As an online business owner, I know you're balancing all the things. And it's even harder if you're in the classroom full-time or working another job in some capacity. If that's you, you'll have a lot in common with today's guest, Lindsay Dollinger.

Lindsay shares how she's used her podcast to grow her business and how she balances being a podcaster, business owner, and full-time teacher. She shares some really great productivity tips that are completely practical and doable and will help you manage your time as a podcaster alongside all the other roles that you have.

⭐️ Resources Mentioned:

• AppSumo
• StreamYard
• Descript
• Podcast.co
• Kajabi
• Trello
• Follow me on Instagram @podcastingforeducators 

🔗 Connect with Lindsay: 

• Listen to her podcast, Purpose and Pixie Dust
• Check out her website
• Follow on Facebook
• Subscribe on Youtube
• Follow her on Instagram @purposeandpixiedust

🎤 Recommended Podcasting Resources:

• Hosting: Captivate.fm (Get a free 7-day trial!)
• Transcription: Otter.ai
• Project Management: ClickUp
• Private Podcasting: Hello Audio
• Podcast Playlist Toolkit
• Launch Your Podcast: Free Podcast Launch Guide & Podcasting for Educators Prep School
• Level Up Your Podcast: Podcast Like You Mean It
• Leverage Podcast Guesting: Free Guesting Planning Guide & Guesting for Educators Mini-Course

Show Notes: https://podcastingforeducators.com/episode154

Some links mentioned are affiliate links. This helps to support this podcast at no additional cost to you. 

Topics in this episode: tips for podcasters, educational strategies, marketing tips for TPT sellers, online educator tips

Sara Whittaker 0:00

As an online business owner, I know that you are out there balancing all the things. And I know it's even harder if you're in the classroom full time, or working another job in some capacity. If that's you, you'll have a lot in common with today's guest, Lindsey Dollinger. Lindsey shares how she's used her podcast to grow her business, and how she balances being a podcaster, business owner and full time teacher, she shares some really great productivity tips that are completely practical and doable, that will help you manage your time as a podcaster. Alongside all the other roles that you have. Let's get started. Your Podcast is a powerful tool that serves your audience and your business. But how do you manage it all bring in new listeners, and convert those listeners into customers. That's what this show is all about. Welcome to podcasting for educators. I'm Sara Whitaker, classroom teacher turn podcast manager. And I'm here to help you get the most out of your show, all while making an impact on other educators. All right, I am here with Lindsay Lindsay, welcome to the podcast. Thanks so much for being here.

Lindsay Dollinger 1:07

Thanks so much, Sarah. I'm so excited to dive in today.

Sara Whittaker 1:10

I'm excited to we've been following each other on Instagram. And I am having you on today to talk about your experience with podcasting, and how you balance everything because you're in the classroom while also being a business owner and a podcaster, which is not easy to do. And there's a lot of people in our audience who are in that scenario. So this will be really great for others to hear about and hear about your experience and just how you manage everything. So before we get into all of that, can you just tell us a little bit about about your podcast and why you decided to start one in the first place?

Lindsay Dollinger 1:48

Sara Whittaker 4:44

absolutely. That's what you have to do. Because if you I mean, we could wait around forever before getting started. But at some point, you got to rip that band aid off. And it's so funny that you say that I hear that from so many people like if I started this podcast, how am I going to how am I going to come up with enough things to talk about and It ends up being the total opposite. Like I know, right now for me, I'm getting ready. I'm like getting really ahead in my recordings because I'm going to be going out on maternity leave. And I have so many ideas for solo episodes and guest episodes, and I can't even cram it all in. It's crazy how many, like every time you do an episode, it just gives you new ideas for more episodes. So absolutely definitely ends up not being an issue once you get started. Also, I love the name of your podcast, it's just like a little burst of sunshine, I feel like it's such a fun name. Tell me a little bit more about the type of people that you work with. So you work with kind of like ALL types of business owners entrepreneurs.

Lindsay Dollinger 5:42

Sara Whittaker 7:54

I love that. That's such good advice for like any business owner out there. And I love how you've taken because I would imagine probably from teaching, you've realized what your real strengths are. And I would imagine that's where you found like how you are really great at productivity and managing your time. And that translates into an entire business, which is just so cool to think about. So tell us a little bit about how specifically, are you using your podcast as a tool for your business?

Lindsay Dollinger 8:27

Yeah. So a few different ways at the beginning. And still now I use it definitely as a visibility tool. So I do have guest speakers on that I interview, which actually secretly I really enjoy too, because I'm like asking all the questions that like I want to know, right? Like improve my life and business do so I'm like, this is a two for one deal right now, for show. Guest speakers are great, because then they're gonna hopefully share with their audience. And it's just like free exposure. And it's just good. All the way around.

Sara Whittaker 8:58

I love asking people this. Like, I feel like guest episodes are almost easier, because it's a conversation versus a solo episode. I feel like a little bit more planning goes into it. But do you agree? Do you find that as well? Yeah. Yeah,

Lindsay Dollinger 9:14

yeah, I don't prepare anything for my guests episodes, I literally will look over and see, you know, kind of what they do. But I don't plan out questions. I want it just to be a really natural conversation. And I will say out of all the guest interviews I've done, there's only been like one or two that were so awkward. Like, okay, I should have prepared. So like, I have no idea like that. You're not helping me out here. But the majority of that, you know, have been really, really great. But yeah, I agree. Because otherwise, for a solo episode, I do actually have to sit down and plan it out, plan out my bullet points. So it's actually something that I am transitioning to do more of this year. I'm going to I'm going to do more. Like I'm going to position myself as an expert more than I have in the past. Because I do think I have in a certain season fallen on the guest episodes is kind of a crutch like, Okay, well, I don't need to do any of my own. And then I look back and I'm like, Oh my gosh, I've done, you know, 10 guests in a row. Like, it's time for me to like to shine too and just share what I want to share, right? 100%? Yes, I

think it's so important to have those solo episodes in there.

Mm hmm. Yeah. So that's been a little bit tricky to finding that balance. So visibility, and using guests as well, to help me with that. I am active on social media as well. And I love repurposing as much as I can. So I stream my videos alive when I'm going live with guests. So this is, especially with guest, stream them live. And then I will pull information out of them to create posts, stories, I usually go live on my stories afterwards, I'm like, Oh, my gosh, just had this great interview with comment on you know, yada. And then I will also repurpose that into blog posts and email content. So I get an email that goes out every week to my followers, like, this is why you need to listen. Yeah, you know. So I think showing up in all those places, as well, for visibility has been really, really great. So it's helped me grow my audience, because people tell people about it. And then I have a Facebook group that I like to do stuff in as well. So it's just a listener community for my podcasts. And then up until, like, two weeks ago, I had no official sponsors, I was my sponsor of my podcast. So I would promote my own products and my offerings. And every once in a while, I will mention in there, you know, the episode topic came up because of my mastermind call, and some of my clients are dealing with this. So you might be dealing with this too. And so when you start peppering that into your podcast, you know, people are naturally going to hear it and be like, Oh, I'm curious, like, I have those same issues. And if you're able to help them, you know, how can I work with you. And so, little ways like that with topics for sure. But then also using it to promote free webinars, free workshops, my retreat that's coming up, and then after my retreat, or after the webinar, I usually do a podcast kind of recap, as well. So letting people know, hey, this is what happens. These are the transformations. So it's just me trying to warm my audience up. But also using it definitely as a tool to invite them for the next step to work with me if they think that it would be a good fit.

That is such a good idea. I think that's something that a lot of people miss is having some kind of recap episode after. I mean for you, it's having that retreat, and then coming on and sharing about people's experiences, the transformations that they had. But I feel like even if you, you know, if you're using your podcast, as a kind of a runway to your doors opening for your membership, or your course, you can do some sort of recap episode after doors closed, or after a few months or something like that, and share about people's transformations and how the memberships going or how the course group is going. I think that that's really, really smart.

And those are usually really easy episodes to come up with too. Because you know, it's the stuff that you like to talk about, there's so much that you can pour in and share with people. Those ones are actually usually my longer episodes. And then I record them I'm like, I have to listen. actually hear it, you know, but it's also good for me too, because then it helps me walk through and analyze things, too, that maybe I wouldn't have stopped to think about and or give myself some credit for the things that went really well because as business owners, we don't always do that. Either take the time to really celebrate in that and enjoy that. So I've Yeah, I really enjoyed those ones. Yeah,

100%. And it's good for the listeners too. Because usually they they're just hearing about, like this thing that you're doing this workshop or retreat or membership. But then if they can get that kind of behind the scenes and see the types of results that people are having. That's going to be great for them to hear as well. Yeah, they're really good. Do you ever have on people like do you ever interview people from your mastermind or from your for a treat? Come on to the podcast?

You know, I haven't done it for a while. Yeah, I don't normally do them, like Instagram lives or in my Facebook group. I have testimonials up on my webpage, but it's actually on my list to do that. I think I am still honestly trying to finesse like, how to set the questions up in a way that I'm like, tell me how awesome I am. Right? Like I think that's that's hard but at least mindset wise for me. I'm like, Okay, what could that even really look like? Because I've I've heard people do that in a really awesome way. Yeah, on their own shows. And I'm always like, Oh my gosh, this is genius. This is such a good marketing technique. But I am not quite to that level where I have done that yet. On my now I have some clients like I said a couple years ago who were in my membership and I was doing the membership launch and I spread out and had them on. So that's that's on my to do list. Yeah, absolutely.

Yeah, you should totally do that. And I find with First of all, that's like such a fear that Everybody has one of these types of episodes. But I feel like I find that if you can find a really like focal point for the episode, like a specific transformation that the person had or a specific result that they got, and focus on that, and then telling their story of that and just like sharing that experience, it naturally comes out that you are part of that and your program was a part of that. Okay,

that's smart. I'll have to do that. Think about that.

Given that you're welcome. Okay. So you said you were up until two weeks ago, you were your own sponsor? So did you land?

Yes. Tell us about did. That's okay. I don't know how this one's Well, I don't know if exactly fair, because it's my sister. But my sister is totally fair. Yeah, so she has her own. She designs Disney inspired earrings and clothing, accessories. And one herself all the time anyways. And she was like, I should just sponsor your show and give your listeners a special discount code. And I was like, okay, and then she, she was like, well invoice me. And I'm like, what? She was like, Well, I'm paying you. So it was not something that I pitch. So to be fair, you know, it was maybe a little bit easier than normal. But yeah, so and it works. Because it works. Because, you know, it goes with my theming and my branding. And a lot of people who follow me see her in my content, you know, and the other way around. So yeah, so she is my podcast sponsor for the next six months. So I'm putting her stuff in the podcast, I made a little ad to put in and then have also included it in some of my social emails, and then all the blog posts with the code as well. So I'm hoping as well as I'm going along that people are like, Oh, she has sponsors, you know. And then that kind of gets the ball rolling on starting those as well. So I'm looking forward to seeing her analytics, and hopefully that converts really well for her.

Yeah, that's awesome. Congratulations. And it's totally fine that it's your sister. I mean, sponsor is the first sponsor and like you said, right opens that door to future sponsors, because you can say I've had this person sponsor my show before. So good luck with that. It sounds like it's a perfect fit to go with your brand to

it is yeah, it makes sense. And I'm like, it's nothing competing. It's definitely something complimentary. So yeah, it should be really good. Awesome.

Awesome. So cool. Okay, so now let's talk a little bit about how you balance it all. Because you, you've got your podcasts, you got your business, and you are also in the classroom. Are you in the classroom full time,

man? Yeah. Okay.

So how do you do it all just got home.

Very, very careful planning and system. So I sit down Sunday morning, I plan the week out, make sure you know, the pencil in all the stuff that I have to personally work clients work out. That's a really big one that I usually, you know, put on the backburner and I can always tell what I'm putting on the backburner. I am also very, I have strict boundaries around my sleep, because a couple years ago, I did not and really got burnt out and just run down and just kind of hated everything. Business School, you know, all the things. So very, very careful planning. But I also love systems love automation. So for example, I use a well I mentioned I use stream yard. So I record my podcasts on stream yard. And because of that, it's I'm able to stream it live on to LinkedIn, YouTube, Facebook, will do Instagram. Now I haven't played around with doing that. And I just really have a really like clean system. So I stream everything live immediately. When I get off as a guest interview, I click to download it. So I'll download the audio. I'll download the video, as well and immediately put it into script. Do the editing super quick, because it's so quick. I love the script. And and I just started using the script before that I didn't know what it was called. But I used it was part of it was actually a part of my podcast host did some of that for me. But if you host with podcast.co I have never heard of anyone else that has used that. I've heard which is so funny because I'm always like podcast I call or whatever. I'm always kind of just like waiting to get an email though. They're like going out of business or something. No, I use them. They've been great, great customer service. So awesome. Look into them. If you Yeah, if you want a new podcast and yeah, so I repurpose a ton, like I already mentioned on the show. And then I use Kajabi for my website, email, everything's all in one there. I have funnel setup for freebies. So that is really nice that I have you know, the email automations that go out for everything. I've created templates for my emails. So my Monday email newsletter kind of style looks pretty similar. Just have to like plug and play with it. I have a Trello board that I keep everything organized all my ideas every month. content ideas, like literally anything you could think of is in that Trello board. So, when, for example, you asked for my bio, I just pulled up my Trello board, I have a card in his bio, and I click copy and paste, and I stick it in the email. So it's just little things like that, that instead of like sitting down to think about, like, yeah, you could write your bio in like, three, four or five minutes. But you don't have to, if you can just copy and paste and send it over.

It's so mental capacity, like tasks like that. It requires you to like really stop and think and it, it's so much easier to just have things like that saved. Yes,

yes, yeah, it is a and I didn't know how much of a difference it would make sense. I tell my clients because they give them a copy of the template, I can them so many Trelleborg templates, bless their hearts. But like, my business blueprint is the one that I call this. And I'm like, you have to use this, I'm telling you, you have to use this. So that's really helpful. And then, as you were mentioning with your energy, so Tuesdays are my podcast days. So this worked out really well that we're recording on Tuesday. So I just do and I just do one a day, I used to do two or three. Do you know anything about human design? Are you familiar with human design?

I'm actually not very familiar with that. Oh, no, I but I one of the podcasts I listened to had an episode about that. And it's I haven't listened to it. Yeah, but I have heard about it. And I'm, I would love to learn more.

Yeah, so I'm a projector. So basically, projectors are meant to guide and teach which makes sense based off of the things I enjoy doing. But energy wise and this IMO every time I hear this I'm like, but you're you're meant to work like two to four hours a day tops. And so projectors are actually make really bad usually classroom teachers because we got short with people we got like no more like no more, you know, I can't take it. And so I realized if I was teaching and then coming home and then having to be on again for a podcast interview, or two or three. And then so I've adjusted that as well with like my one on one client, like my mastermind nights are on Monday nights. And that is the only thing I do for my business on Monday. Because I'm like, I want to give them my entire energy. And that's all I can get. So being really self aware as well has really helped me to figure out and fine tune so Mondays mastermind, Tuesdays is podcast, everything to do with the podcast, I you know, I knock it out. Wednesdays, I do a lot of follow up or just some client work with that. Thursdays I usually do pitching and outreach. Fridays is also follow up. And then I do content, usually on Sunday mornings, sometimes a little bit sprinkled throughout. Because I like content. I love creating things. So that doesn't actually seem you know, like work. Yeah, but yeah, that's really like, my biggest thing is repurposing setting up systems. So anytime I do something more than once I'm like, Okay, I need to record a video and put this on YouTube, you know, and make it unlisted. And that way, when my clients asked me again, I just quickly send them the link, and then they can ask me follow up questions if they want. So really figuring out those things, like you said to save energy, like your energy leaks has been really huge for me. Oh

my gosh, yes, I I totally agree all of those little things. Like I was thinking you said something a minute ago. Oh, how you right after you record, you download the file right then in there. Like, that's such a big deal. And like with get like, I record my intros for interviews separately, so I always record it right after the interview. Whereas I know a lot of people like this happens with my clients all the time. They don't record that intro right away. And then what happens is, when it comes time for that episode to be ready to air, there's no intro and they forget what they talked about. And they don't have the motivation. So just like whatever you can do in that moment, when it comes to your podcast. I think it's so beneficial to just get it done right then in there. Yeah. Curious, because I love that you stream in all of those different places. Do you find that you get people who are watching live when you do those? LinkedIn?

Facebook? Usually Yes, can you depends on the time because I usually record anywhere from four to six. So I feel like that's like dinnertime. Kind of a weird time. Yeah, YouTube, I did not see live so I actually don't stream live on YouTube anymore. I when I download that video, I immediately turn around and upload it to YouTube. And then I will usually actually go back when I sit down to do the show notes and finish everything with podcast and edit the description on YouTube. And I found that I get way more YouTube views actually not for a live video. So the live wasn't really helping me. So I'm like, Okay, I'm gonna take an extra two minutes to do the upload instead. Now LinkedIn, yeah, people people do watch live. And actually one of my best clients came from binging me on interviews on YouTube. So I was like, Okay, well, we're still doing it. And to my knowledge, I have only had one, but the amount of money that she has brought in I'm like, Okay, this is you know, Oh, why not like I have the content, even if it's not always SEO optimized and yada, yada, it's up there. So I think I have, I want to say like 400 YouTube videos, when I looked, I was like, this is just insane. Wow. So but I don't have any crazy number of subscribers or anything like that is slowly growing, which is nice. And I'm like, I have the content. Now I just started playing around with putting YouTube covers so that it actually looks nice when people come to my page on things because they don't have any fancy, you know, basically, I don't edit them at all. So it's not going to be probably your YouTube videos that are going to be top converting. But I have noticed since I put the covers on, I have gotten some more views on them as well. So I'm slowly going through those as I have time, because it's not a huge priority for me to make that a little cleaner looking.

Yeah, no, that's so smart. I mean, if you have the ability to use something like stream yard that, like you're recording anyway, so why not? Go ahead, write it on those platforms. So then like for LinkedIn, when you're streaming on there, so then you'll just leave that video up on there as is? Yep.

Yeah, love it. So you're able to put like a little description. So since I don't necessarily know how our conversation is going to go ahead of time, I will usually say, purpose and pixie dust live guest interview featuring put the guest I'll put their little bio that they had to fill out with me. And then I'll say join us as we talk about and then I also have a My questionnaire, you know, what are the top topics you want to talk about, and I'll like tweak that a little bit. And so that's the description that goes on the video on Facebook, LinkedIn. And then that's the one I will put up on YouTube until I have time to go in and like tweak it, as well. But I don't tweak it on LinkedIn or Facebook after it's already up. I'm like, people can watch it if they want. And then I always stream them to the actual podcast if they want to listen there. But I get quite a few people listening to the video version of it on both those platforms, which to me, it's fine. I'm like, I don't really care if you're consuming it, you know which way you're consuming it. As long as I'm getting in front of you. You are hearing the things that you need to hear. And hopefully we're still staying connected. Yeah,

for sure. And you're giving people options. You're just kind of like meeting people where they're at, depending on which app they want to be on. So I think that that's amazing. You've got it sounds like you've got such a nice system. I'm so impressed with like, how you have been keeping up with everything and I'm totally with you, you use Trello I use clickup Regardless of like which platform you choose, I think having a project management tool of some sort is an absolute game changer. I can't imagine running my business without a project management tool. Hard No. No or no. Yes. Okay, well, other than, and it could be something that you've kind of already touched on. But like I said, In the beginning, I definitely have people who are listening who either have already started their podcast and they're still in the classroom, or they still have some sort of full time job other than their online business. So kind of like two full time jobs really, or I have I know I have people listening who have been wanting to start a podcast but one of their biggest holdups is time, like I'm in the classroom all day, how in the world? Am I going to add something else to my plate? So if you could just give them maybe like one piece of advice for somebody who is wanting to start a show, but is also in the classroom and worried about time? What would you what would you say to them?

Okay, I'm gonna bunch this all in as one piece of advice.

I know, it's just one thing.

I know, just one thing. So I would just say, chunk it out and baby steps. So sit down and write down a list of everything that you realistically need to do, like, do you realistically need to spend two hours editing it? No, not at all. And honestly, I just started editing my show when I got to script a couple weeks ago. Other than that I did I use GarageBand. And so I would literally just like cut out chunks, but there's really not much editing at least that I know how to do on GarageBand. So don't let the tech, someone told me this in my business a long time ago, you know, don't let the tech hold you back. So figure out what you actually truly need to know. And if you have 15 minutes, you can get a lot done in 15 minutes, you know, write out your outline for your show, and get that done today. And then tomorrow, come up with your graphic for your podcast cover. And so just you know, break it up into little pieces. It doesn't have to be done all in one day all in one sitting. I definitely did not do that. And then put a date on your calendar where you're actually going to sit down and record. Like just get it done. Just do it. Otherwise, you'll be like me and you buy the thing in January and you don't actually do it until June. And you'll be like why did I wait six months? Eight. You know, the best time to start was yesterday. So baby steps and just do what you can. Yes,

great advice babies. steps all the way it doesn't have to you can either sit in like analysis paralysis for 15 minutes every day or you can do something because I'm with I totally agree that there's so much you can do in those 15 minutes. So, great advice. Thank you so much for sharing just all about how you manage everything and how your podcast is going. Can you tell everybody where they can find you online if they want to connect after listening today?

Yeah, thank you so much there. This is really fun. So I'm Lindsay Dollinger. All the places. So you can go to my website, Lindsey Dollinger. And that's within a everyone always spells it with an E that I'm an a, I'm a Lindsey A. So Lindsey dollinger.com, Lindsey Dellinger on Instagram. And then you can find me over on Facebook as well as YouTube literally everywhere. I think I'm the only one. If you find another one, let me know because it's probably an impostor account.

I love it. It's nice when it's the same name across all the platforms. That's how I am to have podcasting read. Yeah, there's it makes it easy. Yes, absolutely. Well, Lindsey, thank you so much.

Yeah. You're so welcome.

Thanks again to Lindsay for joining us today. I love how Lindsay shared really simple things that you can do to make the most of your time and save mental energy while getting all the things done. If you've been considering a podcast, but you're unsure of how you could do it on limited time, I hope that this episode has inspired you to jump in. If it has, you can download my free podcast launch guide to help you get started at podcasting for educators.com/launch guide. I am always cheering you on as you get started with your podcasting journey. And I'll see you here next week. Thanks so much for listening to today's episode. To keep this conversation going connect with me on Instagram at podcasting for educators. I'm always looking for an excuse to talk about podcasting. If you're looking for support and launching, managing or growing your podcast, check out my online course the podcasting for educators prep school at podcasting for educators.com/prep school. I'll see you here next time.