The Tao of Podcasting with Podville Media Co-Founder, Charlie Birney
In this episode, we delve into the world of podcasting with Charlie Birney, the co-founder of Podville Media and author of "The Tao of Podcasting". Charlie shares his experience of writing the book and how it has influenced his approach to podcasting. He discusses the principles outlined in the book and how they can be applied to create successful and engaging podcasts. Charlie also talks about some of the common challenges that podcasters face and offers practical tips and solutions to overcome them.
Whether you are an aspiring podcaster or an experienced one, this episode offers valuable insights into the art of podcasting and how to create a podcast that resonates with your audience. Listen in to learn from the expertise of Charlie Birney and discover how "The Tao of Podcasting" can help you take your podcast to the next level.
More on Charlie Birney
Website: http://podvillemedia.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charliebirney
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/charliebirney/?hl=en
Twitter: https://twitter.com/cbirney?lang=en
The Tao of Podcasting: https://www.politics-prose.com/book/9781624294303
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Quotes:
“Take one moment of pause. I call it “the silence before the sound”... before we start to remember, to enjoy, to relax and remember that before there's all the talk, there's a quiet studio. It's kind of the yin and yang of podcasting.” -Charlie Birney
“The Tao Te Ching, for me, is something that has always been a source of comfort. If I'm frustrated or low, I can sit down and open it anywhere, read a chapter, and reflect on it.” -Charlie Birney
“My first podcast was called, ‘A Cocktail for the Ear,’ because we really want to respect the listener and the listening experience.” -Charlie Birney
Show Notes:
Charlie Birney: I'm a fourth-generation native Washingtonian, so I find that's kind of rare. I love my Washington heritage, and my parents were very proud to be Washingtonians.
Charlie Birney: I often think of that after I wrote the book, after I got into this as one of the things that guided me forward into podcasting because of the example that my mom set for me.
Charlie Birney: I followed the Mike O'Meara show. I followed Oscar Zeballos and he ended up going to the Smith School of Business.
Charlie Birney: Taoism is the ancient sort of Chinese philosophy. It's not a religion. It's a philosophy.
Charlie Birney: I love encouraging people to to take note of just random ideas. It's one of my favorite things to do, just keep a notebook in your pocket.
Charlie Birney: I think one afternoon after I drew the doodle, I just tried to interpret a verse and it didn't sound so bad. And then I did another and then I did another. And that's how it started.
Charlie Birney: Somehow, in the process of finalizing the book, I decided to use the illustrations in lieu of the Chinese calligraphy.
Charlie Birney: The first verse of the Tao Te Ching that most people know is “the way that can be told is not the eternal way.”
Charlie Birney: “The podcast that can be heard is not the eternal podcast, the eternal story, again, a little arcane. The journey of communicating and sharing lessons does not end. It is a path of learning and improving. Enjoy the process as well as the finished podcast. Build a narrative. Practice the craft, strive for the absolute best, knowing that you are always learning as you talk and tell and listen and wonder.”
Charlie Birney: We're just trying to find the shared beliefs about love. I mean, the Sufi symbol is a heart.
Charlie Birney: The interesting thing about writing something technical is that the technology changes the hardware and the software changes.
Charlie Birney: I can sit down and open it at any place, read a chapter and try to make sense of it, and then move on with your life just as a good book of poetry.
Charlie Birney: Taoism at its core really comes from what I think is called naturalism.
Charlie Birney: I think it's important not to forget the listener and the listening experience. That's what we're here for.
Charlie Birney: Let's not forget about that side of the microphone that yin and yang of this process of the communication story and how we're doing this, not for the three of us, but for the people out there who might be hopefully intrigued.
Charlie Birney: I often call myself the chief listening officer of Podville Media.
Charlie Birney: I think it's important to listen to your own show and reflect on what you brought to the table and how you can evolve your own skills.
Charlie Birney: With all respect to the Bush family, I decided I could be the Secretary of Podcasting in another universe and that I would be the president's appointed Secretary of Podcasting.
Charlie Birney: And it'll be the last of the Bernie attorneys because there have been attorneys for five generations. And he said, oh, thank God, it's a horrible profession. You got to do something else, Charlie.
Charlie Birney: My college thesis was called The Tao of Sailing. You might guess that Taoism and Sailing being the Watercourse Way was a pretty easy paper to write, but I found it recently and it's really fun.
Charlie Birney: The Tao of Podcasting might make you think, Well, what does that really mean? And that's what happened to me for many years of reading the Tao Te Ching.
Charlie Birney: I'd like people to become somewhat interested in Taoism and thinking about how does this fit? Does this make sense? That would be wonderful.
Charlie Birney: In a perfect world, you'd have it on the studio or on the table and you'd look at a verse and then take a deep breath and get going with your own podcast because I'm just hoping it's a chance to recharge.
Charlie Birney: I called up my father one day and I said, I don't want to be a business major, and that means I'm not going to go into law. And it'll be the last of the Birney attorneys because they have been attorneys for five generations. And he said, oh, thank God, it's a horrible profession.
Charlie Birney: I met my wife being a sailing instructor at Chesapeake Sailing School in Annapolis, Maryland.
Charlie Birney: I have the book at Politics and Prose.