Interview style podcast where athletes and performing artists discuss how to show up well for the moments that matter most.
"Become a podcaster because you love the medium and you want to do it."
Today Barton Guy Bryan, the creator of The Mindset Forge shares his story of self-improvement podcast.
► Tell us about you and your podcast
I have been an athlete and performer all of my life. I've always been fascinated by the work it takes to prepare for performance and sports. I developed a podcast to introduce people to both sides of the performance coin: How Athletes and Performing artists do it and what we can learn from them. I am 48 years old, competing in Men's bodybuilding, and helping people live their best, healthiest life as a fitness trainer and public speaker. The Mindset Forge Podcast provides another way for me to help people understand the methodology and mindset high-performers use to get to the next level in their lives. My listeners are people who have a growth mindset and want to level up with concepts, stories, and tips from both athletes and performers.
► Why & how did you start this podcast?
During the Pandemic podcasts became a major influence for me. I would listen to episodes of Ed Mylett's show, Joe Rogan, and others to help me stay focused on my mindset and how I could improve myself while there are so many challenges facing our planet. I devoured episodes on outdoor runs and long drives. I decided to start my own podcast so I could share with people amazing sports and insights from people I knew who had something to day on mindset and overcoming life's obstacles. I kicked off episode one in Oct. of 2020 and put out an episode every 2 weeks for about seven months. Initially, I was focused on guests who had amazing stories of overcoming challenges and how their mindset shifted from these experiences. In May of 2021, I decided to focus on Athletes and Performers specifically. It's a niche I know a lot about and one I felt wanted fully represented in the podcast space.
► How'd you find the time and funding to do this podcast?
After the first seven months of putting out episodes every 2 weeks, I took a few months off to get several interviews recorded and edited and relaunched season two in August of 2021 with weekly episodes. This rhythm helped my audience growth as my content and library became more focused and richer. As far as finding the time, Just make the time: before work, after hours, on weekends, etc. Podcasting is a medium that can be "bootstrapped" at the beginning. I got on amazon and bought some mics and figured out how to record them with GarageBand on my laptop. At first I was editing my episodes on GarageBand which was tedious but then I got introduced to "Descript" which takes audio files and transcribes them Into text which allows me to edit much quicker and move things around when necessary. It was a game changer for my editing abilities and the quality of my episodes.
► What do you gain from podcasting?
From my influence as a podcaster, I've attracted clients for online fitness coaching and guest speaking gigs. I do not do paid promotions currently with my show. Last year, I had Mantra Labs as a sponsor. They are an Austin-based Supplement company. We created a promotional code for my listeners to use to try out their products at a 25% discount. It worked well during that partnership. I usually get about 1,000 episodes downloads per month not including my Youtube views of my episodes. I have some bigger speaking gigs in the works for 2023 and my Podcast is a big part of how I've arrived at this opportunity. At this point, I don't use the show as an income stream but rather use the show as an educational platform to learn, share, and be an expert in the space of Mindset Coaching and Fitness.
► How does your podcasting process look like?
As far as tools, I use a Podpage website, edit with Descript, record virtually with Riverside.fm, create social squares and PNG files for Youtube with Canva, and I have an account with buzzsprout.com to support my podcast. I get most of my guests from word of mouth or asking them on Social media. I also get some of my guests from managers who reach out to ask to be on my show. Living in Austin, Texas, there is a lot of opportunity to interview athletes, coaches, and artists in person. When I interview someone virtually, I use riverside.fm as the video and audio usually come out clean and synced up properly. I prefer in person interviews as I love the shared energy and enthusiasm of hearing someone tell their stories. My process is to get the Video file and upload it into Descript so I can add the introduction and ending, make edits and create video and audiogram clips to share. Once it's edited, I export it to GarageBand to add music and make sure volume is appropriate. At that point, I export the audio file and upload it to Buzzsprout. It takes the video and uses iMovie to finish creating the Video file for Youtube.
► How do you market your show?
I use social media (mainly Instagram) to promote the show and let listeners know about new episodes. The majority of my listeners are from Apple Podcasts and Youtube. I have some listeners from Spotify and Google but not many and I don't actively promote in those hubs.
► What advice would you share with aspiring (new) podcasters?
Become a podcaster because you love the medium and you want to do it to a) learn more about your subject, b) educate others, and c) have fun. I've always been about learning, connecting, and helping others connect with high level athletes and performers to help them (and me) learn better ways to bet at our best. If financial opportunity arises, fantastic, but don't expect that for a while. I enjoyed listening to the "Grow the Show" podcast and learning from Ed Mylett's podcast.
► Where can we learn more about you & your podcasts?
If you'd like to find out more about my podcast, search "The Mindset Forge" in any of the numerous podcast apps or visit my website: https://www.podpage.com/the-mindset-forge-podcast/
I can also be found on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mindsetforgepodcast/
Video interviews can be found on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@mindsetforgepodcast
Feel free to email me for more information or to be considered as a potential future guest on my show: bgbryan@gmail.com