Start Sharing Your Voice

Did you know that YOUR voice matters?

Have you ever dreamed of starting a podcast, writing a blog, or building a thriving community (online or in-person)- but felt unsure where to begin? 

In today’s episode, listen in on a recorded live workshop that introduces a new segment of my coaching program called “Unlock Your Voice”.  I encourage you to identify what you are passionate about and take the initial steps to unlock YOUR voice and share your message with the world.

 I also share tools and tips I’ve learned along the way. Don’t wait for “perfect”—your message is exactly what someone needs TODAY.

Let's connect.

I am cheering for you!

Transcript

0:09

Welcome to the Live A Vibrant Life podcast. I'm life coach Kelly Kibbitz, and each week I'll be here to encourage and equip you with the tools you need to grow in self-awareness and invest your best energy in your dreams and your purpose. I believe self-awareness changes everything. Let's get started. Today we are talking about my Fall 2025 program, which is called Unlock Your Voice. Whether you're excited to start a podcast, create a blog, begin a community, whether it's on social media or in person, I hope that this workshop really begins to help you open up to some of the. Ideas that are important for you to share with the world. So if we haven't met before, I'm Kelly Tibbits. I'm a life coach. I'm a podcast host, and this week I'm celebrating that my 150th episode is going to be live on my podcast platform. Whether you decide to do a podcast or not, your voice matters. I've been sharing this information for about five years now, and my goal as a coach is to help people grow in self-awareness. I think self-awareness changes everything. From self-awareness, from that aligned energy take small action steps that will create your vibrant life. For over 25 years, I've been leading groups of people, whether it's in the nonprofit world, as an educator, as a mom, and I believe you have the same story that I have. Somewhere along the way, you find something interesting and inspiring. You've been able to grow in your understanding of that, and in fact, you're probably so good at knowing whatever it is that's special to you, whether it's sourdough bread or the Enneagram like me, you think it's just something that everyone might have easy access to. But when you start to realize that you have a unique way of sharing that information, a podcast may be the ideal way for you to bring that information to the world. Our time together today is called Unlock Your Voice. One of the things that changed my life was discovering human design. And in that we realized that our energy flows through our body. One of the places it might get stuck for you is where it got stuck for me, which is being able to use my voice confidently. I think back to kindergarten me and I was pretty confident on the playground. I was the oldest child. I found making friends easy. I found school really easy. But somewhere along the way, I look back and by the time I was in middle school, my voice had become very quiet. I didn't share easily. I didn't feel that confidence I felt as a younger person. It took quite a few decades for me to grow back to a place where I feel confident in using my voice. So why do I think it's important for you to unlock your voice? I think your voice matters. I think you have a unique way of sharing something that's really important. And if you think that most of the insight you have comes from books and teachers and workshops, many of the people that you are connecting to will never get a chance to meet those people that you've learned for from. And the way that you share it is unique and special. And you might be the exact person to say it in an exact way that somebody needs to hear today. Ever since I've had the opportunity to be a speaker, it started as a teacher and then as a pastor, I've felt this deep belief that every single person is made on purpose for a purpose. I think your voice is needed, just like I think every single person's voice is needed. I also when we do things that we're uncomfortable with, it helps us to grow. Podcasting has helped me grow a lot. I learned a lot of new things. I definitely pushed against my comfort zone. And I learned how to express myself in new and different ways. I think sharing your voice through podcasting not only will help you grow in confidence of whatever it is that you want to share, it's a unique and special way to share your thoughts and ideas with others. I know one thing I've heard over and over again is"there's already too many podcasts", but that's like saying there's already too many books. It's another way for us to share information. I'd love if it's safe for you to do so, to take out a piece of paper or your notes app and start to find the answer to some of these questions. The first one is, what's something that you just really have a strong opinion about? Could be something about parenting, a hobby that's important to you, something regarding education or self-development. Is there anything that when someone came up and said, would you tell me about this? You'd be able to speak for five or 10 minutes easily. You've got the information, you have an opinion, you have some insight. See if you can notice 1, 2, 3 of those different areas. For some people it may be gardening. For others, it might be supporting nonprofit leaders in the work that they do. As you're beginning to notice these things that you have access to, that you have insight, what would it look like for you to grow in creativity for a way and a path to share that? For many years, the most logical way to share information was to write a book. Now podcasting has grown and people are becoming more comfortable with listening to them and even creating them. But maybe for you, you're realizing it's substack or creating a blog on repeat. Maybe you're noticing you just want to bring three or four people into your home on a weekly basis and have in-person community. So the first two little things to decide are, first, what's something you're interested in? And next, how could you grow in your creativity in creating these new experiences and connections? That's the first step to unlocking our voice. Next. We want to take a few minutes and just do some idea mapping. Now if you're watching this on video and you have some sticky notes, that might be a great way to start. Take out a few post-it notes and brainstorm some ideas. Maybe your first idea is you love to talk about children's birthday parties. I'm bringing that up'cause I loved when my girls were little and I had the chance to create birthday parties. I could write children's birthday parties. And then begin to notice all the different things I could talk about cakes and party themes and gift bags. See if you could map now a few different ideas that are important to you. Stories you could talk about topics that you're interested in. It could be anything from how to be a radio host to how to help people Climb Three Mountains a season. I know somebody who personally has started a whole company from taking women who don't do any kind of exercise onto these adventures around the world, and it all started with one first trip. And from there, she's created this entire way of supporting herself and her family. So these small ideas might seem like they're not possible to become something bigger, but I'm so surprised when I see that happen over and over again. One small idea leading to another small idea, leading to another one. So see if you can notice something you're passionate about, something you could talk about easily, and then see if you can think of a few people to collaborate with. When you get this, video- I'm going to send a podcast with my friend Shannon Warner. In it she talks about how she became a podcaster. It didn't start overnight and it didn't start alone. Having a few people to talk to made podcasting easier. I think that's true of everything from ministries and nonprofit work that I've done. Doing it with other people made it easier and more possible. Starting my podcast began with me having conversations with people. Maybe writing a book, having somebody come and sit in the space with you while you're writing or on Zoom, having that time set aside. See if you can think of a few people you would like to collaborate with, and so it might be having a conversation or it might be just working alongside them or having them promote the work that you're doing. One of the things that I have found to be true is that the power thoughts of my life create the results of my life. And when we don't pay attention, we often have a thought that's running in the background that's keeping us from the results that we want. Okay. So maybe you're thinking thoughts like, who am I to start a podcast or write a book? What if nobody listens or if I'm really bad at it? Honestly, one of the best things about creating a podcast today is you have the ability to edit easily. I often will record a podcast and then go back and take out maybe three to five minutes of that recorded podcast. It's quite easy to edit. We have a lot of tools and a lot of support, and part of what I'm going to be creating with you is the ability to do this with people around you, to have people supporting you. And then finally, of course, you might be thinking, I don't have enough time, or the right skills, or the right equipment. All of these different things we can help you take care of. So we are going to take a few minutes, we're going to map our ideas, and now we need an inspiration. What do you want to remind yourself? Again, I've spent the first few minutes saying this, but I hope you believe it. Your voice matters. I was re-listening to that podcast that I talked about with Shannon Warner, and one of the most powerful thoughts that she repeats to the people who come to work with her on their podcast is, who are you not to share your ideas? I think back about 10, 15 years ago before I ever stepped into the self-development world there were so many people that I have met along the way that were examples to me of what's possible. I'm so thankful they chose to show up and do it messy and share what was important to them. So again, if it's safe to do so, what's something you would like to repeat to yourself so that that thought that's not serving you isn't running around in the background, but the thought that's inspiring and affirming is what you have front and center. Maybe it's something as simple as, it's okay for me to try. I can start and get better as I go. I think that what I have to share is important. See if you can notice one thought that you would like to be saying to yourself on repeat. Maybe you're going to write it out, put it on your phone, set it as a reminder so you can look at it over and over again. And now take a moment and wonder, is there anybody that you love listening to reading, hearing, speak? Maybe you could write them a note and tell them that you are thinking of writing your own book or your own blog, or starting a podcast. Tell them that you love their content. I was so surprised when I started my podcast. I reached out to two people who I admire deeply. First was the first life coach I had, and she was a speaker at big events, and she had written many books. And when I wrote to her and said, I wanted to start a podcast, would she be a guest? She said, of course. The other was a pastor that I had looked up to for years, this really strong, confident woman, and when I wrote to her, not only did she say yes, of course, she gave me so many powerful ideas in our conversation that I still go back and listen to that podcast on repeat. So take a moment and think, who would you like to reach out to? Even if they say no, it's still great for them to hear from you, but I bet you'll be surprised how often people love to support other people. So if this workshop hasn't shown you this, unlocking your voice is not about perfection. I have typos in this workshop. I have pauses and times where I'm not a hundred percent confident on what I'm going to say. By doing things on repeat, we connect with other people. We grow, we increase our courage. I know that those gifts are often more valuable than the other goals that I had. When I set up my podcast and my coaching company. I'm a different person five years later by doing these things that seemed hard and uncomfortable. One of the best things about being in a group coaching community is every single week you're reminded you're not alone. You have people around you who are cheering for you and supporting you. So when we start, whether you start with me or you start on your own, be comfortable starting where you are. Your message today with all the mistakes and all the things that aren't quite perfect is exactly what somebody else needs to hear. So what can we do with practical action steps to move you forward? You came today. You listen to this workshop on repeat. You are ready to take one small action step. And no action step is too small. So what would you call your podcast? What would you name your book? What would you call this Facebook community that you're creating? You can always change it later, but what if you leave today with one decision? When I first started my podcast, I didn't call it Live a Vibrant Life. It was coaching with Kelly, and the fun part about podcasts and books and communities is you can always change your mind later, but every time our brain offers us that it's better to stay safe and not make a decision, what we're doing is using mental and emotional energy by staying in indecision. What if you could decide right now what you would call your podcast, your book, your community, your blog. And again, you can have version one, two, and three. One of my very favorite leaders that I've learned from and invested in with coaching has probably changed the name of her program five times in the three years I've been with her. There's nothing wrong with changing, but we do need our first decision in order to look back and say, what worked? What didn't work? What would I do differently? Once you've come up with a name, next you want to think about what do you need to begin If you're going to be a podcaster, having something like Zoom is helpful, but it's not necessary. There are podcasters who are just using their phone and the phone memo and free apps to create the beginning version of their podcast. I highly recommend a few specific tools. They're all very inexpensive, but you're always going to trade time for money. Having tools that work well and all work together is often really good. So I suggest having headphones and these are not expensive. You don't have to get the ones that you see on YouTube with the professional podcasters. A microphone is helpful, you don't even need it. With most computers today, I use Zoom. You can use any of the different versions. Canva is something great, but again, it could be an addition, not a beginning. And then finally, if you're going to consider podcasting, I love descript. It allows you to take your content in video and audio and it makes it into a transcript that you just edit without having to go through and use something like GarageBand, which is what I had to use when I began podcasting. These tools can make your life so much easier. If you're considering having a blog, where would you like to host it? Some of the places you can host it are free, but then it takes a lot more work. Sometimes a different space would be a little less expensive. Uh. It would take away some of the work that you would need to do. So deciding today, is there one thing you'd like to know? Do you want to have somebody help you learn Canva? Do you want to record three episodes on Zoom and practice editing in script? Maybe make one decision in addition to what you would call it. And then finally, is there a messy first step you can take? Not something that you know you're going to be excellent at, something that would be your very first step. It could be talking into your phone's voice app, just to put it into Descript and learn how to edit a transcript. It might be talking to a few friends and getting inspired with that power thought. It might be reaching out to two or three people you'd like to interview and seeing if they say yes. Leaving today with three small action steps is more likely to move you forward than delaying all the decisions. What would you name it? What would you like to start with and where could you take a messy first step this week? I would love to have you join me to learn how to create your podcast or to have a community around you while you're creating your book, your community, your, blog or substack. For fall of 2025, which is October, November, and December, and the beginning of January, you get five live group coaching sessions with me, all the recorded content and the workbook, and you get three one-on-one sessions with me. Where you can take what you're learning, and create those action steps. And finally, you also get to join me on Wednesdays for Align Your Energy. This is a live coaching series I do to help you make sure that you're in the energy that creates results. We don't want to be overwhelmed, distracted, frustrated, resentful. We want to be in enthusiasm committed, determined. And for fall of 2025, because you were able to watch this workshop as I launched this for the first time, I'm inviting you to invite a friend for free. I think that the two of you together are going to cheer each other on, inspire each other, and help you create the results that are important to you. So the fall of 2025 price, and it will never be this again, is four payments of$60. So you can find out more by emailing me. I hope that whether you work with me or not, you leave today realizing that your voice matters. Thank you for joining the Live A Vibrant Life podcast. I hope our time together encourage you and will equip you with the tools you need to move into the vibrant life you desire. I'm here to help you live a brave, creative, purpose-filled life. And if you'd like to learn more. You can follow me on Instagram or Facebook, Kelly tibbits life coach, or visit my website kelly tibbits.com. I look forward to connecting again soon.