Issue 49: "The end is near ...

I mean for the podcast!

Quoting Dr. Who can have unintended consequences such as igniting a momentary panic reaction. The quote for today’s headline came to mind as I’m sitting here on a Saturday morning near my usual spot at the library (two doors down from the study room I normally sit in). Rereading it, I can see how “the end is near” might be a pot stirrer. Just know it’s a lot smaller and less calamitous than at first glance.

Moreover, the quote doesn’t have to be an ominous harbinger. It can signal the end of an overlong dinner, the last 30 minutes of reading a book before you hit the hay, or the final tick tocks running down the clock of a meeting you’re itching to escape. As with everything else, context matters. Context can shape, modify or twist up our perception of things, and as someone who is nearing the end of a 10 year run of hosting a podcast, that is no more true than in this week’s episode, in which I talk about leaving a podcast on a podcast. Try wrapping your brain around that one.

-John

Moving Forward 499 : Growing beyond the podcast

Thankfully, I have this episode to talk about it … on my podcast.

One episode away from the finish line. It’s not without irony that I quoted Dr. Who. Preparing for Moving Forward’s finale has been an exercise in mind-bending scheduling with a little temporal skipping that would make the time traveling Gallifreyan proud.

I’ve been juggling a lot over the past month, including teaching two classes, sticking to my 2025 decluttering goals, and keeping on task with part II of this final season; all while producing part III.

In my writing course, I talk about how linear time is more for the reader than the writer. Readers get the finished product: a book they can enjoy from start to finish. The story is complete, beginning to end. However, for the writer, the creation process is messy and disjointed. To compensate for busy schedules, good and bad days, and life’s many curve balls, I advocate writing your book non-linearly. To illustrate, one day you’re writing the conclusion, the next the introduction, while the middle is spread out in an order that bears little resemblance to the table of contents. Years ago, my stint in TV and film introduced me to the time skipping creation process. Scenes are not shot according to the page they fall on but practical logistics, including locations, availability of actors and crew, and so forth. The real magic is in post-production where the hodge podge of chaos comes together to form a beginning-middle-end narrative taking the viewer on a complete and coherent journey.

This last month of Moving Forward has been similar in that I’ve been diving into post-production for episode 500 even before recording the final episodes for part II. That’s part of the joy and chaos of being behind the scenes. You toss ingredients, manage unpredictable schedules, work around interruptions, and navigate tight deadlines to deliver something that your listeners will experience as a narrative arc that sticks to a landing.

All of this is a not so subtle reminder that my time on Moving Forward is ending. That I’m scrambling to stay on top of my production timeline is simply an odometer reflecting that reality. This season I’ve spent a lot of time reflecting on what Moving Forward has meant for me: growing out of my comfort zone, taking on multiple responsibilities, establishing an exit and an arc; all of which have all culminated in me moving on from the podcast. To that end, podcasts are really seedlings that if done consistently and with care, will eventually grow you beyond the media itself.

For some, a podcast will grow into a brand or business. For others, a podcast will grow an existing brand or business. And yet, for most, a podcast is about the long-term doors it will open up for one’s personal or professional growth. I fall into the last category. I don’t have a million listeners or a bunch of sponsorships. Rather, my success has come in the form of increased visibility, and greater credibility as a speaker, writer, teacher. I started Moving Forward to sharpen my interview skills; reconnecting with prior connections while forging new ones. Over time, the podcast has opened the door to public speaking opportunities at Johns Hopkins Carey Business School, and later my first TEDx talk. More recently, it provided the “first draft” for several books, and finally, over the past year, it has become a knowledge base from which I’ve been able to teach various topics and subject matters.

For those starting out, don’t limit your definition of “success” to listener metrics, sponsorship dollars, or merchandise. If those things don’t come right away or at all, that doesn’t signal failure. Stick with it, and you’ll eventually find your pathway to success in other forms. You will eventually grow beyond the podcast and move forward.

Catch this week’s episode on Spotify.

Moving Forward is also available on Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, iHeart, CastBox, Pocket Casts, Spotify for Podcasters (formerly Anchor), and Audible.

^{*Affiliate disclosure: these are links through which I earn a commission from qualifying referrals and / or purchases.}

Moving Forward

What’s ahead this season.

1. Moving Forward season 12: Moving Forward’s final season will be split into three parts with the first seven episodes serving as a retrospective. Part III will wrap the show with episode 500, the series finale.

2. Moving Forward release schedule:

   • ✅Season 12, Part 1 (episodes 493-496) will air Thursdays, starting Jan. 9th, and concluding on Thursday, Jan. 30th.

   • ✅Season 12, Part 2 (episodes 497-499) will air Thursdays, starting Feb. 13th, and concluding on Thursday, Feb. 27th.

   • Season 12, Part 3 (episode 500) will air sometime in late March 2025 will air in five parts from Monday, March 3rd to Friday, March 7th.

3. The Weekly Quirk: The final issue (50) will be released on Friday, March 7th.

_{[Note: Upon conclusion of the podcast and newsletter, all Moving Forward episodes and The Weekly Quirk issues will remain available to stream and read online so long as I’m able to keep them published cost-free via their respective host providers. However, while I would like to keep them preserved for posterity sake, I can’t guarantee they will be available forever. Additional note: the copyright to all content, including audio and literary rights, remains with me, my assigns, and my heirs, regardless of publication status.]}

Available now at my bookstore on Pangobooks

Find your next great read at my bookstore.

Quirky reads 📚

Speaking of good books, here are some titles I’ve been reading lately.

[Affiliate disclosure: these are affiliate links to Amazon through which I earn a commission from qualifying purchases.]

• Just After Sunset: Stories by Stephen King (**).

• Follow me on Goodreads for book recommendations and to see what else I’m reading.

Upcoming (March 25, 2025)

SOLD OUT.

Resources

Teach a man to fish, you know the rest (if you don’t, check these out).

• Book a coaching call with me on Clarity.

• Follow me on Goodreads for book recommendations.

• Check out one of my favorite daily newsletters Morning Brew (affiliate referral link).

Books

I wrote most of these so spruce up your home library and look smart in the process.

• The Poshmark Guide for Individuals and Small Businesses (Paperback, Kindle, Audible) 

• The Poshmark Guide for Individuals and Small Businesses (Apple audiobooks)

• The Poshmark Journal for Individuals and Small Businesses

• The Corporate Cliches Adult Coloring Book

• I Am a Professional Metalhead (audiobook) (Audible affiliate link) written by Angelo Spenillo, narrated by John Lim

Support the newsletter and podcast

“What are you selling?!?” -actual quote from a b-school classmate

• Books! Check out my used bookstore on Pangobooks.

• Try out Audible (affiliate paid link).

• Try out Amazon Prime (affiliate paid link)

Affiliate disclosure

Note: Links to Amazon and Audible products are affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.