Hi Reader!

Yesterday I got to be the “mystery reader” in my daughter’s 5th grade classroom.

The look on her face when she saw me? Worth every ounce of introvert anxiety I felt leading up to it. Her friends cheered. She beamed. And I walked out of there floating on air.

It reminded me of something important: the things we build up in our heads—the showing up, the being seen, the putting ourselves out there—are almost always scarier before we do them than after. And once we do? We’re glad we did.

That theme keeps showing up in business too. Publishing the episode. Submitting your show for visibility. Sharing the CTA. Trusting that your voice matters.

This week’s newsletter is full of examples of the power of showing up...

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👀 New Case Study: Danette Lowe

If you’ve ever looked at your podcast feed and thought, “I should be further along than this…” this one is for you.

I just published a new case study featuring CFP® Danette Lowe and her show, Ready to Retire!​

When we launched in 2022, she was nervous to be on camera. She second-guessed her voice. She worried about how she looked. There were breaks in production. Long ones. Life happened. Staffing changes happened. A broker-dealer transition happened.

And yet…

With just 35 extremely inconsistently published episodes, her show has episodes reaching up to 2,400 all-time listens, most landing in the 200–400 range, and her lowest still at 90 listens.

More importantly, her podcast elevated how clients see her. It increased referrals. It helped prospects find her through search. It supported the launch of her book and Audible version. It strengthened her authority in ways she never expected.

Read the Case Study now

Her case is evidence of this:

Podcasting for business does not require perfection. It requires persistence.

​Danette’s story proves that you can grow your authority, attract inbound opportunities, and deepen client trust — even when your publishing cadence hasn’t been flawless.

If you’re a financial professional who has wondered whether your show is “doing enough,” this case study will recalibrate your perspective.

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Getting your show featured on PodNews for 🙌 FREE

A couple weeks ago, I shared some free and low-cost ways you can advertise your show, getting it in front of fresh eyes - missed it?

​Read that newsletter here. (It's the 3rd section down.)

Well, I practice what I preach, so I submitted PFP to PodNews on 1/13/26- here's what happened:
1. I received a confirmation email of my submission on 1/14/26, ensuring me it was approved. Cool.

2. On 1/15/26, my show was featured in the PodNews newsletter AND on NewPodcasts

I know the font in those pics ends up super tiny, but here's the page that permanently features my show now on the PodNews website: https://podnews.net/podcast/i1y78​

So, the real question is, what did this DO for me & my brand? Here are my show's stats from January. Notice the activity around the 15th of the month - wow.

Now that it's February, I'm still seeing some increased listener ship... around 16 listeners/downloads per day, as opposed to an average of 8 per day in December, before I submitted it to PodNews. Hey, I'll take it!

I can only assume that out of the spike in exposure, about 8 more people per day are ideal listeners for my show, meaning they are likely financial professionals who have a show or are at least interested in podcasting for their business. That's double the traffic for me - amazing!

And I assume we're the same in this area - I don't need hundreds of clients to be successful. In fact, I need less than 50.

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In summary, here's how you can use this to your benefit:Rather than submitting randomly, be strategic.
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• lan your submission around a stellar episode; preferably one that makes your lead magnet or CTA irresistible.
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• Got a new season coming up? Or perhaps a revamped style? Submit about a week before your first episode goes live.
• Design a high-impact miniseries or stack potentially viral topics (for your niche & business) intentionally so that these are what airs on and around your big debut.

🧐 What else can you think of to properly capture that audience spike? (please reply & tell me your ideas...I love this brainstorming & planning stuff!)

You better believe I'll be looking for these opportunities for submission for my clients' shows going forward!

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How long does it take for listeners to trust you? 😲

When conversion comes before trust, listeners disengage — or worse, they listen but never take action.

Trust first. Then intentional conversion.

If your podcast isn’t driving the right leads — or your CTAs feel heavy — this episode will help you rethink how trust fuels traction.

Building Influence, not just downloads Stoy’s show educates first — clear perspectives, real stories, and honest conversations. That’s what makes his calls to action land when he uses them. Conversion works best when listeners already trust your thinking. Watch here

This week on Podcasting for Financial Professionals, I’m joined by Stoy Hall, CFP®, to explore a smarter way to turn listeners into leads without sounding salesy or forced. We talk about service-first content, deeper conversations, and why authenticity actually improves conversion rates.

The #1 takeaway? When creating content, focusing on helping first - sales will accelerate when empathy and education lead the conversation.

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I’ll be honest—focusing on work has been hard for me this week.

It’s difficult not to get sucked into what’s happening politically in the US. The lack of accountability. The deflection. The scale of issues that are far bigger than anything we’re doing inside our own businesses.

It makes my work feel so small.

But then I remind myself: what good does it do my family for me to spiral about billionaires or bureaucracy for hours a day? None. If I stay distracted, they win. If I build something strong, stable, and impactful inside my own sphere (and vote, duh!), I win.

Money equals options.
Focus equals momentum.
And trust—built steadily over time—equals opportunity.

That’s what Danette’s story proves. That’s what the PodNews submission reinforced. That’s what Stoy’s conversation highlights.

You don’t need perfection, flawless publishing frequencies, and you don't need to go viral.

You need to show up. Build trust. Stay strategic. And keep going.

And if you’ve been in your head about whether your podcast is “working”… maybe this is your reminder that quiet consistency compounds.

Cheers 🥂

P.S. If you’ve been wondering whether your podcast is positioned correctly to build trust and generate real traction, this is your nudge.

The Podcast Conversion Lab™ is where we refine your messaging, your CTAs, and your listener journey to align with your CURRENT goals — and then implement the changes together so you’re not left with a “nice plan” that never gets executed.

If 2026 is the year your podcast actually supports your business goals, reply with the word LAB or book a Podcast Clarity Call™ and let’s get you moving.