ApexThis.Podcast

In This Episode

I talk about Toastmasters and how I think it can help me in podcasting. I also share my most recent Toastmasters speech “You’re Better Than You Think” and feedback.

Links

* Toastmasters

Show Credits

Hosted, produced, mixed, edited & scored by Mark

Transcript

Welcome to ApexThis.Podcast. A podcast about…podcasting; or rather a chronicle of my journey to start a publishing media podcasting side business? This will be a behind the scenes look at what I’m doing to make that happen. I’ll share tips and best practices that I learned along the way. These tips and best practices will be something that you can use to start your very own podcast and share your voice with the world.

My name is Mark and this is episode 2 “The Toast”. 

Toastmasters. If you’ve followed me this far along, you would have heard this word before. What is it?

Toastmasters Internation is a global communication and leadership program. You navigate through a workbook that takes you through various types of speeches to write and perform. You also step into various roles in which you take the ownership, learning invaluable leadership skills.

Don’t worry, the environment in Toastmasters is very supportive. You have mentors that guide you through your speeches. You receive feedback from everyone regarding your speech and you have a specific evaluator that records your overall speech feedback. This feedback tells you what went great, what to watch out for, and what to keep doing. Now, most people are absolutely afraid of performing their speeches, but if you start with Toastmasters, I believe you will build that confidence and it’s in thanks to the supportive environment of your Toastmasters Club.

While sounding a bit like an infomercial, I was not paid nor do I receive any kickback for my statement. It’s a club that I enjoy and one that has improved and refined my public speaking.

Today’s speech is speech #4 “How to say it.” This speech objective is to choose the right words and structure to communicate my ideas clearly and vividly while using rhetorical devices to enhance and emphasize ideas per the handbook.

Speech #4 is, as you guessed, the 4th speech when starting out. There are 10 total speeches in the first workbook, so I have a few more to go to advance to the next level.

My speech that you are about to hear is recorded at home. My goal was to record my speech live, but things had not worked out in that way for this one. Future speeches will be recorded, and you will be witness to all my nervous ticks.

What you will now hear is a 2nd draft of the speech after a full re-write. After the speech, you will hear a recording of my post-speech thoughts and feedback I received.

You’re Better Than You Think

My body was outstretched on the couch and as I slowly came to, I could hear the alarm playing, making me aware that my time to sleep had come to an end. As the house was sound asleep, I crept around, as quiet as a mouse, trying my best to not arouse those who dwelled within. I was soon on the road again having spent 11 hours on it the day prior. This trip was shorter. This trip was to meet my friends for some bicycling fun.

The horns sounded, which signaled that the ride had begun, but we were still getting ready. I took a deep breath recalling that for the past 3 weeks I’ve thought of nothing more than my first experience and how brutal the hills were.

And like that, I was snapped back into reality. Back to the present, with the close of a trunk. We were all ready to go. Our cars were locked. Our sunglasses were fixed to our faces to block the morning sun and I was clipped in. With a start, one pedal stroke beget a 27-mile journey. A journey that did not turn out like I expected.

In This Episode

Here are some episodes and podcasts that have stood out to me in 2016. What are yours?

Featured

* The Truth Podcast

* The Death of Poe

* Sleep Some More

* Startup

* Happy Ending

* From the Cell to the Sell

* The Bright Sessions

* Limetown

Show Credits

ApexThis podcast is hosted, produced, mixed, edited & music by Mark.

Transcript

I thought it fitting to share some of my favorite podcasts or podcast episodes before the year ended.

Now, I hope to continue to share podcasts that I find, or particular episodes that have sparked my interest and even replays.

So, without further ado, here are my standouts that I listened to in 2016.

The Truth Podcast

First, from The Truth podcast, The Death of Poe. The re-tell of someone’s experience followed by a booming voice re-enacting the telling grabbed my attention and for the next 10 minutes I was transported to another world. An auditory world.

I’ve used this episode as a benchmark, a goal to reach, and as an example of what I one day hope to create myself.

Another episode of The Truth podcast, out of many, that has inspired me is called Sleep Some More. Another intro that grabbed my attention and one that I’ve listened to many times. What makes it all work for me is that everything is doing its part that contributes to the overall package. The writing, the actors, the production. Even if I progress to become a decent writer, I would need to find good actors to bring my script to life and I would need to have the production skills to complete the package. In the meantime, I will learn, learn, and learn.

Startup Podcast

I’ve talked about Startup. It was the podcast that I found when researching if I should start this podcast. Or even if this type of podcast existed. Since finding it, I’ve binged all episodes to the most recent episode as of this recording.

Outside of the entirety of Season 1, this two-part episode follows Coss, a felon, starting his business. 

With Startup, you hear of Alex’s journey in trying to start Gimlet and you hear of other companies trying to raise funding. I guess this story just resonated more. Through circumstances, someone uses their skills to employ themselves when no one else would.

The Bright Sessions

Have you ever wondered, what if the x-men saw a shrink? What would they talk about? Say hello to Dr. Bright. The Bright Sessions have held a special place in my heart upon discovering it. You listen in with Dr. Bright as she councils her patients that also have special abilities. The show creator, Lauren Shippen, also stars in this wonderfully written and acted show.

Now, if you excuse me, I must find out what Caleb has been up to.

Limetown

Last but not least on my 2016 standouts is Limetown. From Two-Up Productions, follows reporter Lia Haddock as she hunts for answers to her question. What happened to the people of Limetown?

This is the first production from Two-Up Productions, co-founded by Zack Akers and Skip Bronkie and I must say that they have hit it out of the park. I was engrossed from beginning to end and I eagerly await to re-listen to the first season as I eagerly await what they come up with next.

Closing

I hope that you take a listen and even subscribe to the podcasts I’ve ...

In This Episode

I talk about how I contain the crazy and get focused. How do you get focused?

Links

* Toastmasters

* Aaron Sorkin Masterclass

Show Credits

Hosted, produced, mixed, edited & scored by Mark

Blog Version

Settling Down

I made a big move the beginning of this year. For some, it may not have been anything, but for this introverted guy, it was a big thing.  I took a job with a company who’ve I’ve been a big fan of for years. This required me to move and leave everything I knew behind. With the move, a halt to podcasting and ultimately to starting a business.

How can a move halt the starting of a business? Well, the business plan and roadmap that I’d built was for the company I had ultimately joined. That left me with not knowing what I was going to do, or what was to be next for me in the side business world. Do I regret the change? Absolutely not. It was a great decision for me. It just means that I have to set my sights on something different. Something I didn’t even know I wanted to do.

A New Plan Forms

Throughout the course of ApexThis, things changed. It went from blogging to stay active in writing, to wanting to create a passive income, to starting a podcast for the goals of consultancy, to sharing stories through podcasts. Last year, I formed ApexThis to be my publishing arm for all my endeavors primarily with music publishing, short story fiction, and screenplays. It wasn’t until I started podcasting that I wanted to meld these together. I wanted to turn my short stories into a podcast drama. I wanted a full production. I wanted to write and direct my own story. I wanted to create an entire world. I want others to build this world with their podcasts. I wanted to create a podcast network built on short stories and novels. 

How Do I Get Started?

Honestly, through a ‘do it yourself’ mentality. At least, that’s how I’ve seen other podcast networks grow.  How can I build something, from the ground up, to be able to spread out and build more podcast stories? How can I build this vast auditory world?

After listening to the Startup Podcast, I would have never believed that a podcasting company could be created in such a way and then to see the success of such a company. How can I get there? I guess that will be the point of this podcast. You’re going to listen to the broke struggles of someone trying to create a business on the side.

 

In This Episode

I introduce ApexThis Podcast and myself. What will we discover on this journey together?

Resources

Start-Up Junkies

Startup Podcast

Smart Passive Income

Show Credits

Hosted, produced, mixed, edited & scored by Mark.

E0 – The Introduction: Blog Version

What Is ApexThis?

ApexThis, as a whole, is my publishing arm for my creative writing in short stories, ebooks, music, apps, audio and video content. ApexThis is the publisher of the first Atlassian focused podcast, Admins of Atlassian, launching in 2015.

ApexThis originally started life as a car forum for a group of friends until it went dormant. I have resurrected this domain in 2014 as I found a new focus in life. Jan 28, 2015, my Welcome post went live signaling my restart in blogging.

What is the podcast about?

This podcast chronicles my journey into turning ApexThis into a publishing media business. This will be a behind the scenes look at what I am doing to create a business and learn new skills to create content that people will want to read or listen to. I will talk about creating podcasts, public speaking, and writing.

There have been 3 points of inspiration for me and I will list them below in order:

The blogs already do it

I’ve mentioned on the blog before that I follow blogs such as Smart Passive Income. On this blog, Pat shares income reports. This is a breakdown of his business. This shows his expenses and income from websites, ebooks, apps, and more. He outlines his goals and a breakdown of his thoughts for the past month. He isn’t the only one. Other blogs do this and it has inspired me to do my own. I LOVE seeing people start their business and build it and watch what they’ve learned along the away.

I Miss Startup Junkies

Startup Junkies was a reality TV show that followed a startup try to launch their company, Earth Class Mail. This was so fascinating to me to watch that I wondered if anyone else has done the same since. Given that I wanted to do another podcast but was unsure of the topic, I wondered if anyone has done this. I then vowed that I would create such a podcast.

Startup Podcast

After recording a Google Keep note to start a podcast for the behind the scenes of starting a business, I decided to do some research to see if anyone else has done this. I found Startup Podcast. I’m hooked. This is the type of podcast I love to listen to and it is sorta is what I was shooting for to create. Though they are vastly more experienced than I and are at a level to even have investors, this podcast has emboldened me to continue with my idea. While I may not be great at it out the gate, it’s something I desperately want to learn and most importantly, it is something that I am going to enjoy doing. How do I know that? I can’t wipe the grin off my face as I type.