Podcasting With Purpose: Redefining Queer Aging And Empowerment
Get an exclusive glimpse into the thought process and meticulous planning that went into crafting this new powerful podcast.
Creating a podcast from scratch is a big undertaking. I have been working on The New Maturity blog since 2019. In that time I created 5 guides, a newsletter, and an Instagram account. This was in addition to a full-time job, having a social life with my friends, and striving to be a good spouse. Adding a podcast was never part of the plan. However, I like to challenge myself and learn new things.
To be honest, the blog felt like it wasn’t connecting with the intended audience I set out to write for. After spending so much time and energy on this project, I was hoping it would be ‘further along’. Self-doubt started to creep in. I took a break from writing and working on the project. It also didn’t help that my day job started to get kind of nuts. During the break, I spent time thinking about what I wanted The New Maturity to be. I also thought about stuff I’ve flub’d in the past like relationships, becoming a barber, training to run a marathon, jobs that were a really bad fit, and tons more! So far, those losses haven't slowed me down. In fact, they have given me some pretty incredible life lessons. It’s also helping me evolve my direction.
"I want to elevate and honor queer stories, particularly those of mature people." -Heath Brockwell
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"I want to elevate and honor queer stories, particularly those of mature people." -Heath Brockwell •
The New Maturity is my third passion project. Other projects were a wrapping paper company and a design studio. Both lasted about 3 and a half years. I had high expectations for both projects. When they failed to hit the mental metrics I gave them, I jumped ship. The New Maturity was trending in that direction. Not quite sure what the next step would be, I set up a meeting with Diana Zelvin. She’s a coach, strategist, and psychotherapist. We spoke about what I wanted to do and where I hoped to take this project. Would I become a coach, write books, a speaker, or continue publishing the blog?
After meeting together over Zoom for multiple sessions we kept coming back to the idea of a podcast. Before I fully committed, I turned to some other resources to help guide me. I’m a big fan of Marie Forleo’s work. Recently she interviewed Seth Godin about his new book, “The Song of Significance: A New Manifesto for Teams” Following his prompts, I spent an hour doing his mapping and organizing podcast project. This helped put me on a path to figuring out my next steps. I’m not going to lie. This wasn’t easy work. Below are some of the questions I needed to answer and reflect on so I could make this podcast. They might seem basic, but when I’ve taken on other projects of this magnitude, I had never dedicated time to pregame like this. Eventually I wound up creating a 30-page deck on what I wanted the podcast to be.
I’m sharing this with you because launching an idea and getting it off the ground can be incredibly frustrating. Hopefully by pulling the curtain back and sharing my process, it can help you. If you want to see the full deck, shoot me an email and I’d be happy to share.
Why do I want to do this project? I want to elevate and honor queer stories, particularly those of mature people.
Whoʼs on the team?• Heath Brockwell, Executive Producer, Writer, Host
• Maria Brockwell, Contributor, ʻCall Your Momʼ segment
• Deb Olley, Chief Copy Editor
• Diana Zelvin, Strategist
Whatʼs the specific change this team is going to make? Weʼre adding a podcast to The New Maturityʼs offerings. The goal is to expand our audience reach.
Whatʼs my personal role in making that change happen? My personal role is to produce (write/record/host/produce/promote/distribute) Season 1 of the podcast.
Who needs to help me and who needs my help?Partner Help: Iʼll be taking a class via Multitude. Start class: June 11. Complete the class July 11.
Partner Help: Deb Olley will be copy editing the pitch deck.
Send copy to Deb: July 12 Copy back from Deb: July 26
HB Role: Make a deck of ideas and what I've learned. Start production: 7/28 Finish Deck: 8/11.
Partner Help: Iʼll be working with Diana Zelvin to get her feedback. My goal is to send her a deck by 8/15.
Partner Help: Sessions start with Diana the week of 8/28.
HB Role: Once sessions are completed with Diana, elements of the deck will move to the website and live on a ʻpodcastʼ tab.
Whatʼs the risk for us, for me, and for the people we serve?None. I'm pivoting from writing blog posts to creating and recording a podcast. I hope to still continue the newsletter; just not as frequently. It will also evolve the narrative and home in on the new tagline ʻGet better with ageʼ.
Whatʼs the timing of this project? The budget? I'd like to complete the deck by 8/11 and send it to Diana on 8/15. We'll resume sessions the week of 8/28. I'd like the podcast to launch March 7, 2024. Budget: I need to build a spreadsheet with the budget broken down. Since it will be self-produced, I'm confident it wonʼt cost more than $1,000 a year.
What am I afraid of?Not much. Iʼve already spent so much time and effort building the blog and guides. If it doesnʼt take off, I canʼt say that I didnʼt try.
Whatʼs the benefit to each party involved?To share uplifting stories and grow The New Maturityʼs audience. Iʼm also excited to engage with the queer community and help them get better with age.
What do I need to learn to support or lead this change?I need to learn lots. I like taking on big projects and learning new things, so I'm excited to dig in.
NEXT:
Mastering Your Mid-Years
Discover how this innovative show breaks away from the usual podcast landscape, forging a new path for aging and empowerment.
