When Do I Stop? Existential Questions for the Hobby Podcaster? – Episode 118

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

MARY: When do you get a break on your podcast to take time to reflect on your accomplishments? I know especially when you are continually producing episodes, especially if they’re each and every week, there really isn’t time for a break and to reflect, that seems very luxurious. And when you do have a break, you definitely don’t want to be focusing on your podcast, right? There’s so many other things to do. And yet, like any creative endeavour, reflection creates space for growth. It’s actually needed in that creative process. And to also remember why you want to keep doing this podcasting, because sometimes it feels like it’s only a labour of love. And is that the only reason to keep the podcast going? 

And as I reflect on the last episode, 117 with Jerry Won, it reminded me about the passion project podcaster, probably like you who sometimes wonder, is it time to let go of the podcast? What makes it worth it to keep going when financially it takes a hit? Because like a lot of marketing, it doesn’t always showcase the best ROI or return on investment. So companies come up with download numbers and monetization strategies. But what if you’re not in it for the money? 

On today’s episode, I want to walk through this process with you and think about what does it really mean to have a passion project of a podcast? Or some might call this passion project a hobby podcast. No matter what you call it though, eventually all podcasts are going to end. I’m sorry to break it to you, but yes, things eventually end one way or another. And yet it matters on how or if it ends and if you get to do it on your own terms. 

This is episode 118 on the Podcaster’s Guide to a Visible Voice.

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

Oh yeah, that last episode with Jerry Won, it really got me, yes.

[INTRO MUSIC FADES AND ENDS]

One on the emotional part about how he connected with his family because of the events that led up to, and honestly led up from the podcast. And I was so honoured to have that time to reflect in real time with Jerry about his accomplishments, especially growing up in an Asian American family. I really, really connected with that. So if you haven’t heard that story yet, make sure you go back to listen to 117 with Jerry Won. 

But to sum it up, that episode truly shows how much Podcasters like you and yes, I’m saying podcasters with a capital P, how you are so passionate about this audio medium of podcasting. And for me, combining that episode with also a client of mine, earlier this year she decided to sunset her podcast and she’d been doing this for four years, and another client who’s contemplating on stopping as well, but eventually left the door open for more that possibility. And there’s other iterations of this that has happened. In my years of work with podcasting and podcasters, I’ve seen a lot of versions of this. The, is it time to stop the podcast? Do I just stop? Do I just keep going? Because it’s what I do? I don’t know, what do I do? 

All these feelings of, I love the work, though, yet I’m really sad if I stop, or I love the podcast, but so tired of everything else that’s happening in life. With capacity, there’s no right or wrong way to podcast. And so there’s no right or wrong answer when you ask yourself, is this the end? Yet knowing when to stop isn’t a matter of just doing steps A, B, or C, or just stopping cold turkey altogether. But if you have this luxury of time to reflect, let’s talk about some things first. And if you’re here also because you’re thinking of restarting your podcast after a long break, these are some great questions for you too, to work through the existential questions of podcasting. 

[THOUGHTFUL WITH XYLOPHONE MUSIC IN]

The first thing I want to do is start with this. When thinking back to your episodes, your entire catalogue of your show that you’re planning on stopping or restarting, which one sticks out in your mind with the most impact for you? If you were to stop right now and not produce any more episodes, which episode was the one that you were the most proud of? You got it? Okay, I want you to go with your gut feeling. So, get that one episode in your mind. When you recorded that episode, or when you planned it, when you etched it out, what was going on in your life, your mindset, like, what were you thinking about and why you started that episode? Was it the ease of the conversation? Like, that guest was just an easy person to talk with or an easy person to say yes to be on your show? It was just a match made in heaven. 

Or if you were doing a solo episode, was it that the words just flowed right out of you? It could be the emotional impact of the story that held on for you. That one for me was definitely Jerry’s episode. Immediately after I recorded it, I was just filled with pride. Proud of his story, proud of what a podcast can do for someone, proud to share his emotions, and proud that I get to do this too, podcasting. It was a prime example of what I hope other podcasters could feel in their own version of their story and through their journey of podcasting. 

Okay, and now with that episode that you’re thinking of from your catalogue, what would you do? Or would you want to even recreate another episode that’s just like that? And also, how long ago was that episode? I’ve had podcasters react actually by saying, oh, wow, that episode I’m thinking of was actually a long time ago. And when we dug deeper, we realized it was because they were just going through the motions and taking on interviews with people who had books coming out so that they would just fill the publishing schedule. Those conversations were no longer fulfilling and felt just like work. 

So the last time they had an episode that they were really proud of was one that they reached out to to get that person. It was a shift to a more conscious approach to inviting guests that they loved. But of course, you know what? One of the main reasons, too, they took on all these book tours was because they needed those days when it was an easy yes. Hey, this book looks like it could match. Let’s just do it. And this shift to what you want to do with your podcast now, you can still have that every now and then, just making sure that you’re not continually going back to that easy thing of creating an episode just because it’s there. So make sure you do actually like what the author is putting out. So this whole first part is what’s your episode from your catalogue that best represents this proud feeling that you have? 

[MUSIC ENDS]

Question two, what would you miss most if you stopped podcasting today? You decided, we’re just gonna quit cold turkey. No more podcasting. What would you miss about it? Some podcasters have told me it’s the conversations and meeting new people. Others have said it’s the act of creation and creativity. And some have also said that they want to work out their thoughts alongside of what they do. And podcasting is such a great way to verbalize. And yet I question these answers, because these are valid. They are great. Yet these ideas could also be created outside of a podcast. You know, you could meet new people in other ways to have these conversations and meet new people. But podcasting definitely gives you some clout for an easy yes to chat with people that you’ve never actually met before. 

If it’s that creative outlet, well, there’s other ways to be creative. I knit, I sew, I bake. I love to cook. These are all creative outlets as well. And for those who like to work out their thoughts and verbalize things, yeah, you can do that. You can even record a voice note for yourself. But why does it have to be published as a podcast episode? So what is it about podcasting that this medium gives you that nothing else can? Back to that record a voice note instead of publishing a podcast. Someone has once said to me, when well, it’s that idea that it’s published out loud. Like people are going to find it. I have to own it. I truly have to believe in what I’m saying. And they like that outer accountability. 

Another version of this question could be, what is your fully defined why of creating your show? Because your why when you created the show in the first place may have changed over time, especially depending on how long you you’ve been podcasting. So what is the why of creating your show today, right now, in this moment? 

[UPBEAT MUSIC WITH DRUMS AND CLAPPING]

Question three, if you were to look at your life right now, going back to that previous question, right now, in this moment, what’s changed for you since you first started? Kids is usually a common one. Yep. Having your first kid or even your second kid, or I know someone was like, by the time I hit my third kid, I got busy and I dropped the podcast. Adopting kids as well, that’s another big change in your life. When there is somebody else to care for, especially if you’re a caregiver for an aging parent, that’s a whole new responsibility that a lot of people don’t sign up for. 

Another one could be work. Especially in this day and age when you get more work dumped on your plate with the same amount of pay. I’ve heard that one time and time again in this economy. So work is another big one where podcasting just slides to the bottom of the priority list. So what I want you to do right now is think about when you started your podcast. You probably had different priorities and different capacities. So in this moment right now, be aware of what’s changed since then and take that into account for the capacity that you have now and also the capacity of maybe what’s to come. Would you have capacity in your current life to continue with the current version of your podcast? And if you don’t, or you do, but not as much, we’re gonna start figuring out what needs to shift. 

[MUSIC ENDS]

So question four, part of that shift is thinking about what you really enjoy about the production of the podcast, what parts of it that you love and you want to keep doing, and then also, what are you dreading? What do you don’t want to do as part of that podcasting process? Answers to these questions could lead to streamlining your whole process, keep what you love and think about what you can alter or not do anymore. 

Because actually, if you go back to episode 84 with Craig Constantine, that would be a great episode to hear about what he doesn’t do. There’s a lot of things he says he doesn’t do, and he will just continually publish episodes with this streamlined approach. And especially for you, if you’ve been doing this alone for a long time and you’ve just been doing a lot of research online on how to start a podcast and what you should be doing for your podcast, you might think there are things in your podcast production that you’re, quote, unquote, “supposed to do”, you know, you have to do this or you have to do that. 

And as a passion project with limited capacity, maybe you don’t have time to do, quote, unquote, “all the things”. So what can you streamline? Especially when you’re keeping in mind about that previous question about your current capacity. What parts of the process can you strip back to continually produce the show? What steps are being repeated that you can cut back on, and which steps are not vital to keep the podcast going? So, taking into consideration parts of your answer from question one  and two, these will help define what are the most important parts to keep. 

So think about your whole process from start to finish, that spark of an idea of creating the podcast episode through to if it’s a guest, finding the guest, recording, editing, publishing, all of the things. 

[CALM THOUGHTFUL MUSIC IN]

And lastly, question five. What have you learned from your podcast that matter to you still today? This question sort of brings us back to my earlier questions, which really are about finding out what is your genuine desire to continue podcasting versus just doing it because you’ve got the momentum and it’s in your schedule and it’s just part of what you do. Would you have learned these things if you didn’t have your podcast? How does your podcast grow alongside you to create more learning moments? What is that legacy that you want to leave, and have you done that yet with your podcast? If you were to stop today, are you proud or are you still in that process of creating that legacy so you don’t want to stop yet? And again, with all of these questions, there’s no right or wrong answer. It’s your podcasting journey. So with all of these questions, we’re figuring out where you are on that journey and if it’s going to keep going. 

[MUSIC ENDS]

Okay, all of these questions, fair enough. But the big thing in the room that I haven’t touched on yet is money. Like Jerry was saying in the last episode, especially in this capitalist society, money has the energy to support us in what we do or with the lack of money, what we can’t or feel like we can’t do. No doubt that is a factor. But how do we decide how much is too much to continually spend money on creating podcast episodes? 

I suppose to answer this question really depends on how you treat your podcast. So if this is like a passion project, and we’re not talking about podcasting here, just think about a passion project in general. Your passion could be anything else that you would try and make money from. Do you get enjoyment from doing it? Maybe it’s connecting with others. I was actually thinking back to when I started a knitting group back in my early 20s. We met up every single Tuesday and I spent money at the coffee shop every single week. As a young person who just graduated from school, I didn’t have a lot of money yet. I went to the coffee shop every single week. 

And we also go yarn shopping. And if, you know, yarn is not cheap, at least the stuff we liked and that we were buying, like wool, alpaca, really nice stuff. We also bought tools for knitting, and these are like medium to higher end tools. Like if you were a carpenter, you would get some nice tools. It’s kind of the same with knitting. There’s like some cheapy tools, but some really nice stuff too. And because we knitted constantly all the time, we were into the good stuff. So with this passion project of knitting, there was always money for yarn and tea. I used my regular salary to fund my knitting habit? Addiction? My passion, basically. And it was all right. I had money in my budget to pay for the knitting habit. 

But then one day I thought I’d knit a bunch of baby hats for a maternity shop because they said I could make some money. And I was like, wait, what 20 year old doesn’t want to make easy money? I can knit baby hats. I can just turn those out. Those are easy to do. But then as I started churning out those hats left, right, and center, I lost the creativity in making those hats and got sick of knitting in tiny, tiny little rounds and tiny little baby hats. I needed to knit something for passion again. 

And this is kind of the same equivalent in podcasting. Maybe your show is every single week and you’re just like, I just gotta create another episode and get another episode out there. And here’s another episode again, you’re losing a bit of that passion. So if you’re podcasting for a passion, think of it like any other hobby that you have. For me it was knitting for fun, knitting for myself, knitting clothes for me, my family and friends. I could budget in yarn, and tea, and coffee shop money for that every single week. Not a problem. So if this was a hobby and you treated it that way and you love it, how does this reflect for you on the side of money for podcasting? 

And money is a big, big thing. I’ve went through some of my own money trauma growing up and having very limited access to money growing up in a family that didn’t have a high income. So I had to work through that myself. And realizing this as my like, passion was a total game changer in realizing how much money I wanted to invest in a passion project. So think about that for your podcast. How much of a passion are you willing to spend budget-wise for your podcast? 

[JOYFUL ELECTRONIC KEYBOARD MUSIC IN]

So I hope this episode was helpful for you and that you’re able to reflect on your podcast. You know, like I said, it might be a luxury, but if you’ve listened to this episode, you are thinking about your podcast, you are doing that work. So I hope that if you found this episode helpful, try out last year’s episode, episode number 100 called Finding Joy in the Serious Work of Podcasting. It’s a perfect companion episode to this one, so check out that one if you haven’t yet or as a good refresher after this episode. 

So this is it right now as I’m heading off for my summer break. I won’t be back until the fall, so September 2026. Feel free to come back to this episode and sit down and process some of these questions another time if you need it. I know I will reflect more on my podcast as the summer progresses, so I might just come back as well to this episode and do my own reflection. However, if you have any questions during this reflection time for you, let me know. I may even include it in the next episode because if you’re asking the question, I know others are as well. So please do ask. Or if you have a question that’s not related to this specific episode, I am still all ears. 

I am planning out my next set of episodes for the fall and winter, so let me know your ideas before 2026 is out. You can drop me a voice note from my website VisibleVoicePodcast.com or email me as usual, VisibleVoicePodcast@gmail.com so enjoy the break while I am away. I hope you relax, do make some time to reflect on your show and do some planning for the future, podcasting or otherwise. The summer is such a great time to enjoy, and then as the summer wraps up, that’s where the planning comes in again. So I will talk to you in September and we’ll chat soon.

[MUSIC ENDS // ENERGETIC RHYTHMIC MUSIC WITH CLAPPING ENDS // 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 >>

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