The Real Reel

Episode 132: If you’re new to podcasting, looking to start a podcast, or simply want to grow your business, this episode is for you! Podcast master and mentor, Steve Olsher, joins Natalie on the mic to break down the evolution of the podcast industry and discuss what the future of podcasting has in store. With the recent explosion of shows launching since the beginning of the pandemic, having a unique voice is more important than ever and Steve and Natalie have some tactics to share for winning the game of discoverability. As the founder and Editor-In-Chief of the Rolling Stone for podcasters, Podcast Magazine, Steve is an integral member of the podcasting community and has coached thousands on how to launch, market, and monetize their own shows. On today’s episode, Natalie and Steve dive into the business of podcasting vs. the podcast as the business itself, how you can determine your podcast's value (and whether selling is a viable option), and why the world needs to hear what puts fire on your soul.  Thank you so much for being a part of our podcast community! Please be sure to rate, follow, review, and of course, post to your highlight reel. Follow your host Natalie on Instagram @nataliebarbu and @therealreelpodcast. Follow Steve on Instagram and Podcast Magazine and @clubpod on Clubhouse  Thank you to our sponsors for making this episode possible. Check out these deals just for you: CANVA - Go to canva.me/realreel to get your FREE 45-day extended trial.QUIP - Go to getquip.com/realreel to save $10 on a quip Smart Electric Toothbrush. CUROLOGY - Go to curology.com/real for a free 30-day trial and just pay for shipping and handling! SMASH & TESS – Go to smashtess.com/realreel to shop and use code REALREEL at check out for 15% off your purchase! NUTRAFOL – Go to nutrafol.com/realreel to save FIFTEEN DOLLARS OFF your first month’s subscription plus FREE shipping on EVERY order.    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 131: If you’re the type of person who falls in love with the branding before even trying a product, then this is the episode for you! Natalie welcomes branding aficionado and co-founder of Onda Tequila Seltzer, Kelli Adams, to pull back the branding curtain and dig into what it takes to build a product that appeals to the right customer. Kelli may just be more obsessed with branding than Natalie is and has worked with some major companies like PepsiCo and Frito-Lay to help create memorable and recognizable products for consumers everywhere. Her natural gift for graphic design combined with her creative side was the perfect fit for Onda, the company she created alongside her three co-founders who each bring their own set of unique skills to the table. Today’s episode dives into how to get those creative juices flowing, how 90’s fashion can inspire a modern day brand, and what it’s like to transition from a 9-to-5 job to working for yourself. If you’re eager to learn more about what it really takes to make a brand stand out in a competitive market, then tune in for some great tips and tricks.  Thank you so much for being a part of our podcast community! Please be sure to rate, follow, review, and of course, post to your highlight reel. Follow your host Natalie on Instagram @nataliebarbu and @therealreelpodcast. Follow Onda on Instagram @drinkonda and Kelli @kelliadams Thank you to our sponsors for making this episode possible. Check out these deals just for you: CANVA - Go to canva.me/realreel to get your FREE 45-day extended trial. QUIP - Go to getquip.com/realreel to save $10 on a quip Smart Electric Toothbrush. CUROLOGY - Go to curology.com/real for a free 30-day trial and just pay for shipping and handling! SMASH & TESS – Go to smashtess.com/realreell to shop and use code REALREEL at check out for 15% off your purchase!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 130: A solo episode is long overdue so Natalie is jumping on the mic to fill The Real Reel community in on what’s been happening in her personal and work life. With her business, Rella, ramping up to launch in November, the stress has been building and Natalie opens up about the challenges she has been facing both emotionally and physically. It has been weighing on her heart to speak about her personal experience with imposter syndrome and share her story about constantly being underestimated as a woman in a male-dominated program in University. Flash forward— she graduated and none of her male counterparts that doubted her did! At 25, to say Natalie has accomplished a lot would be an understatement, but even with great amounts of success she still faces imposter syndrome regularly and has to work daily on building confidence. If you can relate to feeling like you don’t belong or find yourself constantly doubting your abilities, you’re not alone. This episode offers some strategies and guidance to quiet the inner critic and start growing your confidence.  Thank you so much for being a part of our podcast community! Please be sure to rate, follow, review, and of course, post to your highlight reel. Follow your host Natalie on Instagram @nataliebarbu and @therealreelpodcast. Thank you to our sponsors for making this episode possible. Check out these deals just for you: CANVA - Go to canva.me/realreel to get your FREE 45-day extended trial. QUIP - Go to getquip.com/realreel to save $10 on a quip Smart Electric Toothbrush. CUROLOGY - Go to curology.com/real for a free 30-day trial and just pay for shipping and handling! SMASH & TESS – Go to smashtess.com/realreell to shop and use code REALREEL at check out for 15% off your purchase! SHAMELESS PETS – Go to shamelesspets.com and use code realreel for 25% off.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 129: You are going to want to swipe right on today’s episode as Natalie welcomes the founder of Lox Club, Austin Kevitch, to share some insider tips on how to stand out in the dating app scene. With more people staying home and turning to their devices to find love, Austin jumped on the opportunity to make a tongue and cheek dating app to help singles find someone their grandma would approve of. Austin is no stranger to the app development game as he’s built 30 apps in total! And now, his app Lox Club is generating some serious buzz from major publications such as The New York Times, Vogue, and Forbes for its unique and lighthearted approach to dating that focuses more on personality than photos. Tune in to hear how a fictional story about a speakeasy in a deli turned into an app, why it is so important build a business you would use yourself, and how Facetime can help you find that special someone.  Thank you so much for being a part of our podcast community! Please be sure to rate, follow, review, and of course, post to your highlight reel. Follow your host Natalie on Instagram @nataliebarbu and @therealreelpodcast. Follow Austin on Instagram @austinkevitch and Lox Club @loxclub Thank you to our sponsors for making this episode possible. Check out these deals just for you: CANVA - Go to canva.me/realreel to get your FREE 45-day extended trial. QUIP - Go to getquip.com/realreel to save $10 on a quip Smart Electric Toothbrush. CUROLOGY - Go to curology.com/real for a free 30-day trial and just pay for shipping and handling! SMASH & TESS – Go to smashtess.com/realreell to shop and use code REALREEL at check out for 15% off your purchase! SHAMELESS PETS – Go to shamelesspets.com and use code realreel for 25% off.     Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 128: Today's unfiltered episode is all about shifting your mindset to create more confidence in your work and practicing what you preach while building your empire! Natalie was previously interviewed by Madison Reid from the Girls Building Empires podcast and knew the conversation was far from over. The two hosts discuss their personal experiences with imposter syndrome and share how they are still working on their own confidence on and off the mic. Madison details how she chased her dream role in the podcast space with persistence. While she may have had little experience in the industry, she knew the job couldn’t go to anyone else.  Her story is incredibly empowering and bound to remind you that no goal is out of reach. From tips that will help you stay motivated when you’re in a funk to ways to stand out when applying to jobs to shifting your confidence mindset, this conversation offers some major takeaways. Whether you're on the hunt for your new dream job or looking to get out of that work slump, this episode will bring you one step closer to achieving your goals and with a new, confident pep in your step.   Thank you so much for being a part of our podcast community! Please be sure to rate, follow, review, and of course, post to your highlight reel. Follow your host Natalie on Instagram @nataliebarbu and @therealreelpodcast. Follow Madison on Instagram @madisonvreid and Girls Building Empires @girlsbuildingempires. Listen to the podcast HERE and make sure to check out Natalie's episode! Thank you to our sponsors for making this episode possible. Check out these deals just for you: CANVA - Go to canva.me/realreel to get your FREE 45-day extended trial. QUIP - Go to getquip.com/realreel to save $10 on a quip Smart Electric Toothbrush. CUROLOGY - Go to curology.com/real for a free 30-day trial and just pay for shipping and handling! SMASH & TESS – Go to smashtess.com/realreell to shop and use code REALREEL at check out for 15% off your purchase! SHAMELESS PETS – Go to shamelesspets.com and use code realreel for 25% off.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 127: The sisters behind the Okay Sis podcast are finally in the building... well, virtually at least! Scout and Mady, the co-hosts of Okay Sis, are absolutely hilarious sisters IRL and are bringing their top notch banter and business know-how to this week’s episode. Natalie is welcomed as an honorary third sister as Scout and Mady share stories from their childhood and open up about what it is really like to co-host a podcast and build a community alongside your sister. With three years of podcasting under their belts, you could say they know a thing or two. The sisters reveal their podcasting pet peeves, share tips to help grow your podcasting community, and give insight on how they stay productive and sane while growing the podcast and building their own companies, Scout’s Agency and Camber. This episode dives into how running a business with family can bring you undeniably closer and why time-batching is essential to avoid unnecessary stress and make your life a whole lot easier. Tune in to join the sisterhood! Thank you so much for being a part of our podcast community! Please be sure to rate, follow, review, and of course, post to your highlight reel. Follow your host Natalie on Instagram @nataliebarbu and @therealreelpodcast. Follow Okay Sis on Instagram @okaysispodcast and listen to their podcast HERE. Follow Scout @scoutsobel and Mady @madymaio. Thank you to our sponsors for making this episode possible. Check out these deals just for you: QUIP - Go to getquip.com/realreel  to save $10 on a quip Smart Electric Toothbrush. CUROLOGY - Go to curology.com/real for a free 30-day trial and just pay for shipping and handling! SMASH & TESS – Go to smashtess.com/realreell to shop and use code REALREEL at check out for 15% off your purchase! SHAMELESS PETS – Go to shamelesspets.com and use code realreel for 25% off.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 126: Therapy is getting a total makeover as the infamous and highly esteemed ShrinkChicks join Natalie for a serious dose of real talk that challenges the traditional model of what therapy should look like. Emmalee Bierly and Jennifer Chaiken are two relatable and hilarious licensed marriage and family therapists that are shattering the clinical wall and bringing humanity to therapy. There have been studies that show the most important predicator of therapeutic success is the connection and relationship with your therapist. Emmalee and Jen have found that developing that relationship often involves breaking away from the traditional mold of what a therapist should be, so they never shy away from being themselves and even share personal, vulnerable stories on their own podcast, ShrinkChicks. Today’s episode covers a lot of mental health ground as the three discuss ways to discover coping mechanisms that work for you, how to deal with criticism and embrace failure, and why they decided to start their very own practice. With practitioners in states across the US, these best friends discuss how to grow your business while simultaneously growing in your relationships and working on yourself. If the typical, emotionless Freudian mold just isn’t working for you and you’re looking for a fresh perspective on therapy, this episode is for you. It’s out with the old and in with the new.  Thank you so much for being a part of our podcast community! Please be sure to rate, follow, review, and of course, post to your highlight reel. Follow your host Natalie on Instagram @nataliebarbu and @therealreelpodcast. Follow the ShrinkChicks @shrinkchicks and listen to their podcast ShrinkChicks. Follow The Therapy Group @thetherapygrp and check out their website thetherapygroup.com. Thank you to our sponsors for making this episode possible. Check out these deals just for you: CUROLOGY - Go to curology.com/real for a free 30-day trial and just pay for shipping and handling! SMASH & TESS – Go to smashtess.com/realreell to shop and use code REALREEL at check out for 15% off your purchase! SHAMELESS PETS – Go to shamelesspets.com and use code realreel for 25% off.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 125: It’s a podcaster’s paradise as masters on the mic, Bailey Stanworth and Jacci Rai from What Day Is It?, join Natalie to talk all things podcast related and so much more. These two BFFs have been setting the bar high on creating and marketing their own podcast since day one, constantly coming up with out-of-the-box ways to engage with their community. An instant bond is formed as the three podcast hosts share their own journeys in podcasting and evaluate the pros and cons of tackling the medium solo or with a co-host. Bailey and Jacci open up about why it’s important for them to be candid about mental health on and off the mic, why the idea for the podcast was initially a no-go, and how they’ve been navigating the world of virtual recordings. This episode is filled with incredible advice on how to creatively market your business and how to maintain a solid relationship with your bestie in life and work. Their friendship love story is bound to make you want to call up your friends for a chat or start the project (or podcast!) that's been on your mind. Thank you so much for being a part of our podcast community! Please be sure to rate, follow, review, and of course, post to your highlight reel. Follow your host Natalie on Instagram @nataliebarbu and @therealreelpodcast. Follow What Day Is It? @whatdayisitpodcast and check out their website whatdayisit.com . Follow Bailey @baileyjst and follow Jacci @jaccirai Thank you to our sponsors for making this episode possible. Check out these deals just for you: HELLOFRESH - Go to hellofresh.com/realreel14 and use code realreel14 for up to 14 free meals plus free shipping! CUROLOGY - Go to curology.com/real for a free 30-day trial and just pay for shipping and handling! SMASH + TESS – Go to smashtess.com/realreell to shop and use code REALREEL at check out for 15% off your purchase! SHAMELESS PETS – Go to shamelesspets.com and use code realreel for 25% off.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 124: Covid had its fair share of challenges for businesses but one industry in particular thrived. Can you guess which one? Yep, it’s alcohol. As Harridan Vodka founder Bridgette Taylor was mixing drinks during quarantine, she began to fall in love with the alcohol industry. It was a space in which she could combine her passion for storytelling and branding with her love of a great cocktail. The journey as a female founder in a male-dominated industry had its setbacks, but it ultimately led Brigette to find a feminist voice that would shake up what people thought a women’s spirit could and should be. As a self-proclaimed harridan, she is rewriting the male-centered narrative and bringing badass women of history front and center This conversation packs a punch as Natalie and Bridgette dive into what it is like to start a spirits business mid-pandemic and how a brand of vodka can be defiant, empowering, and most-importantly, contribute to the perfect cocktail. Thank you so much for being a part of our podcast community! Please be sure to rate, follow, review, and of course, post to your highlight reel. Follow your host Natalie on Instagram @nataliebarbu and @therealreelpodcast. Follow Harridan Vodka on Instagram @harridanvodka and make sure to check out their website www.harridan.com Thank you to our sponsors for making this episode possible. Check out these deals just for you: CUROLOGY - Go to curology.com/real for a free 30-day trial and just pay for shipping and handling! SHAMELESS PETS – Go to shamelesspets.com and use code realreel for 25% off.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 123: Open up Sephora on your browser because your cart is about to be filled with beauty must haves! OG beauty blogger and influencer marketing manager Jamie Stone joins Natalie to share the inside scoop on building an audience online whether you’re a brand or an influencer. Jamie started her blog in 2006 and has become one of the go-to experts for all things beauty related. She has made contributions to Women's Health Magazine, Refinery 29, and The Today Show and continues to share her wealth of knowledge across multiple platforms. On today’s episode, Jamie and Natalie dive into what it means to be a celebrity ghostwriter (yes, that’s also on her resume), how to become a successful freelancer and thrive in an ever-changing industry, which platforms are best for growing your following and of course, the holy grail products you need to add to your routine (apologies in advance to your next credit card statement). Thank you so much for being a part of our podcast community! Please be sure to rate, follow, review, and of course, post to your highlight reel. Follow your host Natalie on Instagram @nataliebarbu and @therealreelpodcast. Follow Jamie on Instagram @itsjamiestone and her podcast @alittletoomuchpodcast and make sure to check out her blog at honestlyjamie.com. Thank you to our sponsors for making this episode possible. Check out these deals just for you: CUROLOGY - Go to curology.com/real for a free 30-day trial and just pay for shipping and handling! SHAMELESS PETS – Go to shamelesspets.com and use code realreel for 25% off.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices