The Skinny Confidential Founder Lauryn Evarts Bosstick Reveals Her Secret to Co-Hosting a Successful Podcast with Your Spouse
What do you get when you combine a trip to Cabo, your spouse and too many ginger margaritas? The brilliant idea to launch a podcast. Or at least that was the case for Lauryn Evarts Bosstick and her husband Michael Bosstick when they came up with the concept for “The Skinny Confidential HIM & HER” podcast in 2016.
Up until this point, Lauryn had been successfully running her own women’s lifestyle blog The Skinny Confidential (TSC) for seven years. “It felt really natural to bring Michael into this part of the business,” Lauryn told WrapWomen. “It opened the door for TSC to expand from health, wellness and beauty into topics like branding, business and marketing.” Two years later, Michael went on to launch Dear Media, a female-focused podcast network and the rest is history.
In 2020, “TSC HIM & HER” podcast reached over seventy-million-downloads and last month, Dear Media raised $8 million to put towards continued programming. What’s the key to their success? Lauryn opened up to WrapWomen about the realities of hosting a podcast with your S.O., the importance of setting boundaries and what it takes to keep your audiences engaged.
*Before starting this podcast, what made you realize, “I need to do this!”*
There was a void in the space. People were wanting more than a pretty image. They wanted to know who was behind the screen while also obtaining skills for themselves with tangible takeaways that they could apply to their own life.
This podcast is selling time. People are sick of wasting their time scrolling through Instagram and Facebook – we saw the podcast as an opportunity to give people back their time. You can fold your laundry, walk the dog, do a workout or paint your nails all while listening to something that’s going to educate, entertain or inspire you – all while building community.
*Also Read:* Dear Media Raises $8 Million to Produce Podcasts for Women
*What do you think sets you apart from other podcasts?*
We put the audience first, the guests second and ourselves third. When we go into any episode, whether it be with a guest, a solo episode or one-on-one tips and tricks, we always think about what the audience can take away. It’s not a place to push a PR narrative. It’s a place to have really honest conversations while providing value to the audience. We pass on conversations that we don’t think will do that – no matter who the guest is or the size of their audience. There has to be a tangible takeaway for our listeners.
I also think we’re consistent and patient – we’ve never missed an episode in four years and we release six times a month.There is a massive back catalog of 280 episodes now. We also don’t care how many followers our guests have. If they have an interesting perspective we still want to share it with our audience. It’s not about growing our following, it’s about how we can showcase the guest’s story in a way where the audience can apply tactics, strategies & value to their own life.
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*Do you have a favorite episode or favorite guest(s)?*
The Skinny Confidential HIM & HER
My personal favorite guest is probably Khalil Rafati. He is the owner of SunLife Organics and he just has this incredible story about rising like a phoenix when all the cards were turned against him. He talks about heroin addiction, sex addiction and living on the streets to changing his entire life around. The way he tells a story is unlike anything I’ve ever seen. Other amazing guests we’ve had are: Jessica Alba, Jillian Michaels, Justin Anderson, Kristin Cavallari, Lewis Howesand Rich Roll.
Then I also love the episodes where we’re just shooting the shit with our friends. Michael’s favorite episodes are probably with the authors he admires like Robert Greene and Ryan Holiday or maybe the one with The Fat Jewish or Ed Mylett. The episodes are totally different – one will make you laugh your ass off and the other will give you tools to change your life. That’s why our podcast is so fun. It’s like a bag of Chex-Mix, you never know what you’re going to get.
*What advice do you have with someone who wants to go into business with their S.O.?*
Buckle up. Seriously, buckle up. It’s a wild ride. You have to really be clear on your expectations and be committed to the same vision. What Michael and I did really well is we sat down and wrote out a strategic future by design of how we wanted this business to look. We also defined our lanes in the business so that we don’t step on each other’s toes. So even if we fight about little things, we are on the same team and working toward the same goal. It becomes complicated if you’re each pushing different boulders up different hills. And just to call out Michael and myself, we fight. There have been hundreds of fights, we scream at each other and it has not been an easy street. At the end of the day it’s like a dance – you practice and learn over time but the end result is well worth it.
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*Are there any other projects we can expect to see from you two?*
You can expect Dear Media to continue to grow, “The Skinny Confidential HIM & HER” podcast will continue to have interesting, dynamic guests and eventually there may be a very community driven product line. I’m also writing my second book in quarantine which has been interesting. Wish me luck.
*What are your top tips for success?*
Do what really makes you f—ing happy. And if something becomes a choice between disappointing someone else or yourself, it’s your duty to disappoint someone else. A lot of people get stuck in “people-pleasing” or doing what their parents or husband wants them to do. At the end of the day you have to have a really honest conversation with yourself about what’s going to fulfill you. It requires a lot of thinking time, reflection and reading. Those things have been the recipe for me to be a really happy person. I’ve learned that if I can’t be happy personally, I won’t be able to make those around me happy either.
“The Skinny Confidential HIM & HER” podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts including Apple Podcasts and the Dear Media website.
For more information about WrapWomen visit www.wrapwomen.com
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