How to Achieve a Speaking Goal (Lessons From Launching a Podcast in one month)

On the 16th of March 2026, I announced publicly that I would be launching my podcast in exactly one month.

I hadn't fully recorded it yet. I hadn't sorted the tech. I had an idea, a designer booked, and a date: World Voice Day, 16th April 2026.

What happened next - the wobbles, the Easter holiday juggle, the unexpected joy of editing audio at my desk with headphones in - taught me more about goal-setting and following through than any framework I'd previously come across.

And while this episode is ostensibly about launching a podcast, these lessons apply to any speaking goal you're sitting on. The media interview you've been putting off pitching for, the stage talk you keep meaning to prepare, the visibility move you've had on your vision board since January.

So as you read, I want you to hold a speaking goal in mind - one you'd like to achieve - and use these six questions to help you make real progress towards it.

Why You Should Announce Your Goal Before You're Ready

The single most effective thing I did was tell my audience what I was doing before I'd done it.

Not because I was confident, not because everything was in place, but because public accountability is one of the most powerful forces there is when it comes to following through.

When you announce a goal, you are left with two options: you see it through, or you don't. Most people wouldn't go through with announcing something publicly if they had no intention of following through. And it's the fear of not following through - the fear of being seen to fail - that motivates action far more reliably than motivation alone ever does.

If you're working towards a speaking goal, I'd encourage you to place a date on when you’d like to achieve it and tell someone. Your audience, a peer, a colleague, your accountability partner. The moment you do, something shifts.

Question 1: What goal could you set that feels achievable but slightly challenging? And when will you commit to achieving it by?

The Unexpected Power of an Accountability Partner

I met Jess at an in-person event in November. We both said our goal for the start of 2026 was to launch a podcast. We started meeting regularly to check in on progress, share what we were working on, and keep each other moving.

I'll be honest: I'm not sure I would have launched when I did without her and without Jo, whose own weekly podcast kept me inspired throughout.

Whenever you start something new, find your person. Someone who is either on a parallel journey or who simply believes in what you're doing and will cheer you on when the doubts creep in. This isn't a nice-to-have. For most of us, it's the difference between the goal happening and the goal sitting on a list for another year.

Question 2: Who can hold you accountable along your journey? Who will spur you on and act as your cheerleader?

What You're Putting Off Is Probably Not as Bad as You Think

In week two, I had to confront the thing I'd been avoiding: the tech. The recording, the editing, the hosting platform. I'd built it up in my head to the point where it felt genuinely intimidating and that fear had actually been one of the main reasons I hadn't launched the podcast sooner.

I asked my audience for platform recommendations, landed on Riverside, had a play around - including recording practice interviews with both of my daughters (note: always both, never just one) and got the hang of it surprisingly quickly.

What I realised is the thing you're avoiding is almost never as complicated as the story you've told yourself about it. The assumption that something will be difficult, time-consuming, or beyond you is often what keeps the goal out of reach - not the thing itself.

What helped was breaking it down. Not "sort the tech" as one enormous task, but small, specific steps. Try the platform. Record something short. Edit it. See how it feels.

Question 3: What are you holding back on or putting off that would help you progress towards your goal? What small steps could you take to bring it closer to reality?

Life Will Get in the Way - Plan for It Anyway

Week three took me into the Easter holidays. Time was limited, the juggle was real, and I'll be honest - I wouldn't necessarily time a launch that close to a school holiday again. It meant I couldn't fully switch off, and the extra pressure was noticeable.

But I kept taking small steps. I kept talking about the launch publicly to maintain momentum. And I managed to record my first guest interview - with TV Reporter / Presenter and Broadcast Journalist Sangeeta Kandola - which was one of the highlights of the whole process.

The lesson here isn't to wait for the perfect window of time, because that window rarely arrives. It's to look ahead at what might get in the way and plan around it as best you can. A shorter week, a family commitment, a busy period at work - when you’ve committed to a deadline, you have to just work around it.

Question 4: What obstacles might arise, and how can you continue to make progress despite them?

Doubts Will Come - Take Action Anyway

In week four, the week before launch, the wobbles arrived right on schedule.

Who is actually going to want to listen to this? How am I going to keep this up?

I've come to recognise these thoughts as a completely normal part of doing something new and visible. They're not a signal to stop - they're a signal that you're close to something that matters.

What helped most was not trying to argue with the thoughts, but to take action anyway. Keep promoting. Keep building momentum. Keep showing up as if the thing is happening, because it is.

What also helped enormously were the messages I was receiving - privately and publicly - from people who were genuinely excited about the launch. That external encouragement, coming in at exactly the right moment, was the reminder I needed that this wasn't just for me.

Question 5: What action can you take when doubts and fears start to surface?

Don't Forget to Celebrate

Launch week arrived. I finished editing, kept posting, sent emails to my list, chased local press opportunities and on the day itself, I landed a spot on BBC Radio and did an Instagram Live.

And then it was done.

There's a feeling that comes with setting a goal and actually seeing it through that is genuinely difficult to describe. But here's the step that's easy to skip: celebration.

I was exhausted. I had lunch with a friend and celebrated with my family in the evening. And then, a very necessary lie down.

Whatever your speaking goal, however big or small the milestone, mark it. Acknowledge what you did. The follow-through deserves recognition, not just the result.

Question 6: How will you celebrate when you reach your goal?

Six Questions to Take With You

Whether your goal is launching a podcast, pitching yourself for a media opportunity, speaking at an event, or simply showing up more consistently with your voice - these are the questions worth sitting with:

1. What's the goal, and when will you commit to achieving it?

2. Who will hold you accountable along the way?

3. What are you avoiding and what small step could you take towards it today?

4. What obstacles might arise, and how will you navigate them?

5. What will you do when the doubts show up?

6. How will you celebrate when you get there?

The podcast that sat on my vision board for almost a year launched in just one month, once I picked a date and announced it publicly. That's not magic - that's accountability, small steps, and the decision to keep going even when it felt uncertain.

Your goal is closer than you think.

Prefer Audio?

You can also listen to this episode on my podcast She Speaks to Scale.

For a confidence boost before appearing on camera: Download my free 5 minute camera confidence audio here

How To Work With Me

I'm Sarah Collins - Media trainer, Communication Coach, and former Senior Television Producer for ITV & ITN. I work with ambitious founders and spokespeople in businesses to help them communicate with clarity, confidence, and composure in the moments that matter most. If you've got a podcast, interview, or speaking opportunity coming up and you want to feel truly ready for it, this is how we can work together:

Founders who want to become an expert voice in their field

Organisations who want their representatives to become credible spokespeople

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