Today on Episode #61 How to Start Your Own Podcast with Chidinma Azubuike (Chid Suzan) , I talk with podcast host Chidinma Azubuike (Chid Suzan) about her journey to create an award-winning wellness podcast that creates learning, affirming and healing spaces for Black women and Women of Colour.

In this episode we discuss:

-the myth that you have to be an expert to start a podcast

-why going viral is her biggest fear

-how to determine your purpose and impact

-how podcasting can support your personal healing and wellness journey

-how to set boundaries when you have a 9-5 and a passion project/side hustle

Links:

Chidinma's bio: Chidinma is a City Planner and Award-winning podcast producer, passionate about the power that conversions can have. She founded the But What Do I Know? Podcast to be a space to affirm BIPOC individuals, share life lessons and support communal healing.

BWDIK podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/but-what-do-i-know/id1522852335

BWDIK Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bwdikpodcast/

This podcast is hosted by Captivate, try it yourself for free.

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This podcast includes affiliate links that, when clicked and purchased, may generate revenue for me and the podcast. I only recommend things I truly love and stand behind.

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From a Full Cup is a mental wellness education podcast that teaches women to prioritize their wellness and put themselves first, because you can’t pour from an empty cup. 

I'm your host Natalie Mullin , Certified Wellness Educator, Speaker, Facilitator and Teacher. Every Thursday I release a new episode, teaching women how to dream big, take action and move the needle forward in life.

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Copyright 2024 Natalie Mullin

[00:00:09] Chid: Thank you so much for having me, Natalie. I'm so excited. You know, um, listeners, Natalie has been on my podcast and I'm here. So I'm excited to be

[00:00:19] Natalie: I want Okay, I just need a moment. Chidinma doesn't know I'm doing this, but I just need to big her up. Guys, I was on her podcast, which is Amazing. We're going to talk about it. I'm sure several times throughout this podcast, but I want to talk about it first. Go listen to it. It's called. But what, but what do I know?

[00:00:41] Natalie: Make sure I get it right. It's amazing. It's so good. And our conversation was so good. And now we're friends and I'm so excited, um, to have Chidinma on today. Okay. I just had to get that out of the way. And she's so gracious and she's so kind and she's so helpful and all of these amazing things.

[00:00:57] Natalie: No, now

[00:01:06] Chid: Of course. Again, you know, thank you. Thank you so much for your kind words. I feel like I love, you know, seeing all the other like black women podcasts that are coming out of Toronto now.

[00:01:58] Chid: And yeah, go ahead and get into it. You can start with Natalie's episode and then check out all the other ones.

[00:02:25] Natalie: So I love that. And I guess we can just get started with you sharing your backstory. How did you decide that you wanted to... Start a virtual community that you wanted to host your own podcast that you wanted it to be wellness related.

[00:02:46] Chid: But two years ago, three years ago, when I started the podcast, I was so confused.

[00:03:22] Chid: And I was just like, Oh my God, like, I'm on a nine to five and I'm building cities. And like, I'm explaining to people and people like, Oh my God, that's so cool. But like, especially the job that I was at, at that time, it just wasn't. Aligned because I wasn't doing the housing core stuff that I was doing in the other, in the other company.

[00:04:00] Chid: We were questioning health and all the systems around us. We were questioning mental health with not being able to access third spaces. And then a lot of people were also questioning like their careers, their jobs. And so that happened to me a lot. And I feel like I questioned and over questioned to the point where I was like, honestly, I think the only reason I didn't quit my job was because I have a fear of not having money.

[00:04:42] Chid: I was really into radio. My mom had told me like, you have a beautiful voice for radio. Like, you know, and she had told me this years ago, but again, I'm an immigrant. So I didn't know. What a career in radio could look like. And, you know, I went to school for, for city planning and it was supposed to do law, but I stopped the city planning cause I was like, I'm done with this.

[00:05:23] Chid: Thankfully, I still am. But yeah, I was working from home and it allowed me to be able to, at five o'clock, close my computer. Not have to commute that hour plus, and then I could take a little bit of a break for myself and then I can go work on my content. So then I started, I was like, you know what, this is the time, like, let me start this podcast.

[00:06:01] Chid: I was a new graduate in 2019 and 2020 was like my first full year. So I was really feeling a lot of like. Well, but what do I know? Like, I, this is my first big, big girl job. Like, I don't know what I'm doing here. And, you know, and so I really just wanted a space where it was like, okay, you don't know everything, but you know, a little bit of something.

[00:06:28] Natalie: I love that. I would never have guessed that, but what an interesting story and I'm so glad that you were able to kind of use a podcast as a way to kind of affirm what's going on for you.

[00:06:57] Natalie: Other people are coming because they want to be a part of a process. Like they themselves want to heal and be in a space where other people are healing. And I think that's kind of where yours is at. And you can still touch on the others too. And I think that that is. Really powerful because it just shows different access points, right?

[00:07:31] Natalie: But there's so many different ways that you can frame a podcast to make it work for whatever you need to make it work, right? But I think it's just being intentional about, you don't have to stick with it. Like if you come into the space starting one way, you can evolve, you can grow, you can change your mind, you can say this is not working for me, or maybe you gravitate to something new too.

[00:08:14] Chid: Yeah, that's exactly what it was. Yeah. Yeah.

[00:08:37] Natalie: How has your personal healing and wellness journey been impacted since you've started your podcast?

[00:09:08] Chid: And a lot of it is like, like you mentioned out of curiosity for me. So even like, I just had a guest and we were talking about like, you know, everything from women and and like our caring for our bodies and everything. And then I've had therapists on, I've had yourself, a wellness practitioner on, and I'm very much like.

[00:09:44] Chid: I feel like it's in a way or journal for me too, because I think I will really look back even in the episodes I did in 2020, and you can tell that my mood and where I was in life has like shifted. I feel like just in general, like it's reflective of what was going on. I was a little bit more like angry.

[00:10:19] Chid: And even when I ask the guests, especially like the black women I have, that's the majority of my guests anyway. But like, when I asked the black women on the podcast, like, you know, how have you overcome your, but what do I know moments? And they talked to me, I'm like, and they told me their answers.

[00:10:53] Chid: So it's definitely like, yeah, just been amazing in that aspect in regard.

[00:11:11] Natalie: It's like, it's a co creative space, so to speak. And even sometimes, From the guests, I see that they're kind of going through their own process, maybe things are kind of coming to them, because it's in the exchange of conversation. And this is why relationships are so important when we think about well being, because there's no point in you being an expert and you're isolated or you're siloed off.

[00:11:54] Natalie: So these conversations, when people can speak truth and speak, uh, power to you. And, and just kind of help you enlighten your own self. They are enlightening the community. It's really an exciting experience and it's a collective experience too, right? So, you know, I, I really love that and I love being a part of that.

[00:12:37] Natalie: And I don't, and I listen to quite a few podcasts. I don't think I've ever heard anybody else do anything like that. And I was like, this is so different. There's like a song of the week and you have good music taste. Cause I'm always like, okay. So I'm like moving, I'm like sending the songs to people as if I came up with it myself.

[00:13:01] Chid: don't go searching for it.

[00:13:16] Natalie: And so I just really like that. So I just let you know that. Now tell me, what's something, what's something that's been like surprising that you've learned or you've encountered since starting the podcast?

[00:13:33] Chid: Girl, this is a good one. Okay. So I feel like it didn't really like surprise me, but I think a little bit surprised when I first started, I didn't know like the magnitude of like podcasts and stuff. So I think what has surprised me is just the fact that like, you can be in Canada, put on a podcast and someone in like Indonesia can be hearing it.

[00:14:20] Chid: And I'm like, Oh, wow. Like, okay. Someone is really hearing my voice. So I think that still gets to me sometimes that I'm like, well, people are hearing what I'm saying. Like, and it's not even like a, Oh my God, people are hearing what I'm saying. Like, it's a very, it's very humbling because each time I think about that.

[00:14:58] Chid: When you're first starting you, you're so optimistic. Oh my God. I'm going to do this. It's going to be great. And for like the first year, it's just a lot of like talking into the echo chamber a little bit. And then like, guests will take you seriously. You have guests come on and they don't want to like, even have their camera on when they're talking to you.

[00:15:24] Natalie: respect, put some respect on my name and this podcast, you know,

[00:15:45] Chid: You've gotten some like accolades after you start like sharing accomplishments and stuff. So that was a little bit like damn. Okay, but yeah.

[00:16:05] Natalie: I don't want to be

[00:16:09] Natalie: um, Oh, how many reviews do you have? Or how many followers do you have? And they'll ask you those things before they even agree to be on your show. What's your social media following, etc. And I'm like, Oh, I didn't realize like all of those other Things kind of factor into it.

[00:16:48] Natalie: So, and that makes me feel. I think that brings back the humanity of it all because it's like, okay, but just like I'm just a person who's trying to put good out there and if you are aligned with good then. Yeah, exactly.

[00:17:09] Chid: Yeah, that, that was exactly what I kind of went through the first year. And then I was like, okay, so some people don't like, you know, you'd send some emails out to guests. You don't hear back. And. And I'm not speaking about, you know, sometimes you get pitches to be on your podcast and you can tell that they don't listen to your podcast.

[00:17:44] Chid: It's, it's a no, so

[00:17:52] Chid: Honestly. So I am proud. Well, firstly, you know, we just reached a hundred thousand downloads.

[00:18:26] Chid: Like I'm three years in and yes, I've reached, you know, reach some milestones, but I'm still figuring out ways to reach the right people, not just to reach the masses, but to reach the right people. And that's always my prayer with this podcast. It's like, you know, like God, the same way that I'm

[00:19:02] Chid: call my friend and I'd be like, so this, these are the podcasts that are getting big and that are getting the numbers they're talking about who's dating, who, and who's talking about who, and who's doing this. And is this what you guys want me to talk about? Cool. I'll do it then. And my friend is like, first of all, that's not you.

[00:19:44] Chid: It's for a certain group of people that really want it has been like really, really, really, um, helpful. And it's something that I'm proud of that I'm now starting to reach those people. Yeah.

[00:20:09] Natalie: But when you can just follow what's in your heart and you can follow what you feel like you've been called to do, you are chasing purpose. And how much more powerful is it to chase purpose and impact as opposed to like, who don't get me wrong. Once in a while, I can get caught up in who's dating, who's divorcing, who's like, what do you mean?

[00:20:54] Natalie: Like, these are things that are going to impact my wellbeing. They impact my day to day life. I can use these lessons. I can teach them to other people coming up in my community as well. Like this is about impact. And I think impact is important and you can't measure impact because let me tell you, if you impact one person, you've done your job.

[00:21:22] Chid: That's my, that was me. That was me for like the first year and a half. I'm like, you know what? I'm not going to check the number because I would check it. I'm like, okay, all right.

[00:21:34] Natalie: I legitimately have checked my numbers once. And the only reason, officially once, sometimes it's my accident. And it's kind of bad. Like, I don't know, maybe this is something I need to work on because there's a way that I can type to get into my podcasting platform where the numbers just show right away.

[00:22:17] Natalie: a message to share and things that can help people and make an impact. So I'm like, that's what I want to get out and then I'll try to get it out to more of just like what you're saying to the, to the right people. But even if one person like, thank God for my friends, it's like, they'll message me like, Oh, Natalie, just listen.

[00:22:55] Natalie: Right. Because it's not even like, Oh, I have this super successful podcast. It's like, Oh, I'm changing lives here. I'm helping people heal and helping people move forward. That is, to me, so exciting and nothing can replace that because that healing can impact there's a ripple effect. There's a ripple effect.

[00:23:16] Chid: I'm going to read something. This was something that was shared about our episode together. Okay. So that episode, I knew it was going to be good because you know, when you talk about like knowing when to leave situations and when to like leave, especially like relationships, jobs and your personal story, I was like, Ooh, need to talk to her.

[00:23:54] Chid: Comparison is a thief of joy. Find things that fulfill you and align with your values and your vision for your life. Seeking confirmation and acceptance from others may lead you More and more into confusion and scrutiny. I personally can only speak from my lens and it may not be yours and that's okay.

[00:24:34] Chid: And it's just nice to see the like. People are listening, they're thinking, they're like, you know, because sometimes I know we get caught up in like engagement, like, Oh my God, like, share, comment back to what we're saying. And, and it's like, yeah, we're all trying to push it so that it's like, here, get some good content, get some positive, some positive conversations out there.

[00:24:58] Natalie: Yeah. I love that because everything she wrote, I'm like, yes, exactly. She's exactly right. So yeah. Um, that makes me feel so good. Thank you for sharing that. And again, like that's what it's about.

[00:25:28] Natalie: So, um, It's, it's just really exciting to kind of have this creative space that can be a healing space and an affirming space at the same time, and a fun space, like I find it fun, I

[00:25:41] Natalie: think the unexpected part for me was like that I would actually make connections with people and it's like These interviews are maybe half an hour, an hour, but then you're like, you feel like you're, you've been friends with this person for so long.

[00:25:52] Chid: like, wow, I love

[00:26:18] Natalie: And so I want you to share a little bit more about that. Like, how has that journey been for you and, and maybe some strategies that have helped you along that way?

[00:26:48] Chid: If your why is I want this to just relieve stress, then perhaps it shouldn't be taking 20 hours of your week. If you want it to relieve stress, right. Versus if your why is like, I want this to be my full time job one day, or I want this to be a source of income. Then knowing that while That will help you out on the days when it's tough.

[00:27:30] Chid: And then I was like, you know, Nah, like I'm going to keep putting out quality content out there. I'm going to keep building a community one day at a time. And I don't really know, like, I know the why in terms of that, I'm going to, that it's to build community, to put our quality content and to sustain of like, you know, virtual platform for black and women of color.

[00:28:16] Chid: So for me, I know that like. I put out episodes every other week. I cannot put out a weekly episode because it's really just me. And I think I have a videographer that I do, that I use sometimes when I'm doing in person episodes, which I rarely do. And then I have a friend who, you know, helps me here and there with like social media, but it's really still just me.

[00:29:10] Chid: And then, you know, maybe I'm not able to edit during the weekdays. That means now I'm editing on the weekends, or like I'm editing maybe Saturday morning or Saturday night, depending on how I feel. It then means maybe I'm not out partying, maybe I'm missing one or two brunches here and there. I'm not, I'm not sacrificing my social life.

[00:29:44] Chid: Oh, okay. It's this or that, which will be this week. So yeah, that, and that's just sort of what it is. So I think, yeah, knowing your why, um, setting sort of like boundaries and schedules that are sustainable. Like, again, if you know that you cannot be posting and you cannot be doing content creation every single day, then pace yourself, like if, especially if it's your first year.

[00:30:23] Natalie: And I think that that's so important to say, um, because. Passion is not what sustains you, because you can be passionate about something, I really care about it, but there just comes a point where it literally goes down to your, your why and resilience, because there are times where you're just like, I want, like, how do I undo?

[00:31:03] Natalie: I'm going to upload whatever every other week. But then it's like, let's just say you get sick or something happens in your family or something happens in society, right? Like those things can also still come and impact. And so even for myself, like, I'm kind of thinking it through and I'm like, Hmm, maybe I'm going to make some change.

[00:31:39] Natalie: Um, I kind of thought about the podcast without thinking about the social media aspect of the podcast. And then I was like, oh, oh, reels. Oh, but it's okay. And you learn, you learn slowly. And like the way you market your podcast is so beautiful. And I'm learning so much just, um, observing your page and, and you get ideas from other people.

[00:32:14] Chid: capacity, capacity to yourself, like, for example, what you said, like the pause in December.

[00:32:45] Chid: So that is just a matter of like editing. Um, and then it just also allows you to think and recharge that creativity. Like I feel like, because it's unfortunate that everything is so like marketable content profit, it really like affects the way that people are able to sit down and think about the quality of things that they have been putting out.

[00:33:09] Natalie: Maybe March to December. I'm like, let me, let me sit with that in my spirit because that sounds, you know, that sounds so I'm going to, yeah, I'm going to have to consider it for myself, but like, and that's what everybody has to do. They have to see like, but sometimes you just need that pause so that you have space to then consider like this mental space.

[00:33:47] Natalie: And funny enough, we're talking about pauses and you, you taught me a new phrase and, and I'm a teacher. So I, you know, I, but teachers do not know at all. I always tell my students that like, I don't know guys, but you taught me a new phrase, which was about liminal journey. And I remember when you wrote that, I was like, what is she talking about?

[00:34:12] Chid: concept? Yeah, so I think it was, yeah, liminal journey or the more specific term, liminal space. Yeah, I

[00:34:22] Natalie: Liminal

[00:34:40] Chid: So for example, maybe you recently quit a job or you got fired. So you're in that space of like, I left the job. I'm not there. Where am I going? Maybe you left a relationship, a friendship, you're pivoting your career. And that space is where it's really where you have to like sit, it's where you have a lot of questioning.

[00:35:21] Chid: How do I switch that? How do I factor that in, factor that in, even as I'm applying for jobs so that I know that I'm not just taking anything I get. Um, you know, how do I factor what type of a vision I have for my life? Like where I'm able to do my nine to five and do my side hustle and not be burnt out.

[00:35:58] Chid: Don't let them think that you can work three hours extra every day. No, no, no, not going to happen. Go back. So I think, yeah, those spaces are kind of like those transition periods that you're like. Whoa. Where am I going? But I think that's where a lot of like the planning, thinking, reflecting really can like propel you for like where you're going.

[00:36:18] Natalie: um, yeah, that's so true. And like, even for myself, I mean, I've been in liminal spaces and different at different times of life. Actually, I'm in one right now. That I'm trying to figure out, but I got to sit with it for a while. Sometimes you just have to sit with something for a while and you have to really contemplate and figure out your next steps.

[00:36:59] Natalie: Like, you know, what do I not need? And so it really allows you to ask yourself questions that when you're in deep in something, you don't have time to ask, right? Like when you're working every day, you don't have the mental space to say, well, what kind of different job would I, would I want or have? It's harder, but if you get liminal space and not everybody sees it as an opportunity, but I would encourage you and challenge you to, to see it as, okay, let me use this, this time and space productively.

[00:37:45] Natalie: Okay. I would know trust me but but even though you're set back in some ways you can still be moving forward in other ways. And so I just want to send that encouragement if anyone's listening and you feel like Listen, life has thrown me a whole boulder and it's rolled you over and you're going all the way back in some way that experience is still helping you to move forward in another area of life, even if you don't see it yet.

[00:38:22] Chid: Mm-Hmm. . And I don't mean like quiet as a, not talking, but you know, when you like just retreat and be a little bit still and Yeah. You know those prayers like those, you might look like you've taken a walk. You might look like you listening to soul music or gospel or praying a little bit more than you were. However, you know, you're kind of drawn to doing that and the healthy way do it. So, yeah.

[00:38:45] Natalie: And, and I would call this like the winter season. It's, it's a time if we think about life and we like life is cyclical and just like the seasons, we have four seasons there, there sometimes comes seasons in life where everything seems to have died like it just seems like everything's come to a standstill and everything's in hibernation.

[00:39:28] Natalie: If you are in life in a space that feels like that winter season, it feels like everything has died and You know, everything is still use it to your advantage and as you said, retreat, like, even if you spend more time with yourself and just dig deeper and like, look inward and just ask yourself, what is going on?

[00:40:07] Natalie: I don't know those people. Yeah. So it's a natural pause. So we should invite those natural pauses into our life as well. It's, it's healthy. It's just healthy. And then it allows us to see what do we need to cut off and leave in winter? But what are we taking forward with us? Into the spring season, so we can be curators of our life, so to speak to and just be tweaking things according to the season.

[00:40:33] Chid: that's a really good way to look

[00:40:53] Natalie: And so. I, as a wellness coach for myself, I see lots of women who, who sometimes are struggling in different areas and I feel like they're alone and it's not true. And so I'm curious for you as an entrepreneur who also has a full time job and is doing other things. Have you ever gone through a challenge that's impacted your well being?

[00:41:18] Chid: Ooh, that's, that's a good one. Um, so I think burnout for sure was real and that's why like when I talked about setting the boundaries and all that stuff, I had to, um, it was as a result of burnout. Like I was just doing a lot of things and I was tired and I was just like, I can't do this anymore.

[00:42:04] Chid: I've been kind of like just working through with the business and my work. And then, and then at the same time, it's like, okay, so how do I now balance? And I, I, that's why this is also a reason why, um, I really related to our conversation because now I'm in a relationship and I'm like, oh my God, I have to navigate having a whole man and having a whole job and having a whole podcast and having friends and haven't felt like my family, it's just like.

[00:42:37] Natalie: tugging at you. Yeah.

[00:42:49] Natalie: I can give you 15

[00:42:56] Chid: It's like, I don't care. So the opportunity cost of me being a brunch means that I'm not doing laundry. I'm not working on my, okay, I'll come do brunch today, but that means girl, I'm not going to see you for maybe two weeks. And then, so yeah, just a lot that has been like what I've been. Struggling with, and I think I also like I'm recovering perfectionist.

[00:43:29] Chid: So I think what has really helped me is I've had to clearly like communicate, like, I know that that sounds communicate, but I've had to like, I've had to sit down and actually communicate, like, you know, my relationship with my partner, like, Hey, like, you know, this, these are things that are important to me right now.

[00:44:00] Chid: And like, you know, this is why, and I've had to deal with my friends. Like my girls know, like she is really taking this podcast and things seriously. We might see her like a couple of times a month, but this is not like an everyday after work drinks type situation. Like, yeah, it's just not going to be that.

[00:44:40] Chid: So I've had to like schedule time for the weekends to get back in my health because I also was not really taking care of myself. I wasn't like I was eating. Right. Just by virtue of the household I grew up in, but I wasn't really working out. I wasn't, you know, so now I'm like, okay, I have to make time for these things.

[00:45:22] Chid: Yeah, like I'm getting better asking for help. It's hard these days because I think that, you know, if I'm asking people for help, especially with the podcast and the brand, I want to be able to put something in your pocket, but, and so what I might do is, Hey, if you can, if I can only pay you to help me do this.

[00:45:51] Natalie: was a lot, but that was so real and I appreciate you, you kind of being so open and I think the listeners can definitely relate with what you're saying and resonate.

[00:46:06] Natalie: Am I checking in with myself? Do I need to make those tweaks? I don't, I'm not sure that there's a perfect system out there that's like, okay, well now you've got it all compartmentalized and it's going to be perfectly weighted. When I think of like even work life balance, I never think of it as like, okay, we're.

[00:46:44] Natalie: And then last time with others and I remember my friends were like, we're planning like these girls dinners and they're like, okay, so, um, once a month and I was like, Nope, I can do every other month. Like, yeah, I made multiple friend groups. Right. So I'm like, exactly. I can't, you know, some people are just like you will get, let me tell you, let me tell you, cause People have like one core group and if you do, like life is easy, right?

[00:47:29] Natalie: So there's just. There's just, and again, if you have your own interests on the side too, it is still important to do things that are going to be joy. You don't want to spend your whole time living for other people, whether for your employer, whether for your partner, whether for your family, you've got to live for yourself too.

[00:48:08] Natalie: Like now I know it sounds weird. Like I was like for mother's day, I'm like, I just want to be by myself. Like, you know, hotel, I told my husband, I was like, I want to go to a hotel by myself. Yeah. And I just, I just, I don't want to see

[00:48:20] Natalie: Exactly. That's it. I'll celebrate with you guys tomorrow, you know, but I just want that time for myself because I think that we don't get to spend a lot of time with ourselves, um, just because of the nature of society and different societies are different, but we Western society, North American society, we really have to be more conscious and intentional to choose that time for ourselves.

[00:48:59] Natalie: Of course, yes. Please tell the listeners, how can they find you? Tell them, plug your podcast again and anything else that you want to share with us.

[00:49:15] Chid: Podcast on, you know, any streaming platform where you, you know, listen to your podcast, you can also find us on Instagram at B W D I K podcast and also on Twitter exit's being called now, but we're most active on Instagram. That's where you can find like, you know, BTS, you can find reels, all that sort of like behind the scenes stuff.

[00:49:46] Natalie: Yes. And all of those links will be in the show notes. So go check them out. And like side note, Google podcasts is becoming YouTube. Yes. Make it

[00:49:56] Chid: I know.