Stories that Inspire with Ginni Saraswati-Cook: Leadership Stories | Women Leadership | Female Founders
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My guest today is Ginni Saraswati-Cook. A successful entrepreneur in the podcasting space. However, this story isn’t just about podcasting or entrepreneurship. It’s about airports, Knicks games and cats. My favourite parts of this episode are the stories Ginni tells about how the most meaningful moments often happen when you’re least expecting them.
Ginni is the founder of Ginni Media, a global podcast production company that works with everyone from ambitious entrepreneurs to household-name brands. But Ginni doesn’t just produce podcasts—she produces perspective. Her work helps people and companies tune into their frequency and amplify stories that might otherwise go unheard.
She’s also the voice behind The Ginni Show, now in its seventh season. A show that, like its host, keeps evolving. This season, she describes it as her personal masterclass, an exploration of the ideas, questions, and curiosities that have been occupying her mind.
This conversation left me inspired to pay closer attention to those in-between moments and to stay curious about where they might lead.
Join us every other week for leadership stories from female founders, trailblazers in women leadership and entrepreneurs sharing their success stories.
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Ginni
Energy is the most important ingredient in content creation, in anything, really. Relationship building. Insert whatever you want. Energy is the most important ingredient in insert whatever you want. If energy isn't there, you know very quickly that person isn't invested. They're not engaged. And they're not willing to make the best decisions for you or your company or your clients, insert whatever you want responsibility that you have in the company to take that piece of work, that that creation to the level that you expect or the standard that you expect. And that's why I think energy management takes the most work. It takes a lot of energy for energy management. Amy
Welcome to Voices of Leadership, My podcast that tells the stories of women who are redefining success and thriving on the edge of change. My guest today is Ginny Saraswati Cook, a successful entrepreneur in the podcasting space. However, this story isn't just about podcasting or entrepreneurship. It's about airports, Knicks games, and cats. My favorite part of this episode are the stories Ginny tells about how the most meaningful moments often happen when you're least expecting them. Ginny is the founder of Ginny Media, a global podcasting production company that works with everyone from ambitious entrepreneurs to household name brands. But Ginny doesn't just produce podcasts. She produces perspective. Her work helps people and companies tune into their frequency and amplify stories that might otherwise go unheard. She's also the voice behind the Ginny show, now in its seventh season, a show that, like its host, keeps evolving. This season, Ginny describes it as her personal master class, an exploration of ideas, questions, and curiosities that have been occupying her mind. This conversation left me inspired to pay closer attention to those in between moments and to stay curious about where they might lead. And I hope it does for you too. Hi, Ginny. Welcome to the podcast. I'm so excited for this conversation. I always love talking to, women in podcasting and media. Ginni
Thank you for having me, Amy. I'm excited to be on the show. Amy
Oh, I'm so excited too, because also I, you know, you're more than just a podcaster and we'll get into all the entrepreneurship and all the things that you do, but first, is my research correct in telling me that you got married last year? Ginni
Yeah. Well, well done. I like, I don't know who your sources are, but clearly you need to give them a raise because that that's very it's accurate. Yes. I got married in September last year to the, to the love of my life, Aliyah and, been happily married for seven months as we record this. Amy
Oh, congratulations. That's very exciting. Yeah. It's always fun to hear things like that. I always love dresses and parties and all of those things. So I, that's fantastic. Congratulations. Ginni
Thank you so much, Amy. Amy
And you also live in New York city and, I, we have family there. And so we visit quite often and get to experience it sort of from a local perspective, which I love. So what is it about New York city you love most? Ginni
So much about it, Amy. I mean, I've answered this in different ways over the last few years. You know, originally when it started, it was all, you know, the energy that's typically the first step into why you love New York. The other thing is the way the city appreciates individualized individuality in a way that, you know, some places don't creativity had New Yorkers, nothing really frazzled to them. You know, they don't really get surprised by anything. But one thing I really loved, which I just experienced yesterday, and you're the first person I'm sharing this with. Amy
Yay. Ginni
Well, when I was on the way to the airport, right, the Knicks game was playing. Like, I'm a huge Knicks fan. Amy
Love it. Ginni
And we will I was watching the game, but I had to kind of move around and there was this shop closed in the airport. The the netting was up, but there were two Knicks fans wearing caps watching the game. And there was just a group of us huddled outside, just watching through just to see if we'd it was a really close game too. But there is just this sense, everybody. You see the the cleaners at the airport, they're watching the game on their phone. Everybody is just so invested. And in that moment, like, you look around, we're at an airport, right? There's people from different cultures, different communities, but we all want the Knicks to win. And I really love that about the city because there is this unification in the most disastrous moments. And I'm not just talking about sports, but there is this sense of, okay, we're all on the same side here. And I think I love that about New York because it really allows you to grow into your own shell. And we at least supported by people who are kind of going through the same life in the city or trying to figure out life in the city too. So a lot of the many things I love about New York, but I always I I I'll go back to the quote. I I think I said this on a podcast a while back, but it was when wherever you are in New York, you're exactly where you're supposed to be. And I think in that moment is like, we were all supposed to be watching that game and watching our beloved Knicks choke again. And and we can grieve that moment together. So long answer there for you, Amy. Amy
Oh, no. That's a great answer. I love it. And we can relate. I mean, in Toronto, we're like that with hockey. Everything stops, and we are also grieving the loss. So Yeah. We can absolutely relate to that. I've been in many places where everyone stops and we're all doing the same thing or we don't wanna look because we're like, oh, no. Yeah. Yeah. I understand that completely. Yeah. So I'll have to keep out look out for that next time I'm there. Ginni
Yeah. What do you go for in, Canadian hockey? I'm still getting used to the teams there. The only team I really know is the Toronto Raptors. I don't know if you go for them, but Amy
Yeah. Yeah. So they're the basketball team. Yeah. So we're always I mean, that's the only basketball team in Canada. And when they won a few years back, it was very similar. I mean, it was very unifying. And, I've heard so many people tell stories about where they were and what they did and all of those things. Hockey can be a little more decisive. There's two teams in Ontario. Toronto and Montreal are always rivals, and then there's teams out west. But for me, when it comes down to this time in the playoffs, if there's a Canadian team in, I'm I'm I'm in. Like, I'm all I'm a good Canadian, and I'm always there for the Canadian team. So that's where we're at right now because there's only one left, and they're up from Edmonton. So that's what we're cheering for right now. Ginni
Okay. K. Thank you. I'm gonna kinda lean more into hockey, so thank you for the kind of the You Amy
have a great hockey team and great hockey culture in New York City. Absolutely. You do. Ginni
Yeah. And the Rangers, the devil, devils of New Jersey, and we also have the Islanders. So, yeah, there is a bit of it. Amy
There's a lot going on there. Yeah. Yeah. That's good. Ginni
Awesome. Amy
So let's turn to podcasting and business because you are you are much more than just a podcaster. You're also an entrepreneur, and I'm always curious to learn from female owned businesses, you know, your stories and your philosophies. So you do have a fascinating journey, into the world of audio. So how did podcasting find you? Ginni
By accident as I think it was just kind of yeah. It finds you by accident. And you you don't actually realize, like when I started in podcasting, it was by consequence of being a radio host. You, you know, our radio shows were turned into podcasts, but I've seen the industry grow over the last, you know, almost twenty years since I've been in it. And it started from, hey, FM it's it's on demand audio for radio stations. Right? And then it kind of went into, okay, certain niche communities are putting out podcasts for on demand content. And now it's become, like, to every person, every celebrity has a podcast. It's being used as a vehicle to attract, you know, leads or it's used as a brand awareness vehicle for even brands or just just, entrepreneurs and and small businesses. So I've seen it kind of evolve and and my evolution in it, I've kind of had to evolve with it. So it started off like, okay, this is kind of a spin off show from my radio show. Now it's kind of, you know, following me on the journey of, okay, I'm I'm an entrepreneur now. I've got to figure out the day to day. Now I'm producing podcasts and managing a whole production team. How do I keep the podcast standards going? So it's kind of evolved as time has gone on. And what I really like about podcasting is it really does encourage conversations, just like what you and I having, Amy. And I'll go back to the sports analogy that we're talking about with hockey. When you go to a sports game, and this is what I find fascinating about humanity at the moment, right? You go to a sports game, it's really the only arena where polarity and a difference of opinion is allowed, embraced to an extent and, like, appropriately accepted. Right? Like, I I like at the moment, Indiana Pacers fan in the arena. I don't like you, and I don't agree with you. Outside of the arena, I don't want anything bad to happen to you. But in that arena alone, you and I are not friends until these playoffs are over. Right? But, again, like, our difference of opinion, we don't, but it doesn't need to go anywhere. It's like it's permitted. And I think sometimes we need to get uncomfortable to have those conversations. So you asked me how I got into podcasting. It started out there, and now I feel like it's evolving into more of, like, a how do we facilitate conversations in a way that we learn something, we can be guided to something, or we kind of explore something that we may want to learn more about. So yeah. Amy
It's an it's an interesting journey, and it's you have to grow with it because it is a evolving piece of media right now. So it's interesting to hear how you started out and how you had to kind of grow with it to sort of get where you are today. Yeah. And I know you talk a lot about, you know, bringing light to unknown voices and stories. So how do you do that? And there are so many unknown voices and stories. I mean, for us, we work on amplifying the voices of independent podcasters. So what kind of stories do you work on sort of bringing light to? Ginni
Different stories in terms of we have, podcasts on, it's called Kinswomen, that we it it's no longer a regular release, but it's a podcast with two women from different background on how, you know, allyship and community is important. And, obviously, communities that don't get, voices or platforms to share their experiences, stories. You know, that is a platform that we love to cater for them. Other ways we work with brands are we work with, like, people in the technology spaces that, are pretty much shaping the future of America. And I say that really grandly, but they work for like literally national security. They protect America from, but you don't hear the stories about the guys coding or like wiring things to make sure, Hey, you know, your your software, it's good. Hey, your technology, your infrastructure, it's good. Hey, your your air, your air control system. It's good. We don't hear about those things. Right. We just hear about the, the, I guess, the fantastical side of it that's reported in the media. But those stories, like, I love learning about them. It's so fascinating, you know, how people go through their journeys, how they end up where they are, even to stories about, you know, people who are innovating, you know, micro imaging or, like, they're agnostics or radiology, how to make health care more accessible or efficient, how to make cancer screenings more accessible and efficient. So it's just different voices from different communities, different sets of expertise that we're able to elevate and help coordinate, productions for to, turn into media and even things like traveling. Like, what are the coolest places to travel to? Not because, you know, there's an Instagrammable moment, but the experience, the ambiance, things that you probably wouldn't know to check out. Those are the things that we're giving voice to, for experience, for learning, and just to elevate communities, really. Amy
That sounds like such a wide array of stories. I I'm gonna have to dig a little deeper and check them out. Yeah. That's fascinating. Ginni
Yeah. Amy
You are also a podcast host for of the Ginny Show, which has been on for many, many years. I listened to the was it the mother-in-law one before Christmas? I think I've very relatable. I thought it was great. Do you have a do you have a favorite interviewer guest moment from your from your podcast? Ginni
Oh, you know, the new season I'm currently recording, it's the first season I feel that I mean, I'm not I say that after every season. I feel like I'm a different person every season, but because, you know, last year, I think getting married is a huge moment in in anybody's life. Right? You find your person. You, like, like, it's the biggest commitment you make to another human being other than children, obviously. But I think I've changed a lot as a person, and still am changing and evolving, which is something that I'm I'm open to doing. But this particular season, there's things that I have learned about people, about, like and as you more as you learn more about yourself, you have the questions that you can ask people and connect to people with. Right? So I would say the guests I have this season, you know, Craig Ballentine, who is known as the world's most disciplined man. So he shares the, the fine line between freedom and discipline. He also, shares about how, like, there's a dark side of discipline too, which I thought was absolutely fascinating. And then there was Alyssa Goodman who shared, you know, all these health myths that we believe. You know the quote on Instagram but first coffee? No, no, you need to have two glasses of water before you have your coffee. And then just things like, Gary Zukov who is a person who's been interviewed, by Oprah over thirty times. Amy
Wow. Ginni
He has all these just wisdom about, like, life and partnership and how we learn and grow as humans. So I just feel like this season is like it's it's a master class in life and anything you wanna learn about life, boundaries, and anything else. Amy
Wow. That's ambitious. Is there a particular theme to this season, or are I just like to talk to anyone and then I like to talk to? So is it more like that? Ginni
It's more of like I think the intention that I set for this season is I want to learn and buy, you know, as a default of me learning, I want to ask the questions that my audience would like to learn and lean value from. So when you ask these questions about, okay, what is the dark side of discipline? How can someone lean more into discipline and forget other parts of their life? I think they're questions that everyday people want to know the answers to or they there's questions that people actually have been thinking about, but don't maybe they don't have the expert or the person to guide them to answers. So for me, it was the intention of this season. We're gonna learn things, and I'm gonna learn with you. So we're taking this class together, essentially. Amy
Wow. Well, I'm excited to learn along with you. When does the season come out? Ginni
It's coming out next month, in June. So we're launching it, the middle of June, June fifteenth. Ginny show will be out. So, I'm excited for you guys to learn about the new season. Amy
Yes. I I always I'm an I'm an ongoing learner, so I'm in. Absolutely. It's great. Amazing. So you've referenced, you know, a little bit as we talk about the podcast you produce and the one that you have. So you have more than just a podcast, and and you have, Gini Media, and I'd like to learn a little bit more about that. So what is the core purpose or mission behind Gini Media? Ginni
So our job is to elevate millions to be seen and heard and that have access to those who want to hear and see their content essentially if I am to put in a mission statement. But we are essentially a podcast production house. I would say we're more of a media production house now with the evolution of video content and video podcasting. So we, manage the podcast productions for, entrepreneurs, Fortune five hundred companies, and brands who want a more intimate way of connecting with their audiences, and podcasting is an exceptional vehicle for that. Amy
Wow. That sound and how did you start? Was it starting with your podcast and it grew from there, or did you produce someone's podcast and start from there? Ginni
It pretty much looked by accident too, Amy. Yeah. So yeah. Amy
We have very similar journeys. Mine's not as big as yours, but I agree. That's where I started as well. Ginni
It's purely by accident. I I started my own podcast. I love doing it. Podcasting, radio, audio was something that I did with love. I worked volant voluntarily for an organization called Joy ninety four point nine. They're a radio station in Melbourne, and I did that voluntarily for ten years because I loved it so much. No matter what was going on in my day job, I always found a place and time for joy. And when I started my own podcast, I stumbled into pod so I stumbled into people who were like, hey. I I saw your radio background. Can you show me what you do, and how you do it? And then I accidentally became a podcast producer. And then when I got a few clients from Australia and overseas, I accidentally built a company. So that's essentially what happened. Amy
I love those stories, though. They're very relatable and good for you, and you've grown it into something. And, you know, it's lasted more than five years, which is kind of one of those markers that people talk about. So I you know, that's a fantastic accomplishment. You mentioned video, so I'm interested to hear your take on that. So, yes, podcasting has sort of well, they're saying it's evolved. I mean, there's a lot of back and forth on what that actually means. But Yeah. How did how did you and your company have to react to the evolution of video along with audio? Ginni
I think the first thing to what you were saying before about how it's evolved, what what we touched on. So when it first started, podcasting was literally FM stations pulling off interviews, popping it onto iTunes. Now iTunes doesn't exist anymore. It's apple podcast. It's got split into three. Right? Apple TV, apple music, apple podcast. Right. So that in itself has changed things. How podcasts are called podcasts is because of the iPod. So all these things, right. That was kind of the first iteration of podcasting. Then the next iteration was, okay, we see the value of in demand on demand content that's audio. Because what we found with what FM stations were doing was there's a geographic restriction as to how many people could listen to your radio program. Right? You had to be within that metropolitan area or that a radius of that area you were broadcasting in to be able to access that content. Streaming opened that up. Podcasting opened that up even more because it gave the listener autonomy. So that part was what we were going through. And then people were like, alright. I wanna jump on this. So you found, you know, all the Buffy the Vampire Slayer fans of, like, creating all these podcasts. You found all the sex and the city. Oh, I'm gonna create a podcast about this. Now we're at a stage where, it's because now celebrities are jumping on board. Brands are jumping on board. They're like, there's something missing here. We need the visual aspect. They're like, okay, let's create social media content. Let's create clips of that. Why don't we create a podcast now and make it like a talk show? So it's kinda evolved into this online talk show when you think about it. And with YouTube kind of pioneering a space, especially how data is able to be accessed, it's different from the other apps. Because if you look at podcasting and I'm getting really into the weeds here, Amy, which I love, podcasting is a really decentralized media, right? Because there's Apple has its own data. Spotify has its own data. I heart has its own data. Your media host has data, but not quite as granular as the other. So it's really hard to get all your data in one place. But YouTube, you can see exactly how many views you have, who your demographic is, where they're coming from, what has caused your, like, being to like, your your views to spike. It's it's kind of really made access to broadcasting easier and data to podcasting easier, which I think that's why video is one of the reasons why video is so important now and has has boomed over the last couple years. Amy
That's a that's an interesting take on it from a analytics perspective because the the the relative transparency of YouTube is very interesting. I find it I find it a fascinating sort of platform to work with in that sense. And I guess transparency transparency then lends itself to people using it more and then the the sort of platform growing. So what that's an interesting take on that. Ginni
Yeah. Yeah. And, also, if you want to sustain a podcast, if you are someone who has, you know, three to ten thousand, twenty thousand views, you wanna seek sponsorship, you can say to your sponsor or brand that who wants to sponsor you, here you go. Right? But if I'm telling you I have twenty million downloads and you can't access my Apple Podcasts, you don't know if I'm telling the truth. Amy
There's no verification on that. No. Ginni
Exactly. Whereas YouTube, you can't buy. Right? You see how many views are there. Amy
That's so interesting. So then further to the point of video, in addition to Ginni Media, you have, metro the Metro podcasting studio. Right? Is that correct? Yes. That's correct. Yeah. So did that evolve or become because of the video, or what did you need that space for something else? Ginni
So, essentially, it was something, so when I moved to America in December of twenty seventeen, a lot of what I was doing was virtual recordings because my clients were everywhere. That's what I was used to. And there were some clients locally in New York. I'd go and book them a studio to record in because they wanted video for that. And I'm like, why am I booking other people's studio for my clients when I could have my own studio and let my clients use them? So that was just pretty much a convenient strategy. And I had paired up with two people who were thinking of the same thing. And back then, there were only two podcast studios in New York. Now there's, I think, plenty more than that. I don't but there is significantly more than that. So the competition is higher because I think post twenty twenty, Amy, people were getting used to hearing poor quality audio and seeing poor quality video. This is because in twenty twenty, we weren't allowed out. So people were doing remote, and this platform was not around at that time. It was Zoom. Amy
Yes. Ginni
Right? Zoom video quality and audio quality at the time. I know they've evolved since then or have made modifications, but Zoom is not for podcasts. Zoom is a conference call line. Now as we evolved, I think creators want that space where they can go have a studio set up for them, or have that studio set up, and they can just create. And that was the intention behind Metro Podcast Studio. So it was, like, the step before everything came to Gini Media, that was the space that creators can go create. Amy
And so in what ways were you experiencing launching each of those similar, and how were those journeys different then? Ginni
I think the difference between Gini Media was I'm by myself at Gini Media. Like, I have to deal with everything on my own. I say that I don't mean to sound like a victim when I'm saying that, but the buck does stop with me. And at times, there is this side of being a CEO that's not glamorous. Right? It's quite a thankless job when you think about it. Right? I have team members coming to me asking me for a pay raise. Right? If I give them a pay raise, there's no thank you. It's just accepted. I'm not just talking about the money part of it, but, like, you're out solving problems for clients. You're solving problems for team members. They might not even know, and they're not expected to know. That's why you are you you risk you take on that responsibility of, like, I'm gonna be a leader and and be crazy and start my own business and do all the things. But it's it can be quite difficult sometimes because every decision you make, it falls on you. Right? If you get fired by a client, whether it be a team member doing it, that falls on you, and you have to clean up the mess. So there's different things when you're running a business by yourself to when you're running it with two one or two other people because you can share that responsibility and that weight. And the other part of entrepreneurship that I think isn't talked about as well is how you celebrate the wins and how you deal with the losses. Right? If I sign a six figure client, I'm working from home most of the time or even when I'm working in my office in in in Brooklyn. I'm spinning around on my chair. No one's there to high five me. I have to create that self discipline and motivation to keep going. Right? Like, I can Slack my team and be like, hey. I did this. They'd be like, yay, heart emoji, but I don't get that high five. Right? So it does take a lot of, self regulation, self awareness, self motivation, self discipline to keep going, on either way, but the difference is, one, Gini Media, everything falls on me, good and bad. And I'm at Metro, I get to share that responsibility with others, and I guess I have to get things decisions have to be shared, but also approved and agreed upon by others too. Amy
I I like how you call out some of the challenges of being the entrepreneur and being the CEO. I mean, the we don't talk a lot about the lonely part of it, and I agree with you. There's no one here. I work from home too, and, you know, the wins and losses are on your own. And so it's a it can be difficult because it looks fairly glamorous, from the outside. And, and then sometimes behind closed doors, there are those challenges. And so what do you what sort of things do you rely on to overcome those challenges? Ginni
I guess you have to have, this is going to sound like a very boring old lady answer. Amy, I'm married now, so Amy
I'm up for boring. I'm old. I'm good. Ginni
I think there's gotta be systems and processes that you have in place. Right? I mean, you can always have goals and aspirations, but the reason why those goals and aspirations aren't achieved is because you don't have a system or a process in place around that. So if you know you're having a bad day, don't have, you know, a performance review with your a team member or employee because your feedback's gonna land ten times harder. And even on a good day, if you're sharing feedback with a team member, when you're the CEO, that lands ten times as higher or harder, I should say, than anybody else giving that feedback because already you're like, any, even like the other day I asked my, my copilot, my, my assistant Courtney to be like, Hey, can you just reach out to everyone? I want time on my calendar. I wanna speak to everybody. What's the first thing they say? Oh, no. It's not nice to speak to Jen's. Like, what does she want? What have I done? What's wrong? It's like, exactly. It's like, no, I just wanna talk. I just wanna connect. Amy
So, you know? Ginni
Yeah. So it's just having systems and processes around that to be like, okay, to know what you're exactly what you're going to do because it's already there. You don't wanna be making those decisions on the fly because typically they're going to be emotionally charged, and you're probably going to make things or or make things more difficult for yourself and say things that you may regret later. So it's important to have those systems and processes in place and also, like, have accountability measures for yourself. Be like, okay. If I've been working sixty hours this week, of course, I'm gonna be tired. So if I'm gonna wanna go, hey, I'm gonna ramp up another eighty. It gets to a point where it's, it takes a lot of juggling and balance and discipline. But you gotta love it at the end of the day. That's where the crazy comes in, Amy, the crazy, like, right. Amy
I think I'm on the crazy train with you. I get it. Yeah. It's like I'm I'm working here and there and stopping and, you know, you're making dinner or whatever you're doing, and then you gotta go back to it. And I don't sometimes I don't want to, but I still I do love to get back to I just, you know, finish the project or publish the podcast or or all of those things. Ginni
That's amazing. Amy
You talked a little bit about we've talked a little bit around the people side. So, how many people do you have in your organization? Ginni
So currently, we have seventeen people Amy
from Ginni
all over the world. So everywhere from the UK to Italy to the US, to also we have Portugal. We have South America. So we have quite a diverse team, all around the world. I was always a remote first company before the cool kids started doing it. Mhmm. I do see value still in remote work. I do see value in, you know, work from home. I also do see value in in person collaboration. I do think the collaborative the creative collaboration part is more electrified in person. So that's kind of probably the next step that I'm looking towards. Like, how can I get all our creative minds together and, like, just create more and create more space for that too? Amy
Oh, I like that. That's a Yeah. That's a really fantastic goal. So on the people side then, I guess, you talked a little bit about some of the challenges, and and you seem to be managing people more perhaps than maybe media, I guess, we could say. So we have a global staff. What is what's one of the biggest challenges with that? Ginni
Energy management. That that's something that's having a challenge for individuals yet alone, a global collective of individuals. It's very easy for any job to get caught in the day to day mundane. It's like, okay, here's a task. I've gotta write show notes. Done. Submit. It's going to the next person. And that kind of lack of energy, you feel it with how people show up. You feel it with the questions that they ask. You can tell very quickly who's engaged and who isn't. So managing that energy is very difficult, especially when I'm not in that physical location to you know, I can't be that personal trainer yelling in there and like, alright. Write those show notes and give me some energy. I can't do that. Right? Amy
No. Ginni
I can jump on so many calls and be like, yo, you know, need you to be more put more energy in, but how do I create that energy remotely? And is it through collaboration? Is it through accountability measures? So that's the biggest challenge for me at this stage, like, knowing who are the a players. So you've gotta understand, you know, how how connected they feel to their work. Some of them are very brutally honest with me. They're like, I don't live to work. I work to live. I'm like, okay. You need people like that too. People who are reliable, who work, who are very consistent, but they do the job. You, you do need people like that. Not everybody's gonna be as crazy about your company as you are. But I think it's just a fine line of assessing how much how much they care. Do they care that appropriate amount for what you need them to do? And how do you continually foster that environment of, like, do people feel autonomous enough in and in control enough of their tasks? Like, there's all these categories that you can kind of look at your team and manage, but energy management is the most difficult because life changes, things ebb and flow. So it takes a lot of investment as a leader to continually check-in with people. Hey. So you've had two kids since you started. Like, life's different. Like but the fact that I hear, like, some leaders don't know that, you know, their team members have gone through this big life change. They're gonna be different, and it's important to check-in where they're at. Amy
Yeah. It really is. And I suppose the the energy management is such a great thing to talk about because if you don't have that and then you talked about bringing creativity, the that level up. You're gonna lose the creativity if you don't have the energy, I suppose. Ginni
Energy is the most important ingredient in content creation, in anything, really relationship building, insert whatever you want. Energy is the most important ingredient in insert whatever you want. If energy isn't there, you know, very quickly that person isn't invested. They're not engaged. And they're not willing to make the best decisions for you or your company or your clients insert whatever you want responsibility that you have in the company to take to to take that piece of work, that that creation to the level that you expect or the standard that you expect. And that's why I think energy management takes the most work, takes a lot of energy for energy management. Yeah. Amy
So So let's get some advice from you now. So you've talked a little bit about how you've grown Ginny media and how you've expanded into the podcasting studio. So how do you know when it's time to grow or scale a business? Ginni
That was a great question, that you ran like, gosh, that's like a question, Amy. How do you know when it's time to grow our scale? So for me, I'm just going off personal experience. I ran a business before Ginny media that failed miserably. Wasn't profitable, hired the wrong team members. Didn't listen to my gut when I'm like, this isn't making sense. You're spending more money than bringing back. So that's a time where you know that you need to abort the mission. But in terms of growth and scale, I would look at the first thing is look at your resources. It's a process of constant evaluation. And I use these words and people are like, it's so boring evaluation. I'm like, call it reflection. I don't know what you wanna call it. Call it a thinking day, but you do need to constantly reflect on what you're doing, why you're doing it, what you've done. Do you need to be doing it? Do you want to be doing it? Is these are questions you need to ask yourself very often. Right? And there's things that, you know, I talk to my my right hand, Courtney, who's my assistant. Every few months, I'm like, this is what I want, how I wanna manage my time. And she's like, okay, cool. We'll block this out this way. And if I'm realizing I'm more energetic in the morning and in the afternoon, I can do this. You gotta constantly ask yourself questions, constantly evaluate your energy, constantly evaluate evaluate your resources. Because nine times out of ten, you will find when you do that evaluation, there's things that you can eliminate, there's things that you can delegate, and there's things that you could probably modify altogether. If you don't do that and you continually run on the mill, you're probably gonna burn out or you're gonna burn through money very quickly. So that's a point where you know you need to grow or scale. And then the other option is to think about how are you going to source that financially to grow and scale. Are you gonna take out an SBA loan? Are you gonna take out, you know, a line of credit? One thing that I didn't learn about until very recently was something called MCA loans, merchant cash advances. That's quick money in, doesn't affect your credit score, but it has a high interest payback. That's probably the last recommendation I'd make. I would say that's probably a last resort. You gotta really practically think about how you're gonna financially source this situation, how you're gonna grow it. So resources, how you're gonna financially manage that, and do you need people, money, tech? You know, think about what you need to actually grow and scale that. Amy
That's really good advice. I think we get a whole other podcast on how to finance an entrepreneurial venture for sure. Ginni
Yeah. Amy
So I'm gonna ask you this then. When in your reflection or I forget what the boring word was, which I like better. What's the last thing you delegated? Ginni
Oh, last thing I delegated was, so I like running tests on things. I am obsessed with, you know, processes. I'm like, how could we do this more efficiently, but still maintain the standard that we expect? So the last thing I delegated was a test that I ran with the trailers that we're making for, for clients, Virginia medium. Like typically we know we'll, we'll take the content that's recorded and we'll pull it into a certain like order and then we'll add audio to it, then we'll put video to it. So I ran a test on how do you pick the parts for the best trailer. So I did that and now I'm I'm teaching someone else to do it. I'm teaching one of my writers to do it. So that is all thing. I'm like, okay. Now you go write the trailers and I do the same thing for show notes. I'm like, let me look at showing notes. What can we do here? I'm gonna test doing these keywords instead for this client. Done that. It's proven. Here you go. So that's kind of what I do day in, day out. I run tests, and I'm obsessed with running tests because I'm like with AI and, you know, everything that's changing with production. I'm like, okay. It's if you can jump on the bandwagon at some stage, it may as well be now. Amy
Yes. It's a whole another thing you have to figure out along the way for sure. Yeah. It's an interesting thing to delegate. It's like you you know what you want, and then you're able to give it to someone. You're not just offloading it without figuring out how you want it done first. I think that's a really good way to do things. Ginni
Yeah. Exactly. Amy
So outside of interviewing awesome people, what's your favorite thing about podcasting? I guess more on the back end. What's your favorite thing about it? Ginni
I just love I I love learning, Amy, and that sounds really weird. You mean No. Amy
Not at all. Ginni
I I just I love learning new ways about I I like being invited or like being shown new ways of thinking. And this goes back to what we were talking about before where I feel that nowadays thinking can be so, siloed in certain ways. And when we we kind of jump to conclusions when we don't know how to react to someone. Right? And I get sometimes those reactions are valid, not invalidating that, but I think we've lost that touch of how do I understand where this person is coming from because that's not being demonstrated. All we see is this polarity of you don't agree with me, therefore I'm against you. Like, why can't we just make this an NBA game? Not that life is a game, but like, I can, you know what I'm saying? Like, can't we adopt that same, Amy
Like the rules, the societal rules that go with being in a sporting event, for sure. I get that. Ginni
I think like, it's like you have permission to disagree with me and, you know, you have the safety of knowing that I'm not going to vilify you or invalidate you for that. So, again, you know, wanting to elevate voices also does come with a consequence. Right? The freedoms that that comes with it, it it's all these different things, but I think podcasting definitely has has the ability to be a vehicle to learn how to ask questions to get curious and to really be able to really hear someone in in a way that you probably and be open to a way of thinking that you probably wouldn't have had before. So that's what I really love about podcasting. Amy
Oh, I love that too. I mean, to to feed your curiosity, that's partly why I do it as well. And you're right. I would rather people be curious about the other opinion rather than be just close minded to it. Ginni
Yeah. It's like, well, why do you think that? What what what what are you scared of in that consequence? Like, understand that about them. It's like, okay. You don't have to agree with them. No one's saying that you just because you understand that, that you agree with them, but just understand why they think that way. Let's connect with that. And, you know, if all else fails, ask them if they love their mother, if not ask them, if they love food, what are those two things you're going to get a yes and something to connect on? Amy
Those are I like that. That's really good, simple things. That's perfect. I love that. It's good. So one more big piece of advice. What advice do you have for the next generation of women leaders? Ginni
Don't be afraid to say no. I know we're in a world and and a culture, especially digitally, where it's like, say yes. It's all positive reinforcement. Yeses are necessary. Yeses are what gets you to trial things. Yeses give you opportunities. Yeses get you in the right rooms with the right people who help you build your business. I get the yeses. But, also, don't be afraid to say no because if something isn't feeling right, chances are it's not right for you. I think we're we also ignore our gut a lot as female leaders, right, because we have that fear of I'm not gonna get this opportunity again, you know, going back to high school or or elementary school if you weren't picked for the team. You you relive those experiences in entrepreneurship. That doesn't change unfortunately entrepreneurship is like therapy it's like a it's like a playground and you perhaps do need a therapist outside of that as well but it things that you life is like a playground right and entrepreneurship is no different so don't be afraid to say no and don't be afraid to ask questions, rather than accept things as they are. Because, you know, I found with reasonable people that you work with, if you ask questions, if you agree to certain things and you say no to certain things, reasonable people will be reasonable with you. Right? Unreasonable people will be unreasonable with you. It's just setting boundaries, having those boundaries for yourself. That's so important. The other thing I will say is invest in yourself more so than you invest in your business. I think that's the most important thing. I wish I learned how to take care of myself before. Now I had no choice when I started to be an entrepreneur. It's like, well, you've got to take care of yourself because, you know, you have bigger responsibilities and people relying on you to make life decisions. And I don't mean that sound like I put on my cape every morning. I'm literally in my pajamas. But whatever your cape is, like, that is so important that you invest in yourself and not feel guilty about it because you need that for yourself and for your business. Amy
Well, we all need it. If you have to show up every day, you have to be able to show up every day, and that requires taking care of yourself. So that absolutely makes sense. But we don't do it. Women, especially, we do we're last on the list of what all the things that we're doing, and it's a hard thing to change. Ginni
Yeah. A hundred percent. A hundred percent, Amy. Amy
I love when you say ask questions. I'm a huge question asker, question asker. It has I no. I wouldn't say it's gotten me in trouble. I don't I don't say that anymore. I probably used to, though. I think now what it does is it gives me information because how people react to me asking question tells me a lot about them and if I want to have a relationship with them or be in business with them. Because if they think that makes me difficult, then that's a big red flag for me. Or are they interested in having a conversation about my questions and don't see it as threatening? Ginni
Now let me ask you a question on that. Amy
Wait a second. I didn't agree to that. Ginni
When you ask someone a question, what do you observe, Amy? Do you observe their body language and response to that question, or do you more so take in their verbal response or Amy
both? Probably both. I mean, sometimes so my first career was in automotive, so highly male dominated. So you can sort of for me and it was, you know, twenty five years ago. So there's a different culture and scenario that I was working within. But being dismissed is something you can easily pick up on very quickly. When you try and ask a question or, you know, it's like they make you feel badly for not knowing the answer if you're new because I would have been new at that point. And or someone says, oh, you can if someone guides you, oh, you can find that there. This is where you could you know, how do they respond to me asking questions? Is it is it an annoyance? Is it something they see as curiosity or willing to grow? You know, those kinds of things. And it takes a long time to figure it out because sometimes you think, oh, that was a dumb question. I shouldn't have asked that in that space. That was wrong of me. It takes you a long time to get the point to say no. I should be able to ask any question that I want within reason, politely, all of the things, obviously, but it's okay to ask questions. I totally agree with you. It's okay. And but it takes a long time to get used to doing it because you get so many different responses. So you have to be able to react to so many different responses. It's not just yes, no. It's it's varied. Ginni
Yeah. Yeah, absolutely. I think it's, also you do learn a lot about when you ask people questions, because if people stew on it, I can't believe you asked me that question. It's like, I was curious. Amy
You're just want to know. Ginni
You're clearly still hung up about it. Yeah. I find it interesting, Amy, when you do ask people questions, what they're more upset about? The fact that are they upset about the fact that you were thinking something to ask that question, or are they reading into what you might be presuming to inspire asking that question? And some people are just offended that you questioned that in the first place. So it's I just find that all fascinating, the reactions to questions sometimes. Amy
I do too. I'm always like, why are you giving me a hard time for asking a question? But I've run into it a lot, and it's, it's interesting. But, you know, you get to pass that knowledge on like you are, and I think that that's also very important because, you know, there's all kinds of problems in the world. If we can mitigate some of them for female leaders, we might as well try. Ginni
I think George has come to join in. Wow. Amy
Oh, yay. Ginni
Well, you wanna join in? He's he's such a diva. God. Amy
Hi, George. George. Okay. We love when cats join. So before we go, I wanna ask you sort of what's next for you personally, professionally, or creatively? Ginni
I think professionally for me, Amy, I'm really thinking about, okay, what is this next phase of Ginny Media? Because it's a rapidly changing world there with AI, and and you I was just thinking, okay. How can I really level up Gini Media and still make it in alignment with how I started it? Because I love what I do every day. You obviously have to to be tier to want to run a business. But I'm really thinking about, could I integrate things more? Like, could I integrate the studio more into to what I do? And I'm also really looking at my relationships. Like, who are really the relationships in my life, business or personal, that are bringing a player value to me, and how can I be a player value to them? You could just meet one person, and all of a sudden, you look at things differently and, you know, you think of a business idea. So that's what I'm that's what I'm leaning into too and kind of, you know, I'm married now, and there's more priorities. And Amy
You have a cat that is very high needs. I mean, that's high priority. Ginni
He's very high priority and high needs. Yeah. He's he's such a ham. But, it's just those things, like, you know, you I wanna make sure that I'm present for for my family too. So that that's kind of where I've gotta really say no to some things to do that. I've gotta really be disciplined, and I've really gotta take care of myself in order to do that too. Amy
So you're taking all your own advice and applying it. That rarely happens, so good for you. Ginni
Thank you. I'm I'm trying. I am trying. Amy
That's all we can do, really. Well, thank you so much for taking the time. This has been so much fun, and I look forward to season what number is it? I didn't even ask, I don't think. Gosh. I'd I've been Season lots season lots of of the Ginny show. And so we'll we all will look forward to learning along with you. So thank you so much for taking the time today. Ginni
Thank you so much for having me, Amy, and thank you for putting up with these little ones. Amy
We love the cats. Always. Miss. They're always welcome. Like Ginni
He just wants to be on a podcast. I'm like, I can't produce your podcast, George. I don't do that for family. Amy
That's right. No. You know, that might be your next idea, the cat podcast. I think that could be something. Ginni
That'd be great. Oh, thank you, MC. Amy
See? Collaboration already. Ginni
Amazing. Amy
Voices of Leadership is part of the Bespoke Productions Hub network of independent podcasters. If you are interested in partnering with us as a sponsor or if you have a podcast of your own, please visit bespoke productions hub dot com for more information. This episode is hosted, produced, and edited by me, Amy Schluter. 
