Episode Transcript

Hello, everybody, and welcome to the season one finale of if I'm honest with Julia Landauer. Oh my goodness, how are we at 28 episodes, I look back, and I think, oh my goodness, that's a lot of content. But then I'm also like, May was a very long time ago and feels like a very long time ago. And that's when the podcast launched. So a lot has gone on. I'll get into more of a debrief of season one in a bit. But I want to share a quick note first that I will be sharing some pretty major news at the end of this episode. So I hope you'll hang on to the whole episode to be able to hear that pretty major life changing news I'm gonna share. And yes, I am teasing you. I'm doing what content creators are supposed to do, right? Create the drama, get people to stay on. So I do hope you'll hang out for that major news at the end. All right, getting into today's season finale episode, I want to give a hearty thank you to all of you for listening and for reviewing the podcast and for raiding it and subscribing. It's been so so cool, to to share this journey with you. And yeah, I'll get into a recap of the season in a little bit. But first, a recap of my week. So my birthday was on Sunday, and I am now a 32 year old woman. And let me tell you 32 starting to feel more real adulty and I was fine with 30 I was fine with 31. I was like still a sprightly young chicken. But 32 is definitely feeling more convincingly adult and I'm sure that I will continue to feel this way. Maybe I'll make it to like my 70s 80s or 90s. If I'm lucky and think Ah, now I am feeling like an adult. But yeah, 3232. So Ben surprised me with a weekend away, we went to Blowing Rock North Carolina, which about two hours outside of Charlotte. And neither of us had been there before. And it was really cute. We were actually staying in this cabin with a wood burning fireplace. And it was right in downtown historic blowing rocks. So we were able to walk to breakfast and do a little shopping and perusing and going to a bar and walk to dinner. So that was really, really cool. We went on a nice two hour hike or so on Saturday. And then you know, just kind of had chill morning on Sunday on my actual birthday and drove down. So that was really chill and fun and lovely. And I did not want a party this year. The past few years, I've been having a party with friends in Charlotte. And we've just been really busy since the end of the summer with work with travel with projects and just stuff going on. And so by the time we got to my birthday time knowing that the holidays are coming up, I just feel tired. And my friend down here said that she's explained it that sometimes she just feels like her social battery has run out. And that's kind of how I'm feeling at this moment. So no party just quality bonding time with BAE. And yeah, that was really great. And then on Monday, I went to Nashville for what I believe will be my final speaking engagement of the year. And this one was not a full 45 minute keynote with, you know, just me talking for 45 minutes. This was more of a focused and curated fireside chat for about an hour. And we touched on a lot of things from fear with racing and some of the training I do how to utilize technology. It was really fun, really interactive, I got to hang out with the group for a few different events throughout the two days. And that was really, really great. And yeah, that was my week. On to the season recap. If you don't know, the main reason I started this podcast was because I was looking for a way to create content that could complement my keynotes. I've said it in a few different episodes. Sorry if it's repetitive, but for those of you who didn't know that that was the goal. So they were more serious and feel they're more educational and feel. I tried to make them very honest and open and really vulnerable, which I think I did quite well. But I do feel looking back that they were something that you had to be ready to jump into a little more heavy content a little more big life themes, introspective, they kind of felt like therapy sessions for me. So that can always be kind of heavy. So after doing that format for a little while, I wanted to break up the heavy cadence of the podcast and I wanted to also speak with other people because while I'm quite good at talking for a long time on end and hopefully keeping you guys engaged, I also wanted to have like slightly more dynamic discussions and so then I welcomed the guest segment and was able to reach out to people that I have built relationships with and I thought they were all really cool, very different areas of expertise. We had Ashley Louise with finance we had ryan blaney who who's now the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series Champion. We had Jamie Schmidt, the founder of Schmidt's naturals, we had Bozema St. John, my trainer, Trey. You know, we just, we had this collection of people who were bringing unique backgrounds and stories to have conversations with me. And I really enjoyed that element. So that was really cool when we got into that alternating guest episode solo episode. And then as we got further into the season, I really found that I wanted to make the podcast feel even more conversational, more friendly, less academic. And I think that really came together the way I envisioned it in my cooking episode, which was where I talk about why I feel pressure with cooking and give you some of my tips for cooking. And then we brought Ben onto the podcast. And so I thought that that was really conversational, it felt more like you know, if you're cleaning the house and want to listen to something that comes on, I don't know, I just I really liked the feel I got good feedback from it. And so that's the direction that I want to take the podcast for season two. So basically, I want it to feel a little less polished, a little more real still around themes that are relevant. But maybe there'll be more micro themes and more things that we deal with on our day to day life less of the big life themes. And so I'll see how that flow goes. But I'm going to continue to bring on guests, I already have a few who have committed, which I'm super excited for. And we'll see. We'll see how it evolves. But it is a constant evolution. It's taking your feedback, I'm also thinking about, you know, What content do I want to consume? What do I want to listen to? So I'm taking all of that into consideration as I go through and build out this process. But I am gonna take a bit of a break, I have been working really hard it is so much work to do a podcast. And so for anyone who's interested in some of the behind the scenes, basically my process has been, you know, back in February, March April, when I started the big planning process for the podcast, I brainstormed a bunch of themes that I wanted to discuss whether that was Taylor Swift and knowing your value or doing hard things, or dealing with pressure or whatever it was, I knew I wanted to talk about those themes. So then I have to think about what stories do I want to tell that are personal and relevant to my life. So I looked through journals, I looked through video diaries that I take I've I've gone through like four or five different journals that I've had over the years. And I've thought about important things that really stick out of my memory relating to the theme. So there's a lot of brainstorming, I would put hours into the preparation where I would write out what I want to talk about, and I would work on the flow, and then I would get to recording it. And initially when I was learning how to record and edit, that was a multi hour process, because even just the way I spoke into the microphone initially made it harder for me to edit. So then I would have to rerecord. And it was just a whole process. And similar to my keynote speaking, I can just tell at the end of the episode, if I've recorded it well, if I'm ready to submit it for publishing. And but for a while, you know, Ben was listening to the podcast with me to help me figure out if things didn't flow well or didn't make sense and just helped me get out of my own head. That in and of itself is a somewhat difficult process, we have to coordinate stuff and we had during the evenings, and he was post work, and so doesn't always want to focus on another work project. So I've gotten more independent in that process. But it's a lot of work. And then I've now gotten these solo episodes down pretty pretty efficiently. And it's a couple hour process all together. But then I have to write the description for the podcast. And then I have to kind of take that base description. And then I put it into captions and the tone of a caption for the different social media posts. And I also find for my solo episodes, I have to figure out what sound bites will be good for the teasers that I put out. And then I have to format that in Canva, which I use. And that's been a whole process because I'm not gifted in the graphic design area. And I'm also a little too frugal to want to outsource that right now, because I had the time to do it. And so we've gone through different brand iterations even from the cover art to how I how I designed the background for a real if I do an audio teaser, and then I learned how to make a more polished branded video for my guests, as you've probably seen, and so the hours that go into all of this creative process, especially when you're not necessarily gifted in visual creative processes. It's been challenging and I've worked with my producers who they're the eighth side is part of the Octagon family. So it's been really cool to work in a house with them. And then yeah, for the guests episodes have to do all the research. So it's just it's a lot of work and at this point, having done this really on a regimented schedule since May I'm Ready for a little break. And so Season Two will premiere on Wednesday, January 10. Once I'm back from the holidays, we are going to France for the after Christmas time. So when I get back and settled, I will be returning with Season Two of if I'm honest with Julia Landauer. And I know I say this at the end of every episode, but it's because it's really important. And so I'm going to request as a belated birthday present. Yes, I am putting you on the spot. If you wouldn't mind leaving a starred review of the podcast wherever you listen to podcasts, if if you would be willing to leave a review, even if it's just like this is a great podcast or go Julia or something. Driving that engagement is really helpful and subscribing to the podcast or hitting the Follow button wherever you listen to your podcast, that would be so great. It'd be an amazing birthday present. So yes, I'm putting the pressure on. Thank you in advance for all of you who do that. It's just really helpful for growth and engagement. And the producers will be happy, and I'll be happy and everyone will be happy. And we love happiness. Who doesn't love happiness? Right? So yeah, I think that's pretty much a recap of season one, and what to look forward to for season two. So who I'm I will admit that I'm excited to take a little break. It's I have a really regimented to do list in my notes app and my reminder app. And so trying to figure out the flow and get everything done ahead of time. So I'm not scrambling in the moment. It's been it's been a lot, and it's been so rewarding. So yeah, we are taking a break. gonna settle into the holidays, Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday, Christmas is my second favorite holiday. So just really want to be able to take the time to unwind with my family and unplug as much as I can. So that I can take a deep breath. To close out this episode, and therefore to close out the season, I want to share some pretty monumental news. And that monumental news is that I have started in a role working for NASCAR in their strategy and innovation department. Yes, Your girl is a corporate girly. Now she is a working woman she is lawfully employed, she is going into an office. So yeah, really, really big news. I've known that this was the direction I wanted to head for a whole summer basically. So some of the identity shifts that I talked about and some of the moving on. And looking to the next chapter and being challenged. I've known that it's been in the context of working a more traditional job. And it's it's pretty major it is when I say it's an identity shift. It really is. I'm really excited. And I've acquired an intimate knowledge of the sport from a racer's perspective, right. But I have found that even in the first couple of weeks working here, I have absorbed so much information about the way that the sport and the company work from a behind the scenes perspective that a lot of us on the outside just aren't privy to. And so yeah, it's been really interesting and insightful. To learn from this perspective, it's been really cool to be in the office and see people who I've known since 2015, or 2016, when I was in NASCAR next. And now I'm coming back in a professional colleague capacity, which is cool, it's feels kind of cozy in a sense. And although it's not my first job, I've had advising roles to big corporations, but they were remote. And I got hired for a brief time in 2021 for a startup that would be remote that kind of fell through is in the racing industry. By that that's been all remote working experience. And this is the first time I'm going into an office ever. And I will say the NASCAR offices in Uptown are really nice, yet a lot of really good views a lot of natural light. So that's definitely a nice, nice thing to have in terms of this transition. But I've also realized that I have to learn so many skills and processes that take place in an office that people typically learn, you know, right off college or in their first job when they're in their early 20s. Like I've never really used a PC computer. So I have to relearn all of the shortcuts on the keyboard and I have to figure out how to time my meals differently. And also, oh my gosh, I did not realize how hydrated I am and how much I need to go to the bathroom until I'm in an office and I realize I'm passing the same people every time I get him to go to the bathroom. So having to navigate all that to start time is pretty much what I'm used to I do have to be a little more disciplined in the morning, I can't just relax and I'm having to figure out when else to exercise. I'm not really a morning exercise person and so I'm having to do it in the evening but it's getting dark so early. So I have a whole new appreciation for people who balance a life with working in an office. And for more information on the role itself, so I'm a senior manager in strategy and innovation, and a lot of that will be helping to advise and strategize with, with the sport and the company on all of the different things that they touch on. So it's a very entrepreneurial role, I'm working with a really great small team. And it's gonna allow me to flex some muscles that I probably haven't used in a little while. It feels very design school at Stanford-y. And so I'm really excited, I got really energized by hearing what some of my likely early projects will be, I really am excited to be able to focus a lot of effort into something outside of myself, I am really proud of all the work I did to make my racing work. But honestly, that was, it was so stressful, like my entire career, especially post college has been really stressful, because there's so much to gain. And I'm really emotionally invested. And I'm not saying that I'm not emotionally invested in the work I'm doing here. But it is a different feel when it's not my own personal brand and career that I am working towards. And this is a lot less cut and dry, like go find funding and make it work for your racing, right. This is a level of strategizing and being creative and putting together a puzzle piece. And I'm learning a whole lot about how a business runs in a way that I did not know before. So it's really cool. I'm really grateful to be on this team, I'm grateful to be in very close physical proximity in the office with really cool people. And I'm getting to know people in all departments. And that's really giving me a better idea of how the inner workings of the sport works. You know who and what goes into making the sport and the business operate. So that's really insightful and interesting. And I really just go up to people and I'll pop into their office, or I'll see people in common areas and just say, Hey, I'm Julia Landauer. I'm new I started on Monday. And if I'm honest, it's really cool when people know who I am through racing and you know, some people don't sometimes I'll say that and I'm like, oh, cool, like what's your background and I just share that I was racer and did X y&z But yeah, some people will be like, oh, yeah, I know that you raced in k&n or pinty's, or I'm familiar with you. And that's really satisfying, it definitely makes me feel warm and fuzzy. Then when it comes to settling into the routine of being in an office, I get to go on my little lunch outings, I'm finding my spots, the team is introducing me to cool spots, we've got salad, we've got poker, we've got sandwiches, there's, there's actually quite a bit in uptown. And I think some of my friends work near me. So once I'm more settled, I'll go on lunch dates with my friends out there. So that's all really cool. I'm also having a lovely time, you know, bringing my snacks and having my snack drawer and sitting at my desk. And I'm going to be bringing in more photos and making it feel cozy. I've got some dried flower situations that I'm going to bring in and some live plant situations that I'm going to try not to kill that will make it feel lovely and like it's my own. So really happy about that. So really pleased about how this is working out and how it's coming together. And it feels right, it feels like it's time to focus on this next thing and to develop new skills and really grow as a person personally and professionally. I'm really stoked for what I hope I will be able to do what the team will be able to accomplish and really being able to push myself in this new capacity. So yeah, that is my my monumental news. I've been working up towards being able to start again for quite a few months now. And this is naturally part of the reason I felt that this was a good time to take a season break from the podcast because as I adjust to a completely new flow of life and scheduling and you know different requirements and restrictions and parameters that I have to operate within. I think it's good to not have the external pressure of making sure the podcast is out all the time. So I will come back in January feeling fresh ready to podcast like no other. I will still see you from the stage and this is this has been a big year. This has been a big year so I feel at peace I feel calm and I'm I'm really enthusiastic for what my near future looks like. So guys, that is our show. Thank you so much for joining me for season one of if I'm honest with Julia Landauer this has been such a special and enjoyable journey. I have loved hearing from you. I'm so glad that many of the themes have resonated with you. I'm nervous for this next chapter but we are going to go full throttle visor down, eyes up into working In a more traditional role, as always, and as I've said earlier in this podcast, please go ahead and leave a review for the podcast. Please rate the podcast share it with a friend if you liked this episode and let me know if there's anything specific you'd like to hear about in season two. I hope you have a wonderful holiday season. I hope it brings you joy, hope you're able to connect with family and friends. And I look forward to seeing you next time January 10 2024 for Season Two of if I'm honest with Julia Landauer.