The Cliff Ravenscraft Show

In this episode, I share a deeply personal and wide ranging conversation I recently had with Greg Gerber, host of the Forward From 50 podcast. Greg originally came into my world more than a decade ago as a Podcasting A to Z student. Today, he hosts a show dedicated to people over fifty who know their best work is still ahead of them. The conversation became a powerful reflection on identity, ambition, reinvention, and what it means to step fully into the work you were made to do. This conversation tells the story of my journey from insurance agent to podcaster, from Podcast Answer Man to mindset and business strategist, and now into this next chapter where everything is coming together with more clarity and alignment than ever before. Key insights from this conversation Your voice and desire to communicate are not accidents. They are clues to what you are here to do. Mine started with CB radio and a toy microphone long before podcasting ever existed. Leaving a career that works is often harder than leaving one that fails. Walking away from insurance, and later from Podcast Answer Man, required trusting who I was becoming more than what I had already built. Podcasting A to Z did far more than launch shows. It revealed that most people were really looking for business clarity, confidence, and a way to create income and impact from what they already knew. The difference between a hobby and a business is not a podcast. It is having a clear ideal client, a real problem, and a way to solve it that people are willing to pay for. Your identity is not the role you played. Losing a job or retiring does not mean you lost who you are. It just means one chapter ended. Journaling is one of the fastest ways to reconnect with who you are, why you are here, and what you actually want. Desire is not something to be justified. It is something to be listened to. The 50 Things I Want exercise is a way to let that voice speak again. The people you surround yourself with either expand your vision or quietly shrink it. Choose wisely. The return of Podcast Answer Man is not nostalgia. It is a strategic move made possible by new tools, better leverage, and a deeper understanding of how I serve people best. The first fifty years of my life were preparation for the work I am doing now. Ready to start your own podcast If this episode stirred something in you and you have been thinking about starting a podcast or finally taking the one you have more seriously, I invite you to join me for my next session of Podcasting A to Z. This is my four week live coaching experience where you and I work together to turn your idea, message, and voice into real impact. You can learn more and register at PodcastingAtoZ.com  

In this episode, I share a full behind the scenes look at everything I have been working on since I made the decision to bring Podcast Answer Man and Podcasting A to Z back as a primary focus in my business. Episode 802 was the story of why this decision happened. This episode is the story of what actually happened next. Over the past month, I have been rebuilding, reconnecting, and reactivating an entire ecosystem that had been dormant for nearly a decade. In this conversation, I walk you through the real work behind the scenes. The relationships, the systems, the strategy, and the momentum that started moving the moment I committed to this direction. I talk about landing a speaking engagement at Podfest Expo and what that means for reconnecting with the podcasting community. I share how reconnecting with people like Nick Pavlidis and Rob Greenlee has already started opening doors and reconnecting relationships in the industry. I also walk through how Podcast Answer Man is now back on a true weekly publishing schedule. Every Friday at 12:01am Eastern Time, there is a new episode. I also announce that The Cliff Ravenscraft Show is now back to a weekly schedule as well. Every Monday at 12:01am Eastern Time, there will be a new episode focused on business strategy, mindset, and the behind the scenes of what I am building. I share some of the emotional responses I have already received from longtime listeners who heard the Podcast Answer Man intro music again for the first time in years. Those messages reminded me just how meaningful this work has been in people’s lives for more than two decades. I also talk about the strategic decisions I have made to support this new season, including moving the Podcast Answer Man website to PodPage, setting up new affiliate partnerships, rebuilding the Podcasting A to Z sales page, and launching a new series of live interviews called Where Are They Now featuring former Podcasting A to Z students who are still creating content more than a decade later. A big part of this episode is dedicated to the work I have been doing behind the scenes on my email list. I explain why I moved back to ConvertKit, how I am rebuilding my email sequences, and how I am creating separate paths for people who want podcasting focused content and those who want business, mindset, and entrepreneurial content. This episode is a snapshot of a turning point. It captures what it looks like when an idea becomes a commitment and when momentum starts to build. If you want the deeper story of why Podcast Answer Man came back, listen to Episode 802. If you want to understand how everything is now being built to support that decision, this episode is the next chapter. Thank you for being here and for walking with me through this season of growth and realignment. Links Mentioned In This Episode Podcast Answer Man https://PodcastAnswerMan.com Podcast Answer Man Episode 477 Why I Moved the Podcast Answer Man Website to PodPage https://PodcastAnswerMan.com/477 Podfest Expo https://PodfestExpo.com Use promo code PAM for 10 percent off tickets Podcasting A to Z https://PodcastingAtoZ.com PodPage https://PodcastAnswerMan.com/podpage ConvertKit (Kit) https://PodcastAnswerMan.com/kit Kajabi https://PodcastAnswerMan.com/kajabi What Are You Creating Podcast https://www.cliffravenscraft.com/podcasts/what-are-you-creating Free the Dream Keynote https://MindsetAnswerMan.com/free Podcasting A to Z If you have been thinking about starting a podcast or you already have one but feel stuck, this is your invitation. Podcasting A to Z is my four week live coaching program where I personally walk you through every step of launching or refining your podcast. You get direct access to me, weekly group coaching calls, and the ability to ask as many questions as you want. I will answer every single one. The next session begins January 26. If you are ready to finally put your voice into the world or take your existing podcast to a higher level, go to PodcastingAtoZ.com and join me. This is a guided experience where you have me as your coach. I would love to work with you.  

Twenty years ago, I launched my very first podcast with no idea where it would lead. What began as a hobby eventually changed the trajectory of my life, my work, and my family. It also led to the creation of Podcast Answer Man and Podcasting A to Z, two things that played a massive role in the early podcasting industry. If you’ve followed my journey for any length of time, you know that I eventually stepped away from that brand and that work. And for years, many people assumed it was gone for good. In this episode, I share the full story of why Podcast Answer Man is back, why Podcasting A to Z is returning. What led to this return The spark came during a Hot Seat inside my Green Room Mastermind. I share how a simple technical question about podcast gear led to a realization that everything that once made Podcast Answer Man unsustainable has changed. With tools like Notion and AI, what used to take hours can now be done accurately and with integrity in a fraction of the time. Combined with clearer boundaries, daily meditation, nervous system regulation, and a very different life stage, the conditions that once led to burnout no longer exist. This return is about integrating everything I’ve learned since leaving. A conversation with Stephanie Stephanie joins me in this conversation to reflect on what she has witnessed during this season of renewal. We talk about why the version of me who stepped away from Podcast Answer Man years ago had to do so in order for the version of me today to bring it back. We also explore how Podcast Answer Man has always been the easiest entry point into my world. It is how thousands of people first discovered me. From there, many went on to launch podcasts, build businesses, and eventually work with me in deeper ways through coaching, masterminds, and long-term relationships. Why this matters now This return is about bringing everything I have learned over the past two decades into a more integrated way of serving. Podcasting, business strategy, mindset, and personal growth now live together in a single ecosystem, with Podcast Answer Man once again serving as the front door. From there, there are many ways I serve today. Podcasting A to Z. Business strategy and mindset coaching. Mastermind groups. Long-term client relationships. This return reconnects all of it. Subscribe To Podcast Answer Man Podcast Answer Man returns as a weekly show focused on podcasting, gear, tools, industry insights, and listener questions. You can find Podcast Answer Man at PodcastAnswerMan.com, where you will also find links to all the major podcast apps and a place to submit your own podcasting questions. The Cliff Ravenscraft Show will continue as a weekly show. This podcast is a space for mindset, personal personal development, and deeper behind-the-scenes conversations about building meaningful work. Podcasting A to Z If you want to work with me personally and be guided step by step through launching your podcast, you can join me for my next live session of Podcasting A to Z at PodcastingAtoZ.com.  

In this episode, I share the honest moment when I reached the end of September and realized my business was not heading in the direction I wanted. I walk you through the course correction that followed, the clarity that came from a deep review of my life and work, and the renewed alignment that shaped the path forward. You’ll hear the full story behind how I realigned my business and the exact process I will now use for my quarterly reviews. Episodes Mentioned in This Conversation TCRS 514, TCRS 518, and TCRS 519 (Not as important as the following) TCRS 537 – Six Months After The Big Leap TCRS 565 – Success & Failures: What I learned from my first year after The Big Leap Journal Prompts For My Quarterly Review What story am I telling myself about who I am and the work I'm doing in the world? Does this story empower me to show up, meet a need presented in the marketplace with validated products and services, and do so in a way that feels aligned and fulfilling? Have I drifted or slipped back into a hypnotic rhythm in any of the following categories? Physical Fitness Intentional Eating Business Income and Profit Nurturing existing client relationships Planting seeds to establish and nurture new relationships Content production If drifting has occurred, what can I learn about the cause of the drift? What patterns can be observed and disrupted? For each area that needs improvement, use this strategy: Describe the current results. Create a mind map of the perfect system that created the undesired result(s). Describe the desired outcome, moving forward from here. Create a mind map of the ideal system that will achieve the desired outcome. Create a strategy to implement and track this new system. Identify any limiting beliefs, or a narrative in my mind, that may be blocking me from taking action in this new system. Year End Coaching Offer If you’d like help walking through this process in your own life and business, I currently have an offer available for those ready to realign, reset, and move forward with clarity and momentum. This offer is described at the end of the episode. Learn more and sign up here: https://www.cliffravenscraft.com/offers/Vo7qVDhe/checkout  

In this episode I talk about something I’ve seen a lot lately. People tell me they want to move forward. They want to start the thing, launch the idea, reach out to the person, publish the content, say yes to the opportunity. But they’re stuck because the unknowns feel too big and the confidence simply isn’t there. The problem is that confidence doesn’t show up at the beginning. Confidence is the reward for taking action. It only comes after you’ve stepped into something new, realized your worst fears didn’t come true, and built enough real experience to trust yourself in that environment. Even after all these years, I still feel that tension when I’m introduced to someone new. Especially when their online presence is polished, impressive, and perfectly curated. My old patterns pop up. Who am I to talk with this person? Will I bring value? Will I land with their audience? There are three important words that I share in this episode: Courage, Confidence, and Curiosity. Courage. The willingness to say yes even when the outcome is unknown. If I am courageous enough to take the step, then something interesting happens. My worst fears usually don’t come true. I learn something. I grow. And over time, with enough reps, I develop confidence. But the confidence never comes first. Recently, though, I’ve added a third ingredient. And it has been the biggest shift of all. Curiosity. Curiosity dissolves fear. It lets me walk into a new room without the burden of needing anything to happen. Instead of pressure, I enter with wonder. Why was this introduction made? What could come from this connection? What can I learn from this person? How might I serve? Is there resonance here? And if not, what clarity does that give me? Curiosity brings me back to presence. It clears the anxiety that shows up the day before a call, or the hour before it starts, or the five minutes before we go live. Curiosity lets me move forward without being attached to any particular outcome. I don’t have to prove myself. I don’t have to impress. I simply get to explore what is possible. In this episode I break down how these three ingredients work together. Courage gets you moving. Curiosity keeps you grounded. Confidence grows from experience and repetition. If you have an area in your life where you’ve been waiting for confidence before you take action, my hope is that this conversation frees you from that waiting. You won’t feel confident before you begin. You’ll feel confident because you began. I’d love to hear what this brings up for you. You can email me at [email protected]. Let’s Work Together: I have a special Black Friday coaching offer. It includes three ninety-minute one-on-one coaching sessions with me, plus full access to both my Free the Dream online course and my Building an Online Business course. If you want direct support, clarity on your next steps, and momentum heading into the new year, reach out and put “Coaching Offer” in the subject line.