Yesterday’s Announcement
If you listened to the podcast yesterday, we make a big announcement: at the end of March (after four years), I will be stepping down from my role as co-host. This was scary to announce (you were so supportive – THANK YOU) and it was not an easy decision. It’s extremely bittersweet. I am sad but I also know that it is 100% the right decision for me at this time in my life. I hate disappointing anyone, especially Becca (podcast biz aside she is one of my best friends), and especially our listeners, who have been with us for nearly four years now- yesterday was our 207th episode. It is hard to walk away from something successful, something that people really love, and (most importantly) something you do every week with one of your best friends.
I ultimately think that this will be a very good thing. My heart hasn’t been in it… at least not the way it was in the beginning. I kept hoping my feelings would change but they didn’t. My internal monologue was always that if I just did this one thing better or got more ahead on other projects, I would enjoy podcasting more. But at the end of the day, I realized that I was doing it more out of obligation than a love for it. (A silly thing to do, when your heart isn’t in something and you’re just going through the motions, you’re not producing good work and you’re going to be a detriment to everyone!).
It’s hard to explain but I felt spread thin in a way that those in a more traditional job might not relate to.
Not in the “working so hard” sense of the word but in the creatively burnt out kind. Influencing / blogging / podcasting isn’t hard work but it is (or it can be, if you take it seriously) a lot of work and very time consuming. You do not need to be a brainiac but you do need to be committed, and you need to be creative, organized, and scrappy. The demand to create fresh new content that is about ME and is also interesting (and unique from what is on my other platforms) can be really draining. So many platforms, each of them requiring more content.
I’ve never found the blog to be taxing or depleting in the way that Instagram and podcasting can be (again, this is how I feel, everyone is different here… for example, I know Becca much prefers podcasting as her platform). I felt out of ideas and frankly very tired of talking about myself. I went into the winter break just wanting to hibernate and not speak to anyone (which is exactly what I did for a lot of it). The funny thing is that once I talked to Becca about my feelings a huge weight was lifted and I felt creatively energized again. It was like a light switch: the fog was lifted and I could think again!
This is obvious, but podcasting is a lot of talking, and that has been my biggest problem.
(I totally realize how completely moronic this sounds. Why start a podcast if you don’t love to talk? I don’t know. When we started, I wasn’t thinking about that – it felt like a fun project with a friend and then it grew and grew and I felt like I had to keep going!) You have to be clever and quick and if you are interviewing someone, you need to be able to turn questions around very quickly. This isn’t me. I have improved at it but truthfully it’s not something I really care about improving at.
In most conversations in my personal life I tend to be the more quiet one.
I prefer it this way. I like listening, I love cozy one on one friend hangs, I like being the person friends come to for advice. And I have a great life, and wonderfully rich relationships. But I will never be the clever, laugh out loud-funny friend. I can pretend to be that person for a little bit but a lot of times it feels like acting and that is when it gets exhausting. There were a lot of episodes where I just felt totally drained after recording… like I had spent the past hour performing. I don’t want to do that anymore.
I think about what it takes to be a successful podcaster and so many of the things that it takes to have a big podcast, to make enough money to be able to live off it (we weren’t even close), and… I’m not really interested in doing those things? Personality stuff aside, things like touring (will always be grateful for the experience, wasn’t for me), developing merch (just not a merch person), getting bigger and bigger name interviews, and so on and so forth. It was not sustainable for me and is not what I want to do with my career – and that is okay! What is not okay is holding someone else back.
I really hope that by stepping back, Becca will be able to grow it into something even bigger. She has the talent for it, the extroversion that is amazing for both interviewing and touring… this is her medium. Meanwhile, I will have more time to put toward the projects that fill my cup like my blog, newsletter, and product collaborations.
My friendship with Becca is far and away the most important thing.
Sharing your friendship with the world is simultaneously awesome and awful. I don’t want to get into the awful but podcast related mean-spiritedness is WAY worse than blog/instagram. I’ve had to become really mindful about what I look at (I don’t even read the reviews anymore!). Becca remains one of my closest friends and I will always be her biggest cheerleader but to be honest, I am quite relieved to go back to an offline friendship.
I’m SO excited for the new direction. I know that some of you may be sad but there will always be plenty of me over here, in my newsletter, and on Instagram. I have been blogging for twelve years now and running this site and this community is my true passion. Meanwhile, Becca has a serious gift for podcasting AND she is bringing on a new co-host (Olivia!) who I absolutely adore and think is just going to absolutely kill it. I couldn’t have picked a better person if I tried.
When Becca and I talked about me leaving, we talked about a succession plan and Olivia was both of our top picks… I’m so glad she said yes! If you aren’t following her you must. She has been a guest before and is one of my favorite follows. She’s smart and clever and just the right kind of weird. I can’t wait to see where they take it.
I am so grateful for the past four years and this chapter of my life.
When I think back on it, there were so many exciting moments. We had the opportunity to interview Cindy Crawford and Graham Norton (they both came to my apartment!!!). And we made a ton of new friends. We talked to Elizabeth Gilbert! We went on (two!) national tours, which I will someday brag about to my nephews and niece. And so many other things. I am incredibly grateful for all of it, but I also feel relieved to be able to take “podcaster” off of my resume. Things aren’t black and white; there is a grey area (kind of like moving out of New York). You can be sad about an ending and also know that it is for the best.
So there we go. Deep breaths. Thank you for a great four years… and also: You haven’t gotten rid of me just yet: my last episode will be March 30th.
photo by Laura Saur.
Hi Grace! I’m a big podcast fan, so I’m sad to see you go. But as an introvert, I completely understand! I look forward to continuing to listen to Becca (with her new co-host) and keeping up with you on the stripe!
Congrats on making a tough decision that is the best thing for you…cheers!
I thought you articulated this tough decision so well. It’s so hard when you feel the pull to do something different but you’ll never regret leaning into your most authentic you. Wishing the best to Becca and the podcast, I love listening!
I’m not sure congratulations is the right sentiment, but I think it takes courage to make a decision like this! It’s so important to know what you want / need and to follow your gut.
As a side note – I was a latecomer to the podcast, so it was fun to hear you mention your fav interviews that I now need to go back and listen to. I LOVE Alyssa Mastromonaco’s book, and can’t believe you talked to Graham Norton(!!) in your apartment. So cool!!
While I will miss hearing you on the podcast, I am proud of you for doing a hard thing- leaving. I’m just happy we have The Stripe to come to.
So proud of you for making such a hard decision because it is what is best for you! I’ll certainly miss you but am excited to see where the podcast goes. And thankful I’ll still get to keep up with you on here and instagram.
I’m not going to lie that you will be missed. I work with numbers and sit in front of a computer all day and your podcast was something fun for me to listen to every Wednesday while I work. It was a nice mental vacation for me, but I understand if it’s too taxing and not giving back to you in ways that you would want. We all have to draw boundaries in our lives and sometimes that disappoints others. I like the two other hosts and think they will be fun, but I will miss the voice of an elder millennial/over 40 in this space. Thanks for all the hard work you put into it over the years. I read more because of your podcast, tried new things and appreciated those highs and lows every week.
As long as you stay friends with Becca, you’ve made a good choice! Olivia is funny, and I am interested in the dynamic she and Becca will have. Hopefully you’ll come back to guest a few times a year!
Congrats on making a tough decision, and doing what is right for your life. On the flip side, you stepped out of your comfort zone for four years, and co-hosted the podcast. You grew as a person individually and professionally.
Congratulations making hard decisions is, well, hard! I always appreciate vulnerability and willingness to share. Such an important lesson for all us to realize when things in our lives are not serving us and holding us back instead of pushing us forward. I will miss you so much on the pod, but happy still have the blog, newsletter, and insta!
I am SO sad to see you go but I’m proud of you for doing what’s best for you! I started the podcast summer of 2020 & you two got me through some of the worst months. I binged every episode to catch up & now it’s my mid-week treat! Thanks so much for 200+ great episodes. I can’t wait to see what Becca & Olivia have in store for the pod, and excited to see what’s next for you!
Good for you for making a tough decision that’s right for you! Thanks for sharing your thought process – it’s really generous of you to do that.
I am Team Blogs for life and neutral on podcasts. Totally get this decision and think it’s amazing that you were able to set ego aside and determine what was best for your soul. Congratulations on creating space to do what you love!
I loved hearing the episode and reading this post. It is just so refreshing to hear someone make a career decision based on what they want to do.
While I work full-time and “create” on the side, I feel so much pressure at work to advance my career. Or I did at one point. To take that next managerial step. But I like working at the level I do now. And I also like that I still have time for my hobby. I love that they are two different things and I get a creative outlet with Instagram. A lot of people can’t understand why I wouldn’t want to do it full-time, and I think you summed it up well – I could do it full time, but I wouldn’t enjoy it as much.
Thank you for sharing. I needed to read all of this at this exact point in my life. Im halfway through my career. If I don’t get energy from what I do, why would I want to invest more energy into trying to get better at it?
Good for you!! Bringing some balance into your life while retaining a dear friendship and being able to dip in as a guest should the opportunity present it self…a great decision for you! Congratulations!! And thank you for stretching outside of your comfort zone…we all benefitted. Take care of you now!
What a mature, well-reasoned and articulated decision! It’s not every day that you see an “influencer” being so reflective.
Thank you for the past 4 years of the pod, Grace! You two are my favorite internet besties. I’m looking forward to listening to Olivia and Becca together, and I hope you’ll come back to the pod in a year or something for a guest episode and I’m glad we still have your blog and Instagram (my fav blog!)
I’m sure this was a very hard decision, but we wish you the best! Between this and your Charleston move, you seem really clear on what you want for your life right now, and I think that’s awesome. Looking forward to listening to Becca and Olivia and continuing to cheer on all three of you.
Thank you for being true to yourself! So refreshing to hear how you approached this decision!
“you do need to be committed, and you need to be creative, organized, and scrappy.”
As a blogger myself, I totally agree with you, and I TOTALLY understand your feelings. I can blog all day every day but anything audio or visual is a huge challenge for me. I wish you the absolute best as you hone in on your own unique superpowers!
You will be very missed on the pod, but I also understand how the creativity well can run dry and you need to replenish. Looking forward to meeting Olivia and still looking forward to your blog and IG content. <3
I found you through your blog, and that expanded to your instagram and facebook group. While I haven’t been a religious listener of the podcast, after you mentioned the Graham Norton episode in your announcement episode, I had to go back and find it because I love him! I think it’s so incredible you got to meet him and interview him!!! I had no idea he was an author and I’m going to go find his books now. I’ll continue to enjoy dipping into the podcast, past and future episodes, and I’m excited to continue following you as one of my favorite “internet friends” here and elsewhere!
Thank you so much for sharing your decision making processes with us, Grace! It’s so great to remember that we can move away from something that seems like it’s working well when it’s no longer really serving us. Thank you for modeling that! I’ll miss listening to you and Becca (best friends chatting is my favorite podcast genre!) but am excited to keep following you both and to hear Becca and Olivia’s dynamic!
Saying no and stopping things that you chose to do on your own is so f*cking hard. congratulations on an incredible run, Grace, and on listening to yourself when your mind/body/intuition (whatever it was!) told you it was time to stop. I appreciate seeing examples of that type of behavior in people I admire (you!) across all industries. And even though I work a corporate, non-creative job, I can relate!
Congratulations!! Wow! What a hard decision this must have been. I’ve finally started to read Untamed by Glennon Doyle and you my darling just chose YOURSELF! You listened to your ‘knowing’ and that’s AMAZING!!! I hope when I’m faced with such a decision, I am as brave and strong as you. YAY GRACE!!
Grace, thank you for writing this! I have been following you for years, and through that an OG listener to the pod way back in 2018. I am sad to see you step down, and I also am excited for you and what’s next for the blog 🙂
Thank you for sharing and for continuing to share with us! Will follow you anywhere – you do what’s best for you!
You go girl! You are such an inspiration! Excited for whats to come!
I’m so grateful for you being so honest about this change, and I’m excited for you and excited for the podcast. Totally makes sense! Your post also brings up something that’s been in my mind for a while now: the need/pressure I feel like there often is to always make everything bigger and better. Like, yes I do want my yoga studio to grow and be successful as a business, but at a certain point growth becomes a whole other challenge – do we grow just for the sake of saying we did it, or is it something that we ACTUALLY want? Not every business needs to land on Shark Tank, for example. I’m not articulating this how I want to, but I’m grateful for you starting the podcast and also excited to see this new direction. Cheers to you and to BOP/Becca/Olivia!
I personally think this is PERFECTLY said. So much so that I just posted it to my instagram!!!!
Bittersweet was the perfect way to describe this news. I have listened since day one, and love your friendship with Becca. So sad that you won’t be a co-host, but started following Olivia after her episode & think she is a perfect fit. I’m so excited to learn more about her! ❤️
Enjoy the next chapter of your life. I saw you at the City Winery in Boston a few yrs ago, you looked totally at ease. Loved the show.
I love this. It’s so relatable and I’m glad you’re doing what’s right for you. Thanks for being so candid and letting us all in.
congratulations on making a tough choice that is what’s best for all! I love seeing you model the behavior that you encourage in others! You never regret a choice that puts your mental well being first—at the end of the day you’re all you’ve got!
I’m sad to see you leave the podcast, but i completely understand your decision. You have to do what’s best for you, and we love and support you for that! I look forward to keeping up with you on the blog 🙂
So well written, thanks for sharing your insight. I’ll miss hearing you on BOP but will remain a loyal follower of the podcast. I first found you Grace after hearing you as a guest on The Ali on The Run podcast! So glad I did because I became hooked both on your blog/Instagram and BOP.
Also for what it’s worth, I feel like you shouldn’t downplay your blog/influencing work as “not hard” even if you do caveat that it is lot of work. I’m sure a lot of what you do is hard.
BOP was one of the podcasts that got me into podcasts, so I will admit that I’ll miss you so much! I really appreciated listening to the perspective of someone successful in this weird online industry. I hope you’ll come back as a guest a couple of times, and I look forward to seeing (hearing?) where Becca and Olivia take it next! (And I’ll still be here reading, of course! If I had to pick one, it’d always be reading blogs!)
so proud of you for making the hard right decision. xx
Grace–I so enjoy the rapport between you and Becca and listen to every podcast (and still will!). That said, we all need to know where the seasons of our lives are steering us and if you’re feeling you are “Good on Paper” then follow that journey. It can never take away from four years of solid podcast entertainment for fans like me! Becca is wonderful and will do so well on her own, as will you! Your blog is a constant source of enjoyment and your written voice inspires me in every post. It’s all good!
This is super bittersweet! But very happy you’re making the right choice for you! I’ve followed you for years and years & listened to BOP from the very beginning. Excited to still listen & also see how both you and your blog and brand grow. <3
P.S. I know Instagram is exhausting, but your content (both posts & stories) is my fave! For what it's worth 🙂
There are few podcasts I’m loyal to and I have always loved BoP. I’ll miss your voice, but I am excited to see what direction the pod takes with Olivia! I’m glad it will continue & I can still feel like a part of a virtual book club.
Interestingly, I found you via the Podcast! I will keep listening but I’ll also keep visiting your blog – I find that I best consume your content here on the blog. Thanks for all the great episodes and for sharing your experience and thought process 🙂
Bravo to you Grace for being honest with your needs and making a big change. Your announcement and this post reminded me of Nomadic Matt’s recent big announcement: https://www.nomadicmatt.com/travel-blogs/endings/.
It’s always encouraging to see people make changes in their career and life that work for them, rather than following whatever others think is best for them.