What started as “maybe I should try podcasting someday” turned into a surprisingly powerful lesson in confidence, communication, and actually hearing my own thoughts out loud.
In this episode, I share how starting JacQ of All Trades taught me way more than just how to talk into a microphone from slowing down my fast-moving brain, to getting comfortable with my own voice, to realizing that confidence doesn’t show up before you start… it shows up because you start.
We’ll talk about:
- How writing felt safe and why audio felt scary (at first)
- How gaming commentaries accidentally trained me for podcasting
- The biggest lessons I’ve learned since launching this podcast
- And how starting this podcast made me way more open to trying new things.
If you’ve been sitting on an idea for way too long, this episode might be the gentle push (or friendly shove) you need.
If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to follow JacQ of All Trades so you don’t miss future episodes.
You can also catch me live on Twitch, where I stream games and chat about the same topics we talk about here; creativity, content, life, and all the messy in-betweens.
Come hang out: https://www.twitch.tv/jacqtydus
I’ll be sharing more about my streaming journey and how I got started in future podcast episodes, once I’ve had a bit more time to get my feet wet.
Full Transcript
Hey guys, welcome back to JacQ of All Trades. I’m JacQ, your host. This is episode 25, which feels unreal because I still remember staring at my screen thinking, “Do I really need a podcast?”
Apparently… yes. Yes I did.
Today I want to talk about something that surprised me when I started this podcast.
Because it turns out, podcasting taught me way more than just how to talk into a microphone without panicking.
It taught me how my brain actually works. How I communicate. And why slowing down is… unfortunately… good for me.
So if you’ve ever had a brain that runs faster than your mouth…or you’ve been thinking about starting something creative but keep overthinking it…this one’s for you.
So here’s the thing about me. My thoughts run faster than my typing speed. And my typing speed isn’t bad.
Basically what this means is when I’m talking to people, my brain is already three sentences ahead while my mouth is still explaining something I meant to say a few seconds ago. Sometimes I’ll be halfway through a story and suddenly stop because…wait…did I already tell them this part? Or was that just a conversation I had in my own head?
This leads to some… interesting real-life moments. Friends have told me that talking to me feels a bit like flipping TV channels; engaging, unpredictable and most of the time so random it can be confusing.
And because of that, I often just… listen more than I speak. Well. I pretend to listen. In reality, there’s a full TED Talk happening in my head.
What I didn’t realize back then was that I was slowly depriving myself of actually expressing my thoughts out loud.
That’s why writing has always been my comfort zone.
I’ve been writing online since I started blogging back in 2009. Give me a keyboard and I’m good.
Social media posts, forum threads, blog articles…I could connect without tripping over my words.
Writing feels safe. You can edit, delete and you can also make yourself sound smarter than you felt when you first typed the sentence.
But there’s something writing can’t fully capture; your voice, the pauses, the intonation, the emphasis, and of course the accidental laugh halfway through a sentence.
Text tries its best but it can’t always carry the mood the way your voice can.
For years, I thought about starting a podcast. And for years, I talked myself out of it.
I didn’t have fancy audio gear. I didn’t have the skills. I didn’t have the confidence.
And as a non-native English speaker, there was always that extra layer of doubt…
What if my pronunciation was off? What if my accent sounded “weird”?
So I did what I do best. I shelved the idea and told myself I’d “revisit it someday.”
Then something unexpected happened.
I started my gaming YouTube channel in 2019 and became insanely active on producing videos with gameplay commentary last year. At first, my voice commentaries were…awkward. Very awkward.
It was mostly me narrating what was happening on screen like, “I’m walking here. Oh. Zombie. Time to run.”
But over time, I loosened up. Talking to imaginary people while fighting zombies turned out to be excellent practice.
Who knew? Then came Unwritten Ends, my short story project. I wanted the stories to be heard, not just read. So I tried narrating them. And something clicked.
It felt strangely liberating to say things out loud especially for someone who lives inside her head most of the time.
That’s when I realized…maybe a podcast didn’t have to be this massive, complicated production.
I looked into it and thought, “Oh. I can just record on Clipchamp or Canva… upload to Spotify for Podcasters… cross-post to YouTube?”
That’s it? No gatekeeping. No ceremonial microphone blessing.
So I did it. And JacQ of All Trades was born…a podcast with no strict niche, because I refuse to pick just one thing to talk about.
I started this podcast in August 2025. It’s about 6 months now. And here are the biggest lessons it smacked me with. So, my friend, here are five Things Podcasting Taught Me (That I Didn’t Expect)
1. Confidence Comes From Doing, Not Waiting
If I could time-travel, I’d tell my past self to hit record the moment the idea popped into her head.
Confidence doesn’t magically arrive one day like, “Hello. I’m here. You’re ready now.”
You build it episode by episode. My first recording felt like I was speaking into the void.
Now? It feels like catching up with a friend. Still awkward sometimes. But familiar.
And if you’re listening to this right now, you’re already part of that conversation. We’re already friends. You just don’t talk back…yet.
2. The Internet Is Basically a Free University
This is something that I already knew but yeah…I didn’t acknowledge it enough.
Anything you think you need to know…someone has already made a video about it.
How to reduce background noise? There’s a guide.
What mic to use on a budget? YouTube has opinions. So many opinions.
“I don’t know how” is honestly the weakest excuse in the age of Google. Harsh. But true.
I pretty much learned everything I know about podcasting from YouTube and other podcasters. So if you’re thinking about starting one… congrats. This is the part where I gently push you off the edge.
3. Audio Adds a Whole New Dimension
Writing is great but audio changes everything; Tone, pacing, pauses and many more.
A sarcastic line in text can be misunderstood. In audio, your voice makes it obvious you’re joking.
It’s like upgrading from black-and-white to full color. Same idea. More personality.
4. Different People Connect in Different Ways
Not everyone wants to read long articles. I know. Shocking right?
Some people learn visually. Some are kinesthetic like myself who prefer to learn things hands-on. Some just want to listen while doing laundry or going for their morning run.
Putting your ideas in different formats means you’re meeting people where they are. And that matters as a content creator.
5. You Might Love It More Than You Expect
This one surprised me the most.
I actually enjoy narrating my thoughts.
Speaking forces me to slow down.
To sequence ideas.
To stop throwing words into a blender and hoping for the best.
Yes, I still script things beforehand…I’m not a chaos demon.
But overall?
It’s been a great brain workout.
Here are the Things I Wish I Knew Before Hitting Record
- Your first episode will feel weird. That’s normal.
- You will cringe when you listen back. Also normal.
- You don’t need a perfect setup to start. You can always upgrade later.
- And at some point, you’ll realize you’ve been smiling while talking to yourself.
That’s when you know you’re in too deep.
So… Should You Start a Podcast?
Here’s my unsolicited advice.
Just start.
Don’t wait for perfect gear.
Perfect confidence.
Perfect clarity.
Your first episode will be rough.
That’s the point.
Years before starting, I was convinced podcasting wasn’t for me.
Now?
I look forward to recording.
It’s my time to get thoughts out of my head and into the world; unfiltered, imperfect, and in my own voice.
And honestly? It’s a great excuse to talk to yourself without looking completely unhinged.
And you know what? After I started my podcast, it didn’t take long for my friends to start nudging me about streaming on Twitch.
I thought, “Nope, I’m not letting this sit for years like I did with podcasting.”
So I just… hopped on. And here I am—streaming since January this year!
Let me wet my feet a bit more in this whole streaming adventure first, and then I’ll share all the juicy bits with you; how I got started, what it’s like, and everything I’ve learned along the way, right here on this podcast.
So, if you want to hang out live, see me fumble through games, or just chat about the same topics we cover here, come find me on Twitch at twitch.tv/jacqtydus Links are in the description.
Thanks for listening to episode 25 of JacQ of All Trades. Until next time, please take care and remember to stop muting your own voice if you have something to say.
