Authentic Connections: Building Real Connections Through Podcasts and Stories

Larry Roberts [00:00:09]:

What is happening, everybody? I'm Larry Roberts.

Sara Lohse [00:00:12]:

And I'm Sara Lohse. And this is Branded, your comprehensive guide to creative branding.

Larry Roberts [00:00:16]:

And on this awesome episode of the podcast, I'm a little fired up, but I'm also excited because we have an amazing guest with us today. Kristen Chadwick is also a podcast producer, podcast manager, and I think. I think her website says she is your biggest champion. And she's here to join us today to talk about all things podcasting and branding and personal branding and content creation. And we're just gonna have a really, really good time. So, Kristen, welcome to the show.

Kristin Chadwick [00:00:46]:

Thank you. Thank you. Lara. And Lara. I just said lara.

Sara Lohse [00:00:50]:

Lara and Sarry. They're celebrity couple names.

Kristin Chadwick [00:00:56]:

Yes, exactly. So, hello, Larry and Sara. It's so fun to be with you guys again, and a pleasure to be here on Brandon.

Sara Lohse [00:01:07]:

Yeah, we're happy to have you. This is a fun little reunion. A couple months ago, we sat on a panel together at e. Women network speak onomics, and that was a great way for us to get to know you and find out more about what you do. And we thought you had a lot of really great insights on finding your topic and the different seasons of your life and what you talk about during them. So it was really interesting to hear.

Kristin Chadwick [00:01:28]:

Thank you. Yeah, it was fun to get to know you guys in real life because, you know, that's how it rolls in podcasting, where you're like, oh, you are a real human being.

Sara Lohse [00:01:39]:

Oh, I haven't met so many of my friends.

Kristin Chadwick [00:01:42]:

Right.

Sara Lohse [00:01:44]:

It's insane.

Larry Roberts [00:01:45]:

You know, it's funny because I've been a video game addict basically my whole life, but primarily a world of Warcraft addict for the last 20 years, and.

Sara Lohse [00:01:53]:

We lost our audience.

Larry Roberts [00:01:56]:

But I have so many friends from that game because you play with, you know, it's a. It's a. A massive multiplayer online game, and you play with other real human beings. And for years and years, so many of my quote unquote friends were just people in the game. And then I eventually got to meet quite a few of them irl, as we call it, in the gaming world or in real life. And that just added a whole nother element to the relationship. And I found that in the podcast space, very similar. You know, we get to hang out online and we do podcasts together.

Larry Roberts [00:02:28]:

And on these podcasts, we always talk about authenticity. But let's be honest, we still put on our podcast voice, and we probably still put on our podcast cadence when we're having these conversations. So that when we do meet in real life, we go, oh, yeah, there's a little humanity in there.

Sara Lohse [00:02:43]:

See, I used to use a, like, podcast voice, or I don't know what voice it was, and you yelled at me for it, so I stopped.

Kristin Chadwick [00:02:52]:

Sara, you have the most natural flow in the podcast realm. You just show up as you. And I love it. It's so real.

Larry Roberts [00:03:00]:

I know. I'm so jealous because I try, and I still have to talk like this. I still have to be an announcer and still have to really put inflection on everywhere. I just want to talk, man. Why can't I just hang out and have a conversation?

Kristin Chadwick [00:03:14]:

Yes. So good. That was, like, one of my very first lessons in working with a more celebrity host together as their producer was learning how to make it more natural versus the podcast voice or broadcast voice. And anytime that anybody started talking into that realm of, well, hello. Welcome. It was like, nope, start over.

Sara Lohse [00:03:47]:

I think it was podfest, like, two years ago, Larry and I were there together, and he. We were, like, hiding for a few minutes from the crowds because we just needed, like, a minute. And he took off his hat, and his whole demeanor changed and his voice changed. Like, the way he spoke changed, and I just stared at him because I'm like, you literally just, like, removed the Persona. Like, you just took off the red hat guy. It was so insane. And then it was like, all right, time to go back downstairs. And it goes back on, and I'm the red hat guy again.

Sara Lohse [00:04:19]:

It was so funny to see, it's not inauthentic, necessarily to have those different Personas, because it's just the pieces of our personality that come out in different environments, but it is really funny to see actively how they switch.

Larry Roberts [00:04:36]:

Yeah, it's super hard today, too, because, well, of course, I have to say this. I just came back from ABC here in Dallas, and I think it's my fourth appearance on the good morning Texas show. And it's funny because even seasoned professionals like Jane McGarry, she's been on good morning Texas for quite some time, and she still has that delivery voice when we're there in front of the camera, but off to the side, she's just, you know, she's just Jamie Gary, she's just having a conversation. We were chatting it up this morning, but as soon as we step in front of that camera, it's a totally different Persona and a totally different presentation. It's super polished. Backs are rigid, and we're delivering with a certain pronounced cadence, and I still fall into that cadence when I get in front of this camera right here, even though, I mean, it's in my home studio.

Sara Lohse [00:05:21]:

Yeah, I think it's necessary in some environments, like television news, like they. It's expected, and you almost have to have that level of, like, professional demeanor. But podcasting is different. Podcasting is supposed to be just natural and authentic. Honestly, I would be interested to see some of those, like, tv personalities go behind a podcast and see if they put on, like, you, Kristen, you were just saying that they had. They did put on that Persona and you had to try to get them out of it. Like, I feel like all of them are going to do that because it's so ingrained in them.

Kristin Chadwick [00:05:56]:

I would be curious, too, if the broadcast world as far as, like, tv, if they could learn a thing or two of just be yourself. Like, you don't have to read at a certain cadence. Every news anchor has a certain cadence to their presentation of whatever the news is. And I'm curious if that would switch things a little bit in the news world. I mean, this is totally on a different playing field of our topic, but I am curious if that would open up a new avenue of appreciating news from a personal level versus, like, a rigid. I'm just somebody who is a vessel for what the news is telling me.

Sara Lohse [00:06:40]:

To say right now. I feel like that's tied to, like, with journalism and, like, PR. Like, I have. I've had to write press releases. I worked in PR for a while, and you cannot make a press release sound fun. You're not allowed to. It has to be very rigid. It is just, this is the information.

Sara Lohse [00:06:57]:

You can't have any emotion, any. Any opinion. You can't make it sound like you think this is a good thing. Like nothing. It's just this is the information because journalism has to be objective, so there can't be any opinion in it. So I feel like maybe that broadcast, that's why you see that a little bit more. Because then if you look at the, quote unquote, news shows that aren't journalism, things like the Colbert Report, the Daily. What is it? The Daily Show.

Sara Lohse [00:07:22]:

Daily show, or, like, entertainment news, and they are actively not journalists because they are very subjective. Yeah, but they're still delivering news, but they're able to do it as themselves. And so I feel like that journalism piece is probably kind of that trigger. Sorry, I just went deep into my.

Kristin Chadwick [00:07:42]:

PR hole, but it's awesome, you know?

Larry Roberts [00:07:46]:

And it makes you wonder if we did see that in that arena, if maybe some of the confidence would be reinstilled with the news. Because in today's era, very rarely do we see people consuming the news like we grew up. You know, like you can bet at 530 in the. In the evening, dad's going to turn on the news, and that's the news source, but that's not the case anymore. We get our news from all over the place, and it's delivered in a variety of different formats, and it's delivered with an alternate cadence like sarah was alluding to there. So I'm wondering if we saw more of that relaxed conversation, that more natural flow and conversational delivery of the news if they wouldn't gain back some of the public trust.

Sara Lohse [00:08:28]:

Yeah, I think it's probably why people have switched over to things like podcasts and the Daily show and things that are more entertaining just because they are. They are authentic, and authenticity builds trust.

Kristin Chadwick [00:08:41]:

It's like we are missing the heart of, like, humanity in news, which actually does tie into what we were going to talk about, which was connecting to the heart of your listener. And I just, I think as we talk about the news piece, journalism versus podcasting, or any other more personal narrative news, what the missing link is, is heart. Like, it is very robotic, objective. Like, you take out the humanness in it of like, oh, I should be reading this, grieving as I talk about somebody was murdered downtown, or concern about children, or, you know, it's just robotic. And so I think that's exactly the power of podcasting. And having that organic humanness is so powerful.

Larry Roberts [00:09:37]:

Yeah, having that high level EQ, you know, that's what I was talking about this morning on ABC. Plug that again. That's what I was talking about is how do we AI proof our children? And, you know, with all the developments in AI and content creation, that's the one thing that can't be replaced, is that high level EQ or that high level emotional intelligence, that high level of engagement with humanity, and having that heart and delivering it from that perspective, and being able to engage on a human level with a variety of people with very, very diverse backgrounds, in extremely and very diverse settings, and having that emotional intelligence and that heart is really what's going to shape the future of not just our content creation, but even career paths going forward.

Sara Lohse [00:10:20]:

Yeah, I think we see that in so many industries, and it's why I personally don't think AI is going to be replacing people the way that people seem to think it is. And there's been AI technologies forever. They're just so much more rampant now. I know, Larry, you talk about this on your presentations, that it was created, coined in, like, the seventies or something.

Larry Roberts [00:10:43]:

Actually, I think it was 1956 when the term artificial intelligence was coined.

Sara Lohse [00:10:48]:

Yeah. So it's. It's been like that forever. But you can't replace the human aspect. Like when I worked in finance. Like, you can get all of your financial planning done online by an algorithm in two minutes, but that algorithm doesn't understand, like, your journey and what you've been through and what means the most to you, and you can't replace that. So I don't know. I think it's not going to be people getting replaced by robots.

Sara Lohse [00:11:12]:

It's going to be the mundane tasks getting replaced by robots and people being able to focus more on the people part, which isn't a bad thing, I don't think.

Kristin Chadwick [00:11:21]:

Yeah, I totally agree. Absolutely.

Sara Lohse [00:11:24]:

We have gotten very off topic, so.

Larry Roberts [00:11:28]:

I'm curious of Kristen, and let's. Let's get the focus back on you.

Sara Lohse [00:11:31]:

Yes.

Larry Roberts [00:11:33]:

I appreciate what's going on here because I think this is an amazing conversation. And we were, you know, we were even chatting. Oh, I see. Profit first on your shelf up there. That's a great read. Profit first. If you're a business owner, it'll change the way you manage your money. Nice little plug.

Larry Roberts [00:11:48]:

And if you want to sponsor the show. But Sara's pointing to her book as well. Open this.

Sara Lohse [00:11:53]:

Read that one, too.

Larry Roberts [00:11:54]:

Yeah, read that one, too. It's going to be amazing. But, Christian, you were talking about, especially from a podcast perspective, how when you have people that are starting their own shows, they get on there. They have that cadence. What are some of the techniques that you use with your clients to help them talk more conversationally, to help them remove that outer gel or that protective tone that we tend to use when we go on podcasts.

Kristin Chadwick [00:12:18]:

So there's a few techniques that, depending on their personality, so if they're somebody who thrives off knowing the plan of the episode, then I will work with them on. All right, so here's how you could create an outline so you know where you're headed, what the takeaways are gonna be like. You guys talk about, you know, make sure you have takeaways for your people. And so with that having some sort of structure that they can have freedom to look at that and feel at ease of, okay, I know where I'm going, and I know the plant, and then there are people who maybe they need to write it all out, and then they can press record. And I wouldn't necessarily recommend reading what every single word that you write, but making sure that you read over it. And then they have that, okay, I know the direction I'm going now. And then there are people that in time, they can just press record and wing it and not have any notes in front of them and they are set. So that's like the first part.

Kristin Chadwick [00:13:27]:

The second part is, once they're comfortable on knowing the plan, then to really, really picture sitting in front of a friend or their, ideally their ideal listener, who are they talking to? So if I'm sitting here imagining I'm, I'm hanging out with you two, which is natural in our conversation, but in, in a lot of episodes, it's just me behind the mic, and there's nobody else in the room. So it's my job for myself to coach myself or to coach a podcaster who is doing a solo episode, to really sit for a second and imagine, okay, if I was sitting down right now in real life with a coach that is about to launch a podcast, they are nervous about what they're bringing to the table. I go through all of my pain points and what their passions are. What are they feeling in life right now? I think that's really key to relaxing into the conversation because you meet them again on a human level, because you're speaking heart to heart. So really just having that point of reference of, okay, let's sit down. Imagine our listener sitting across from us, and how can we serve them if they were asking this specific question about their problem? So that would be my second thought. And then I think the third thing, too, is just practice, practice, practice. Get on as many podcasts, but also everyday stuff.

Kristin Chadwick [00:15:02]:

Like, I know for me, when I first started podcasting, I was really uncomfortable hearing my voice or even processing out loud. I am such an internal processor. And so to be able to practice, okay, I have to get this out of my head in a way that makes sense. So even on walks, I would get out my voice memo and be like, okay, I am walking around the block and I'm just going to start talking to myself. And, and even that, just practice, practice, practice, practice in your car, on your mic. Even working sometimes I'll put on my headphones, plug in my mic, and just talk to myself while I'm doing it. And it just gets. You used to hearing your own voice.

Sara Lohse [00:15:42]:

See, even just sitting alone in my house, like doing that, I would feel embarrassed. That is the level to which I hate it. But we actually dealt with this very recently with one of our clients. Doctor Leo is going to be launching a podcast mind body marathon shortly. And he was struggling with doing the trailer, and he's like, I just. I feel like it's robotic. I can't get myself to, like, get into that place where I could just say it naturally, but when I just talk to my wife about it, I feel like I say it the way I want to. So when he went to record his trailer one more time, I told him to have his wife stand behind the camera and have her, literally have her there.

Sara Lohse [00:16:21]:

So he is physically talking to her and even, like, she can ask him the questions that he wants to answer in the trailer. So it feels like a conversation. And then we just edit her out. And I haven't gotten the recordings yet. I'm excited to hear them, but I can just tell that they're going to be so much more natural because it's just what he does every day. He's just having a conversation with his wife.

Kristin Chadwick [00:16:45]:

Yeah, that's so brilliant.

Sara Lohse [00:16:47]:

Thanks a try.

Larry Roberts [00:16:49]:

Quite brilliant. And I'm going to hear about that later. So brilliant. I'm brilliant. I really am. But, you know, I found it over the years that solo episodes are even harder than having guests, especially, and this is what a lot of people don't get. And I was having this conversation, man, I think it was yesterday with someone talking about the difference between recording a podcast in studio with a guest that's sitting right next to you or right across from you across the table or whatever it may be, as compared to doing, like, what we're doing right now, having these conversations online. And it's an entirely different dynamic.

Larry Roberts [00:17:27]:

You know, it's much easier to transition into a conversation when the other person is right there with you because you have that opportunity to escape from the camera and escape from the lights and just engage with that guest. But to be able to create that like we're creating right now, I think, and I'm tooting our own horns here, but I think we're doing an exceptional job of just having a conversation right now. And I'm sure a lot of that has to do with the fact that we know each other IRL, but at the same time, you know, we're experienced in doing this. So having these conversations online is a little bit easier. But by far the hardest thing for me to do, or not anymore. But at first, when I first got started, was having that conversation by myself with the camera. And I felt so super, super cheesy looking at a camera and trying to have a conversation because I'm like, this is so dumb. I sound like an idiot.

Larry Roberts [00:18:21]:

And I'm just mumbling and no one cares what I have to say, and I don't know what to say and I'm frozen solid. So one of the things that I did, and I think I've told this story before. I know I've told the story before, but I don't know if I have on the podcast was, and I'm sure I have because I have like five stories and I just recycle them for every.

Sara Lohse [00:18:37]:

Don't worry, I can tell all of them.

Larry Roberts [00:18:41]:

But I use an event called Napod Po mo, which is the national podcast posting month. And you can go to napodpomo.org and join in on the fun this year if you want to. But what you do is you commit to podcasting every day for the month of November. And since I was already pretty comfortable podcasting but very uncomfortable in front of a camera, I decided to kind of up the ante and I decided to go live on Facebook every day for the month of November. I don't know, it was three or four years ago when I did this. And by the time the event was over, not only had I gone live every day, but I was loving it and I was comfortable. And I had noticed that some people were starting to watch, some people were starting to engage, and I ended up doing it for six or seven months until I got distracted or got busy or what, squirrel. Whatever.

Larry Roberts [00:19:30]:

For some reason, I stopped. But it was what took me to the next level and allowed me to get comfortable in front of the camera. It was that repetition, it was that practice, and it was just sucking it up and doing it.

Sara Lohse [00:19:40]:

Yeah. One of the things that we all learned at the event we were at together. I remember, Larry, you reacted so extremely to this because you thought it was the coolest thing ever. Apps like captions and capcut, they both have a feature. I think they both do. I know captions does. They both have a feature called teleprompter. And you can actually paste in basically a script and then turn your phone like your screen into a teleprompter.

Sara Lohse [00:20:14]:

So instead of looking down or anything, you're looking right at it. It's right at eye level and it doesn't look as much like you're reading. And we learned that from Brianna Dai. Brianna dye, Brianna Day.

Larry Roberts [00:20:27]:

Yeah.

Sara Lohse [00:20:28]:

We learned that from Brianna Dai in her AI presentation. And it was just really interesting because I'm the same way. Like, I can't just talk. I feel uncomfortable and I don't. I run out of things to say, so having something like that, it doesn't work so much in podcasting, but if you're just doing content creation, you want to make a real or a social video, having something like that is going to be really helpful in making you feel a little bit more comfortable.

Kristin Chadwick [00:20:52]:

Yeah, that rocked my world, too. I've have. I have not used the teleprompter, but I have used how she showed from AI to putting it into, oh, gosh, cap cut and then creating the templates inside of there. So I ate that up, too, because I. So one of my famous, famous, not famous. Famous to myself and my husband, famous to those who matter, is I will say I. So, like I said, I am an internal processor, and there's only so many words that will come out of my mouth at a time. So at the end of it, I will use the Forrest Gump quote and say, and that's all I got to say about that.

Kristin Chadwick [00:21:39]:

So. And it's everything in me to not say it in the middle of recording a solo episode, because it is. It feels like, well, that's all I got.

Sara Lohse [00:21:49]:

So I've literally ended presentations at conferences. I know Podfest was one of them where I just said, yep, I don't know how to add presentations. There you go.

Larry Roberts [00:22:00]:

She uses it all the time. You know, it's funny because there's a guy that I watch all the time on YouTube. He's a movie critic. His channel is called the critical drinker because he's irish, and he drinks while he does. At the end of every video, he goes, that's all I've got for now. Go away now. And that's how he ended it. He's like, that's all for now.

Larry Roberts [00:22:21]:

Go away, every video. So if that's your signature, then by all means, just find your own little signature that feels comfortable to you and use it. And that goes back to the, you know, tapping into the heart of the content that you're creating that makes it uniquely yours. There's. There's no definitive way to wrap a podcast episode.

Kristin Chadwick [00:22:42]:

I love that. That encouragement to just speak it out loud.

Sara Lohse [00:22:49]:

It's the first time you do send me it. I want to see it.

Kristin Chadwick [00:22:52]:

Okay.

Sara Lohse [00:22:53]:

I feel like I can just see you just smiling to yourself while you'd.

Kristin Chadwick [00:22:56]:

Say it, because it just.

Sara Lohse [00:22:57]:

It just feels so. So natural and so you. And it's gonna be great while. Okay. While we're here, though, let's touch on a little bit, because we mentioned this a few times. It's like getting to the heart of it. And knowing what you really want to talk about in the seasons of your life, go a little bit into that so we can make sure that listeners really get to understand what it is that you're passionate about.

Kristin Chadwick [00:23:25]:

Yeah. So the backstory is, my first podcast was called Holistic Hearts, which it really was an all encompassing of my life and my faith, my fitness, my nutrition and family and marriage and one of those broad stroke podcasts where I don't recommend at this point, like readily random.

Larry Roberts [00:23:48]:

Yeah.

Kristin Chadwick [00:23:51]:

But there was actually a lesson in that is that I really think when we bring our whole hearts into our podcast, no matter how niche it can be, it really does make a difference. So in my. My coaching of podcasting is I really try to figure out what is the heartbeat of my podcasters and what is the heartbeat of the people that are going to be listening and impacted by what they share. So I'm all about what is a story that you bring to the table, and that could go for anybody who's a coach, author, a ministry leader, a leader in the workplace. Like, you have a story. So we need to unpack that and make sure that we're bringing that into the conversation of your podcast. Because people connect people, people's stories connect each other to each other's hearts, and that's where change can happen. And so that's really where the heart is.

Kristin Chadwick [00:24:53]:

In. In my own story of saying, okay, well, yes, I can talk about my faith, but part of my faith was the impact on my family and how that turned in. Like, I had to make sure I fought for my body and I fought for my mind, and I encouraged my kids to do the same. And so there's always like a through line, through it all. Like we. We bring our whole selves into whatever we're doing. And so that's the heart of basically my content. Coaching to anybody who is podcasting is, okay, what's that through line? What are those values and the passions that you're bringing in your story? I love that.

Sara Lohse [00:25:34]:

And I think this is why you and I really connected when we met in Colorado, because most of what you just said is the premise of my book. Those are things that I'm also really passionate about, is just finding that story because so many people just think that they don't have one. Because we have, like, we were talking about having the news and everything before. We live in a 24/7 news cycle, we're just constantly inundated with headlines. So if our story doesn't feel headline worthy, it doesn't feel like a story. But we don't need a headline worthy story. We just need a story that comes from our heart, is authentic, and has that ability to connect with other people because that's where you're going to have that impact.

Kristin Chadwick [00:26:22]:

I love that. Sara. I think, too, part of my story was being hired by a good friend of mine, that celebrity couple. And what was fascinating in those four years of being their sole producer was that they kept inviting me into the conversation on air, and I'd be like, I am not famous. I do not have a famous last name. But they kept saying, but everybody wants to hear what you have to say. Your producer, K. And it really taught me something that, that very piece that you just said that everybody has a story, even in the mundane everyday life, like, whether you're a young mom with little kids or you are an executive at a company, you've got that story to share, and everybody wants to hear that.

Kristin Chadwick [00:27:10]:

So walking away from my first producer job after those four years and feeling empowered, that, okay, I'm going to start my own podcast because I just heard for four years how important my voice was. And I actually start, I'm starting to believe that's true. And so that in itself, like, I love, I love your open this book concept, and I can't wait to read it. Sara. Oh, yeah.

Sara Lohse [00:27:36]:

Thank you. I will send you a copy. But no, I love that. And shout out to that couple for getting you here because we're happy that you've made it to where you're at. But no, it's so true. And when we talk about forming connections between people, the thing that really forms those connections is shared experiences. And when I hear some headline on the news, it's probably not something I've experienced. And while it might be, like, heartbreaking, it might be inspirational, it might be whatever it is, it doesn't have that connection that one of those just mundane, everyday stories have, because I've been through the everyday.

Sara Lohse [00:28:18]:

And so those little moments in our life that we can look back on and say, like, oh, that actually changed something for me. And pulling the value of what you learned in that moment, that's how you're going to have that connection.

Kristin Chadwick [00:28:30]:

Yeah. And your story, Sara, is one that is so needed for women, especially younger women, entrepreneurs and in the workplace. Like, I feel like you bring so much empowerment. Like, I don't know. I just think there's so much power in your story that's going to break open an area that a lot of people, especially young women who are successful, need to hear because you were like, yeah, peace out. I am successful, and I'm out no.

Sara Lohse [00:29:05]:

Matter how old I am.

Kristin Chadwick [00:29:06]:

Lisa. Yeah.

Sara Lohse [00:29:10]:

Lisa's gonna show up on every episode.

Larry Roberts [00:29:12]:

We have got to throw her under the bus every chance we get. I love it. This is great.

Sara Lohse [00:29:15]:

You made it into my book, Lisa. But, no, I appreciate you saying that. And it's one of those things that, like, what you were saying before is your experience with imposter syndrome, basically. And we all feel that. And, I mean, of course, as someone my age, I feel it every single day. And I worked in finance, which is very male dominant and very older, so, of course I felt in that situation. But the way that I wrote my book, and it was a very conscious decision to do it this way. But it's borderline memoir, because if I'm teaching you that your story matters and how to tell your story, I have to do it with my own stories.

Sara Lohse [00:29:55]:

So getting past the imposter syndrome of, okay, it's one thing to write a book, but you really think people care about your life. And I really had to get past that because maybe you don't care about my life, but there are moments in my life that I could teach you something from. So having to focus on that, instead of just the, hey, I'm going to write a memoir at 28. Like, it was. It was a really hard mental switch.

Kristin Chadwick [00:30:21]:

Yeah.

Larry Roberts [00:30:23]:

Hey, I have imposter syndrome too, Larry.

Kristin Chadwick [00:30:27]:

Sorry, we're throwing. We're not throwing men under the bus.

Sara Lohse [00:30:31]:

It has nothing to do with men. I feel like imposter syndrome is one of those few shared experiences that everybody has. Absolutely, like, you can be a CEO, you can be, like, a student, you can be the president. Like, everybody is going to have that moment of, I do not belong here, and I don't deserve to be where I am.

Larry Roberts [00:30:50]:

And I think the most shocking thing there, though, Sara, is. Is we always set these goals and we go, if I make it here, oh, I'll fit in. I'll be there. Oh, if I make it here, I'll be the cat dad. Oh, nope. If. Now, if I make it here, they'll. And it never changes.

Sara Lohse [00:31:07]:

Yeah.

Larry Roberts [00:31:08]:

You know, you just started taking BJJ or brazilian jiu jitsu, right? So you're a white belt right now, and you've probably had the thought that, well, once I'm a black belt, I'll be able to WHOOP everybody.

Sara Lohse [00:31:19]:

But as I don't have any thought that I will ever be a black.

Larry Roberts [00:31:24]:

Belt, as someone that's been a black belt for over two decades and multiple martial arts systems. Even when you hit that level, you still have that imposter syndrome. You go, oh, I might be a black belt, but I'm not that black belt. I'm not that level, or I'm not this. And it's the same thing. I just went to Phoenix to a massive mastermind conference, and everybody there, in my, not just in my personal opinion, it just factual or light years beyond any success that I've experienced. So as I sat there at that conference, I'm like, man, I don't belong here. And I still give kudos to this one gentleman.

Larry Roberts [00:32:03]:

He we were going off on an excursion because this event has excursions every night. So we were all loading up on the bus to go to an excursion, and I was sitting in the back of the bus because that's where all the party kids sit, right? So he comes to the back of the bus, goes, Larry, Larry, come here. And I'm like, oh, crap. I think I'm in trouble because I usually am when I get called out. But he took me to his seat and I sat down, he goes, hey, man, you know, I was talking to a couple folks, and you expressed the fact that you don't really feel like you fit here or you don't know how to engage in this level of conversation. He goes, but let me tell you something. You wouldn't be here if you didn't. You would have never been invited to participate in this event for the third time if you didn't fit here, if you didn't bring some value to the table.

Larry Roberts [00:32:46]:

So stop those limiting beliefs, get rid of that imposter syndrome and understand this is an opportunity for growth. And I think if we were all able to step back and recognize that when we're feeling like imposters and we're feeling like we don't fit in, and we're feeling like our story isn't enough. It's not that we don't fit in. It's not that we're not enough. It's that it's an opportunity for growth.

Sara Lohse [00:33:11]:

I'm glad it resonated when he said it because I've been saying that for months and you don't listen when you're a girl.

Larry Roberts [00:33:18]:

So I need.

Sara Lohse [00:33:21]:

Comes from a man voice.

Larry Roberts [00:33:25]:

You're 28 for Christ.

Kristin Chadwick [00:33:30]:

Oh, things are getting heated.

Larry Roberts [00:33:33]:

They usually do. But no, seriously, you know, it's a perfect opportunity for us to recognize that and, and take hold of it and.

Kristin Chadwick [00:33:42]:

Continue that growth for anyone else.

Sara Lohse [00:33:44]:

I mean, us three, obviously, but anyone else that does deal with that imposter syndrome regularly. There's a book called the Middle Finger Project, and I think it's by Ash Alberge or something. I don't know how to say her name, but the middle Finger project is an amazing book that really focuses on how to break out of that imposter syndrome and quote, unquote, live the fuck withable life that you deserve. We might have to bleep that, but random book recommendation. If you haven't read it, go check it out. And she does not sponsor us, though. She's welcome to.

Kristin Chadwick [00:34:19]:

Yeah, I think that that's so powerful. I just think there's so many opportunities of, like, breaking through the next imposter syndrome over and over again, like from the very beginning of saying yes to a podcast and getting comfortable with the mic. And then the next level is like, you, Larry, when you sat down, you're like, well, now I'm going to do video. And then the next level is getting comfortable with that, of, wow, I feel like an imposter showing up on screen and sharing whatever. And then the next level speaking on stages and then writing a book. And all of those are opportunities for us to grow and really sink into that identity of who we're called to be in this world.

Larry Roberts [00:35:01]:

Well, Kristen, this has been an amazing conversation. We've covered a, a wide variety of topics, some topics we didn't intend to cover, but there's a lot of value here, and hopefully our audience found some value in it as well. Would you let everybody know where they can find you and reach out and make a connection?

Kristin Chadwick [00:35:18]:

Absolutely. Yeah. So you can find my podcast about podcasting, podcast coaching for kingdom entrepreneurs. And we are, we're going to have some amazing episodes coming up, so be sure to tune in there. And I just love to chat with you. Reach out to me on social media. Instagram is probably my favorite. So, rstanfieldschadwick and just send me a message.

Kristin Chadwick [00:35:41]:

Tell me that you heard the show. What'd you take away from our squirrel conversation? And, yeah, just say hello. I'd love to meet you.

Larry Roberts [00:35:51]:

That's awesome. Awesome. Thank you so very much. Hey, everybody, if you did find some value, and I know you did find some value in this episode, do us a favor. Hit that subscribe button so we can continue to bring you this amazing content each and every week. And with that, I'm Larry Roberts.

Sara Lohse [00:36:06]:

I'm Sara Lohse. We'll talk to you next week.