Behind the Scenes #21: Spotify Wrapped & Return of the Podcasting Itch
Behind the Scenes #21: Spotify Wrapped & Return of the Podcasting Itch
Welcome back to the Statement Mondays update! I know it’s not Monday but I just couldn’t wait to post this one… I’m writing this as I’m on an absolute mountain of adrenaline (you’ll see why) so if you need to be pumped up too, then read on. I’ll bet it’s contagious. ☢
What is Statement Mondays? It’s a podcast for college and early-career women about being bold and authentic in the workplace. I interview career-minded women with strong identities who give examples, advice, and tools that inspire listeners to bring more of who they are into what they do.
👩🏼🎨 Since last time:
I’ve decided to kick off interviews for season 2 of Statement Mondays! More on that below.
I’ve been receiving a good handful of unprompted recommendations of women I should interview which is GREAT because it means my podcast is still relevant even when I’m not actively working on it (and now I have season 2 candidates)
I published all my earliest email updates to my Substack -- hoping they can be helpful to other young podcasters
I ~finally~ got the Statement Mondays IG account up to date (if you’re wondering why I posted some old stuff in the past weeks)
…aaand drum roll….. People have been sending me screenshots of Statement Mondays in their 2021 Spotify Wrapped!
🧠 #1 thing on my mind: Spotify Wrapped is my much-needed kick in the butt
After a few months of prioritizing life in NYC and meeting new people (aka nursing my burnout), I am itching to DO something again, be productive and CREATING. I had decided to put that mental energy into hunting for what I want to do next with my career, but feeling lack of inspiration there and seeing Statement Mondays come up in people’s Spotify Wrapped has made me itch for my podcasting days instead. Maybe that’s a sign for what I should be doing right now? 🐒
Then I checked my emails and found Spotify has a Wrapped for podcasters too! A great big ol’ summary of my podcasting journey (at least for the parts on Spotify): Statement Mondays 2021 Wrapped. 🎁 Only 4% of total listens are from Spotify (according to my hosting platform) so the numbers aren’t particularly representative of my overall listener base but it’s still so so cool to see and wanted to share it :). Apple could you please release a similar thing? My todos to actually make moves on this inspiration: 1. Re-evaluate my (& guests’) recording setup, 2. update my questions list, 3. Shoot out some emails to potential guests. LET’S DO THIS!
🌟 Just for fun I’ll give you my own ~behind the scenes~ 2021(ish) wrapped for STMT:
2260 listens on my 2 min trailer episode alone
20 episodes recorded on 7 different desks, in 5 different closets, and in 1 backyard during my pandemic nomad life
101+ (THAT’S ONE HUNDRED AND ONE! 🤯) different countries people are listening from (hello person in Kyrgyzstan!)
20 adrenaline hits while asking badass women what their “heels” are
1072 tears shed
89 friends, family, and more following my biweekly updates
Countless emails of encouragement received 💜
18+ inches of hair chopped
2 bottles of champagne popped
🤓 Learnings:
Two years ago (right around when I switched teams at Fb), I learned that I do my best work and I am most fulfilled and most invincible when I override my very pragmatic brain and I follow my heart. I’m reminded of that self-learning as I’m writing this update now, riding a wave of adrenaline as I remember how exhausting but how much fun it is to run a podcast. Time to listen to my heart again and get season 2 going.
Content lives forever (for now…). Part of the magic of building something is that you have something permanent to show for your effort at the end. Even though I’m not actively working on the podcast right now, friends and strangers still email me about it and the existing episodes still get a solid number of listens a week. 😳
Blondes have more fun but short haired blondes have the most fun.
🙌 Shoutouts:
Thank you to my superfans whose Spotify Wrapped my podcast appeared in! Including Shep & Max & Doris
Thank you new friend Olivia for reaching out to praise STMT and chat after realizing I’m the random podcaster you’ve been listening to and I work at the same company as you!
Hello to the newest members of this update list! Glad to have you around :)
🍪 Asks:
Help build my hype and send me some motivation! Respond to this in your inbox and tell me your favorite part about STMT Season 1 so if I ever look back and wonder if season 2 is a good idea for me right now, the answer will be a resounding YES!
Job alert! Do you know of anyone (new grad maybe?) who is looking for a job in tech but might not be technical themselves? My mentor Jason Toff’s startup Things.inc needs an assistant to the CEO (himself). Here’s more info and feel free to reach out to me with any questions or recs.
It’s been one absolutely crazy year! Will I be able to sleep tonight? We’ll find out. Anyway thanks for reading, and if you need a reason to be bold today, here it is -- today is Statement Monday.
Natalie Muenster
Founder | Statement Mondays
Website: Statementmondays.com