In the Business of Change – Elisa Birnbaum
Elisa reached out to the Blubrry team to be podcaster of the month, a true example of being a businesswoman. Advocating for her podcast and overall business, SEE Change Magazine.
Thanks to Elisa for joining us this month.
Tell us about yourself!
I’m a lawyer by trade, but for the past 20 years I’ve been working as a freelance journalist and writer with a particular niche in social impact. I’ve been the publisher and editor of SEE Change Magazine, a digital publication of social entrepreneurship, for over 10 years and I’ve been hosting the podcast In The Business of Change for the past two years. I also had a book published by the same name (available everywhere in audiobook and print format), that profiles social entrepreneurs around the world. Aside from that, I’m a proud Canadian living in Toronto.
What inspired you to do your own podcast?
Isn’t everyone doing a podcast today? It just seemed a logical extension of our work with the magazine – to be speaking with social entrepreneurs one-on-one, to hear their stories firsthand and to learn about the issues that they’re tackling in communities across the globe. It just made sense. And having the opportunity to chat with inspirational people on a regular basis has been incredibly rewarding for me personally and professionally. Listeners not only get a chance to listen to their incredible stories, they get to learn from their ups and downs, which can prove valuable should they ever be inspired to start their own social-purpose endeavor.
How do you prepare for an episode?
A lot of research. I make sure I know the particular area the social entrepreneur is practicing in, their impact, the challenges they face, any recent media coverage, accolades, interesting tidbits that I can bring up to ensure we provide a fresh and hopefully thought-provoking discussion.
What advice do you have for someone just starting out?
It goes back to the question above: Do your research. The best interviews I have had, and that I have listened to, are the ones where the interviewer knows what they’re talking about and can bring up facts/figures and tidbits to engage the interviewee and impress upon them your interest in their work. Next and most importantly, be a good listener, don’t interrupt, ask follow-ups. Show you care. An interviewee will respond in kind. And that will give your interview/podcast a leg up from the rest. Care about what you’re talking about, care about what you’re doing and why. Listeners will appreciate that, too.
Connect with Elisa…
Thanks Elisa for joining us this month. Look out for more of these corresponding to our monthly newsletter. If you’d like to suggest topics, feel free!