IAM569- Podcaster Empowers People on Financial Decisions

Danielle Desir is an author, speaker, podcaster, and the founder of WOC Podcasters, a community of 2,300 women of color podcasters looking to connect, share resources, and learn. She is also the founder of The Thought Card, an award-winning affordable travel finance blog and podcast empowering people to make informed financial decisions – travel more, pay off debt, and build wealth.

• CEO Hack: Bunching my tasks and scheduling things out
• CEO Nugget: Get your assets as quickly as possible
• CEO Defined: Being intentional in how you lead and do things

Website: https://wocpodcasters.co/

Instagram: @wocpodcasters
@thethoughtcard

Facebook: https://web.facebook.com/wocpodcasters/?_rdc=1&_rdr
https://web.facebook.com/thethoughtcard/?_rdc=1&_rdr

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Intro 0:02

Do you want to learn effective ways to build relationships, generate sales, and grow your business from successful entrepreneurs, startups, and CEOs without listening to a long, long, long interview? If so, you've come to the right place. Gresham Harkless values your time and is ready to share with you precisely the information you're in search of. This is the I AM CEO Podcast.

Gresham Harkless 0:29

Hello, this is Gresh from the I AM CEO podcast, I have a very special guest on the show today. I have Danielle Desir of WOC Podcasters. Danielle, it's awesome to have you on the show.

Danielle Desir 0:39

Thank you so much for having me. I'm excited.

Gresham Harkless 0:43

Yeah, I'm super excited to have you on as well and what I wanted to do is just read a little bit more about Danielle so I can hear about all the awesome things that she's doing. Danielle Desir is an author, speaker, podcaster, and the founder of WOC Podcasters, a community of 2,300 women of color podcasters looking to connect, share resources, and learn. She is also the founder of The Thought Card, an award-winning affordable travel finance blog and podcast empowering people to make informed financial decisions – travel more, pay off debt, and build wealth. Danielle, are you ready to speak to the I AM CEO Community?

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Danielle Desir 1:16

Let's do it.

Gresham Harkless 1:17

Let's make it happen. So to kick everything off, I wanted to hear a little bit more about what I call your CEO story, your background, and what led you to start your community and of course your blog.

Danielle Desir 1:27

Yes, so I started the WOC podcasters community on a whim. So back in May 2018, when pretty much Spotify had a boot camp that they were offering for women of color podcasters, who are newbies or aspiring podcasters. They were supposed to announce the winners of this competition, on May 1. Now May 1 came around, and I went to Twitter looking to see if there's a resemblance of Daniel winning this boot camp opportunity. I heard nothing. But in the midst of me trying to figure out what's going on Spotify was going to let us know who won this prize and the prize was a really lofty prize, it was $10,000 for one winner. But they were also going to have this like pretty much a week boot camp. They were going to fly everyone out to New York City to train with these experts.

So it's like the perfect opportunity for a newbie person and what made this opportunity really interesting and special was that they were looking for women of colour. It's not that often that there are opportunities specifically for a particular demographic. So I thought that I was going to secure the bag, and I was gonna win. I was like, This is great. This is what I've been wanting to do. But I made first I didn't hear from Spotify, I went on Twitter, really trying to figure out what was happening. I noticed that there were hundreds of women who were also doing the same thing. Everyone was like, what Spotify doing to any of us when and it was really surprising to me. When I look at Apple podcasts or the list of top 10 lists a podcast is very rare. But I see people of color on those top 10 lists.

It was really surprising to me that I saw hundreds of women on Twitter looking for this opportunity. So I quickly created a Twitter list as a way for me to keep track of everybody. We started a hashtag that I believe was sound at boot camp. But I realized that Twitter wasn't really the best way to keep in such like, it was just missing Unity and being able to deep dive into conversations. So I also that same day, I quickly created a Facebook group. I remember calling my mom that day after I created the Facebook group, I was in shambles and I was crying. I told my mom, Mom, I'm creating a Facebook community for women of color podcasts, or I don't even have a podcast, I don't even know what to do.

I knew that I had never actually been an admin of a Facebook group before. Like, this is so new to me and she said to me, I know you feel like you're sitting on a cliff but you've had to take the leap of faith and you have to just go in and dive in and give it a try. So I created the group and I haven't looked back ever since.

Gresham Harkless 4:18

Nice, I definitely appreciate that and that your mom's a very wise woman because I think a lot of times, some of the best images, I think at least are things that are created are just largely because we're creating something that doesn't exist. A lot of times the fact that we know you don't have a podcast and you're creating a community is really beneficial because you have their perspective of what questions to ask what things to look for what resources that you've been able to build and grow and it's largely because you will sound like you were looking for that yourself.

Danielle Desir 4:47

It's so funny because, in the sound of the bootcamps Spotify application, they had a couple of questions. One of the questions was what do you want to see in the podcasting space as I said, I didn't really see women of color or people of color that much on the top 10. I thought that we didn't really exist and we weren't out there. So patient I said, I would love to see a community for us, and behold a couple of weeks later, I created it on a whim. So it's like it was on my mind, but I didn't have the spark to commit to doing it. But after all, the need, there was a need and I said let me try my best to fill it.

Gresham Harkless 5:26

Yeah, absolutely, and a lot of times I say, the name of the game is sometimes visibility, and as you said, when you go and scroll through a majority of those top 10 lists, you don't see, people of color, women of color, you don't see, all those people. But we're definitely out there, as you mentioned on Twitter, like having the people who were looking for the status of the application. So it's just a matter of having a platform, a community that you've been able to build to make that happen. So definitely appreciate that. I know we've touched on a little bit, but could you, I guess, tell us a little bit more about what we can find within the community, and all kinds of resources and things that you have there?

Danielle Desir 6:01

Absolutely. WOC podcasters have been established since May 2018 and since then, we've created a blog and we have over 40 different articles, all from inspiration to resources. So pretty much anyone can go on the website and find out resources and learn more about the different types of content creators out there. So that's one resource. But within actually the Facebook group, we do co-working sessions, we do brainstorming sessions, and workshops. So for me, being able to meet together as a community is really essential, because a lot of times when you're podcasting, you're really by yourself, a lot of indie podcasters are podcasting in their closet, podcasting in their kitchens, doing it by themselves. So it's really nice to come together.

We use Zoom or Google Hangout to really calm down and just put a face to a name and brainstorm ideas. So those are some of the things that we've done. We also within the Facebook group, do weekly threads, one of the threads that we have is a free-for-thread so if you have an episode that you want to share with the community and want people to listen to, that's a great place for exposure. That's how I've honestly been able to discover so many podcasts out there by women of color. It's a fun fact, going back to the Spotify boot camp, we found out that there were 18,000 applications.

Gresham Harkless 7:29

Oh, wow.

Danielle Desir 7:30

18,000 is an incredibly huge number. So it's always the number that I'm striving for. Right now, at the moment of this recording, we have about 2500. So we've grown and every day, we are growing so much, but again, 18,000 is what I would love to see because that's what Spotify originally captured. So we're just growing our resources of library and our library resources. The mission of our community is really to not only help amplify the voice of women of color but to also share resources and peer-to-peer learning. So as much as possible, learning from each other, and advancing is important.

Gresham Harkless 8:07

Absolutely and I imagine that as podcasting, it's definitely becoming more and more mainstream where people are aware that like you use it as a platform, imagine that, I think said 18,000 will probably definitely grow as far as awareness. I'm sure you guys have been growing as well, too. So to Will, the awareness of having a podcast, what a podcast, is it even creating podcasts themselves.

Danielle Desir 8:33

Absolutely and one of my favorite things about having a community around podcasting is that when you have a question, a lot of times when you go to other Facebook groups, you might get shushed or intimidated or people might make you feel a certain type of way, because your question might not be as important to them, right. But in terms of WOC podcasters, honestly, I feel that anyone can come in and ask a question and there will be people who are willing to answer and to help you every step of the way. So creating a culture of openness is very important. I feel like so many women have been encouraged and inspired to start their own podcasts by just peeking into the community and seeing what's happening.

Gresham Harkless 9:14

Yeah, and that's absolutely awesome. I think so many times people used to say, like, in a classroom, where you're sitting around, and people have questions, a lot of times, if you don't have that culture that, I guess, allows you and makes you comfortable to be able to raise your hand and ask that question. Sometimes you never ask those questions but when you do raise your hand as you do in communities like your own, you're also giving people the permission, I guess, for lack of a better term to also raise their hand themselves to create themselves to see the world as they want to see it as well.

Danielle Desir 9:47

Exactly and as the leader of the community and an admin of the Facebook group, I think it's very important for me to share my vulnerable moments. So when I personally have a question, and I'm not really sure I'm not gonna go to other people's Facebook groups, I'm gonna go to mine, and I'm gonna be vulnerable with my community. That shows that I'm in the trenches with everyone trying to figure things out and trying to learn. If I have a question, I'm sure of the 1000s of people in the community, someone else has the same question. So I think vulnerability is really important and as a leader,

Gresham Harkless 10:19

Absolutely, I would definitely agree with that. I was gonna ask you for what I call your secret sauce and I didn't know if you already touched on this, or if it's that vulnerability piece, but do you feel like that's the thing that kind of sets you and your community apart and makes it unique?

Danielle Desir 10:31

I think what's interesting about this community is in the beginning, the group was really founded based on newbie podcasters. So on May 1, when I created the group, a lot of the people who started in came in with me, we're all aspiring new podcasters. So I mean, now we're at the point where we're more well known. We have a lot of big names that are also in the community. But in the beginning, we were just literally all just trying to figure it out. So not only have I been in the trenches, but now I can be a mentor as well, which is really nice.

But at the end of the day, I think being vulnerable, and sharing and being open, has helped to also create that inclusive, open community, I'm always looking to Okay, here's what I think, what do you think as well, like, this is a community? How can we get you involved? What can we do? I'm interested in the challenges that they're facing and how I can help.

Gresham Harkless 11:29

Yeah, that makes so much sense. I think as you said, being a leader, a lot of times, you want to be able to walk the walk to take the medicine, you want to be able to follow the same culture that you're you've created within the community, I think by you doing that and being and showing that vulnerability allows people to be able to do the exact same thing as well. So I truly appreciate that. I wanted to switch gears a little bit, and I want to ask you for what I call a CEO hack. So this could be like an app or book or a habit that you have but what's something that makes you more effective and efficient?

Danielle Desir 12:01

Yes, it will definitely be batch-checking my tasks. So as an admin, and also having a blog, there are so many different tasks for me to do every single week. But what I found, is it's so much easier if I set even if it's an hour or two hours throughout the week, and I'm able to sit down and batch is really helpful, I can focus on the entire month's worth of content, or the entire month's worth of problems all in one swoop, and then scheduling it out.

Gresham Harkless 12:32

I definitely appreciate that as well. Now I wanted to ask you for what I call a CEO nugget and this could be a word of wisdom or piece of advice or if you can happen to a time machine what would you tell your younger business self?

Danielle Desir 12:45

So what I would say is to get your assets as quickly as possible. When I say assets I'm talking about your social media handles, your logo, and your branding. All of those are really important.

Gresham Harkless 12:59

Absolutely, no, I appreciate that. So now I'm going to ask you my absolute favorite question, which is the definition of what it means to be a CEO and we're hoping to have different quote-unquote, CEOs on this show. So Danielle, what does being CEO mean to you?

Danielle Desir 13:13

Being CEO means being intentional and really thinking out what do not only you want to do in your business or in your community. But how will you project that out and how will you lead that community? How will you lead that business?

Gresham Harkless 13:31

Definitely appreciate that as well, too. I appreciate that perspective and appreciate your time even more. What I wanted to do is pass you the mic so to speak, just to see if there's anything additional you can let our readers and listeners know and then of course, how best they can get a whole view find out about the community and all the awesome things you're working on.

Danielle Desir 13:46

Yes, well, thank you so much for this opportunity to share. If you are a woman of color and you are interested in podcasting, even if you have like an inkling of interest, like let's see what all of this is all about. Please head over to Facebook, we have a Facebook community, you could just type in WOC podcaster in the search bar, and then you could find our community and our Facebook page. We also have a robust blog. We share articles every other week from actual members of our community.

If you have an idea, please feel free to contribute head over to wocpodcasters.co and read all of the interesting articles. In 2020, I'm looking forward to leading actually workshops so one of the workshops I want to lead is how to DIY your own podcast tour. So lots of information, lots of goodies, and if you have any questions feel free to reach out to me personally at wocpodcaster@gmail.com, my social media handles are WOC podcasters.

Gresham Harkless 14:51

Awesome. Well, thank you so much again, Danielle. I truly appreciate everything you're creating and everything you're building and growing. We will definitely have the links as well on the show notes so that everybody can click through and follow up with you. They see the Facebook page follow you on social media and all the exciting events and things you have coming this year. I appreciate you again and I hope you have a phenomenal rest of the day.

Outro 15:13

Thank you for listening to the I AM CEO Podcast powered by Blue 16 Media. Tune in next time and visit us at iamceo.co I AM CEO is not just a phrase, it's a community. Be sure to follow us on social media and subscribe to our podcast on iTunes Google Play and everywhere you listen to podcasts, SUBSCRIBE, and leave us a five-star rating grab CEO gear at www.ceogear.co. This has been the I AM CEO Podcast with Gresham Harkless. Thank you for listening.

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