Don't Hide Your Light Under A Bushel!

This is an archived page from 2019. Find out more

**(By Emily Prokop) **I’m just a mom. I’m just an author. I’ve only been podcasting for three years. I’ve only written one book. If you think about those sentences, you might have in your head that I don’t think very highly of myself when I choose to use the words “just” and “only.”

I edit podcasts for others — mostly women. Strong, beautiful, amazing, passionate women. Nothing makes me click the mouse faster to edit their interviews like when I hear those two words when guests are listing their accomplishments or talking about who they are.

I don’t mean “just” as in “recently” or “only” as in “singular." I mean them in a way that downplays the amazing things these women have done.

“I’m JUST a mom.” (Oh, no, you wear those peanut butter and jelly stained T-shirts with pride, mama! You created life and you’re helping them grow into fully-functioning adults! That’s a HUGE accomplishment!)

“I ONLY wrote one book.” (That’s one more book than a lot of other people! Wow!)

“I JUST have a bachelor’s degree.” (That was a lot of work! Be proud of that!)

“I’ve ONLY been podcasting three years.” (That’s fantastic! There are lots of people who haven’t started yet who wish they had started three years ago!)

I started noticing these words when I would edit for clients after reading the Business Insider post from Ellen Petry Leanse telling women to stop using the word “just” in work correspondence.

Although I wouldn’t go so far to say that using “just” and “only” damages your credibility as Petry Leanse does, I will say that taking out those words (and trying not to say them, myself) makes our accomplishments sparkle like the milestones and accolades they are.

“I’m a mom! I wrote a book! I have a bachelor’s degree! I’ve been podcasting three years!”

Maybe we add “just” and “only” out of a sense of modesty. We don’t want to sound like a show off, right? But if you’re a guest on a podcast, there’s probably a reason: You are bringing VALUE to the audience, as well as the host. Own it!

I promise, when I edit out those “justs” and “onlys,” no podcaster or guest has ever sounded cocky or full of themselves. They sound confident. They sound like an authority. They sound like someone I am excited to listen to for the next 30-40 minutes of the interview. And no client has ever asked me to put them back in. In fact, a lot of the times, I don’t think they notice those are cut. But they do notice they sound just a bit sharper, as if I adjusted a camera lense to put them and their accomplishments just a bit more in focus.

I’ve even heard from clients that their guests couldn’t put their finger on it, but they enjoyed how they sounded on shows I’ve edited over even their own shows. And all I did was remove those moments when they weren’t so sure of themselves.

Oh, and if you think I’m the only editor to do this, I’ve gotten to know a bunch of other wonderful female podcaster editors who I bonded with because we all noticed the “justs” and “onlys” in the shows we edit (and we remove them). We call ourselves the “Just Busters” for this exact reason.

So, podcasters of any gender, I implore you, own who you are! Don’t be modest when you talk about things you’ve legitimately done or accomplished. Podcasting is about sharing yourself and your gifts with the world. There is nothing insignificant about that at all.

Emily Prokop’s company is E Podcast Productions and she can be reached at emily@epodcastproductions.com. Listen to her podcast at TheStoryBehindPodcast.com.

Comments:

Dawn Davis - Jan 5, 2019

Emily! I love this article. I host & produce a podcast focused on women who live in the desert and I can’t tell you how many times I’ve reached out to someone to ask them to come on and their response is, “I don’t really think I have anything interesting to offer.” What?! And sometimes, when they do come on, I mirror that response back to them and we get to bring this subject to light and have a deeper conversation about it which I think is so important. Thank you!

This is a phenomenal observation, and spot-on. I hear few guys do this. If anything, guys seem more prone to hyperbole when discussing their accomplishments. A common truth, however, is that some of the most interesting stories come from people modest about their own achievements. That is, if you can find them, hiding under that basket!