Hey mighty mamas, and birth pros, and all the people who love what I do:
Doing the podcast week after week is incredibly rewarding… and also a ton of work!
You’ve let me know loud and clear how the podcast is making a difference in your pregnancy/birth/postpartum journey or in your work as a doula! YAY!! And I want to continue to do it! I want to keep on supporting YOU by providing solid information from the most awesome birth professionals out there.
So I’m going to do the PBS-thing and ask for your support.
If you’d rather listen to me than read, then check out the video I made for you:
(Bonus points if you make it to the end! You’ll find all the bloopers from when I was making this. ‘Cause you know, there’s no perfect. Just keeping it real –expletives and all).
I’ll let you in on a secret:
So far, the sponsors for the show have been affiliate accounts, and it’s really not working out. It’s become clear that this important resource requires more time and effort than I initially budgeted. In its current form the podcast simply isn’t sustainable– but together we can change that!
While my favorite part of the podcast is sharing awesome knowledge and conversation with cutting edge birth researchers, there’s A LOT more that goes into producing a podcast. Between connecting with guests, arranging interviews, researching the topic, preparing questions, recording the show, editing it all together, gathering resources and links, writing show notes, uploading the episode, creating graphics, posting on the website, and blasting it all on social media, I don’t really have the resources to reach out and convince advertisers that this is support-worthy endeavor.
YOU know the shows are invaluable!
But I know I don’t have to convince you! YOU know the shows are invaluable! They save you time and money, and they are convenient. You don’t have to read through tons of books or sign up for a class that may not work with your schedule. Nope, here you get to listen whenever and wherever you want, even while multitasking, with the assurance that you are getting fantastic information you can trust.
In the last 4 weeks the show has gotten over 8800 10200 downloads, and it keeps growing week after week, as more people find out about it, and start gobbling up past episodes.
I’m sure you’re familiar with the phrase
“if every one of you gave one dollar…” and it’s so true!
(Just to give you an idea, I approximate that each show costs between $300 – $350 to produce.)
This is an experiment! But it’s working for others*, and if it works for us, it would be incredibly LIBERATING! This is a new and exciting frontier of figuring out how to make life work.
As we grow and reach target goals, I will be able to create more valuable things for you. And you’ll get to tell me what those things should be. Win-win!
So PLEASE, join me on my expanding journey to help you, by becoming one of my patrons. And if you’re not that altruistic, then maybe think of it as buying me a cup of coffee as thanks for all that I may have (and continue) to give you though the weekly show. 🙂
The beauty of Patreon is that even though you are making a monthly pledge, you can stop at any time. You can upgrade or downgrade from one level to another. It’s really flexible. Every donation, from $1/month up, truly helps.
No matter what level you’re backing me at, THANK YOU! Thank YOU, mighty mama. Thank YOU, birth pro. Thank YOU, lover of what I do.
Let’s do this!
Much love,
Adriana
Check out some of the fabulous rewards:
$1/mo. pledge:
gets you access to the Patreon Private Feed.
$3/mo. pledge:
gets you the previous reward, plus early access to that week’s episode.
$5/mo. pledge:
gets you the previous rewards, plus one episode brought to everyone by YOU (named on the show, and your name and link in the show notes).
$10/mo. pledge:
gets you the previous rewards, plus participation in a monthly, Q&A style, online group-chat with me.
go to patreon.com/birthful to check out the rest of the pledges that get you the previous rewards, plus:
- your own “Happy Uterus” pin.
- be a named sponsor of one episode PER MONTH. You’ll also get to choose one episode topic.
- my “Life with a Newborn” online class as soon as it’s released, plus a 30-min, one-on-one chat, right away.
- a monthly, one hour, one-on-one talk with me, about the pregnancy/birth/breastfeeding/newborn topic of your choice, or if you are a doula, I’ll mentor you for an hour a month.
FAQ:
So why through Patreon?
Because it will keep us closer:
Patreon has a members feed. Yup. That is a way that you can connect with me and the Birthful community, in a smaller space and more significantly than say in Facebook or Twitter. You can give me specific feedback on what you want me to do next on the podcast, or outside of it. I can poll you for feedback. I will give you first access to any free printables or videos that I create. You can post your musings and recommend resources. Knowing you’re a vested partner in the mission of The Birthful Podcast will strengthen the communication between us. And I want that!
Because we shouldn’t need a middle man:
Convincing advertisers that they should place ads on the podcast is a time-consuming challenge. Aside from say, the fabulous people of MailChimp, SquareSpace, Audible, and NatureBox, who’ve created a system to work with podcasters, most companies don’t have the time or the inclination to figure it out. Plus I *LOVE* connecting with you. How awesome to say that “this episode is brought to you by (insert your name here)” instead of a company’s name. As a listener, the first one makes me feel warm inside, the second makes me feel like I have to buy something. I’d rather you feel warm inside.
Because you’ll keep me accountable:
Aside from growing the show, I’ve been dreaming of doing webinars and online classes for years. But something is always more urgent, and easier to do. And so days become weeks, become months, and so on. I need that to change. YOU need that to change… after all, pregnancy has an end date and babies grow fast!!
Because you can support me at the level that is right for you:
Patreon allows creators to set tiered reward levels, so that patrons can pledge what works within their budget. To be sure, ANY and ALL pledges make a difference, but by having tiered options, Patreon allows me to give you additional rewards depending on your pledge level.
There’s more!
As soon as we reach the $300/mo. goal, ALL patrons get their names in the “Hall of Fame” and the Birthful website’s Hardcore Supporters’ page.
When we reach $500/month, you’ll all get a patron-exclusive printable .pdf of my doula “mental checklist”, that I go through every time I’m at a birth. There will also be a video.
What would your money go towards?
The weekly podcast, chock-full of useful information, will always be free. Your contribution would allow me to continue to bring you (and all the mighty mamas out there) this much-needed and valuable resource. I also have big dreams of creating the following:
*Others like For Crying Out Loud, or Magic the Amateuring, who create podcasts and receive pledges either monthly, or per show. And it’s not just podcasts, there are all kinds of creators and artists figuring out how to make a living through the support of their village. This allows them to keep on doing what they do, and keep it free to the public. Of course the ultimate creator, and adventurer into the ‘art of asking’ is the amazing Amanda Palmer.
