The Determined Society with Shawn French
The Rollercoaster Year: Struggles, Triumphs, and Staying Determined
Mon, 30 Dec 2024
In this episode of The Determined Society, Shawn French dives deep into the challenges and triumphs of the past year. He addresses the difficulties faced in monetizing a podcast, the emotional and financial investments necessary, and the importance of perseverance. Reflecting on personal and professional growth, Shawn highlights key partnerships and the shift to live events, while offering motivational insights into overcoming struggles, setting intentions, and staying committed to one's journey. Filled with personal anecdotes and a call to intentionality, this episode encapsulates the core ethos of The Determined Society. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Chapter 1: What are the challenges of monetizing a podcast?
And I hate to tell you, if you're thinking that ever, then you probably are doing the right thing because your mind is wired to keep you safe. And if your mind starts talking to you, telling you, should you be doing this? Then I want you to do one thing and one thing only. Take your foot and put the gas pedal down.
Chapter 2: How can emotional investments influence podcasting success?
This one's luck. I let the pain inspire me. I put my all in everything I'm doing. Up until it's done, I'm me for the entirety. I put in overtime. I be working. Just know I'm a gopher, man, because I earned it. They watching. I know it's time. I confirmed it. The whole society determined. The time has come.
What's up, everybody? Welcome back to the Determined Society. Today's just me. I'm doing a show to end the year, to give you kind of a recap of what has gone on, some of the bad things, some of the good things, and just things that we really struggled with, but I feel like we've come out of. And when you go through any type of growth scenario, you're gonna freaking struggle.
I hate to break it to you, it's gonna happen. So here's the recap of the year. It started in my den, just like any other year in my den recording virtual shows. And while all that stuff was really, really cool, I just felt like this show needed another dimension. And so I set the intention out there thinking like, who can I meet?
Who can I meet that can help me add more dimensions to what we're doing? Take the show to live scenarios or live events and do things in a studio and have amazing production quality and actually have a team that is behind me to kick ass when I'm sleeping. And that's what we ended up doing. But first... January through March, it was that search.
Met a great dude named Pat Sickens, who eventually became my partner and helped me see that this show is not just what I thought it was, but it is more than what I thought it was. And the opportunity to bring this to a wider audience in a different way is just, it was, the opportunity was endless.
And I would say right around March, we solidified some things moving forward with a couple other partners, Ryan Sherry and Brandon Seiler, to where we could tap into other networks, right? And we can make this thing bigger and we can reach more people and have more access.
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Chapter 3: What motivated Shawn to take his podcast live?
to higher end you know talent celebrities whatever right for us to interview and give to you guys so you could have a good idea of what all these other people were doing to keep them going because the one thing that we do notice is we think that they don't have any problems but they also have problems just like us and they have to work through shit just like you and i all right so we were able to do that right and that's what we've learned in this show from day one to now all
But let me back up. So in March, we decided, you know what? We're going to take this thing live. We're going to go to venues. And we started at the Omni, where I'm right now, the Omni Performance Center in Fort Myers, Florida. I'm in their human performance lab doing a little show here.
Chapter 4: Who are the key partnerships that helped the podcast grow?
But we came here, and it was such a cool way to interact and do shows in person because I had never done them in person before. And it's a completely different energy, right? And so in order to do that, it took a large amount of risk.
The risk to move it from my den when I was paying $110 a week to edit this show to thousands and thousands and thousands and thousands of dollars to have this amazing setup, to have this great production crew, to have great partners, to have great sound, to do all this stuff to bring you guys the best show possible, right? but it came with a lot of risk. See,
That to me was the buy-in and it was scary. And at times it's still scary, right? Because when you have to put, or when you get to put so much into something financially or emotionally, a lot of times there comes with that, oh shit, am I doing the right thing?
And I hate to tell you, if you're thinking that ever, then you probably are doing the right thing because your mind is wired to keep you safe. And if your mind starts talking to you, telling you, should you be doing this? Then I want you to do one thing and one thing only. Take your foot and put the gas pedal down, right? Because everything will eventually work out, right?
But in order to have all of that and all of this that we've done since June, We had to seriously monetize. And I'm sorry, for those of you that are doing podcasts out there, you guys know how fucking hard it is to monetize your show. It is difficult, it is painful, and a lot of times you feel like it's never going to happen. I want you to know something. It will happen.
But you got to be fucking stubborn, man. You got to be that person, that man, that girl that sits there and says, no matter what, come hell or high water, I'm going to figure this thing out. And you search the internet late at night, early in the morning, constantly, constantly, constantly trying to figure out what's next. because you know you wanna build something.
Well, I can tell you that the answers come when you're least expecting it. And what we've done is we've put everything together and you'll start to see when you listen to the show now, a lot more ads coming through. And again, I don't want this to disrupt your listening experience, but this is what I do. This is my career, this is my job.
And in order for me to continue to do it, we gotta do what we gotta do. But we're bringing you premium ads. And if you've listened today or in the last three or four weeks, you've already heard them. And if you're still listening, I appreciate you. But the bottom line is there was multiple times this year that I felt like this show's probably going to shut down if I don't monetize.
because it's expensive. It is not cheap guys. It is not cheap. And so for all of you that are out there thinking like you, you want to do this, but you don't want to spend the money. Sometimes you're going to have to spend a little bit of money and you don't have to go all in right away. You can build up to that. But isn't that like anything guys?
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Chapter 5: What risks did Shawn take to improve his podcast?
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When you decided you were going to have kids, when you were going to finally take that promotion, you had to make sure you were ready. So the whole year was about me going through a lot of bumps and bruises. And listen, we don't have it all figured out. Like we still struggle. Like there's a lot of pain points in this business that my partners and I
really talk about on a daily basis, me and my production crew, we talk about on a daily basis where I can improve, where the show can improve. And I will say this with 100% certainty and confidence that the quality of the show right now is the best it's ever freaking been.
It is the best, hands down, no doubt, from the sound quality to all the clips coming out, to the show notes, to the guest sourcing, to the visuals. We're growing and it's fun. And there's so many people that have been with me from the very beginning. I got a message from my boy, Tom, and I'm gonna tell you his last name now, because I've shouted him out a couple of different shows.
But Tom Williams texted me today, yet again, giving me the most amazing feedback for the show that dropped this week. I absolutely love that. I wish more people did it, right? Because then I know it's connecting. But it wasn't without struggle, guys. And while this may seem, you know, rambling and kind of all over the place, well, isn't that freaking life?
You know, one minute you're over here, the next minute you're over there and you think you got it and then you're knocked down a peg. That's what we deal with here. And that's why we're called the Determined Society, you know. So we got a lot of amazing things going on with the show now. And again, you will continue to see it. You will see the level up. It will not stop.
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Chapter 6: How did Shawn overcome struggles in his podcast journey?
I know it's morbid, but hell, man, we don't know. Nothing is guaranteed in this life. So I went to my buddy Jeff Delaney. I said, hey, man, fix me, dude. Just fix me. Whatever I need to do, I'm going to do it. You just tell me. Tell me what I need to eat. Tell me what I can't eat. Just please help me.
And at that moment, I decided to have a face-to-face accountability session with a good friend, right? With a really good friend. And now I go there every week for a check-in in person and they hold me accountable. And I'm happy to report like I'm ending the year where most people gain all the weight. I'm losing all the weight. I'm down probably 15 to 20 pounds in two weeks.
I know it sounds crazy, but when you do it the right way, you can have energy and you can shed weight. And I'm just so grateful because I feel like finally I'm transforming myself again. And you could probably hear more energy in my voice too. I feel like I'm 20.
Although when I do wake up at 4 a.m., I feel like I'm actually 46 because my ankles and my knees and my heels, all that shit hurts until about 4.15, right? Until I'm moving around. But I just want you guys to know that this year has been full of challenges and full of wins. And I just think that if you really dig deep enough and think about your own life, your own life in 2024?
Where did you struggle? Where have you been committed in staying when you know you need to move? Where are those things in your life? Where are you crushing it, right? And ask yourself why you're crushing it in those areas because those characteristics and those things that you're doing over there that you're killing it in need to be brought over here to the thing that you're neglecting.
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Chapter 7: What are the improvements made to the podcast this year?
So this whole time where I'm building the show with my team and my production crew, this is what I've been dialed in on. This is what I've been focused on. This is what I've been intentional about. Well, I needed to take that and bring it back to my health. And that's how we grow, guys.
Now, ever since that started taking place, more opportunities are coming my way because now I'm more aligned with who I want to become. right? So no matter where you're at right now, excuse me guys, no matter where you're at right now, you could be in the darkest part of your life. I want you to know you're literally one decision away.
You're one decision away from making the move out of that dark time. Now, are you going to make one move and it'd be fixed? No shit. No, that'll never happen guys. Okay. But what you can do is you can, if you, if it's eaten at you,
I need to wake up earlier or I need to wake up and read, then, then please, please tomorrow morning, wake up and read, wake up and take the walk, wake up and go to the gym, wake up and have that protein shake, whatever it is. It doesn't matter. Wake up and tell your wife that you love her. Wake up and tell your husband that you love her. Like all these things, guys,
You do them once and then you do them again and again and again. And those are stackable wins. Those are repeated behaviors. And when all those repeated behaviors start to compound, that's when you start to see the results. So don't get discouraged by the one day where you did everything right, but then the next day you didn't do anything right and you didn't see the result, right?
It's got to be consistent, right? And it's gotta mean something to you. You gotta have something on the line here, right? So we can sit there and talk about 2025 and what it means to you and what your resolutions are. No, we're not gonna do that. We're gonna talk about the journey.
I want you to pick a journey for yourself, whether it be personal, spiritual, physical, emotional, financial, whatever it is. Pick that journey and start to attack the shit out of it. Once you attack it, start bringing all those principles that are working into every other pillar, okay?
And talk to me after two to three, even two to three weeks, and tell me that you don't feel sharper, that you don't feel better, and that you're not operating better on a daily basis, and I would disagree with you. Because if you're doing it right, And you're giving full intention to everything that you're doing. You're going to win. It may not happen as quickly as you want.
Shit, none of this happened as quickly as I want. And I'm still not where I want to be. But this is going on four years now. And I would say the first three years is crickets. No one cared. That's how I felt. It's not true. So if you're one of those individuals that cared, I'm not saying you didn't. But my perception was, low listener rate, like no engagement, just wasn't a thing yet, okay?
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Chapter 8: Why is perseverance essential in podcasting?
But then the last year, it started to kind of uptick. And in the last six months, it has come on crazy and strong. And you know what? I'm glad it didn't happen back then because I wasn't ready for it. Now I feel I have perspective, right? So I guess what I'm trying to say in this whole episode is, Your 2024 was good and it was bad, so was mine, right?
But what we get to do every single day is do the next right thing, okay? And what I ask myself every single day now, is what is the next right thing? I'll be fully transparent. Recorded a show before this. I wanted to push the cello off until the next day. My team's like, you need to do it. And I thought, you know what? It's the next right thing. So we did it. I'm happy as hell I did it, right?
Because it was supposed to happen, right? So whenever you're doing something, always do the next right thing. I don't care if it's your kids wanting more blueberries. Go get them more blueberries because that's the next right thing. They could be asking for something different.
And here's the one thing that I've learned, and my wife is diligent at this, better than me, will always be better than me in this. But she strives to help me. And I consider myself a really good dad. But to understand that the kids aren't going to always need us.
that this short time that they are here right now at 11, eight and six years old, I need to cherish these moments because soon they won't need me for everything anymore. And that's scary. That makes me emotional because there's times where I cook a full meal and my kids want more. I'm like, God dang it, man. I just spent two hours in this damn kitchen. But you know what?
My littlest ain't gonna be six forever or five forever, right? My oldest isn't gonna be 11 forever. And my middle daughter who's eight, she's gonna be 13 before I blink. And that means my son's driving. And that means my youngest is 10. It's wild, guys, the way life is. But we need to cherish every moment of it.
And I need you to attack every single day from here on out with absolute intentionality. That's what I want for you. Don't worry about what's going to come of it. Don't judge the interaction. Don't judge the opportunity. Just get in the damn room and work it. Go meet people. Do the next right thing. And don't do anything that is going to take you further away from your ultimate prize.
Only you know what that is. Doesn't have to be about money. Doesn't have to be about fame. Shit, it could be being the best teacher on the planet. Don't let any day take away from that striving for that journey every single second. Because I'm going to tell you something. The moment you look at that top of the mountain, you're cooked. You're cooked. You're going to literally fall back.
You have to look at things in micro-movements every single day. Decision, decision, decision. You make all those choices and decisions and then you can go to bed happy and you know through that whole day you've primed yourself making the right decision so when that alarm clock goes off at 4 a.m. or 6 a.m., you're up. It's non-negotiable. Do not focus on your ultimate goal consistently.
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