Another New Podcast? Really?!?
Welcome to The Message Connection, a podcast dedicated to exploring all the angles that it takes to get your message to the masses. I'm your host, Azurae Phelps. And with over 20 years of experience in the world of production, I've seen behind the scenes of everything from recording studios to the Super Bowl halftime show, and everything in between. Week after week, we will dig in to the medium of podcasting, as well as host conversations with entrepreneurs, business owners, coaches, artists, creatives, educators, and more, to see how they got to the heart of their message, and what it took to get them to the place where they were ready to share it. Let's get into it.
Azurae:Welcome to The Message Connection. I'm Azurae , and I'm your host. I'm so happy that you're here. Today, I wanna discuss why we are starting a new podcast. You may say, listen.
Azurae:My queue is full. Okay? I don't need another show. But I'm here to tell you that you might, and here's why. I wanna invite you into some deeper conversations about what it means to genuinely share the message YouTube videos YouTube videos about communication if you didn't know if there wasn't some little spark inside of you that thought like, wow, I learned that way, and I have some thoughts and things inside of me that I know could bless others.
Azurae:So I wouldn't in any way be here to say I'm here to bless you, but more so to encourage you. To encourage you that there is a you inside of you, as my mentor, Eileen Wilder, often reminds me. Now what does it mean that there is a you inside of you? I heard this phrase this year, and it's really been challenging me. And I am taken back to sort of that a lot of inner child work that's been really popular in culture these days, to tap back into your inner child.
Azurae:And for good reason. Many times we when we do those exercises, we track back, and we think like, man, when I was a kid, when I just had free time, when I was like my imagination would go wild, hopefully in a positive way, though. Right? Like, you would take time to play and build worlds or or even just to notice, like, man, what did I really enjoy doing? I mean, if I'm honest with you, I loved to be on a microphone.
Azurae:I loved to entertain people. I loved talking to people and connecting and asking questions and digging in deeper, and, you know, that's not something that every kid liked. But I will tell you that over the years, I noticed that some part of whether it was just my survival instincts or the worlds I was in, that wasn't always encouraged. I mean, there weren't really environments to do that a ton in the eighties nineties. You know?
Azurae:So I find that, like, when you track back to what you did naturally as a kid and you start to allow yourself as an adult to tap back into some of that stuff, you're like, woah. Okay. This was always inside of me. Then buckle up, everybody, because then you have to go on the ride and ask yourself, well, what did I add on top of all of that stuff that actually doesn't serve me anymore? And I'm not the 1st person in the world to speak to all the ways that society tells us that we, quote, unquote, should do things, that we should show up, all of the ways that we should be contributing to society, go to college, get a degree, get married, have 2 and a half kids, white pick a fence.
Azurae:We all kind of have shed that idea, and yet we still sort of feel guilty for not having it, for not pursuing that. What is up with us? What is that? Is that just like deeply programmed in us? I mean, it's pretty wild when you think about it.
Azurae:I wanna be brave and lead out here and say, let's tap back into that. What were those things that we were really into? Is there, you know, those cool you used to do those Venn diagrams in school where you kinda write maybe maybe get a sheet of paper and get a circle and write like things I do naturally, things that I feel like I have to do. Like, simple practice. Is there any overlap in the middle there where you're just like, man, I was made to do this?
Azurae:And for a lot of us, because of what life requires, we don't really have the opportunity. We don't take the time to to tap in like that. This is where things like journaling, The Artist's Way, therapy, having colleagues and friends to bounce ideas off of. You know, when you when you start to say some of this stuff out loud, it can feel really tender. It can feel really tender and very vulnerable frankly because in some ways there's another voice that's like, who do you think you are to do x y z?
Azurae:To write that blog post, to post that thing, to start your own podcast, to serve people in this way, to become a real estate agent, to make content, to start your dream business? Who do you think you are? The thing is that voice is always going to be there. There's not an artist, a creative, even a business owner in history that hasn't had to deal with those thoughts. When I heard it said recently that thoughts are like birds.
Azurae:They fly all around, and you can decide whether or not you wanna provide a nest for them to land. If and if you think about that visual, if you think about focusing on those thoughts that don't serve you, but you end up focusing on them all the time, and stick after stick, you've now built a nest on the top of your head for those bird thoughts to land in and, like, take up residence. No. No. We don't wanna do that.
Azurae:We don't wanna do that because when we do and by the way, we will. So when we are doing it, it's kinda like, oh, there I go again, spending time going down the path of, oh my gosh, being overwrought about it. Listen. We all have those days, but as soon as you recognize you're doing that, it's time to dismantle that nest and ask those birds to fly away, baby, and to find another place because you are recognizing as you begin to press more and more into this thing that's inside of you, you you'll see and you'll recognize this is not a place for those thoughts to be. And some folks might say like, well, that's just you're just like trying to believe yourself into something.
Azurae:Yeah, boo. That is what I'm trying to do. I'm trying to protect my heart and mind. In a season when you are building something new, when you are launching out, when you are iterating, it's quite tender. Often those thoughts, they're actually kinda trying to protect us because if we track back to what we were always told to do to, you know, have a safe career and, again, go to college, you know, maybe maybe get married, have some kids, that's all feeding a desire in us that is for safety.
Azurae:It's not all bad. It's just like, hey, thought. Thanks for trying to keep me safe. I'm trying a new thing, but I know you'll be there if I need you. Like, how can we kinda hack those thoughts in a way that gives us the freedom to still experiment, but does not allow for them to have power over us?
Azurae:That's my hope for you. That's my hope for us in these conversations is that as we dig into the unique message that's inside of us, as we dig into being brave and sharing it, and as we let ourselves expand and connect with new colleagues, new friends, new clients, new opportunities, that we will do that from a place of authentic connection with ourselves first. If you are struggling to navigate that, you're not alone. We're gonna walk that out together. And if you've gotta take a day, take a day.
Azurae:But get right back in there because people need what you have to offer the world, and we're gonna be here to support you every step of the way. So thanks for listening, and we'll see you next week. Bye. Thanks so much for listening to the message connection with Azure Phelps. If you found this episode valuable, I'd love to hear from you.
Azurae:Check out the show notes for details on how to stay in touch, and please leave a review on your favorite podcast platform. These reviews help us reach more people who will enjoy and benefit from the show. Don't forget to subscribe to The Message Connection wherever you get your podcasts, so you never miss an episode.
