How I Built My Small Business

Anne McGinty — Finding My Voice: Lessons from Season 2 (So Far)

• Season 2 • Episode 22

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What began as a tribute to my dad has unexpectedly become part of my healing journey, transforming from purely business and entrepreneurship to learning through storytelling. 

How I Built My Small Business recently won a 2025 Communicator Award of Excellence as an educational series, validating the creative endeavor of hosting, editing, and producing this show.

• Season One focused on business creation and growth while Season Two explores guests' expertise and perspectives beyond business
• Learning through storytelling was deeply valued by my dad, who believed one must never stop learning
• Overcoming autoimmune conditions through diet, lifestyle changes, proper exercise, quality sleep, nervous system rebalancing, and the surprising way podcasting filled a missing puzzle piece
• Podcasting itself has been healing by providing space to express my authentic voice after years of people-pleasing
• Moving away from rigid question preparation to allow for more authentic, flowing conversations
• Finding the balance between "doing" and "being" - a lesson learned from New Zealand culture

As we head into the second half of this season, I'll keep following the joy and leaning into alignment. I wish you less pressure, less stress, and less rushing.

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Website: https://www.annemcginty.com/

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Speaker 1:

Hi everyone. This show started as a tribute to my dad and it's unexpectedly become part of my healing, which I'll get into later. We're midway through season two and I wanted to share some behind the scenes, both in my thought process and what it's like being a host, and the plan for the second half of season two. One exciting bit of news is that how I Built my Small Business won a 2025 Communicator Award of Excellence as an educational series. I told my sister that it felt like I received an A in art class, because that's truly how it felt. Hosting, editing and producing this show is a creative endeavor, so thank you to the Academy of Interactive and Visual Arts for the recognition, which is validating. As you know, I started this podcast to honor my dad and help others navigate what entrepreneurship is and what it can do for you, but it's turned into much more than I imagined.

Speaker 1:

Sometimes an episode is a masterclass and other times it's an honest, heart-opening connection between two strangers happening in real time. There's always curiosity and there's always learning through storytelling. In speaking with other hosts, one common thread is that, as a host, you may eventually get bored of the original topic. If you've been following along, you likely have noticed that the focus of the episodes has opened up to more than just business. The connecting thread is that all of my guests are founders, but often we're learning from their stories, expertise or perspective, sometimes about business and sometimes about life. Continued learning is deeply personal and meaningful to me because it was so meaningful to my dad. He was adamant that one must never stop learning, and if you're like me, you remember lessons more when they're attached to stories. One of my best friends wrote in saying the older I get, the more I realize the difference between wisdom and intelligence, and I think it's one of the reasons your show resonates with so many it unearths wisdom. Thanks, sarah. Season one has much more content focused on the actual creation and growth of businesses, and in season two I've found myself wanting to explore the knowledge and perspectives of my guests beyond business, with a sincere curiosity about their chosen field of expertise and understanding more deeply why they think, how they think, the type of wisdom their kids would get by growing up in their household, the advice they'd give to those they love the most. I'm evolving as a host and trying to stay true to what fills me up, and that is learning through storytelling. I love stories, probably because of my dad, who would capture a room's attention with the joy he found from telling stories Like the one about a little boy selling trinkets at a market.

Speaker 1:

He said, my goodness, he couldn't have been older than five, did you see him? He was barefoot and had his trinkets so neatly arranged in that old cigar box, hanging open-faced from a string around his neck. He walked two miles to sell at the market today. I only had nine quarters, but that was worth more than everything in his box. So I gave them to him and said in Tagalog what are you doing? Working at the market? You should be in school or playing. Go home and tell your parents you made nine quarters today. Then my dad paused the boy, did you see him? He hid behind the pallets of goods and wiped tears from his eyes, and as he tells this, his voice cracks and his own eyes start tearing.

Speaker 1:

His lesson was a reminder to feel deep gratitude for the things we often take for granted. Reminder to feel deep gratitude for the things we often take for granted School coins in our pockets and the simple freedom to be a child. That little boy wasn't asking for pity, he was just doing what he had to do, but in his tears we see the weight he was carrying and it reminds us to appreciate what we have. I believe lessons are easier to hold when they come with details and emotion, and that is the magic of a story. So back to the podcast.

Speaker 1:

Earlier this season I wasn't sure if I wanted to continue, and that was solely because I was drowning in pitches. Most of them felt templated and impersonal. It made me realize how important alignment and sincerity are to me and to the show. Instead of going into that too deeply here, I think I might actually put together a mini episode on how to pitch yourself authentically to a podcast host. So stay tuned for that if you're trying to get on podcasts. I shared my experience of the noise that I was having difficulty filtering through with another podcaster who was experiencing the same problem, and we both have ADD to layer on top, which can make filtering through noise just extra challenging. He helped me narrow down a few guiding principles, which are I only want to do this if I'm having fun. I believe people will only enjoy episodes if they hear my sincere curiosity. I want to connect with cool people. I'm looking for stories, knowledge, learning and real connection, because what I love about the process is that the learning feels so good for the brain.

Speaker 1:

I've been able to chat with doctors who have helped me deepen my understanding of my own health. For over 13 years I battled a couple autoimmune conditions and during that time I was told by more than a dozen endocrinologists that I would never be able to cure my autoimmune conditions. But I knew it was possible. I knew I could. I just needed to figure out how, and now I have. Three years ago, I checked out every book I could find on thyroid disease and autoimmune conditions and did a deep dive into understanding the root cause and helping my body find its way back to equilibrium without medication. I started learning, experimenting and listening to my body and thankfully you can order your own blood test now. So I ordered my own thyroid panels to check on my progress. It took years and a combination of dietary changes, lifestyle changes, getting the right kind of exercise, not too little, not too intense quality sleep, herbal support and breathwork and meditation to retrain my body into having the parasympathetic nervous system, which is the rest and digest system, as the default state, instead of the sympathetic nervous system, which is fight or flight.

Speaker 1:

What surprised me the most is that podcasting itself, this act of using my voice, has played a real role in my healing. It's hard to describe how and why to somebody who hasn't been on this exact journey, but I believe for years that I never truly expressed my voice, opinions or thoughts out of fear that doing so may come across as confrontational or too bold or rude. This is why I truly admire how authentic Prof G is with how he speaks and shares his opinions so frankly and unapologetically. That is really something to aspire to. I think I grew up in Atlanta and there is a Southern politeness that I adore, but it can also mean that people can withhold true feelings or opinions to avoid offending others. So that's how I've felt for years that it's better to be gracious instead of blunt smile and avoid confrontation and use soft language or euphemisms to express disagreement. It's truly cultural. I don't believe there's anything wrong with that, but for me, I think it resulted in me becoming what is now a recovering people pleaser.

Speaker 1:

Podcasting has given me the space to practice saying what I think out loud and on record, and I'm focusing on choosing authenticity over approval. I truly want to choose who I talk with and why the act of connecting with people, finding purpose, being myself and creating something that feels aligned has turned out to be this huge missing puzzle piece in my autoimmune healing journey. Five years ago, if you put me on air in an interview, my voice would have quivered and my hands would have shaken because I wasn't living and operating in alignment. I don't think we talk enough about how powerful alignment and joy is for our physical health. I've also connected with guests over shared grief and the impact that's had in our lives. There's a quote by Francis Weller that I heard Rangan Chatterjee mention on Live More, feel Better, which really resonated with me. Really resonated with me. The work of the mature person is to carry grief in one hand and gratitude in the other and to be stretched large by them. It's an invitation to wholeness, to allow both grief and gratitude to shape one into someone deeper, more compassionate and more alive.

Speaker 1:

Another change I've made this season is that I stopped rigidly pre-preparing questions. That was a bit nerve-wracking for me because at first I was nervous that I wouldn't get the interview to flow or that I'd get brain fog and stumble on my words and embarrass myself. But I found that if I instead take handwritten notes during the interview. It's much easier for me to go with the flow and pull out key points that I want to dig into further. Interviews are still mostly 45 to 60 minutes because I've found that building a real heart connection and trust with my guests takes at least 15 minutes and as they get more comfortable with my approach, they go deeper in the next 30 to 40 minutes. I tried to do 30 minute interviews and while I know that's probably easier for listeners to digest when commuting, the length feels rushed and thus more surface level for me as the host. So thank you for bearing with me and I hope you make it to the end of the episodes, because that is where it gets the deepest. And a note on rushing I spend a good part of my life in New Zealand because I'm married to a Kiwi.

Speaker 1:

I love the way I feel when we're in New Zealand and it's like medicine for the soul. Many years ago my in-laws asked me Anne, what do you like to do to relax? I started answering that I like to go hiking or go to a yoga class or, and they said but that's not relaxing, that's doing. And it made me realize that I didn't know how to just be. Over the years I've heard Kiwis say Americans don't know how to relax. When I asked what they meant, they said no pressure, no stress and no rushing. That mindset has stayed with me and it's something I try to embody in life and in this show. So, heading into the second half of this season, I'll keep following the joy and leaning into alignment. I'm not sure yet if there will be a season three. We'll have to see how this unfolds. But for now, thank you for listening, for sharing and for being here, and I wish you less pressure, less stress and less rushing. Have a great day.

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Anne McGinty

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