Episode 172. Asian Podcasters: Thinking Bigger and Stepping it Up

Being a successful Asian podcaster is a relatively new career path. It is an interesting yet complex experience that is still underexplored. As Asian podcasters, it is collectively time for us to step up to the plate and lead first to share our story, experiences, and perspectives to create positive change in this world.

In This Episode:

Lessons from speaking at Podfest Asia (Philippines, 2024)
Start building your thought leadership and body of work as an Asian podcaster now
Sharing your point of view as an Asian podcaster
Thinking bigger and stepping up your game as an Asian podcaster

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Being a successful Asian podcaster

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Welcome back to another episode of the Thought Leader Club Podcast. My name is Cheryl and I’m the coach for aspiring thought leaders and the host of this podcast, The Thought Leader Club.

My work is centered around helping solopreneurs to build a body of work that lets them become known for their unique thought leadership, their story, and how amazing they are at what they do.

In this episode, I want to offer a few perspectives especially to those who identify as Asian, as a podcaster, or both. There’s a few particular lessons that have recently shaped how I see myself especially as an Asian podcaster, and I hope that these sharings will nudge you to also think bigger and feel inspired to step up your game as a podcaster.

Lessons from speaking at Podfest Asia (Philippines, 2024)

I want to start by sharing a very recent experience to set the stage for this episode.

About two weeks ago, I spoke at Podfest Asia as part of a panel called “Podcasting Without Borders: A Global Conversation”. I cannot deny that I felt unqualified and not successful enough to be a speaker at this event.

Yet, the event went swimmingly well. I enjoyed it, both as a participant and as a speaker.

The most profound moment for me from the event was the moment I got up in front of the live audience. And that was when I realized, “OMG. I GOT WORK TO DO.”

Specifically, it was in that moment when I literally saw the people I’ve been wanting to speak to, reach, and impact through my work as a podcaster and coach. And in that moment, I realized that my work matters.

No matter how small I feel about myself, I still have work to do and people to help. No matter how lacking I feel about myself, I still have certain experiences or skill sets that can push others forward.

No matter how awesome the other speakers are, I still have a certain angle or set of perspectives that are not just unique to me as a speaker, but are precisely what someone in the audience needs to see and hear. This. Matters.

Something that I didn’t quite realize when I was younger was, growing up, there were so many narratives, both spoken and unspoken, that led me to think that if I could fit into non-Asian communities.

Whether it be blending in with the White kids at school or the Black kids at school, that would help me create “success”. In school days, success looked like popularity.

But even outside of, let’s say, high school, when you look around there are still a disproportionate amount of examples of successful, powerful people who are, let’s just say, part of racial groups that didn’t look like me.

I think for a lot of us who identify as Asian, we have some experience with trying to be someone else in order to get what we want. Whether it be to fit into the cool crowd or get into a certain college or job, I think many of us have in some way shape or form, molded ourselves to be like a certain persona.

Now, in hindsight, we don’t feel great about it. It doesn’t feel good to know what we’ve tried to hide parts of ourselves in order to be successful. It doesn’t make us feel proud to know that we’ve tried to dim our own light, and at times, our own culture or identity, just to fit the mold of what success, especially in an American or Western centric context, apparently looks like.

Oftentimes, now as we embark on our journey as podcasters, that same pattern might repeat itself. We start to hide certain parts of ourselves in hopes that doing so will help us create more success as creators or solopreneurs.

But it’s so, so critical, so crucial, for us as Asian podcasters to remember who we are and the experiences that uniquely shaped us to become the podcasters that we are today.

Going back to the recent event at Podfest Asia, when I got up on that stage, I immediately saw, with my own eyes, that the majority of the attendees looked like me. I am aware that my peeps are still disproportionately represented in many conferences, events, and rooms. Let alone stages.

Through this experience, I am re-committing to taking up more space so I can pave the way for my peeps to see that they too can be on stages that they once felt were not for them.

In fact, just before I flew off to Manila, I received the following message: “There isn’t a single podcast that I’ve traveled with, listened to for years, and always turn to besides yours. And without you, I wouldn’t have started mine yet.”

And the day after Podfest Asia, I received another message: “Just wanted to say thank you for doing what you do. Because simply seeing you do the things you do, helps me see that it’s possible for me too. And that’s massive in my books. So I’m really glad you decided to start your coaching business! LOL.”

These messages from real life human beings remind me that no matter how small I think my podcast is or how small my podcast audience is, there are still peeps who tune into episode after episode after episode. For some, my podcast is part of their weekly routines. Podcasts matter. Podcasters matter.

But of course, there are many times when we may not have the physical evidence that people care about our work. There are days when our podcast metrics feel intensely discouraging. There might even be extended periods of times where we don’t get comments or messages from folks who tune into our show, leaving us, the creator, in the dark, wondering if anyone is even listening.

And although I really want to say “keep believing in your work” and let that be the magic solution to all of our podcaster problems, the reality is, the onus is still on us to create our best work and to believe in the value, significance and relevance of our work. And it’s also our responsibility to make conscientious, dedicated efforts to get our show out in front of potential listeners.

If you’re able to check off all three; meaning:

1) you’re committed to creating a consistent body of work that you’re proud of

2) you’re committed to stand fully behind this podcast of work and believe in the value of it and

3) you are committed to making efforts to get the show out to listeners who will actually really, really like your work.

Then with time, with repeated efforts, I’m very, very certain that your show will be able to form a tight knit community around it.

A community where your people not only genuinely like you and want to support you, but you are all united by a set of common interests, values, and a mission or vision that you have for the world. This is the power of what we do as podcasters.

So again, my work matters and so does yours. You got work to do. We got work to do.

Start building your thought leadership and body of work as an Asian podcaster now

Honestly, in 2024, it is IMPERATIVE for us as Asian podcasters to develop our own unique voice and become known for it.

For me personally, something I struggled with as a podcaster was feeling like I’m good at what I do, but I’m not the best, and the most recognition always goes to the small percentage of podcasters who are seen as the BEST of the industry.

I was constantly comparing myself to podcasters who have made it big. So in my head, I’d have this thought of “I AM good, but I’m not good enough.”.

I personally believe this feeling of not being good enough is especially prevalent among us as Asian podcasters. I think it’s especially prevalent for those of us who do have the drive and work ethic, and we also identify as someone who is high achieving or capable of achieving big things.

But because we feel like we’re not as good as other podcasters or professionals. Whether it be they’re way more established or making way more money or are super well known in their space and are now speakers and authors. We start to doubt our own voice, our own ideas, and our own thought leadership.

This feeling of “not good enough” is a huge reason why so many podcasters will consume podcasts or YouTube videos about content how-to tips, content strategy, etc. And all of that information intellectually does make sense.

But when you have to implement those tips and strategies, you feel completely stuck. Or it feels like no matter how hard you try, the content you produce still looks and sounds like everyone else’s.

The problem here isn’t because the suggested advice doesn’t work. It’s also not because the content strategy wasn’t “customized” to your unique business or brand. But rather, the issue is that you don’t feel confident in your own voice. Heck, you don’t even know what your “unique voice” is. Like, what does that even mean!?!

To top it off, you’ve consumed so much from others that you start to pick up on their language or style of writing and now it’s showing up in your own work.

But remember, in 2024, it is IMPERATIVE for us as Asian podcasters to develop your own unique voice and become known for it.

I know that this might sound a bit overwhelming or grandiose to some. Perhaps now it feels like a lot of pressure to be an Asian podcaster. It feels like every piece of content you have to create must contain some sort of social justice angle to it, especially given recent and ongoing world events.

For some of you, talking about issues such as Asian hate crimes, White supremacy, or racism might feel completely out of scope or out of your area of expertise. And that is completely okay. You don’t have to podcast through the lens of social justice.

For some of you, that could very well be the core of why you do what you do. And for others, your purpose as an Asian podcaster could simply be to share your own experiences and perspectives. Doing so inherently uplifts the diverse and complex narratives of Asian creators and opens up the floor for honest conversations related to issues that might affect your community, whether it be an Asian-focused community or not.

Whoever your people are and what you identify with, your work as a podcaster matters. Whether or not your podcast content is rooted in social justice discourses or not, your podcast subject matter is important and relevant, both for you, and for your people.

Sharing your point of view as an Asian podcaster

Speaking of your people, one thing I realized from speaking at Podfest Asia, which I think is profoundly helpful not just for speaking on stages, but also for us podcasters who are creating a body of work, is to always, always think of the audience and think about what is most helpful for them, their unique context, and so on.

In my case, when I was speaking on stage, this meant that even if the questions that I was given (in the context of a panel) were generic, I can always tailor my responses to the specific audience and what’s most relevant to them.

For example, at one point during the panel, we were discussing the importance of showing your face in your podcast cover art. The other speakers brought up excellent points such as using your cover art to build connection.

However, I noticed a gap in the conversation: The key points weren’t highlighting the specific situation or challenges that the audience might be facing.

For example, many of the audience members (who are from Southeast Asia and whose native tongue is not English) might feel inferior compared to the podcasters who are dominating the podcast charts. They are predominantly English speakers based in certain geographical locations. So, on the spot, I spoke specifically to that potential concern that might be lowkey brewing in the audience’s minds.

Then, I explained the rationale behind why I decided to show my face on my podcast cover. It’s because I wanted to see examples of thought leaders who not only look like me but also who don’t fit the stereotypical mold of what a thought leader is “supposed” to look like.

Meaning: No matter what I might perceive to be lacking in myself, I still feel that I am capable of building thought leadership through my body of work. And I wanted to express that via my podcast cover.

Then during other parts of the panel, I would preface my response with, “As Asian podcasters, we might feel XXX”.

To take this a level higher, remember to describe why the problem matters to your people, so that your people can specifically understand why you’re speaking up about this particular point or topic.

If your people can see the connection between the problem at hand or the subject matter you’re about to talk about and they can see how it affects them, they’re more likely to listen up and actually appreciate the insights you’re about to share.

Another thing when it comes to sharing your POV (point of view) as an Asian podcaster is that for some of your audience, your perspective is a different viewpoint than the ones they’ve been trained to see.

Sure, maybe not all of your audience will be hearing this particular perspective or angle for the first time, but by sharing it through your lens, it could either be a fresh new perspective for those who have never considered it from that light, or it would be a refresher or reminder for those who have heard about this before, but it’s slipped their mind.

But most importantly, you have a set of personal lived experiences that are unique to you. Which means you have accumulated a set of perspectives and viewpoints that many of your audience members will not have, simply because we all have different circumstances and personal experiences.

And this will ultimately inform the patterns, the problems, the opportunities, the risks, and the potential solutions that you see from where you stand.

And guess what? Others may not be able to see the situation because they have a different lens, so it’s entirely up to you to vocalize your viewpoints ESPECIALLY as a podcaster.

Thinking bigger and stepping up your game as an Asian podcaster

Now I want to also acknowledge that for many of us, we’re aware of a cultural phenomenon whereby Asians are generally conditioned, especially since young, to just be a good, quiet kid.

The quiet, obedient kids are often praised by our Asian elders, right? Now, as a podcaster, you struggle to let your work as a podcaster shine. You want to stay humble and be seen as humble.

But guess what? What’s actually happening is that you’re downplaying the quality, the impact, and the value of your own voice and work as a podcaster.

Dimming your own light and brilliance is not going to help anyone see the value of your work. Diminishing your own shine as an Asian podcaster is literally going to dim your voice.

It’s going to dim the importance and impact of your perspectives and lived experience. And it’s going to dim the value that not only you bring to the table, but it will also dim the value of all of your people’s work as well, especially other Asian podcasters.

Worst of all, what I’ve seen happen for myself and for my Asian peers is, on top of all that, we also feel just plain inadequate, insufficient, and insignificant compared to everyone else in our niche or industry.

This is why it always seems like everyone else is moving ahead and building so much traction while you just seem stagnant and not moving forward, even though you feel like you do good work.

In my humble opinion, this sort of performative humility is NOT cutting it for us as Asian podcasters. It disrespects our innate work ethic and all the hard work we’ve put in to get to where we are today and who we’ve become thus far in our journey.

This is also why I personally believe that Asian podcasters need to step up to the plate and really, really believe that they have their own unique set of thought leadership, stories, personal examples, lived experiences, and perspectives that can change how someone sees the work and be profoundly helpful for others.

I’m gonna take it a step further and argue that our work as Asian podcasters also give the next generation the opportunity to explore their culture, their identity, and their story in ways that maybe we didn’t get to while growing up.

We are modeling what it looks like to be proud of every part of ourselves and to connect with different parts of our identities. Even if it did take us a long time to be where we are today, where we are proud and confident in who we are and what we are capable of, we still got here. And that’s incredible.

Asian podcasters have a role to play in being an example of what it means to not hide or be ashamed of certain parts of ourselves, but rather, we embody what it means to be able to recognize how these exact parts of us play an integral role in the work we do today as podcasters.

And yes, this also means we will continue to lead by example for our people, and help our people see who they are, who they want to become, and what they want to create in this world – all of that matters.

Most importantly, we can do it while feeling comfortable and confident in who we are, as we courageously take action every single day to show up as ourselves and do good work in this world.

So if anyone asks me, I’d say, yes, we Asian podcasters, we do important work around here.

It’s time for us as Asian podcasters to think bigger and step up our game. It’s time to embrace our stories and perspectives without worrying about what people think or how people will judge us. Because our stories, experiences, and points of views aren’t predicated on anyone else’s opinions.

It’s time to confidently own our lived experiences that have shaped us into who we are and why we do the work we do today, without feeling like we need to downplay any of it in order to be successful.

It’s time to think bigger, step up our game, and start shining brightly as Asian podcasters.

Sounds good? Awesome. Let’s get to work.