What's Really Stopping You From Speaking Up?

I’ve been listening to a podcast hosted by a famous comedic actor. She interviews women in their 70s and 80s to glean their wisdom and share it with the rest of us.

It’s an interesting premise, and the podcast is well done – yet not necessarily more polished than other podcasts I listen to, hosted by my friends and colleagues.

Which is why I scrunched my face in surprise (and confusion) when I reached the outro of this comedian’s podcast. She started naming a laundry list of producers, technicians, marketing staff and assistants who help “bring this podcast to life!”

She must’ve listed 15 people at least.

Fifteen people to produce one podcast.

No wonder the rest of us are intimidated.

If you’ve been considering putting yourself out there as a speaker, podcaster, blogger, social media communicator, whatever… or if you’ve ever wondered what it takes to speak up and start a ministry or a small business or a movement… and you’ve got this idea in your head that it’s going to be too high a hill to climb because you’re comparing yourself to somebody like this 15-staff podcast?

Smack that misconception out of your head, my sister.

Seriously, I may not be a famous communicator but I can easily put out my own podcast episodes with just one editor working alongside, and most of my friends don’t even have that. With the tools available today, we can record, edit, and post our own high-quality content without any help at all, if we want to. All we need is a willingness to learn and devote some time to getting the job done.

Same with blogging. You don’t need an IT background or a creative writing degree to start writing and sharing your thoughts with the world. You’ll learn as you go. Blogging is one of the best ways to hone your writing craft.

And for heaven’s sake, we all know anybody can post reels to social media these days and gain a following, or at least bless people with a meaningful message. Most viral content is homegrown. No flash or polish needed.

I’m not saying it’s easy, but it’s certainly possible. More than that, it’s common.

So as I listened to this popular host rattle off her list of staffers, I truly wondered – what in the world do they all do? Is there even enough work to go around just to pop an episode on Apple Podcasts?

I know, hers is a serious show with advertisers and hundreds of thousands of listeners to serve. But the quality wasn’t any better than other podcasts I’ve heard, produced by fellow work-from-home moms from their kitchen table.

So my encouragement for you today is – just START. Or keep going, if you’ve already started and are feeling caught in the comparison trap. You don’t need an army working on your behalf. You just need the power of the Holy Spirit equipping you, and a commitment to obey God’s call to speak up.

“The Lord said to him, ‘Who gave human beings their mouths? Who makes them deaf or mute? Who gives them sight or makes them blind? Is it not I, the Lord? Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.’” (Exodus 4:11-12)

Here’s what I've learned: the women who change the world aren’t the ones with the biggest teams – they’re the ones who refuse to stay quiet when God gives them something to say. Whether that’s through a podcast, a blog post, or a conversation with a neighbor who needs encouragement and truth.

Because somewhere out there, someone needs to hear exactly what’s on your heart – and they’re not waiting for you to hire a production team first. They might be sitting right across from you at the coffee shop, or scrolling through social media at 2am looking for hope. Your voice matters, whether it reaches thousands or just one.

So don’t let someone else’s impressive setup keep you from using the voice God gave you. You can make a difference, right where you are.