New podcast features: Spirits & Lyrics, and Careerfluencer

I love that being a guest on podcasts is starting to be a pretty regular thing around here. It’s so easy to do these days, with great sites like Zencastr that record each person’s audio separately, and with my amazing Yeti X microphone that sounds AMAZING and just plugs in via USB, voila. (Totally not sponsored, but should be!)

Earlier this week, I was featured on episode 44 of Careerfluencer Podcast, which was titled “Trusting Your Inner Voice Instead Of Chasing Fame, with Crissi Cochrane”. Careerfluencer episodes are typically between 9 and 15 minutes, targeted towards millennials and other folks who are starting up new businesses and careers, and each short episode is packed with info, stories, and advice. I chatted with the program’s curator Cynthia Heisch from her home in Miami Florida, and our half-hour conversation was edited into a power-15-minute-monologue of things I wish I had known when I was younger.

Listen to this episode from Careerfluencer on Spotify. Pay attention to the inner voice that tells you when something feels right, and have the courage to fully commit! In this episode, hear Crissi's inspiring story of building a successful career as a musician from scratch, how she was able to stay true to herself instead of feeling pressured to chase fame, and the power of self-confidence during times of struggle.

Also this past week, I got a bit of airtime in the “Windsor, Ontario: Duality” episode of the Spirits & Lyrics Podcast, where each episode focuses on a particular region and shares a drink, a supernatural story, and some music from that locale. Such a killer format for a podcast! (It reminds me of Dinner Party Download Podcast, which shares a a drink based on a historical event, a musician sharing what songs they’d put on at a dinner party, unusual conversation topics and jokes, etc… so cool!).

Listen to this episode from Spirits & Lyrics on Spotify.

This past Wednesday night, I was working on shooting a live performance video in our basement studio, at the request of a couple TV programs locally and out east, and for each, I was asked to speak a little bit about how COVID-19 has impacted me as a musician. In preparing my remarks, I realized that I had expected to spend 2020 busy with publicity engagements and performances promoting Heirloom, my first album in six years, but two weeks after the album release show, we went into self-isolation, and have had to rethink what 2020 will look like for us. It was a disorienting first couple weeks, but now I think we are busier than ever, and in particular, I’m pretty excited that I’ve been able to keep a regular schedule of podcast tapings. (More to come soon!)

Part of the way that I’ve been able to get so many great podcasting gigs lately is through a website called Poddit, where you sign up either as a podcaster or as someone who’d like to be a guest on podcasts, and then you can search for people to book, or shows to be on. I love it and highly recommend it!

I personally love podcasts, I find they’re the perfect way to keep my brain happy and engaged when I’m doing some menial tasks like cooking, cleaning, or crafting. My favourites right now are funny ones: CBC’s Because News, CBC’s The Debaters, CBC’s Laugh Out Loud. I also enjoy Radiolab and the occasional Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me (when they aren’t treating republican politicians like celebrities and bashing Bernie Sanders, anyway). Let me know what your favourite podcast is in the comments below, I’d love to check out some new ones!