How to Find Your Voice and Show Up Confidently on Your Podcast
Do you ever second-guess yourself when you hit record? Wonder if your voice is too awkward or if anyone even wants to listen? You’re not alone. Whether you’re a seasoned podcaster or just starting, this episode will give you the tools to show up unapologetically and make the impact you’re meant to make.
In this episode, I’m diving deep into how to overcome self-doubt and embrace your authentic voice on the mic. I’ll share my personal journey of finding confidence, practical mindset exercises, and journaling prompts to help you step into your power. Because your audience doesn’t want perfection—they want the real you.
Let Go of Perfection and Embrace Authenticity
One of the biggest hurdles for podcasters is the idea that they need to sound “professional” or polished at all times. But trying to perfect every word or tone can actually hold you back. Authenticity is what builds trust and keeps your listeners coming back.
"Confidence isn’t about sounding perfect; it’s about being yourself unapologetically."
When you let go of the pressure to be perfect, you create space for real, meaningful conversations. Treat your podcast like a chat with a good friend, and watch how your confidence naturally grows.
Visualize Your Ideal Listener
Speaking to a faceless audience can feel overwhelming. To combat this, try visualizing your ideal listener. Imagine the person who needs to hear your message the most. What are they struggling with? What kind of support or advice are they seeking?
By focusing on one person, you shift your energy from performance to connection. It’s not about impressing a large audience—it’s about helping that one listener feel seen and supported.
Reframe Your Self-Doubt
It’s natural to have moments of self-doubt, but those doubts don’t have to control you. Instead of thinking, “What if no one likes this?” try reframing the thought: “What if this helps someone today?”
Mindset shifts like this can make a huge difference in how you show up. Remember, the goal isn’t to please everyone; it’s to serve the people who are meant to hear your message.
Use Journaling to Uncover Your Authentic Voice
Journaling is a powerful tool for self-reflection and growth. When it comes to finding your voice, consider using prompts like:
What topics light me up when I talk about them?
What fears or doubts do I have about sharing my voice?
How do I want my audience to feel after listening to my podcast?
These prompts can help you uncover patterns, release limiting beliefs, and step into your authentic self on the mic.
Practice, Practice, Practice
Confidence doesn’t happen overnight—it’s built through repetition. The more you practice, the more natural podcasting will feel. Don’t be afraid to experiment, learn from your mistakes, and grow along the way. Every episode you record is a step closer to owning your voice fully.
Final Thoughts: Your Voice Matters
Podcasting is a journey, and finding your voice is an essential part of that process. The key is to embrace where you are right now and trust that your voice is enough. When you show up authentically, you create a space where your audience feels connected, seen, and empowered.
Ready to Make Your Podcast Work for You?
If you’re ready to dive deeper into unblocking self-doubt and amplifying your message, I’d love to support you! Book a free 15-minute discovery call to chat about your goals and explore the next steps for making your podcast a powerful part of your business strategy. Click here to get started!
The Transcript for Share, Strategize, & Shine:
202: How to Find Your Voice and Show Up Confidently on Your Podcast
[00:00:00] Do you ever find yourself overthinking? Every word, when you hit record, maybe you're asking what if I sound awkward or who am I to be sharing this information? Right. Trust me, you are not alone. In fact, every podcast, or I know myself included. The clients I work with, they have struggled with this at some point that nagging self-doubt that sneaks in and says, who would even want to listen. But here's the thing, your voice, the way you show up flaws and all is exactly what your audience needs. There's power in your authenticity.
[00:00:34] And in today's episode, we're going to dive deep into how to unblock that self doubt and step into your voice with confidence. And I'm also going to share my personal journey of finding my voice in the mic. Plus some mindset tools that you can try today to build your confidence. So. Stick with me by the end of this episode, I'm really hoping that you will have some practical exercises to help you start showing up authentically. Because the world needs what only you can share.
[00:00:59]
[00:00:59] [00:01:00] Hello, everyone. Welcome back to share strategize and shine. Oh, a problem we solve today. I was sitting thinking about this a lot. Because things have been flowing so well for me. I feel like I'm finding my groove and what I want to be focused on and my business. [00:02:00] I've been working on a lot of really cool things.
[00:02:03] And one of the things that I think has been so, so key for this like growth, and I really think ties into today's episode is. I have been really leaning into my hobbies. Again, I have gone for a very long time without like, Pretty pretty straightforward, obvious, like pretty distinct hobbies. And, You know how my hobby was always working.
[00:02:29] Right. But the problem with that is when you are only working after a while, you know, if things aren't going your way or the way you want them to, it can be very demoralizing because it's like my whole life is this one thing and it's what good is it? You know? So I have really been leaning into things that make me feel grounded. Connected make me feel like me. Make me feel connected to nature to the universe, all of those things. And one of the biggest ones that I have just fallen in love with [00:03:00] is my plants. So. I started out with a few and now I have turned into the crazy plant lady.
[00:03:06] I like to go to Lowe's and find the plants on the clearance aisle, bring them home and bring them back to life. As I'm sitting here in here in my office, which does not have the best of light, I did just move a snake plant down here, which I am loving. I can see that he needs to go upstairs and sit under the light a little bit.
[00:03:22] Cause he looks a little sad today. But, you know, it just gives me so much joy and it gives me something to do to completely unplug from. Homeschooling working. Uh, what's going on in the world, uh, politics, whatever, like I can just unplug and be with my plants. And, I started drinking more tea and so I love to like go get my tea and sit there with my plants and just look at my beautiful plants and think about what I'm going to do next and which one I'm propagating and all the things. So I really want to encourage you to find something like that in your life as well.
[00:03:57] I think it's really, really important. The work that we do. [00:04:00] Require so much of us as business owners. Consultants, coaches, service providers, whatever you are doing. It requires a lot of you and especially when you're creating content. And so having that way to go and unplug it's just so, so important. , yeah, and I just really feel like that is a problem that I've solved this week.
[00:04:18] So I remember when I first started podcasting, I really thought like how hard can it be?
[00:04:24] I'm just going to talk into the mic and I'm going to hit record and spoiler alert. It was not that easy. The first few times we recorded, I just felt so awkward and stiff. Like I felt like it was. Trying to emulate something that I wasn't like. I was reading a script instead of having a real conversation.
[00:04:41] And whenever I would listen back to my voice, And I still do this to be honest, but I'd cringe and think, oh, do I really sound like that? It's not my voice. Um, if anybody gets that Disney movie reference, let me know, is that my voice? It took me a while to realize that the problem wasn't my voice and how it sounded it was my [00:05:00] mindset. You know, I was not giving myself permission to be me on the mic.
[00:05:04] I was trying to sound like what I thought a professional podcast or host. I should sound like. And that is a trap that so many of us fall into. I mean, I have had clients come to me and be like, well, I need a speech coach and I need a, you know, I need a professionally sounded sounding, intro and outro.
[00:05:21] And all of that is fine, but if you're trying to be authentically, you. That is going to take away from that. And the truth is, is the magic really does happen when you let go of perfection and you allow your authentic voice to shine.
[00:05:38] What really shifted for me was a moment when I just said, forget it.
[00:05:42] Like, I want to come to my podcast and speak, like, I'm having coffee with a friend. I want you to feel like when you listen to my podcast, this is the Caroline that you would get in the real world. And honestly, that's when things really started to click for me. That's when my audience started connecting more with my [00:06:00] episodes.
[00:06:00] Not because they were perfectly polished, but because I was being me. And I was being real and that's when I learned that confidence. Isn't about sounding perfect. It's about being yourself unapologetically. And I'm just going to throw this in here, but. You know right now with everything that's going on in the world and in our current, in the United States of America and in our, you know, in our communities and everything. What is so, so key and important right now is our voice and using that voice. And part of being able to use your voice is by being yourself unapologetically. And so I just really want to drive that home as we dive into the rest of this episode.
[00:06:44] So let's talk about self-doubt a little bit more.
[00:06:47] I want to dig into this just a little bit, you know, if you're really struggling with self doubt on the. Microphone. On Instagram, showing up anywhere.
[00:06:56] Just know that you're not alone. Like many of us grow up with these subtle [00:07:00] messages telling us to tone it down. Especially if you're a woman. Great. Whether it's from school, family or society, you don't want to be too loud or too much, or maybe you're just really afraid that you're going to say the wrong thing and people are going to judge you. I know that one of the blocks I have been working through and the last couple of months is how do people perceive me when I send an email, when I show up on Instagram and say something like I've been so worried about that. And it's been holding me back from showing up. Uh, you know, authentically as me unapologetically, right? When we have these thoughts of self doubt, they can really make us second guess. Our voices and here's the thing. When you shrink your voice, you shrink your impact and the people who need to hear your message are not going to get it. And I really want you to hear that, like by not stepping into our power of our voices, We are. [00:08:00] Not going to create the impact we want to create.
[00:08:02] And the people who really need us are not going to hear it.
[00:08:07] So, how do you begin to even. Lock into your authentic voice and find that I want to talk about some mindset stuff. That's really helped me. I really hope this will help you. Um, you know, some of this may feel a little woo, but I'm a little loose, so let's lean into it. The first thing I want you to do is to actually like write down your fears.
[00:08:30] So I want you to grab a notebook. I want you to grab a piece of paper and I want you to actually write down like, Why am I afraid? Or what am I afraid that people will think of my voice? And I want you to write down everything that comes up. If for you, it's not like a voice thing. If it's more of like a message thing, like what are people going to think when I say these things, and I want you to write down everything that comes up, no filter, just stream of consciousness, dump it down. And then I [00:09:00] want you to go back and I want you to reframe each fear.
[00:09:03] So for example, if you wrote down, people will think that I am not professional enough. I want you to rewrite that as my audience is going to appreciate my down to earth approach.
[00:09:16] The reason why I want you to do this is because a lot of times there are beliefs that are holding you back. And until we say hello to those beliefs, recognize them, acknowledge them and reframe them. We're not going to get past them. They're going to keep coming up every time we sit down to record. And so this exercise really is designed to help you become aware of them. And then gives you a chance to replace them with empowering ones.
[00:09:41] And if they're super impactful, Like write them down and stick them on your wall. When you're recording your episode, I have a few above me. I have. Create your purpose, which is very important to me. It's from my business coach and it just really helps me remember, like why I'm doing everything that I'm doing. And [00:10:00] that one really is important to me too, because when I sit down to record. These podcasts episodes feed into my purpose.
[00:10:06] And then I have. What if everyone listens. Because one of my fears is that nobody's going to listen. Nobody's going to care. And so I have reframed that too, but what if everyone listens and I have that hanging up right above me. I also have a little, I love you note for my daughter. One of my daughters. Uh, like straight me little notes all the time.
[00:10:26] And I have one that she taped to my computer and I've never taken it off. All of these things, when it helped me to get into the right mindset. When I sit down to record an episode, And. Are really important to me and important to the work that I do. So as you're working through this, like if something pops up, write it down. On a sticky note, put it in front of you.
[00:10:49] One of my favorite ways to get over the fear of judgment. Is to practice speaking when there's no pressure. So that's also one of the beautiful things about podcasting is like, we can [00:11:00] edit friends, like you're allowed to edit as much as you need to write. So give yourself permission to just sit and talk. If you find it really hard to riff what I call ref, which is where you just sit down and you talk about a topic, that's what I do.
[00:11:15] So for these episodes, I just have bullet points and then I'm I'm riffing. Like I know what I want to talk about. I'm just going to ref. Some people that does not come easy. And so one of the best things to do is just practice. One of my favorite places to do this is the shower. When you're in the shower. And something comes into your head. Practicing it, or, you know, sit down in front of your microphone, set a timer for five minutes and just talk and see what comes up. You know, this could be part of your morning routine, or it could be part of. You know what you do once a week before you sit down to record. It doesn't have to be about anything in particular.
[00:11:52] Like you could just talk about a recent experience or something you're excited about. The goal here is not perfection and it's not to come up with like the [00:12:00] most amazing messaging on the planet. It really is just like start letting your voice flow naturally. The more you do this, the more you're going to see. That your voice is going to feel more relaxed and authentic when you speak. And I also just want to like really encourage you because. I have worked with so many podcasters over the years and believe me episodes one through 10. Are not when they settle into the comfort of being able to just sit down and record authentically, it really is. Beyond it takes time. So give yourself that time. And then, the last exercise, I want to mention. Is, I want you to visualize your future listener. This, oh, this is such an impactful exercise. Instead of imagining like a crowd full of people or critics or whoever you think about, I want you to picture your ideal client. Picture that one person who really needs to hear your message. I want you to visualize them. Sitting in their [00:13:00] living room or going on a walk or what do you think they're doing when they're listening to your podcast? And I want you to visualize them nodding their head.
[00:13:06] Yes. As they're listening. To your podcast. And I want you to start speaking directly to them. As if you were having a conversation with them. This really shifts the focus. When you're recording too. How do I sound? To how can I serve my person, which makes a huge difference. When I sit down to record these episodes, I really could care less.
[00:13:30] What I sound like. That's not what's important to me. What's important to me is the content and that you are walking away with something from this. And so I want you to really, really start to lean into that. And really start imagining when you're recording that you are talking to that person. It helps so much.
[00:13:51] And if you don't know exactly who your ideal person is, I would definitely work on that. Aye. Worked in chat, GBT, on this, and I [00:14:00] had chat. GBT helped me create like an avatar for my ideal client based on a lot of things. And I have that in a notion board that I keep. , so I can look at it at any point, refer back to it, whatever I can look at their biggest fears or biggest wishes, all those things.
[00:14:14] I have them right there, because being able to refer back to that when I'm creating content. Any kind of product, any kind of service, anything like that is so, so huge. So, you know, definitely be in touch with that. , and just remember that's who you're speaking to. When you record your episodes.
[00:14:32] Before we wrap up.
[00:14:32] So I know I mentioned a journaling exercises when I was talking about journal. Uh, the exercises to help you feel more confident in your voice. But I want to leave you with just a couple more prompts that you can write down and work on, you know, take some time with these. They're very powerful. They can really help you reconnect with your authentic voice.
[00:14:51] The first one is what would my voice sound like if I fully trusted myself?
[00:14:58] The second one is what [00:15:00] part of my message. Am I holding back and why?
[00:15:06] And the last one is how would it feel to speak? Without fear of judgment.
[00:15:13] These are so powerful. The time to step into your authentic voices now, and it's needed more than ever. Especially for women. In the business world and the podcasting industry, we need to be using our voices. And I really hope that if you ever have a hesitation about your voice or any self-doubt. That you will come back to this episode and work through these prompts. And really work on stepping into that power. And like, here's the thing. Finding confidence in your voice as a journey, not a destination. It takes practice a little self-compassion but I've every time you show up just as you are, you are one step closer to embracing your [00:16:00] authentic voice. And please trust me when I say. That the world needs to hear what you have to say.
[00:16:08] And that's it for today. I'd love to hear how today's episode resonated with you. If you tried any of these exercises, I would love it. If you would share your experience on Instagram and tag me, or you can come into my broadcast channel on Instagram and let's talk about it a little bit more. Thank you so much for spending this time with me today.
[00:16:27] And if this episode helped you in any way, I really want you to follow along because this is, this is the journey we're going on together. And remember, if this is something that you need help with and you would love somebody to work with you on. I have some containers that would be so perfect to work on confidence.
[00:16:47] And let me tell you. It is. Something I work on with every single client. Hands down every single client, this comes up. And we dig into it. We figure out what the [00:17:00] blocks are when we work on them and we work past them. And so if that is something that you're interested in, you can just head to my website or email me.
[00:17:08] I'll put the link in the show notes and you can book a free discovery call and we can talk about. What would be the best option for you? So until next time. Keep speaking your truth. And embracing your voice. One episode at a time. Keep shining and I will be back soon with another episode.
