because you CAN make money with your podcast, it just may not be as direct and obvious as you think. The benefits of podcasting and what it does for your brand and business are not as easily measured as simple analytics or income. Eventually Ray ended up with his current job, which allows him to podcast full time, from home ( a dream job as he says). Of course there's a fantastic story behind how he got the job... it was a connection at a podcamp and a few interruptions on Ray's part that landed him his dream gig. Consulting too? Sometimes. And if he has the time. And that came from giving a talk and someone asking. Pretty simple, but another testament to finding something you love, sticking with it and letting it evolve organically. Getting started Podcasting I was THRILLED when Ray shared one of his favorite new mics (which is affordable for EVERYONE), why he likes it and where you can get it. I don't want to give away the entire interview in the post, because it's great and Ray has SO much knowledge and I know you'll enjoy listening. If you're even remotely interested in podcasting be sure to subscribe to Ray's site, connect with him on Twitter (as he says, he "loves the twitter") and subscribe to his podcasts in iTunes. Links from this episode The Podcaster's Studio (website) Ray's Gear Page (where he shares the mic he mentioned in the show) Ray on Twitter Produce Picker Podcast The Podcasters Studio (podcast) Podcast Quick Tips (podcast) Podcasters Round Table (podcast)