Meet Haili Murch | Podcast Expert & Singer Songwriter

We had the good fortune of connecting with Haili Murch and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Haili, how has your perspective on work-life balance evolved over time?
I have been doing my business for 4 years now and I have learned that there’s no perfect routine or schedule to keep yourself completely balanced, but learning to be flexible is key. If you are able to accept that different times and seasons of your life will have different things that will call for your attention, you will feel more prepared and things will feel less chaotic. My kids have changed a lot in the last 4 years and so every few months, or when we are in school or out of school, I notice we have to adjust. I would say the two biggest things that have helped me find some balance has been learning how to time block and being more present. When I time block, meaning I schedule time to do certain tasks for work and other things in my life, that allows me to be more present. I think it’s important to even time block flexible time. For example, I typically have one or two days a week with a 2-3 hour time block called my flex time which I use to get done what needs to get done depending on the week or I use it for my down time. When you can be disciplined with your time to get some things done like work or errands, then you have more time for the things and people that you love. I don’t think anyone is ever 100% balanced, but there are things we can do to allow for some balance in our lives.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
I have been a podcast manager for 4 years now. I started my business at a time when we were parents of littles and coming out of grad school, a move to California, and stressed about our finances. I wanted to contribute to our finances and I also wanted something for myself, but I didn’t want to go out and get a job and leave my littles at home or have to pay for someone else to take care of them. I wanted to enjoy the early stages of motherhood. That’s when I came across the Free Mama program.

After taking the course and starting my freelancing business, I started by taking a variety of work. I was helping manage podcasts, editing YouTube videos, creating and managing entrepreneurs’ Pinterests. I found that doing too much was a lot and it was also sometimes hard to find clients because I didn’t specialize in just one thing. I realized at the time about 3-4 of my first clients were podcasters. I also realized I was good at editing podcasts since I had a background in recording and editing so I felt confident with the tech. But I don’t say that like it was easy at all. I still had to learn so much and once I niched down and proclaimed to the world I was a podcast manager, my business started to explode! My business doubled during the pandemic in 2020 and I was finally running a real business. I quickly had to hire help and I now have one person who works with me and together we manage and launch people’s podcasts.

I would say I got to where I was today by not giving up. By taking action steps and taking risks, even if it was slower to others, I was able to get more clients and grow my business. I feel that I overcame my challenges better over time. At the beginning, I was rejected a lot or was excited to get a new client and it wouldn’t work out. What I later learned was who I liked to work with and who my ideal clients were and it was easier to let some opportunities go or to not be disappointed if things didn’t work out. I realized that if things don’t work out, it’s not meant to be and something else better is coming! Sometimes things not working out truly lead you to where you need to go. I’ve also learned that we are so much more capable of way more than we give ourselves credit for. At the beginning, I felt like I was never going to make enough money or have enough clients or no way would I ever have someone to work for me. But now that all that has happened, I can look back and be grateful for all the ups and downs along the way and realize that whatever is to come now, I can handle. I can do it. Even with the ups and downs.

I want the world to know that you can go for the things that you want. I have enjoyed helping people start and manage their podcasts because I like seeing their podcasts help their businesses grow and also love seeing them have a platform to share their knowledge and message with the world. I am excited for what’s to come moving forward and I am excited that I am starting to add music back into my life as well. Having my business allows me to work on my music and having my business has taught me so much about myself and how I can help others whether that’s through podcasts or music.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I live just outside of St.Louis! If a friend came to visit, we would start our day by going to get donuts. The city has tons of amazing choices! We would then go to the Arch and take the tiny elevator to the top. It’s a must! We would then go to the Zoo or the Aquarium which both are really fun. I would take them to one of my favorite restaurants Fitz, Mission Taco, or Twisted Ranch. I would also love to take them to a Cardinals baseball game! And to end the time we would probably go the the famous Ted Drewes ice cream. St Louis has a lot of good food!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I definitely feel like my shoutout needs to go the program and community Free Mama which is owned and ran by Lauren Golden. The Free Mama Movement is a program that helps moms who are looking to leave their 9-5 or find a way to work from home by starting a freelancing business. I came across the Free Mama Movement program through a friend who had started a business online and I was intrigued she was being successful with being able to work at home, have flexibility and make money. I took the course that allowed me to initially start my business. At first, there were so many things that I initially offered, but eventually niched to podcast management and found a lot of success there! I have since been in two of Lauren’s coaching programs and attended the Free Mama Live event in 2022. This community is truly inspiring. I have learned so much from other moms and their successes, but also learned so much about myself and what I am capable of. I am forever grateful for the Free Mama.

Website: https://www.hailimurch.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hailimurch/

Other: Book a call if you are interested in wanting to start a podcast! https://calendly.com/hailimurch/podcast-launch-discovery-call

If you are interested in learning more about the Free Mama Movement here is a link to a webinar with more information: https://thefreemamamovement.com/on-demand-freedom-training?affiliate=hailimurch

Image Credits
Photography done by: Whitney Krupa Photography