10 Surprising Lessons I Learned Making a Podcast (With 1 Million+ Downloads)

What started as a frustrating Sunday afternoon mistake in a tiny Chicago apartment turned into a million-download podcast that changed everything.

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Ten years ago, I almost quit before I even started. I lost my first interview recording and nearly gave up on the whole podcasting dream.

Instead, I chose myself and launched anyway. Now the Better Leaders Better Schools podcast ranks in the top 0.5% worldwide.

Here are the 10 game-changing lessons I've learned from a decade of creating, serving school leaders, and building something that matters.

• 00:01 - The story begins: September 2nd, 2015
• 01:52 - The lost recording disaster that almost ended it all
• 03:48 - Choose yourself: The moment everything changed
• 06:31 - Lesson 1: Most overnight successes take 10+ years
• 07:24 - Lesson 2: Be an original (Purple Cow principle)
• 08:20 - Lesson 3: Fire yourself to scale
• 09:09 - Lesson 4: The one question that changes everything
• 10:01 - Lesson 5: Look for leverage in everything you do
• 11:07 - Lesson 6: Take action, then improve
• 11:53 - Lesson 7: Fear vs Adventure - you choose
• 12:38 - Lesson 8: Choose your pain - discipline or regret
• 13:10 - Lesson 9: Success won't make you happy
• 15:04 - Lesson 10: Love is the center of everything

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