Yong Pratt 0:00
If you've ever thought about starting your own podcast, but weren't sure if it would actually help your business, you'll want to pay particular attention to today's interview. Erin Cooney is joining us today to share insights into her podcast, and how her podcast got her featured in an international magazine.

Yong Pratt 0:21
Have you ever felt like there was something missing in your business? Something holding you back from the success you're seeking? If so, you are not alone. For nearly 20 years, that's exactly how I felt as a business owner. It wasn't until I discovered Human Design, that it all became clear. And it turns out that I was the missing piece in my own business. Join me on this journey of discovering the real me and hear stories from other business owners building businesses around all of their awesomeness. I'm Yong Pratt, and it's time my friend to Amplify Your Awesome™!

Yong Pratt 1:05
Hey there, Amplifiers! Welcome back to the show. As always, I'm your host Yong Pratt. I am your Expert Content Gold Mining Guide. And I am a true lover of connecting with incredible awesome people from around the globe. And I have another one for you today. Erin Cooney was the first American-born to pass the Irish Dance Teachers Diploma from Dublin, Ireland. How cool is that? She's been in the world of Irish dance for more than 25 years, has been teaching for more than 15. She runs a performing art school called Rinca Nua Irish Dance. She is the founder of the Irish Dance Business Owners and hosts a podcast by the same name. She was recently featured in an international magazine. We're gonna dive into that story talk about podcasting and talk about pivots in her business. Erin, welcome.

Erin Cooney 1:57
Thank you so much. I'm excited to be here.

Yong Pratt 2:00
Yeah, Erin and I connected. It's been several years since we connected back in a mastermind for dance school owners. And we've since kind of gone our separate ways. We reconnected a couple years ago, when you wanted to launch your podcast. You went through my Podcast In A Weekend Class, launched it, and now your podcast is being featured in magazines around the world. That is so so cool. So I want to start before the podcast kind of your journey into business how you took your love of Irish dancing, and turned it into a business?

Erin Cooney 2:32
Yeah, sure. So I've just always loved dance and gymnastics and movement in general, just being active as a child. My love for music is really what brought me to dance and I definitely loved Irish music. Just instrumental music in general. I love that piece like being a gymnast to like we did our floor routines to instrumental music, I was just really drawn to instrumental music.

Erin Cooney 2:56
So I really wanted to learn the Irish dance and they're just really there wasn't anywhere around to to learn Irish dance. And I was a kid and this was Pre-River Dance days when you know Irish dance was really seen as just that kind of a traditional dance form, you know, like square dancing or something you might learn just for cultural reasons. But then when River Dance came and toured around the globe, Irish dance became super popular. And at that point, I had taken a few lessons. My parents had found a teacher and in the metro area. I lived on a farm. So they found that teacher in the metro area that actually traveled to our small hometown of like 2000 people to like once a week just to teach the basics of Irish dance. So I had been learning just the basics of Irish dance just for my own pure fun and enjoyment for about a year before River dance happened or not. A few years I guess, before River Dance happened. Once river dance happened, people kind of knew I Irish danced or knew I did this just kind of on the side and wanted me to like teach it dance studios, performed with Irish bands, because it was so big, it was so popular. And everyone wanted to either see it or learn how to do it.

Erin Cooney 4:09
So even into my college years, I started performing with a band I started teaching Irish dance for like the ballroom dance club and, and just different things like performing at the cultural festivals that were around. And so it was just kind of this side thing that was enjoyable part of my life. I also did the dance team in college. So I still was doing other forms of dance and things like that as well. But Irish Dance after I graduated from college, I became a gymnastics coach. And at the gym, I was coaching they actually had dance as you know, part of the building programs as well. They had gymnastics and dance. And I said, You know, I don't know that I really want to teach, you know, jazz or anything like that. But I would love to teach Irish dance. And so they said that, that I could start teaching an Irish dance class if we could build enough interest for a class and that's kind of how it started. And that was way back in 2002. I started teaching Irish dance just once a week on a Saturday for a dance studio. And the the program kept building. And eventually I moved, you know, I was trying to figure out other full time jobs to work with, you know, the evening schedule.

Erin Cooney 5:16
So eventually I moved. And I just really found that I was trying to figure out a full time job with like this part time teaching Irish dance. And my dream was just to just just do the Irish dance thing and become a mom. Like that was my my dream and my goal. Get married to have children and just be an Irish dance teacher. Eventually, I opened my own Irish dance school after teaching Irish dance for various different dance studios for 10 years. So I had a lot of experience under my belt as far as teaching Irish dance. And then when I launched my Irish dance school, I immediately hired other teachers to help me. But a lot of people don't know Irish Dance so I had to do a lot of training and have teachers.

Erin Cooney 5:57
So now I've had my Irish Dance School for 10 years. And you know, about back in 2015, I kind of just started doing more online, reaching out to more business mentorship online, as opposed to local business coaches, because I had my second son, and I just found that being a mom, it was so much easier to go online to get business coaching than to actually drive to my who I had as a business coach at the time. And so I just started doing more and more learning online. And then I started learning about online business because of that, because there's so many coaches online teaching about online business. So back in 2015, I kind of opened my idea of like, this new idea of maybe I could do an online business someday, as well. Um, so that's kind of how that all started. And then eventually, you know, knowing different people who are podcasting and thinking, maybe I could do this too. And, you know, how could that be part of this online business journey for me, so I know, that's kind of a lot. But that's kind of, that's how it all started for me.

Yong Pratt 6:58
You know there's so much about this story that I think so many listeners can resonate with. It's the idea that if a seed gets planted, when we're little, and we let it grow, we don't know where it's gonna take us. And I love that you just had this desire to learn it. And then all these opportunities when River Dance came out and kind of came about, and you kind of followed your heart, you follow that passion. And that led to opening brick and mortar studio and then to helping other Irish Dance Business Owners really run their businesses as a business, not just as a hobby. And then I know your podcast has been instrumental in, in educating them and helping other people find this world of Irish dance, and learning more about it, and also falling in love with that.

Yong Pratt 7:38
So I just love this ripple effect of your entire life. And this one little thread has kind of woven its way all the way through. And though it's been a lot of years, I just love that it stayed there. And you've really listened to that intuition. Because I think sometimes it's so easy to let other people stop us from following that little intuition or following that passion. People squash dreams without even realizing that they want us to be practical and have a job where we can support ourselves and support our family and, and do the responsible thing. That was my story anyway. So I just love that and honor you for really listening and knowing that was part of who you were and part of what you wanted to do you. So kudos to you.

Erin Cooney 8:21
Well, thank you.

Yong Pratt 8:22
Amazing. So let's talk about your brick and mortar first and talk about the effects of COVID. And how you've had to transition to more of an online teaching model that you had been using with your coaching clients. But now all of a sudden, you're faced with doing it online for years, your student body, how did that go? And what does it look like now?

Erin Cooney 8:44
Yeah, you know, I felt like the several years prior to COVID happening, it was like this preparation to just so that I could immediately switch to run my business online. It was amazing. It was like I had been prepared for this. So I felt like I was truly just so lucky to have all that training behind me. And I really felt for the people that didn't have it like these other brick and mortar business owners who who weren't sure how to run anything online, like couldn't handle their payments online, didn't know how to run classes on zoom, never used zoom before, like just all of the huge learning curve that they had to do. And let's say like a couple months, whereas I had been learning all this online business stuff for several years leading up to this. And you know, always had the goal of like building this, you know, six figure plus online business and all of a suddenly it was like, hey, it happened overnight.

Erin Cooney 9:35
I'm actually running everything online. It's just that my brick and mortars switched over to an online model. And it was really nice for me to like experience that too, to see like what my lifestyle would be because I had dreamed of like running this online business for a while and all of a sudden I was doing it and realizing like what would need to be different about my life if that's what I was, you know, solely doing cuz I'm still running the brick and mortar and doing online stuff right now. But if I ever were to transition to just do the online piece, I knew what that lifestyle would look like, you know, being kind of running everything virtually, you know, with your staff and with your programs and trying to, you know, the marketing and every all all aspects of it, I guess I would say,

Yong Pratt 10:20
Yeah, I love it that you, you already kind of had the inkling you kind of knew that you wanted to eventually maybe get there someday and do everything virtual. So now you have the opportunity to do that, do you think you'll there'll be a point in your business life that that's how you'll run business exclusively.

Erin Cooney 10:39
So what I realized for myself is that I do want the online piece, but I don't want it to be a dance studio. Um, so that was really good to know, right? Like, it was my opportunity to experience what having an online business would be if the programming that I'm offering is a dance studio. And I realize that's not what I wanted to do. I was very busy at that time, you know, like taking advice that I had learned from business mentors for online businesses, as far as building a portal out and batching videos like I was in, I was in the dance studio, myself. Recording myself do all of these dances, and that was like, and then I hired a virtual assistant. And that that was kind of like some of the transitions I did to go online. I also scaled back the amount of space that I was actually leasing during that time, because I was like, I'm not going to need it. So we scaled back. So now when we're jumping back into, we're almost fully in person, again, we still have one online class happening, I have less space. So I mean, like it's a transition moving back in and seeing seeing what's going to happen. So I've made a lot of changes with that as well that I could dive into but, but that's kind of more of those COVID changes that morphed where I'm going next,

Yong Pratt 11:54
When we make a pivot in our businesses, there's a lot that happens internally, because we have our identities sort of wrapped up in. I'm a dance school owner, I'm of this, I'm of this, I'm in this. And we don't always separate ourselves, our personal being from our businesses. So when things shift, I know I experienced a lot of inner turmoil, there was a lot of stress, a lot of anxiety, a lot of overwhelm, because I just didn't know what was going on. Because there were too many opportunities, essentially, right, too many opportunities. It's cool that you have been able to shift and adjust to this because I think that's a normal part of business. But we never talk about making pivots and making your shifts, it's all about, you know, staying the course do one thing until you're successful. For most of us, though, doing one thing for our entire lives, I would say it's almost impossible because we're multifaceted. We're multi-passionate. So let's talk about so you have your your Irish Dance School, which which now you're transitioning back to in person, you still have that one class hanging on virtually, you have your your coaching business for other Irish business owners. And now you take another little pivot because you're called to go a different way. So let's talk about this pivot what it is, you know, kind of why you think it creeped into your life and what you love about it.

Erin Cooney 13:12
Honestly, like, if I'm super honest, like seeing myself on video, so much moving into the online world. I was like, shocked, like I was noticing how much I was aging. I was noticing, you know what I was wearing in the videos that my energy level was like how I looked, and I just was kind of like, shocked. It's like, I woke up and I was like, wow, I have not been focused on, you know, myself, like, how I look in my health and all of those things very much in the last 10 years, it was all about my business or my kids. And that was kind of an internal shift happening. And I actually, you know, made then I just made this decision that I'm going to lose 50 pounds. And I'm going to do it in 18 months. And I and I sent a text to my husband and said, This is what I'm doing. And I had no idea how I was gonna do it because I didn't even know how to lose one pound. And I just I don't know, it just it's almost like it came out of nowhere. But there was this internal thing that kind of happened with me.

Yong Pratt 14:17
And I love the fact that you were conscientious when you were seeing yourself on video. And you just noticed something in yourself and you made this decision to go on this weight loss journey. Can you give us a little sneak peeks? I'm curious too about about this journey of yours and how Yeah, what this coaching program looks like and the facets you're going to bring in that you have found work for yourself.

Erin Cooney 14:38
Yeah, and it's, I think a part of it too is I mean how my brain works is I'm I'm just very simple and I'm more of a framework person than I am a step-by-step person. So if you give me a recipe to cook something, I can't do it. So that's definitely my weak weakness. Um, so my strength though, is kind of seeing and frameworks. So for me, I was like, I was able to kind of build a framework around people customizing this weight loss journey on their, on their own, and then like, and then looking at it to see what changes could be made. But it's all like it's, it's educating them while they decide on their own changes that they think will work in their life. So the step-by-step, exact, you know, amounts of food and meals thing doesn't work for me. And it's because I'm just not a step by step person I like to, I like to create stuff instead of valo programs. So like, I was able to kind of create a framework for myself that it's just not complicated. And I was just like, I really think this could work for people. But I do think it will be a mindset, a mindset shift for a lot of people who are used to buying programs that are like, this is what you eat at, you know, for breakfast is what you eat for lunch. And this is what you eat for dinner. Or like I bought somebody those programs are like, these are the recipes you need to build it to buy. And I'm like, I don't even know what that food is. And it sounds like it's gonna be like two hours at the grocery store for me to even figure out like, it just was like too much for me.

Erin Cooney 16:11
And I just felt like when this happened, and I actually lost the weight, like I lost 50 pounds in 18 months. And I was just like, wow, after a while after people started asking me I kind of felt like this secret that I loved having. But after started, people started asking me I was like, Erin, like, you just need to share this. Like, it just felt like I like I knew this, like amazing thing that people are struggling with. And I remember list, you know how painful it was for me to feel like I was, you know, it just was it was painful for me to feel like I did love myself and I was doing all I can could to eat healthy. But I had this frame that looked different from who I really was. And I felt like I was being perceived differently. Because of that it really truly was doing all I could to be healthy and to be that example to like my dancers. And I really, and now it's like people assume I'm healthy. Because I think like when they see me, they have more of an assumption that I'm healthy. Whereas before, I didn't feel like that was really the vibe I was feeling from people. So anyway, that's kind of how I've done it as I just have a framework that I'm working with people and it's it's kind of customized to what's going to work for their life. So,

Yong Pratt 17:31
So good. And I love that you use the word simple. And you talk about frameworks, because I feel the same way too, because I've gone into so many programs and tried to follow them step-by-step. Whether it's business or whether it's weight loss, and they just don't work. Because Yeah, my mind doesn't work like that either. I want the big picture. I want to be able to make choices that are going to work for me. So I love that you're honoring that part about people because everyone is different. Everyone who signs up to work with you has a different goal has a different journey has lived a different experience. So to be able to honor that in them. I think that's that really is such a missing piece in this particular industry these days. So I applaud you for that as well. And I'm curious to know, do you think that you'll ever have a podcast to share some of these frameworks to attract more of the right people for this particular arm of your business?

Erin Cooney 18:21
Yeah, you know, I've been thinking about that. And I haven't made complete decisions on that, because I'm running my first program right now. And the people that have enrolled are from the brick and mortar and the online piece. So it's very interesting, because I have a very similar demographic, which are, you know, a lot of moms or kind of middle aged women. So you know, women around age 40 or 50. And, and so it's been really neat that I kind of launched it and just told those groups of people that already are in my life, and that I was doing it. And so yeah, so now I'm kind of like, okay, you know, that was great to tap into that, to let them know that I'm doing that. But I'm not going to be marketing this to both of those groups forever. Like I do need to figure out a way where I'm going to be marketing this. And I do want with this first group, I want to make sure that I'm getting amazing results at them. And that there's a place that I can share those results that people will want to see those results. Because I'm sure that there are people that would like to see how this first group grows and like hear from the testimonials from these women to see if it would be a good fit for them. So yeah, so I'm still figuring that out.

Yong Pratt 19:32
So who knows? Maybe in the future, there'll be another podcast because I am such a big believer in podcasts and with the shift lately in marketing, and there's so much focus on audio. And with platforms like Facebook, they're going to allow podcasters like us to actually let people listen to their shows in the actual app itself without them having to go anywhere else. That's a really big shift and a really good place to be because with things like clubs I was in green room and all these audio only platforms. People are loving this because it's portable. You can listen to it. You know, when you're doing the laundry, you're like doing all the mom things, right? I listen to a ton of podcasts when I'm doing things around the house, because I want to learn. I want you to be able to get better myself. And so I turn, I tune into a lot of podcast during that time. So yeah, and I think, also, because this particular new arm of your business is is a subject that lots of people want to learn about lots of people are frustrated with. So I think it would be cool to have, you know, to be able to have them have you in their back pocket. I just think that's a really cool place to be. And I want to pivot a little bit and talk about your current podcast and how he was featured. And I know, I kind of led with that story. And we kind of got

Erin Cooney 20:47
Yes,

Yong Pratt 20:48
on a little tangent. But I do want to talk about the reason you started your podcast and sort of what the podcasting world has opened up for your business.

Erin Cooney 20:58
Yeah. So the reason I opened or started the podcast was because I was doing business coaching online. And I knew other business coaches who were doing podcasts as part of kind of, they're warming up their audience, getting people you know, around the globe to kind of know about them. And so just as a marketing arm of the business to kind of indicate what kind of offers I had coming up because I was doing one on one coaching and I was doing mastermind groups. Those are kind of my main two offers.

Erin Cooney 21:32
So I started the podcast and did your program over the weekend I remember saying like, I have to do this in a weekend, or I will be too scared to actually launch it. So it was perfect to just like, dive right in. And, um, I was doing solo episodes to start with, and then I completely, I mean, I completely dropped off, which was is not your advice. Your advice is your right to do it consistently. That's definitely been my struggle, um, and eventually kind of relaunched it after COVID because I had a part-time virtual assistant that I had hired during that transition of my brick and mortar to being fully online.

Erin Cooney 22:10
Once my brick and mortar went back in person, for the most part, I hired a full time virtual assistant. And then I really kind of relaunched the podcast by doing interviews and my full time virtual assistant was able to do all the behind the scenes for it. So it really worked in my lifestyle that I was able to consistently do this podcast as like, you know, so I did this interview series, when I did the interview series, that's when it kind of got more publicity, because more people got involved and interested and, and really tapped into kind of a bigger purpose for me, and not just the business is just that I wanted to influence the Irish dance community on a bigger level.

Erin Cooney 22:52
And a lot of the Irish dance publicity out there is all around competition, I have currently dropped the competitive piece of my program, and transitioned it to another teacher who can do that program. for them. I'm not saying it's a negative thing. It's just a programming that I don't want to offer. But I feel like there's so much more to offer the Irish dance community, apart from competition. So it meant the world to me that they did this feature. And they're putting my podcast on their YouTube channel. And they specifically want the interviews and I love all the interview. Because they're all of these, for the most part, I've been interviewing moms who are running these Irish dance schools. And they don't have a ton of publicity a lot of times because they aren't the big competitive names in the industry. But they have these incredible stories that you know, even Irish dancers were young, like by listening or watching these things, to see what the possibilities would be to keep Irish dance in your life if your goal and dream is to be a mom, which was my goal, like I wanted to teach Irish dance and be a mom it and and that that's a total viable thing for them to want in their life. And that these there are these amazing women doing that. It's just that there's not a lot of publicity around that. The big publicity around the world champions and the big schools competitive school. So I just loved that I was kind of almost to bring hometown news to like this worldwide, then, you know, scene.

Yong Pratt 24:19
Oh, my gosh, so good. And I think when people think about starting a podcast, they wonder, you know, is it going to help people because they have a passion. There's always a reason why they want to start it. But they're not always able to, you know, look forward far enough to see the ripple effect because now you're taking your platform, letting other people come onto your platform, elevating their voices amplifying that and in doing so you're able to be able, you're able to elevate the whole world I wish dance to a new level.

Yong Pratt 24:48
So for all of you listening out there, if there is something you want to share, if there was a passion project, that there's something that's really weighing on you, and you're just not sure how to share it. A podcast could definitely be a great way to do that because you're able to touch lives that you would normally not touch. That's the power of podcasting is that it's not just about us as podcast hosts, it is about all the people that we get to interact with all of the people that whose lives change, because now they have someone, they can listen to someone to connect with. So what has podcasting? How has it changed the way that people perceive you and your business?

Erin Cooney 25:30
Well, I think I think one thing for me is just going into the podcasting, like host and seeing the different countries that people are listening. I mean, it just like it for me, and just myself to know that there's all of these people worldwide, actually, listening to the podcast is just huge, you know, for me, just feeling like I am impacting people worldwide. But then also, I just felt like with the publicity piece there, it just offered a lot of credibility to me, whenever I was speaking, when I started doing the interviews, specifically, I felt like because it was a podcast, that it made a bigger deal to people being interviewed. That there was a credibility piece there that, oh, if this interview is for the podcast, like that's a big deal. And so I love that and make it is a big deal. And you can make it a bigger deal. Because it is on the podcast. So and because I can show what kind of reach the podcast has. And so that was another thing that was really cool in the article that they did and Irish dancing magazine, is I gave them my virtual assistant created this infographic that showed all the different countries countries have listeners and where, where people were listening from the podcast from and so I just loved that, that piece of it that you have that data to work with as well.

Erin Cooney 26:52
Again, with the international magazine, I said, like you're I'm reaching a brand new audience of teenagers, which is also like what was so exciting for me because it was actually one of my Irish dancers who notified me that this article is in the magazine and just knowing that, like our stories are now being shared, and these teenagers have access to it. It's just like a whole new level of impact, too.

Yong Pratt 27:12
Yeah. How good is that? I mean, this is the legacy. You get to create this legacy. So that you know, even at years after you're gone, that the world Irish dance is still relevant. People can access it from wherever they are in the world, if they're in a metro city, or if they are in the smallest of small towns, your words and the people you wrote onto your podcast are there for them to learn from and to listen to for years to come. So before we wrap up there, I want to make sure people can connect with you if they want to learn more about your podcast, your weight loss program, your brick and mortar, where's the best place for them to find you?

Erin Cooney 27:48
Yeah, well, I've been figuring that out loud. I am. My website right now is www.ErinCooney.biz. So spelling, my name is e-r-i-n-c-o-n-e-y dot biz, though, I'm going to be adding the weight loss for our weight loss program portion to that on my website very, very soon. And then www.IrishDanceBusinessOwners.com is kind of where people opt in to be part of our Facebook group, which is where else all of the community happens for that. And then the Irish Dance Business Owners Podcast as well.

Yong Pratt 28:17
So good. And I will make sure I put all those links in today's podcast show notes so that everyone listening can just click from their app and and connect with you because you're such an example of this this power of podcasting. So Erin, I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart, for sharing your story for listening to that inner voice that has guided you to all these incredible places, and for really just being an example of what one idea can turn into.

Erin Cooney 28:46
Thank you so much.

Erin Cooney 28:47
I really hope that Erin's story of starting her podcast and the ripple effects of what she has created, from her podcasts alone to reach more people to leave a legacy. I hope that's resonated with you because I know this about you. There is a mission, a passion burning inside of you bubbling up, ready to be shared with the world. And if that is the case, I would love to invite you to create your own podcast. I have an amazing two day class coming up with a really good friend of mine who happens to be a Facebook ads Ninja, Tammy Pereira. We are going to be hosting a two day event in August, where not only are you going to learn to launch your podcast. You're also going to learn how to build an engaged audience using her strategy of Facebook ads. If you would love to join us in this class, I would invite you to reach out to me on social you can DM me over on Instagram, or you can message me on Facebook. Of course you can always come over to today's show notes as well at my website, www.YongPratt.com. Reach out to me right there. And I'd love to get you enrolled in this class because it's going to be a game changer. It's going to help you reach more of the people you want to reach with your message, and then be able to literally put fuel on the fire and amplify the growth of your very own podcast because you're going to learn how to leverage Facebook ads as well. Okay, my friends. With all that being said, go out there today and Amplify Your Awesome™! Cheers.

Erin Cooney 30:33
Thanks for tuning in, do the Amplify Your Awesome™ podcast. Let's continue this conversation inside my Facebook community, the Arena of Awesome while it's still free and open to new members. Come share your biggest takeaways and ahas, plus, every week inside the arena, you'll get access to me and I may even share content I don't share anywhere else. Until next time, my friend, go out there today and Amplify Your Awesome™!

SHOWNOTES

0:00 If you've ever thought about starting your own podcast, but weren't sure if it would actually help your business, you'll want to pay particular attention to today's interview. Erin Cooney is joining us today to share insights into her podcast, and how her podcast got her featured in an international magazine.

1:05 About today’s guest, Erin Cooney

2:00 How Yong and Erin first connected. Yong’s Podcast in a Weekend™ Class and how it helped Erin launch her own podcast which has now been featured in an international magazine.

2:32 From dance, gymnastics, and movement to music and Irish Dance

2:56 Erin’s path to learning Irish Dance from her small farm-town and how the popularity of River Dance led her to teaching.

5:16 How Erin’s dream of being a mom and Irish Dancing led to opening up her own school, Rinca Nua.

8:22 The effects and aftermath of COVID on Erin’s Brick and Mortar Irish Dance School

10:39 Will there ever be a point when Erin will run her business exclusively online?

“I realized that I do want the online piece, but I don't want it to be a dance studio.”

13:12 How seeing herself on video led Erin to focus on her own health and weight loss journey and the declaration she made to her husband that put things into motion.

14:38 Focusing on simplicity and frameworks versus step-by-step actions helped Erin shape her new weight loss program.

16:11 How people’s perceptions changed once Erin lost 50+ pounds.

18:21 Will there be a second podcast in Erin’s future?

20:48 Why Erin started her podcast, Irish Dance Business Owners, and how it led to Erin being featured in an international magazine

21:32 Erin’s Podcast in a Weekend Experience and the advice she ignored

22:10 How a Virtual Assistant helped Erin with podcasting consistency and the bigger purpose for her podcast

22:52 How Erin’s podcast is shifting the focus in Irish Dance from competition to conversations with business owners, building a legacy for future generations.

24:19 Elevating Irish Dance to a New level through her podcast

24:48 The REAL power of podcasting according to Yong

25:30 How podcast has changed the way people perceive Erin and her business

26:52 Reaching new audiences with her podcast

27:48 Connect with Erin at www.yongpratt.com/345

http://www.erincooney.biz/

www.IrishDanceBusinessOwners.com

Irish Dance Business Owners Podcast

28:47 Ready to start your own podcast and its possibilities for YOUR business? Save your seat the Podcast LaunchpAD - a Live Learning Experience led by me and Facebook Ads Ninja Tammy Pereira.

Yong Pratt 0:01
If you've been listening to this podcast for any length of time, you're probably wondering why this episode is coming to you on Tuesday since I normally release episodes on Thursday. Well, in today's episode, I'll share with you why I'm here with you on a different day of the week. what you can expect from me for the rest of the summer, and I will share a gift that I have for you. Buckle up my friend, it's gonna be a wild ride.

Yong Pratt 0:32
Have you ever felt like there was something missing in your business? Something holding you back from the success you're seeking? If so, you are not alone. For nearly 20 years, that's exactly how I felt as a business owner. It wasn't until I discovered Human Design, that it all became clear. And it turns out that I was the missing piece in my own business. Join me on this journey of discovering the real me and hear stories from other business owners building businesses around all of their awesomeness. I'm Yong Pratt, and it's time my friend to Amplify Your Awesome™.

Yong Pratt 1:17
They're heeere! Nope, not the poltergeists. The long-awaited content gold mining maps have finally arrived, after many many requests to put together a guide to help content creators of all kinds, mind for an unearth the gold from within their content. I've done just that. The good news is that right now, as of this recording this episode number 342, they're free! That's right, my friend. There my gift to you. And right now the middle of summer is the very best time to dive in to these maps. The even better news is that there's also a six-part audio series for you to binge on, take with you anywhere, to listen to again. And again, when you request the maps, whether you prefer to create via audio, video or text, there's a map just for you inside of the content gold mining bundle. All you have to do is head to today's show notes at www.YongPratt.com/342 to grab maps and the bonus audio series.

Yong Pratt 2:42
Remember, the maps and audio series are free for now. And I don't know how long they're gonna stay that way. I've gotten so much great feedback from everyone who has grabbed the bundle already. So I don't want you to wait to grab them. If you're looking to ditch the content, overwhelm I have an endless stream of social media content and income streams that you can tap into at any time then you're going to want to grab the bundle today.

Yong Pratt 3:14
Again, you can grab them at today's show notes www.YongPratt.com/342. The maps and the audio series are the resources I wish I had back in 2016 when I happened to stumble upon the world of content repurposing. I see way too many content creators churning out more and more content getting burnt out and exhausted by it. The way to overcome the myth of more that I've shared on this podcast previously, is to mine for the gold and unearth it from within the content you have already created. Yep, all the content you've been amassing all these years - your body of work. From within that content, you can mine out and unearth some literal gold.

Yong Pratt 4:10
Before wrapping up this very short episode, I also wanted to share some more exciting news with you. Starting with this episode, I'll be releasing episodes twice weekly on Tuesdays and Thursdays through August. You might be wondering why I'm doubling up on episodes during the middle of summer. Well, there are three reasons why I am doing this.

Yong Pratt 4:34
Number one. I've been interviewing some amazing guests and I want to share their episodes with you. However, I also wanted to bring you out some more solo content because I've gotten a lot of questions lately. And I have something coming up that I'm going to share with you in just a bit that I want to make sure that I can use this podcast for so that you know what is happening and what is available. So rather than sprinkling the solo episodes between each of the next seven guests, I've decided to simply add Tuesday episodes through August.

Yong Pratt 5:11
Number two, I personally have been listening to a ton more audio content since summer began. And so many of you have reached out and sure that you're doing the same thing. Even though summer feels somehow slower, it's really a great time to lean into learning, a great time to seek inspiration. And it's a great time to make plans for quarter four, and make sure that quarter three ends on a very positive note. So for this reason, I want to share more content with you so that you can make quarter for the best possible.

Yong Pratt 5:52
Number three, season five will come to a conclusion at the end of August, August 26. To be exact. Though I hadn't planned on taking a break before season six launches at the end of September, I've decided that 60 episodes is the perfect number to round out my fifth season of the podcast. I've been podcasting consistently now for more than five years, which seems so crazy. And if you know anything about me, numbers are really significant to me. So the fact that the number 60 represents family harmony and balance, choosing 60 episodes seems so fitting. Taking a month off from publishing the podcast will allow me to embrace the upcoming changes in my own family, like my oldest leaving for college in just a few weeks, and it will help me find a better balance in my work for the rest of the summer.

Yong Pratt 6:50
During the month-long break from publishing the podcast, you're definitely going to see more of me on social media with a brand new posting and promo schedule that I've been testing and tweaking in preparation for my six-month mentorship, Your Content Goldmine, which starts this fall. I've been busy experimenting with some new schedules that feel good to me. And I'm refining the process for those that join me inside of Your Content Goldmine. And you, my friend, will be able to see this new plan unfold on his social media. So during the month of no podcast publishing, which will be all over September, I'll also be working on a few other projects. Here they are...

Yong Pratt 7:31
I'm going to be finishing up a couple of books for publication that have been waiting patiently for me inside of my Google Drive account.

Yong Pratt 7:39
I have a few more ideas for other books I'm going to create with the assistance of an artificial intelligence copywriting robot. I'm definitely going to be sharing more on this tool coming up because it has quickly become one of my new favorite. I know that I'm personally only scratching the surface when it comes to using this tool. And I have so much to share with you on how I've been using it, how it's been helping my clients, how it's been helping me inside my business to do so much more without needing to hire a copywriter. It is so good.

Yong Pratt 8:12
I'm also going to be teaching a brand new class alongside Facebook ads Ninja, Tammy Pereira, who you've met on this podcast a couple of different times. It's coming up August 10th and 11th, 2021 and it's all about podcasting and Facebook ads. So if you've ever wanted to start your own podcast and learn how to use Facebook ads properly without wasting money, in order to build a podcast audience fast, you definitely do not want to miss this special two-day event.

Yong Pratt 8:50
I'm a huge believer in compressing time and teaching people how to get their podcast out into the world fast. That's why I created my in a weekend class series. I've taught hundreds of people to Podcast in a Weekend, create eBooks in a wWeekend, Collaborate in a Weekend, Blog in a Weekend, and Vlog in a Weekend.

Yong Pratt 9:13
When most people hear that I teach classes in this short compressed format, they often don't believe it's possible because we're often made to think that things are harder and will take longer than they actually need to. People are also skeptical that creating something so quickly will be of low-quality.

Yong Pratt 9:33
Now I don't want you to mistake fast execution with sloppy or lesser quality. In fact, because I help people launch podcasts fast, they're often better than if they were to spend months or years getting ready for the launch. One of my Podcast in a Weekend students actually launched her podcast start to finish, from scratch, in less than four hours. Yep. That's four hours, not four weeks, not four months. And this is someone who actually purchased another podcasting program, a really big one from one of the quote unquote gurus in the podcasting space. And she never finished the class because there was so much pre-work to do before she even could launch the podcast. So she got my Podcast in a Weekend, was able to launch in four hours, and has been able to share and make an impact with her tribe, which has been so much fun to watch unfold.

Yong Pratt 10:32
I literally love to compress time and teach the most efficient ways to create content, especially in podcast form. If you'd like to get on the waitlist for this brand new two day class, just head to today's show notes at www.YongPratt.com/342.

Yong Pratt 10:51
And there you have it, my friend. Now you know why I'm gonna be taking a month off from publishing the podcast, and how you can access my brand new content gold mining maps and audio series. I want you to run don't walk to grab these run and grab these while they are still free. Because I have a feeling that sometime in the near future, they are going to be a paid product. So make sure that you go over to today's show notes, www.YongPratt.com/342 to grab those maps and grab the audio series so that you can spend some time mining for the gold in your own content. So that in quarter four of 2021, you can have an endless supply of social media content, plus an endless stream of income from the content you have already created. It's time to mine it up and share it with the world as the gifts that they were created to be.

Yong Pratt 11:50
Coming up on Thursday, you're gonna meet Jen Abels, a fellow dancer, and we're diving into the topic of "Your work is not your worth" - a challenge that I struggled with for so many years. You won't want to miss the episode, so be sure you're subscribed to the podcast on your favorite platform.

Yong Pratt 12:12
Until then, head over to today's show notes at www.YongPratt.com/342, grab the maps and audio series and get yourself on the waitlist for mine and Tammy's upcoming two-day class, all about podcasting and ads so that you can grow and engage audience the right way without breaking the bank. And you can launch your very own podcast, and we're going to show you how to do all of that in just two days. Cheers.

Yong Pratt 12:43
Thanks for tuning in to the Amplify Your Awesome™ podcast. Let's continue this conversation inside my Facebook community, the arena of awesome while it's still free and open to new members, come share your biggest takeaways and Aha. Plus, every week inside the arena, you'll get access to me and I may even share content I don't share anywhere else. Until next time, my friend, go out there today and Amplify Your Awesome™!