5 Lessons I’ve Learned in 5 Years of Podcasting

It’s been five years of Calmly Coping, 230 episodes, thousands of listeners, and countless lessons. In this special anniversary episode, I’m reflecting on the personal and professional growth I’ve experienced and the impact you’ve had on this journey. Let’s look back, reconnect, and look forward to what’s next, and stick around to the end because I have a big announcement about what’s next for calmly coping.

Welcome to Calmly Coping. I’m Tati Garcia, a licensed therapist and coach here to help high achievers stop overthinking and finally feel calm and confident. If that’s what you need, then hit subscribe. Let’s dive in. I can’t believe it’s been five years already. When I think back to the first steps I took to start this podcast, which started with mentioning the idea to my friend while eating at Pizza Hut in early March before Covid hit.

Sending my very first draft episode to my sister-in-law for her thoughts, to now having 230 episodes released and reaching tens of thousands of people across the world. It honestly feels surreal, and this hasn’t been a solo journey more than anything. You, my listeners, have helped make this podcast into what it is today, and I couldn’t be more grateful.

Thank you for being open with me, for sharing your struggles, your goals, and your dreams. And thank you for allowing me into your life, whether it’s through your earbuds, during your commute to work, or on your living room TV through YouTube. I am honestly so incredibly grateful. Let’s get into five things I’ve learned in five years of this podcast.

Over these past five years, I’ve grown in ways that I never expected personally, professionally, and emotionally, and I want to share five things I’ve learned through this journey of podcasting and showing up week after week. Sometimes it’s been every other week, but it’s been a journey. So first is from self-doubt to self grounded confidence.

When I started, I constantly second guessed myself. I felt imposter syndrome, deeply anxious about being seen and about putting myself out there. But over time, I’ve built true confidence. Now, I trust that I can handle whatever comes my way, whether it’s negative YouTube comments, new client inquiries, personal stress, or shifting directions.

In my business, I’ve learned that I don’t have to have it all figured out. I just need to keep. Showing up, and that’s what I’ve been doing despite the doubt and the overthinking. Number two is the power of feeling seen. So one of the most profound realizations I’ve had is how important it is for people to feel understood.

Of course, I already knew this as a therapist, but I didn’t realize how important it can be to sometimes just hear your own traits reflected back to you, whether it’s the signs of high functioning anxiety, imposter syndrome, or more. Knowing that you’re not alone can be life changing, and it opens the door to acceptance, healing, and growth.

Next is embracing self-compassion. So self-compassion is a topic I talk about a lot on this episode and. Truly talking about it and living it has reshaped how I think. I used to be so hard on myself constantly chasing impossible perfectionistic standards, but now I’m learning to be more flexible and kind with myself.

The inner critic still shows up, but instead of letting it run the show, I try to understand it. I see it as a part of me that’s trying to protect rather than punish. And this has made my relationship with myself change vastly. Next is letting go of perfectionism. So in the beginning of this podcast, I stressed over every single piece of content that I put out.

I wanted each episode to be. Quote unquote perfect. And I was hungry for results, whether it was clients, students, validation of any sort, and it was honestly a lot of crickets in the beginning and a lot of just putting myself out there without getting anything back. But now I see the bigger picture. I feel more secure in my business, and I focus on creating meaningful content that I believe in rather than just trying to make something go viral or get some sort of positive.

Feedback, and that’s because I have trust in what I’m doing rather than just focusing on external metrics for success. Of course, it helps that I have more confidence in myself, in my business, in the message that I’m communicating because I have had so much experience and refined my message over time, and that has also allowed me to have this trust.

But in general, I feel like the overall trust that. I can make mistakes, I can put stuff out there and it will be okay, and I’ll learn along the way. And this is part of the process has helped me to just in the long run, build more of that inner trust in myself. And the next thing I’ve learned is that confidence comes with practice.

Writing, speaking, editing, doing what I’m doing right now. It all used to feel so daunting, but over time it’s become a habit. Repetition and refinement have built comfort. And honestly, as someone who has struggled with social anxiety and felt like everybody else was more outgoing or more interesting than me, this growth means everything.

I now feel more comfortable putting myself out there and owning my voice, and I’ve noticed that this doesn’t just apply to podcasting. This has radiated into my personal life. I used to. Clam up, feel my heart rate accelerating, start shaking at the idea of small talk or just having casual conversations with people now I feel so much more confident and natural doing those things, and maybe it has been because of this podcast or just in general, the progression that I’ve made in feeling more confident with putting myself out there and recognizing that nobody’s perfect.

Everybody’s awkward at times, and it’s not about having the perfect. Presentation or doing things in a specific way, but it’s just about being true to yourself. And as cliche as that is, it’s something that I’ve really had to learn through experience and that has helped me to feel more comfortable being myself in this context.

Like I mentioned in the beginning of this episode, one of the most meaningful parts of this journey has been hearing from you. The listeners, your messages have kept me going on the hard days and reminded me why I started this podcast in the first place. No matter how small, your feedback honestly means so much to me and it’s really impactful, and I’ve received messages from listeners saying things such as, you’ve been the unsung hero for getting me out of many dark times in my life.

I’m saving this episode to watch every so often to remind myself. You talk about reframing how we see stress and anxiety is the best advice I’ve ever heard. It will probably change my life. And these are just a few of the messages I’ve got. And this is not to brag by any means, but this is to communicate that it really means a lot that what I’m sharing is something that is actually helping you.

Real people, and that really means a lot to me, and it’s honestly very fulfilling. And this is what gives me purpose and meaning in my life, is to help other people communicate this message and help you to realize that you don’t have to suffer. To achieve your goals. You don’t have to suffer to work towards what matters to you in life, and you can have success and you can also take care of yourself at the same time.

And if I can impact even one person to understand that message and to take better care of themselves. Then that is something that is so impactful to me and it really makes what I’m doing worth it. I’ve had people tell me this podcast has helped them reduce their anxiety by 80%, that it made them feel seen, that it gave them tools when other approaches didn’t.

And one listener even shared that my blend of cognitive behavioral therapy and mindfulness help them finally get to the root of their high functioning anxiety. Not just manage the symptoms, but understand what was underneath. And that’s honestly one of my biggest intentions through this podcast.

Understanding things from the root rather than just treating surface level symptoms, which is not something that is enduring and gonna help you to get long-term change. And these messages remind me that this isn’t just a podcast. It’s a place of connection and it’s a community, and I’m so grateful to be part of your journey.

And if you want to be part of this community more, you can join our free Facebook community, calmly coping and learn about our new episodes, and share more about your experiences with high functioning anxiety. You can go to calmlycoping.com/group. To join us for free. Now, what’s next? So, lately after a busy period in my life, I have felt so inspired to create again, I have this long and growing list of episode ideas that honestly feels never ending, and there are so many topics I haven’t even touched yet that I can’t wait to share with you that I know will apply so much to your situation and helping you with your goals.

So with that, I’m excited to announce that calmly coping after a long period of biweekly episodes, we’ll be returning to weekly episodes. Basically, after this one, we’re gonna be coming out every week, and I’ve also quietly resumed guest interviews, and my goal is to be incredibly intentional with the guests that I bring onto the podcast.

They’re here to fill in the gaps in my own expertise and speak directly to the specific support that you might need as a high achieving professional, managing high functioning anxiety. So here’s just a little preview of what’s coming up, coping with premenstrual anxiety, how to overcome the fear of disappointing others, guest experts on perfectionism, financial anxiety, how to listen deeply and more, and mental health.

Deep dives, like navigating OCD and intrusive thoughts and so much more. If you have any topics that you would like me to speak on, then please click on the link in the show notes or the description to message me and send me your suggestions. My hope is that these weekly episodes continue to give you the guidance, inspiration, and the hope that you need to remind you that things can get better and that you’re not alone in your journey.

If this podcast has supported you in any way, I’d love for you to subscribe wherever you’re listening or tuning in and share calmly coping with someone who might need it. Your support helps this message reach even more people who are struggling with high functioning anxiety and who might not even know they have it, and also might be looking for a path forward.

And also, I’d really love to hear from you. What’s been your favorite episode of the podcast so far? I know there are certain episodes that have performed better than others, but I’m curious for you personally, which episode have you enjoyed the most? And I’d love to hear your comments. If you’re watching on YouTube or listening on Spotify, you can also send me a DM on Instagram @tatianaglpc or email me at [email protected].

It would mean so much. To me to hear what’s resonated with you and just your thoughts about the podcast overall and any future directions you’d like to see it go. Thank you again truly for being here. Whether this is your first episode or your 231st, and here’s to the next chapter of calmly coping.

While you wait for the next episode, I have other episodes about calming your mind, improving work life balance, and feeling more confident from within. You could check out these episodes here. Thank you so much for tuning in today, and until next time, be calm.