Reduce Impostor Syndrome By Listening Back to Your Voice – Episode 107

[MUSIC IN – GHOSTHOOD FEATURING SARA AZRIEL “LET’S GO” BEGINS]

MARY: Another end of the year, 2025 is coming to a close. And usually around this time of year, podcasters like you have either planned to have a break or not, and they continue with their show even into the holidays and into the new year. So whether or not you planned this, it’s still about making that decision about whether you are going to create that plan for the break or not. And then, of course, executing it so that you’re preparing episodes in advance so that while you are away, episodes can still publish while you’re enjoying family time, or the sun, if you are planning to be away in this northern hemisphere wintery weather that you might have going on for you. 

So as we wrap up the year and check off another task on our podcasting to do list, let’s make another plan. I know it might sound like another to do on your list, but it will be a good one because it’s planned for the growth of your show. When you’re back and ready to dust off the mic and probably be like holiday cookie crumbs off your desk. Let’s drop an idea right now into your ear. What if you started the new year listening back to your past year’s episodes? Oh, I know. The groans, the winces. Oh, I can hear those now. Like, ew, no, I don’t listen back. Or, yeah, I only listen at like 1.75 times speed to make sure it’s all there. Like, they’re not actually trying to listen to their voice. They’re just skipping by that because they don’t want to listen to their own voice. 

But, you know, this actually is a good thing if you’re wincing and you’re like, no, I don’t want to do this. Keep listening. Because what if you can take a structured approach to listening to your own voice and audit your podcast so that it becomes something that you can grow into and really define and be comfortable with your voice. Let’s hit that rewind button so you can go back and listen through your already published episodes to grow and get better at podcasting. 

This is episode 107, the last one of 2025 before my winter break, on the Podcaster’s Guide to a Visible Voice.

<< WOMAN SINGS: So so so so let’s go >>

MARY: Hello, and welcome back to another end of the year, another spin around the sun is coming soon.

[INTRO MUSIC ENDS]

And maybe you’re in the midst of cookie making because you don’t want to do any more podcasting, or maybe you’re just eating all the cookies. Really, no shame in either one because I’m planning to do both, just not eating them around my equipment and my microphone. right? Yeah, don’t do that. Don’t. Don’t get crumbs in your microphone. [LAUGHTER] 

Okay. I wanted to take this time to step away from the everyday tasks of podcasting that you might have to do and remind you that your voice, the literal voice that your listeners hear, is the most important part of your podcast. As a medium that celebrates the voice, we don’t focus enough time on it. So I want you to cozy up and make sure we don’t ignore our voice before we start up all the podcasting tasks again, yet again, for another episode to create and get out there. 

So whether you like the sound of your voice or not, this episode will give you some tips on how to listen back to those old episodes, because you really should if you want to grow your podcast and be better at podcasting.

[MUSIC IN]

Back on the conversation I had in episode 102 with my previous radio school instructors, Kat Stewart and Kevin Ribble, we talked about air checks. As a reminder, if you haven’t listened to that episode yet, air checks is when every time the microphone was turned on, the radio station, a cassette tape would record all the times that the microphone was turned on. So all the times that you were talking, it got recorded onto a cassette tape. Then at the end of the week or so, you can drop off that cassette tape with your instructor or even your boss at the radio station. And then on your next meeting with them, they’ll review and provide feedback. 

So they’re listening to every single time you turned the microphone on. This is an air check. This is how we honed our voice in radio and how we got better using our voice and also how we got used to listening to our own voice. Because honestly, not every radio person, or a presenter, or a speaker loves their voice at the very start. 

[MUSIC ENDS]

I remember early in my career, so this is 2001, I was at this mom and pop shop radio station that I got hired for for my very first full time radio gig. I was so pleased. It was great. It was such a dream because I got to do production stuff full time. So that’s like creating the commercials, manipulating audio, and editing all the audio stuff. That was what I really wanted to do in radio. 

But being at that small independent radio station, just like being a podcaster. As you know, we wear all the hats. So although I wanted to do the production, my boss hired me because he needed to fill air time. So I had to be on the air live from 10 to 2. And then I did the production work after that from 2 to 6. But also during that afternoon time, between 2 and 6pm I was also prepping and I had to record my voice tracks for the evening show. So a voice track is a pre-recorded bit that I would record and then uploaded it to the computer and it just automatically plays it in between songs, right? So it makes it sound like I was on the radio, but I was not. And this was for the evening show, which ran from about 6 to 10. 

So this is what I did day in and day out for almost two years at this radio station, using my voice every single day in the live setting, in the pre-recorded setting, just using your voice constantly full time. And then also I’d come home too, from work and it’s dinner time, so I’ll be making dinner or maybe I’ll be getting ready for bed in the evening. And I would be listening to the radio. My own voice. Yeah, that’s a lot of me talking. [LAUGHTER] But I did not like my voice when I listened to that on the radio because I cringed a lot. I sounded fake, like not really myself, or sometimes I sounded like I was reading. I could tell I was reading a liner for a sponsorship or something that I had to do. I cringed a lot listening to my own voice. 

But then, I also realized I learned a lot listening to my own voice every single day. It was this practice of doing and listening that got me better. So I’m not gonna lie, it’s not like it was a magic formula. It actually took a few years. Like I said, I was in this position for just under two years. But it wasn’t even until after I left the radio station in another, like six months to a year before it all clicked and it all became second nature to me. 

And that’s what I believe is missing in the podcasting world. We don’t make time to listen. A lot of hosts will create their show because they’re like, well, I can buy a microphone, I can plug it in and I can talk. But they just talk and create and they don’t listen back like that air check. And so we’re not really listening for how we can improve the show and how we’re presenting ourselves. Because your voice, you as the host, is the brand. It’s your show, it’s who you are. And so when you’re only listening at two times speed to make sure that there are no glaring errors, you’re not really listening to your show at all. 

[MUSIC IN]

So the number one thing I would say is to listen back, you’ll need to provide your own version of that air check. And if you can, after each and every episode, like it doesn’t have to be right after you got it, like maybe once it’s published, give it a listen for sure. And if you don’t want to listen, I’d say maybe do it in batches so that you can just get it all over with in one take, right? Maybe you have three or four episodes. Maybe you do this once a month. Maybe you just schedule it in so that I’ll just take some time and I’ll listen. I’ll two times speed when I have my guest on, but then when I’m speaking, I’ll slow it right back down to the one time speed so I can listen to how I am saying something. 

Here’s another tip though. If you have actually edited your own episodes, I’ve got a trick for you. Go back and open each audio session that you have edited and if you’re lucky and you’ve already separated the tracks, that’s how you recorded it. You can see one track is you and one track is the guest. Or if it’s a solo, then it’s all you, right? You can see each and every time you spoke visually on that waveform. So if you have a guest, you can really isolate that and just listen to everything that you’ve talked about, which is like having your own air check with that cassette tape I had back in the day. And so listen to yourself that way as well. If you’ve edited your own show and have access to those files. 

[MUSIC ENDS]

Okay, let’s take a step back for a second. Maybe you’re still wincing and groaning. You’re like, oh my god, I am never going to do this. Or how the heck will I be able to stand my own voice and stand listening to it? Again, that’s normal. I went through that too. I had to get comfortable with how I sounded outside of my own head. And I’m talking literally. The way voice sound waves bounce between your ears will sound very differently in your head than when it actually comes out of your mouth, hits the air, and then goes into somebody else’s ears. Same thing. If your voice is recorded, then it’s playing out of a speaker or earbuds or something. It hits and resonates differently before it gets into your eardrums. It just does. 

So let’s just acknowledge it. It is weird. It’s awkward, especially if you’re not used to it. And we are so close to our own voices at this point, that we are going to be very judgy about how we sound. But let’s put all of that aside for now. Yeah, it’s uncomfortable if you were at that stage still and you’re like, I don’t know. Well, go back and listen to episode 50, called Stop Thinking About Yourself. And that will give you that extra needed support if you do need it, okay? 

But let’s say, okay, you’re ready to do this. You’re ready to go and listen back to your old episodes at regular speed. Remember regular speed. So you can hear actually how you sound in real life. So how do you listen to yourself and not cringe and just have that discerning ear, not judgmental ear? You start with a feeling.

[MUSIC IN]

As I always say. How do you want your listener to feel? I want you to think about your ideal listener. And longtime listeners will know that I’m a huge fan of creating one single person with a name who you can connect with while doing and creating all aspects of your show. Episode 15 about identifying your audience will be your go to episode. If you’re new around here, so listen to that one. 

But yes, your ideal listener. How do you want them to feel? Is it to be inspired? Energized? They want to take action on something that you’ve said? Like, they’re having fun, perhaps. Maybe fun and entertainment is your goal. Or maybe it’s that feeling of that, you’ve invited them over to hang out with you at your house, and you’re just sitting on the couch and you’re feeling really safe, and secure, and you’re ready to, like, just spill the beans and share all the details and the juicy gossip perhaps. 

I mean, you can also think of opposite feelings. Like when I was a little girl, maybe parents yelling at you, telling you what to do, they’re dominating, maybe they’re scared, or they’re telling you the same story over and over again and they’re monotone and all you can think is, yeah, yeah, yeah. Let’s move on. I mean, those are all feelings, too. It’s just, how do you want your listener to feel? Which one would you prefer? 

[MUSIC ENDS]

So now that you have that feeling in mind, how you want your listener to feel when you listen to your own voice, you know, during those air checks, you’re listening back to your episodes. Do you get that feeling? Do you feel safe and secure? Or are you having fun? Or are you drifting off and distracted by something else? These are all clues not saying that your episode was horrible. We should stop podcasting. No, these are all clues, because everybody’s first episode or first few episodes are going to sound like crap. I’ve said this before too many times. 

If you go back to any show, really popular ones, too, the first two episodes don’t sound anything like their latest episode, especially if they’ve been podcasting for a very long time. People learn, people shift. But this is just who we are in this very moment, presently, in this moment of time. So when you listen back, these are the clues. You’re listening for this feeling that you’ve created with your voice. 

So from here, when you want to improve, think about how you actually felt during this recording. Do you remember it? Like, how long ago was it? And sometimes you do, because maybe you remember being distracted because you were so rushed. You were late to the meeting and your tech wasn’t working, and you’re frustrated, and then you’re like, okay, here we are. Okay, I just got to record this episode, and here’s my guest, and this is their bio and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. You’re just getting through it. That feeling of just needing to get through it or that frustration or that anxiety level shows up in your voice. 

[MUSIC IN]

So now that you have these clues, you’ll be more aware so that the next time you get behind the mic, you’ll remember that maybe awkwardness you felt or you’ll have those same tech issues happen. You’ll be more aware to just take a pause, take a breath, and then say, wait, I want to get to that feeling for my ideal listener. I want to get to that feeling, feel that, reset the brain, and then go. I mean, most of the time, it’s a split second. It’s just that initial feeling of like, oh, this feels familiar. I’ve done this before, but I don’t want to do that again, and a breath, and we’re going to move into this direction and smile more and really have my fun that I want to have. That’s the feeling I want to convey. 

So the feeling of how you want your listener to feel is really, really important. And like I said before, it’s not a magic formula. And it will take practice for some of that awareness to come forth every time you are behind the microphone. So it takes lots of practice by listening, doing your own air checks, and then creating more episodes so that you’re repeating the cycle all the time and learning from it each and every episode. 

[MUSIC ENDS]

Earlier, I mentioned how something clicked for me and my voice, right? Like, I just practiced day in day out at work, and then, oh, this is it. So what really is that? What is that feeling? How can you feel that when you are listening to your voice? What is that feeling for you? For me, after doing this, a lot of times, when I listened back, I realized that I was laughing along to my own voice on the radio, that I forgot that it was even me that I was listening to, and that it felt like I was actually listening to a friend or someone that I wanted to hang out with. 

So those were my markers. And that feeling really is of someone that I trusted. I didn’t sound like I was that fake voice, that I was putting something on, that I had to do this or say this. It actually felt like me, like a person, and that person that I actually wanted to hang out with. So that was kind of like an aha moment where I was like, oh, I’m just not presenting. I am actually sharing a story. I am connecting. And I was like, oh, the connection. There it is. I didn’t realize I was listening to myself, even though I was weird, right? 

[MUSIC IN]

So listen back to yourself often. Do your own air checks and listen like a listener would listen to it. Like, your best friend would not judge-y, right? Just wanting to connect. Are you getting that connection with your. Your voice? So ask yourself a few questions as you move along with these air checks with yourself. As your ideal listener, how do I feel in this moment? How does your ideal listener feel in this moment when you’re listening back to yourself? And again, as the ideal listener, how would I want to feel, if you’re actually not getting that feeling? Listening to yourself, how do you actually want your ideal listener to feel? And then finally, what was that feeling that you had yourself as the host when you first recorded that? Do you remember back when that happened, in that moment of time where you were feeling one way and now you can actually hear that in your voice? 

The wonderful thing about podcasting and doing air checks of yourself is that it’s all in the palm of your hand. You don’t have to have a notebook and pen with you. Sure, it could be handy, but you can just listen. Just like any other show that is on your app. You take your show with you. You listen to the most recent episode, then listen to the episode before that, and before that, and before that. And the more you listen to yourself, the easier it does become. 

It does. It really does become easier. It’s going to be awkward in the beginning, but it will become easier. And this brings that awareness to the forefront so that the next time you record an episode, you’ll flag yourself. When it’s just that hair of a moment or that breath that you take for that pause, then it becomes second nature to truly be you, to connect with that feeling and then to connect with your ideal listener, all while you are behind the mic. 

[MUSIC ENDS]

So tell me, have you done an air check on yourself before I want to hear all the awkwardness? What did you cringe about? What were you wincing about, about your voice. Send me your story by leaving a voice note from my website, VisibleVoicePodcast.com or email me at visiblevoicepodcast@gmail.com 

And that wraps up another year. I’m off to bake cookies. That is the plan. I will have cookies before the year is out. I was actually telling my massage therapist about Smitten Kitchen’s Brownie Roll-out Cookies. So she loves the cookie cutters, but she didn’t want to make, like, shortbread or sugar cookies. She loves chocolate. And I was like, oh, this is what you need. It’s like a brownie, but a cookie. So this one is for you. So, and if you’re really into that, too, Smitten Kitchen’s Brownie Roll-out Cookies. Use all your favourite cookie cutters for this one. It’s so good. All right, have a wonderful break, and I’ll chat with you in February. That’s when I’ll be back. Enjoy the break and go and listen to one of your old episodes. Yeah, do it. [LAUGHTER] Do it. Okay, bye.

[OUTRO MUSIC IN – SHOW CLOSE]

<< GHOSTHOOD FEATURING SARA AZRIEL “LET’S GO” BEGINS >>

MARY: Thank you so much for listening to the Podcaster’s Guide to a Visible Voice. If you enjoyed this episode, I’d love it if you shared it with a podcasting friend. And to reveal more voicing and podcasting tips, click on over to visiblevoicepodcast.com.

<< WOMAN SINGS: Let’s go >>

[MUSIC ENDS]