For Headliner Highlight 19, we hear from Kelly Wilson of FitFizz.
Tell us about your podcast.
My name is Kelly Wilson, and I am the host of the FitFizz podcast. I am a certified trainer, nutrition coach, behavior change specialist, autoimmune disease fighter, and over 20 years of professional in the health and fitness industry.
My podcast is about showing people how to avoid gimmicks, finding strength through their struggles, giving people knowledge for making the smartest choices for their own health, and reminding them to celebrate victory all along the way.
Why did you start podcasting?
I started podcasting because I was always being asked questions by friends, but I didn’t quite have the time to continually answer each person one-on-one while trying to deal with job loss and my own health issues and simultaneously working to build FitFizz as a sustainable business.
And I had so much valuable information that was piling up, and I really wanted to share it. So I felt podcasting was the perfect option. And I prefer podcast over video because it’s easy for people to do other things while they listen, whether it’s in the shower or driving or cleaning or working or working out, it’s really easily accessible to anyone that has a smartphone so there’s really no excuse to not be able to learn how to take control of your own health and strength in mindset.
What do you promote your podcast?
I share my episodes on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Instagram Stories, and Pinterest. And I’m always asking friends to share it with people they know and I also send reminders to my email list once in a while.
I’ve also started sharing some older episodes on YouTube with hopes that they will subscribe if they happen to find it there and making Headliner videos has been great because, as I think most everyone knows, videos help you get more exposure on social media algorithms. So it’s been quite helpful to have the Headliner visual format since podcasting is audio.
What has been most effective? Least effective?
For me, word of mouth has been most effective. I think I have my most loyal listeners that way so far, through word-of-mouth because I think they realize that my story and all of the tough things that I’ve been faced with in life from like trauma, sexual assault, depression, anxiety, PTSD, autoimmune disease, multiple job losses, all of that stuff is a testimony to the legitimacy of the advice that I share with people. And so I think that my friends have been a huge help and advocate that I’m sharing much more than telling people how to work out or how to lose weight.
And least effective, unfortunately, I have to say for me personally, and it might just be the field that I’m in for me personally, the least effective route has been Pinterest.
Why do you make Headliners?
Besides working in the fitness industry, I’ve had a full-time career as a graphic designer for over 20 years. So I’m pretty obsessed with having things for Fitfizz look nicely designed, and when I first found Headliner, I knew it was perfect for promoting my podcast on social media.
And the interface for Headliner is really easy to use, and it keeps getting better all the time.
Current podcasting setup?
I use Garageband to record on, and my mic is an Audio Technica ART-2100.
What is something you think is overrated or underrated in podcasting?
I’m not quite sure if this falls into underrated or overrated, but I don’t think it’s true when I hear people say that the podcast space is saturated. FitFizz is in one of the most heavily marketed categories, and, right now, my podcast is a very tiny tiny fish in a massive ocean. But I’m determined to stay in it for the long-haul because I know I have a lot of great content to share, and I don’t think I’ll ever run out of ideas.
I know I’m sincere with my intentions that I want to help people live their healthiest lives and to be smart about it. So I think that in itself will eventually pay off. Plus, great graphic design doesn’t hurt when you need to visually stand out as someone is scrolling through for something new to listen to.
If someone was to only listen to one episode of yours, which one would you send?
I would love for people to hear about my story of dealing with autoimmune disease and the really rough times that I went through so they can learn about the red flags pertaining to their own health or the health of people that they care about.
But that was actually two episodes where I was telling my story so if I had to pick just one episode, it would be Episode 18: Top Ten Things I’veTop Ten Things I’ve Learned In My Autoimmune Disease Recovery. I had no job, so I had no health insurance. I basically reversed it all on my own with nutrition and natural supplements, and it was not easy. But I learned a lot and I want others to see that it’s possible.
I picked that episode because even though the name of my business is FitFizz, which began in 2012 by just trying to help other people find their motivation to work out or to eat healthier, but because of my own journey through autoimmune disease; it’s evolved into so much more than just fitness and nutrition.
I’m no longer the person shouting “no days off!” Or “grind harder!” But I’m someone who teaches people when it’s time to slow down, how to get their own lab testing done without a doctor or without insurance, how to prioritize rest. And as much as I still love deadlifts and lifting heavy things, and I think all bodies can benefit from strength training, I talk about the harm that too much sugar can do, but I’m also an advocate for cake and nachos if those things make you happy, and those make me happy.
So yes, I’d pick Episode 18 so that people know what me and my business are all about.
Do you have a favorite podcast?
I am a huge podcast junkie so it’s really hard just to pick one. But right now, I’m pretty obsessed with Truth Telling with Elizabeth DiAlto. She really brought me a lot of clarity listening to her when I was feeling really alone and isolated, while I was jobless and dealing with those serious health issues that nobody else could help me with, and her podcast made me feel really lie I wasn’t so crazy at a time when I felt absolutely crazy. And I’m really excited because later this summer, I’m going to meet her in person at a workshop.
