How Mind Witchery Is Made

Mind Witchery hits a big, round number this week, dear listener.

I thought it might be fun to celebrate our 100th episode by going full meta.

When I talk to listeners of the podcast, they'll often ask me

how it came to be, how the episodes are made, where the spells come from, etc.

So, today's episode is all about how Mind Witchery is made.

And, how you can help us reach more wonderful listeners like you!

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Mentioned:

Submit a screenshot of your review at https://www.nataliekmiller.com/podcast-testimonials

K.O. Myers at Particulate Media, who edits the show and writes our show notes. https://particulatemedia.com/

Anna Schild, the Content Creatrix who helps us get the word out. https://annaschildva.com/

Sharp Copy Transcription, the wonderful humans who provide our transcripts. https://www.sharpcopytranscription.com

Multitalented DJ and composer Shammy Dee, who created our theme music. https://www.shammydee.com/

Cauldron, my evolutionary, feminist blend of group, 1:1, and self-coaching. https://mindwitchery.com/cauldron

timewitchery.com/planner, where you can get a Time Witchery planner to help you Do the Thing.

Make Magic:

Here are the guiding principles I've learned in creating Mind Witchery:

Everything is a co-creation. We need support to do Big Things.

Ideas need to simmer. Some will only need a few hours, others might take months or years, but give them time to bubble.

Experimentation is vital to figuring out the most self-honoring ways to sustain your effort.

And finally, the courage to put yourself out there is created through doing it. We don’t get the courage first; it’s continually generated by the act of showing up.

Transcript: How Mind Witchery Is Made

Natalie Miller: Welcome to Mind Witchery. I’m your host, Natalie Miller, and I’m so glad you’re here. 

Hello, my dear. Today, something a little different because today I am recording the 100th episode of Mind Witchery. Can you believe it? I can and can't believe it. [laugh] So, maybe I'm just feeling a little nostalgic, but I thought it might be fun to actually have a bit of a meta episode and to talk about the show itself, like how it came to be, how the episodes are made, where the spells come from, etc.

When I talk to listeners of the podcast, they'll often ask me, "How does it work?" So, that's what I'm doing today. Today's episode is all about how Mind Witchery is made. So, I guess, the first thing to tell you is a bit of the origin story of Mind Witchery. 

Once upon a time, back in 2020, actually, I started recording a podcast here and there for an employer that I had, and I was surprised how much I liked it and how easy it was for me. And at the same time, I was often leading these—they're like a group coaching / inspo session [laugh] for a group coaching program. 

And my then brand new boyfriend, who is also a podcast producer, would listen to me talk about our power to change the way we think about things. And he was like, "You've got to have a podcast." So, really, the idea for a podcast did not come from inside of me, the inspiration or idea. It was something that was sort of presented to me as a possibility. 

So, though I kind of had encouragement and curiosity about it, I really had no idea what my podcast would be about, which is so funny to say now because I'm crystal clear now what it's about. But once upon a time, I did not know. I thought, "Ooh, I don't know, maybe I could do these like guided visualizations or grounding meditations." I don't know. I had different ideas that—I did actually record a few test episodes, but none of it really worked. Like, nothing sparked anything that kind of caught fire.

So, almost an entire year passed. It was a COVID year so, you know, what is time? But a long time, many moons passed before I finally began to get clear about what I thought I wanted to do with the show. It certainly helped that I was jobless at the beginning of 2021, so I had more time and space to create the concept for the show. 

But, of course, the idea for having spells, meaning [laugh], to offer episodes that gave people a way of addressing a specific situation, like a spell for allowing rest, or a spell for forgiveness, or a spell for flipping tables—which is coming to the podcast soon—the idea of spells, of course, came in the shower. [laugh] I can almost like—it was like a late shower, like a 10:30 a.m. situation. I was scrubbing my scalp, and I was like, "Spells." [laugh] You know, so many of the best ideas happen that way. 

So, here I was with a concept, with the time and space to create, with a producer very excited to help me get the show out into the world, and I had to find the courage to do it. And I have to say, I am not a shy person about presenting. Like, I'm pretty used to presenting. 

I'm pretty used to offering really large workshops, to giving talks. I'm pretty used to being in the front of a room, but I was not used to being in front of a microphone. And there was something about the boundlessness of the audience. It's like if I'm talking in front of a room of people, it's for that room of people. 

But there was something about like the timelessness, the boundlessness, like, the broadcast, the broadness of the cast of Mind Witchery that really was intimidating, even though, of course, in the beginning, the audience really wasn't that much bigger than would fit into a hotel ballroom.

So, I really had to walk my own talk, and practice what I preach to begin to get the courage to create this show. I had to figure out the creative process, and that took quite a bit of trial and error. I tried—oh gosh—I tried like detailed outlines. I tried a couple of times to write what I wanted to say because I have a pretty fluid words through fingertips [laugh] like channel. But words through my mouth into a microphone didn't always feel so fluid, especially in the beginning. 

And, eventually, what I came around to is a process that looks like this. So, here's how an episode of Mind Witchery gets made. Basically, I have an idea, and sometimes this idea comes from my own life, like something that I myself am working on. Sometimes, the idea comes from a conversation that I have with a friend or a colleague or a client. 

Sometimes, an idea comes from something that I'm reading a lot about or learning a lot about. Sometimes, an idea just comes out of the blue, like a lightning strike. But almost always, no matter how the idea comes, I have to, like, simmer it. I have to, like, reduce it down like a sauce or something in my mind before I'm ready to create an episode around it. 

So, what I'll usually do is the idea will come, and I will make a little note of it in Evernote. That's the app I use for my ideas sanctuary. And then the idea sort of simmers in my mind for a while. I think about it until finally it feels ready to serve. And then what I almost always do is I just have a few bullet points. Like, that's all the guidance I use for an episode; otherwise, I'm just talking. 

Really interestingly to me [laugh], once upon a time, I was a yoga teacher, and the style of yoga that I taught involved, like, having a theme at the beginning of class. And, so, the yoga practice wasn't just about making our bodies into shapes. It was also about exploring some kind of quality, or cultivating some kind of vibe. 

And I had a very similar process for coming up with my yoga class themes. It was like I would have the idea somewhere midweek, and then it would simmer in my mind, and then I would go into class with a few bullet points but mostly just speak extemporaneously. And I really believe that the decade of yoga teaching I did was all to help me develop this ability. [laugh] I'm like, "Oh, that was just like a prerequisite for having this podcast."

Also incidentally, so many of you are very sweet to say that my voice is soothing to you, and that is also a product of all that yoga teaching. I did learn how to use my voice. I learned how to be calming in the way that I speak, how to slow down, how to convey, I guess, energy as well as ideas with my voice. So, that's number one. Number two is that my producer does some kind of magical thing that makes my voice sound very buttery, so [laugh] there's also that. 

Anyway, so, that's how an episode especially my solo episodes are made. And I guess the thing I want to point out to you is that the only way I was able to figure out that process was to do it [laugh] and was to do it in ways that didn't work. It was to experiment. It was to try. It was to repeat and refine, and repeat and refine. 

It's not like I was like, oh, here's the best way to create these episodes. Now I'll do it. It was like, OK, I want to create episodes. I've got to figure out the best way to do it, the best way for me. Similarly, the courage to create the podcast did not come before I put the podcast into the world. It came by putting the podcast into the world. 

I had to just record things, give them to my producer, and then have him press the button that makes it live. Like, I showed up to record, and then I allowed the recording to be in the world. And the more I did that, I guess (a), the more I realized that it was safe to do that. And then (b), of course, you started to listen, and occasionally you would write me and thank me. And I can't [laugh] tell you how vital and vitalizing your active listenership has been in the creation of Mind Witchery.

And just to be super, super clear, I always think of Mind Witchery as a co-creation. It's my voice, but it is not me. This show wouldn't exist, wouldn't work without so many people. I think I've already mentioned K.O., my producer like three times. 

The show would not exist without him, without me trusting that he's got me. Like, he is as committed as I am to the quality of the show. And if there's something that's not clear or something that's redundant, like, he helps me take care of that, and I'm so grateful. 

The show would not exist without Sam, my incredible operations witch, who helps me with all the particulars of getting the episodes out into the world. I'm so fortunate. I really do just get to come sit down and record, and then my amazing team makes all of the rest of the magic happen. 

That includes my transcriptionist. I actually have real live humans who transcribe [laugh] the show. I'm so grateful for that. And I'm so grateful for the listeners who asked me for transcriptions, and got me to make that happen sooner rather than later.

The show benefits from the people who help me to expand its reach. Currently, my super talented social media VA, Anna, is making these gorgeous audiograms of the show. 

And then, of course, the show is often, sometimes literally, a co-creation, a conversation between me and another person. And those are never scripted conversations. I'm really careful to not talk to my guest too much before we start recording because so much of the magic comes when we're just starting to suss out what we think about whatever topic we are conjuring. 

And then, again, I will say, like, I really believe that this show is co-created with you. Something that totally fucking delights me that I love, that I hear a lot, people will say, "Oh my gosh, like, this week's episode made me think you must have a bug on my phone because it was exactly what I needed." Or, "How did you know I was really, like, struggling with this in this moment?"

I mean, I am a little bit psychic. [laugh] I do have really strong intuition. And, you know, when those ideas are simmering, I will just sort of feel like, "Oh, yep, now the time is right to bring this idea forward." So, that's how that works. I just am always thinking about you on the other side. I mean, I'm here at the microphone, and you're there at the speaker or at the headphones, and so I really am always so conscious of that. 

Oh, I wanted to tell you also about the kind of cadence that I've come to with the show feels important in terms of, like, walking my talk, and practicing what I preach. So, I do not really have a plan or a calendar when it comes to Mind Witchery. [laugh] 

Like, being open to inspiration, being open to allowing a spell or an idea or an episode to come through when it just feels right, that does mean I don't have like a production calendar. And I'm so grateful to my team for having tons and tons of flexibility with me because I imagine everyone's lives would feel much smoother if we knew what we were doing [laugh] in a particular month. But that is just not how it works for me. 

We do have kind of the roughest sketch of a calendar. The Moon episodes actually kind of need to be in a certain place. But, for the most part, I really am and need to be free to record what I want when I want. So, that also means that sometimes I'm recording an episode a couple weeks in advance, and sometimes—like this one—I am recording it two days before it releases.

And again, that's just how it works for me. I have really stepped into my main character energy [laugh] where this podcast is concerned, and there is a vast and talented kind of supporting cast, and also like this kind of creation part, this is on me, and so I am as self-honoring with my process here as I can be. 

I have committed. I am going to release an episode every Thursday. I don't do seasons. I chose not to. I was like, "No, I'm just going to show up every Thursday. That feels good to me." But that is like the sole [laugh] anchor of consistency. Everything else ebbs and flows with my inspiration. 

I'm going to say 80% of the time, I record when I'm in the mood to record. 20% of the time, I am choosing to honor that every Thursday commitment. But, even then, if I come down to record, and things just aren't flowing, I don't force myself to do it. I think you would be able to feel it if I did. I really do. 

So that, my love, is a peek behind the curtain. That is how Mind Witchery is made. And [laugh], I don't know, I feel an impulse here at the end of the episode to underscore, I guess, the guiding principles or the main things I've learned in creating Mind Witchery.

Like, number one, it is a co-creation. Everything is a co-creation. I could not do it without ample support, and I'm so grateful for the ample support.

Number two, ideas need to simmer. The idea for the show itself had to cook for months—months—before I was ready, before I knew what I wanted to do. And then ideas for each show in particular, they need time to simmer. Some of them do it more quickly than others, but all of them need a little bit of time to reduce down into something that makes more sense, at least for me. That's how it works for me. 

Number three, the way that this has been sustainable for me is that I have experimented a lot to figure out how it could work for me, what the most self-honoring way would be to create this show. 

And then finally, number four, the courage to put it out there, the courage to broadcast my voice and these ideas that I have, that courage is created through the doing of it. I did not get the courage first, and then put the podcast out there. The courage is continually generated by me showing up to do it. 

So, whatever it is that you are wanting to make, whatever it is that you are wanting to put out into the world, I hope that one of those guiding principles of mine might help you with that. Thank you so, so much for listening to this episode especially. I'm very honored if you found it interesting to get an inside look into my process here. 

One more thing. You know, we've never asked for reviews on the show. You've probably heard this before. A lot of podcasters, very understandably, will say, "Hey, if you're enjoying the show, give us a five-star review, or rate and review it on Spotify or on Apple Podcast. Those are the two big places." 

So, I haven't yet asked you for that, but may I? I would appreciate so much if you would go wherever it is that you listen to the podcast, if you would go there, and write a review. I would be so grateful. In fact, so super grateful that between now and Valentine's Day, so between now and February 14th, 2023, we are doing a little giveaway for Mind Witchery reviewers. 

So, there is a form in the Show Notes and also in the Linktree on my Instagram page where you can submit a screenshot of your review. And when you submit a screenshot of your review, you are entered to win one of 10 prizes. And the 10 prizes are 9 Time Witchery planners—that is my magical, life-enchanting planner—plus access to the Time Witchery Audio Course, and one 60-minute coaching session with me.

It does not matter when you wrote your review. If you're like, "Woman, I reviewed you years ago," then I'm so grateful to you. Thank you so much. And screenshot that review, and submit it. Send it in. You could enter more than once if you want to review us on Spotify and on Apple Podcasts. So, hopefully, this is a fun little incentive for you to co-create a little more street cred for Mind Witchery. 

All right, my friend, I hope to see your entry into the reviews giveaway. I hope you enjoyed this little inside look at Mind Witchery, and I will have another something new for you next Thursday. Thanks so much for listening. Bye for now.

Thank you for listening to this episode of Mind Witchery. To catch all the magic I’m offering, please subscribe to the show, or if you want a little bit of weekly witchiness in your inbox, sign up for my Sunday Letter at mindwitchery.com. If today’s episode made you think of a friend or loved one, your sister, your neighbor, please tell them about it. We need more magic-makers in this troubled world. 

Like all good things, this podcast is co-created by stellar people. Our music is by fabulous DJ, artist, and producer, Shammy Dee. Our gorgeous art is by the sorcerers at New Moon Creative. Mind Witchery is produced in conjunction with Particulate Media, K.O. Myers, executive producer. And I am Natalie Miller. Till next time. 

End of recording