This article by Denise Griffitts is a practical mindset guide for podcast hosts and guests: dream big with clear purpose, do the behind-the-scenes work consistently, and protect your energy with boundaries. It explains how hosts can avoid burnout by filtering guests and building simple systems, how guests can earn repeat invitations by preparing well and choosing the right shows, and why you don’t need universal approval, just steady progress. It ends with a simple action plan: hosts tighten process; guests sharpen pitches and prep stories.

Dream Big, Do the Work, Protect Your Energy

A practical mindset for podcast hosts and guests who want to build something that lasts

Podcasting looks effortless from the outside. A clean intro, a confident conversation, a tidy sign-off. But anyone who hosts or shows up as a guest consistently knows the truth: podcasting is work. Good work, creative work, relationship-building work, and sometimes emotionally expensive work.

If you're building a show, a message, a business, or a platform through podcasting, this is the mindset that keeps you steady:

Dream big. Do the work. Protect your energy.

You don't need everyone to understand your vision. You just need to keep building it.

Let's break that down for both sides of the mic.

1) Dream big (but stay rooted in reality)

FOR HOSTS

Dreaming big doesn't mean chasing vanity metrics. It means deciding what your show is for.

  • Do you want to be the go-to voice in a niche?
  • Do you want to build trust with an audience that eventually becomes clients, customers, members, or partners?
  • Do you want to create a library of conversations you're proud of five years from now?

A big dream gives you a filter. It helps you decide what to say yes to and, just as importantly, what to decline.

FOR GUESTS

A big dream is not 'I want more exposure.' Exposure is vague. A real dream has direction.

  • I want to be known for this idea.
  • I want to reach this audience.
  • I want to attract this kind of client.
  • I want to build credibility in this industry.

When your dream is clear, your podcast appearances stop being random and start being strategic.

2) Do the work (because consistency is the advantage)

FOR HOSTS

Podcasting rewards consistency more than perfection. The work is not just recording. It's everything around it:

  • Clarifying the topic so the episode has a point
  • Choosing guests who serve your audience (not your ego)
  • Preparing enough to guide the conversation without over-controlling it
  • Editing, publishing, writing show notes, and creating shareable clips
  • Following up and staying in relationship with guests

Here's the unpopular truth: a lot of shows fade because the host expected momentum to carry them. Momentum doesn't last. Systems do.

FOR GUESTS

The work is showing up prepared. Not scripted - prepared.

  • Know the host's audience and tone
  • Have 2-3 stories ready that make your point memorable
  • Offer frameworks, steps, or examples people can use immediately
  • Make it easy for the host: clean bio, links, headshot, and a short description of your offer

A guest who does the work becomes the guest that gets referred.

3) Protect your energy (because podcasting can drain you if you let it)

This is the part people skip, and it's often the reason they burn out.

FOR HOSTS: protect the show's energy

Your inbox will fill with pitches. Some are thoughtful. Many are not. If you try to be endlessly polite, endlessly available, and endlessly flexible, you'll slowly resent your own show.

Protect your energy by setting boundaries like:

  • A simple guest criteria checklist
  • A pre-interview form that filters out bad fits
  • A clear process: scheduling, prep, recording, release timeline
  • The right to say 'no' without writing a novel to explain it

You're not running a public utility. You're building a platform.

FOR GUESTS: protect your time and reputation

Not every show is worth your time. And not every host runs a professional process. Guard your energy by choosing appearances that make sense.

Look for:

  • A host who knows how to guide a conversation
  • A show with aligned topics and values
  • Clear expectations on time, format, and promotion
  • A respectful prep process, even if it's simple

Also: stop over-explaining your vision to people who aren't invested. Spend that energy building.

4) You don't need everyone to understand your vision

This line matters because podcasting is full of noise.

  • People who don't 'get' your topic
  • People who think your show should be different
  • People who want access to your platform without respecting it
  • People who dismiss your consistency because they don't see the work behind it

Let them misunderstand.

Your job is not to convince everyone. Your job is to keep building the right relationships and serving the right audience.

For hosts, that means trusting your editorial instincts.

For guests, it means choosing platforms that match your message.

5) Keep building (the long game is where podcasting pays off)

Podcasting compounds. Not overnight, but over time.

One great episode can:

  • Spark a speaking invitation months later
  • Become a referral source you didn't expect
  • Build trust with someone who listens quietly for a year before reaching out
  • Create a network that supports you when you launch something new

So keep building:

  • The skill of having better conversations
  • The discipline of showing up consistently
  • The relationships that make podcasting worth it

A simple action plan you can use this week

FOR HOSTS

Pick one:

  • Tighten your guest criteria (write it down, use it)
  • Create a pre-interview form or checklist
  • Set a boundary that protects your calendar and your sanity

FOR GUESTS

Pick one:

  • Rewrite your 'why me' pitch to focus on the audience, not you
  • Prep three stories that clearly support your core message
  • Choose quality shows over quantity appearances

Final thought

Dream big. Do the work. Protect your energy.

If you're consistent, intentional, and selective about where you spend your time, podcasting becomes less draining and more powerful.

You don't need everyone to understand your vision.

You just need to keep building it.

It seems like everyone has a podcast. BUT not everyone has 18 years of experience, and a podcast rated in the Top 1.5% Globally.

Got a podcast question? Good news. In a FREE 15-minute call, I will help you discover:

What’s working now

What’s getting in the way

The one most important next step to improve your show (or your guest strategy)

This is not a full strategy session and there’s no prep homework. It’s a focused call to help you stop spinning and make a smart move.

Want deeper support?  We can talk. Either way, you’ll leave with a clear next step.

To schedule your FREE 15-minute call, email me at mail@yourofficeontheweb.com with: “PODCAST STRATEGY CALL” or call me directly toll-free at 888-719-6711.

You can also learn more about my work at: YourPartnerInSuccessRadio.com