Talking The Talk: A Podcast About Podcasting with Courtney Reimer

You log onto LinkedIn and everyone is *delving* into a pool of AI slop that *quietly* reads like a DiGirornio frozen pizza ad--it's not their delivery, it's the sameness of it all.

Then you stumble over to a podcast like this one, and feel seen by the realness, the stutters, and the general imperfectness of something that only an actual human voice can bring.

It's an established fact the podcasting wins by a mile when it comes to building trust with an audience. But what happens when AI enters the chat and brings all of its pet phrases with it? What do we lose when we win back some time by outsourcing some of our work to our LLM of choice?

In this episode, two word-nerd podcasters talk it out.

• How AI "tells" are becoming easier to spot

• Why AI is eroding trust with audiences

• Where podcasts have an edge over other content channels–and how AI is threatening to erode it

• The difference between using AI as a tool and outsourcing your thinking

• Why AI abstention may not be an option for solo business owners

• Accessibility, AI voices, and where technology creates opportunity

• Where/how/when to disclose your use of AI

• And whether AI will ever be indistinguishable from humans

If you've been wondering if it's possible to embrace AI without sacrificing the very thing people come to you for, this episode is for you.

Emily Aborn is a copywriter, entrepreneur, and host of the Small Business Casual podcast. For more than a decade, she's helped entrepreneurs find the words that sound unmistakably like them by bringing personality, clarity, and humanity to how they show up for their clients.

Listen to Small Business Casual wherever you get your podcasts.

Talking the Talk is a podcast about podcasting: for entrepreneurs, creators, and business owners who want to build podcasts that earn their keep.

Each week, host Courtney Reimer shares hot takes, practical podcast strategy, honest conversations with creators, and lessons learned from developing shows for everyone from first-time founders to Fortune 500 brands.

Want to find out how to build a podcast that works harder than you do? Schedule a complimentary Podcast Clarity Call with Courtney at her website:

https://www.soundsgreatstrategy.com

Connect with Courtney:

• Instagram: @soundsgreatpodcastss

• LinkedIn: LinkedIn.com/in/CourtneyReimer

• Newsletter: Sounds Great on Paper

☕ If you'd like to share a cup of coffee with the real human behind this episode, Courtney would certainly appreciate your appreciation--head over to Buy Me a Coffee to say thanks for the realness: BuyMeAcoffee.com/SoundsGreatCourtney

When people say they want to start a podcast to make money, it helps to remember even [INSERT MEGAMILLIONAIRE PODCASTER NAME HERE] didn't just roll out of bed one day, sit down in front of a mic, and start rolling in the cash.

But also: there's a middle ground between the hobbyist podcasters seeing little monetary gain from their shows and the ones who are probably sailing on an eleventy-foot yacht as you read this.

That gray area is what this episode is about.

Ryan R. Sullivan has launched and produced more than 100 podcasts, many for CPAs, financial advisors, attorneys, and other professionals who expect every business investment—including a podcast—to justify itself.

Together, Courtney and Ryan unpack what podcast monetization actually looks like today, why sponsorships aren't the whole story (or always what they're cracked up to be), and how entrepreneurs should think about their podcast as a business asset that earns its keep.

• The four primary ways podcasts make money

• Direct vs. indirect podcast monetization

• When sponsorships actually make sense (and when they don't)

• Why niche audiences often outperform large audiences

• The benefits of treating your podcast like a business (with its own P&L statement)

• Why "fun" may be one of the most overlooked ingredients in the recipe for podcast success

If you've been wondering whether a podcast can actually pay for itself–or whether it's simply another marketing expense that's hard to quantify–this conversation offers practical yet nuanced guidance on how to get more than you pay for with your podcast. It may even change the way you think about why a podcast is worth starting in the first place.

Ryan R. Sullivan is the host of The Ryan Sullivan Show and founder of Podcast Principles, where he has helped launch and grow more than 100 podcasts. He specializes in helping CPAs, financial advisors, attorneys, and other professionals use podcasting to build authority, grow their businesses, and create meaningful revenue opportunities.

Get more of Ryan's wisdom on The Ryan Sullivan Show, and find him everywhere by searching Ryan R. Sullivan (don't forget the R)!

Talking the Talk: A Podcast About Podcasting is for entrepreneurs, creators, and thought leaders who want to build podcasts that last—and earn their keep. Each week, Courtney Reimer shares practical podcast strategy, behind-the-scenes lessons, and conversations with industry experts to help you create a podcast that's as sustainable as it is impactful.

Courtney Reimer is a podcast strategy and development expert, founder of Sounds Great Strategy, and host of Talking the Talk. After leading podcast strategy and development at Spotify, Audible, MTV, Discovery, and executive producing the award-winning, #1-ranking, Joe-Rogan-toppling Archetypes with Meghan Markle, she now helps founders, entrepreneurs, thought leaders, and organizations build podcasts that earn their keep by creating trust, opening doors, and generating opportunities far beyond downloads.

Instagram: @soundsgreatpodcasts

LinkedIn: Courtney Reimer

Hot Tips & Hot Takes on Podcasting: Sounds Great on Paper (Courtney's weekly-ish newsletter)

Meet w/Courtney: Book a Free Podcast Clarity Call

☕ If you enjoy the show and want to support it (or just buy me a coffee while I edit another episode), you can do that here: BuyMeACoffee.com

We entrepreneurs looooove to talk about our time problems. Which are certainly real. But the bigger problem: starting from scratch with every new business asset we create.

Every week, we're faced with a fresh stack of blank pages and the small, medium, and large creative decisions they demand: What should I post? What should I write? Should I finally send that newsletter? Is this workshop worth building? It's no wonder our brains feel fried before we've even created much of anything.

In this solo episode, Courtney explores a criminally under-discussed benefit of podcasting: as the place where you get your best return on thinking. A strategically designed podcast dramatically increases the value of every hour you spend developing ideas. One thoughtful conversation becomes a newsletter, multiple social media assets, a client-closing case study, workshop idea, and the seeds of a robust body of work.

• Why we mistake cognitive load problems for time problems--and how podcasting can actually alleviate both

• Why podcast episodes are actually deep wells of content spinoffs (i.e., every episode breeds a newsletter, a LinkedIn post, an Instagram Reel, and that's just the beginning)

• How your podcast can become a decision filter that simplifies future content choices

• Why the best podcasts don't just earn their keep—they 10x your return on thinking.

If you've ever wondered whether a podcast is worth the effort—or worried that it will become one more thing on your already overflowing to-do list—this episode offers a different perspective. The right podcast doesn't becomes the place where your best thinking compounds, giving your ideas many places to live, thus exponentially multiplying the return on every hour you spend thinking.

Talking the Talk is the realest of real talk about podcasting—what works, what doesn't, and what no one tells you before you hit record. Hosted by Courtney Reimer, each episode explores how entrepreneurs, founders, creators, and thought leaders can build podcasts that earn their keep by creating trust, opening doors, and generating opportunities that extend far beyond downloads.

Courtney Reimer is the founder of Sounds Great Creative Podcast Strategy, where she helps founders, entrepreneurs, thought leaders, and brands build podcasts that create visibility, authority, audience connection, and long-term business value. Before founding Sounds Great, Courtney developed and launched award-winning audio content for companies including Spotify, Audible, MTV, and Discovery, including executive producing Archetypes, the Meghan Markle-hosted podcast that famously unseated Joe Rogan at #1. Today, she helps entrepreneurs build podcasts that earn their keep by creating trust, opening doors, and generating opportunities that extend far beyond downloads.

Follow Courtney for practical podcast strategy, behind-the-scenes insights, and honest conversations about building podcasts that last.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soundsgreatpodcasts

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/courtneyreimer

⚡ Subscribe to Sounds Great on Paper for weekly-ish insights on building a podcast—and a business—that earns its keep: https://sounds-great-on-paper.kit.com/profile

🤝 Want to explore whether a podcast is the right strategic fit for your business? Schedule a free Podcast Strategy Clarity Call: https://calendly.com/soundsgreatcourtney/podcast-clarity-w-courtney-of-sounds-great

Lots of people start podcasts because they have something to say. The ones that earn their keep over the long run start with something bigger: a vision for what the podcast is meant to build, well beyond the content inside of it.

In this episode, Courtney talks the talk with Jameelah Calhoun, host of Unpopular Decisions, who approached her podcast unlike anyone Courtney has encountered since starting her podcast strategy business. Before recording a single episode, Jameelah created an actual business plan for her show. Why go to all that trouble for a podcast? Because she knew the podcast itself wasn't the ultimate destination. It was the foundation of something much bigger..

Together, they explore what it looks like to build a podcast as a platform rather than simply another content channel, why strategy can provide stablitiy not rigidity, and how listening to your audience can strengthen your vision without pulling you away from it.

• Why treating your podcast like a business changes the decisions you make from day one

• The difference between building content and building a platform

• How Jameelah validated her audience before launching with surveys and research

• The surprising focus group exercise every podcaster should steal

• Why solo episodes became one of her highest-performing formats

• How listening tours can keep creators from drifting away from the audience they set out to serve

• Why experimentation—not perfection—is the key to finding product-market fit

• How community, events, newsletters, and other brand extensions can grow naturally from a podcast

• Why podcasts are often loss leaders before they become opportunity generators

If you've ever wondered whether you should simply launch your podcast—or map out a bigger vision first—this conversation is a reminder that the answer is probably: a combination of both.

Jameelah Calhoun is the creator and host of Unpopular Decisions, a podcast exploring the bold life and career choices people make when they choose courage over convention. By day, she is a marketing executive and strategist with leadership experience at companies including Audible and Forter. Through Unpopular Decisions, she's building an ecosystem of conversations, events, and community designed to help people navigate life's biggest turning points with greater courage, optimism, and agency.

You can find and follow all of her brilliantly executed outputs at UnpopularDecisions.com.

Talking the Talk is the realest of real talk about podcasting—what works, what doesn't, and what no one tells you before you hit record.

Hosted by Courtney Reimer, each episode explores how entrepreneurs, founders, creators, and thought leaders can build podcasts that earn their keep by creating trust, opening doors, and generating opportunities that extend far beyond downloads.

Courtney Reimer is the founder of Sounds Great Creative Podcast Strategy, where she helps founders, entrepreneurs, thought leaders, and brands build podcasts that create visibility, authority, audience connection, and long-term business value.

Before founding Sounds Great, Courtney developed and launched award-winning audio content for companies including Spotify, Audible, MTV, and Discovery, including executive producing Archetypes, the Meghan Markle-hosted podcast that famously unseated Joe Rogan at #1.

Today, she helps entrepreneurs build podcasts that earn their keep by creating trust, opening doors, and generating opportunities that extend far beyond downloads. Her philosophy is simple: a podcast shouldn't just be another piece of content—it should become one of the most valuable assets in your business.

Follow Courtney for practical podcast strategy, behind-the-scenes insights, and honest conversations about building podcasts that last.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soundsgreatpodcasts

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/courtneyreimer

⚡ Subscribe to the Sounds Great on Paper newsletter for weekly insights on building a podcast that earns its keep: https://sounds-great-on-paper.kit.com/profile

🤝 Want to work with Courtney? Schedule a free Podcast Strategy Clarity Call: https://calendly.com/soundsgreatcourtney/podcast-clarity-w-courtney-of-sounds-great

It's easy to believe a podcast is "working" only if the downloads climb quickly, the audience grows fast, or opportunities start showing up right away.

But those aren't the metrics that matter most—especially at the beginning of your podcast adventure.

In this episode, Courtney talks the talk with Meredith Hudson, founder of Sideline Bags (SLB) and host of Raised by Sports. Meredith launched her podcast just a few months ago, but she's already approaching it with a mindset many experienced podcasters could learn from: one that's less about chasing early wins and more about getting the reps in.

Together, they explore why podcasting rewards patience, how entrepreneurs can borrow an athlete's perspective for growth, and why the people who build meaningful podcasts often aren't the ones who launch

with the biggest splash.

We discuss:

• Why podcast downloads aren't the only (or even the best) measure of early success

• How podcasting can become a relationship accelerator and credibility builder

• Why your guests can become one of your greatest distribution channels

• How niching down makes every podcasting decision easier

• Why Meredith intentionally designed her show around her audience's limited time

• Why "good and shipped" beats waiting for perfect

If you've been wondering whether your podcast is "working"—or debating whether it's worth starting one at all—this conversation is a reminder that the biggest rewards often go to the people willing to play the long game. Or just to start playing at all.

ABOUT MEREDITH HUDSON

Meredith Hudson is the founder and CEO of Sideline Bags (SLB), a company creating thoughtfully designed products for female athletes. A former Division I athlete herself, Meredith is also the host of Raised by Sports, a podcast exploring how the lessons learned through sports can shape successful careers, businesses, and lives long after the final whistle.

ABOUT THE SHOW

Talking the Talk is the realest of real talk about podcasting—what works, what doesn't, and what no one tells you before you hit record. Hosted by podcast strategist Courtney Reimer, each episode explores how entrepreneurs, founders, and creators can build podcasts that earn their keep by creating trust, opening doors, and generating opportunities that extend far beyond downloads.

ABOUT THE HOST

Courtney Reimer is the founder of Sounds Great Creative Podcast Strategy, where she helps founders, entrepreneurs, thought leaders, and brands build podcasts that create visibility, authority, audience connection, and long-term business value.

Before founding Sounds Great, Courtney developed and launched award-winning audio content for companies including Spotify, Audible, MTV, and Discovery, including executive producing Archetypes, the Meghan Markle-hosted podcast that famously unseated Joe Rogan at #1.

Today, she helps entrepreneurs build podcasts that earn their keep by creating trust, opening doors, and generating opportunities that extend far beyond downloads. Her philosophy is simple: a podcast shouldn't just be another piece of content—it should become one of the most valuable assets in your business.

Follow Courtney:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soundsgreatpodcasts/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/courtneyreimer/

⚡ Subscribe to the Sounds Great on Paper newsletter for hot tips on how to build a podcast that earns its keep: https://sounds-great-on-paper.kit.com/profile

🤝 Want to work with Courtney? Schedule a free podcast strategy clarity call: https://calendly.com/soundsgreatcourtney/podcast-clarity-w-courtney-of-sounds-great

This episode almost didn't exist.

Recorded semi-spontaneously from the Kit Studios in Boise, Idaho, while I was in town for the Craft + Commerce conference, this solo episode began with a familiar internal debate: should I push through the discomfort of trying something new...or retreat to my hotel room to tackle the mountain of emails waiting for me there?

Ultimately, the reason I went for it was remembering the point of my show, and who it was for. I spend a lot of time telling my clients and Accelerator members to just go for it. And since I'm supposed to be walking the walk AND talking the talk, I did, too.

If you've been waiting for the perfect timing, the perfect setup, or the perfect version of yourself to emerge before you hit record, consider this your gentle nudge to start anyway.

ABOUT THE SHOW

Talking the Talk is a podcast about podcasting, hosted by Courtney Reimer, founder and principal strategist of Sounds Great Creative Podcast Strategy. Inside, you'll get the realest of real talk about what it takes to make a podcast that lasts, reaches + resonates with your ideal audience, and earns its keep without burning you out.

ABOUT COURTNEY

Courtney Reimer is the founder of Sounds Great Creative Podcast Strategy, where she helps founders, entrepreneurs, thought leaders, and brands build podcasts that create visibility, authority, audience connection, and long-term business value.

Before founding Sounds Great, Courtney developed and launched award-winning audio content for companies including Spotify, Audible, MTV, and Discovery, including executive producing Archetypes, the Meghan Markle-hosted podcast that famously unseated Joe Rogan at #1.

WHERE TO FIND COURTNEY

Instagram: @soundsgreatpodcasts

LinkedIn: Courtney Reimer

Newsletter: ⚡Sounds Great on Paper⚡

☕ This podcast runs on curiosity, crunch time, and caffeine. If you have enjoyed it, by all means Buy Me a Coffee! I'll return the favor by continuing to create engaging, enriching episodes for you to slurp down like I do my morning cup of ambition. ☕⚡

buymeacoffee.com/soundsgreatcourtney

Here's a radical idea: what if the best thing you could do to ensure the success of your podcast is to not track your numbers. At all.

In this episode of TALKING THE TALK, Courtney talks with Lori Pine, former corporate executive and host of THE JOY CEO PODCAST, about the radical-sounding but deeply strategic decision Lori made when she launched her show: she would not look at her podcast metrics for a full year.

No downloads. No rankings. No dashboard spiraling. No letting a squiggle on a screen decide whether the work was worth doing.

Instead, Lori committed to staying in the room long enough for the magic to happen.

Courtney and Lori talk about redefining podcast success beyond the usual metrics, building a show around mission and service, and why protecting your momentum may matter more in year one than measuring every move.

IN THIS EPISODE

• Why Lori chose not to check her podcast metrics for an entire year
• The non-numerical success metric that shaped her show from the beginning
• How a podcast can support a coaching or consulting business without giving everything away "for free"
• How Lori uses both guest interviews and solo episodes to serve her audience
• Why outsourcing and flexibility helped her stay consistent
• What happened when Lori accidentally learned her podcast was ranking in the top 5% globally

ABOUT THE GUEST: LORI PINE

Lori Pine is the founder of Lori Pine Coaching & Consulting and host of The Joy CEO Podcast, where she helps ambitious women redefine success on their own terms. Prior to launching her business, Lori spent decades leading teams and billion-dollar business units at companies including Coca-Cola, Anheuser-Busch, and Campbell Soup Company.

Today, through coaching, consulting, speaking, and podcasting, she helps high-achieving women build careers and lives that align with their values, purpose, and definition of success.

Learn more at loripine.com.

ABOUT THE HOST

Courtney Reimer is the founder of Sounds Great Creative Podcast Strategy, where she helps founders, entrepreneurs, thought leaders, and brands build podcasts that create visibility, authority, audience connection, and long-term business value.

Before founding Sounds Great, Courtney developed and launched award-winning audio content for companies including Spotify, Audible, MTV, and Discovery, including executive producing Archetypes, the Meghan Markle-hosted podcast that famously unseated Joe Rogan at #1.

Today, she specializes in helping people build podcasts that are strategic, sustainable, and unmistakably human.

Follow Courtney:

Instagram: @soundsgreatpodcasts

LinkedIn: Courtney Reimer

⚡ Subscribe to Courtney's newsletter, Sounds Great on Paper, for more insights, hot takes, and early access to opportunities to work with her. ⚡

☕ This podcast runs on curiosity, crunch time, and caffeine. If you have enjoyed it, by all means Buy Me a Coffee! I'll return the favor by continuing to create engaging, enriching episodes for you to slurp down like I do my morning cup of ambition. ☕⚡

buymeacoffee.com/soundsgreatcourtney

Most people launch podcasts hoping for downloads, growth, visibility, and maybe even money. All of which are attainable (with varying degrees of time investment).

But it turns out size isn't everything when it comes to podcasting and the numbers-based data around it. One of the biggest returns on investment in your podcasting has nothing to do with the number of people listening to it.

In this episode, Greg Wasserman, Head of Relationships at RSS.com and host of Podcast Network Insights, talks the talk with Courtney Reimer about why podcasts can function less like "content" and more like relationship engines: creating opportunities, conversations, introductions, partnerships, community, and long-tail business value that often has very little to do with traditional podcast metrics.

They discuss:

• Why relationship ROI outpaces sponsorship revenue for entrepreneurs
• The under-tapped opportunity of building a community from your podcast guests
• How podcasts create access to people you might never otherwise meet
• Using podcasts as a networking and career-building tool
• The role of LinkedIn in growing thought-leadership podcasts
• How AI (sorry, not sorry!) can help newer hosts improve
• How podcasts create access to otherwise inaccessible people

If you've ever wondered whether a podcast is worth the effort if you don't have a large audience, this episode may completely reframe your thinking.

ABOUT THE SHOW

Talking the Talk is a podcast about podcasting, hosted by Courtney Reimer, founder and principal strategist, Sounds Great Creative Podcast Strategy. Here, you'll get the realest of real talk about what it takes to make a podcast that lasts, reaches + resonates with your ideal audience, and earns its keep without burning you out.

ABOUT THE GUEST: GREG WASSERMAN

Greg Wasserman is the Head of Relationships at RSS.com and the host of Podcast Network Insights, a show exploring how podcast networks operate, grow, monetize, and support creators. Known for his deeply human approach to networking and connection-building, Greg believes life and business are built on two things: time and relationships.

Connect with Greg on LinkedIn and mention you came from Talking the Talk (like he said to do in the episode)!

ABOUT COURTNEY

Courtney Reimer is the founder of Sounds Great Creative Podcast Strategy, where she helps founders, entrepreneurs, thought leaders, and brands build podcasts that create visibility, authority, audience connection, and long-term business value.

Before founding Sounds Great, Courtney developed and launched award-winning audio content for companies including Spotify, Audible, MTV, and Discovery, including executive producing Archetypes, the Meghan Markle-hosted podcast that famously unseated Joe Rogan at #1.

Today, she specializes in helping people build podcasts that are strategic, sustainable, and unmistakably human.

Follow Courtney:

Instagram: @soundsgreatpodcasts

LinkedIn: Courtney Reimer

⚡Subscribe to Courtney's newsletter ⚡Sounds Great on Paper⚡for more insights, hot takes, and early access to opportunities to work with her ⚡

☕ This podcast runs on curiosity, crunch time, and caffeine. If you have enjoyed it, by all means Buy Me a Coffee! I'll return the favor by continuing to create engaging, enriching episodes for you to slurp down like I do my morning cup of ambition. ☕

buymeacoffee.com/soundsgreatcourtney

Would you believe me if I told you the most powerful style of podcast right now is less like a podcast and more like something you're probably already putting out there–no fancy equipment necessary?

The most underrated and undercelebrated type of show right now is the "voice-note podcast": a collection of short, highly specific, deeply human audio episodes that prioritize intimacy, usefulness, POV, and connection over slick production and content-factory energy.

Inspired by Build With Becky host Becky Pierson Davidson (whose minimalist, voice-note-style podcast has quickly become her #1 sales conversion tool), this episode explains how entrepreneurs, consultants, creators, and service providers may be dramatically overcomplicating podcasting…and freezing themselves out in the process.

Inside this episode:

• Why "low-lift" does not have to mean "low-value"
• The hidden power of intimacy and imperfection in audio
• How short-form, voice-note-style episodes can build enormous trust
• The real nonnegotiables of a resonant podcast (spoiler: none involve a three-camera setup)
• Why podcasting may be especially powerful for service providers and thought leaders

→ If you're stuck at the podcasting starting line, consider applying for my Podcast Launch Accelerator, a 5-week program that's small, human, interactive, and focused on getting you out of your head and into the podcast players of your ideal audience.

ABOUT THIS PODCAST

Talking the Talk is a podcast about podcasting, hosted by Courtney Reimer, founder and principal strategist, Sounds Great Creative Podcast Strategy. Inside, you'll get the realest of real talk about what it takes to make a podcast that lasts, reaches + resonates with your ideal audience, and earns its keep without burning you out.

ABOUT THE PODCAST HOST

Courtney Reimer is a podcast strategy architect, creative development consultant, and founder of Sounds Great, where she helps entrepreneurs, founders, thought leaders, and brands build podcasts that are strategically sharp, creatively compelling, and sustainable enough to actually keep making.

Before founding Sounds Great, Courtney helped develop and launch award-winning podcasts for Spotify, Audible, and beyond—including Archetypes with Meghan Markle, which famously dethroned Joe Rogan from Spotify's top spot upon launch. She's also worked in radio since before many people even knew what a podcast was, interviewed celebrities in hotel junkets, and remains deeply convinced that audio is one of the most powerful relationship-building mediums on earth.

Courtney is also the creator and host of the Sounds Great Podcast Launch Accelerator, a hands-on small-group program that helps aspiring podcasters go from idea to live show without burning themselves out in the process.

Connect with Courtney:

Instagram: @soundsgreatpodcasts

Newsletter: Sounds Great on Paper

LinkedIn: Courtney Reimer on LinkedIn

⚡☕ This podcast runs on curiosity, crunch time, and caffeine. If you have enjoyed it, by all means Buy Me a Coffee! I'll return the favor by continuing to create engaging, enriching episodes for you to slurp down like I do my morning cup of ambition. ☕⚡

→ buymeacoffee.com/soundsgreatcourtney

There's a particular kind of fear that shows up around podcasting for a lot of people… especially entrepreneurs, founders, and experts who know a podcast could help grow their visibility, relationships, and business, but can't quite get themselves across the line from "thinking about it" to stepping up to the mic.

This episode is about what happens when someone like that finally goes for it.

Kathleen Wisemandle is a leadership coach, former corporate executive, and graduate of the Sounds Great Podcast Accelerator who, not long ago, genuinely did not think podcasting was in her future. Fast forward just a couple of months and she's now completed her first season and is into the S2 of The Rooted Leader Podcast, experimenting with formats, building community, and (perhaps most importantly) having a whole lot more fun with podcasting than she expected.

Inside this conversation, we talk about:

• The surprising thing that made podcasting feel within reach
• How perfectionism showed up once she began recording
• Why her interview episodes became more joyful than expected
• The unexpected ROI of podcasting
• Sustainable podcasting rhythms, seasonal thinking, and avoiding burnout

We also get into one of my favorite podcasting truths: you do not have to emerge from the womb with a slick video studio setup, perfect cadence, and an NPR voice to deserve a podcast.

Sometimes the thing that matters most is simply sitting down and doing the thing..

ABOUT THE GUEST

Kathleen Wisemandle is a leadership coach, organizational psychologist, former senior life sciences leader, and the founder of Aspire to Grow, where she helps leaders, founders, and professionals navigate growth, transition, and reinvention with greater clarity and intention.

After more than 30 years leading teams and driving innovation across the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries—including leadership roles at AbbVie, Takeda, Astellas, and Seagen—Kathleen shifted her focus toward coaching, organizational learning, and helping high-performing professionals uncover what's possible in their next chapter.

ABOUT THE SHOW

Talking the Talk is a podcast about podcasting, hosted by Courtney Reimer, founder and principal strategist, Sounds Great Creative Podcast Strategy. Inside, you'll get the realest of real talk about what it takes to make a podcast that lasts, reaches + resonates with your ideal audience, and earns its keep without burning you out.

ABOUT COURTNEY

Courtney Reimer is a podcast strategy architect and the founder of Sounds Great, where she helps founders, entrepreneurs, brands, and thought leaders build podcasts that actually work—for their businesses, their audiences, and their lives. A former executive producer at Spotify, Audible, and MTV, Courtney has developed podcasts for everyone from Meghan Markle and Prince Harry to emerging founders launching their very first shows.

She's also the creator of the Sounds Great Podcast Accelerator, a community-centered program helping aspiring podcasters move from idea to launch without spiraling into perfectionism, overwhelm, or podfade.

→ Applications are open now for the spring cohort of the Sounds Great Podcast Accelerator. Head over to SoundsGreatStrategy.com to learn more and submit your interest in joining. Limited space available, so make it snappy! ←

Connect with Courtney…

on LinkedIn: Courtney Reimer

on Instagram: @soundsgreatpodcasts

⚡☕ This podcast runs on curiosity, crunch time, and caffeine. If you have enjoyed it, by all means Buy Me a Coffee! I'll return the favor by continuing to create engaging, enriching episodes for you to slurp down like I do my morning cup of ambition… ☕ ⚡

buymeacoffee.com/soundsgreatcourtney