Become a More Confident Podcast Guest (By Regulating Your Nervous System)

Does podcast guesting ever make you feel nervous, anxious, or uneasy? It doesn’t have to be that way! In this blog post, Rhysa Sisco explains how to identify the state of your nervous system so you can build a toolbox to feel more confident, communicate more effectively, and deliver a powerhouse talk when you are guesting on a podcast! Get ready to learn how 30 seconds can lead to a calmer podcast guesting experience!

LISTEN TO THE AUDIO VERSION:

 

WATCH THE VIDEO VERSION:

 

SEND IT ANYWHERE:

---

Read the Blog Post: Become a More Confident Podcast Guest (By Regulating Your Nervous System)

Hello, I am Rhysa Sisco. What is the hardest part of wanting to be a podcast guest? You know you want to share your mission, message, and zone of genius with this world. What is stopping you from getting started or getting booked on more podcasts? It’s probably feeling confident.

Maybe it’s the fear of getting rejected. Or it’s anxiety about what you would say if you did get booked on a podcast. The fear of freezing in the middle of recording and forgetting everything that you wanted to say. Or maybe you are excited you want to get booked, but it feels so overwhelming on where to get started, so you don’t send out any pitches. When I started my business, I had so much I wanted to say. I knew I wanted to speak on podcasts and share my message and programs with as many people as possible.

From Stress/Anxiety to Confident Podcast Guest

But I was also scared. I was so nervous to reach out to hosts to pitch my ideas. I had a lot of impostor syndrome of going. Many other people talk about what I talk about, and they’ve had more experience than I do. So why would anyone want to listen to me? When I got booked, I was so nervous that whenever I started talking, I would forget half of what I wanted to say or start stumbling over words because my thoughts were racing so fast.

My palms would be super sweaty. My heart was racing, I was rambling, I was stumbling over my words, and I just had that pit in my stomach. And that’s what kept me from not putting myself out there for longer, not pitching to hosts, not getting booked, and not showing up as confident on episodes. I just knew there had to be a better way.

I knew it was possible to be a more confident podcast guest, but wasn’t sure how to get there.

What changed everything for me was starting to regulate my nervous system. And when I did that, I learned to feel safe with myself, communicating and pushing myself out of my comfort zone. And I bet that you want all of that for yourself too. To show up as an expert and authority, change people’s lives, and be more confident while doing it. You’re passionate about your mission.

“Your passion for your mission can change people’s lives, but what’s stopping you from reaching millions of people? Fear, doubt, imposter syndrome, panic, and anxiety.”

You know that if millions of people heard your message, you would change their lives, right? So what’s stopping you from reaching millions of people? Fear, doubt, imposter syndrome, panic, and anxiety all of those are emotions from our nervous system. It dictates every thought, feeling, action, reaction, and behavior we have ever had. So the things that we want most in this world, the big, bold, daring, world-changing dreams, all feel scary.

Our nervous system is trying to protect us from anything that could cause us harm. So what does that look like? You feel impostor syndrome. And you don’t put yourself out there to get booked on a podcast. You struggle to put thoughts and words together.

Related Post: Transform Podcast Interviews into Engaging Narratives with This 3-Step Framework

Once you start talking, or maybe everything you plan on saying, you forget entirely, and it all goes out the window because you are so nervous. So then, you don’t exude confidence and authority. People aren’t drawn into your world, and they may not follow you on social media, watch your free training, or sign up for your programs after listening to your episode. So all those fears, doubts, anxiety, and nervousness are there because your body is trying to protect you from the unknown. But as business owners, entrepreneurs, and thought leaders, we aren’t meant to stay in our comfort zone.

“You are meant to change this world, but you can’t change the world if you feel like you get blocked every time you try.”

You are meant for more. You are intended to change this world. But you can’t change the world if you feel blocked whenever you try. So how do we change that? How can you feel more confident to pitch yourself to be a guest, confident in delivering on every episode you guest on?

Authenticity is Key

And how can you be your authentic self and show up as the unique human being that you are? All of those answers are in your nervous system. So when our nervous system feels safe, we show up as our whole, confident selves. So we don’t communicate to our nervous system to tell us it’s safe through words. We use our senses.

“When our nervous system feels safe, that’s when we show up as our full, confident self.”

So if you’ve ever been outraged as you’ve snipped, the last complete straw has broken, and someone came up to you and said, don’t worry about it, calm down, it’ll be fine. Did you calm down? No. You probably made yourself feel even worse. You’re probably even angrier.

We cannot use words. But if you’ve ever had again, that really bad, no good, terrible day, and someone came up and hugged you and you just relaxed, your body felt safer. If you listen to a podcast and feel drawn to someone because they were having so much fun, they were so confident, and you just wanted to be in their world, it probably wasn’t because they were disconnected, timid, or nervous. It was because they were regulated, allowing them and you to connect. And for you, as a guest on a podcast, that’s what you want to create.

3 Steps For Becoming a More Confident Podcast Guest

You want to create that connection with that audience so they hear your mission and want to be part of your world. So how can you do that? How can you show up with more confidence?

• One, identify the nervous system.
• Two, state that you’re in to have tools that help you regulate.
• Three, know when to use those tools.

#1. The Emotional Regulation Triangle

So, first step, I created the emotional regulation triangle, and it breaks everything that you need to know about the nervous system into five colors green, red, yellow, blue, purple, green, happy, connected, joyful, calm, and confident. Maybe you’ve also heard a fight or flight. So I break this into two parts.

Red and yellow. Red is angry, feeling out of control. I want to yell, I want to kick, I want to scream, I want to run away. Yellow is anxious, nervous, panicked, frustrated, worried. Then we also have blue.

You’re excited, but you’re overwhelmed. You want to start and send out pitches, but it feels overwhelming. So you don’t do it. You want to, but you can’t. This is called freeze.

And then purple. This means you feel depressed, disconnected, with no energy, or apathy. Maybe you struggle to get off the couch in this state. You work to connect with people. So it’s so crucial that you know what state you’re in.

So then you can pick the right tools. If you’re in purple, you’re in shutdown. Your breathing has already slowed down. So if you try deep breathing, you’ll feel worse because you will shut your body down even more.

What about if you’re in red?

You become outraged. You have snapped. And then you try deep breathing. You’re also going to feel worse. So red is like a bear is 5ft behind you, and it’s about to attack. You are either going to run or fight for your life. You would not stop taking deep breaths, meditating, or journaling about how you’re feeling, right?

This is why deep breathing when you’re angry doesn’t work. So instead, you need to move your body because that leads us to step number two.

#2. Creating a Toolbox That Matches the State That You Are In

So tools, they’re anything that taps into your senses—movement, sight, sound, smell, touch, taste.

I recommend you grab a sheet of paper and make six columns with the different senses at the top: movement, sight, sound, smell, touch, and taste. And you’re going to make a list of three to five things you like from each of those categories. So for movement, you go for walks, yoga, hiking, and playing with your dogs. The smell is what you’re like. I love the smell of coffee first thing in the morning.

Or you have a favorite perfume that you always wear that makes you feel amazing. Or a candle that you like to light. So do that for each of the six categories. Next to each one, write down, does it make you feel calmer, more present? Or a mix of both?

Related Post: 3 Key Factors That You Have to Focus on if You Want to Become a Profitable Confident Podcast Guest

Put those that make you feel calmer in your toolbox for yellow when you need to calm down. For those that make you feel more present, those are great tools for purple when you’re feeling disconnected from your body. So now you’ve just created a toolbox of 15 to 25 sensory tools you can use in any state you’re in. So tools can be something that takes as little as three to 5 seconds. They don’t just have to be a long walk, a bubble bath, or meditation.

It can be simple as having a spray on your desk, spraying it, and helping you feel calmer and more confident right before you start recording your podcast. That takes as little as 5 seconds but can completely change your thoughts. So some example toolboxes are yellow. You get up and walk around your office a couple of times, light a candle, or you look at your favorite pictures from your last vacation.

You going?

All of those things help you feel calmer, help you feel more regulated. So this could be something you do before you start recording a podcast. You might do one tool. You might even create a ritual of a couple of tools. So right before I recorded this, I sprayed my favorite spray.

I did some deep breathing and some deep pressure. Those all signal to my body to calm down and be more regulated so I could show up more confident. What about purple? You start with slower movements, like shaking your head yes or no, doing some gentle stretching, and feeling more connected with your body. It could be you watch that hilarious clip from The Office that you watched 500 times, but it makes you laugh every time.

It makes you feel more present, more engaged.

When you show up, start feeling more confident, and start sending out those podcast pitches and get booked. Red. So we already know red. You need to move your body, work out, run, hike, and dance.

This will release all of that pent-up energy that’s been stored in your body. So again, remember that you need to release that energy, and then you can focus on calming down. And then blue. So blue is that mix of yellow and purple. So you’re probably going to use a combination of tools, things from your purple and yellow tools. Again, how can you feel calmer and more engaged in your body?

#3. When You Use These Tools to Become a More Confident Podcast Guest

So I break that into three tools that you use every single day. What you do before a trigger and what you do after a trigger. So daily tools go through your daily routine.

You are already doing tools whether you know it or not. Because you’re like, I drink coffee first thing in the morning. You take a shower, you go for a walk at lunch, maybe you play with your kids, or you watch TV before bed. Those are all tapping into your nervous system to help you stay calm throughout the day.

Every day, you may need to add some tools leading up to what you do before a trigger. So you’re like, okay, I know I get really nervous every time I’m about to record a podcast. Maybe you have two or three tools you do right before to feel calmer so you feel more confident and can record that fantastic episode. And then what do you do after Trigger? Maybe the host canceled at the last minute unexpectedly, and you’re angry and upset because you’re like, I was so ready.

Related Post: How to Thrive as a Podcaster in The New Era of Content

I was ready to record. So maybe you need to move your body, go for a walk, and then you can come back and respond or reschedule. So that is the three-step framework. One, identify your state. Green, red, yellow, blue, purple.

“Your mission is to create connection with the audience so they hear your mission and want to be part of your world.”

Two, have a toolbox for each of those states so you can be confident no matter how you feel that day. And then three, know when and how to use those tools so you can share your mission. Be more confident. Be a fantastic speaker who creates a connection with the audience. Show up as your best self.

Record that excellent episode where the host wants to keep inviting you back because you just knocked it out of the park. This is the power of regulating your nervous system as a podcast guest. So what are two to three tools you will use today to feel more confident? Maybe it’s so you can send out that pitch sitting in your draft email inbox for two weeks. Or perhaps you’re recording an episode today.

What are a couple of tools that you can use right before you record so you can be more confident podcast guest?

---

About Rhysa Sisco

Rhysa Sisco is an experienced occupational therapist, entrepreneur, and esteemed business mentor for leaders. With a career spanning over ten years, she has successfully assisted more than 1000 clients and patients in learning how to regulate their nervous systems. Rhysa is the creator of the Business Regulation Program and the Emotional Regulation Triangle, empowering aligned entrepreneurs to master nervous system regulation. Her expertise extends to helping podcast hosts and speakers feel more confident, communicate effectively by calming their systems, and effectively manage the stress associated with public speaking. Rhysa’s valuable insights on nervous system regulation have garnered attention, and she has been interviewed multiple times by Authority Magazine on this subject.

• Visit Rhysa Sisco’s Website
• Find Out Which Nervous System State You’re In
• Rhysa Sisco on Social Media: PodMatch| Instagram

---

💬 What was your big takeaway or insight gained from this episode?

Join the Conversation