When Creativity Meets Pressure: Podcasting's Silent Struggles

Jaayne: 00:00:20

There's something really compelling about creative work, isn't there? That buzz you get from making something, sharing your voice, connecting, putting something, you know, meaningful out there.

It's definitely why so many people are drawn to podcasting. But what about the stuff we don't always see?

The hidden struggles, the mental toll that can kind of pile up behind the mic, you know, after you hit stop record?

,: 2025

And he's incredibly open about his own journey and what he's seen. It gives us a great starting point.

Our goal here really is to unpack why this medium, which seems all about connection and reward, can sometimes become, as Dani calls it, a perfect storm for mental health issues, for the creators themselves, and maybe even more importantly, why we absolutely need to be having more open conversations about this right now. Okay, so let's start with Danny's story. It's very honest and really sets the scene.

He shares that back in early: 2019

Jamie: 00:01:32

Right. It often creeps up, doesn't it?

Jaayne: 00:01:34

Exactly. And the breaking point for him was pretty sudden. He describes this mini breakdown.

One morning, he was on his commute to his marketing job in Toronto, got to the train station and just couldn't move.

Jamie: 00:01:46

Wow.

Jaayne: 00:01:46

Yeah. Literally couldn't take another step forward. Like, his mind just shut down. So in that moment, he called his wife, Jacqueline.

And this part's important. Jacqueline had her own experiences with depression and anxiety from university.

Jamie: 00:02:00

Ah, so she understood.

Jaayne: 00:02:02

She did. She knew the best steps to take next. She actually drove him three cities away to a hospital known for its mental health program.

Jamie: 00:02:08

That's incredible support.

Jaayne: 00:02:09

Absolutely. So there he went through tests, talked with the staff, who he said were very kind, and got his diagnosis.

The plan involved involved seeing a specialist regularly, medication, taking time off work, and just resting.

Jamie: 00:02:21

And did it? Did it help?

Jaayne: 00:02:23

He says it helped immensely.

Getting that correct diagnosis, understanding the causes, which for him were stress, pure exhaustion from overwork, plus, you know, not eating well or exercising.

Jamie: 00:02:34

Usual suspects often.

Jaayne: 00:02:36

Right. That understanding allowed him to start managing it. He's clear that it's something that's always there in the background.

But now he knows the signs, knows when it's starting to rear its head, and how to handle it better. It's a powerful starting point for this whole discussion.

Jamie: 00:02:49

It really is.

And what's striking is how that experience, being pushed to the edge by stress and overwork in a, you know, corporate job, how much that mirrors the challenges many podcasters face. Maybe not in the exact same setting, but the underlying pressure. It could be so similar.

Jaayne: 00:03:09

Yeah, that's a great point.

Jamie: 00:03:10

It really makes you ask, okay, why podcasting? Why does this medium built on talking and connecting seem uniquely set up to create these struggles for creators?

Jaayne: 00:03:19

Well, Danny digs right into that, shifting from his personal breakdown to his professional life. He's been podcasting for over 10 years, and he highlights something key. For him. It's mostly been a solo endeavor.

Jamie: 00:03:31

The one person band situation.

Jaayne: 00:03:33

Totally. And anyone who creates solo knows you wear all the hats. Danny says pretty much everything you hear on any of my shows is the result of my work.

Jamie: 00:03:41

Everything.

Jaayne: 00:03:42

Planning, research, recording, editing, publishing, promotion, the whole nine yards. He mentions maybe outsourcing artwork or intra sutros occasionally. But that's a tiny slice, right?

Jamie: 00:03:53

Yeah. Drop in the ocean compared to the main workload.

Jaayne: 00:03:56

Exactly. And it's this intense solidarity, as he puts it, that he believes can cause or add to mental health issues for podcasters.

Jamie: 00:04:04

That isolation, carrying it all alone, it.

Jaayne: 00:04:07

Just amplifies everything internally.

Jamie: 00:04:09

Absolutely. And then you add the practical stuff all on top of that solitude. Like editing. Danny talks about this really vividly. He says he used to hate editing.

Jaayne: 00:04:16

I think a lot of us can relate to that.

Jamie: 00:04:18

Definitely. And early on, you know, dad, two kids, mortgage outsourcing just wasn't financially viable.

Jaayne: 00:04:24

Right.

Jamie: 00:04:25

So he taught himself YouTube tips from other editors listening to podcasts. He says it gave him the confidence to start. But here's where it gets tricky psychologically.

If you're already dealing with mental health stuff, who you often question yourself. Right? That core, am I good enough? Am I worthy?

Jaayne: 00:04:43

That internal critic.

Jamie: 00:04:44

Exactly. Yeah. And that voice transfers perfectly to the editing booth. Suddenly it's, is this audio okay? Do people actually like this?

Is this content even worth listening to?

Jaayne: 00:04:53

You're listening back to your own voice, which, let's be honest, a lot of people don't love hearing anyway.

Jamie: 00:04:58

Right? And you start hearing tiny flaws that maybe aren't even there.

Jaayne: 00:05:02

Yeah.

Jamie: 00:05:02

Or you overcompensate, maybe accentuate parts you think listeners will like, even if it means cutting something more valuable.

Jaayne: 00:05:08

Constantly guessing when are they going to tune out.

Jamie: 00:05:10

Yeah. And for someone already anxious or depressed, that pressure just. Danny says it starts to close the air around you.

Jaayne: 00:05:18

That's a powerful image.

Jamie: 00:05:19

It is. It leads to this spiral. More scrutiny, more indecision, more anxiety. And this overwhelming feeling that it can't possibly be good enough.

Jaayne: 00:05:28

And the cost.

Jamie: 00:05:30

Hours and hours chasing perfection that never arrives. Time away from family, friends, life, company.

Jaayne: 00:05:37

When you put it like that.

Jamie: 00:05:38

It's a common trap in creative work, that perfectionism. But the isolation in podcasting, it makes it particularly intense.

There's no one else there to offer perspective, you know, to say, hey, it's fine, or you're spiraling a bit.

Jaayne: 00:05:52

Yeah, that creation. Isolation is one thing, but then, okay, you finally hit publish. The pressure doesn't stop, does it?

Jamie: 00:05:58

Not at all. Then comes the analytics phase.

Jaayne: 00:06:01

Oh, the dreaded stats.

Jamie: 00:06:03

Exactly. A whole new round of self questioning kicks in. Are these numbers good? Do these downloads look okay?

Jaayne: 00:06:09

And this is fertile ground for imposter syndrome?

Jamie: 00:06:12

Absolutely. Dani says it gets even worse here for people already dealing with mental health issues.

Jaayne: 00:06:17

Because you start comparing, you can't help it.

Jamie: 00:06:20

You look at others in your niche, you see what looks like success, big downloads, whatever. And then you look at yours and.

Jaayne: 00:06:26

Tell yourself you're failing.

Jamie: 00:06:27

Precisely. You think, I can't possibly be good enough.

Jaayne: 00:06:30

And the dangerous part, Danny points out, is we have no idea if the success others show is even real or what struggles they went through.

Jamie: 00:06:39

Exactly. We don't know their process, their team, their budget, nothing.

Jaayne: 00:06:43

We just see our perception of their success versus our perception of our failure.

Jamie: 00:06:47

Right. And what happens then?

You might question your content, make rash changes that hurt the show, or just give up entirely, which leaves you feeling like a failure.

Jaayne: 00:06:55

It's a vicious cycle, and that's just analytics.

Jamie: 00:06:58

Yeah.

Jaayne: 00:06:58

He also mentions other stressors, like finding sponsors, getting guests, lack of reviews.

Jamie: 00:07:03

Oh, yeah.

Jaayne: 00:07:04

And just the sheer time it takes, Start to finish, for one episode, it all adds up. So, okay, when your passion, your creative outlet, starts feeling more like this constant judgment, what does that mean? Where does that leave us?

Jamie: 00:07:20

Well, it points to something Danny found really, concerning a kind of systemic silence. He noticed this major disconnect. He's met loads of podcasters who'd privately.

Jaayne: 00:07:31

Share their mental health challenges in quiet conversations.

Jamie: 00:07:34

Right. But then you look at industry publications, conferences, the focus is all on the future of podcasting.

Advertising, tech advances, the business side, the growth side. Exactly. He says very few are really talking about the mental health of the creators.

Jaayne: 00:07:49

That's a stark contrast, isn't it? Especially when you think about how many studies talk about podcasts helping listeners. Mental health.

Jamie: 00:07:55

Precisely. Benny points that out, too. It benefits the listeners. But this Isn't the case when it comes to the creators behind the podcasts.

Jaayne: 00:08:02

Wow, that's. Yeah, a big cat.

Jamie: 00:08:05

s down to stigma, even now in: 2025

Jaayne: 00:08:18

Why, though? Why the silence?

Jamie: 00:08:20

People might be unwilling to talk. Maybe they feel it makes them look weak, or they believe something's wrong with them and only them.

Jaayne: 00:08:27

Or maybe they've been told it's all in their head, and so often they start believing it.

Jamie: 00:08:30

Yeah. And the irony, Danny notes, is just profound. You have people in a medium that relies on the spoken word, not having the words to ask for help.

Jaayne: 00:08:40

Oof, that hits hard.

Jamie: 00:08:42

It does. It's fascinating, isn't it? Podcasting is so intimate. It builds connection, but that power isn't being fully used to support the actual creators.

It's like we're building safe spaces for listeners, but not always for ourselves.

Jaayne: 00:08:55

That irony really underscores the issue. We absolutely have to recognize the loneliness and fear that can come with podcasting, because fundamentally, podcasting can be amazing.

Danny calls it a wonderful medium, a wonderful, rewarding medium. It absolutely can be. It pushes creativity, connection, making something impactful. The potential is huge, for sure.

But we can't just focus on the good stuff and ignore the potential costs to the creators.

Jamie: 00:09:22

And that's the key, isn't it? Holding both things is true. The potential and the challenges, that's the way forward. Yeah.

We need an industry culture that celebrates the creativity, the connection, while also understanding that people might be struggling silently, maybe wanting help, but just not knowing how to ask for it.

Jaayne: 00:09:39

So it's more than just awareness. It's about actively creating supportive spaces.

Jamie: 00:09:43

Exactly. Making vulnerability. Okay. Understood, even expected.

Jaayne: 00:09:47

Okay, so practically, what might that look like? How do we build that?

Jamie: 00:09:51

Well, it could start with more openness from industry leaders, maybe bigger podcasters sharing their own experiences more regularly, not just once, but normalizing it.

Jaayne: 00:10:00

Leading by example.

Jamie: 00:10:01

Yeah. Making sure conference panels aren't just about metrics, but also about, well, being, sustainability.

Maybe developing resources specifically for podcasters dealing with these unique pressures. Things that are easy to access, confidential.

Jaayne: 00:10:15

Like peer support groups.

Jamie: 00:10:18

Definitely. Online communities, maybe even local meetups just focused on candid sharing, no judgment. Little things can make a big difference.

Jaayne: 00:10:25

Right. It's about changing the whole narrative. Moving away from. Just grind harder to. It's okay to struggle. And here's how we can support each other.

Jamie: 00:10:33

Exactly.

Jaayne: 00:10:33

Because if we can genuinely open up that conversation, make it safe to talk about mental health. Dani's final point is powerful. It will help remove that fear of saying the first word.

And for someone struggling, that first word, asking for help or just sharing, that can be the most important word a podcaster will ever say.

Jamie: 00:10:51

It really can. It's about building an ecosystem where needing support isn't weakness. It's just part of being human and creative, a step towards connection.

Jaayne: 00:11:01

So wrapping up this deep dive, we've really unpacked a lot. The unique pressures in podcasting, that intense solo creation process, the self doubt in editing, the analytics anxiety, the comparisons, and.

Jamie: 00:11:14

That heavy silence, the stigma that stops people reaching out.

Jaayne: 00:11:17

Yeah. And understanding this, whether you're a podcaster yourself, thinking about starting, or even just a listener, it's crucial.

Jamie: 00:11:24

It helps us build a healthier, more understanding, genuinely supportive space for creators looking past the final product to the person behind it.

Jaayne: 00:11:32

Absolutely. Which leaves us with a final thought for you, the listener.

In a world that's always telling us to make noise, be visible, push boundaries, how can we, each of us, help, create spaces where it's also okay, even encouraged, for creators to be vulnerable, to seek quiet support, support when they need it.

Jamie: 00:11:51

What's one small thing you could maybe do today or this week to help foster that kind of environment in your own corner of the world? Something to think about.