What I Learned as a Podcasting Newbie (Spoiler: A Lot)

For years, I dreamed about launching a podcast. It was one of those "someday" ideas that lingered in the back of my mind, occasionally whispering, "Hey, you should do this."

But like most busy moms juggling ALL THE THINGS, it felt impossible to find the time to make it happen.

Enter my business coach, who gave me the push (or rather, the gentle but lovingly firm shove) I needed to finally stop dreaming and start doing.

I’ll admit—I may have worked slower than she would have liked. But I knew if I was going to do this, it had to be sustainable.

I couldn't just throw myself into a new project at the expense of my family, homeschooling my kids, or nurturing my already existing audience on Substack, YouTube, and Instagram.

So, I took my time and made intentional decisions along the way.

The (Slow and Intentional) Road to Podcasting

In October, I started brainstorming everything: the podcast name, focus, byline, posting cadence, seasonal themes, launch date, and the platforms I’d use for promoting.

It was a lot, but laying this foundation helped me feel confident moving forward.

By November, things started to take shape.

I created my podcast cover (cue the imposter syndrome, but thankfully, my BFFs got me through it), recorded a YouTube video about the content shift I was making—no longer homeschool-focused, but fully embracing mindful living—and wrote a Substack post about the name change and upcoming launch.

December was all about planning. I journaled and outlined all 13 episodes of my first season, and by January, I was in full-on production mode.

I recorded and edited eight episodes and officially launched my podcast on January 29, 2025—on the Lunar New Year because what better time to start something new?

The Learning Curves (a.k.a. The Oh-No Moments)

Of course, nothing ever goes 100% smoothly.

First, I realized that the RSS feed from Substack doesn’t send the video version to YouTube (newb alert!) So, I had to manually upload videos there.

Not the biggest deal, but definitely an extra step I hadn't accounted for.

Then, there was the editing saga. I originally used Riverside.FM¹ for editing, but let’s just say…we didn’t get along.

While I did get better at using it (yay, personal growth?), I still found it frustrating, especially since I needed Final Cut Pro for color grading.

Eventually, I switched to using Riverside just for enhancing the audio and did all my editing in Final Cut Pro—the same system I use for YouTube (you’ll notice this change with episodes 8-13).

This made everything feel much more streamlined.

However, I do love how Riverside helps me create short-form content from my episodes and even generates show notes, which I now edit to match my brand voice.

Riverside is constantly updating it’s platform, and I know I’ll use it more in the future when I start integrating virtual interviews into my podcast.

Adjusting the Cadence and Finding My Groove

Initially, I had a very ambitious launch plan: two episodes the first week, and then three every week in February.

Yeah…that didn’t last long.

I quickly realized that pace wasn’t sustainable, so I scaled back to two episodes per week, with plans to transition to a weekly schedule in March, if not sooner.

That was the BEST DECISION EVER! It’s way more manageable, and I can focus on quality over quantity.

Another reason I made this adjustment?

I realized I had a backlog of vlogs that were quickly approaching being out of date (winter reset videos), and I needed to work on those as well.

That made it even more important to scale back the podcast to two episodes per week for the remainder of February.

Another big shift? I decided that on Substack, my podcast would primarily be audio (starting with episode 8) since the video quality there isn’t the greatest. However, they have been pushing video on Substack, so maybe I’l continue with the videos there (once again, self-doubt creeping in)?

But I still upload the full video podcast to YouTube, which feels like the best of both worlds.

Thumbnail Lessons Learned

Another lesson I learned? The thumbnail for Substack should be the podcast cover (or something similar) and not a YouTube-style thumbnail.

Remember the RSS feed? Yeah, that thumbnail shows up on Apple and Spotify as well and it needs to be a square and not a rectangle (which will bother you to no end if you have perfectionist tendencies like me).

Also, I’m still not great at remembering to take a dedicated thumbnail photo for the YouTube version of the podcast.

More than once, I’ve had to throw on the same outfit I wore when recording and snap a few pictures—or, in desperate moments, grab a screenshot (which can be horrifying 🤣). Definitely something to work on!

Recording Based on My Cycle

Yet another lesson? I need to plan my recording schedule around my cycle.

By episode 7, I was exhausted and rambling—turns out, recording just before my period is not my best moment. I didn’t delete and rerecord the episode as the past me would have done. Instead, I left it as a reminder.

So moving forward, I’ll be scheduling recording days when I have more energy and focus.

Getting Comfortable Promoting Myself

One of the weirdest things about launching a podcast has been the cringe factor of self-promotion.

You’d think that after years of being on YouTube, Instagram, and Substack, I’d be over it.

NOPE! Promoting my podcast felt different—maybe because it was new, maybe because it felt more personal.

But I leaned in, got more confident, and reminded myself that if I believe in this, I need to talk about it.

So here I am, telling you: I LAUNCHED A PODCAST!

It’s called Cozy Notes with Xuan Klevecka, and it’s all about slowing down, living intentionally, and embracing joy in everyday life.

If you haven’t checked it out yet, you totally should. You can find it here on Substack, as well as, YouTube, Apple Podcast, and Spotify.

And if you’re enjoying the podcast, I’d love for you to subscribe, leave a review, or drop a comment—depending on where you’re tuning in. Your support means the world and helps more people find Cozy Notes.

Thanks for listening (and reading)!

Finally, if you’re dreaming of launching your own podcast (or any big project), take it from me: start slow, make it sustainable, and don’t be afraid to put yourself out there—even if it feels a little cringey at first.

1. Affiliate Disclaimer: Yep, the Riverside.FM link is an affiliate link. That means if you decide to sign up, I get a little kickback—at no extra cost to you! Think of it as buying me a coffee for all the editing headaches I endured. Cheers to that! ☕🎙️