In this transformative episode of the One Small Change podcast, Christelle Biiga joins Yvonne McCoy to reveal how sharing personal stories—not just expertise—on podcasts can spark profound personal growth and have far-reaching professional impact. Christelle Biiga opens up about her harrowing journey of immigrating to the US, being unjustly detained, and the healing and business evolution that followed when she began speaking openly about her past. Together with Yvonne McCoy, they explore why authenticity matters for entrepreneurs, how to strategically select and leverage podcast guest spots, and ways to maximize the ripple effect from every appearance. This episode is packed with practical steps and inspiring wisdom for anyone ready to amplify their message and legacy.

Guest Bio:

Christelle Biiga is a coach, storyteller, and founder of a podcast guesting agency dedicated to helping entrepreneurs boost visibility and impact through powerful storytelling. After overcoming extraordinary personal adversity as a new immigrant to the US, she transformed her pain into purpose by sharing her journey on podcasts—which not only brought healing but also inspired and uplifted thousands. Today, Christelle Biiga empowers others to connect with audiences, amplify their message, and leave a lasting legacy.

Chapters:

00:00 "One Small Change Podcast"

04:57 "Authenticity Over Professional Persona"

09:51 "Entrepreneurship Beyond Transactions"

13:31 "Podcasts Build a Lasting Legacy"

16:14 "Defining Purpose in Podcasting"

19:10 "Unpaid Exposure is Valuable"

21:29 "Be Seen as AI Expert"

26:32 "Share Your Story, Build Legacy"

27:50 "Embrace Change, Stay Curious"

Quote from the Guest:

"I want you to remember that what you have...accomplished with your brand and your business matters. It matters so much that the world needs to know."

Link:

Your Podcast Guesting Playbook: A Step-by-Step Guide to Amplifying Your Authority through Top-rated Podcasts.

It includes everything you need to know about podcast guesting, a list of over 100 top-rated podcasts in various niches, and a pitch kit (with your personal AI assistant) to help you write pitches that get yeses.

Claim yours here for $27 only: https://reply.exposuremaven.com/yourpodcastguestingplaybook

Welcome to the One Small Change. I am thrilled to embark on

this journey of exploration and transformation with you. And I'm your host,

Yvonne McCoy, and I bring almost 30 years of entrepreneurial experience

and a passion for discovering growth through the power of seemingly small

change. And I am glad that you are taking time out of your week

to be with us. And I have an amazing guest for you.

It'sChristelle Biiga, and she is going to talk

about her small, unexpected or

insignificant decision that sparked a remarkable

transformation and growth either in her personal and

or professional life. Christelle,

thank you for being here today. I know we had a bumpy start getting

together, but I always say the harder it is to get together, the better the

outcome. So I am so glad that you are here with me today.

Thank you for having me, Yvonne. I'm really thrilled to be here. And yes, you're

right. Sometimes, you know, it's painful at the beginning, but the end is always

good. Imagine think of it as a woman giving birth.

I don't want to think the baby. Is beautiful and everybody's happy. I

did that three times. Enough. So.

So tell us about yourself and your story and what

change that you want to share that's going to help us grow our business.

Yes, the one change that really made a huge

difference, or I will say changed everything for me was to start

sharing my personal story on podcasts.

Right. Sometimes. I mean, at first when I started getting on

podcasts, I thought, okay, since I'm going there to promote my services

as a coach, people just want to know how I can help them.

People just want to know how that I'm an expert. So I would just

focus on talking about my expertise and saying all

the great things that I could do for them. And one day,

eventually, on a podcast, I found myself, I

really say accidentally just sharing my personal story.

Which one is that? When I moved to the United States in 2015, I

mean, if you. You pay attention to the accent, you will notice that this

is not an American accent. Right? I mean, try. I didn't try

too much to hide it. But when I moved here, I got arrested at

LAX upon arrival. You know, an immigration

officer accused me of coming here to work as a prostitute and

tried to get me deported. So I ended up in a detention

center. I mean, at the time, I couldn't even speak English properly. I

had no family or friends here. It was a whole thing. So I spent

nine months in that detention center before able to win my case.

Yes, that was wild. And when I. I was

released, even you know, I was ashamed. Even though I

didn't do anything wrong, I was ashamed because I was in jail. You know, if

you're listening to this and you have been through a tough experience, sometimes you

feel guilty or shameful for whatever reason, even though you know it's not your

fault. That's trauma. So I was traumatized, of course, but I

sh. I. I shut it down, and I took, you know, coaching

from experts, and it helped me a lot. That's why I

decided to become a coach myself. And I didn't share

that story with anyone, probably because I wasn't healed

or wasn't ready, which I really encourage you, if you go

on podcast, don't share a story until you are ready, until you are healed. So.

So I wasn't until that day on that podcast, during the

conversation with the host, I just happened to talk about it, and

it was Adam. You know, during the pandemic, at a time where

people were scared and confused, because, as you can imagine, when I was

arrested at that airport with not my family there, in a

foreign country, not even speaking the language, I was scared and confused, and I didn't

know what to expect. So people during the pandemic in 2020 were in

that same state when I was sharing that story on that podcast. So I was

able to show them that there is hope,

there is light at the end of the tunnel, even if it looks scary,

because I was scared and I was able to see it through, I was able

to win. So eventually, we will win. We will see

this situation, the lockdowns and the virus, everything we

will see through, we will see light at the end of the tunnel.

That was a big shift because first of all, I didn't expect plan

to share the story. And second of all, the feedback blew my mind.

People still message me, you know, randomly, sometimes

on LinkedIn, to thank me for sharing that story because it gave them hope. So

that's something that I didn't expect, but that made a huge difference. It showed me

the power of podcast guesting and the power of sharing

your story as an expert, because everything that you have

experienced, everything that you have been through, shaped the person that you

are as an expert. And. And the more people know about the person behind the

brand, the more chances you have to create that connection

that, you know, that is necessary really, for people

to decide to choose you when they want to work with somebody.

I have to say, what you're saying is

so important, and there are a couple of

threads there. The first thing is, I

think that we have been taught to have

a certain professional Persona. And, you know,

one of the biggest wake up calls for me was I had a client, I

had somebody who was already a client who, who had never seen my

workshop, sat in my workshop and said to me

afterwards, I don't know who that person was. It's

not the person I love working with. And I went

to know. The other thing that I tell people is

if you try to be something that you're not,

it takes so much energy, and it is so easy for

people to see the cracks in that picture that you're trying to paint.

It is so much better to let people know that you're

vulnerable just like they are, because then they can be vulnerable

with you and they see that you are not, you know, that you're

real, that you're not fake you. And I guess the last thing is, I

will say it has taken me a really long time to

share my story, that at some point I was. I was

£440, right? And that I lost almost

200. But I was like, I mean, to me,

zoom was like, okay, they can only see me from the shoulder up. I'm cool.

I don't need to share that story. Right? So I think, you

know, when I talk to people about their unique powers, part of that

comes from, you know, what you were born with, but it's

also part of the experiences

that you have that make you the person

that is absolutely right for the right client. So you,

you unpacked a whole lot of stuff in that

short story. So I'm sorry. So I, I wanted to make sure that

people are paying attention to that because that really, I think,

is the beginning part of being able to appreciate

yourself and say, I'm really good at this. I. I don't

have to be good at everything, right? But I'm really good at

this, and I'm good for these people. You know, this is where my match

is. So. Yeah, so, absolutely. So. So

knowing that you could be vulnerable in that

podcast episode made you dig into podcasting more?

Yes, absolutely. And it showed me the power of, you know, the.

How experts can really impact people beyond

just getting clients, because oftentimes we have, we have

businesses, right? So when we want to get on podcast is promote our brand

is to get the world out there and help as many. And make

our world known by as many people as possible who need it.

So I was really in that mindset, but that experience really

shifted me in understanding that, reminding me

of why I started my business in the first place, why I decided to become

a coach. I wanted to help people. So my mindset shifted in a

way that I said to myself, listen, this is a perfect

way for me to help people, even the people who will not become my

clients, even the people who will not work with me. Getting on podcast

is a powerful way for me to make a difference. And if you are listening

to this, I mean, I know your audience and audience of entrepreneurs. So. So

that's what entrepreneurs are. They are the people who want to help, who want to

solve problems. They have a skill, they have an expertise who can change

lives, and they are already doing it. So now, how many

people can you really work with? Can you work with 1 million people

in a year? I don't think so. But you, by you getting on podcast

and sharing your story, your journey, your experiences, you

are able to impact thousands of people that maybe you will not have

the bandwidth to have as clients, but still, you'll be able to impact

them. So your heart as an entrepreneur that was there to. I'm

starting this business because I want to change lives. You'll be able to

fulfill that. You'll be able to fulfill that purpose

of changing lives, impacting lives, even the ones who will

not pay you. That's why I fell in love with podcast guesting.

And I said to myself, eventually, you know what? I know there are so

many amazing entrepreneurs out there with great stories

and skills and journeys that have led them to

building successful businesses. And people need to hear those stories.

People who are starting out or people who are lost or confused or

scared also want to hear those stories to feel encouraged or inspired.

So I decided to start my agency for that, to say, you know what? I'm

not the only person here who can impact with my story. There are

amazing experts out there who can do the same, who are changing lives every

day, and they just want to. They just need to share it with more

people. So that's why my agency was born, to just give that platform to

other amazing, successful entrepreneurs. And I think one of

the things that you pointed out that I think is really important, I think all

of us, when we start out as entrepreneurs, we look at everybody as if

they have a dollar sign on their forehead, and we want them to be a

client. And that is probably the worst way that you

can be present, right? Because people,

you know, I think my goal is always that everybody

that I meet, we both leave better for the experience. Whether we do business

together, whether we become friends, whether we do a

collaboration, whether we get on podcasts, you know, whatever it is

that we do. But, you know, if you start from, how can

we, you know, improve each other's life? And then the podcast just

takes it one step further. I mean, when I talk to people and I

get excited about meeting them, I'm like, oh, my audience needs to talk to this

person. Right. And so now, you know, not only have you

impacted one person, but you have the opportunity to impact other

people who may then turn around and go, I heard the most amazing

thing. Right? You need to listen to this or you need to get

this gift or whatever the case may be. And so you never know

what that ripple effect is. I mean, I find it really

amazing. And even though, you know,

when we think about our business, we. We say, I want to build my

credibility, I want to build my authority. That will

come naturally when you build relationships.

And podcasts is a wonderful way to do that. So tell us more

about podcasting and, you know, if we want to get in it and how it

builds our business and all those kinds of things. Yes.

So you said a lot of great things

about why podcast casting is a great place to be if

you really have that heart to serve. Right. You get on those

podcasts. Yes. You have a business. So you, you know,

you know that it will help your credibility, it will help with your

brand and your visibility. But you do it differently when you

have your heart in the right place. Right. You understand

that, first of all, you are. Your message will be

heard by thousands, if not millions of people. If you're on the right

shows, of course, because you said it, you will have some one person listen

to it and share it with a friend. You need to listen to Yvonne on

this show. You. She said everything you needed to hear because I know your

situation. Right. So you never know who is going to listen to that

conversation. It can be 100 people, it can be thousand people,

it can be millions of people. If you, of course, if you're on the

right shows with the right audience. Right? So that's one thing

that is critical, knowing the type of podcast to be

on. Because if you want to make an impact, it's not about being

everywhere. On every show out there. You have to be strategic, and you have to

be really be selective on where you're going to spend your time.

You have to ensure that first audience is in

alignment with your message. They will actually benefit from what you have to say.

They will find it valuable, and maybe they need it. Second thing,

you want to ensure also that the platform is credible.

Some people start a podcast because they Think the idea is fun, it's cool. And

then after three episodes, they realize it's hard work and

they drop. So you don't want to always spend too much time with people,

first timers on podcast lane, because they might drop

when they realize it's a lot of work. So credibility is important also for the

host, how long have they been doing this or how, how

far have they taken their show? Even if they started one month ago, because maybe

they were so committed that before you know it, their show is already the top

5% or top 10%. So you want to also check

that because it's important. You don't want to just share your message and then

it disappear because the show has disappeared the second. The other

thing that is really important to remember about podcasts getting on

podcast is that you're rebuilding your legacy

because that episode will be out there for years to come.

Unlike other places where you can, you know, put your

visibility efforts. Maybe social media, I don't know if

a post you did last week, people can still find you on, on your,

find it on your, your wall if you did. Unless you didn't post since

then, right? Even the social media gods, as I call them,

will not show it to people anymore, right? Because they feel like, well, there

are things happening every day. Why keep showing that same post? So

it's lost unless someone decides to go dig through your

page. Doesn't happen. People scroll on social media. That's what happens. So

whatever is shown to them, that's what they check. They stop and read or

watch. So with podcasts it's different. Your

audience who listens to podcasts act differently. They

are more intentional. They decide, I'm going to go

find a podcast on marketing, on sales, because

I need to learn, I need to understand this. I'm really sorry. Struggling

with sales. So let me go see what experts are saying on

podcast. Maybe I'll find something. They go and type on the search bar

of podcasts platforms be like Spotify or Apple

Podcast, whatever their favorite platform is. They type what

they're looking for and they get a list of shows that is

posted. They pick and then they start listening. Maybe

if they don't like it, they skip, they go to the next one. Guess what?

If they find you on that podcast and they connect with

you, they like your energy, they like what you're saying, they like how you're

saying it. They feel understood by you because that's where

even telling your story or experience comes to play. Because

they feel like, oh, they have been through Something similar. So they

get me. They will understand where I am or where I'm coming from, where

I want to go, because they have made it to where I want to be

tomorrow. So you create that instant connection and

instant trust because they trust, you know, the host, because again,

it's a credible platform. And now it's easier

for you to really impact those people who needed you and even

will never find you if you were not on that podcast right now. They

can go check you out, get the, the freebie or

whatever. Next step, you invite them to take you, go check you out on social

media, whatever. But then you will have an. Their

attention, which is rare. Their attention because they chose to go

listen to 15, 30 minutes conversation.

Here's the other thing. I mean, I'm, I'm going to take a step back and

it's the question that I always ask and have my clients

ask, what is the purpose of what I'm doing? Okay. And so

when you ask that question in terms of podcasting,

you know, you want to expand your reach. And so

since you can't be everywhere all the time, you want to have

a, like a, you want to be concentrated in the market

that you want. So going back to what you're talking about when you're

looking at opportunities, I mean, and I know

that when we start out, we take every opportunity that

we can, and that's great practice, but someplace along the line,

you have to say, well, who is your audience and do they align with my

audience? You know, you have to have a good rapport with the, with the

podcast host, you know, that you feel, you know, but you also want

to make sure that your message is going out to people who are

aligned with who you're trying to reach. So, you know, it's,

it's better to spend 50 cents in a dollar pool,

you know, than spend 50 cents in a thousand dollar,

you know, somebody that's never gonna ever see your podcast, you

know, and, and so you have to ask yourself, what is the

purpose? And then I think the other thing that people miss and that

I'm growing into is what other uses can I get from this

podcast? So in my case, one of the things that I do

is typically people who are a guest on my

podcast, I promote them and their programs, either as an

affiliate or not. But if I have room, I

will say, listen to their podcast, you know, so that, you know, they

may not be able to go to the event, but they can listen to the

podcast. And every once in a while in my newsletter, I'll say, if you're looking

for some new ideas, here's my podcast page.

Every one of my guests has a free gift for you. Right. And

so I continue to promote those episodes. But I know

you have some other ways of doing that. Absolutely.

Yeah. That's. That's really important, what you just shared, because

what happens after the interview is also

critical. Right? Because sometimes people get on podcast.

How many times have you heard someone say, well, I've done podcast guessing, and

nothing really came out of it. When I hear that, I love to

ask, okay, what did you do with your interviews? Well,

nothing, of course. Nothing will happen if you did. Nothing,

of course. The host is already doing a great job, just like you, Yvonne. You

are doing a great job at promoting the interview with your community,

but it's a missed opportunity for the guests to

not promote it. Sometimes people get in their head.

I'm in rooms with speakers or groups who are speakers are, and

they feel like, well, I shared my expertise. Why do I need to promote?

I gave my expertise for free. You are in your head if you're listening

to this. Don't think that way. No, they didn't pay me.

Fine. But guess what? That's something valuable.

That interview, that platform they shared with you is gold

because you can use it in so many ways. You mentioned

something, you said, if there is a gift or

an affiliate, you can promote it. Imagine during

this conversation, I say something that, you know, we're having a

conversation about a few things about podcast casting. And tomorrow, I mean, I'm.

I'm having a sales conversation, maybe in my DMS with somebody who

doesn't know me, I can take this interview and say,

actually, I cover that. The question you're asking me, I cover that on

this, into a podcast. Take a listen. It's gonna take you

maybe go to minute 10 of the conversation.

It's gonna take you five minutes, and then we'll talk back about it. You

establish your credibility right away, right? So if you use. If you

have been on podcast before, you. You are. You didn't use it

properly. You are missing out. Podcast guessing is such a

powerful tool to promote your brand and establish your authority so

fast. So that's one way. The second way. How many people

want to spend time creating content? Or how much money are we spending on content

creation because we pay social media manager, and we have to come

up with content ideas. One interview. This conversation

we're having right now, Yvonne, 30 minutes. That's what months

of social media content with between reels,

carousels, posts. It's a gold mine of

content that with one interview. Can you imagine if you go

on 10, 30 or 50 podcasts, how much content you

will have that you can repurpose? And most

importantly, how. As we know, AI now is

where people go look for experts. They ask questions about all

sorts of things. Who is the best doctor in this area? Well,

I'm looking for this. Which type of doctor should I. This is my problem. People

don't even ask Google anymore. That was already crazy to ask Google about your health,

but now it's even crazier because we'll ask AI. Right?

So you want AI. How do AI decides to

tell people, okay, if this is your problem, this. Yvonne

said this on her website. She said this on this podcast. How does AI

find that information on the Internet? They scroll the Internet. They don't know you. They

don't know anybody. AI scrolls the Internet. So you want to

be seen by AI as the expert. How do you do that? Of

course, we do that for my clients, but for your listeners, let me share how

we make it happen. We create short clips from

those interviews, right? Put it on a web page, create

blog post from it with relevant, frequently asked

questions about that conversation. Because we know people will

ask AI questions. So when AI is looking for

answers, they will go to everywhere on the Internet where

those questions were already answered. And then when they find that

now, AI quote it. Okay, this is the answer that I

was from Reddit. This is from this place, this is from this website.

This is from this expert. So you want AI to find you

and decide that you are the expert. They will quote to your ideal clients when

they go with problems that you solve. So that's what you do with your

interviews, how you repurpose it strategically to reach

that level of visibility. I

hate to stop you, we are. I feel like we're just starting to scratch

the surface, right? So just very quickly. I mean, we

covered so many things, but just to kind of give people some ideas.

I Three. Three

steps, I guess maybe that people can start

doing right away. Okay, first thing,

find the right shows. Be specific and intentional about

the type of shows you need to be on. Research, right?

Ensure that there is alignment between the audience of the show and

your audience. Second thing, pitch right, take

action. That's the next thing. If you want to get on podcast, start

pitching. Third step, when you get

on that interview, finish that conversation. They

send you the link. Repurpose strategically.

Don't just let it sit. Just don't leave it to the host to do the

work. Do it. And I have that. All those steps and all the

details in my freebie that I share that will be available

for the whole. Yeah, I've put everything there because, as you know, Yvonne,

my service is done for you. My clients pay me to do it for them.

So information doesn't. I don't mind sharing it. So I put everything on that

freebie, step by step. First of all, why podcast guessing

matters for your brand? Second, where to find the right podcast.

And I even added a list of hundred plus shows in

different niches that you can start pitching right away. I added a

pitch kit to show you how to pitch, even help you write those

pitches. I have a cheap. A custom GPT there to. To help you write your

pitches based on the shows that you find. Yes, everything is there.

I put. I put it on. I didn't leave anything behind. And also

what you. How you can repurpose it so everything is included in

that gift that I have for the audience today. Oh, my God, that is so

generous and so on point because I think people do this really wrong.

I cannot thank you enough for that gift. All right, so just for a little

bit of fun before we wrap this up, because I feel like we could keep

talking forever, we. When was the last time you did something new for the

first time? Oh, actually it was last year. I decided

to leave the country and not know when I'm coming back. I left in August

2024. I came back October 2025.

That was why I lived in different countries and I just experienced

that nomad life, and I realized that, guess what? I

like stability. So now I

like it. You know, it looked fancy when I saw it online. People say, oh,

I'm a digital nomad. I was like, oh, my gosh. I wanted. Now I know

I'm not a digital. No. But I like stability.

That's funny. That's. Well, the thing that I think is funny

is that you did it for so long before you, you know, okay, yeah,

I'm over. I'm over it. That's good fun. Not for me.

This is the advertisement because I always hate to stop

the conversation. You know, this. But as a first step, make sure you

subscribe and share and engage with this podcast on social

media. And, you know, the reason I decided to do this

partially was because I wanted to supercharge our connection.

And it's my way of giving back to this vibrant community. And

it's also my way of trying to help you fuel your quest for growth

and impact. And, you know, I want you to join me for the one

small change. And I want you to listen to. If you haven't

done it, listen to the first episodes and also to the quarterly check

in episodes that I. That I do every quarter to help you.

And as I said, go to the first page and. And look at all the

guests that are there and look for what you're, you know, searching for, because

they all have a generous, incredible gift to give you.

And so it's. Oh, sorry.

A gift to give you. A gift to give you so that you

can, you know, take and sample what's out there. So

the last thing I'm going to ask you is, what are your last words of

wisdom? What do you want us to remember? I want you to

remember that what you have, you know, experience

or what you have accomplished with your brand and your business

matters. It matters so much that the world needs to know.

I know. Your community knows it. And they know how many lives you have

changed with your gift, with your talents, with your expertise. But

the world needs to know that. And sometimes, when you say the world, we think

you need to be on, you know, a stage with the millions of

people in the stadium, but guess what? You can be in the comfort of your

home, recording a podcast conversation, and just trust

that the right people around the world will find this conversation and find

the help that you provide. So go out there, share your

story, share your expertise, and just amplify

the authority that you are building and leave the legacy that we live after

you. That is fantastic. And

I would just add, do it now. Don't wait till you think you're ready,

because you keep evolving.

You're shooting at a moving target.

Your story has touched my heart. I did not expect it.

And your information was magnificent as well. So

everybody remember, change is simple, but it's not always easy. It

requires courage and resilience and a willingness to. To step out of your

comfort zone. If you are comfortable, then the world

is leaving you behind because you've got to change to keep

relevant. So I hope you will continue to join me for the one small

change as we embark on this journey. And until then,

stay very, very curious. Thank you,

Chanel. Chris. I'm sorry. It's not Chanel. It's

Christelle. I'm gonna. Thank you. Thank you so much for having me.

Thank you. And thank you for your community, for listening to this conversation.

And for those of you who haven't listened or don't know. I'm concussed. That's why

I'm confused today.

Come back soon. Bye.