About Emily Coffman:
Emily Coffman, Host of Girls Gone Healthy
We chat with coach and wellness advocate turned podcaster (and Ossa member) Emily Coffman, host of Girls Gone Healthy (@GirlsGoneHealthyPodcast).
Emily Coffman is the fastest growing advocate for athlete wellness in life after a competitive sport. She is a former NCAA Division I athlete and the creator of a top 1% health and fitness podcast, Girls Gone Healthy. As a coach and speaker, she educates and encourages others on how to live their best and healthiest life.
Listen to Episode #29 featuring Emily Coffman, Host of “Girls Gone Healthy” Podcast:
Or listen to Episode #29 here: Apple Podcasts | Spotify
Episode #29 Highlights:
0:00 – 2:36 ~ Introductions
2:37 – 4:45 ~ Becoming a Top Podcast
4:46 – 6:17 ~ Transition Out of a College Sport
6:18 – 12:54 ~ Growing Your Podcast’s Audience and Brand
12:55 – 14:12 ~ Plans for the Future
Links from this episode:
http://emilycoffman.org
Episode #29 Full Transcript:
Meredith Reed 0:01
All right, and we’re back. We have, we’re having some technical issues with our guests. But hopefully that’s worked out. Welcome to this episode of Ossa Lounge Live. I’m your host, Meredith Reed, and I’m going to invite our guest today. So just give me one minute. So today we’re going to be talking to Emily Coffman. Hi, Emily.
Emily Coffman 0:31
Hello. Sorry about that, earlier.
Meredith Reed 0:36
You know, these things happen with live episodes, you just never know.
Emily Coffman 0:41
Yeah.
Meredith Reed 0:43
So I’m just gonna start by introducing you again. This is Emily Coffman. She’s the host of Girls Gone Healthy podcast. And she is a former NCAA Division I athlete who specializes in helping athletes stay healthy in life after sports. And also she just helps everyday people to move from feeling stuck and overwhelmed to getting motivated and feeling confident and living a healthy lifestyle. So welcome, Emily.
Emily Coffman 1:17
Yeah, thanks for having me.
Meredith Reed 1:20
So do you just want to start by telling everyone, what inspired you to start your podcast?
Emily Coffman 1:27
Yeah, so I started it about a year ago now, the start of the pandemic, because so much messaging that’s out there with health and fitness is really overwhelming. It’s really confusing and complicated. And I know personally, you know, I was an athlete, so I spent so much time training so much time worried about my health, that I was like, okay, like, maybe I can use these things that I’ve learned and kind of like, help other people. But throughout it, you know, now I’ve been realizing like, I’m sharing my own journey going through it, and it’s actually helping, you know, as you said, the everyday athlete, the everyday people that’s like, I don’t want health and fitness to take over my life, but I want to start improving it. And so that’s kind of where I help out.
Meredith Reed 2:07
Yeah, and I think this is such an interesting time to be focusing on health and fitness. Because, of course, because of COVID. For so many of us, our whole lifestyle has changed and the ways that we’re able to work out have totally changed, at least for me, your eating habits, you’re not eating out as much, you’re eating at home. So I feel like you just started this at such an interesting time. I’m also curious what sport did you do?
Emily Coffman 2:37
I was a Coxswain for the rowing team.
Meredith Reed 2:40
Oh cool!
Emily Coffman 2:40
If you don’t know what that is, it’s like this short, little one at the back of the boat. And so I don’t actually have an oar, but I’m more like coaching and steering and yelling at them.
Meredith Reed 2:49
Love it. I’m very familiar with rowing actually, because my ex was a rower in college. So I got a lot of education through that.
Emily Coffman 2:58
Oh I bet.
Meredith Reed 2:59
Yeah. So one thing I noticed about your podcast, and it’s so interesting to learn that you have only been doing it for a year. You regularly have ranked in the top 1%, I assume that’s on Apple podcasts?
Emily Coffman 3:14
Yeah.
Meredith Reed 3:16
So, so many of our podcasters at Ossa are trying to get in that 1% and trying to get a podcast that’s on these lists of trending podcasts. So I’m wondering what your journey has been with your show, when you started feeling like you were getting traction, taking off? If you could just share that with our audience. I feel like that’s something a lot of people are interested in.
Emily Coffman 3:39
Yeah, so I started it, you know, about this time last year, and at first, I had no idea what I was doing, you know, I was brand new to it. I didn’t have any sort of audience. And it was just kind of like, for fun. I’d post on my Instagram story like, “Hey, does anyone want to come on and like be a guest?” And then, you know, I started to like, pick up traction, and people were like, reaching out saying that it was helping them. And I was like, actually, like, you know, I can go from just sharing these little stories to like actually being like, this is how you apply it to your life. And I think that’s when I really started to see it pick up. So now I do, you know, two episodes a week. So I have one that’s really concentrated on like: Here, let me bring in an expert because I’m not an expert in anything. Like I don’t have a background in any of this. That’s when I bring in you know, the dieticians and the personal trainers. And then the second half of the week, I have another episode where it’s me more just making it personal and relating and more of like the emotional and mental aspect of like, you can do this and how to apply it to your life. And so I think that that’s when it really started to pick up. You know, I have both aspects of education, but also inspiration.
Meredith Reed 4:44
Yeah, I think that is such a good combination and something that a lot of people can use checking in with themselves during the week. It’s easy to fall off, to get focused and be like I had this new routine and I had this like healthy eating plan and then I think for so many of us, we just kind of fall off the wagon, and then all of a sudden we’re back where we started. So I’m wondering, um, what your transitional journey was being an NCAA Division I athlete to leaving that behind and kind of living a more normal life? What were some of the challenges that you ran into?
Emily Coffman 5:28
Yeah, so it was definitely a hard transition. Because leaving it I thought, like, “Okay, I’m gonna have all this freedom, and it will be so fun, right? I no longer have someone telling me what to do every day.” But that came with its own challenges, right, because now I don’t have someone watching over me, I don’t have people checking in, I don’t have that support and accountability. And so for a while, I almost did the complete opposite, right? Like I was so concerned on going to the gym and keeping my body fit and all of that, that I was like, this was really hard. And this takes up so much time. And so I went the other way, and I stopped caring about it altogether. And so it took me about a year afterwards to realize like, there’s this balance in between. And that’s where I should be like, that’s where I feel the best about myself. It’s like, I’m trying to take care of myself. But I’m not at the extreme that I was out where I’m always trying to PR and I’m always trying to better myself. And so I think that just taking a period of like, relaxing really helped me because I was facing an identity crisis, facing no support. I just, your whole world changes, once you go from competing every single day to not at all. So it was hard for sure.
Meredith Reed 6:37
Yeah, I can imagine that would be a really strange transition. So what are some of the recommendations that you give people in terms of health and fitness? What are some of your key pointers? The stuff that you talked about on your show?
Emily Coffman 6:54
Yeah, I think the biggest thing is, you know, when I’m talking to my listeners, and someone comes to me, like, “Oh, I want to start to be healthier.” I usually, like 95% of time, recommend to start smaller than what they actually think it is. Because people like to say like, “Okay, like I need to do something big, I need to go on a diet, I need to start running or like sign up for the next race.” And it can be a lot smaller than that and a lot more manageable. It could be as simple as just adding in an extra 10 minutes per day of movement, of walking, especially right now if gyms are closed, it could be as simple as adding more vegetables, right? You don’t have to go full keto or full anything, you can just add in smaller things. And so I think that’s number one, very tactical. But then number two is that mindset piece of just knowing to prioritize yourself. Because the other issue is people say, “Oh, I don’t have time to be healthy, I don’t have the energy to…, all of that.” But it really just comes down to, if this is something that you really want, and you can see the benefits of, well, then just by prioritizing yourself, it’s gonna naturally fit in.
Meredith Reed 7:58
Right. And I think it’s so great that you are providing people with a community to support them in this health and fitness journey. So could you talk a little bit about the community that you’ve built around your podcasts and how that works? I think a lot of our podcasters on Ossa, that’s another thing they’re trying to work on is building a community that’s engaged and figuring out what they can offer their community that would keep people showing up and feeling like they’re getting value out of it. So could you just share a little bit more about the community that you’re building?
Emily Coffman 8:34
Yeah. So for me, I thought that community was really important, because that’s what I was lacking when I was no longer an athlete, right? Like, all my teammates went away. And I was like, now what? I have no one to talk to about these struggles. I didn’t even know if other people had the same struggles as me anymore, right? And so when I started it, I was like, I need these people to know that, like, they have other listeners, even, they have other people here with them. And so I started with the Facebook group, and, you know, I was like, join in for accountability. That’s where I can like have the back and forth conversations. And then it kind of grew from there. I was like, Okay, now I’m gonna start live streaming my conversations into the Facebook group. Because yes, I have access now to nutritionists because I’m interviewing them. But what if they actually had access too, they could be asking questions as we’re live. And I think that that was really important to me. And I see that, you know, they feel more included, right? It’s not just me talking for fun, but I’m actually trying to bring value for them.
Meredith Reed 9:30
Yeah, exactly. So I noticed I’m looking at your show that you have, I think 120-something like that, five star reviews, which is amazing. And another thing that we talked about a lot at Ossa is reviews and how to get reviews because it’s a really powerful way to grow your show and get attention in the algorithm on something like Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Granted, Spotify doesn’t do reviews. But regardless, could you share? I’m curious, did you do any sort of call to action on your show to review? Was there anything you did that you felt like really helped with getting people to rate and review to your show?
Emily Coffman 10:17
Yeah, so there’s two things that I do there. So I ask anyone, so if someone like sends me a DM, and like, “Oh, I’d love to go on your show.” I’m like, “Great, like, here’s a form to fill out so I can get to know more about you.” And one of the questions is: Have you left a review, if not consider leaving a review. So that kind of puts the idea in their head. And then if they come on my show, I send them a thank you follow up. And I’m like, “Thank you so much for coming on my show, you know what would help reach even more people and more people could hear your episode, leaving a review!” And so then I kind of remind them again, and because now I’ve had 70 episodes, so I’ve had about like 30 to 35 guests. So that’s a big chunk of the reviews right there. And then the second thing, too, is, you know, I do have the girls and the listeners that reach out. And they might be like, “Oh, I love this specific episode, or this is what I got out of it.” And I say “Thank you for like sending me that in a message.” I’m like, “Would do you mind copying and pasting that into a review?” And a lot of times they’re like, “Yeah, sure, of course.” And so just those little things, I think that you know, call to actions are important, because if you ask they’ll do it, but if you don’t ask, they won’t know.
Meredith Reed 11:27
That is such good advice. And something that I always tell people is so important when, you know, following up with your guests, first of all, those are built in people that would be happy to review your show. And just being willing to ask in general, I think that is so important. Sometimes it feels like, “Oh, I don’t know if I…” But the thing is, if somebody isn’t a podcaster, they don’t necessarily realize that they should review or how valuable that review is. So there’s just no harm in asking, and you shouldn’t feel like silly about doing it. It’s something that only takes a minute for somebody to do that really makes a huge difference.
Emily Coffman 12:07
Yeah.
Meredith Reed 12:08
So my next question for you is, there are so many health and fitness type podcasts out there, talking about living a healthy lifestyle and giving advice. So I’m wondering if you could share what you see as your show’s USP or in other words, what is the little thing, the angle of your show, that makes it stand out and different from any other show that’s out there?
Emily Coffman 12:37
Yeah, I think what really makes it stand out is my whole focus of the show is to make people into the everyday athlete, whether they’re coming from elite athletics and now transitioning out or they’ve never really been involved, and now want to be more active, more fit, right? It’s not like a weight loss show and it’s not trying to get to a certain end goal, but it’s just trying to get people to be happy with where they’re at in life. And it’s really the journey part of it. And so that’s kind of what I spend a lot of time talking about, and I don’t hear too much anywhere else. So yeah, that’s what I really like about it.
Meredith Reed 13:09
Yeah, I think that’s a really cool piece to have as part of your show and something that makes it stand out and makes it different. So do you have anything else that you want to mention? Is there anything you’re working on? Is there anything that we can help give a shout out for you? Otherwise, if you can just share your social media handles so people know where to find you?
Emily Coffman 13:34
Yeah, thank you. So I’m actually working on a book that ties directly with the podcast called Elite to Everyday Athlete, so if you’re interested in that, or you’ve ever been an athlete at any level, come check me out because I’m on social media @GirlsGoneHealthyPodcast, so come check it out.
Meredith Reed 13:51
And sorry about my dog barking in the background. She always has to have attention when I’m doing this. Yeah, alright. So again, thank you so much for tuning in. This is Emily Coffman from Girls Gone Healthy Podcast. So if you’re listening, definitely check out her show, rate review and subscribe because that’s very helpful for podcasters and we will see you next time on Ossa Lounge Live. Thank you so much for being here, Emily!
Emily Coffman 14:21
Thank you.
Meredith Reed 14:23
Bye!