Launch Day Set. D-11 to go.

Less than a week ago I decided to create a podcast. Today I set the launch date.

To be honest, and I'm not sure I'm selling it well but I've never done this before. The thought of only having 11 days left to record, edit and publish my first episode is a little scary, but I also think if I don't hold myself to a little time pressure this project may never get off the ground.

So far, my main focus has been on 3 areas:

1. Creating a process flow to enable me to create and publish podcasts

2. Starting (with extremely humble beginnings) a community of people who will become the first members of our WLW tribe.

3. Deciding what my real objectives, goals and hopes are for the podcast

I have to be honest, I never expected such a welcoming and supportive start. The amount of people either willing to offer suggestions or commit to listening to the first episode has been amazing. I have also been able to get more than 20 people agree to be interviewed and share their success story. I'm blown away by that.

Fear of Failure

One of the biggest reasons I told myself not to do this was because I would never get people interested in sharing their story... 20 people, 6 days. This is a massive reminder that the little voice in our head telling us to stay firmly within our comfort zone and avoid risk needs a big high-5, to the face, with a chair.

I also have to say that two weight loss communities in particular have been incredibly supportive... Slimming World and Weight Watchers. As two of the biggest and well known weight loss programs around, I can see why they are so successful... They have created and offer a simple yet encouraging platform for success. I have to be a little controversial here in saying I'm still not sure if they offer enough "education" regarding nutrition, but as a process to lose weight they are fantastic and I am constantly inspired by the success stories I see.

Although referring to myself when mentioning a fear of failure, I have also started to see how the same negative, instinctive survival mechanism impacts a high number of people wanting to lose weight, and this is something I want to focus on as part of the podcast. I think there are a lot of people extremely unhappy with their weight, creating anxiety, sadness and depression, yet the fear of change is such (and often not conciously aware to that person) that it prevents the ability to make positive changes.

WLW Podcast Structure

On the podcast course I'm enrolled into ( https://www.eofire.com/ for anyone interested), part of the process is to consider the best frequency and structure for broadcasting the show. One key to success and a point that is mentioned frequently is ensuring consistency.

We are creatures of habit, we like to know where we are and what's happening around us.

I've decided I'd like to start with an ambitious target, and then push one step even further in the future. Go hard or go home I believe is the expression.

With this in mind I am going to be publishing 2 new podcast episodes a week, Mondays and Thursdays. These episodes will be the core topic of sharing success stories of people who have either reached their goal or are firmly on the right track and have lost a considerable amount of weight.

Then, once I am into a solid routine of doing this, have allowed for being a bit nervous in the beggining, overcome early teething problems, tech issues and feel I've hit my groove...Phase 2.

Phase 2 will be an additional podcast episode, but with a different focus and content idea. I earlier mentioned that education is important as part of weight loss and so I want to introduce a platform for helping people to understand a little more about the why, not just following the how.

The main reason for this is that I feel some of the most reputable and popular weight loss programs rely on a lack of knowledge to keep themeselves in business. There, I said it. I truly believe that these programs are designed to work while you are part of them (paying them to be part of it) but then offer a pretty weak long term strategy to allow someone to stay slim and have a good understanding of the mental and emotional causes for the initial weight gain.

The reason I say this, and what I consider pretty evidential proof is the amount of people who lose weight following a program, feel happy as they cross the "finish line", then gain weight again over a period of time only to then return to the same program in order to lose the weight. I know people (myself included) who have spent their lives trapped in this cycle of weight loss and weight gain.

It plays directly into the hands of weight loss businesses because it creates a dependancy and feeling that you can only lose weight or stay slim if you continue to use (and pay) for their program. It tells you what to eat, how to eat and when to eat, but it doesn't educate people into understanding why those rules exist and the science behind it. (which incidently is almost identical for all programs, just packaged differently to make the business unique and "different")

Now, I know it seems like I'm bashing every weight loss program under the sun and a few of you are probably feeling a bit protective over your group, espeically if you've lost a lot of weight with them. I fully support these groups for providing a structure and feasible way to lose weight for so many people. All I am saying is that with a little better education regarding diet and nutrition, I believe people have a better chance of breaking the weight loss/gain/loss/gain cycle and achieve a higher level of long term happiness.

So, if I have justified myself aduquetly and not ruffled too many feathers, the education episode will be focused on allowing experts to share their views and offer advice to listeners, in a simple format and not requiring a degree in biomechanics to understand.

My hope is that this will be a combination of strengthening mental health as well as the physical side of weight loss, including exercise and diet.

This 2nd phase will probably not happen for a few months if I am being realistic, but it's a good challenge to set and I'd love to hear your feedback on my ideas.

Thanks again for the amazing support and encouragement I have received from so many people. Remember to be kind to yourself and keep focused on your goal. You CAN do it.