Hallmark Christmas Movie Obsessed? Meet Film Critic Rachel Wagner | #228

It’s holiday season and we are talking Hallmark Christmas movies on the Second Act Success Podcast. We are officially fan-girling because film critic and host of the Hallmarkies Podcast Rachel Wagner joins us to talk about hosting this popular podcast with Hallmark and movies at its core. 

Rachel shares how a love of movie criticism led her to start creating online reviews, launch a podcast, and eventually build a thriving platform that’s now deep into its 9th holiday season (with thousands of episodes!). Along the way, she’s interviewed Hallmark writers, actors, and directors, yet she’s also honest about what actually grows a show: consistency, relationships, and being ready when opportunity knocks.

If you love Hallmark Christmas movies, rom-coms, podcasting, content creation, or you’re dreaming about starting a creative second act in the new year, this one is pure holiday gold.

Key takeaways from this episode:

• How Rachel’s love of film criticism turned into a real podcasting career path
• What it really takes to run a successful podcast 
• Why you don’t need celebrity interviews to build a profitable, loyal audience
• How to “be ready when luck finds you” (and why creative success can be unpredictable)
• The truth about consistency, repetition, and making content that people actually want
• Why Hallmark is keeping rom-coms alive—and how Rachel built a niche brand around it
• Rachel’s best advice for anyone starting a second act (or launching a podcast in 2026)

*Get the full show notes here!

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