We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Hailey Reidhead a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Hailey, really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?
I have a podcast called “She’s a Lady” and people ask me how it started but the purpose behind sharing stories of women, runs deep! Ever since the age of 12, I was given opportunities where I could serve other girls/women around me, and I had a desire to help them feel seen. It’s interesting how I knew for a long time that one of my callings in life was to uplift women however I could. I didn’t have a direction or one journey specifically, but that desire carried with me through life. In 2022, I took a leap of faith and started a podcast. It wasn’t something I knew a lot about or even felt super inspired to do, but I thought it could be fun. I knew that I wanted the theme to be focused on highlighting women of different careers, journeys, and backgrounds, Ever since starting this women based podcast, I find purpose not only in the feedback that occasionally comes after the episodes, but almost completely in the interviews themselves. Every episode I learn so much more about how inspiring women are, and I’m inspired by their stories.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
After a year and. a half of having my podcast, it’s starting to grow in ways I didn’t plan for, and it’s exciting. I hosted a podcast event last spring where I highlighted women owned businesses, and did 4 live interviews. Over 200 people came, and it was a great way to see listeners in person, and to put on an event for ladies and families to get out. I was recently in a local magazine article titled “She’s a local lady” which was cool for me to recognize that since most of my guests are local to Arizona, it has become a great way for people to hear from women from this desert state! My goal is to continue to grow so that these voices of women can reach more people. I am an interview based podcast, and am always searching for a unique lady to have on and spotlight! I want to continue to do a yearly event as a celebration and also as a way to see listeners in person. I want women to feel seen and heard, and find value in the episodes. The most exciting thing about this journey as a host, has actually been getting to know so many smart, entertaining, and honest people. They are authentic and love what they do.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
When you’re a host on a podcast, you have to be an active listener! Some things that helped me be a better listener and things that I’m working on are, not interrupting whoever is talking, being personable by getting to know them before the episode, and letting them share as much as they want to about their story without pressure. One thing that has helped me as an interviewer might be my bubbly personality, and that I genuinely love to talk to people. Anyone who knows me know that I’ll either ask them a million questions or chat their ear off. Something that has helped me in the hard times of podcasting , has been returning to the reason why I do it I the first place. I always go back to, if this is helping only one person, I’m glad it’s helping someone. If my episodes help women feel inspired, then I’m glad that I didn’t give up in the hard times.
What would you advise – going all in on your strengths or investing on areas where you aren’t as strong to be more well-rounded?
It’s funny because if you asked me 7 years ago, I would’ve said absolutely go all in on our strengths. When I think about the decisions I’ve made in the past few years, the greatest things have come somewhat randomly. To me, this life is all about growing and expanding in ways that you might’ve never imagined. On a small level, I used to absolutely suck at cooking. I burned so many dishes and thought that I just didn’t have the talent of cooking. Over time I practiced, pinterested, ad learned things the hard way. Eventually I gained a talent I didn’t know I could have. The same thing came with podcasting. I knew a little bit about editing videos, but learning how to edit audio and upload to sites was a new thing. Setting up equipment was new to me as well. I think it’s great to keep evolving and growing beyond things that you already know.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: shes_a_lady_podcast@gmail.com
- Linkedin: @Hailey.reidhead
Image Credits
@ohsopeachy
