700 Episodes: George Bryant’s Authentic Podcasting Blueprint

700 Episodes George Bryants Authentic Podcasting Blueprint

George Bryants: [00:00:00] When I was early on doing interviews, I just wanted to talk to people I was curious to learn from. I was like, “I want to know what you do. Like, I want to learn that in my brain.” And so from day one with guests, it was like, “I’m gonna be a student, and I’m gonna ask you everything that I want to know about your gift because I don’t know that gift.

I don’t have that present in my box.” And so I got to learn, but ironically what happened is half the people I ask about their gifts, they’re like, “What are your gifts? Can you get on a call with me? I’d love to have you as a coach. I need to introduce you to this person. You need to go on this person’s podcast.”

And it became, like, the number one networking tool to expand my reach and expand my community, and I’ve been on over 9,000 podcasts in 15 years.

Voice Over: This is the Growth Accelerator Podcast, where your host Tracy DeForge is your guide to transforming your company’s podcast into a dynamic lead generation and marketing powerhouse.

We

Traci DeForge: have [00:01:00] seen really successful monetization strategies

Voice Over: Giving you the blueprint to elevate your podcast from good to exceptional.

Traci DeForge: It really opens up this whole other opportunity for you

Voice Over: And unlock its true potential to drive your business growth.

Traci DeForge: I really want to make sure your foundational pillars are in place.

Voice Over: Now your host, Tracy DeForge.

Traci DeForge: Welcome to the Growth Accelerator podcast, the show where we break down strategies, systems, and stories about how to turn your podcast into a true growth engine for your business. Our guest today has released hundreds of episodes, built a massive community, and is showing us what’s possible when you combine clarity, consistency, and purpose in podcasting.

Join me in welcoming George Bryant, host of The Mind of George podcast. Hello, George.

George Bryants: I’m honored to be here, girl. I [00:02:00] told you I was excited to do this, so thank you so much for having me.

Traci DeForge: Well, you know, I have had the luxury of us having a conversation on your podcast, which is really what led to me wanting to have you a gu- to, you to be a guest on the Growth Accelerator podcast because you are essentially, like I said, the masterclass in defining growth acceleration for your podcast and your business.

George Bryants: Yeah, I’m, I… It was exciting. It was an amazing conversation, and I geek out about this stuff because I think you and I shared in common the amount of people that don’t make it in podcasting because they don’t understand what it’s for and what it takes, and I wanna help change those statistics and support you in doing that, and so I, I love it.

Traci DeForge: Yes. Well, so that’s why I’m looking forward to an amazing conversation today, and I just wanna start out by, this is not necessarily a question, but more of a statement of absolute congratulations because by the time this episode releases, you will have published over 700 episodes. And [00:03:00] when we have guests that have that many episodes published on the Gap Podcast, we really just wanna understand, like, if you could choose one thing that said, “This is why,” which there probably isn’t just one, but let’s start there.

What is the one thing that you can say, “I’ve achieved publishing 700 episodes because blank”?

George Bryants: Oh, that’s a great, great question. So if I had to boil it down to one, the foundational one, the reason is, is because when I started it, it wasn’t started to be a transaction or to achieve a goal. I started it because it truly was a why that I had deep in my heart and soul.

And so it allowed me to navigate the, the, the challenges that come with 700 episodes in a row and never missing one day, and two a week, is having conviction in it and understanding the purpose of it, both in the short term but also the long term and, like, why I started it. And for me- I had owned a podcast microphone for [00:04:00] eight years before I started my podcast, and I had never launched it.

And then God spoke to me so clearly on a mountain one day. My business was in the tank. It… Like, COVID just decimated all of my businesses, and he so clearly was like, “You need to start a, a podcast.” But I sat there really deeply. I’m like, “Why?” And the why that I landed on is that, like, I want my podcast to be a legacy of my work and a gift that I give back to entrepreneurs, which means I removed all attachment to results, to labels, to transactions, and that’s what’s allowed me to truly navigate, because I do it because I love it and it’s aligned with something that I wanna do and who I wanna be.

And so that’s allowed me to really, really go for the long haul.

Traci DeForge: Right. And, you know, we couldn’t have scripted this and, and for our audience, we did not prep this. But the fact that your answer is because it’s the, of the why is a very powerful example of the reason anyone should ever start a podcast, and that’s whether or not you’re using it to [00:05:00] develop, generate leads or sales or visibility for your business, or whether you just wanna talk about something that you’re passionate about and you wanna change- Mm-hmm

a conversation with your voice. You really have to understand going into the why, and what a profound why you were given in terms of having that spiritual experience. And but I think the other thing that is really important to validate is not only did you really get your why defined, but you have stayed true to your purpose through this entire pathway of your podcast, and that’s not always an easy thing to do, especially when you are bringing in the business side and using it as a growth tool for your business.

Have you experienced any challenges of, like, the devil on one shoulder, the angel on the other of, you know, keeping that purpose really clear- Mm-hmm … for your podcast?

George Bryants: It’s, it’s been the most intense proving ground of my conviction that I’ve ever, ever faced in [00:06:00] business, and it’s gone through many, many, many Outfit changes, but always protecting that vision, right?

Like, I made it clear from day one, no matter how big the show got, no matter what happened, I wasn’t gonna bring sponsors on the show. And I’m not saying anybody shouldn’t. But for me, I was like, “I want this to feel like you’re sitting in my living room. I want this to feel like we’re having a cup of coffee, and I’m just here to guide you.

And if there’s something I believe in, I will be the first one to say it, but I’m not gonna let somebody come pay me to say it. I want this to be from my heart to yours.” But there are probably four big distinct periods where when I started the show, I was doing three episodes a week. I was doing Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and I was like short, medium, long.

And then I took feedback, and I iterated, and I was like, “Two a week feels better.” And then it was a lot of interviews, a lot of solos. And then I was like, “Oh, there’s a structure in here. Solos on [00:07:00] Monday, guests on Friday. I can, I can do this.” But then also, life still happens when you have a podcast. I think about it like a news anchor who’s on like the 5:00 AM news.

Like whether life happens or not, they gotta be up at 3:30 and like on their way to the studio. And for me, one of those other deeply convicted things for me was that I always wanted to be authentic on my podcast. It wasn’t a place for me to hide. It wasn’t a place for me to like check a box. It was also my home and a place where like I could be my authentic self.

So every one of these identity changes or outfit changes that I’ve gone through has required a different level of me. And there’s, there’s been quite a few podcasts from like, “Hey guys, today we’re just gonna have an honest conversation about where I am And it’s like in those catalystic moments, it allowed me to be truly integrous with my audience, but then also step into that new outfit and do it with confidence instead of doubt or overwhelm or resistance to doing the show.

Traci DeForge: Yeah, I absolutely love [00:08:00] the metaphor of your podcast being in a wardrobe. Mm-hmm. And that you are, as the journey progresses, that you are trying on different outfits. One of the things that I love to point out about what you said to our audience is that a podcast is not a set it and forget it process, and that goes for everything from how you write your show description when you launch your show, because the SEO piece of that is so incredibly important.

And we often find when we do podcast audits with Produce Your Podcast, that people may have just put whatever they wanted to put out there just to get the show live, and then they get 100, a couple hundred episodes in, and what they’re now saying and doing and the- Yeah … guests that they’re having on their shows aren’t exactly the vision that they initially had when they started.

But it never really connects the dots that it’s an okay thing to go back and actually change out your shirt or your sweater or your, you know, metaphorically speaking, of your podcast. And that really runs the gamut of not just making sure that you’re [00:09:00] properly optimized through the, the pieces of your show description, episode titles, and things like that, but to your point, also just the absolute vision, and that vision can change.

That vision- Yeah … can change through how your cover art is presented. Yeah. How your music, your opening, your closing, maybe it’s a song that was so popular or really felt energetically aligned with you at the beginning, but then as you’ve done more and more episodes, maybe it’s just not fitting you anymore.

Maybe those clothes- Uh-huh … are getting a little too tight or snug- Uh-huh … or they’re not hanging like a loose jacket. What changes have you seen from a tactical perspective? What evolutions has your podcast gone through over these 700 episodes that you would like to share that could inspire- Yeah … others to say, “It’s okay to make a change”?

George Bryants: Yeah. Well, I, I think you made the most valid point. Iteration is how any vision stays alive. And that’s the most important thing to remember, right? I always joke with people, like, if I’m like, “Hey, Tracy, you win a brand-new iPhone.” I’m like, “Do you want the iPhone 1 or do you want the iPhone 17 Pro Max?” And you’re like, “I want [00:10:00] the Pro Max.”

I’m like, “But it wouldn’t exist if you didn’t launch the 1 and they didn’t iterate it through the process.” So I think I wanted to give weight and credence to what you said because it is so powerful. And for me, like I had alluded to earlier, I had this big vision idea in the beginning. What I was gonna do on Mondays is I was gonna drop this five-minute episode of, like, get your brain thinking about it.

Then Wednesday, I was gonna teach that topic in its entirety, like twenty minutes, and then Friday I was gonna have a guest who was an expert in that topic. After about four months trying to wrangle and organize all of that together, it was almost impossible ’cause I couldn’t get a guest for that topic, or I’d have to pre-plan so far out it felt inauthentic to me.

So that’s when I shifted to like, okay, I’m just gonna do Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and I’m gonna just follow a similar theme. And then I was like, “This doesn’t feel right to me. I’m just gonna go Monday to Friday.” So I collapsed the Monday and Wednesday into [00:11:00] one episode, and I was like, “I’m just gonna talk about it and teach the idea, and it doesn’t have to tie into the guest.”

And so that was like an actual big one that I was nervous about over and over again. And so that one, but one of the things that you said is, like, I have a friend who’s a producer, and so he made me an intro for the show. He scripted it for me, made like a rap song. It was great. It felt like me. It was probably like a forty-five-second intro, and I ran with that thing for like two years.

And then we were looking at the data, and we were losing so many people in the intro, and I was so attached to it because I loved it. And then I was like, “What would happen if I just took it out completely?” And so we took it out, and we added like a five-second zinger instead. Like, just basically, “Welcome to The Mind Of Yours Show.”

And the moment we did that, retention went up, and then I realized that my ego wanted to keep it, but it wasn’t actually serving my audience, and my vision for the podcast was to connect with my audience. Well, I want you in my living room, so I’ll do what’s required to have you in my living room. [00:12:00] And then the other big thing is intros for me, for sure.

And so what I used to do is I would record the show I would take notes, and then I would just like from my heart do an intro that felt right. I was like, “Oh, today I have my dear friend Tracy. We talked about X, Y, Z.” But it was very like me giving a keynote, just off the top, off the script. I did that for probably like two years, and then I started asking my audience.

I’m like, “Hey, how are my intros?” They’re like, “They’re kind of confusing. We don’t really know what we’re gonna get.” And I was like, “Okay, noted.” So then I added a little bit more structure and did these short intros that were like 30 seconds open loops. And then ironically, about four months ago, I realized that I ha- different desire, and I have this desire to make like a four-minute movie trailer for every podcast.

Traci DeForge: Ah, wow. That was the exact opposite of what I thought you were gonna say. I can’t wait to hear more about that.

George Bryants: And so now, as of like even yesterday recording like four intros, I spend more time on the intro than I do the podcast episode [00:13:00] itself. And they are like full stories of like where we started, how it ties in, how it ties into my story, what the guest talks about, why they’re credible to talk about it, how we get into topics, how they apply to you.

And now my intros are basically like cold open, like a ten-second line of like, “Hey, have you ever wondered why this, this, and this? Well, that’s not the case.” And then I play like five seconds of intro music, and then I drop this like four-minute dialogue of like me creating a movie trailer of every single thing in the episode, and then we transition into the show.

And truthfully, since doing that, um, our retention has gone up because you’re getting an entire sample size of like every topic, every idea, and when you listen, you’re like, “Oh, I know what I’m gonna look forward to. Like I’m gonna learn about this. I’m gonna learn about this.” And so I’ve been doing those recently, which I absolutely love.

And so those are some of like the big changes. Um, and then the last one I would say [00:14:00] is that I love interviewing my guests and having it be a cup of coffee and conversation. But I also realized that I needed to put it into some format so the person listening had some consistency, so that every time they listened to a guest, they kinda knew.

So I just created a rough structure for me of, like, a three-part act when it comes to, like, a movie, right? I’m like- Right … “Hey, let me give some backstory and credibility. Let me talk about the challenges, and l- let me talk about practical application.” And same thing for my solo shows. They used to just be me riffing, and then I was like, “You know, this would probably be more helpful to my audience if I put a little structure around my riffs.”

And so then I did the same thing is I created a structure that allows me to, like, set the stage of, like, “Here’s what we’re gonna talk about. Here’s why we’re gonna talk about. Here’s what I’m gonna teach you.” And those have probably been some of the biggest changes. And I, as a creative, was like, “No way are you putting me in a box.

You’re not giving me structure, George. How dare you do this?” And [00:15:00] then the feedback started coming in of, like, “Oh my God, I saved this episode. I love this. I keep coming back to it. It’s so crystal clear.” And so it edified it. And so those are, like, some of the big iterations that I’ve gone through, that now I’ve kind of fallen in love with the process.

So when I get to a point now where I’m like, “Oh, somebody gave me some feedback,” I get excited about digging into that idea and, like, finding the possibility because, you know, art is we create it, but it also is so dictated by the consumer of it. 100%. And when I think about a podcast, it’s a piece of art, right?

It’s something, it’s a public keynote to however many thousand people you have listening. Right. And you want them to receive it. You want them to feel it. You want them to hear it. And so I think iteration is the most beautiful, beautiful part of art, is that if you paint an entire picture and you don’t like a part of it, you can just paint over it- Mm-hmm

and repaint it, but you keep iterating it as you go.

Traci DeForge: And for the perfectionist in me, that just, like, makes my stomach flip. But the creative in me loves when I’m able to give myself [00:16:00] permission to do that. Yeah. And I think that’s one of the important takeaways, is that you have to give yourself permission to not put yourself in a box.

Like, other people aren’t technically gonna put you in a box. It’s that perceived box that you put yourself in- 100% … that you have to be really careful about. I think, too, like, you had so many great growth accelerator tips to unpack, that for a moment I just wanna recap a couple of them for the people who are on the edge of their seats like I am th- because this is some really juicy podcast growth things.

So one of the things that I wanna highlight that you said that I think is so important is that- The energy we bring to the microphone as hosts and creators is everything. So all throughout what you were talking about through the iterations of your show, everything that I heard is my passion, my desire to be authentic.

I needed to stay in love with my podcast. I needed to stay in love with my process. If the process wasn’t working for me anymore, I wanted to be able to make it continue to work for me. Because [00:17:00] 700 episodes takes a lot of energy, and you have to have the right energy because y- every time someone shows up for your podcast, they may not have been there for episode six, one through 699.

Yeah. They may just be showing up for 700. Yeah. So you have to show up every single time with that same- Yeah … energy and that same passion. So you’ve done such a remarkable job of keeping yourself sustained in that way. I just like- Mm-hmm … you know, five stars. And then I also wanna just highlight that you’re willing to take chances.

Mm-hmm. And I think that that’s the other thing. I think, um, to your point, it may have taken you a while to take that chance, and you’re not alone in the fact that you had a microphone in your closet for eight hours, uh, eight, eight hours. Eight years. Yeah. Eight years. No, eight hours you would’ve been alone.

Yeah. Eight years, you’re actually not alone in that. We find so often that people, you know, get that divine message or their gut feeling or somebody [00:18:00] tells them, “You should, you should,” and they buy the equipment. They, in some cases, they might buy the $49 microphone that, that you can get at Best Buy. But in s- other cases, we’ve seen people buy the full studio.

In fact, I met with a podcaster last week who had already signed a commercial lease on a property to build out a studio and had yet defined their why. Yeah. And so your mind plays some really interesting psychological tricks on you when it comes to using your voice. Mm-hmm. And I think that’s just such an important thing for, for if you’re listening or watching and you’re thinking about starting a show, like you wanna overcome that barrier and know that your voice, like it’s one of the most powerful things in our body.

It’s how we communicate our emotions. It’s how we verbalize our desires. It’s how we make a point, and it’s also the place, like in fear and stress and other areas, that it gets [00:19:00] stuck. And so- Yeah … it’s a very powerful vehicle. So I honor that you are willing to share that it took eight years and a message from God to do it.

Yep.

Traci DeForge: But look at the impact that you’ve made as a result of it. So that’s the other thing. It’s like you just gotta start, right? Yeah. You gotta start where you are. And I think that the other most important growth accelerator tip that you’ve- Um, gave to us the biggest gift is really showing us an example of creating a podcast of what’s in it for your audience.

Mm-hmm. Not what’s in it for George, but, but you’re getting to do both because you’re loving the creative process and, and George is showing up in every episode and happy to do it. But what you’re really focusing on and the reason that you’re making these changes and that you’re staying creative and innovative and iterating is because you really want to meet the needs of your audience.

And that, to me, among any other key to success, is the [00:20:00] fundamental key to success, is designing a, and creating a product, a service, a podcast, anything that you’re creating that’s for an audience, that you’re creating it based on what they’re asking for and what they need and what they want.

George Bryants: 100%. I wanna, I wanna tie this together with a simple metaphor, because you’ve said so many powerful things.

But imagine you and I, or anybody listening to this, has this massive passion for sharing a food that they love If you have a restaurant and all you do is cook the food but you never open the door, nobody gets to eat that passion.

Voice Over: Yeah.

George Bryants: And if you open the door and people come but they don’t come back, sometimes it’s not about the food or the ambiance, it’s just about connecting with them and asking them what they want to be different.

But all of that comes through the process of actually opening the door. Yes. And I would much rather, like all I do is coach entrepreneurs on how to scale, but I would much rather somebody launch a show with a minimum commitment of [00:21:00] 50 episodes and have solid evidence that it works or doesn’t work than always wonder if I should.

Yeah. Because I think the biggest mistake that people make is they literally make the decision to or not to without ever just opening the door and trying it, and then the only thing that you’re left with is regret or wonder. Why? Why did I? Why didn’t I? But the moment you put yourself on the field or you open the doors to the restaurant, that’s where the magic actually happens.

You might be like, “Nobody’s gonna eat this,” and then all of a sudden it goes viral on TikTok and there’s 1,000 people eating your food that you didn’t think tasted that good. And so we’re so hard on ourselves and we’re such a critic, but we also forget about the power of podcasting. We don’t understand the ripple that happens, right?

Like I get messages all the time where it’s like, “Hey, I’ve listened to your show for five years. I was driving down the highway with my husband and kids. We put it on. My husband loves it. Now he’s listening and he sent it to his father, and that one episode helped him navigate this one [00:22:00] thing.” And it’s like, it’s almost hard- It’s-

to measure-

Traci DeForge: It

George Bryants: is … the ripple that happens, but the ripple can only happen if you actually open the door. And I would rather- Yeah. You can never have a ripple- … everybody

Traci DeForge: try … if you don’t start the wave.

George Bryants: 100%. 100%. And I, it just, you said it and it’s so powerful because it’s no different than anything else in life, right?

You, you don’t really know until you open the door. And opening a door is like there’s a reason there’s eight and a half billion of us, and God made every single one of us unique. Right? You might teach the same thing as somebody else, but it’s your perspective and personality that makes the teaching point different.

And there are certain people that only resonate with you because of the way that you deliver it. And I see all these resistance and objections that get in the way, and I always joke with people. I’m like, “What would you do if 50 people showed up into a live audience for you every day?” They’re like, “I would love it.”

I’m like, “Then why are you afraid to launch?” Because you’re comparing it to somebody’s after state, and you’re not allowing yourself [00:23:00] to take the first step that would allow you to build to that after state, right? Like, our, our starting line is drastically different than everybody’s finish line, but every one of those finish lines started the same way that we are.

And I can take the biggest podcast in the world, and you go back and look at their first three episodes- Oh, everyone- Their first 10 episodes-

Traci DeForge: Everyone cringes with their first 10 or seven.

George Bryants: You always just have to start, right? Mm-hmm. And I would rather somebody start and know and give themselves enough time to, like, really feel it out than never start and wonder because I just think that that’s one of the worst feelings in the world.

Traci DeForge: Well, you’re also leading me into one of the biggest myth busters that I want to pause and reiterate for anyone who has this thought. It is not a saturated market. We… There… It… Uh, I had a conversation with the, um, CEO of a PR firm yesterday, and we were talking through the differences between PR and podcasting.

And [00:24:00] she said, “I… My clients ask me a lot is, is it too late? Is podcasting… Like, is it done? Is it saturated?” And I said to her, I said, “You know, I love it when I get that question because the answer is just a flat no.” If you look at the number of Facebook accounts, the number of websites, the number of YouTube, uh, uh, channels, the number of…

And now that… I understand that’s merged a lot in, in the podcasting perspective. But in general, at four million or so podcasts and probably less than 50 of the… 50% of those release as frequently, especially as in the case of your consistency schedule. The reality is, is that the media has done a good job of promoting podcasting so well that everyone thinks it’s saturated, but it is a wide open opportunity.

But I think this connects back to what you were saying about fear and motivation and giving yourself permission to just start and the ripple effects. I think people are like, “Oh, that’s [00:25:00] saturated. I, I’m not gonna go there.” But what they’re really saying is, “I don’t wanna jump into the deep end of the pool.”

George Bryants: Yep. Yep, 100%. And I mean, like, I’m gonna be really, really cheesy here. Fear stands for false evidence appearing real. Yes. That’s all it does, right? Yeah. Because psychologically, human brains crave comfort- over discomfort. So we would rather stay in an uncomfortable situation and know it than we would love to step in an uncomfortable direction because we don’t know it Even when

Traci DeForge: some of the most amazing possibilities can come from getting out of that

George Bryants: comfort zone.

One- 100%. There’s this incredible book written by a behavioral psychologist called Jonah Berger called The Catalyst, and this stat blew my mind. A human being has to perceive a benefit thr- or 2.5 times greater than their current situation to be open to change. Which means if somebody is, like, making $100,000 a year in their job, in order to even be open to, like, [00:26:00] trying to get into a new field, they’d have to see the possibility of $250,000 a year, or else they’d settle.

150 wouldn’t do it. 200 wouldn’t do it. And it’s such a valid, valid point, but I also think the beautiful thing about podcasting is the more human you are, the better your show is. And I take this approach in my shows, and all of my shows and with my clients, is I just break the fourth wall every single moment I can.

If I’m afraid, I tell people. If I’m scared, I tell people. If I feel like my podcast is an echo chamber and I haven’t heard from anybody, I tell people. And then I get 75 DMs, and they’re like, “Please don’t ever stop the show. We’re listening. We just keep forgetting to respond.” Right? It is, it is your couch.

It’s your living room that you’re choosing to bring into existence in the world, and you get to set the rules and the standards. But you can make it as comfortable as you wanna make it, and, like, the safest place for yourself as well. And I just go raw authenticity all the time, and it feels like home to me every time I hit record.

Traci DeForge: Well, and see, [00:27:00] here’s the thing, um, everyone who is a host, a creator, or considering to be a host or a creator. That’s the key to making your guest comfortable. Because if you are showing up that way, which I know because I’ve been a guest on your show, and you 100% aren’t just talking the talk, you walk the walk in everything you just said.

But what that does is then that gives the opening and the opportunity for someone who may not often be on podcasts, or it might not be their thing, or they don’t like the sound of their own voice, or they don’t like the way they look on camera, or all the things that our brains tell us that’s gonna keep us, uh, you know, in, uh, feeling small or sabotaging ourselves.

But as a host, if you can step into that space first, and you can show up authentically, and you can be real. And I know authen- authenticity is a bit of a catch word these days, but not when it comes to using your voice. Like, that is the one area where authenticity cannot be faked. And I’m not talking about technology and AI, I’m talking about human beings’ voices.

That that is the one [00:28:00] area where, again, if you’re fearful, y- it, it’s shaky. If you’re excited. Like, in, in my case, Zoom loves me. They always think I’m playing music, but actually it’s just the pitch of my voice. Even though it- Uh-huh … according to Zoom, it always wants to know if I wanna s- reset my music settings.

But, you know, the reality is, is that that is where the, your passion, your, your everything comes through here. And if you’re showing up that way, most people will mirror that to the best of their ability. Now, you and I have pretty high energy levels. Kinda hard to reach our, our level in terms of our level of energy.

But even just ri- y- having that ability to elevate peop- other people’s energy or, in some cases, relax them, which I think your energy does probably a lot better than mine ’cause my… Because I am, you know, the type A++ and the more excited I get, as evident today, the more excited my energy goes. But at the same [00:29:00] time, none o- none of this is anything but just pure, raw passion for what we do.

Mm-hmm.

Traci DeForge: And, and it, and it exceeds well beyond podcasting, but my whole point is, is that that’s gonna carry you a lot further than how much data you have or what’s, what quality equipment you have or how you’re doing the podcast is gonna be how you’re connecting with your audience, how you’re connecting with your guests.

Yeah. Absolutely.

George Bryants: That’s said so well.

Traci DeForge: Yeah.

George Bryants: Said so, said so well

Traci DeForge: Well, we’re gonna pivot for a moment because- Okay … I really wanna have the opportunity to dig into, you said something that really piqued my interest, and that is, “I’ve made a conscious decision not to accept sponsorship into my show,” which I 100% support.

We have podcasters that we work with that wanna monetize n- it in the, in the best way possible. I am a huge believer in focusing on the integrity of your content first, and let the other pieces come into place, and if sponsorship is one of [00:30:00] those, then let’s navigate a way to keep that integrity intact and m- m- and have those two collaborate.

But I’m also 100% supportive of the decision not to bring in sponsorship. But I also know that your podcast, The Mind of George podcast, is a great lever of growth for your building out your community and s- and your entrepreneurs- Mm-hmm … your entrepreneurial coaching business. Mm-hmm. So can you share with our audience how you’re leveraging the podcast for that growth and some examples of how that’s working for you?

George Bryants: Yeah, I, I love this question. I love this question. So- Oh, not

Traci DeForge: more than me.

George Bryants: Yeah. So the first… We can have a competition in this, but I’ll let you win. I surrender, Tracy. You win. Okay. Thank you. You love it more than me. I

just… I think the audience is probably like, “Could she just stop talking so he could answer?”

No.

George Bryants: So

I’m gonna do that.

George Bryants: No way. That’s one of those false thoughts in your brain. Get rid of that. Okay. We’ll get

that out. Cancel, cancel,

George Bryants: cancel. We’ll get that out. I love your energy. That’s why I loved having you on the show.

Thank you.

George Bryants: I think for me, what I was very intentional of, like, I’ve [00:31:00] been facilitating live events for almost 20 years now, and I do the same thing at my live events.

Like, you can’t sponsor it, you can’t come sell. I don’t sell at my events. And when I was clear on me starting the podcast, I made a decision with myself that I was like, if I go fast-forward 50 years, and somebody meets my son after I pass away, if I’m not here anymore, I want them to talk about my podcast and them to be like, “This was the safest place.

I loved this. I felt like I was in his living room.” Like, for me, it was about the feeling that I wanted to create. And I think about myself of, like, when I consume, what doesn’t make me feel that way? Constantly being pitched, having to skip through so many ad rolls. And then there’s other podcasts where I listen to them and I’m like, “Oh, I’m glad that they said that,” because it feels resonant in there, but I just made that decision.

And so for me- The intention in the show was to create depth that I can’t create in six seconds, right? I, I’m competing on Instagram, I’m competing on YouTube Shorts, competing on TikTok, where the attention span isn’t [00:32:00] there. I wanted depth. I wanted real connection and coffee conversations, right? So if you’re a marketer, it’s middle of funnel, right?

I wanted for somebody to be able to know me, to understand me, to feel safe with me in a container, one to many. And that was kind of my whole goal. And so when I set out to launch the show, I actually, as a marketer, and all I do is help people scale their businesses with marketing, I kind of did the antithesis of what I teach.

And my entire goal was just connection with as many incredible human beings that think, feel, and believe the same way that I do. And I look at my podcast like it’s a community. Whether I have your email or not, whether you’re in my community or not, I see it as this community assembled around shared values.

And so that was my number one goal. Ironically, without all those calls to action, without all those asks, and I’m totally for them, I’m horrible at them. I don’t run repeated [00:33:00] scripts. I’m not like, “Oh…” Like, half the time my team is like, “You didn’t even tell them about the event.” I’m like, “I forgot. I’m sorry.

I’ll tell them again,” right? Like, they’re, like, constantly yelling at me. And then even my customers or my listeners are yelling, “Dude, why didn’t you tell us?” I’m like, “I forgot.” It’s, it’s not natural for me. I just, I just wanna connect. But through that, though, what it has created is this massive amount of depth and connection.

The amount of DMs that I get on it, on Instagram of like, “This really landed for me. Can you help me unpack this?” Or, “This changed my life. Can you do another episode on this?” Like, it is 100%. It feels more like a community-driven podcast than it is a George-driven podcast. It’s co-created because I listen and I love listening, and what I crave more than anything is connecting with people all over the world.

And so I just made this policy with myself that I want my podcast to feel like a full open door policy. Anything that comes up, any ideas, any feedback. And [00:34:00] trust me, sometimes I get harsh feedback, and I’m like, “Thank you. That is so true, and that landed.” That has deepened everything, and in some of those conversations, they’re like, “Hey, do you have anywhere that, like, I can be in your world?”

I’m like, “Yeah, let’s talk about it. Let’s get a cup of coffee,” right? But it very much feels like they all have agency to pursue it, and I bring to their awareness occasionally what I do and what I help people with. But I’m gonna help you anyways. I’m gonna help you no matter what. It just depends on the depth of which we do it.

The second thing, which is very, very intentional now more than it was earlier. But when I was early on doing interviews, I just wanted to talk to people I was curious to learn from. I was like, “I wanna know what you do. Like, I wanna learn that in my brain.” And so from day one with guests, it was like, “I’m gonna be a student, and I’m gonna ask you everything that I wanna know about your gift because I don’t know that gift.

I don’t have that present in my box.” [00:35:00] And so I got to learn, but ironically what happened is half the people I ask about their gifts are like, “What are your gifts? Can you get on a call with me? I’d love to have you as a coach. I need to introduce you to this person. You need to go on this person’s podcast.”

And it became, like, the number one networking tool to expand my reach and expand my community, and I’ve been on over 9,000 podcasts in 15 years. What? 9,000. We track them all.

Traci DeForge: And so- Oh my gosh, that is a record. I, I have talked to a lot of podcasters in the last decade of my life of running Produce Your Podcast and the Podcast Professionals Association, and never have I ever met anyone who has been on 9,000 podcasts.

9,000.

George Bryants: And the

Traci DeForge: only reason was- That’s not including the 700 that you’ve released … that’s not including the 700. That’s like

George Bryants: 10,000.

Traci DeForge: We might as well just kinda round up a little, but come on. And

George Bryants: I think I did my first podcast [00:36:00] in 2011 or 2010, and I only know this because one of my clients built a tool for me that I could query my own brain.

And he’s like, “I found all your shows. I found every show you’ve been on since 2010,” and we had to make a database of these, so we knew the exact number. It was like 9,400 or something. But I can remember back, 2014, 2013, I was doing eight shows a day. It was my only job, ’cause I was running a food blog and I just loved podcasting.

I was like, “Oh my God, I get to meet all these people. I get to meet all these people.” And so for me, community and people means everything to me. And so the number one strategy that I have is my podcast has allowed me to have a bridge to people that I wouldn’t normally get to talk to.

Sure. Yeah.

George Bryants: And now I get to learn as a student, but then I have billionaires on my show.

I have some of the world’s smartest people on my show, and because I have a show that they want access to share their gift with the world, I get to win [00:37:00] in every bucket. I get connected to the person, I get to learn from them, and I get to share their genius with my world. And that is like the biggest way that I use it is just to increase the size of my community of people who think, feel, and believe the same things that I do.

And it has created more opportunity for me than any other thing that I’ve ever done in business because I can do it remotely, I can do it in person. All I need is an hour of your time. And for the people who normally wouldn’t be like, “I don’t have time, I don’t have time,” they’re like, “I’ll come on your podcast.

I have a book coming out,” or, “I have a product I want new people to hear about.” And it creates an in to a door that I wouldn’t normally be able to get into

Traci DeForge: I feel like, George, that you may have been studying the Produce Your Podcast playbook behind the scenes, and I just didn’t know about it. Because one of the things that I…

It is the hill, hill I will die on is [00:38:00] that your podcast needs… Your audience needs to feel included in your conversation, not excluded from your conversation. And I think at the end of the day, it’s one of the biggest mistakes that hosts make is not having that mindset about creating a conversation where people feel like they’re included in it even if they’re, you know, folding laundry with their AirPods on or taking a walk.

They wanna feel like they’re right there with you. And the strongest, most inexpensive, because it’s free, way to organically grow a podcast is to have your audience feel included in your conversation with you and your guests or just you because they are gonna feel a part of something. And when you feel a part of something and you’re excited about something, what do you wanna do?

You share. You wanna share it.

George Bryants: Yep.

Traci DeForge: So just kudos. Like, I, I mean, [00:39:00] I’m kinda still throwing a, throwing a, a rye a bit about the 10,000 appearances. I think that is more than just impressive, but if anybody forevermore ever in the future of my strategy sessions ever tells me they’re concerned about having time to do something, I’m gonna say, “You need to look up the Mind of George podcast – Mm-hmm

and you need to connect with George Bryant because this man is a powerhouse when it comes to podcasting appearances.

George Bryants: It is, it is the- Plain,

Traci DeForge: hard stop.

George Bryants: It is the greatest gift of my life. Some of those people, I have been over, I think, 100 people’s first episode. I won’t say no to anybody ’cause I… Somebody was my first episode.

Traci DeForge: Yes.

George Bryants: Right? And, and I- Exactly. I love that … I’ve never forgotten

Traci DeForge: it. I love that because we have a full service guest booking agency, and I am always quite frustrated when our clients, “I only wanna be on the biggest shows. It’s a waste of my time if you can’t get me on the biggest shows.” And my philosophy, and it sounds like we’re aligned, a- a- which is not [00:40:00] surprising, is that some of the smaller shows actually will get you better results because they’re way more aligned.

The… It’s quality over quantity every single time, and y- and e- and especially if you’re a coach or a consultant or you’re, you’re looking for that type of referral type feedback- You showing up and showing your expertise to somebody who’s spending their time to show up to listen or watch that show, that’s a much easier connection than just some broad-based wide distribution that may or not even be connected to what your cause or your purpose is

George Bryants: I- the game of podcasting is depth, not width.

Traci DeForge: Yes.

George Bryants: Every single time. And the point that I would make, and I don’t say this to be a strategy for somebody, but I, I remember one particularly in person. I was like his third show, and then we ended up doing four shows on his show in a year. That podcast now gets 65 million downloads a year.

Traci DeForge: W- yeah. And he be- You never know where something’s [00:41:00] gonna grow

George Bryants: he became a client and one of my best friends and everybody. Those podcasts were eight years ago. I still get messages from them because to your point, somebody finds episode 1100, and then they go back to the beginning and start listening. And eight years later, they’re like, “Who was this guy and XYZ?” And so I think to your point, it’s, it’s really about depth every single time, and everybody forgets that.

But I’ve had the most random shows where I’m like, “Yeah, I can talk about that topic. I’ve never spoken to this audience before. Sure. This is fun.” And then those people are still in my world eight years later, and I would have- Mm … never even seen it. And so it, it constantly grows me as a strategist, as a podcaster, as a coach, as somebody who loves teaching for a living because it constantly expands my horizons of like, well, where can this message land?

I’ve ended up keynoting doctor conferences and medical conferences- Mm … about personal development and customer journey, and I, like, wouldn’t [00:42:00] have known unless that person who heard a show was like, “I’d love for you to come talk to my audience.” I’m like, “This would resonate with them?” They’re like, “Oh my God, this would resonate so deeply with them.”

And so it also becomes a gym for me because I start finding all of these opportunities and places I get to grow in delivering my message. And so I think it’s, it’s so important.

Traci DeForge: Well, and the strategy you’re saying without saying it, so I’m gonna say it, is that if you don’t wanna have your own podcast and you don’t wanna apply all the principles that we talked about today in terms of everything it takes and requires to show up consistently and, and constantly to create and produce your own show or, or align with a producer to release your show, you can guest on podcasts.

You can just make that part of podcasting part of your business model, part of your marketing strategy, part of your being a better human and connecting to other humans strategy and learn from other people. Because just showing up and guesting on podcasts does… it gives you the width and the depth [00:43:00] of being able to showcase your expertise, while at the same time getting people to get to know you, and meet you, and have like-minded connections with you without you having to invest in everything that it takes to run a successful show.

So- Yeah … okay. In, in respect to what it takes to run a successful show, you have hands down just, uh, delivered the master class I promised our audience that you would. Yeah. But I want to have an opportunity to, if you… You know, we’ve s- we’ve given a lot of operational, inspirational, we’ve given a lot of tactical tips today.

But one of the things that’s really important to me is to distill all of this down to the one person who is listening or watching right now and going, “Okay, I heard everything they said, and that’s freaking great, but I just need to do one thing to get me from A to B, and then I’m gonna worry about C, D, E, F, and G,” [00:44:00] right?

Mm-hmm. So what would be the one practical tip that you would, other than just start where you are, ’cause we’ve already said that one. You’re not allowed to use that one, which is the one I often use myself, which I’ve probably used on your show. But what would be one practical tip that you could deliver today to someone who’s either trying to start a show, grow a show, or even show up as a guest on a show, that you could give them that they could implement today that could make their journey easier or smoother?

George Bryants: Hmm. It’s a great question, and since you took the easy one off the table,

Traci DeForge: I’ll- Of course I did. I will- I like the mind of George. I want people to- I do … experience the mind of George. I love it.

George Bryants: I love it. And I’ll go, I’ll go a little deeper, because whether you wanna start a show, be a guest on a show, or you’re currently running a show, I promise you, in this moment, there is an idea that you’ve had that you haven’t taken action on, a show that you haven’t recorded because you’re afraid of what’s gonna happen, a podcast you haven’t pitched because you’re afraid they’re gonna say no, or [00:45:00] a podcast you haven’t recorded yet because you’re afraid to start.

Whatever one of those things is true, make a deadline within the next seven days that you will do that one thing For me, I will share personally, I am an unapologetic man of faith. I love Jesus with all of my heart. But for the first 450, 500 episodes of my show, I didn’t. And this was on my heart for about six months that I’d never shared my testimony.

And so one day, I just hit record, broke the entire mold of my show, and posted an entire episode about my testimony. And I was so afraid, and the exact opposite thing happened. I got more listeners. I got more people to connect with me. I had new friends created out of it. And I have pitched some of the biggest shows in the world, not by reaching out to them, but finding somebody they know and be like, “Hey, do you know them?”

Like, “Yeah, would you make an intro for me?” The only way that you can grow is if you take action. Starting where you are is great, but staring at where you are is [00:46:00] just stagnation. Action is required for anything to change. And so whatever that desire is in your heart, whatever that clarity is in your heart, even if you haven’t launched your show yet, record an episode and just post it on your social media and share it with your friends so that they can give you the evidence that you need to then record it, turn that into a platform, and start posting it on Spotify or YouTube or whatever it is.

But it requires action, and it’s gonna be a little bit scary, and it’s gonna make you a little uncomfortable, and you’re probably gonna sweat a little bit. But I promise you, once you hit go, you’ve already put yourself in the race, and then you get to continue the race. But you can never finish a race that you don’t start And so yes, starting where you are is important, but moving the starting line is just delaying the inevitable and robbing you of every chance of success that you’ve ever had.

So that would be my advice.

Traci DeForge: But I think you will join me in saying steal the strategy, give yourself permission to take the action that’s [00:47:00] on your heart-

George Bryants: Mm-hmm …

Traci DeForge: to move you forward.

George Bryants: Mm-hmm.

Traci DeForge: Ah. I have loved this conversation. I do not want it to end, but it has to end because our engineer Abe is going to cut us off eventually.

So and we love him. And so I want everyone who is watching, listening to this show to be able to continue this conversation with you, and to be able to experience all of the magic that you bring to that microphone and to that you bring to the world. And how is the best way, what is the best way, let us know how to get in touch with you, and of course it will also be in the show notes of the show so that people who may not be able to write it down right now will be able to access it.

But George, please, how can we continue this conversation for our audience? Because I know you and I, we will be continuing this conversation.

George Bryants: Yes, yeah. Of course. I make it really easy. Even my show name is easy to remember, but I’m gonna, I’m gonna make this really easy. My favorite color’s pink, and if you don’t believe me, go to mindofgeorge.com.

It looks like a Care Bear threw up on my website. I do that on purpose ’cause it’s [00:48:00] my favorite color. But my podcast is called The Mind of George Show. So it’s everywhere where you listen to podcasts, but if you want it easy, if you go to my website, mindofgeorge.com, the podcast tab has our top 10 episodes based on audience reaction and breakthrough, so you have an easy place to start.

My contact info is on there, my Instagram is on there, and if any of you are listening to this and you’re like this burning desire to ask me a question, I can’t answer it if you don’t ask. So just find my Instagram and shoot me a DM. It’s me personally. I will answer your question. I will give you strategy advice.

I will help you with marketing. I will help you with your show. Whatever that is, all you have to do is ask and I’ll handle the response. And so my Instagram is itsgeorgebryant, and the its is included. And that’s the best place to find me.

Traci DeForge: Okay. Everyone, you heard it here. He is not only giving you permission to take action with what’s on your heart, he’s giving you permission to take action by getting in touch with him if you have a question.

And my favorite is turquoise, so cheers.

George Bryants: Cheers. [00:49:00]

Traci DeForge: Cheers. Thank you for such a wonderful conversation. We appreciate you so much, and I just can’t wait for what’s next for both of us, and having an, our very next conversation.

George Bryants: Thank you.

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