What If Your Podcast Strategy Felt Like You Again?
If your podcast strategy has ever felt like something you're trying to keep up with—instead of something that supports you—you’re not alone.
So many podcasters are following formulas that leave them drained, over-scheduled, or second-guessing every episode. We’ve been taught that strategy means batching, scripting, and showing up week after week… even when we’re not feeling it.
But here’s the truth: a podcast strategy that doesn’t make space for your voice is never going to feel sustainable.
You’re Not Doing It Wrong—You Just Need a New Kind of Strategy
In this episode, I’m breaking down what actually makes podcast strategy work—and why clarity, alignment, and rhythm matter so much more than hustle.
Here’s what I believe (and what I’ve seen again and again with my clients):
Your voice is powerful.
You don’t need more noise—you need a clear path.
Strategy should feel like support, not pressure.
Three Elements of Strategy That Feels Like You
Alignment
It all starts with making sure your content supports your energy and your business—not just an algorithm or a template.Simplicity
Strategy should remove decision fatigue, not create more of it. A simple, flexible rhythm can help you stay consistent without burning out.Sacred Planning
Planning doesn’t mean rigidity. It means creating space for your voice to be fully expressed—and honoring the way you work best.
You Don’t Need to Hustle Harder—You Need to Feel Supported
If you’ve been feeling off in your podcasting process, there’s nothing wrong with you. You probably just need a strategy that actually matches who you are.
That’s why I created the Podcast Strategy Shop—a space filled with tools and frameworks that help you build clarity without losing creativity.
🛍️ Explore the shop and use code Podcast25 to get your exclusive listener discount: podcaststrategyshop.com
Let’s make strategy feel like you again.
The Transcript for Share, Strategize, & Shine:
220: What If Your Podcast Strategy Felt Like You Again?
[00:00:00] There is a pattern I see all the time, especially with women podcasters who care deeply about their message. We think that if we just follow the right strategy, the right checklist, the right formula, we'll finally get it right. But the truth is, strategy without connection doesn't work, and connection without strategy leaves you exhausted.
[00:00:20] There's another way, and that is what we're gonna talk about today.
[00:00:24]
[00:00:42] Welcome back to Share, strategize, and Shine. I'm Caroline podcast strategist and voice keeper guide, and today we're going to gently unravel some of the biggest misconceptions about podcast strategy because strategy is not about squeezing yourself into a mold. [00:01:00] It's about creating a path that amplifies your true voice.
[00:01:04] And if you've ever felt like strategy didn't work for you, you are not broken. You just haven't found the kind that honors who you are. So let's take a breath together.
[00:01:19] If strategy has felt heavy, complicated, like something you're supposed to figure out but secretly resent, let's set that down for a moment. This is a space for softness, for truth, for a different way.
[00:01:39] Ah, that feels really good. I'm so tired today. Um, we just had family in town for almost a week, uh, going to all of our kids' performances and you know, it's these moments when I'm so tired that the strategy of it all and the content creation of it [00:02:00] all gets really, really hard. And I was part of a summit this morning and in my presentation I talked about rhythm and I just thought how, like, ironic that was for me in this moment where rhythm is so, so important and not doing too much and you know, making sure that I'm doing what feels aligned and what feels good and this moment of complete and total exhaustion, like I'm gonna sleep all day, um, Saturday.
[00:02:27] That is my plan. So. I just wanted to share that with you all because showing up and recording, you know when things feel heavy, when things feel hard. It can be really difficult and I want you to honor that as we talk about this topic today and honor the energy that you have and, you know, figure out how you can create a rhythm.
[00:02:47] I have a previous episode you can go listen to all about rhythm. I think it's really, really important, um, especially as we're going into the summer and, our kids are gonna be out of school, we're gonna be busy doing things out, being outside. So definitely [00:03:00] pay attention to that. You know, there are probably some common experiences that you have felt, I know I have, I know my clients have.
[00:03:09] One of them is feeling like you're doing everything right, but still not seeing results. I know that I feel this one deeply in my business, often, not just with content creation, but and everything in my business, right? You can feel like you are doing everything right. I mean, you've got the funnels, you've setting up the things you're doing, all the things, you've got the offers, you know, and you're just not seeing the results you want.
[00:03:35] You could possibly, you could also possibly be feeling like strategy advice often feels too loud, too aggressive, too salesy. I know that this is one that I really identify with. Whenever I see ads from other online business coaches and things like that. I, I feel really overwhelmed. I'm like, you know, that's not how I want to be in the world.
[00:03:58] That's not how I want to [00:04:00] show up. That's not the energy that I wanna give off. And so it's not the energy that I wanna take in. And so for the longest time, it was like, I don't even know whose advice to follow. I don't know what strategy to apply, right? Like I just, I don't know. I don't know, because that's not what I wanna do.
[00:04:18] And the other thing that I feel comes into play a lot too is just wondering if you aren't strategic enough to succeed. That we're doing because, uh, I've been having a lot of conversations with my friends about chat, GPT and how we use chat GPT. And one of the things that, um, I did with Chat GPT was a series of prompts for it to show your strength.
[00:04:40] And growth areas like where you're strong, where you need to grow based on the conversations you've had with it. And it was so funny because chat g PT was like, Hey Caroline, you know what you do? Too much of you hide behind strategy like you do too much strategy and not enough inviting, not enough selling.
[00:04:59] And I thought that was [00:05:00] really funny. As I was working on this episode and thinking about that, because I do think there's two sides to the strategic coin, right? Like you can be so strategic that you're constantly tweaking and doing strategy and metrics and all the things. And then the other side of it is you can almost be not strategic enough, so you're not making decisions from a place of strategy or intention.
[00:05:22] It's so, so interesting how. We can show up so differently in strategy and in different places. I know that there are areas where I'm really strategic and there are areas where I'm not strategic at all, you know? But here's the thing, like you are strategic by nature, right? You're intuitive, thoughtful, intentional.
[00:05:42] You wouldn't be a business owner creating content if you weren't these things, and you don't need a louder voice. You just need a clearer channel for the voice you already have. So let's talk about what most people get wrong [00:06:00] about strategy. One is thinking that strategy is about performing or persuading harder.
[00:06:05] I, I really am a firm believer that you do not have to be somebody you're not, or invite people into your world in a way that doesn't feel aligned. This is something that I have really been leaning into myself, and I'm already seeing the difference that it's making in my business. But showing up as me, uh, by not performing, by not trying to be somebody I am, and, and not trying to, like, I'm not trying to sell all the time.
[00:06:32] I'm, I am inviting you into my world, into my space. And I think that little flip that, that change in language has been really huge for me. Another one that people get wrong about strategy is believing that it's rigid, mathematical, one size fits all. I do not believe this at all, and I know this from her firsthand experience, and I also know it from my clients.
[00:06:56] Like we're all different people. We all show up [00:07:00] differently. We all create content differently. We all have different offers, and we all have something different to give. And when you try to put all of that into a strategic box, it can make people feel inauthentic. It can make people feel like. They're doing something wrong, like it's not working for them.
[00:07:17] I know that that has been a real personal experience for me over the last few years in my business. The other thing about strategy is assuming that if strategy worked for someone else, it's gonna work for you exactly the same way. Ugh. And I know this is a trap I have fallen into with coaches and courses and things I've taken.
[00:07:39] Like, oh, if I just do this because it worked for them, it'll work for me. But let's talk about what actually makes strategy work. 'cause I think that, you know, we can focus on these negative things all day, but where does strategy actually start to work for your business and your podcast? And I want you to, to hear as you're listening to this, like, [00:08:00] this is how I approach strategy.
[00:08:02] I do not sit down with every client and give them the exact same formula. Everybody is different. Everybody needs something. That is specified to them, and that's also the approach that I take when you join my academy or anything. It's like, here's the things. Take what feels right for you and works for you.
[00:08:23] The first thing that makes strategy work is alignment. Your content has to match your energy and your audience's true needs. If it's not in alignment, it's not going to work. I don't care what strategy you have, if it, it does not make your people feel seen and heard in a way that they need to, it is not going to work.
[00:08:44] This is such an important piece and I mean, you can go back like just a few episodes of mine and see a huge energy shift and that energy shift wasn't just for me, but for my audience, for what I see that people need and it. Oh, it's been so [00:09:00] impactful. The second thing that makes strategy work is simplicity.
[00:09:04] So really good strategy is going to remove decision fatigue. It's going to clarify, it's going to lighten, it's going to make creativity easier. I always know when something isn't working for a client when they butt up against it and it's like, well, this feels really hard. This feels like. This isn't make content creation feel better, it's making it feel more difficult, uh, you know, tougher to do, tougher to get through the processes.
[00:09:33] Okay, well, let's step back. Let's tweak this strategy for you. Let's make sure that it works for you because whenever we are applying anything to our business. And it feels harder. It's going to make the running of the business, the creating of the content. All of the things feel even harder. When I look at strategic things that I want to to do for my business, I want it to feel easier.
[00:09:59] [00:10:00] I want it to feel lighter. I wanna make sure that it's not adding a ton into what I'm already doing because I'm doing a lot. Right. So simplicity really is a really important piece and I, I really think that one of the things I see with a lot of business owners. Is they'll start to get strategic, right?
[00:10:18] Air quotes, strategic about their business, and all of a sudden they're like adding all these things in and trying to make it more complicated. You know, even right now there is something that I am considering adding as an offer, but I'm kind of sitting on it for a minute because I really wanna make sure that it's not gonna complicate what I'm already doing.
[00:10:36] Right? And that's really important to me. I want it to feel easier. The last thing is sacred planning. I love this. It is not about batching your soul out of your podcast. We do not wanna be creating content from a place of, I have to, I need to, I should. I need to get [00:11:00] all of this done.
[00:11:00] I need to do it now. I should be batching podcast episodes. It's more about knowing where you're going. You can be fully present when you hit record. Okay, let me, let me dive into that for a minute. I love planning my episodes ahead. I absolutely do, but that planning has to be aligned with what's going on in my business, what's going on with my people.
[00:11:34] And it has to be aligned with my schedule. I do not have the time to sit down and batch 10 episodes. That just doesn't happen for me, and when I try to do that, it feels hard. Oh, remember I talked about that? It feels difficult, but then it also feels like I'm not able to fully show up in the podcast episodes.
[00:11:57] Like when I record a podcast episode, I want you to [00:12:00] feel like we are sitting down having tea and we're chatting about this together. I want you to feel like you have been invited into my world. You've, you know, and when I'm rushed and I have this need to create content that is not at all how my episodes start to feel right.
[00:12:19] They start to feel heavy. They start to feel strategy heavy. They start to feel, you need to do this, you need to do that, you know. That's not what I want. It's not what I want for my clients. And so it really has become like, okay, how can I be fully me and fully present in what I'm recording right now? You know?
[00:12:39] And maybe there will be a day where energetically I'm like, I'm gonna do two episodes. Maybe that'll happen. That's happened recently, maybe this summer. Well, who knows? You know, oftentimes when clients come to me, they think they have a strategy problem. You know, I'm not using the right strategy. I'm posting episodes.
[00:12:59] My podcast [00:13:00] isn't working, nothing's happening. I had a client recently that came to me with this, you know what? Teach me a strategy, Caroline, to grow my podcast, to grow my business. And what's so interesting is when we start diving into like, what's actually going on with the podcast, nine times out of 10, it is not a strategy problem.
[00:13:18] It's actually actually a clarity problem. So let's get clear. You know, why is your podcast out of alignment? Why does your process feel so complicated? Why is your planning not happening in a way that feels aligned and simple? Right? Going back to those three things, alignment, simplicity, sacred planning, and when we were able to get really clear on these things, it was like boom.
[00:13:45] Content creation became easier. The process of actually getting the episode out each week became easier. The conversions became more right. Once she simplified and got really clear on her [00:14:00] podcast and how it's gonna work for her and her business, things started to flow. And that's really what I want you to take away from this today.
[00:14:09] Like it is not about applying 50 million strategies, joining all the, the email lists, the newsletters, and reading through them and applying them and, and buying all the courses. It really is about doing what feels aligned. Doing what simplifies things for you and, and planning in a way that allows you to fully be present.
[00:14:30] So if you're craving strategy that feels aligned and not overwhelming, I created a place for this. It's called the Podcast Strategy Shop. I literally created this for you. I had you in mind. Inside you'll find simple, soulful tools to help you map out episodes, plan launches, and show up consistently without losing your voice.
[00:14:53] , you can head to podcast strategy shop.com. You can find the link in the show notes, and I hope you will. Explore what's waiting for you there. [00:15:00] And, my shop has quickly become like one of my favorite things and I have quite a list of new tools and things that I'm going to be creating and, putting in there.
[00:15:10] So definitely follow along. One of my best sellers that is in there right now is my, strategic podcast episode templates highly recommend checking those out. They really do help you to outline and create an episode that doesn't feel robotic, that goes back to that making it easier, right?
[00:15:28] And creating a system so you're able to be fully present. Um, so, so definitely go check those out. And you know, just before we go, like you don't need to twist yourself into someone else's version of strategy. You don't, your voice is already powerful. You just need the right paths to let it shine. So until next time, keep sharing what's true and trust that you already have everything you need inside you.
[00:15:59] [00:16:00] And I'm here to support you along the way. See you next time.
