315 Kate Cherichello - Creating Safe Spaces & Spreading the Good News

[0:00:00] Harry Duran: Kate Cherichello, performer, fitness professional, and host of the Be Good with Kate's podcast. Thank you for joining me on Podcast Junkies.

[0:00:06] Kate Cherichello: Hey, Harry, thanks so much. I'm happy to be here.

[0:00:09] Harry Duran: I was looking at your swing video on YouTube prior to jumping on the call.

[0:00:14] Kate Cherichello: It's always funny what people come across when they search because there is definitely a history between singing, dancing, the hosting, and fitness. It's all there somewhere.

[0:00:24] Harry Duran: So it seems like the fitness has been a big part of your life from looking at some of the stuff that you were doing online. Is that something you resonated with, like early on? Is that something that's always been important for you?

[0:00:36] Kate Cherichello: It's funny. Growing up I was big into dance and soccer and just very active in general. So I remember thinking at some point, duran I guess it'd be like middle school years. It was the first time I ever really thought about a gym, just in general. That it ever really came up to be in my mind and thought, wow, that would really stink if that's where you had to go to get your exercise. I just clearly remember that thought and it was just the irony of years later I become a fitness professional and I start teaching and training. Yes, I've always been active, but no, not in the fitness specific kind of world that actually came about during college, knowing that I was going to become a performer and move to New York City and kind of go that trajectory. What I had always been told was, oh, when you're an actor in New York, you're also a waiter. That was just kind of this was before we had message boards and internet and all of that. So it really was like, okay, I should become a server and get that experience. So I did in high school, that was my side job. And then when I got to college, that was my introduction to the fitness industry. A big fitness complex opened on Butler University's campus right when I got there. And long story short, I ended up getting certified in pilates and spin and then kind of everything from there.

[0:01:53] Harry Duran: And you grew up in Jersey?

[0:01:55] Kate Cherichello: Yeah.

[0:01:55] Harry Duran: Okay. And you live in New York City now?

[0:01:58] Kate Cherichello: Yeah. I'm right in midtown.

[0:01:59] Harry Duran: Okay. I grew up in Yonkers.

[0:02:02] Kate Cherichello: Right up the road.

[0:02:03] Harry Duran: Yeah, right up the road. And I've lived in a city, I'm in Minneapolis now. It's a long story, but cold one too. A cold one too. But yeah, I grew up in Yonkers and as soon as I could moved into the city after college, I've lived on the Upper East Side, East Village, and Brooklyn as well. So that's sort of my heart home will always be New York City.

[0:02:23] Kate Cherichello: Yes. And I've been in Hell's Kitchen the whole time for twelve years, but most people, I feel like it's getting through all the different neighborhoods, which is a great way to explore. And it's an amazing city. Crazy, but amazing.

[0:02:36] Harry Duran: And I understand you have some pretty good wine bar recommendations as well.

[0:02:39] Kate Cherichello: Always can give you the wine bar recommendations. I mean, Al's Kitchen more keep opening, and it's great and it's neat, too. Just as a little aside, in New York City, I think a lot of people, especially who don't live here, think of it as very cold. You don't know your neighbors and all of those stories. But honestly, when you start to go to these small little restaurants, even if it's like once a month or once every other month, you really do start to know the owners or the other people. So it helps create community as something like a random side effect of learning about the different businesses around.

[0:03:12] Harry Duran: I was there for 911, and that was obviously a major experience. And what was fascinating, I was living in the East Village and the day after. It's a very dramatic experience for the city, but it was interesting. You felt like a small town feel, like people were, like, walking on the streets and they're like, oh, how are you doing? How's it going? And it was just rare as a New York City native, you know, that you could be on a New York City subway with, like 100 people and no one's making eye contact. So it's really interesting, people just doing their own thing. But it was an interesting time and special time during those few months. It just kind of brought everyone closer and kind of alluded to a little bit of that little town feel that you get or small city feel sometimes. And I do miss that experience because it really brings everyone closer together. But New York is a special place, I think. It's not for everyone. And the energy is really interesting. It's a lot for some people, and I know sometimes still when I get out of the taxi in downtown New York City, I love the buzz you just feel the energy of the city is alive, but for some people it's overwhelming. They're just like, oh, get me out of here as quick as possible.

[0:04:22] Harry Duran: Yeah.

[0:04:22] Kate Cherichello: And I don't know about you when you were living here, but I know with living, especially in Midtown, I love living here. I love the convenience of being able to walk everywhere, but I need to leave. My parents are in western New Jersey where it's really quiet. So I take any excuse to go out there and visit, or my in laws are Rhode Island, and it's just like, yes, I will hop on a train and go out at any time. Because I think it's also important to leave to then want to come back again.

[0:04:46] Harry Duran: Yes. And prior to Minneapolis, I lived in La for four years, so I got a taste of that coast, and I got to enjoy that weather for a bit as well. It's a different big city vibe it's funny because it's New York City and it's La. But thankfully I had my business and was working from home in La. So I didn't have to deal with the traffic. But it's at least 45 minutes to get anywhere.

[0:05:07] Kate Cherichello: I always hear, right, 45 minutes is somewhere that's like 2 miles away, right?

[0:05:11] Harry Duran: Yeah. In the city sometimes, too, if you're in a cab and it's traffic, I imagine.

[0:05:15] Kate Cherichello: And that's why, too, I'll always just walk. It might be 45 minutes to walk, but I choose that over having to check to a subway or a taxi or something like that.

[0:05:25] Harry Duran: So what was your experience like during COVID Because I heard a lot of stories. One of my best friends still lives in there, and I saw the stuff on the video and I obviously have been back a couple of times. But how was it as you're leading up to it, experiencing it, and then the couple of years after, because even here in Minneapolis, which was ground zero for the George Floyd riots as well, and COVID, that one two punch was basically me in lockdown. I didn't know anything about this city for like until 2022 because we just didn't get out.

[0:05:51] Kate Cherichello: Had you moved there pretty much at.

[0:05:53] Harry Duran: The start of COVID 2019. Kate at end of 2019, yeah. So I was like, oh, okay, I'm going to discover the city. And then, no, not for two years.

[0:06:00] Kate Cherichello: Yeah, it was very odd here. And I'm sure you heard from your friend and just visiting, too. I mean, leading up to COVID, I had just come back from being on tour with Jersey Boys and being on the opposite coast, and just came back. And then we hit winter. And then right after winter, or not even right after winter, we go into this. And there were people that didn't leave their apartments. And that was the thing I couldn't understand because to me, and again, this ties in fitness, but also just like my personality as a whole, I need to be outside, I need to be moving. And having that to just escape was so needed for me. And I think people got so scared that I would hear stories of people just not leaving. I was like, wow. The number one thing I had to do was exit my apartment. Now, this didn't mean I was seeing anyone, but I would go and just walk on these empty roads. And it was crazy. You think of midtown Manhattan being empty. And it was my husband's a big runner, and he did a long training run and he ran up, I think it was 11th Avenue, which, if you've ever driven in New York, you know the gridlock on 11th at Lincoln Tunnel and all of that.

[0:07:09] Harry Duran: Yeah.

[0:07:09] Kate Cherichello: Ran all the way up to Harlem, ran across 125th street. Not on the sidewalk, on the street itself. Ran down, I think it was park, and then came back via the 40s, which is just like all of these streets that are normally so jam packed, you couldn't even imagine being on the street. And the sidewalks themselves are usually so busy. So it was a very odd quiet. It was nice in some ways for as terrible a time, it was right to be able to actually move around without running into people. But very eerie. We live right by the Hudson River Greenway, which is this beautiful area that a lot of tourists don't realize is there. And it is just flowers and greenery and the piers on the Hudson River. So that was a saving grace during the Pandemic because it was kind of the only place we could go. And every day it was just like getting outside, no matter what the weather, moving the body, getting the air, and then going back in. So that was a big marker for us during the Pandemic. Another thing, it becomes a joke in a lot of conversation, but you know you're married to the right person or you really love your roommates or you're good with your family, go through the Pandemic and we're in 630. We were there all day, every day, and we still love each other, so that's a great sign. So there's that aspect.

[0:08:23] Kate Cherichello: And then there was when things started to come back to life a bit. A lot of empty storefronts and Times Square just with garbage everywhere. And it was like videos that you'd see from the 90s or the 80s, but now, today, things like that. And then, of course, there was the day where there was all the looting that happened, the riots and walking down Broadway after that was this. You probably had similar after everything that happened in Minneapolis was just like everybody cleaning up their storefronts that had glass smashed and boarding up the giant Macy's on 34th street. Just these sites that really do feel like a movie or a TV show or something like that, but we're real and really happening. And then, I mean, I could go on and on about details, but then moving forward to see the life come back. But the media still depicts it. I feel like often as this, oh, New York is still a wasteland, or it's still scary. And honestly, there's people everywhere. We're back to the Broadway theaters being filled. We're back to having to push through tourists to get anywhere. So it's really I don't know the economics of exactly where it's at, comparatively speaking, but it definitely feels like the life again.

[0:09:36] Harry Duran: Yeah, it's so interesting. And there's all these discussions about all this residential I mean, all this commercial real estate downtown and how dynamic of used to think, like, oh, there's no way certain companies can work remotely. Companies would say like, no, that's impossible. And then when you're forced into this experiment, and then you're like, oh, yeah, you can do it. And there's a lot of people that are just not ready to go back or will never go back into an office again. And when you think about a city that lives especially like a downtown area like Manhattan and I used to work on 57th street when my corporate days, I used to work on Water Street downtown. So I did the commute. And so I remember the influx of people that would just come in from all the boroughs and just make their way into downtown and all those high rise buildings and just imagining what those challenges are like. And then obviously people are talking about well, let's make it into housing and it's expensive real estate. So I don't know what that looks like, but it speaks to the resiliency of New Yorkers as well, I think just always can bounce back.

[0:10:35] Kate Cherichello: It is true. It is true. And it's funny to see too, some of the companies that are like we want you in the office one to two days a week and the only reason is because they have all this corporate real estate. There is so much to be said about having a community around you and not being all by yourself at home sometimes and things like that. But I teach in corporate fitness. So the murmurings I am hearing are people are really liking the hybrid idea of they have their days at home and they really like working from home. But those couple of days to be in that office environment are seeming to be beneficial as well.

[0:11:07] Harry Duran: So having had fitness and movement as part of your life for most of your adult life, can you speak to maybe the importance of if you've experienced what happens when you don't have it or how benefits been even from a mental health perspective? Because that's something I've been noticing recently as well in terms of conversations with my partner or just personal experience.

[0:11:31] Kate Cherichello: Yeah, absolutely. The mental health I feel like is I want to say the biggest aspect. But then you could argue that you need the physical health to then have that balance. And it really is I always stress it's whole health, right? It's never just about one thing. It's never about how many minutes were you in the gym or exactly what you ate. It's like looking at the whole picture and it all feeds into the other aspects. Everything's intertwined. When we are outside and moving our body, our spirits are lifted. I mean, studies have proven that so many times similar to when we're talking to other human beings, right? Having that social health lifts us up and there's so much I mean the research is so fascinating too, when you look at the hormones and that boosts your energy levels and your happy hormones and all of that. And again, how all of the physical health, the social health, mental health, it's all interleased and it all makes a difference. And any of my fitness accounts, my biggest thing is hashtag every bitcounts. And that's what I always talk to my clients about. And I've really loved working.

[0:12:33] Kate Cherichello: I mean, I always love the motivation factor of group fitness and having those big groups and everybody feeds off one another. But now I've also in recent years, doing a lot of health coaching clients. And what's so neat about that is it goes beyond like, you're there beyond that one time a week in the gym, you're getting to talk to them about, well, why is it that you feel this way? And how can we get you to move your body? Or what is it that we don't know about food that could be really helpful to know? And I think one of the most interesting aspects of all of that is how it's those small steps that really do boost physical and mental well being as a whole. And it doesn't have to be an hour in the gym and I have to eat only these five foods and X, Y, and Z, and check every box. It's that can I, if I'm in a suburb park further away every time, so I get those extra steps, it's can I take a walk outside in the morning or can I go through a breathing routine at night? Seven minutes here, three minutes there. And learning maybe five new things about nutrition that might make a huge difference just in how you even are mindful about what we put in our bodies. So there's so much to it, but people get overwhelmed. But it really is taking a few things and a few steps that really make such a big difference.

[0:13:55] Harry Duran: Yeah, that's helpful advice. Can you tell a story of someone you coached or someone you've worked with? And you can change the names, obviously, to protect folks privacy, but is there something that stands out for you in terms of a transformation? Obviously, because you see people at where they're at, where they're struggling, what they're having challenges with, and what they need help with. They start working with you, or are you still doing some coaching with them? And you can see over time how that's transformed their lives.

[0:14:21] Kate Cherichello: My gosh, I feel like 25 stories just like, flew into my brain all.

[0:14:24] Harry Duran: Of a few times.

[0:14:27] Kate Cherichello: I'll give you two short mini ones real quick. One is someone I love dearly and have known forever. And she's in that in her sixty s and gone through slowing down metabolism and all of that. And she's finally at a point in her life of, I need to do something for myself. Because she's one of those people always there for other people. And she always has been her whole life. That's just her personality. And she's all love. And to kind of see her get open to ways that she can really take health in her own hands and that she doesn't have to end up on a bunch of medications or end up like other family members did because they weren't conscious of it. And just, we would have a phone call each week, 20 minutes, 30 minutes, just to talk over things. And that's all it needed because it was just like that. She would ask questions, I would talk about experiences, and that mix of that back and forth conversation, and it really was constant conversation. Each week was just so eye opening. And just to see someone take hold of all of this and digest it in a different way. And she realized that she likes intermittent fasting, and that's great.

[0:15:37] Kate Cherichello: And again, just to show there's no one size fits all, that totally doesn't work for me, but I know it works for a lot of people. So I was fully supportive. And she realized, oh my gosh, this is making all the difference. And even just taking out the processed food from her kitchen and putting in other foods was all the change that she needed there. And just to see giant results from those, like, I'm going to take X, Y, and Z and make that happen this year. And that's what she did. And it's consistency. And I said it would be short, so I'll leave it there. But that's been so what I love.

[0:16:09] Harry Duran: About that specific example is how you mentioned breaking patterns, whether it's family patterns, whether it's generational patterns, and also being like a role model. And if she's in her sixty S, and it could be something generational where I grew up on Lucky Charms like crazy. The stuff that I put in my body, the McDonald's Happy Meals, I'm surprised. Sometimes the body is resilient. That just shows you how resilient the human body is. And then if you imagine that it can function on that, imagine if you were just like, put the good stuff in there, how much better it would be. And that's just kind of a learning process. But I think for folks of her age as well, it's just like they didn't know any better. And it's also like, how can you compete against a marketing machine that milk? It does the body good. I just remember these taglines beef. It's what's for dinner, literally. I know all the commercials and the jingles from all the crappy food. It's just programmed into you. And so I think showing that even at that age she can make a transformation there's, that people in her immediate circle that start to see that and are influenced by that as well, which I love 100%.

[0:17:17] Kate Cherichello: I mean, that's you're hitting the nail in the head. Absolutely. And just being awoken to sounds so deep. But I'm just like getting the knowledge of that we should read labels and the difference that that makes of just people go, oh my gosh, this is in. I can't pronounce this. What is this? Why is this in what I'm eating? Exactly. That's the problem. And there's so much of that, and it gets me infuriated but on the flip side, I get so excited when I see people do start to do this and consciously say, okay, even if the front of the box says great for kids, or 70% less, fill in the blank. Right? It's like, no, read the back. I mean, how many kids snacks are just pumped with sugar? I mean, even the first ingredient sugar.

[0:18:05] Harry Duran: Yeah. Or that Hines just made a deal with some school board and they're going to provide snackables as the lunch for kids. It's like if there was ever a reason to homeschool your kids, that would be like, number one, you send them over there. The education they're getting, who knows nowadays if it's even viable for this world that we live in. And then on top of that, they're not even being given proper nutrition. It's crazy because back my day was probably just grilled cheese and hot dogs, which compared to what they're serving now is probably better, but it wasn't good. But it's still, like, compared to thinking about Hines snackables, like, these little things in these plastic containers. Man, that's sad and depressing.

[0:18:47] Kate Cherichello: And it's like even growing up to your point, my mom was very much a cook, and she would make these great dinners and all of that, but we didn't have that knowledge back then that oh, yeah, but you're giving me a lunchable to take to school. It's not that she was like, have it because it's quick and cheap. It was just have it because it looks good and you enjoy it because we didn't have that knowledge. And having the McDonald's, well, it's a quote, unquote. I say treat on the way to rehearsal, but really it's like I wonder why I had stomachaches every morning, like in 7th and 8th grade. And I think about my diet at the time. I had pancakes every morning in 7th and 8th grade, I remember. And I had a ton of McDonald's and like bagels with cream cheese. And the second all that stuff got out of my diet, all those other issues stopped. And I think today there's a lot more awareness around this, but it's just there's such a long way to go still.

[0:19:45] Harry Duran: Now you got me thinking of everything. Bagel with cream cheese.

[0:19:48] Kate Cherichello: Sorry, we're making up very hungry.

[0:19:50] Harry Duran: What's? A New York thing. I do miss the bagel.

[0:19:53] Kate Cherichello: Yeah. And there's so many healthier alternatives to the same vibe of food that are available that always have been, but now even more so are available. That's another aspect I know that I love. Working in the fitness world is just like, again, seeing people realize these alternatives to Happy Meals or the giant New York size bagel or all of that.

[0:20:15] Harry Duran: Yeah. Or understanding what you're signing up for. For the most part, my partner are gluten free. So gluten free bread and pizza is not really meant to be gluten free. Sorry. But as a New Yorker, I'm just like that's the one thing where it's like, okay, it's got to be like regular pizza and then a bagel, too, obviously, but you have to know what you're in for. We take glutense if we take it, so that helps with digestion, but it's just like a once every couple of months thing and you know what you're signing up for, you're not making it part of it, like your regular life. So I think it's important to educate yourself and know what you're putting in your body as well.

[0:20:50] Kate Cherichello: Yeah. And not to beat yourself up if you decide to get the fettuccine alfredo at the restaurant one night. Because if you're not having that every single day, then enjoy the treat, but really enjoy it if you're going to choose it. Because especially I see people beat themselves up like, oh, I shouldn't again, quotes I'm using, it shouldn't do this or you shouldn't have that, but it's like, no, if you want the New York pizza, fully enjoy it. And it's that once in a blue moon. And we need a balance because if we're too extreme, nothing's going to work.

[0:21:21] Harry Duran: Yeah. Did you have a second story you wanted to share as well?

[0:21:24] Kate Cherichello: Oh, yeah, just another person that I had a long standing class at one of the corporate gyms that was at 06:00 A.m. Each Tuesday and Thursday, and it was all men, and they were the most intense batch of humans I have ever trained. And I loved it. It was so fun for me because I'll just throw anything at them. And one day this woman walked in and she was probably like late forty s at the time, and she looked really nervous and she stood in the back and first of all, that she walked in that door with all these intense men at 06:00 A.m.. I was already really proud of her. But then she came back and that just was a whole other level. And she became the number one most loyal person at the gym every day. And she wasn't looking to become like a fitness model or to lose £50. She just wanted to be healthy for life. And she recognized that this was a lifestyle adjustment. And she's just someone that always brings a smile to my face when I think about those first days when she walked in around all these intense people and she stood in the back and did her slow squats while they were doing all this crazy stuff. And then months and months go by and she's right there with them. And it was just so fun to see why taking that step out of your comfort zone in anything in life, right. You don't know until you try.

[0:22:44] Kate Cherichello: And if you keep trying, you're going to get better no matter where you start. So I always love that story about her, too.

[0:22:50] Harry Duran: Back to the movement and the performance. You mentioned when you were in Jersey that this idea of getting into the city to do theater. Was that something that's always been a goal for you, just to perform on stage?

[0:23:03] Kate Cherichello: Yeah, and I don't know where exactly it came from, but for as far back as I could remember, I'd watch Sound of Music and Annie on repeat when I was little and just sing everywhere. And I started with a community theater when I was eight and just became in love with all of it.

[0:23:20] Harry Duran: What's your go to when people come to the city in terms of a can't miss show?

[0:23:25] Kate Cherichello: Oh, good question. Lately there's been so many coming and going, and unfortunately some good ones, too, that haven't stayed around. But depending on the demographic and the makeup of who's coming in, you know, to recommend Wicked or Hamilton because they're classics for a reason. I mean, Six is just a great time on Broadway. It's so much fun. There's so many? Six. Is the Henry VIII six wives? It's basically a rock concert, and it got a ton of press leading up to it and ton of social media following. And Gen Z really took it and fell in love with it. Very catchy music. I mean, my husband, who's not a performer in any way, shape or form, can't stop singing those songs. It's just a good time. Yeah, but there's so much it's just like going to see a show. I think one of the things that draws me to theater and screen as well, but there's something about the audience, no matter where they were mentally and physically, before they walk in, you're all there having a shared experience, but you're experiencing it in such a different way.

[0:24:32] Kate Cherichello: And maybe today you really needed to laugh and you walked in there and you got to just laugh and leave your troubles behind. Maybe you really needed to think, and you get to sit down and just think or see something from a different perspective. That's something that I'm really obsessed with, is how when we see and it goes with going to a museum, it goes with watching a television show from a unique perspective. I mean, there's so much watching a documentary where you can really just see things from a different perspective, which is so important in life and our world, especially right now.

[0:25:07] Harry Duran: Yeah, that's helpful, I think, about the experience you have, like when I go to a comedy show, because we do some comedy shows here, or even some of those Cirque du Soleil shows, like in Vegas, and you're pulled into this world, and I've seen Lion King, Wicked, and so it's sort of like this immersive experience. And to your point, I think they do it so well that you're in another world for those couple of hours. And it's really helpful, I think, just in terms of separate yourself from what's happening outside sometimes and just kind of decompress. So I've heard good things about Jersey Boys as well.

[0:25:38] Kate Cherichello: I'm a. Little partial, but it's one of my all time favorites.

[0:25:42] Harry Duran: Yeah.

[0:25:43] Kate Cherichello: Do you have a lot of arts there, though, in Minneapolis?

[0:25:46] Harry Duran: Yeah, there's a couple of shows, but mostly comedy shows. We spend some time there, and then we've been to Vegas on conferences, and so we try to always catch a show when we're there as well.

[0:25:57] Kate Cherichello: Okay.

[0:25:58] Harry Duran: How is it performing on Jersey Boys as a Jersey Girl?

[0:26:04] Kate Cherichello: The funny part of that to me, I mean, it's just a little chuckle that I always had was in the entire cast, my role in Jersey Boys. I mean, when you're a girl in Jersey Boys, you play multiple roles. But my main role was someone named Lorraine, who was the only person in the cast that wasn't from New Jersey, and yet me, Kate, was the only person in the cast from New Jersey. I don't know, it made me laugh. But what was neat about performing? We did the ship tour, so we were in Canada and Mexico, California, Seattle, and people in our cast were from Scotland and Ireland and Australia and Zimbabwe and here in America. So it was a really neat experience from that regard, too.

[0:26:46] Harry Duran: Very interesting. So let's pivot a little into the world of podcast. I'm curious, when they came on your radar, did you just start as a listener?

[0:26:55] Kate Cherichello: That's a great question. So I did start as a listener. I would just going back to the walks during the height of COVID that was I went through oh, my gosh, I wonder if I counted how many podcasts I listened to. I can imagine that maybe this was you, too, just listening nonstop. They're so motivational. You can learn so much from them, and there's just an unending amount of them. So that is how I started. But then how be the Good with Kate started was I was at the point where all the news around me was just negative news, and obviously we needed to hear about it. We need to know what's going on around us. But I also needed that lift and that reminder that there are still good people working hard to make the world a better place all around us, too. So that paired with my whole industry shut down as far as the entertainment industry. So a way to keep my on camera muscles going and also bring this good news into the world, thought, let's do this show. And I started by I'll put it on YouTube. I'll make it a podcast. We'll see what happens.

[0:27:57] Kate Cherichello: And the podcast aspect has grown a lot. I still put it on YouTube. Just, again, to have that interview style, something happening, and it has brought me such a lift. I mean, how many days maybe you could speak to this too, that you just don't feel like talking to someone and you're tired, and then you hear someone's story and you're like, oh, my gosh, how neat is that? Or, what a cool perspective, right?

[0:28:21] Harry Duran: Yeah, totally.

[0:28:22] Kate Cherichello: So that really brought me just so many good vibes, so to speak, and how the initial start was going to kind of any project that you might want to start in life, right. It's just that first step is oftentimes the hardest one. And so when I knew this was going to be an interview style show, I reached out to two people. And once you send that email, you're stuck. Right? Well, if they say yes, I have to do this now because I can't leave them in the lurch. And that's how it started. They both said yes and we had a show.

[0:28:52] Harry Duran: Did you think a lot about the format or the content or what you wanted to talk about or a specific type of guest for the show in those early days?

[0:29:02] Kate Cherichello: Good question. At the beginning, I was really inspired by John Krasinski. Some good news. Did you happen to see when he did?

[0:29:09] Harry Duran: I did see that, yeah.

[0:29:11] Kate Cherichello: So I first called it Some More Good News because he had stopped and I was like, oh, it's the same vibe. And of course he had a lot of people come on and a lot more segments. I thought even if I could just get one person the way that I decided to format it, which was helpful for me to then not stress about it, because I thought if I'm going to continue this and have to think of new questions every time, it just felt overwhelming at the start. So I thought, let me get a set question format and then have them be very open ended and we'll see what happens there. And honestly, it has changed very little in the 80 some episodes because people have such amazing responses to them all. So I asked them five questions and then of course, follow ups happen to dive deeper. But people really do. You give an open ended question and people, I mean, you hear me talking right now, right? People will talk and just hearing all the different stories. And to answer the question about what type of guest, it really just started with me racking my brain on who do I know, who does what you would call good things in the world that you could talk about that are interesting, that are different. So I know someone who owns an animal shelter. I reached out to her. My acupuncturist, like, changed my world after a concussion. Reached out to her, just like all these different people. A choreographer who I know is doing a lot of projects to help others.

[0:30:37] Kate Cherichello: So it started with that, and then of course, you start to get recommendations and whatnot. And then I got featured on a podcast newsletter and then I had over 200 people reach out to me saying, I'd love to be a guest. So now we're set for a long while ahead. Yeah, but now I'm curious, can I flip this question back to you. How did you start podcast junkies then?

[0:30:58] Harry Duran: My original passion growing up in New York City was DJing. I've been a DJ. I still have my turntables now. I grew up learning on vinyl. I would go to clubs. And so that's like my at 16, I was like, I'd love DJ because I just love the ability of the DJ to control the energy of a room, which has been always fascinating for me, depending on how they play the music, in what order, and they essentially are lifting the spirits of the people, right? And then maintaining it, continuing it. And as a DJ, you see people dancing. And then when they leave the dance store, you're like, well, that song didn't work. And you're like, you got to think on your feet. So it's been always fascinating. So I was working on a mobile app in 2018 called Know Your DJ with a friend of mine to try to like about the electronic music industry. And it was almost like a mobile app, but just for electronic music, like Pandora, except for just DJs. So I had built it. And I went to a podcast conference called New Media Expo.

[0:31:51] Harry Duran: And listener is being really patient because they probably heard this story several times. But I think what's important because I'll get new listeners as well. So when I got there, Pat Flynn was speaking, amy Porterfield was speaking. And I was like, oh, this podcasting world is really interesting. And you can relate to this. I also studied acting in New York for three years, so I did that for a while. So I was familiar with Inside the Actor Studio. And what James Lipton did, which was wonderful, was have this really relaxed conversation with actors for an hour. And you're like, wow, I've never seen Bradley Cooper or whatever just relaxed and just talk about his life. So I thought about that podcast. And then someone asked something, who's a podcast junkie, I think, at the conference. And I was like, oh, that's a cool name. So kind of put all the pieces together. I came back, I shifted. I said, I'm not going to start a podcast to interview DJs because it's going to be a nightmare trying to track those guys down.

[0:32:42] Harry Duran: They're traveling the world, so let's interview podcasters. And what I thought also, I said, I don't know anyone in the space. And the best way to meet people in the space is to meet other podcast. And what better way to meet them is to have them come on the show. And then I wanted that face to face interaction because I knew the connection is more important because a lot of people were just doing audio back then. And I said, I don't want to do audio because you don't get any body reaction, body language. And so I just started looking at people who were in the space and inviting them on the show, like elsie Escobar from Lipson was like one of my first early guests. Dave Jackson School of Podcasting all the people that I was listening to in the space and over time just build up visibility in the space. I've done 310 episodes still going strong since then. And as a result of everything I learned there, I launched my podcast production agency in 2015, fullcast. And so we produce shows for clients. But it was me doing everything for a year, joining some business masterminds and realizing there's another entrepreneurial world out there of people who understand what their time is worth and don't want to do any of that. They just want to talk. And so it's a complete done for you service. And so I just kind of put those two together.

[0:33:51] Harry Duran: And then I started the second show, Vertical Farming Podcast, to see if I could get a sponsor driven show from day one, and that I proved successful because I focused on conversations with CEOs and founders. And it's called the Vertical Farming Podcast. If you Google those three words from an SEO perspective, it is what it sounds like. It's a show about vertical farming. It's the first thing that shows up in Google. And when you look at the past list of guests, people will see CEOs, CEOs, founders, CEOs. So people are seeing their peers and colleagues on the show and they're like, oh, I probably need to be on the show. And it's sponsorship driven. It's generated over 80K in sponsorship since I've launched the show. My sponsor flew me to Dubai in October because they said, we're doing a conference on indoor farming. We want you to go and interview CEOs on the site. So it's been a completely new experience in terms of visibility in two years, just because I started in 2020 the visibility of intro into that space from a thought leader perspective just by virtue of creating this platform that I then invite the who's who of that industry on. And this year I'm going to I've been to another conference already in Vegas, and then they're flying me to one in Germany for a different one. So it's been a really interesting experience, the dynamic between the two different shows. But I'm all for the power of podcast to create this essentially virtual stage and these opportunities to meet the people that you want to be connected with.

[0:35:12] Kate Cherichello: That's cool. And you said that people have heard it already. Well, on the episodes that I've listened to podcast junkie so far, that has not come up. So thank you for sharing it.

[0:35:22] Harry Duran: Yeah, well, I'm happy to come on your show and go deeper on all the specifics of it because I think it'll be inspiring for folks to hear all the different ways a podcast can be helpful.

[0:35:31] Kate Cherichello: Absolutely. That'd be great. That'd be great. There's been a lot of guests who also have podcasts, so, of course, to hear really a lot about the whole idea behind it is fantastic.

[0:35:40] Harry Duran: How have you grown as a host since starting the show?

[0:35:44] Kate Cherichello: I love that question. That's not a question anyone has asked me before, but I think about it a lot. Definitely relaxing into it more. I know at least the first, like, ten to 15 episodes. I was just so worried about forgetting things in that aspect. And also, I think there's the when you watch yourself back, we're our own worst critic, right? So I was like, oh, I'm smiling too much, I'm not smiling enough, my eyes look too close. All that just like, relaxing into it. And that has really helped. And letting myself enjoy it as well. That's another thing that I've realized over time that I was worried about talking too much on my own podcast. And I think it's because I had listened to some shows over time where there were guests that I was really interested to hear from, and the host just kept talking and talking about themselves and it was just too much. So then I was scared to do any of that. I was overcompensating and not saying anything besides asking questions, asking follow ups. Thank you.

[0:36:50] Kate Cherichello: And now there's more of a conversation happening. And of course, it depends on the guests. Some guests just have a warmer, more talkative spirit than others and there's totally benefits to both aspects. Right. I've had some episodes that have been 14 minutes and amazing, and I've had 40 1 minute episodes. So the whole range, it really has nothing to do whether someone's verbose or talks a lot or not. It's about the content and just the spirit behind it. So just letting myself say, oh, yes, that reminds me of fill in the blank and letting that conversation go has spawned such richer episodes too. So I think that's a big element.

[0:37:31] Harry Duran: Yeah, it's really important, this idea, and I've learned it over the years and it's been helpful with podcast junkies. Like, I wouldn't have been able to have the chops to start the second show had I not had the 280 plus interviews. Like conversations like this long form, hour long format. And if you continuously do it, you start to learn about the importance of pulling threads, being curious or being comfortable with silence. Like, if you'll ask a question that requires a thoughtful response, you need to give the guests enough space to answer it and also to decide what answer they want to give you. And you can see them thinking they're like, should I give Harry the stock answer or should I give Harry the real answer? And you want, as a host, you want to hear the real answer, but you want to make sure that you've created a safe space for them. What you can do in this short period of time to let them know that this is a safe space to share. And to the extent that they can be intimate and share a personal story. I love when that happens and I treasure those moments because I know it's not something that's easy for most people. And I think I honor, like, holding that space for people who have something to share that's personal. I wonder if that's happened for you. You said the 80 episodes, have you had experiences when you can tell that they've gotten a bit more personal on the show?

[0:38:50] Kate Cherichello: Oh my gosh, yes. And I'm so glad you just said what you said too, because all of that but being comfortable with silences, but letting them have space to share what they want to share, all of those are such important elements that I'm really glad you mentioned. And yes, I can think of one story. Early on I had asked this person, she started a nonprofit called Vocal Ease and I'm a part of it. It's just a volunteer thing that I do here in the city and we sing for different senior centers and places like that here in the city. But the woman behind it, I know that she had an interesting story of how she ended up starting the business and she has no social media presence or anything like that, but she has such a passion for vocal ease and helping bring joy to these senior citizens. So I asked her to be on the show and she was so nervous about it, which was interesting too, because she's someone who sings in front of all these people, but she just said, I don't know, I'm being interviewed. What? And she so many times since being interviewed has thanked me and said, I never had such a platform to share my story, nor did I think my story was that important. And yet now I feel like I have oh, how did she word it not a memoir, but like basically she was saying like, I have this recorded story that will Live on that tells about what I've done and what I'm proud of and my challenges and that was really special. Very much so.

[0:40:16] Harry Duran: Yeah, I just had my previous guest on who I just recorded, a guy named Tim Bryan, and he talked about this idea of creating content that will live on past him for his kids because he's been podcast for ten years. And it's this archival quality of having these conversations and knowing that we didn't have the luxury. I try to get my parents on tape whenever I can just to capture their voices because I realize as a podcaster it's important to have that. And older cultures would have this oral culture that keeps transmitted down by generations, but now we have the ability to actually record them. And I think podcast are more conscious of that because they have these conversations on a regular basis. And I've got content for myself going back to 2014, which is strange to think about, but also if you do have a family, like this is something that your kids and your future generations will be listening to as well, which I think is important.

[0:41:10] Kate Cherichello: That's huge. It really is huge. And also just the idea that both of our podcasts well, your multiple podcasts, it's all about there's an upbeat quality. We're not talking about like, oh, how we hate this or that or the other thing. So it's also things we want to live on.

[0:41:26] Harry Duran: One of the things we have to deal with also is the emails that come to us about like, I've got this great marketing sales guy who would be a great fit for your show. And I'm just like, I don't think you've done your research about what my show is about.

[0:41:41] Kate Cherichello: For sure.

[0:41:42] Harry Duran: I'm going to put on my coaching hat for a second here. If we were having this conversation twelve months from now, what would need to happen with your show for you to be happy with your success?

[0:41:51] Kate Cherichello: I would just want to keep increasing my audience. That's been like a number one goal because these people's stories are so inspiring and they cross generations, they cross industries. That's something that's been so eye opening for me is that someone who has a very specific industry, their story is actually so relatable across so many different industries and backgrounds. And just in addition to expanding the audience reach, this has been a labor of love. And I am at the point where I'd love to be able to make it more of an income stream for myself just as a personal goal, so that way I can start to throw even more resources into it and just keep finding new ways to get these people's stories out because they deserve it.

[0:42:38] Harry Duran: These conversations are always fascinating for me because I always have like, my marketing hat on and we start jamming about stuff. So we'll try not to get too deep into the weeds for the listener here. But I'm just curious when you think about it. And it's a show for podcasters, and from day one it's had been a show about podcasting for podcasters. So we feel free to geek out on all things podcasting, which I love. I want to do mention something that I just remembered. When you were speaking earlier, I heard the siren on and I actually smiled, which I love because it just was a reminder of New York City. And I was like, oh, that's cool. And I love leaving all that stuff and we're not going to take that out or even try to take it out. And I love when Snafus or I've had dogs jump into the guest lap while they're talking and I'm like, oh, and they're embarrassed. And I'm like, no, what's your dog's name? Because we know what happens behind the scenes. We know that our laptop is piled on like four books and like a shoebox. Or that sometimes we need to record on top of a blanket. Or sometimes we're in a closet or sometimes we're just like doing the best we can with what we have in the moment.

[0:43:35] Kate Cherichello: 100%. Oh my gosh. Yes. Right now I'm in front of a closet door because when my husband's working from home and not the office again, 630 sqft. So it's either like one person's taking over the entirety of the living space and one person's in the bedroom.

[0:43:51] Harry Duran: Yeah, totally can relate. So what are you thinking about in terms of revenue models for the show? Is it CPM? Is it sponsorships? Is it redirecting people to kind of your coaching services?

[0:44:01] Kate Cherichello: I had definitely been thinking more of the sponsorships that has been what's been most present in my mind because just the idea of affiliate links get that just doesn't seem as efficient. The CPM. I have questions. And because it's not a fitness based podcast, I do find that I feel like trying to make it. Turning people into coaching clients and things like that could be a challenge at this point, unless I start to redirect either my guests and the focus of the show or moving my coaching into doing more of like an overall life coaching. So that's why I do come back to sponsorships. Yeah. What is your experience then with well.

[0:44:41] Harry Duran: For this podcast, I'm grateful to be working with the team at Focus Right. And it's Focus Right is gear, it's microphones. They just released the new sound card, the Vocaster. And so I have a great relationship with Dan Huey, who's the rep there, and we meet at conferences and we've got to build up a good friendship. So it's just a natural fit that's got a small sponsorship. And I've done one off stuff here because it's an audience of podcasters. But I think, as I've mentioned, I've seen the most traction in direct sponsorship with the Vertical Farming podcast. But it speaks to the niche power of having a focus on what people, they know what to expect. But the other thing to think about, and this is something when we produce shows for clients, we talk about, is to talk about your stuff right away. Like you could go back on your show and say in this episode is brought to you by Kate Coaching, or something like that. Just something your own stuff. It could be anything you've produced, anything. Your newsletter, it's brought to you by my newsletter, whatever. It doesn't have to be anything very specific in terms of like a product or an offering, but something what you're doing is conditioning the listener to know that there's a sponsorship slot there. And so over time, they start to remember.

[0:45:46] Harry Duran: And a great way, a great format that I've heard is you do your intro, you do the music, you do a tease of the sometimes, you do a Cold Open, depending on how you edit your show. And then what you'll say is, okay, before we jump into this uninterrupted conversation with Kate, here are a few words from the folks that support this show. And then you have a slot there. And that slot we use, captivate for hosting. It allows for dynamic ad insertion, which makes things really easy. Most hosts are starting to build that in. But the beauty of that model is you're conditioning your listeners now to know, oh, this is the part where Kate's going to have the way you describe it, the folks that support this show, because listeners love the show and they want you to keep producing it. And you're showing to them, look, this is a labor of love, right now. This has all been like Bootstrapped or just tell your story and saying, by the way, starting next episode, you may hear this mention of an ad slot. Let me explain to you why that's important. I've been doing this show for X number of years. This is where I'm transitioning to, and I want to be able to continue to produce the show at the highest quality possible and continue to bring these guests and also look for other ways that I can expand, do video. All that requires money. And as you might imagine, I'm not a big fan of trying to solicit patronage directly from my listeners. So I'm looking to work with sponsors on this show, and that's what you'll hear.

[0:47:02] Harry Duran: So you just educate your listeners along the way and then people who you're speaking to people in all sorts of walks of life, people that work at companies, right? You never know when someone who is a guest or someone who is a regular listener works at a company and they're like, I listen to this podcast, Be the Good with Kate, and she's mentioning she does sponsorships. I was wondering maybe our company could go like advertise with her because I love the show, blah, blah, blah. So you don't never know, Kate. You just never know where the listener, where the referral, or who's listening, but you're conditioning them. I have sponsorship slots. And then as you start to have these conversations, if it is coaching, right, like we just did today, you could say, oh, I was working with this client on this nutrition aspect. What you're doing now is you're teasing out your offer in a way that's non intrusive and not saying buy now, buy now. By now you're saying, I worked with a client, and you're telling the story of a success they had, but in a way that's just relatable to people. And they hear that, but in the back of their mind, they're like, oh, she works with clients. Oh, she does coaching. And so these little things you can do to start to acclimate your audience to the fact that there's other ways they can work with you. Did you enjoy this episode? Download this one page summary of the things I spoke about with Micah Kessel, for example, and how they're living a better life. What that does then is it gives them the ability to sign up for that.

[0:48:25] Harry Duran: They can get on your email, which is one of the most important things for a podcast, or get that email list going right away and you develop that one to one communication. It's your list, it's your connection to them as much as your growing audience is on all these other platforms. Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, it's rented land go away at any time. So as much as possible, build that relationship that you have with your listeners and start to educate them and train them on what they can do. Or would you like to learn more? Here's where you can go to do that. And then in the newsletter, you can slow down the conversation. I'm glad you enjoyed this week's episode. It also gives people another way to remind them that the episode is published because a lot of people there's so much noise out there that they need to be reminded. But then at the bottom of the email you could say, when you're ready, here are a few ways I can support you. Here's some free content. On YouTube, you always lead with the free stuff. And then here's my book. Or here's my newsletter. Sign up for my free newsletter.

[0:49:23] Harry Duran: And then, oh, would you like to work with me? Here's an intro call. We can have 15 minutes intro call to see if we're a fit. So gradually. But it's all part of a system that starts to work together and you're thinking about it strategically in terms of where you want to be with the show, how you get there, and also making that list of people that you've been working with that you've mentioned, products you use, relationships you've had, you're in corporate. Like, it could be one of those companies that has a marketing budget for wellness and maybe they want to sponsor the show because they're like, this is in line with our budget for increasing availability and access to resources on wellness.

[0:50:02] Kate Cherichello: That's great. That's great. Oh, so much to delve into. I do do a weekly newsletter. Recap would be the good. So we got that part started. I'm loving the, like, putting in an ad slot, but make it me especially to start. I hadn't thought, that's great, that's great. And then at the end doing the email collection. That's awesome. I love that.

[0:50:24] Harry Duran: Yeah, I'm happy to. We can have a chat offline about brainstorming some ideas for that as well. So we're getting close to wrapping up a couple of questions. What is something you've changed your mind about recently?

[0:50:37] Kate Cherichello: I feel like I'm someone that goes through analysis of every decision. So just like pick one, right? Yeah. Okay. Well, not that recently, but it's just a good one. Dog sometime in the future too. If we have a dog now, he's perfect.

[0:50:53] Harry Duran: Dogs are special. We just lost our family dog like a month ago and I. Had a dog in my previous relationship as well, and it was a Yorkie, and I had to put him down a year and a half ago. And then I'm in a new relationship and my partner had a dog, same heart condition. It was really strange but beautiful, cocker spaniel. And she died. She's on medication, so we thought she was going to live longer, but she died suddenly. So you don't realize how big of a hole because it's just the three of us in this house. So it's always that thought about like, I think at some point there will be another dog because they're just incredible. Incredible, empathetic, holding space creatures who are capable of unconditional love in a way that you can't even imagine. And I'm sure it's something you're experiencing as well, but it's something you have to be prepared for because as much joy as they give you throughout the course of their lives, be prepared for that. Not to have you think about that already since you just got yours, but just kind of their family.

[0:51:53] Kate Cherichello: Growing up like three dogs, seeing them pass away over the years, it's something, but it's so worth it to have the time with them. They really are wonderful.

[0:52:03] Harry Duran: What's the most misunderstood thing about you?

[0:52:06] Kate Cherichello: You know what? I think honestly, it's that people see that I'm so positive and optimistic that they think that I'm like just that all the time and I can't see world for as it is if they don't know me well. I think that first impression that can happen when really it's like, no, I feel it all, but I just choose to live from an optimistic outlook, for sure.

[0:52:26] Harry Duran: Makes sense. And I always ask, okay, I love those answers. Well, Kate, I really appreciate your team reaching out and getting the schedule. I love the energy you've brought to this conversation. I'm always excited when I see like, a podcast junkies interview because essentially what I've loved about the platform is I get to speak to people who I want to speak to. Right. I always see this looks like it could be a good and fun conversation. And I think as a podcaster, you should be looking on those events on your calendar and be excited that you're about to have a conversation. If you ever start dreading, then you might have to revisit whether it's a good fit or you're inviting the right people on your show. So I always appreciate it. And as a fellow podcast host, I appreciate you co hosting with me here and bringing the energy as well, because I appreciate that as well. And I really am grateful for you sharing your story with my audience.

[0:53:15] Kate Cherichello: Well, Harry, thank you so much. And it's funny, I think at the end of some episodes, I know when I'm recording too, it's like, oh, if I feel like I want to go get a drink with this person, that's a good sign. I'm like, oh, I could go to any wine bar with you any day here.

[0:53:28] Harry Duran: Yeah, definitely. Well, I'm in the city occasionally when I'm going to visit my folks, and so I'll definitely hit you up. And I always love to meet guests in person, too. It's always fun.

[0:53:38] Kate Cherichello: Yes, it's such a neat thing. And there's so much energy there, too. But thank you also for this great energy and just the great questions you're making me think.

[0:53:46] Harry Duran: You're very welcome. Where's the best place for folks to connect with you and learn more?

[0:53:50] Kate Cherichello: Sure, you can find me@katecharicello.com, and I'm sure the spelling of that will be in the show notes and then at Positively Kate on Instagram.

[0:54:00] Harry Duran: Okay.

[0:54:00] Kate Cherichello: Positively underscore.

[0:54:01] Harry Duran: Kate and you've been gracious enough to provide all those links to us in the onboarding, so we'll make sure everything is included in the show notes as well, so the listeners shouldn't feel like they have to take copious notes as they're listening. Thanks again for your time. I really appreciate it. Kate.

[0:54:15] Kate Cherichello: Thank you, Harry.