Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Dianni Hall . We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Dianni thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.

Every personal and entrepreneurial decision I’ve made over the past four years has been a risk. It began with the risky decision to drop out of my master’s program, end my relationship, and end my lease just to pack my life into a few boxes and fly to India. I’ve told that story so many times at this point that it has lost its shock factor for me, but when I take the time to actually look back at the choice I made, I can confidently say it was the biggest risk I’d ever taken, but also the most rewarding. I basically had burned my life to the ground because I had craved travel for years and years, but it never seemed to fit into my life. I couldn’t study abroad in college because it was too expensive. I didn’t have the time to travel because I was always either studying or working. Eventually, I realized that If I ever wanted this to happen, I was going to have to make it a priority. So with shaky hands, I sat my parents down and told my father that instead of pursuing higher education like he had hoped I would when he illegally immigrated to this country years back. I told him I was leaving everything behind to backpack South East Asia for several months. They were confused, as to be expected, but were also supportive to my surprise. That risk was followed by the risk to move to Spain and teach English during the pandemic which was followed by the risk to take an au pair job in Madrid when I had $20 to my name. This risk that I took now four years ago, has led me to where I am now. Still traveling full-time, without a place to call home, but with so many memories and experiences I didn’t even know where possible for me to experience. And, I also started my own business. Podcasting and traveling were always my two passions. So after years of doing seasonal work just to sustain my travels, I started my own podcast called While She’s Away. From there I accidentally started a freelance business as a podcast producer, launching and managing different client podcasts. My business is far from perfect. I’m a baby entrepreneur who is constantly learning and growing every day. But, the days of galavanting around Vietnam or Laos, navigating language barriers and 30-hour bus rides. That risk and those experiences have given me the confidence and know how to be working my way through this other strange land called entrepreneurship.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I had NEVER expected to end up being a podcast producer. I didn’t know what I wanted to do, but I just knew I loved podcasts. I would listen to them 24/7 and opt for a podcast over music any day of the week. I made my way into the industry by starting my own podcast just around the time that podcasting started becoming hip and cool. Sometimes it feels like I fell into my freelance podcast management business accidentally, but I could not be happier to be exactly where I am.

The main bulk of my business is offering podcast production services from simply editing to launching a podcast for clients. I am a bit of a jack of all trades so if clients come to me wanting different aspects included in a package, we work together to create a fit that works for them. For some clients, I do management work, while for others I do a lot of their social media as well. I also do some UGC content creating on the side and make pennies from affiliate content, but not nearly enough to survive off of!

But, no matter what I do for my clients, I am always solving the same problem which is to help their voices be heard. Anyone who starts a podcast has a message that they want others to hear. My job is simply to make it as easy as possible for that message to get out there and reach the people it is meant to. This is what I pride myself on. If clients see that they aren’t reaching the audience they want to, I’m ready to help them figure out how to pivot. And I am also there to celebrate with them when they receive heart-warming messages about how their podcast has positively impacted a listener’s life.

Have you ever had to pivot?

As I have mentioned, I am a full-time traveler as well as a business owner and I have learned that sometimes these two do no not mix. I started my business so that I would have the liberty to travel as I wanted. My goal was freedom, but freedom wasn’t exactly what I got. Yes, I have the privilege of being able to open up my laptop and work from anywhere in the world. However, I have learned that it isn’t always that simple and easy.

I’ve had moments of sheer panic because I was on a bus from France to Germany and my wifi connection was actual garbage and I couldn’t upload the content I needed to for a client. I’ve had my computer erase all the files the day before an episode is supposed to release and I can’t call tech support because I’m not in the country. I’ve had countless mishaps and mini-heartaches that could have been avoided by simply living in one place with stable wifi and in the same time zone as my clients.

This has taught me that sometimes it is not only okay, but necessary to pivot. I love what I do in my business and want my baby business to grow and thrive, but in order to do that…I might need to settle down for a while. Prioritizing my clients and work means taking a step back from the constant wanderlust.

Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?

YES! I’m not sure if this is a resource, but the value of community is HUGE. Being an entrepreneur is sometimes a lonely space and you can feel quite isolated. I have found a community to be absolutely transformational for me. I wish I had known earlier in my journey that I needed to look for people who understand where I’m at and what I am doing. I had found those people in the travel sphere, people who understood travel content creating and being full-time travelers. And little by little and seemingly accidentally I have also found that within the podcasting community.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://msha.ke/whileshesaway
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whileshesawaypod/
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@whileshesaway