Thank you for featuring the #impact story in 2020!
As a Podcast Creator, I know how much time and love goes into every single Podcast episode. For people looking at it from the outside, it might appear like something that’s easily done, but to make a Podcast truly impactful, it needs careful curation, empathetic listening, and that extra bit of grit.
#impact on other Podcasts! Start listening here.
#impact Podcast might have started in my small Hong Kong bedroom in 2017, but it has grown in the most unexpected ways. It has also made me connect with creative, talented, beautiful souls, that share my passion for audio storytelling.
This is my way to say thanks to these Podcasters that took the time to feature the #impact story in 2020. I encourage you to subscribe to their wonderful Podcasts.
Start listening. Get on their newsletters. Leave them a rating. You will make their day.
The passionate storyteller that I am, I will give you a look behind the scenes. What happened before we pressed record. Because, of course, there is always a story behind the story.
A place and a community!
As a young child, I was shaped by a place and a community in my native Austria, as I shared with Tony from the Social Entrepreneur Podcast.
Because of the time difference, we recorded this episode early in the morning. That morning I woke up to a Whats App message from my Mother in law “Is everything ok with your family in Vienna?”
I had already been sleeping when the terror attack in Vienna happened. I checked in with my family. All was fine with them, but as I sat down for the recording with Tony, my heart was still racing.
Tony and I had a long talk before we actually started recording. Tony was so empathetic about what had happened in Vienna, he had heard the news. We talked, we sipped on our coffee cups, then we hit record.
It was a beautiful conversation and I loved that Tony allowed me to share a lot about my upbringing in Vienna as well as how #impact had evolved from a passion project into a social enterprise.
Twists and turns!
The conversation with Tony shows, I did not follow a straight career path. I kept reinventing myself along the way, just like Dinh-Long shared in the show notes over at Lifeline Podcast
“🇦🇹 Regina never had a master life plan. She just wanted to do things that are not mainstream, to be happy every day, and to put a smile on people’s faces. We discuss how she reinvented herself from scratch at each stage of her life, why she’s not taking herself too seriously, and how she manages to be a successful mompreneur with 3 loving kids!”
Dinh-Long blew me away with his preparation for this recording. I think he knew about every article I had posted over these past 4 years running #impact.
The first time someone ever tweeted about #impact Podcast was Dinh-Long. It was in autumn 2017 and I had not even launched the show. It was just a quick tweet that Dinh Long sent out, back then working with an accelerator program for social impact startups called So in So Good.
It was just a simple tweet, but for me it meant everything. 4 years later, I still remember it. Dinh-Long went on to become this amazing community builder, that he already was back then and I am so honored that he asked me to come on his show.
Entrepreneurial spirit!
Dinh-Long actually reminded me of that entrepreneurial spirit I already had when I was a kid, charging my family for the “fabulous” performances my brother, cousins and me would put together.
I keep telling myself the story that I am an accidental entrepreneur as I shared in the Callum Connects Podcast. But maybe me now running a social impact business is not that accidental after all?
Being featured on Callum’s show was a very different and interesting experience. I got to record my own message, and I never actually had a conversation with Callum.
I was intrigued by the automation behind this production and I am impressed with how quickly he could go up to 100+ episodes. I appreciated the shout outs on Callum’s Linkedin where I had a chance to connect with other guests on his show.
The Power of Podcasting!
Bringing the power and magic of listening and Podcasting to others is a huge source of inspiration to me as I shared with Anika at the Mom’s Special too Podcast.
Anika and I first met when she looked into starting her Podcast. She joined one of my Podcasting programmes. Through the comments and emails we exchanged, I always felt very connected to her and her story.
Being a mom of a child with special needs, Anika is creating a platform for SN moms to share their experiences. Along the way she also met many moms that wanted to share their stories on their own Podcasts.
She invited me to share advice and tips on Podcasting with her community. I loved the stats she quoted kicking off our conversation.
“Apple has 30million Podcast episodes in their database as of January 2020. 51% of the US population are listeners. It seems this is a growing and fun arena to be in right now. Do you feel the energy in the market?” Anika asked me.
“OH YES!” was my answer.
WHAT A YEAR FOR PODCASTING!
What a year for Podcasting, especially here in Hong Kong! I am so excited that I could support many Podcasters to get started.
One of these new Podcasters is Ran Elfassy, host of the Shooting It RAW Podcast. The concept of his show is incredibly intriguing. The conversation centers on 3 pictures that the guest brings. And then the conversation just unfolds.
In our case we found ourselves crammed in a tiny recording booth, talking about not giving too many f++++, the progress and mess of creating and ending with singing Wheels on the bus, just before I rushed off again, back home to my then hungry 3months old bottle rejecting baby.
Singing “Wheels on the Bus” on the Podcast? Well, we both didn’t see that coming but that’s the beauty of it. It is always full of surprises.
The earlier days!
I fondly look back at many more Podcast conversations over the past few years when I was invited to share where I was at with my #impact journey in that moment of time.
The one with Julian Merten on the Ambitious Sloth Podcast (Dec 2019), where we got all philosophical talking about the meaning of life.
The one with Jules Hannaford on The Hong Kong Confidential Podcast (May 2018), talking about the then still relatively small but mighty Podcasting Community in Hong Kong.
The one with Graham Brown on the Asia Tech Podcast,(December 2018) where we both share our love for audio storytelling and why Podcasting is so much more than just Podcasting.
The ones where award winning sustainability media Power House Sonalie Figueiras and me hit the mic together on the A Zero Waste Journey Podcast. (Spring/Summer 2018)
The one where I got to record at Hong Kong’s Podfest at the Hong Kong Spoken Word Festival! (May 2019)
Grateful for every single one of these conversations.
Not to forget the ones with my talented #impact co-host Amanda Williams for our Season Finales.
Being a Podcast guest for the very first time!
This was actually the first time I was interviewed on a Podcast. It turned into a beautiful tradition that we revisit for each of our Season Finales.
Listening back to this first Podcast interview with me as a guest, recorded in Summer 2017, the dreams I had for the Podcast were…..well, let’s say…..ambitious.
“5 years from now I want every person on this earth to know that they have a place where they can go to and feel at home and they don’t need to feel lonely in their change-making journey but that there will be platform and a community where they can discuss and grow together and multiply their impact,” I said in that very first #impact Season Finale, recorded in summer 2017.
Well, we have 2 more years to go to turn that dream into reality.
What makes me incredibly proud and happy is that people have joined me on this journey since I first started. The women, that I am happy to call part of the team and the #impact family.
An unforgettable 2020 moment!
One of the most precious recordings of 2020 must be the one when we were invited to share our story with the International Podcast Day community.
This is the first interview that features not just my voice but the many voices of the #impact Season 5 team.
All these recordings document the journey of #impact. We will treasure them forever.
A huge thanks goes to all the Podcasters along the way that contributed to helping us to spread the word about what we do at #impact Podcast. A special and very warm thanks also goes to the very talented Rachel Smith from Hong Kong Stories Podcast who has put shoutouts for #impact in her beautiful production, not just this year!
You all rock big time and it’s been an absolute honour to have been invited on your shows!
Keep Podcasting. Keep making an #impact.
Do you want to start a Podcast that makes an impact? We’ve got something for you that will help you get started!
Inside the Start a Podcast with impact – Guide.
- 3 easy to follow lessons that will help you take the first steps to start your Podcast
- Including the best kept secret for producing high quality content
- Bonus: A step-by-step guide on how to prepare and set up for your first Podcast recording
About the Author: Regina Larko launched her first Hong Kong based audio show #impact – A Podcast about stuff that matters, highlighting the work of social enterprises and Non-Profits in 2017. Regina mentors new Podcasters to give them the confidence, tools and resources they need to find Podcasting success with her Online Mentorship programme Start your Podcast. Make an impact.
