pod bites: Unboxable with Alena Turley

“How do we get ourselves out of the box that we can sometimes find ourselves in as women and mothers and look out of that and find new ways to be and empower ourselves.”

Our featured podcast host in this episode is Alena Turley, host of Unboxable.

Unboxable offers outside-the-box conversations with guests from all over the world for mothers ready to go from running around without a moment to themselves to relaxed, full of joy, and with the energy to show up as the best mum, and HUMAN, possible.

In this episode you can learn what Alena has learned through podcasting.

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Alena’s links

The podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/unboxable/id1563143137 

The website: https://www.alenaturley.com

The instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soulmamahub/

Alena’s podcast picks: 

The Tim Ferris Show: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-tim-ferriss-show/id863897795

Peace and Parenting: https://podcasts.apple.com/nz/podcast/peace-and-parenting/id1476331236 

Revisionist History: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/revisionist-history/id1119389968 

We talked about Descript. You can find out more here.

Prefer to read? Read the transcript below.

Got a show you’d love to hear on my podcast? Tell me about it!

[00:00:00] Welcome to pod bites, where we go behind the scenes with podcasters. My name is Alison Fraser and today's guest is Alaina Turley. The host of unboxable. 

Alison: Welcome to the show, Alena. 

Alena: Oh, thank you so much, Alison. 

Alison: And we're going to talk all about unboxable your awesome podcast.

So can you tell the listeners what unboxable is 

about? Yeah, sure. Look, it's really about looking at things in another way. And it was one of those names that kind of came to me in a flash of brilliance, but lots of people say they really like the name and. I don't think there's many other podcasts with that name, which is also really helpful.

Uh, so you can just say search unboxable and people will find it. It is a made up word, which some people don't like, and some people do like, but I like that it's made up and it's basically self development for [00:01:00] mothers. And it's very much focused on. Different ways of thinking and seeing things and a diverse amount of different guests.

I often interview people. I've done quite a few on my own as well. And it's focused really around women and mothers and leveling up, pulling themselves out of that space where they feel depleted or like they're not really sure who they are as mothers now that they're not the same person as before they were mothers.

So how do we kind of get ourselves out of the box that we can sometimes find ourselves in as women and mothers and look, look out of that and find new ways to be and empower ourselves. Really, it's a lot about empowerment, inspiration, and a little bit alternative. I have kind of quite a few spiritual people on, I hate using that word, but it is descriptive.

So, um, A few really interesting mediums and sacred technician, one calls herself. [00:02:00] And yeah, really interesting women in that space and the kind of more spiritual work kind of energy healer type space had, I think maybe four or five guests like that. They've been really interesting. So, um, I, but I'm pretty open.

I've had a few men on, um, usually people who are in some way in service of their bigger purpose. And a bigger purpose, 

Alison: I think with a title like unboxable, you can pretty much have anyone on your 

Alena: show. Yeah. That was clever. Wasn't it? That's lucky. 

Alison: Yeah. What was the catalyst to you launching your podcast?

How did you suddenly go, Hmm, I think I might like to start a podcast.

Alena: I'd wanted to do it for a really long time and people have told me all my life that my voices. Somehow sounds special. I don't really understand that because to me, it's just my voice, but people respond to my voice. So podcasting, even though I'd been a blogger for many years and I love to write podcasting [00:03:00] is very natural and very easy for me.

And I'm very good at just talking without a plan, which is kind of what podcasting largely is anyway. And so, yeah, it just kind of plays into my skillset. I actually started it and then took it off and then started again. So I did have one false start. Uh, which is fine. I think that's fine to do as well. A little bit of a dip, but you recovered from it.

Yeah, I just started it and then went, that's not quite right. And then I waited six months and started again. 

Alison: Did you change anything from what you had? And when you first launched it to when you picked it back up again.

Alena: I did.

Alison: What did you change?

Alena: I changed the platform I was using. I changed a little bit of the wording and, and like I did originally call it unboxable unstoppable, which I still like, but it was different, had a different tone or vibe to it.

And [00:04:00] yeah, I think that's all.

Alison: What are some of the highlights that you've had from podcasting so far? 

Alena: Oh, I've had a few really beautiful, like one highlight, which often happens accidentally. And this is just a random thing is often we stumble into a conversation about being outside the box, like thinking in an alternative way.

And then I go, Oh yeah, that's right. We're on the Unboxable podcast. So quite often people accidentally end up in a space of talking about the name of the podcast and end up in that kind of, that's really beautiful. And that happens organically. So the organic moments that occur, that to me is a massive highlight people drop their guard.

And I guess another big highlight for me is very often guests on my podcast say they've had a really good time. Like it's the most fun they've ever had being interviewed. They tell me I'm a really good interviewer, which is funny because I'm not very strategic at all. Um, but I have got some experience.

I've actually got some training as an interviewer. So that's [00:05:00] beautiful. That's a massive highlight for me is connecting with people and giving them a space, uh, in which they can be themselves really openly. And then the other would probably be when I accidentally discovered that we had been in the top, I think it was the top 25 podcasts in Malaysia.

And I was like, really? I had no idea, you know, and I only discovered that posthumously after it happened. But I'm generally top 100. I've been top 100 here and there a few times. So that's pretty exciting. That's pretty cool. 

Alison: What is it you think about Unboxable that has...

Alena: I don't know. I would love to know. I think it's that, that I'm talking about something a lot of people can relate to maybe, but, um, and it's an unusual podcast. I don't follow any strict format and I don't have any very stringent questions or requirements for [00:06:00] guests or it's very free flowing. And maybe that appeals a little bit as well, but I honestly do not know.

And, um, yeah. I'm probably working out as I go what makes it good. I've never advertised it or pushed it in any way. It's just naturally and organically kind of grown. Which is good. 

Alison: So if people found you just by like looking on the podcast app and maybe, you know, pop up that way or so you haven't done any like social media promotion.

Alena: Oh yeah, put on my socials. Yeah, but organic social advertising not paid. I should say, yeah, but I do spread the word about it. I occasionally post on LinkedIn and I'm often on Instagram and I have a decent number of people on Instagram and every now and again, I'll email about it as well. I've got a small email list for my business and my blog.

So, so yeah, I do occasionally put put out. Episodes and, and sometimes guests share, sometimes they don't, I don't make it a requirement. Some podcasts make it a requirement of having a [00:07:00] guest. Uh, I just see it as up to them. I ask them, I invite them to, but they don't have to. And same with reviews. I've invited people to review it, but I've never made anyone review it as a condition or anything.

And I've got some good reviews, so that's nice. 

Alison: Cool. So you're obviously doing something that works.

Alena: I think so. Yeah, just slowly growing. And that's the same thing I did with my blog. I never really aggressively advertised or pushed it, but it's just slowly grown over the years. And I like slow growth. I like slow progress.

I'm one of those weirdos that is not in a hurry. 

Alison: But by being slow, you say slow and not being in a hurry, I think it allows you to develop your style and. Get it. Just how you want it to be. And you're not all of a sudden having, you know, hundreds of thousands of listeners on your first five episodes, which aren't generally your best ones.

Alena: Yeah, I hear you. Yeah, totally agree. And I've often thought about that [00:08:00] when I started my business, I think I had this real, I want to go viral and scale immediately. And then it started growing and I thought, Oh my gosh, it's lucky it didn't. Because if it did, I would have failed. No doubt. I would have had a huge lesson.

In not being ready for that kind of, um, demand administrationally energetically, you know, so that, that was a good kind of lesson. I've, I've become more in love with the process these days. I think, I mean, I still get impatient sometimes. I just want this to be giving me more money and, you know, so I can spend all my time doing it.

Of course I do that because I still work part time in a job to fund what I do. And, you know, but it's, um, when I about it, it's actually quite a nice balance for me right now. 

Alison: Yeah. Making it work. Mmm. What tip would you have for someone who is thinking about starting a podcast or has just started? 

Alena: I guess the biggest tip I would have is [00:09:00] do something I didn't do, which is research and really break down the podcasts you love.

In fact, I recently listened to an excellent, excellent podcast interview of my favorite podcaster, one of, and he actually shares. He's hot tips and he's one of the top podcasters in the world, Tim Ferriss. And his podcast was one of the early big successes in podcasting world. And he's a fantastic interviewer, but recently just a few episodes ago, he 600 and something, he gets interviewed and, and he shares.

That's what he does to ensure the success of his podcast. So I would recommend you listen to that or something like it. Actually look at the great people. Look at the people who've really done well and who you really respect in the space and do what they do. Like you don't have to reinvent the wheel.

Anything that you do, your IP will be you doing it, you know, like your, your [00:10:00] originality will be the fact that you are doing it. I'm not saying copy every single thing. I'm just saying, it's okay to look at best practice and observe that and make it your own. So that and tech just really invest in your tech.

Um, I've recently found a fantastic podcast editor for me. It works really, really well. Called Descript that also gives you a transcript and it's amazing. And it's a visual. So you cut the words, not just the tracks. I still do have to sometimes like recently, actually this week, I, I. Published an episode where I don't know what was going on.

I know you'll relate to this. I was talking over my guests a lot. I was interrupting my guests all the time with these like little, this is another hot tip. Uh huh. Yep. Uh huh. It's really hard not to do that when you're a conversational person and you've got to learn the fine art of waiting for your guests to finish without making a sound or muting [00:11:00] yourself and then waiting a beat.

And then speaking, which is quite hard to do sometimes. And for some reason, this particular interview, I loved what she was saying. And all through it, I was interrupting her and speaking over her. So I just had to, fortunately, again, hot tip. If you're recording on zoom, make sure you record the separate audio feature.

You choose the separate audio feature in your settings. And that way you can edit one person separately to the other, which is really key. If you need to have separate audio tracks to do that. So, so I've been now doing that for a long time, just in case, and sure enough, I really needed it this week. I had to go into garage band.

I had to actually edit each track manually. I'm sure there's quicker ways to do it, but I had to edit myself subjectively and specifically at certain moments throughout. Mute myself so that I wasn't constantly interrupting my guest and it made it so much better. 

Alison: Some really good tips [00:12:00] there, Alena. I also use Descript because I, I do love that visual editing.

I also use Audacity for just like the things that I can't script, but what I like about Descript is that you can just take out, you know, some ums or like if you stumble or you know, sometimes you might repeat a couple of words when you don't mean to.

Alena: It's brilliant. And the studio sound option, which just kind of evens out the sound.

But, um, so just to be clear for those listeners that are not sure, Audacity would be the Windows version, I guess. And GarageBand would be the Apple Mac version, I guess. Probably. Yeah. Probably. Yeah. It's free. Yeah, so same with GarageBand, it comes free with your Mac. So if you're wondering why you can't find Audacity on a Mac or GarageBand on a PC, that's why.

Alison: Yeah, there's so many different things out [00:13:00] there, but I think it's, it's all about finding what works for you. Yeah, 

Alena: totally agree. Yeah. Yeah. And experiment. 

Alison: Yes. And you mentioned before we started recording this, that you've got yourself a new microphone. So do you want to talk about that too?

Alena: Yeah. So I did actually buy a secondhand microphone from a friend that was a beautiful pod mic, the older pod mic that doesn't directly plug in with the USB.

So you have to use an XLR cable, which is that big fat silver plug in audio cable and plug it into a little box, which then plugs into the USB in your computer. And it was beautiful. It had this beautiful lush. Rounded rich sound and I loved it and then it stopped working one day. So I had a break podcasting because I didn't really have a microphone, although I must say, don't let that stop you.

I started my podcast holding my phone and recording voice memos. So, um, when people say, Oh, I don't have the right tech. I'm like, just start anyway. Because actually holding [00:14:00] your phone with a voice member is actually really good sound quality if you're in this quiet space. So don't let that stop you. You can edit lots of richness into that sound.

But, um, now I've got this new mic, which is a PodMic USB, the new PodMic, and It sounds completely different. So I might need to work out settings or I don't know. I'm going to have to do some research. I mean, everything's available on Google, but it's sometimes hard to find the right stuff or I might just ring Rode because Rode is like the king of microphones to me, but still.

Alison: Yeah. You can YouTube pretty much anything I think when it comes to podcasting. Amazing. Yeah. And a final question for you, which can you tell us a podcast that's on your playlist at the moment? 

Alena: Oh, good question. Well, Tim Ferriss is always there because I just love the way that he thinks and the way that he interviews.

He's an extremely clever man. I'm actually opening it up right now to have a look so I can give you the true answer.[00:15:00] . I've got. Um, one called Peace and Parenting, which I've only just found. I haven't really listened to that very much. And I think I do love, um, there's a few that I really love actually.

There's some that are more, that are old and discontinued. So there's one that was by Malcolm Gladwell that was called Revisionist History. That is an incredible podcast. It tells stories of news events. It goes back and researches the truth of events in the news from many years ago. And re interviews people and they tell stories they've never told before.

And like, it's amazing. Absolutely loved that so much. And I have some friends who podcast as well and I kind of enjoy theirs. But yeah, I haven't had any kind of. I, I listened to loads of different ones and sometimes I listen to like ABC history, cause I've got a history degree. So sometimes I listen to ABC history podcast or yeah, I [00:16:00] really, I really chop around.

Alison: It's good to listen to a podcast. That's in an area of your interests, not just about business.

Alena: Yeah, absolutely. I, I definitely actually don't listen to heaps. One of my favorite, favorite, um, business ones is called community creators by what's her name? Shana Lynn. She's really good. She's a, an American, um, community builder.

Yeah. 

Alison: I shall have to check those out. I will put some links in the show notes so people can expand their podcasting playlists if they so choose.

Alena: Yes, please do. 

Alison: Thank you so much for sharing about Unboxable, Alena. It's been awesome to hear a voice from across the ditch. I'm getting to talk to lots of different podcasters, but it's always nice to hear someone closer to home.

Alena: Yeah, it's nice, isn't it? Same here. It's really nice to speak to someone close by. 

Alison: Yeah. So thank you so much for sharing [00:17:00] all about Unboxable and the things that you have learned along the way.

Alena: Thanks for having me, Alison. 

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