
How To Get Started Podcasting for Your Business with Nicole Begley
08/29/22 • 61 min
I know you must like podcasts. You listen to this one, anyway. But having your own podcast can be a helpful tool for starting and growing your business. In today’s episode, I chat with a friend of mine who has used podcasting successfully to take her business to new heights.
About Nicole Begley
Nicole Begley, M.Photog.Cr., CPP, is a zoological animal trainer turned pet photographer and educator. She created Hair of the Dog in 2012 to empower pet photographers to turn their dreams into reality by helping them improve their craft and grow their pet photography business.
Nicole has authored a book Pet and Equine Photography for Everyone, available on Amazon. She established Nicole Begley Photography in Pittsburgh, PA in 2010 but now serves the market of Charlotte, NC.
Nicole shares her home with her husband, two tiny humans, and her Puerto Rican rescue dog Zoey. Oh yes, she is also Chief of Staff to Emma the cat. She is the creator of the #selfiedog series, a travel addict, and a chocolate martini connoisseur.
Putting in Place Systems for Success
If you decide to start a podcast, having a process in place is crucial. Sure, you can do all the production and post-production work yourself, but that’s going to be time-consuming. Nicole and I discuss our processes for making episodes every week in ways that don’t take over our lives.
This can involve having someone in your own business work on post-production or farming it out to an outside person or group. While this will cost some money, it will allow you to spend your time and energy where your business needs you the most.
Getting Great Content for Your Podcast
But it’s not enough to just have a podcast; you need great content for it too. We discuss how to connect with people in your community and beyond to interview. Nicole recommends using your network to find interesting people who can add value to your show.
Being on other people’s podcasts can help you too. It will make you more comfortable in front of a microphone. Also, being a guest elsewhere will expand your reach. It’s a perfect way to find new clients and listeners for your own show.
Throughout the process of starting and running a podcast, Nicole wants you to keep your intentions in mind. Ask yourself what your goals are with your podcast and how you want to spend your time with it. If you keep that in the forefront of your mind, your podcast will be on track to help your business grow.
Have you thought about starting a podcast? What do you need to do to get started? Leave a comment on the episode page!
In This Episode- Having a process to make podcasting easier [9:00]
- Learning to become a podcaster [19:30]
- Finding the right people and content for your episodes [28:00]
- Sounding true and authentic with your voice [39:30]
- The most important question for beginning podcasters [49:50]
“One of the best ways to leverage podcasting as a lead generator in your business is to get in front of other people’s audiences.” [36:10]
“Personally, we sometimes feel like our story is not all that exciting. But it is for somebody else. There can be so many great lessons for them.” [38:00]
“The biggest thing to get started is to ask yourself what your intention is with your podcast and how to utilize it as a tool in your business so your time spent on it is beneficial.” [52:00]
Review Fed and Fearless on Apple Podcasts! Send a screenshot of your review to [email protected] or send me a DM on Instagram and I’ll send you my Overcoming Undereating eBook. If you post your favorite episode in your Insta stories and tag me @LauraShoenfeldRD, I’ll also send you my 14-Day Calorie Challenge Recipe Guide!
LinksSign up for the Practice Better training!
Follow Nicole on Facebook |
I know you must like podcasts. You listen to this one, anyway. But having your own podcast can be a helpful tool for starting and growing your business. In today’s episode, I chat with a friend of mine who has used podcasting successfully to take her business to new heights.
About Nicole Begley
Nicole Begley, M.Photog.Cr., CPP, is a zoological animal trainer turned pet photographer and educator. She created Hair of the Dog in 2012 to empower pet photographers to turn their dreams into reality by helping them improve their craft and grow their pet photography business.
Nicole has authored a book Pet and Equine Photography for Everyone, available on Amazon. She established Nicole Begley Photography in Pittsburgh, PA in 2010 but now serves the market of Charlotte, NC.
Nicole shares her home with her husband, two tiny humans, and her Puerto Rican rescue dog Zoey. Oh yes, she is also Chief of Staff to Emma the cat. She is the creator of the #selfiedog series, a travel addict, and a chocolate martini connoisseur.
Putting in Place Systems for Success
If you decide to start a podcast, having a process in place is crucial. Sure, you can do all the production and post-production work yourself, but that’s going to be time-consuming. Nicole and I discuss our processes for making episodes every week in ways that don’t take over our lives.
This can involve having someone in your own business work on post-production or farming it out to an outside person or group. While this will cost some money, it will allow you to spend your time and energy where your business needs you the most.
Getting Great Content for Your Podcast
But it’s not enough to just have a podcast; you need great content for it too. We discuss how to connect with people in your community and beyond to interview. Nicole recommends using your network to find interesting people who can add value to your show.
Being on other people’s podcasts can help you too. It will make you more comfortable in front of a microphone. Also, being a guest elsewhere will expand your reach. It’s a perfect way to find new clients and listeners for your own show.
Throughout the process of starting and running a podcast, Nicole wants you to keep your intentions in mind. Ask yourself what your goals are with your podcast and how you want to spend your time with it. If you keep that in the forefront of your mind, your podcast will be on track to help your business grow.
Have you thought about starting a podcast? What do you need to do to get started? Leave a comment on the episode page!
In This Episode- Having a process to make podcasting easier [9:00]
- Learning to become a podcaster [19:30]
- Finding the right people and content for your episodes [28:00]
- Sounding true and authentic with your voice [39:30]
- The most important question for beginning podcasters [49:50]
“One of the best ways to leverage podcasting as a lead generator in your business is to get in front of other people’s audiences.” [36:10]
“Personally, we sometimes feel like our story is not all that exciting. But it is for somebody else. There can be so many great lessons for them.” [38:00]
“The biggest thing to get started is to ask yourself what your intention is with your podcast and how to utilize it as a tool in your business so your time spent on it is beneficial.” [52:00]
Review Fed and Fearless on Apple Podcasts! Send a screenshot of your review to [email protected] or send me a DM on Instagram and I’ll send you my Overcoming Undereating eBook. If you post your favorite episode in your Insta stories and tag me @LauraShoenfeldRD, I’ll also send you my 14-Day Calorie Challenge Recipe Guide!
LinksSign up for the Practice Better training!
Follow Nicole on Facebook |
Previous Episode

Using Courses to Scale Your Business and Income with Josh Coats
There’s more to selling a best-selling, profitable course than creating what you think your audience wants to learn. The reality is that you need to speak to your audience to find out exactly what they want to learn from you. I’m joined by Josh Coats to talk about selling more courses by speaking directly to your ideal clients, creating courses they want, and personalizing your sales process.
About Josh Coats
Two-time #1 Best Selling Author, Top 50 podcast host, and founder of Push Coach Certification School for life coaches. Josh has trained over 40k in his online training and specializes in mindset, leadership, and strategy.
As a student of mindset and founder of a life coach school, Josh will help you to dig into the beliefs that are holding you back in your sales and leadership.
Create a Course Your Audience Wants
Josh Coats joins me to talk about the process of course creation. Making a best-selling, profitable course is more than simply creating what you think your audience wants – you need to find out what your audience wants to learn, first.
Josh explains when you need to actually have your course content created. It might surprise you to learn it’s not when you launch your course! It’s always important to ask for feedback from your ideal clients and tailor your course to suit their needs best.
We both understand that having sales conversations with potential clients might not appeal to you, but they’re a vital part of your sales process. Josh gives some great tips for how to have these conversations and why you might not want to automate your entire sales process.
Social Media and Automation vs a Personalized Sales Approach
Social media has a reputation for being a vital part of a business’s marketing plan. But there are drawbacks to solely using social media for your marketing. Josh explains the value of building your revenue before you build your social media presence. He also adds that having a higher social media following can help your sales when you already have a best-selling product.
Finally, we spend some time talking about the realities of sales. Josh breaks down the best way to find people to have sales conversations with and what type of conversations you need to have with them. Personalized sales approaches will most often give you way more sales than any automated process. Don’t forget that you’re a person, first, who wants to sell to other people!
If you’re thinking about creating a course, Josh Coats encourages you to message 5-10 people that you’re already closely connected. Tell them you’re thinking about putting together a program and want input from people that you respect the most. Ask them if they would be willing to tell you what they want to learn from you and what results they want to get from a program. Let me know about your results in the comments on the episode page!
In This Episode- When to start building your course [11:15]
- Why the best quality product comes out after speaking with your ideal clients [14:00]
- How to start having sales conversations with potential new customers [22:45]
- How to figure out what your clients actually want when they ask for something [33:00]
- The reality of Instagram as a marketing platform [35:00]
- How a social media following can help build your credibility when you’re trying to sell other products [39:00]
- Why you need to build your revenue before you build your social media following [40:00]
- How to find people to have sales conversations with [42:14]
- Make an ad using your best-performing pic and a quote - on ig - then message people who like the post offering something free. Follow up on the free stuff. Have you heard of my signature program?
- The reality of one-to-one sales [51:00]
- The importance of sales calls [54:00]
“You don’t know the perspective of your clients until you start having some conversations. Whether that’s in the DMs, emails, or putting out podcasts – you don’t know what people do and don’t respond to until you put something out there. You have to get started first.” [12:08]
“It’s kind of like taking what people say that they want and churning it into something that sounds more like a whole program.” [26:23]
“It’s true to me but I needed [my ideal client’s] help to figure out what the best program would be. I have 3-4 things that I would really like to teach you and 700-800 things that I also do that I sometimes forget to tell people about because I do them automatically.” [29:39]
“If you come with curiosity, people don’t feel like you’re trying to box them in. Versus if you do have an elevator pitch – if it sounds too scripted, people can feel that. I like to, very intentionally, sou...
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Hormone Health After 40 with Maria Claps
Few people discuss what happens to your hormones after menopause. In fact, there seems to be a lot of secrecy among women in this stage of life about their hormonal health. That’s why I’m so excited to have Maria Claps with me today to shed light on this important topic.
About Maria Claps
Maria Claps is a certified health coach, Functional Diagnostic Nutrition practitioner, and mom to four grown boys.
After receiving inadequate healthcare that did nothing to address her perimenopause problems, Maria enrolled in the Institute for Integrative Nutrition (IIN) in order to help herself. After that, Maria pursued several hormone-centric trainings including Dr. Sara Gottfried's practitioner hormone training program, and the Functional Diagnostic Nutrition program, and she also has been mentored by hormone scholar and scientist Dr. Lindsey Berkson.
Maria helps women all over the world as a perimenopause and menopause mentor. She is a DUTCH hormone test expert. She also teaches practitioners how to help midlife women thrive in a mentorship program called Midlife Hormone Mastery.
When she’s not working with clients, Maria can be found trekking through Italy, at farmers’ markets locally, or in the kitchen creating recipes.
Hormonal Changes Don’t Mean the End of Your Lifestyle
Throughout this conversation, Maria shares how her experience sent her on a quest to better understand the signs and symptoms of perimenopause. Insomnia, weight gain, and unstable moods led her to solutions that few others in the health field were discussing.
Over the years, Maria discovered the truth that lies behind many common menopause myths. In reality, you don’t have to accept all the changes. Maria explains that hormonal changes are not necessarily the same thing as aging. By recognizing that the way you feel now is a symptom, not the root of the problem, you can take informed actions.
Much of the way people think of menopause is very negative. Maria explains how cultural expectations of older women derive from a false narrative. Sadly, this has led to a culture of silence around the topic. Maria works to help women open up about their experiences. When this happens, women can take action and regain control over their lives.
Understanding Your Hormones Before, During, and After Menopause
Maria stresses that living a healthy lifestyle will help ease your transition to perimenopause, menopause, and beyond. Diet and nutrition, as well as exercise, go a long way. That being said, there is no guarantee that it will still go smoothly. Many of Maria’s clients do this and still struggle.
It can be scary to experience these changes in your body. There is a sense of loss of control when you don’t fully understand how these changes affect you. That’s why Maria stresses the role of education. When you understand your body well, you know what is normal, what isn’t, and what you can do about it.
Hormone testing, particularly the DUTCH Test, is a major tool Maria employs. It gives a complete picture of what the hormones are doing and how they are changing. Maria has seen the value of these tests to highlight potential problems and establish healthy regimens for her clients.
What can you start doing today to prepare for menopause? Let me know in the comments on the episode page!
In This Episode- How to recognize the signs of perimenopause [8:30]
- Common myths about menopause [11:45]
- Changing the cultural narrative of aging and menopause [16:40]
- What to expect from an optimal menopause experience [21:45]
- The connection between the premenopausal experience and menopause itself [27:35]
- The critical link between mindset and menopause [33:15]
- The value of comprehensive hormone testing for post-menopausal women [36:45]
- Practical tips you can start using today to reduce menopause symptoms [48:50]
“As far as becoming this overweight asexual woman who isolates herself and can’t contribute to the world anymore, that’s completely false.” [12:39]
“You are going to have some changes. Your body is going to change. Things are going to change, but it’s really manageable.” [21:05]
“These things are quite fixable. I’ve seen so many before and afters. It’s amazing how it can be fixed with a degree of lifestyle medicine.” [43:20]
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