It’s the first anniversary of the Love my Museum podcast! In this episode, host Amy Kehs reflects on the past year, shares how the show started, highlights favorite moments and most popular episodes, and gives a sneak peek of what’s coming next.

Links from the Episode:

Mentioned in this episode:

• Episode 2: Introducing the Love My Museum Podcast
• Episode 3: Things I Know for Sure
• Episode 4: Putting Your People First
• Episode 5: Planning the Planning
• Episode 9: Creating Brand Love for Your Museum
• Episode 26: Looking at the Next 90 Days

Guest Episodes:

• Episode 11: Featuring Tacey Atkinson — Host of the Customers First Podcast
• Episode 21: Featuring  Kyra Pogge Brewka — Host of The Authentic Communicator Podcast
• Episode 23: Featuring Mary Zell Galen

Other shout-outs:

• Rachel Aiken, The Program Consultancy
• Lou Mongello, Host of WDW Radio and founder of the Momentum conference
• Conor Brown, Vacation Kingdoms
• Katie, Apostrophe Communications

More Free Resources for Museums:

• Museum Planning Calendar
• Museum Metrics Template

About the host: 

Amy Kehs is a brand strategist and communications expert for museums. She has owned Kehs Communications since 2000 and has worked for the most renowned and well-loved museums in Washington, D.C. Her goal is to ensure that museums thrive into the next century and she hopes people will come to love museums as much as she does. Her proven process sets up proactive communication habits for museums, cultivating relationships with visitors who will want to return and bring a friend. Want to talk more? Click this link to book a call.

It's the one year anniversary of the Love My Museum podcast,

2

and I am so glad you're here.

3

Whether you've been listening

from the start or just found the

4

show, this episode, is for you.

5

Let's get started.

6

Hello and welcome to the

Love My Museum podcast.

7

I'm your host, Amy Keys,

and I love museums.

8

I'm also a brand strategist and

communications expert for museums,

9

and this is a really special episode.

10

Today marks one year of the Love My

Museum podcast, I just can't believe that.

11

I can't believe that

it's been a whole year.

12

And so on today's episode, I'm going to

reflect a little bit on the past year.

13

I'm going to tell you The backstory of

exactly how I created the podcast and why

14

I created the podcast, I'm going to tell

you some of the most downloaded episodes.

15

I'll tell you some of my favorite moments

and also tell you what's coming next.

16

So why did I start a podcast and

what was I hoping it would become?

17

One year ago, I launched the Love My

Museum podcast as kind of a love letter to

18

museums and the people that work in them.

19

After 30 years in the museum world and a

slight career shift that included working

20

with online business owners on brand

messaging and internal communication, I

21

realized just how many of those strategies

could transform the way that museums work.

22

worked and also connected with their

audiences and supported their staff.

23

And as I started sharing those

tools with my museum clients,

24

the impact was incredible.

25

Teams were working more smoothly,

communication improved, and

26

people started to feel more

connected to their work again.

27

That also translates to your visitors,

and so decided to go all in on museums

28

and I only work with museums, and

before long, I was fully booked.

29

I had more projects than I could

take on, and while that's a wonderful

30

problem to have, I kept thinking,

how can I help even more museums?

31

Because there's only one of me, this

podcast became one of those answers.

32

It's a way to share practical

ideas and inspiration and

33

strategies with more people.

34

It was also a way to help more

people beyond just my client list.

35

And the name Love My

Museum is very intentional.

36

It's about helping your audience love

your museum, but it's also about helping

37

you love working there again too.

38

To be honest, I had been thinking about

doing a podcast probably for at least

39

a year before I actually started it.

40

My business coach, Rachel, and I had been

talking about it for a while and it had

41

been on my list and I had kept putting

it off mostly because I was scared.

42

I was, scared of the tech parts of it, and

I was also scared about having something

43

else on my plate because I know myself

and I know that being consistent and

44

showing up is really important to me.

45

I know that from my weekly emails, I have

not missed a week in, three years now.

46

So I knew that.

47

starting a podcast for me

was going to be a commitment.

48

If you've been listening to the podcast

for a while, you probably also know that.

49

every year I attend a

conference called Momentum.

50

It's in Disney World and it

is hosted by Lou Mangiello.

51

In addition to being an amazing

Guide and mentor for my business.

52

Lou Mangiello is also

an amazing podcast host.

53

His podcast WDW radio has been going since

54

and he has just been inducted into the

podcast Hall of Fame One of the things

55

that I love about what Lou teaches,

and what we talk about at Momentum,

56

is ways of creating community, and

ways of reaching people, and helping

57

people, and making those connections.

58

And of course, he is a huge

proponent of the podcast.

59

And a lot of the people that I go to

Momentum with, and who are in my support

60

system, my support network, have podcasts.

61

At Momentum we have these things called

Table Talks, where a couple of times

62

during the day we will break out groups,

and each table will kind of have a

63

topic, and you can visit the different

tables and learn about that topic.

64

So at the Fall 2023 Momentum,

there was a podcasting table talk.

65

my friend Connor Brown was running that

table talk, and my friend Christine and I

66

just kind of We parked ourselves in front

of Connor and we're like, tell us all the

67

things, tell us everything we should do.

68

Connor walked us through

each and every step.

69

and better yet, he told us.

70

If he knew now what he knew

when he started his podcast,

71

what he would have done.

72

So he told us what tools

he thought we should use,

73

He told us how to get started.

74

Well, let's be honest.

75

It was just a really great kick in

the pants crash course from Connor.

76

shout out to Connor, if you're listening,

thank you for all of your help.

77

So when I got back from Momentum

that year, I had all of the

78

information from Connor, I had

talked to Rachel, and I felt ready.

79

I was determined and was saying

to myself, yes, I am going to

80

start my podcast in January.

81

And then, the end of 2023 was just a lot.

82

At the beginning of November,

there was a death in the family.

83

I had already planned a trip to go to

London at the beginning of December.

84

My daughter was doing the Disney

college program at Disney World, so for

85

Thanksgiving and Christmas, we We're

away for both of those holidays so that

86

we could spend them with her as the

end of the year got closer and Closer,

87

I was starting to freak out about this

idea of starting a podcast in January.

88

and then Rachel reminded me

Amy it's your own business

89

you can start it whenever you want.

90

January, the beginning of the year

is It's actually the time where, you

91

know, when most people are starting

New Year's resolutions, that's the

92

time that I'm kind of reflecting and

resting after the holiday season.

93

And spring for me is a much more natural

time of year to start something new.

94

so, I took some of that pressure off

myself and decided that April would

95

be when I would launch the podcast.

96

I hired Katie from Apostrophe

Communications to help me with

97

the planning and the strategy

and all of the work leading up

98

to the launch of the podcast.

99

February 2024 is when I put out

the trailer for the podcast.

100

I had, I think it was five episodes ready

101

That's kind of how it all started.

102

When I go back now and listen

to the earlier episodes, man,

103

I, I can tell that I'm nervous.

104

It doesn't really sound like me.

105

I had dinner with some friends last month

and one of my friends has been, listening

106

to some of my episodes, and he's like,

man, Amy, those first few episodes,

107

you don't, don't sound like yourself.

108

you sound very serious.

109

that's what I hear when I go back

and listen to the earlier episodes.

110

You could definitely tell that

I was nervous and not quite

111

sure how I wanted to show up.

112

I wanted to share with you some of my most

listened to episodes, which actually a lot

113

of them are some of the first episodes.

114

that I did.

115

The most listened to episode is the

introduction, which is episode two, called

116

Introducing the Love My Museum Podcast.

117

The next most listened to episode is

episode five, Planning the Planning.

118

That's also one of my favorites.

119

Next is episode three, also one of my

favorites, called Things I Know for Sure.

120

And number four on my top five list is

episode four, Putting Your People First.

121

Next is kind of a tie, for that last

spot, episode nine, Creating Brand

122

Love for Your Museum, and also episode

26, Looking at the Next 90 Days.

123

I will link those in the show notes if

you'd like to go back and listen to them.

124

Now my favorite episodes have definitely

been the episodes where I had guests.

125

I've had three guests so far.

126

my first guest was my friend Tacey

Atkinson of the Customers First Podcast.

127

I have been on Tacey's podcast a lot, so

it was really nice to have her on mine.

128

That was so much fun to record

and spend time with Tacey.

129

My other two guests have been

my friend Kyra Pogchibrevka.

130

I will link that episode.

131

She is from the podcast,

The Authentic Communicator.

132

Kyra and I go to Momentum together and

we're great friends and we also are in

133

a Mastermind group together right now.

134

I just love hearing all of Kira's

thoughts around being authentic when

135

you're communicating to your audiences.

136

My third guest was Mary Zell Galen,

I will link that episode as well.

137

Mary Zell reached out to me,

actually, and asked if she

138

could come and be on the podcast

139

we talked a lot about starting

a career in the museum world

140

and the work that she's doing.

141

In terms of surprises, what has

surprised me most about having a podcast

142

is when I hear from people who have

listened and who have gotten a lot of

143

takeaways who don't work in a museum.

144

Hear it from friends.

145

I get messages from strangers, who

say, That they had, have stumbled

146

upon my podcast and they don't work

in a museum, but there were a lot of

147

things that they learned that they

wanted to implement at their own job.

148

I would definitely say that one of my

favorite moments over the past year was

149

going to the Small Museum Association

conference and having people either

150

recognize me as the podcast host

first or even recognize my voice.

151

That was really, really cool

152

I'm excited for the next year

of the Love My Museum podcast.

153

I'm hoping to have a lot more

guests on the podcast this year.

154

I'm working on that now

and I also have Smothered.

155

Really exciting episodes planned.

156

I would love to know what you want

more of for year two on the podcast.

157

What questions do you have?

158

What topics would you

like me to dive into?

159

Let me know.

160

I will leave my contact information in

the show notes and I think that's it.

161

Thank you so much for listening

to the Love My Museum podcast.

162

and for helping me celebrate one year.

163

Thank you to my little team and my

support system, Rachel and Connor

164

and Katie, and my assistant Liz.

165

And thank you to all of the guests

that I had on during this first year.

166

Thank you to Tacey and Kira and Mary Zell.

167

Thank you so much to my

family and my friends who have

168

all been super supportive.

169

Thank you.

170

To the listeners.

171

if you're a new listener or if you've

listened to every episode, I really,

172

really appreciate your support.

173

I would love it If you could rate

and review the podcast or share

174

it with another museum colleague.

175

Be sure to check out the show notes today.

176

There's a lot of great stuff

in there and thanks so much

177

for listening and celebrating

one year of podcasting with me.

178

Bye bye.