Interview experts in their respective fields and you can expect to hear inspiring stories, practical advice
"You have to have the right mindset and know that podcasting is a long game and you have to stick it out."
Today Sandee Sgarlata, the creator of Happiness Solved shares her story of self-improvement podcast.
► Tell us about you and your podcast
I am a two-time award winning author and best-selling author, certified life coach since 2004, professional speaker, retired U.S. national and international figure skating coach, gold medalist in ice dancing, Reiki Master Teacher, and have spent the past 20 years helping people create lasting changes in their lives. As a thought leader, I have over 30 years of corporate experience, have owned multiple businesses, and am known for my authenticity in leading and motivating teams.
My most recent best-selling book, “Happiness Solved: Climbing One Hundred Steps” is a self-improvement book, part memoir, and workbook.
I've dedicated the last 33 years of my life to personal development. You see, 33 years ago my life was a hot mess and hitting rock bottom taught me a lot as I never dealt with the pain, grief, and multiple traumas I experienced as a child. Happiness Solved Podcast interviews guests from all walks of life, including celebrities, influencers, business leaders, professional athletes, authors, coaches, and any one who has been through hell and back and wants to share and inspire others with their story of resilience. No matter what you have been through and no matter what your daily struggles are, you can achieve happiness. Happiness is a choice and the choice is yours!
My listeners are primarily in the United States and are in the 18-45 years age bracket. They are looking for inspiration, personal development, and hearing real life stories of overcoming struggles.
► Why & how did you start this podcast?
The thought of anyone going through what I've dealt with in my life is the motivation and why I created this empowering podcast. My initial goals and motivation was to spread awareness that happiness is a choice and there's many paths to finding it. I started interviewing guests in January 2021 and the first two episodes were released at the end of February 2021.
► How'd you find the time and funding to do this podcast?
I release two episodes a week and have the process down to a science so all I do is record the interview, upload the files to a Google drive folder, and my team does the rest. My producer will have an episode fully edited within 36 hours.
I find the time because it is a priority for me. I conduct interviews later in the day after my work is completed. I spend roughly $600-$1000/month. Some of the expenses are cross promoting other revenue streams I have. At the present time, I am funding the podcast myself. I do have affiliates set up that I promote as well.
► What do you gain from podcasting?
I would love to find a good sponsor that is in alignment with my brand.
Podcasting is a labor of love for me. I did not start it to make money. That is really important. You have to know your "why". Why are you starting a podcast? My podcast is all about serving others and making an impact in the world. I have also gained some valuable relationships with the guests that I interview. It's all about service to others.
► How does your podcasting process look like?
I outsource all editing. At first, I was finding guests through some of the podcast booking services like Podmatch. Now, guests come to me. I have also developed relationships with several publicists who regularly send me their clients to interview.
In preparation for each interview, I read the guest bio, do a little research to make sure I know what their background is. Other than that, I like each conversation to be organic so I don't really come that prepared with questions unless it's a topic I am unfamiliar with. I would say 99% of my guests have a field of expertise that I am very familiar with.
I am currently using Zoom. I used Riverside.fm for over a year and started experiencing some serious technical issues where it threw me out of an interview without any notice so I stopped using them. Also, with Riverside.fm, if the guest is using a Mac computer, there can be settings that need to be configured prior which I am unable to assist them with. Multiple times I had to reschedule interviews because my guest could not figure out how to log into Riverside with their Mac. As such, I switched to Zoom. Zoom is so user friendly for all guests and it makes it easy.
► How do you market your show?
Listeners can find my show on any podcast network. Most of my listeners are from iTunes.
I market my podcast through social media. Mostly Instagram and Facebook. I find that Instagram has the best engagement, especially if you are posting a video clip of the interview.
► What advice would you share with aspiring (new) podcasters?
If you know your "why" you can make it. You have to have the right mindset and know that podcasting is a long game and you have to stick it out.
I love Capsho as it uses AI technology to transcribe each episode, will come up with clever episode names and it also provides social media content.
► Where can we learn more about you & your podcasts?
www.happinesssolved.com
www.sandeesgarlata.com
IG: @coachsandeesgarlata
IG: @happinesssolved
Facebook: @coachsandeesgarlata