What happens when you start a podcast to promote your book, but the podcast grows into something much bigger than you expected?
In this episode, I sit down with Jessica Danel, host of Jess Sayin’ with Jessica Danel, to talk about starting a podcast from scratch, learning the production process as she goes, and using real-life stories to connect with parents, authors, entrepreneurs, and people who have been through hard things and come out the other side.
Jessica shares how her book, Bucket List from a Redneck Girl, led her into podcasting, why she wanted to create conversations around parenting, trauma, entrepreneurship, and resilience, and how the show quickly became more than just a way to promote her book. She also talks about building a business from her living room, becoming an author, and now adding podcast host and producer to the list.
You’ll pick up practical lessons on launching before you feel fully ready, creating a production workflow, batching episodes ahead of time, using tools like Riverside, Canva, ChatGPT, Suno, PodMatch, and MatchMaker.fm, and managing guest booking without burning yourself out. You’ll hear how Jessica records, edits, creates shorts, prepares guest outlines, and keeps her show relaxed, conversational, and human. We also talk about the challenge of balancing podcasting with work, family, kids, dogs, house problems, and everyday life.
Tune in for an honest and encouraging conversation about figuring podcasting out as you go, staying curious, and building something meaningful one episode at a time.
Connect With Jessica Danel
Website: https://jesssaying.net/
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Chapters
00:00 Welcome to My Podcast Story
00:19 Meet Jessica Danel
00:49 What Jess Sayin’ with Jessica Danel Is About
01:44 How Her Book Inspired the Podcast
02:36 Building a Million-Dollar Business from Scratch
03:29 The Story Behind Bucket List from a Redneck Girl
05:47 When Jessica Started Her Podcast
06:43 How She Stays Ahead with Scheduled Episodes
07:12 Balancing Podcasting, Work, Family, and Life
08:20 Creating a Conversational and Relaxed Podcast Style
09:24 A Powerful Episode About a School Shooting
11:23 Behind the Scenes of Jessica’s Production Workflow
12:03 Using Riverside, Canva, Suno, and ChatGPT
13:51 Adding Intros, Music, Guest Promos, and Episode Elements
15:07 Creating Social Shorts for Each Guest
16:08 Learning Podcasting Through Pat Flynn and YouTube
17:24 Why She Dropped Multiple Episodes at Launch
18:11 Editing the Podcast Herself
18:43 Biggest Early Podcasting Challenge
19:27 Why Time Management Became the Hardest Part
20:37 Learning to Limit Appointments and Avoid Burnout
22:20 Why Jessica Started a Podcast After Writing Her Book
24:18 Leaving Something Meaningful Behind for Her Kids
25:18 Whether the Podcast Makes Money Yet
26:21 Future Plans, Books, Coaching, and Business Ideas
27:40 Helpful Tools for Books, Podcasting, and Promotion
28:08 How Jessica Uses ChatGPT for Guest Prep
30:32 Creating Business Cards and Visuals with Canva
32:45 Becoming a Producer by Figuring It Out
34:00 What Podcast Success Means to Jessica
35:26 Why Jessica Believes Things Are Figure-Out-Able
36:06 Finding Podcast Guests Through PodMatch and MatchMaker.fm
36:58 Advice for New Podcasters
39:30 Where to Find Jessica, Her Podcast, and Her Book
40:56 Final Thanks
41:00 Closing Thoughts from Wisdom
