How Podcasting Made Her More Discoverable with Dr. Ioana Popa

Hey Friend!

I’m so excited to have Podcast to Profit graduate Dr. Ioana Popa discuss how she became more discoverable in her business—you are going to love her! She will discuss working through the program while also working full-time, making her podcast discoverable, and getting wins! 

A little about Ioana: She is a national board-certified life and leadership coach and the host of the Thriving in Christ podcast, which brings a holistic and integrated perspective of science, psychology, spiritual care, and Christian faith to professional women. 

I’m so excited for you to come behind the scenes with me and see how she walked through Podcast to Profit, what led her to start the program, and how it’s helped her grow into a thriving podcast where she’s discoverable around the world. Gaining leads and visibility is what helped her achieve her goal. I want to help your podcast become this discoverable, too!

You may have a podcast but don’t want to monetize it or turn it into a full-fledged business. Perhaps you want to be discoverable because you have a ministry and want to be a vessel for the ministry. Whatever the case may be, I believe this conversion will touch your heart and help you reach your podcast goals. 

Podcasting Made Her More Discoverable: Dr. Ioana Found Stef

Stef: Dr. Ioana, welcome to the podcast, my friend! I’m so excited to have you here. 

Dr. Ioana: I’m so excited and joyful – I was really looking forward to this, Stef. Thank you for having me. What a joy. 

Stef: Of course! Tell everyone about yourself in your own words. 

Dr. Ioana: I offer spiritual care and life and leadership coaching. I help people through one-on-one, executive, and group coaching programs and online courses. Sharing my knowledge online is a ministry that I love. I had a YouTube channel but wanted to turn it into a podcast. You’ve helped me so much with it, so thank you. If you’re reading this, just sign up for the program!

My podcast is called Thriving in Christ, and we discuss high-level habits, resilience, burnout, and stress. However, the tagline you helped me refine is holistic self-care habits for the kingdom. 

Stef: So good! How did you initially find me? How did our journey together begin? 

Dr. Ioana: It must have been two or three years ago. I was looking for Christian mentors. Over the years, I have taken many programs and had many mentors. I wanted a Christian female mentor, and I found you. Your podcasting programs resonated with me.

I’m a speaker, so if you tell me to speak, I’ll have the whole presentation ready the next day. When I was ready to switch my YouTube channel to a podcast, I knew exactly where to go. I have taken all of your courses, and I loved them. 

Stef: Do you remember where you found me? Through my podcast or an interview? 

Dr. Ioana: No, I just Googled you! 

Stef: That’s amazing! So you looked up “Christian business coach,” and I magically appeared? 

Dr. Ioana: Something like that! One of my mentors is Judy Weber, and you had an interview with her. Judy was talking about you as well, and this is where it all clicked for me. I felt that it was so important to get the podcast going and do this ministry that I feel passionate about. 

Podcasting Made Her More Discoverable: From YouTube to Podcasting

Stef: So, you were doing YouTube and decided along the way to do podcasting. Was that in addition to or instead of YouTube? 

Dr. Ioana: It’s in addition to. I realized that many of my people are very busy—most of them are professional Christian women and servant leaders. I needed it to be simple for them. This made sense in terms of long-form content. 

Stef: That makes perfect sense, and that’s why I encourage podcasting for so many business owners. I don’t know anyone who isn’t busy. It doesn’t matter what season of life you’re in. We’re always busy. I think it’s part of our overall culture. We have drive time, walk time, or workout time when we want to learn audibly. 

Podcasting is Not a Feel-Good Platform

Stef: Those of us who commit to podcasting know it’s not a feel-good platform like YouTube. I can attest to this, probably much like you, that YouTube takes more time and more money, and ultimately, podcasting performs better.

With YouTube, you get to see likes and comments. In podcasting, we share our hearts, and we don’t know if our audience is enjoying it. The only way we know is by seeing downloads and conversions. 

I think those who stick with it will see so much fruit from having our foot in the door of the only audible platform there is. I’m sure you can relate to what I’m saying. 

Dr. Ioana: Absolutely. People are so busy that I told them, “Listen to the lesson like a podcast.” I realized they needed the freedom to do my courses in that way. It dawned on me that this is probably true for my YouTube content, too. 

Podcasting Made Her More Discoverable: A Progression of Courses

Stef: You talked about taking all of my courses (I love you, by the way!). Talk to me about how the courses helped, specifically. What did they help you do and why? 

Dr. Ioana: I started with Clarify Your Calling, which was so lovely. It helped me understand my pain more deeply. My programs were based on my own pain and resources I needed but couldn’t find. I said, “Okay, God. I’m here. Instead of complaining, I will roll up my sleeves and create what I need!” 

Podcast Pro University helped me get it going. I had my microphone and audio, but it helped me think through each step and make it more professional – like the cover art and tagline. That was wonderful. And Podcast to Profit was all of this on steroids! It was so much more nuanced and helped me build a podcast that I was proud of. 

Dr. Ioana Found the Essence of Her Business

Stef: Podcast to Profit has other pieces, but it sounds like you had many of those items in place before you came in. As an existing business owner, how did you use Podcast to Profit to refine what you were already doing? Did you find that it was valuable to optimize things you already had set up? 

Dr. Ioana: Yes. My focus was mainly on the podcast. I listen to podcasts and love them. Because I know what it’s like to be on the other side, I know there’s a Christian woman in her intimate space listening to me, and I need to make it relevant for her.

In terms of progression from course to course, I now know how to position it for people and make it relevant for them. I also discovered what was really, truly essential. I offer many programs, so simplifying what I offer and why was a gift.

Stef: The simplification. Yes, so good! When you were going to invest in Podcast to Profit, were there any fears or setbacks for you? Or are you one of those people who know it’s for you, and you march straight forward? 

Dr. Ioana: I’m the person who marches forward! I think I was part of your bootcamp, and you have a way of explaining things so well. It just made sense to me that Podcast to Profit was my next step. 

Podcasting Made Her More Discoverable: Behind the Curtain of Podcast to Profit

Stef: I love that you’re a woman who knows what she wants! Talk to us about the program. What was your favorite part about Podcast to Profit? 

Dr. Ioana: I did the program twice (for a full year). I’m the kind of person who needs to listen to everything. My right brain can absorb so much more than my logical brain. What I love is that you and your staff are so kind. Every time I sent an email or a message, I would get professionalism and kindness, and there was always a closed loop.

Building a business involves many moving parts, so having bite-sized steps was helpful. Even when I was confused or pushing back, getting constructive feedback from your team was great! 

Stef: I love that so much. My staff and coaches are truly God-sent. What you said comes up in most of the conversations I have with my students. It’s not just telling you how to do something because that’s just 10% of the outcome. It’s more like: I did it, BUT… 

My team circles back and looks at what you’ve done. We don’t always position it well or execute things perfectly the first time around. Maybe you’ve helped people for three decades, but how do you explain how you help people? How do you get new people to understand the value of working with you?

I think having coaches who are familiar with the details with you is a game changer.

We’re either building a business from the ground up or optimizing an existing business like yours. 

Podcasting Made Her More Discoverable: Worth the Investment

Stef: So, tell us if it was worth it! You’ve been a Stef “Lifer” for a long time now. Was the investment worth it? What have your wins been since taking the courses? 

Dr. Ioana: Absolutely, it was worth it. I don’t regret it at all, that’s why I’ve done it a second time. I’m sure I’ll return because I want to keep optimizing my podcast. For me, it’s such a central part of my business. I learned so much about SEO, and you explain things so well.

I even ranked in the top 5% globally in my niche! People tell me they found me on Google or on the podcast using the keywords I chose. Being discoverable and having people tell me that is a Godsend.

With YouTube, I didn’t feel like I had visibility. The podcast made the most sense because everyone is so busy. Having that reach and being discoverable has been amazing. 

Stef: And being able to funnel them as new leads into your courses, all coming straight from the podcast. You don’t have to do a hundred different funnels or freebies. They found you straight from the podcast. 

Dr. Ioana: I love your framework, too. Podcasting is the best way to support them. I  know how it feels to be a busy professional and servant leader and to have someone supporting your alignment – body, mind, heart, and soul. It’s a gift from God. 

Stef: Thank you for trusting me. Congratulations on having a top 5% ranked podcast – that’s so exciting! If someone wants to listen to you, where can they connect with you? 

Dr. Ioana: My podcast is called Thriving in Christ. You can also check out my website and YouTube channel.

Stef: Thanks for the encouragement and for pouring out your heart today!

Podcasting Made Her More Discoverable: Summary of Dr. Ioana’s Journey

Here’s a summary of what we discussed with Ioana today:

• Dr. Ioana found Stef from a Google search, and she dove in, course by course. 
• She had a YouTube channel but quickly realized that everyone was busy and needed to consume content audibly. 
• She invested in Podcast to Profit and, with the help of the bite-sized format and amazing coaches, got her podcast up and running.
• Dr. Ioana became discoverable through the podcast, and now it’s a major funnel for clients.
• She is now ranked a top 5% podcast. 

Friends, I hope this encouraged you to take a leap and invest in your kingdom business. If you’re not quite ready to jump into Podcast to Profit, make sure you grab a seat in my five-day bootcamp! It’s a great place to get to know me a bit more and learn the exact steps to build and optimize your podcast. 

See you next time! 

APPLE PODCAST | SPOTIFY | YOUTUBE

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