YOLO, Intentionally: How a Leap of Faith Built The Podcast Space

When Ana Xavier walked away from a steady studio job, she didn’t have a business plan—just a sense that something no longer aligned. What started as a leap of faith became The Podcast Space, a thriving consultancy helping impact-driven creators turn their shows into engines for growth and connection.

In this conversation, Ana opens up about the courage it takes to rebuild your career around your values, the lessons she’s learned helping others amplify their voices, and how podcasting can transform not just businesses—but people.

Whether you’re thinking about starting a show or ready to rediscover your purpose, Ana’s story is a reminder that clarity often comes from doing.

***
Know someone who's flipped the table on their career to follow their life's purpose? Let us know at titan-one.co.

Transcript

Ana Xavier: 0:00

I rather say I did it, and this is what I've learned, versus be the person who's like, ah, what if I had done this? And I think that'll be YOLO, but at the same time, YOLO intentionally, right? You

Nicole Gottselig: 0:20

Nicole, hello and welcome to connect with purpose, where we uncover the journeys of remarkable people who have turned their passions into a Purpose Driven Life. I'm your host. Nicole gotseleg, whether you're on your own quest for meaning or simply curious how others have navigated their paths. This show is here to inspire and guide you along the way. Hey everyone, it's Nicole from connect with purpose. Here I am live at the London podcast show, and I'm actually sitting down today with Ana Xavier. Ana runs the Podcast Space, and Ana is our special guest on connect with purpose today for a bonus episode. And first of all, Anna, I would love to just welcome you to the show. Thank you for having me. I'm very excited that we got to meet and we became fast friends. This is just wonderful. Anna is somebody who's actually really living, from what I can see online, living in her life purpose, or somebody living with a strong sense of mission and really serving others. So Anna, maybe just walk us through like who you are, what do you do, and tell us a bit about yourself.

Ana Xavier: 1:37

Yeah, thank you for having me. Honestly. I it's funny that when people see you in a way that you're kind of forget because you're just doing the thing right, I think that's it's always like, Oh yeah, I'm doing I'm living in my purpose. So I'm a podcast marketing strategist, and I hope people, podcasters, primarily, who are impact driven, who are leaders, use the show to basically be more visible, get to their business goals, better market themselves. And a lot of this is about going for it and being visible in being willing to take space. And I find myself that I'm like, Oh, wow. Like, I'm coaching people a lot more, and I'm not people's therapist, but you would be amazed at like, how close the podcasting world and the self improvement of art, because, yeah, like, the more you do a show, the more you discover about yourself. And I think that's,

Nicole Gottselig: 2:29

like, fascinating. So how did you start the podcast space? Like, was there just one moment where you were like, Oh, I just got to stop what I'm doing and just go in it full time. Because that actually takes a lot of guts and a lot of courage to not just have this as a side hustle.

Ana Xavier: 2:46

Yeah, it's really interesting, because I never, you know most entrepreneurs, I live in the US now, and most entrepreneurs say, Oh, I was an accident, accidental entrepreneur, and that's exactly what happened to me. I was working in a podcast studio, and there was a kind of a misalignment between the client work that I was doing. I really wanted to be more involved in coaching people and helping them build podcasts that actually did more than just, let's just sit down and talk. I wanted them to build, to build themselves as hosts, but also to think about strategically. How are you using the show to grow your business, to grow your visibility? And so it started kind of crippling in my mind. I love educating people and creating educational content and marketing content that helps people, whatever the journey. So whether you have a budget or no budget, you can still learn. And I started because it was one of those moments where it was a combination of me finding that misalignment that it wasn't making sense anymore. And then I had death in the family, and I was like, oh, I want to be able to work remotely. And if you work in a podcast studio, you can't really leave, because you have your clients, right? And so to me, it was like, that idea of, what is it next? And I didn't know. And within two weeks, I was like, I'm going to quit my job. I have enough savings. And again, it's also like, I have a husband, so we have a dual income household that I sit in that I think is really important when you're doing anything is like, think about the investment, the risk, right? Like, don't just, like, go and do stuff. Like, think about, like, how are you going to be able to to live? And all of that. It's important to have those conversations. And so my husband was the one who was like, if you're not going to launch your own company, what are you doing? Because I thought, oh, maybe I'll just look for just look for businesses that are looking for remote folks. And so, yeah, like, we're both Europeans. So I was like, hey, what if I start my company and it's aligned exactly with what I want to do. I select the clients based on value. The value is what they want to achieve and how I can best serve them. And then I launched. It was like, in two weeks, I was like, playing around with ideas like, what could be the name of the company? And then it just, when you're when you work in marketing, you forget how knowledgeable you are. And so everything came to me fast. And I was like, Okay, I guess we're just doing this and not having that attachment to overthinking everything, but just doing and then we'll figure it out. All down along the way and focusing on like the doing one step, one step, one step. I think that really helps, because I'm not like a risk taker, yet somehow I find myself doing all these things, like moving from Portugal to the UK, from the UK to the US, and it was just like you're in the moment. And I rather say I did it, and this is what I've learned, versus be the person who's like, Oh, what if I had done this? And I think that we YOLO, but at the same time, YOLO intentionally, right?

Nicole Gottselig: 5:32

I think what's what we put I love that, and I love that. It's just about taking step. I had a writing instructor years and years ago that used to say to me and to the bus, hey, a book is never a book. It starts with one word at a time, one word upon one word upon one word and one word. But the fact that you actually listen to yourself, you align to your values. Hey, I need to work remote. I need to be here from my family. And I also want to connect with others and have the same values and value driven like me. So when we say no to what we don't want or that doesn't align with us, then we can say yes to what is actually for us, and then we open those divers to that alignment really. So you're really sort of one of those proofs. And what we talk about on connect with purpose at all. It's sort of when you're working in your life purpose or your your mission, or at least in your own values, and you're not self sabotaging or self abandoning yourself in any way. It's sometimes embarrassing. And I say this almost every episode, how quickly things align and how quickly things work out, and you just you figure it out as you go. You don't have to have some grandmas for that.

Ana Xavier: 6:47

Thank you. I again, as I say, I don't find that I am a courageous person, but in the moment, I always think I want to be the person who does the thing, instead of wishing all their life that didn't do it, because too, too frequently we're too afraid of it not working out, and especially like when I'm working with clients, they, many times, worry about, what if things actually work out, and it's like, I don't know what to do. And it's the not knowing and getting so uncomfortable with the uncertainty that stop us and paralyze us. And so it's like, okay, if you're not, you don't find yourself being a person who's very like risk taker. What are like the baby steps that you can do to live and and live and exist in a way that honors your life purpose? And you say, Yeah, I'm doing things that somehow down the line, my my future self will thank my past self through again.

Nicole Gottselig: 7:41

I love that. Like, what would your future self say to you? Now, one other question I'd like to ask is, I know you work a lot with individuals, and I know you have extensive marketing background for say, our listeners who have their own business, maybe they have five employees, maybe they have 100 maybe they're trying to reach more people, and maybe they want to dip their toe in podcasting, because blogs aren't getting them very many places, and they just want to try podcasting to use it for organic clips or Just to feed other other channels. What would you recommend they do once they have something recorded? How can I get more people to have eyes on said an episode and build an audience?

Ana Xavier: 8:34

Yes, it's important to think about what is already working for you and work with a news channels. So I'm not a fan of just go with every all the cool kids. And there's something to be said about being an early adopter of platforms, and how platforms do benefit you when you do take when you try the new features, but at the same time, it's like what makes already good and marketing is what's already working. And I find that people are spinning to their wheels in too many directions. And so if you see that, for instance, email marketing is really working for you on in podcasting, continue pursuing that to market the show. Or if it is Instagram, then you already have an audience. Like I have two main places, so Instagram and LinkedIn. One is for more like creative, because that's naturally what I do. So I lean into my strengths, and then LinkedIn, because it's the platform that business is done. So it's more strategic in that sense, a lot of times as I repurpose the content. And then I have email marketing. So I have active marketing, which is the social media, and the passive, which is I have an email sequence that pitches my price and services consistently, including the podcast. So looking through exactly what how you can diversify, but be strategic about those, and go for at least three to six months and to see results,

Nicole Gottselig: 9:55

let's go back to email marketing. So email, some people say email. Marketing is dead, and other people say your email list is your net worth really. You know, because, as we know, platforms can change all the time. Look what happened with Twitter, for example, and we can, we can lose access to platforms at any time. So when it comes to email marketing with respect to a podcast, whether you're an individual creator or you are a small to medium sized business, what would you put on these emails, and why would there be an incentive for people to want to keep coming back?

Ana Xavier: 10:37

So there's this misconception that marketing, email marketing is dead. And I'm like, Yeah, but the people also said that about radio. People still listen to radio. Um, I think it's important to think about like people, different people have different behaviors, and there'll be people who listen to your podcast that are not on your newsletter, and people who are on your new server that don't listen to the podcast and so and social media and all that. So assuming that you can't promote the podcast because your audience already subscribes to the podcast is silly. So I, I actually created a guide on like five easy formats, and one of them is just saying, expand on, you know, have a little bit of a teaser about what the podcast is about, but give them a reason to listen. So maybe you forgot to include something important on the podcast, and that's something that you can include in that email. I always make sure that it's not just a desire. It's not just like, Have you ever wondered how to promote your podcast on on an email list? Listen to these episodes because there there's literally no reason why being subscribed unless it's like just a nudge to go. Hey, subscriber, go, Listen, I created this concept that is like, Okay, can I provide them, like, a little bit of like information so that they can learn something? And so it there's multiple formats you can report this, the whole show notes that you did on from to write on the episodes, on the web page, or whatever you can do that you can do, kind of like expanding on lists. So basically, like three things you will learn on the podcast, and those three things are actually good. They're not tea seekers, right? Like their information. So it's better to consider, how can you repurpose the group, great things that you've done on this episode into a different medium, but forcing people to go, Hey, listen to the podcast. Listen to podcasts. I find that is not strategic. Let people consume that one already, or let them consume them. Consume that if they want to. I know it's shocking, but a lot of people still don't listen to

Nicole Gottselig: 12:42

podcasts. I know that. And you said something in your talk this morning that really stuck with me the whole time is that every week you do a hey, subscribe. Now, listen now. Can you share with us what that is so for businesses and brands listening, hey, they want to get their podcast out there. What? Why do these sort of like return like these call to actions every week. Why do they matter? And how have they helped?

Ana Xavier: 13:05

You? See, there's multiple reasons. One is because people again thinking about user behavior. Podcast discovery is really like, again, is really hard to grow a podcast, but social media is the number one reason why new people find by people find new podcasts. So whether that's because of clips, that's because, like, a commercial post that is based on on one episode, right? And so to assume that people who subscribed, who follow you on social media listen to the podcast, is wrong. It was someone that followed me for years, only three months after I launched the podcast, did they actually start listening? And it was one post that eventually resonated with them that made them actually go and listen. So we we think that we're constantly talking about it, but social media, in terms of reach, you only get one to like maybe 10% most times, so not all people who follow you will see the content. And again, it can be lunch, but at the same time, it's like, you need to tell people what to do. People want to be told what to do. And it takes up to seven steps, seven times seven touch points, for someone to internalize that they need to take an action. They go, Oh, yeah. Like, I should listen to that podcast. And then you saw another clip, and you're like, Oh, that was really good. I should listen to the podcast. Listen to the podcast, but like, I have my groceries to put away, and you just have to think about it's not you. It's like listeners, subscribers, they have their lives, and they're fitting out content. They're our podcast in their life. So it's trying to match those touch points to the time that when they would like it would be a convenient time to listen.

Nicole Gottselig: 14:43

I love that. And really, you know, a lot of brands still struggle with, you know, can't we just do blog posts? Can't we just keep, you know, everything running with our SEO like, Why? Why would you say having a podcast is another great you. A medium to have in your content roster right now, it

Ana Xavier: 15:04

depends if it makes sense for the person to add another element that you can literally record those blobs and have them as a podcast, because the idea of a podcast is to provide a way for people to consume that content in a way that feels horrible. So you can't drive and read a walk, you can't, you know, like, run and read, but you can run and listen to a podcast. So it's meeting people where they're at, and also listening to a podcast is very, very intimate, like when we met, you listen to you've been following me online, and you're like, Oh, I feel like I know you why? Because me being being a very open and intentional about my my content, you get to know who I am as a person. And so for business owners, I had multiple people listen to my podcast, binge it, and by the time they got into the sales call, I have no coach. Like, it was so easy. They're like, just tell me how we can work together. And my podcast is not even optimized for sales so when that happens, you realize, wow, like, people really trust podcast hosts. And so if you're looking for a way to connect to people, because it is, like, kind of like a phone call, it's very intimate. And so if you don't like doing sales calls, a podcast is great because it's a passive way for people to consume the content while you're focusing on other facets of your business. So I'd highly recommend, if you can look at your best performing content and look at how that would work for a podcast.

Nicole Gottselig: 16:40

Wow, you just articulated in like 20 seconds what I have been trying to say for the last three years, and I've sort of like gone in this roundabout way about why I think it works when it does, and you just did it in like 30 seconds. So thank you for your analytical brain there to build up. Danny. For me, I just have two more questions. And one is, what is your favorite podcast right now, right? Or, what do you what do you binge on? Or what do you cannot you cannot wait to listen to when it comes out.

Ana Xavier: 17:15

I'm really obsessed with a podcast called The Future with Chris doe. He's a futurist. He's so good. I want to have Chris in my podcast. I have met Chris in person stop,

Nicole Gottselig: 17:26

and he is literally the nicest, coolest person in person as

Ana Xavier: 17:31

well. See, that's, that's the thing. Like, you mean him on the show, he's so like on it. And I'm like, I wouldn't be scared because he's so smart, but I love that you're like, No, he's like, really sweet. So that's one of my favorite clock guys right now. So fantastic. And if you could have dinner with anyone alive or not on the earth anymore, who would it be? I hate that question, because so many people the Dolly Parton. Oh, I love that answer. Dolly is such an icon. I love,

Nicole Gottselig: 18:04

I love asking this question because now I'm thinking about, who would you interview? Who would you so happy you asked? Liam Gallagher, oh yes, okay. For the laughter alone. I think I just want to be like, smiling and laughing the entire time, just just at the sheer like realness and wellness, it will happen. Yeah. Anna, thank you so much for jumping in on this special bonus episode on connect with purpose, and we look forward to sitting you down for a real full episode soon.

Ana Xavier: 18:40

Yes, awesome. Maybe I'll fly out to Germany to do it in life. Happily host you. There'll be a reason.

Nicole Gottselig: 18:47

Happily meet you there. Thank you. Thank you.

Mark Glucki: 18:50

Thanks for joining us on connect with purpose, produced by Titan One. Connect With Purpose is hosted by Nicole Gottselig, executive producer Mark Glucki, producer Sian Sue, editor in Sound Design by Fina Charleson, show creator Scott Lanaway, special thanks to Bernard Magri at beast collective and Mark Edwards editing, Monica Lo and Dave Chao design and Charlie the office dog. Do you have an inspiring story? Or maybe you know someone who's followed their passion to find a new purpose. Reach out at connect with purpose.ca. We'd love to hear from you. You.