From the Podcasting World We Have Maitri on Board!

By Ruchi Sharma

Podcasts!!! Are you one of the avid listeners to some amazing podcasts? Well, we all are slowly moving towards the audio-first platform, that is giving us some fresh content that is super interesting and entertaining to listen to. The biggest beauty of it all is you can indulge in some binge listening to your favourite podcasts while on the go or even while following your morning workout routine! In short, we are loving the various podcasts out there and have some of the favourites marked already. But what about the people behind making those wonderful audio podcasts? 

Are you curious to know what the life of a podcast creator looks like? Well then, meet Maitri from @littlefixespodcast, who has her own podcasting channel hosted on various platforms and she will be telling us all about her journey as well as some tricks and tips for aspiring podcast creators!

Well, without further ado, let’s get on with this exciting episode of SpeSHEalist Talks!

1. Hey Maitri! We are all excited to know more about you, tell us something about yourself.

I am a social media strategist who does end to end social media management for women-owned businesses. I have been doing social media since last 8 years and launched my podcast in December 2019.

My podcast Little Fixes is an audio lifestyle magazine for urban millennial women. It's an interview based podcast where I invite guest experts to share practical tips related to various aspects of a woman's life like career, entrepreneurship, personal growth, mental health, physical health and more. The Hindi-English podcast releases new episodes on the 5th and 20th of every month.

Little Fixes podcast has helped many women in coming out of overwhelm and frustration as small changes lead to big outcomes gradually. It's been featured on Quora Hindi, Rajasthan Patrika and many other platforms.

I am a mother to a 5 year old girl and a wife as well.

2. Your podcast name is so different and the description talks about ‘life upgrade for sassy naari’. Is there some mystery behind the name ‘Little Fixes Podcast'? 

There’s no mystery behind the name as such. When I was thinking of a name for my podcast, this name just occurred to me and it made complete sense. On the podcast, we aim to provide actionable ideas to improve various aspects of your life in small ways. I believe that by improving little things, you make big changes slowly and hence the name. I am trying to upgrade Indian women’s lives, one idea at a time.

3. Podcasts are so much in, yet it seems like a totally different genre. How did your podcasting journey begin?

I started listening to podcasts in 2018 only and the first podcast I listened to was Goal Digger by Jenna Kutcher. I loved it and soon started thinking that we need such a podcast made especially for Indian women.

And then in November 2019 I thought that I should start such a podcast. I had no prior experience in this field so I learnt online and launched in December 2019.

When I started, there weren’t as many podcasts and even my target audience didn’t know about this medium. My task was to educate them about podcasts and then urge them to listen to mine.

It’s been a great experience and I have learnt a lot as well.

4. Our viewers here are as intrigued as us, what exactly is the process behind making those brilliant podcasts?

I have a list of topics that I want to cover and continuously keep looking for guests mainly on Instagram and LinkedIn. Sometimes, I do it the other way as well- I like a person and invite them to speak about a topic they have experience or expertise in. In fact, anyone reading this or watching this session, can contact me to be a guest if they have some ideas that can be valuable for women.

Once the guest is finalised, we schedule a Zoom call and record. I then edit the recording and publish it on my podcast channel. The episode then goes live on many podcast apps like Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, Gaana, Google Podcasts and more.

5. Podcasting involves a lot of consistency so what’s your magic ingredient behind successful and gripping podcasts? Is there a genre you like to follow for them?

My genre is personal development for women and I try to stick to it. Little Fixes used to be a weekly podcast but once I took up more social media projects, I had to reduce the frequency. Now I release new episodes on the 5th and 20th of every month. More episodes always work better in terms of download numbers but I believe that it’s important to not put undue pressure on myself. I love podcasting and don’t want it to seem like a task. It’s best to stick to a frequency you can keep up with whether it’s daily or monthly.

6. There’s this myth that it requires significant funds to make podcasts. Is it true? Is there any other myth you would like to bust?

It’s a myth for sure. You can start a podcast for free with just your phone. There are many platforms that let you host your episodes for free.

For me, I knew that I wanted to do it long-term so I invested in a mic and also use a paid platform to host my episodes.

There are many other myths like there’s easy money in podcasting which is so untrue. Start a podcast only if you are passionate about it; don’t get into it to earn money because you’ll be disappointed and give up.

7. Your experience is in so many diverse varieties of field right from a government job to now creating podcasts. It's not always easy to start from scratch. Who or what has been your inspiration behind always staying so positive?

I am probably the most negative person but I like to try new things so I keep doing that. I am lucky to have a very supportive family, especially my husband. No one stops me from doing anything even if they don’t understand what I do. I have always been well supported and encouraged.

8. We know you are a mom to a little princess, so how’s it been balancing being a mommy and working on projects?

Idhaya has always seen me working so she understands it but now that she is 5, she complains a lot that I don’t give enough time to her. There’s a lot of guilt too but these are all aspects of my life. There will never be balance. Sometimes, you are more into work; sometimes, more into family. 

In the Goal Digger podcast itself, Jenna recently talked about work-life integration and it’s so true for me. I work from home so this integration is even more important because I cannot cut-off from anything. It’s tough but fun and rewarding. I hope that Idhaya will learn that her mom didn’t give up on her dreams and pursued everything she enjoyed. I think it’s a good example to set for a girl.

9. We are sure there must have been one podcast which is a tiny bit more close to your heart. We would love to know which one it is?

Little fixes has more than 90 episodes now and this is one question, I dread answering. I learn something new from every episode and every single download means that I have been able to help someone.

Still if I have to pick one episode, I will pick episode 51 where I and my friend Nikki shared our experiences with psychiatric therapy. We both underwent therapy in 2020 and talking about it felt really empowering. That episode helped many women in seeking help for their mental wellness as well. It feels good to have made a difference.

10. So, next comes the most obvious question, where can we find you and your podcasts?

You can listen to Little Fixes Podcast on any app where you listen to podcasts or get your music like Amazon music, spotify, apple podcasts, gaana, google podcasts, jio saavn and others.

To connect with me on social media, look for @littlefixespodcast on Instagram.

11. We love asking this one, what’s next for Maitri and ‘Little Fixes Podcast', where do you want to take it a few years down the line?

I haven’t made such long term plans yet. A few things are in the making and I will announce when the time is right. Till then, I intend to keep providing valuable ideas to women to help them thrive and live the life they desire.

12. Last but not the least, a piece of advice for our aspiring podcasters out there?

Start without waiting for perfection and don’t do it for money. You will find your audience. It’s difficult to not worry about download numbers but don’t give them much importance. Even if an episode gets one download, you have helped a person in some way so keep doing it for them and for yourself.

Now we are sure next time you listen to a podcast, these things would surely be on your mind! Surely podcast content creation sounds amazing! You can check out her unique podcasts on her website at https://maitrisconfetti.com/!