We recently connected with Caroline Aylward and have shared our conversation below.

Caroline, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

The most meaningful projects i’ve worked on are the stories I had no choice but to tell. The creative ideas that kept coming back, the ones I couldn’t stop thinking about. Back in 2019, I was having recurring dreams about a short film dedicated to women’s relationships with their bodies. I saw dance and an all female identifying cast and crew. Riding the coat tails of the “Me Too” movement, my mid-twenties heart was feeling really passionate about women taking up more space with their authentic voices.

So I spent the year assembling a crew, sourcing a location, raising money through iFundWomen and hosting events to draw awareness to the film. I was living in Boston at the time and the community really showed up to support the vision. Our cast, crew, equipment and studio were all donated for our shoot day.

This was the beginning of my film directing career and I wanted to bring more intentionality and femininity to set. So before we started shooting, we danced together, burned Palo Santo and set an intention for our shoot day that created space for everyone on set to be in their power. It was such an incredible day that I will truly never forget.

Our one day shoot turned into a 4 minute short film called “In This Body” that has screen at film festivals all over the country – from LA to Upstate NY. Creating this film really set the stage for everything I have gone on to direct and has been viewed by thousands.

Caroline, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My name is Caroline Aylward and I am a Filmmaker and Podcast Producer based in Asheville, NC (for now). I direct, produce and edit films, commercials and music videos. I also help female entrepreneurs launch their profitable podcasts so that they can share their authentic voices and grow their businesses.

I have been making films since I was a little girl. I studied Film and Television at SCAD and dove head first into visual storytelling. After college, I worked in Production and Advertising as a Producer. I learned a ton and met a lot of really amazing people. In 2016, I decided to go Freelance and thats when I started my first podcast – The Get A Helmet Podcast. Through that process I learned everything there was to know about podcasting and how to build a community around sharing your voice.

After directing “In This Body”, I applied everything I had learned from that film to creating Brand Documentaries for women in business. I’ve worked with thought leaders like Victoria Washington, Dr. Rachel Greenberg and Krista Williams of The Almost 30 Podcast to tell their stories through video.

Rather than just showing up to set, having your subject sit on a white backdrop and interviewing them – my Brand Documentaries unearth the true nature of these entrepreneurs so that their audience can really feel how impactful their work is. So instead of a talking head interview, we use organic audio from our interview to craft the story and documentary style imagery that observes them in their real environment.

I also teach my signature podcast course SPOKEN a few times a year. This is a live, creative mastermind for entrepreneurs looking to learn exactly how to launch their podcast and turn it into a funnel directly into their business.

I truly believe that storytelling changes the world and my mission is to help you tell yours.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

My podcast was my first channel for finding clients. I created it for fun and before I knew it people were coming to me for advice and support. This is when I created my first coaching offers and started supporting clients 1:1.

After that, Instagram was a huge channel for growth and finding new clients. Its been such a journey with social media because of the ever changing algorithm and the pressure to constantly create, stay on trend, etc. To be honest, I am still discovering my most authentic path for showing up on Instagram or if it still feels aligned to me.

My biggest budgets and clients have come to me through cold reach outs and referrals. This is truly such a big one for me! I follow my intuition and I feel alignment with a creator or entrepreneur, I reach out and connect with them.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

Wow, there are SO many. I want to break these down into two categories – business/commerce and creativity/art. I think its important to understand and support both of these on your journey but to also understand that they are two different things.

For business, I highly recommend James Wedmore’s work, Russel Brunson’s book “Expert Secrets” and Amy Porterfield’s podcast “The Online Marketing Made Easy”. This will help you understand exactly what you do and who you do it for. The answers to these two questions are everything. Without clarity in your messaging, your audience will be confused and they wont understand why they should buy from you.

For creativity and art, anything and everything by Rick Rubin. Most recently, his book “The Creative Act”. I also recommend Steven Pressfield’s book “The War of Art”. Shameless plug, my podcast “The Creative Visionary” is a great resource for staying inspired creatively and finding your authentic voice.

I’d also love to share my Free Podcast Launch Starter Guide and my production company’s Brand Documentary.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://linktr.ee/carolineaylward
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamcarolineaylward/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolineaylward/

Image Credits
All photos taken by Alissa Minnick of Scribble Pie.