How podcasting made me a better storyteller  –  and a better leader

The hardest part about podcasting isn’t the equipment or the editing. It’s pressing record for the first time.

When I recorded my first episode, I was completely self-conscious. I hated the way my voice sounded. I stumbled over words I thought I knew. I caught myself re-reading lines and hearing every awkward pause. I was painfully aware of everything in the background too – my computer fan, the traffic outside, even the way my chair creaked. I had stage fright, and the irony was that there wasn’t even a stage. It was just me in a room with a microphone.

That’s what makes podcasting so humbling. You start with all your flaws on display. And if you let yourself get stuck there – waiting until you have the right mic, or until you’ve practiced enough in private – you’ll never actually begin. The only way forward is to hit record and let it be bad.

Permission to Be Awful

Most of us go through life without ever practicing storytelling. We talk in meetings, we give updates, we might present now and then, but rarely do we rehearse the act of capturing attention and holding it. Podcasting forced me to confront that gap.

The first episode wasn’t good. Neither was the second. But that’s the point. By putting something out into the world before I was “ready,” I gave myself permission to improve in public. Each episode was an experiment. I tried out pacing, changed my tone, cut down on filler words, and listened back to hear what worked and what didn’t. Slowly, I started to hear progress.

What felt impossible at the beginning – organizing my ideas into something coherent and speaking them with confidence – began to feel natural. My equipment didn’t get any better. The traffic outside didn’t stop. But my ability to cut through the noise, both literal and mental, kept improving.

The Discipline of Clarity

One of the biggest lessons podcasting taught me is that clarity is a discipline. When you’re speaking to an invisible audience, you can’t rely on body language or slides to bail you out. You have to decide what matters, structure it, and deliver it in a way that keeps people listening.

Editing was a huge teacher here. Nothing reveals your habits more brutally than listening to yourself for an hour while you cut ums, tangents, and half-formed sentences. I started to anticipate the edits while recording, trimming myself down before the words even left my mouth. That discipline carried into other areas – conversations with clients, emails, even everyday interactions. I learned that clarity isn’t about sounding impressive. It’s about respecting your listener’s time.

Storytelling as a Skill

More than anything, podcasting sharpened my ability to tell a story. A good podcast episode needs a beginning, a middle, and an end. It needs tension, release, and a point of connection. At first, I treated stories like filler – a little anecdote to lighten the heavy parts. Over time, I realized they were the heart of it. Stories weren’t decoration; they were the delivery system for the idea.

And that realization led me straight into leadership.

Think about the people who inspire us as leaders. They don’t just list goals or hand out spreadsheets. They tell stories. Stories about where the team has come from, where it’s headed, and why the effort matters. They turn abstract objectives into something tangible. They connect dots between individual struggles and the larger vision. They remind us that we’re part of something bigger.

Podcasting became my practice ground for that. Each time I sat down to record, I was training the same muscle leaders use to move people.

Why Storytelling Matters in Leadership

Storytelling is often dismissed as “soft” compared to strategy or data, but it’s what gives strategy and data meaning.

• It builds trust. Facts can be questioned, but a personal story reveals something real about you. People believe you when they feel they know you.
• It creates alignment. A story translates complexity into something relatable. Suddenly the goal isn’t just numbers on a chart – it’s a narrative people can place themselves inside.
• It inspires action. We don’t rally around abstract outcomes; we rally around a vision that feels alive.

When you practice storytelling, you’re not just learning to entertain. You’re learning to lead.

What Podcasting Gave Me

Looking back, podcasting gave me more than just a platform – it gave me skills I never would have developed otherwise.

• I learned how to organize my thoughts so they weren’t just floating ideas, but clear messages.
• I learned how to express myself without props, whether that meant no slides in a presentation or no notes in a conversation.
• I learned to embrace vulnerability, putting imperfect work into the world and trusting that progress mattered more than polish.
• I learned that storytelling is practice, not talent.

Those lessons have changed how I coach, how I lead, and how I show up in daily life.

So, How Do You Start?

If you’re curious about podcasting, don’t wait until everything’s perfect. Don’t wait until you can afford the best mic or until you’ve built up the confidence to sound like a pro. Just start.

Record something short. Record something messy. Let yourself stumble. Put it out there anyway.

You’ll hear every flaw at first, and that’s uncomfortable. But it’s also progress. Every awkward pause, every background noise, every misstep is part of the training. You’re not just making a podcast – you’re strengthening your voice.

And in a world where leadership depends on who can tell the most compelling story, that’s a skill worth practicing.