Meet Clotilde Dusoulier

Posted on Jan 24 2018 by Cesare Rocchi

Every two weeks I chat with great hosts to get insights on how they run their shows. It's a series called Meet the Podcaster. Today there's Clotilde Dusoulier with us. She's the host of Change ma Vie. Enjoy!

Headshot of Clotilde Dusoulier

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Who are you?

My name is Clotilde Dusoulier, I am French and I live in Paris. I am a mother of two little boys, a food writer and cookbook author, a life coach, and a podcaster on the topic of personal development. My podcast is called Change ma vie (in French: “change my life”).

Why did you start podcasting?

For the past few years, I’ve gotten more and more interested in personal growth and life coaching. The tools I have found and applied have completely and utterly changed my life, from the inside out. Many of these tools I have discovered through listening to amazing podcasts, mostly American. I started Change ma vie to share what I’ve learned with a French audience, in French, and presented through a culturally French perspective.

What's the best advice you received before starting podcasting?

Launching with the first three episodes + being consistent with the release of new episodes (every Thursday for Change ma vie). This seems to be key in getting featured in the New and Noteworthy on iTunes, and in building listener loyalty.

How do you approach the creation of a new episode? Do you start with notes, a recipe, a book? How do you move on from there?

I have a great big list of 60+ topics I want to talk about, and I follow my intuition to pick one that feels timely for myself, and through my interactions with listeners. I outline my main talking points, then script out the episode in detail.

When you retire, which podcast would you like to host?

I am so passionate about my topic on Change ma vie that I can’t imagine retiring from it!

What’s the gear you use to produce your podcast?

I rent a studio for a full day to record 5 episodes at a time, and use the equipment that’s in there. I record on Audacity, then send the raw recording to my producer, who works his magic, adds the music, and returns the files to me.

What’s your favorite tool for podcasting, the one you can’t live without?

My brain. :) My podcast is all about the way our human brain works and how best to manage it so we can create the results we want in our lives, and be fully present and engaged every step of the way. So my brain serves both as a topic, a source of material, and a tool to get my message out as eloquently and powerfully as I can.

What are the ingredients of a great podcast?

Consistency, authenticity, and a sense of humor.

You have to spend 48 hours on a desert island. You can bring with you all the episodes of one podcast. Which one do you bring? Why?

It’s a tie between Brooke Castillo’s The Life Coach School Podcast and Jess Lively’s The Lively Show.

There's two episodes in your listening queue. One features great content but has questionable sound quality. The other has a perfect sound but the content is boring and not so interesting. Which episode do you delete and which one you play?

I turn off my phone. Life is too short to listen to either boring or badly produced podcast episodes. :)

Your podcasts have plenty of reviews in many countries. What’s your secret?

I am so grateful for the support of my listeners. What has helped in my case is that I launched my podcast already having an audience through my food blog of fourteen years, Chocolate & Zucchini. Many of my international readers either speak French or study it, so I was able to invite them to follow me over on the podcast. I didn’t know what to expect and whether this part of my work would resonate with them, but it turns out many of the people who relate to my style of cooking and writing also relate to my approach to life in general.

Any advice you want to give to podcasters that are just getting started?

Don’t spend too long figuring out the best possible strategy for audience building and don’t get stuck in the technical details of microphones, software, etc. This is your brain trying to keep you safe in the cave. :) Get the minimal knowledge and gear to get started, and... get started! You’ll learn so much more from doing than if you stay in analysis paralysis on the starting line.

Thank you!