When looking back at your year in 2021, what do you think of first? There have probably been some big life events, both good and bad.
There have probably also been new connections and relationships that have become more important in your personal life and business. In the podcasting world, we’re so grateful that meeting amazing new people is the norm. 2021 was an especially big year for us, because we finally met people we’d been trying to connect with for years!
Building Unforgettable Relationships — Through Podcasting!
This past year, John Corcoran finally got an interview with the Founder of Kinko’s, Paul Orfalea, and discovered that he started Kinko’s in a 100-square-foot office very close to the University of California, Santa Barbara, where John went to college. Learning how Paul turned his tiny office into a global brand with 1,000 offices and $2 billion in sales was incredibly inspiring.
Similarly, Jeremy has always aspired to interview Alvy Ray Smith, the Co-founder of Pixar, and emailed him over nine years ago — they’ve corresponded back and forth ever since. Much of the delay for Alvy’s appearance was because he wanted to appear on the podcast after his book was finished. Initially, he thought it’d only take a year; however, the book ended up taking nine years to finish. They never lost touch and laughed about it together when Alvy finally joined Jeremy on the podcast this year. (His book, A Biography of the Pixel, is out now!)
Some of the most important relationships you make aren’t always with famous individuals, though. There are a number of our podcast guests who are service providers or business owners that we end up working with personally and professionally.
John recently interviewed Katty Douraghy, Owner of Artisan Creative, a staffing and recruiting agency for digital, creative, and marketing talent. They had an insightful conversation about both growing Artisan Creative and her memoir, The Butterfly Years: A Journey Through Grief Toward Hope. After the interview, the EO forum John belongs to hired Katty to facilitate a retreat.
Creating Connections One Episode At A Time
Podcasts have also allowed us to reconnect with and give exposure to longtime friends. For John, that’s Andrei Cherny, a friend from his days working in the White House over 25 years ago. He became John’s recent podcast guest after Andrei started a new mission-driven fintech company called Aspiration.
While reflecting on the past year and years past, what amazes us most is how having a podcast gives you a new lens on opportunity and connection. In 2021, Jeremy discovered a new love for kombucha, especially Wild Tonic kombucha — so, one day, he decided to take a picture of the bottle he was drinking and email the address listed on the label.
In the email, he expressed just how much he loved their product and asked if he could host an interview with someone from the brand for his podcast. Not only did they happily accept, but they also sent Jeremy a case of kombucha and gave him an open invitation to their main headquarters for a tour of their facility.
Looking Forward To New Relationships
2021 was a huge year for us as podcast hosts, entrepreneurs, and people. Our podcast guests had a big part in making this year so memorable, and we couldn’t be more grateful. Thanks for reading, and be sure to visit our Rise25 blog to see what we have lined up for the new year!
If you’d like to learn more about how you can leverage podcasting to generate leads, nurture relationships, and build your “Dream 100” relationships and connections, then visit Rise25.com or book a call with us today!