On a chilly December afternoon in 2014, I closed the door to my bedroom, swallowed back nerves—even trembled a little as I held a tiny earpiece as a microphone. Then I cleared my throat and recorded my first podcast episode that lasted all of two minutes.

At that point a seasoned author, I forgot what it felt like to send something into the world for the first time. I’d done it for decades with my voice on the page or the screen. With a podcast, I was sending my actual voice into the world for the first time. How would people react? Would these episodes find their way into writers’ ears? I was a beginner again.

I fretted over editing, even though my initial vision for using audio was to give myself a simpler way to share ideas. I thought I could wing it. I thought it would be simple. But I realized a more focused, tight delivery would serve listeners better, so I started by outlining and writing a script. This added more time and tasks, but it gave people another way to enjoy the ideas without wasting any of their time with rambling and repetition.

Only a few people listened to those first episodes. My friend Charity listened. My mentors. A few friends. I probably forced my husband to help with audio editing questions, but that may have been it.

Publishing episode after episode proved daunting when I looked at the stats and saw only a few people tuning in. I kept going, though, because I enjoyed it. Truly. I loved sending off ideas as a podcast episode, in that medium.

When I first told people about it, they told me they couldn’t find it on their podcast player. They searched and searched, but…nothing. I phoned the good people at Blubrry, my podcast host, to help diagnose several technological mishaps on my part, which resulted in a name change from The Writing Life with Ann Kroeker to the Ann Kroeker, Writing Coach podcast. With those few changes, people could finally find the podcast.

In time, more listeners downloaded the show. A friend with a huge following shared it one afternoon and that introduced me to her readers. My listening stats showed a bump because of that and the numbers continued to rise: and every number, an individual writer I hoped to encourage.

Ten years later, looking back at those humble beginnings in late 2014, I can see how the determination to start—even when I didn’t know what I was doing, even when I was scared—led to a decade of growth and connection. I grew as a coach, writer, speaker, and podcaster, and writers have told me the ideas I’ve shared have helped them grow in their courage, craft, and confidence.

If that’s you, thank you. Thank you for being part of this journey.

While I don’t obsess over data, I’m floored to realize how it’s grown into a platform that reaches writers worldwide. I thought you might enjoy seeing the top 10 countries where writers are listening to the “Ann Kroeker, Writing Coach” podcast. You might even be in one of them!

Here are the top 10 countries based on listener downloads:

The most downloaded episodes must reflect what resonates most. Enjoy browsing the top 10 downloaded episodes of all time (as of January 2025), in case one of them resonates with you:

For the first four years of podcasting for writers, I produced only short solo episodes. In 2018, I began to incorporate interviews and since then, I’ve introduced you to 16 writing and publishing professionals, inviting them to share their wisdom and insights.

My first three interviews were with:

Two cornerstone series emerged over the years that continue to guide writers: Your Writing Platform, and What Do I Write Next.

For the Your Writing Platform series, I helped writers understand that platform-building isn’t about being a wandering troubadour, but about finding your focus and connecting authentically with readers who resonate with your message.

This series addressed the perpetual question of creative direction, encouraging writers to explore their “vein of gold” while staying open to experimentation.

For that first-ever episode, I decided the best thing to do was to give myself the advice I gave my writing clients all the time: just get started.

If you’re hung up on a project and you don’t know how to launch it, or you don’t know how to outline it, or you don’t know where you’re going with the ideas, just get started.

Once you start, you’ll get in motion.

When you get in motion, you’ll get clarity.

And when you get clarity, you’ll get both vision and specifics, and you’ll be able to get the thing done. You’ll solve your problems as you go. You’ll discover new solutions. And in the end, you’ll have a product.

It may or may not be what you thought it would be when you started out—and you may adapt and evolve as you go along—but you’ll never get there if you don’t start.

So that’s my message to you both then and now, as I look back on the ten years I’ve been speaking to you about your writing life.

Do you have something you haven’t started yet because you’re afraid, worried, uncertain?

Don’t put it off any longer. Your audience is out there. Just get started.

YPM is a warm and welcoming membership community committed to creative, meaningful ways we can grow our platform and reach readers—check us out!