Love In The Hard

Laugh, Love, and Lessons: Our Podcasting Journey So Far

• Cindi and Patrick Pistelli • Season 1 • Episode 7

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Step into the latest episode of "Love in the Hard," where Patrick and CindI Pistelli share the raw reality of their podcasting journey—the struggles, the triumphs, and the moments of laughter that keep them going. As they hit episode seven, our hosts reflect on the statistic that 90% of podcasters quit by this milestone. Yet, their passion for sharing stories of resilience, faith, and family fuels their commitment. Prepare to explore the hidden side of creating a podcast—bickering, chaos, and moments of uncertainty—while finding deeper meaning in overcoming challenges together.

In a light-hearted yet powerful discussion, the Pistellis reveal how their motivation to help others navigate through life’s hardest moments keeps them motivated. Patrick talks candidly about what it means to find joy amidst stress, shedding light on the relationship dynamics that arise during recording sessions. Listeners hear firsthand about the bickering that sometimes spirals out of control, the motivational feedback from listeners, and the heartfelt moments that make all the effort worthwhile.

Join Patrick and CindI as they dive into the lessons learned along the way—strength found amidst chaos, the affirmation of calling, and the need for perseverance in tough times. They highlight the reality that everyone faces unique struggles and that no one is alone in their journey. With candid disclosures and humor, this episode not only offers insights but inspires anyone considering stepping into a challenging venture.

Stay connected, share your thoughts, and remember, love truly is worth it, even in hard times! Don’t forget to subscribe, share, and leave a review for Love in the Hard! Together, let’s embrace the messy and the beautiful.

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Cindi:

Hey friends, welcome to Love in the Hard, where we share our journey of resilience, faith and transformation, diving into raw real-life challenges like overcoming past trauma, self-doubt and building a strong, loving family, all with the hope of inspiring others to see God's hand in their own stories.

Patrick:

We are Patrick and Cindi Pistelli, and we are here to remind you that you are not alone. There's hope even when life feels tough. So grab a seat and let's get real.

Cindi:

Hey everyone, welcome back to Love in the Hard. Today is our seventh episode, also known in the podcast world as the Quitters episode. Did you know that 90% of all people who start a podcast actually quit before or right at episode seven? So odd statistic. But here we are, we're still standing.

Patrick:

We're still standing. Yeah, apparently this is the episode where people say you know what, Forget it. I would rather just talk to my dog.

Cindi:

Well, the joke's on them, because Wrigley and Hazel truly are our biggest fans. So let's talk about how we've survived to episode seven and why we're not quitting.

Patrick:

All right. So up until this point we have covered some really really deep, some really heavy topics. So we thought today it would be a good idea and maybe we just have some fun and just kind of keep it lighthearted today, and so we're just going to kind of do an interview of one another about what this process has looked like for us. So, hun, on a scale of one, to what in the world did we get ourselves into? How close has this experience been to what you imagined?

Cindi:

I think I went into this really with not high expectations. I didn't really put a lot of thought into how it would look or how it would go. I just really set my mind on this is something that God's been talking to us about doing, and so we're just going to jump into it, so I didn't really have a whole lot of expectations. I don't really check the numbers. I don't. You do. I know you check those. I don't really look a lot into that. It's kind of more of a we definitely want to help other people going through things, because this is such a heavy topic and we do come into contact with this all the time, with people going through different things that we share, and so my mind has always just been on how is this going to help someone else? I think one thing, though, that I didn't expect when we went into this is how much you and I would bicker banter back and forth.

Patrick:

I think that I went into this, you know, expecting that we're going to go in and we're going to record and everything is going to be perfect and we're not going to have to do much editing. We're going to upload it. It's going to be a piece of cake, and what we found is that making a cake is not easy. So it has been more work than what I anticipated, but at the same time, it's also been fun and some of the response we've gotten from listeners has really been an encouragement to us. So be honest, who did you think would be the first one to want to quit?

Cindi:

Me? Why, no, I'm teasing actually. No, I don't. I didn't really think either one of us would want to quit. I really thought that. You know, we've we've been talking about this for the last seven years. We knew that this is something God wanted us to do. So I knew once we finally got up the courage to actually just put something out there, that's the hardest part is just getting things recorded and actually getting them edited and put out there. So no, I never, I never thought we would quit. So if you could describe our podcasting journey in one gif or gif or I have no idea how to say that what do you think it would be?

Patrick:

I'm going to go back to the last question before I answer that one. I think that we are both so stubborn, so hardheaded and so competitive that neither one of us was going to want to be the first one to say you know what? I don't think this is working, and so I think that's probably what has helped us to keep going is that we're just like nope, god has called us to this and so we're just we're going to run with it. So if I had to describe our podcasting journey in one gif, what would it be? I don't know, cause I'm not very I'm not very big on the gifs.

Cindi:

So Is it gif or gif?

Patrick:

I don't know, honestly, I really don't know. maybe, if I think about a GIF that would describe our journey, I think about you know, those little shorts before the Ice Age movies with the little squirrel and the nut, and how he always has great intentions and everything turns into chaos. That's kind of what I feel like this journey has been like for us that we have these great intentions and chaos seems to ensue, but at the end of the day, we're able to put out a product that I think we can both be proud of and something that I think we can see the hand of God moving in the lives of people. How about you?

Cindi:

Definitely. But every time I think of Jif, I just think of peanut butter.

Cindi:

So I'm going to call it a GIF, and I have no idea if that's the right. I'm sure our listeners will let us know if it's Jeff or gift, but anyway, let's see describe our podcasting journey. Sometimes I feel like we're just on a hamster wheel. Sometimes I feel like we're just running with, without a direction, but at the same time, I don't, you know. I know that we've we've put a lot of prayer into this. I know that we've put a lot of time and effort into this and just the feedback that we've been able to receive has been amazing. And just to let us know that we are truly doing what God has called us to do, and that is such a blessing. So I don't know, I don't know what it would be.

Patrick:

That's a great non-answer. I love it. So can you think of any bloopers that we've had in the course of recording this podcast or something that didn't go quite the way that we had planned?

Cindi:

Oh gosh Every time. So I feel like every time we sound like who is it at?

Patrick:

the end of a yeah, it's Porky Pig.

Cindi:

That's all the time. So where do you record these? How do you record? Are you just talking to each other? Do you write it out? Do you script it out, Like what do you do? And so we are actually in our office, sitting across the table from each other, we're both talking into a microphone. We will go through and talk about what we want to share. So then by the time we actually are recording something, I think it's difficult because if I look at you and you have a facial expression or something like that, then I'm like, should I not say that? Or you know whatever? So, not so much a blooper, I guess. Um, although we've had we've had some bloopers with it, We've had some, definitely, where we've meant to say one thing and said something totally different and we're like, yeah, we'll just cut that out. So, uh, I don't know what about you.

Patrick:

Yeah, I think, um, we talked earlier that maybe you're going to post one of the bloopers on Facebook, and you know we do this. We're just kind of silly. We have done recordings like this in the past. We did some videos for real estate, we have done some videos for the coaching business, and in each of those we have times where we just let loose and we're silly, and so we've definitely had those experiences and so maybe we'll go back and pick out some of those from these recordings and share those on Facebook so you guys can see a little bit of the behind the scenes of what is going on. So what has been your favorite episode or moment so far?

Cindi:

probably as our first one, and that's just because I think it took us like 25 hours to record it or something, and because we would, we would start it and we're like no, and then we were like let's, what about this, Maybe we should take it this angle. No, you know, and so it was very difficult, I think, for us to just just do it. You know, talking in a microphone isn't natural, and so you know, sometimes we would, we would mess up or we would not be talking in the microphone, or you know just different things. So I think that one's probably my most memorable and just the fact that I remember you literally before we were recording going, trying to psych yourself up and get yourself into it. It's like we do these little stupid things that if anyone were to see us they would be like what in the world? But I feel like that's just who we are it is.

Patrick:

That is definitely who we are. I think my favorite episode so far has been last week's episode. I think just because of the emotional depth of what we talked about last week and just the way that we both were able to just be real in the midst of that has been, I think that's been my favorite moment so far. So what's the biggest challenge that we didn't see coming?

Cindi:

I don't think I saw all the arguments.

Cindi:

So that is the thing about trying to do this with your spouse is, sometimes you don't see eye to eye and you know, maybe one of us wants to take it in one direction, one of us wants to take it in another direction.

Cindi:

And so the arguments that can come from that, and I think there was one day where I don't even know, I don't even know how we got through the podcast, because right before we were recording it we were, you know, kind of going back and forth and and then we decided like nope, we're gonna stop, we're gonna pray.

Cindi:

And because in that moment we realized that the reason why we're having a hard time or not on the same page or whatever, is not so much that we're wrestling with one another. It is because we have an enemy who doesn't want a lot of this stuff to go out. Because of the nature of what we're talking about, because of the nature of how we're talking about, because of the nature of how this is helping people through some really, really tough times, he doesn't want that shared. And so the best way to do that is for us to kind of argue back and forth. And so the one episode I remember. I don't remember which one it was, but you know, when I go back and listen you can't tell at all that we had just been in a huge argument right before it.

Patrick:

Yeah, there is an adversary that we have who roams about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour, and what he wants to do is he wants to keep people stuck where they are. He wants to get into marriages, he wants to hinder them, he wants to destroy them. Get into marriages, he wants to hinder them, he wants to destroy them. He is a thief, and he wants nothing more than to kill and to steal and to destroy, and so when someone is going to stand up for marriage and someone is going to stand up for living a life that brings glory to God, the enemy is going to send his forces against us, and so we've definitely experienced that, not only in the moments before the recording, but even sometimes during the recording, during the editing, we've had some, some stuff that has come up. So has this podcast tested our marriage? Yet I would say yes, almost every single episode. So what's one thing you've learned about me through this that you did not know before?

Cindi:

I'm going to say something that drives me crazy, but I'll also give a good one too. I tease you about it. When you say relationship, no, it's just you say it very slow. A relationship, yeah, no, I tease him about that, because people tease him about that in church too. When he says relationship, he usually will gesture a relationship, so he's always looking at me and moving his hands back and forth, like in a relationship with one another.

Patrick:

Yeah, and it's really odd when there is a guy sitting in front of Cindy and I'm motioning between me and her and there's another guy in the middle of us.

Cindi:

So but no, I think something that I've learned about you through this is and probably something that maybe I've learned about myself as well Just a lot of the things that we're talking about and a lot of the things that we have struggled with. Some of them are very difficult to talk about, but we know that we have a mission, we know that God wants this shared, and so we're able to put everything aside that maybe we're struggling with, maybe we're dealing with, you know, kind of the weight of the world. In that moment. We're able to just put it aside and just, here's the task at hand and let's do it it, and let's do it to the best of our ability.

Cindi:

And so, even though we might argue or whatever, when we actually sit down to do something, I think something magical happens throughout that, and I feel like, at least for me, that some of the weight of things that I've been carrying starts to come off, that some of the weight of things that I've been carrying starts to come off. But I see that with you as well. So, some of the things that we've shared, maybe it's something that we haven't actually really sat and talked about, maybe it's something that we should have talked about, but we haven't, and it's able to help us kind of just process that a little bit different. And you know we can sit a little bit taller and just be a little bit lighter.

Patrick:

I think what I have learned about you through this is I've really seen your drive and your determination that when you know you're called to something, you're gonna stick it out, you're gonna stay with it and you're going to see it through.

Patrick:

And you know, there have been some times that maybe we haven't been as prepared for the recording as what we should have been. And I'm just going to be honest, I come in here before we record and I ask what are we talking about today? And so you are the one that you put the topics together. You are the one that kind of like spearheads all of this, and my job is to come in and to sit down, to sit across from you. I get to look at your beautiful face every yeah, now she's hiding behind her computer, but I get to look at your beautiful face and I get to see those gorgeous eyes every time we do this and I love that. I absolutely love that. But I've seen through this your grit and your determination to stay the course and do what God has called us to do.

Cindi:

All right. So do you have any funny behind the scenes stories that you can mention?

Patrick:

Yeah, I don't know that. I would say it's funny, but it is a kind of behind the scenes snafu that we ran into. And so this is way this works cindy does the front end stuff, preparing everything for the podcast, we record it together and then I get the task of editing and, um, so last week's episode was for me, it was really powerful, but when I went to do the editing man, it was a nightmare. We had background sound that we don't know where it came from. We had at one point, if you remember, I had finished the editing and we were playing it back and there was a pause and in that pause there was this like guttural growl that took place. You know it's.

Patrick:

It sounded like somebody said it was yeah, I mean, I know that was. That was not a good impersonation, but it it kind of sounded like that. We're like what in the world was that and where did that come from? We don't know To this day. We don't know where that sound came from. But we went in and we edited that out. So we have had some things behind the scenes that have come up that we just didn't really know where it came from. But you know, it was there and we were able to take care of that.

Cindi:

Yeah, With that, I don't. It seemed to only be when I was talking on those and it seemed like almost like a male voice, I don't know. We slowed it down and it sounded like it was saying something, but we couldn't really make it out. It was just very, it sounded very demonic and, yeah, it was kind of scary because we're you know, it wasn't on the original, it wasn't on like it was. It was on a couple of them and on and not on others. So we have no idea where it came from.

Patrick:

I was hungry, maybe it was my stomach, maybe you never know. So if we made it past episode, seven.

Cindi:

Does that mean that we are officially real podcasters? Now we are real podcasters. I think the funny thing I hear all the time from my friends or, you know, just people close to us is they say, oh my gosh, you guys sound real. It sounds like you sound like real podcasters. So you know, and the first time we heard any of it our trailer and things like that we were like, oh my gosh, we actually sound like podcasters. You know, it was kind of funny because you don't set out to, you know, think you're gonna sound decent or that anyone's gonna even listen to you. But when we listen back, we were we were surprised, I think. You know, editing obviously helps and putting music to things that helps, but I think just the fact that we're able to sit here and do this makes it real to me anyway.

Patrick:

Yeah, I agree, absolutely agree. Makes it real to me anyway. Yeah, I agree, absolutely agree. So what is it that's keeping us going, when you know 90% of other people that have started a podcast have quit by this point?

Cindi:

I don't know the reason why they quit. I don't know if they just feel like they don't have enough listeners. I don't know if they feel like they don't have enough content. I don't know. I don't know. But for us, I know that, like like we said before, we feel called to do this, and so we know that there is other people out there going through the exact same things that we have been through in a different way. But that is what keeps me going. That is what keeps me saying you know, no, even if I don't feel like recording that day or if I don't feel like, you know, sitting down and really processing through and trying to put things together, the fact that we can help somebody else and the fact that you know our story matters and our story is unique to us, but that so many other people can relate to it as well and that it could help them, that's what keeps me going.

Patrick:

Yeah, I think that we've had several people that maybe we didn't expect that have come up to us or reached out to us and been like, hey, I love what you guys are doing.

Patrick:

It's been very helpful for me and I think there's probably a part of us that really wondered if the things we had to say had any value and if anybody would listen.

Patrick:

So the fact that people have come up to us or reached out to us and told us that they appreciate what we're doing or I think you had somebody tell you this week even, that they can tell that God has called us to this so I think when we hear those things, those are the things that are an encouragement to us, that really, really keep us going, really tell us you know, hey, we need to get this out there. I know, even with our kids, that there was one time where one of our kids told another one hey, you should really listen to the podcast. She was going through something and had a question, and so her sister said you should listen to the podcast. I think it'll help you with that. So you know, our kids don't always listen to us, but to hear them saying things like that to me that shows that God is using what we're doing here.

Cindi:

Yeah, and I think one of the things that I didn't expect is how many young people this would resonate with, because I think, you know, we just kind of naturally think that we're going to attract people more in our age group or you know, whatever. But finding out that this is really resonating with, you know, people in their twenties like I think, I think that's huge.

Patrick:

That tells me that people in their twenties that are just at the beginning of their life that we want to think that you know they haven't really been through anything yet, but they have. And so I think, while we began this with the idea of helping people that have been through things like what we've been through, to help them overcome that, I think what we're finding is that there are people that are using our experiences before they get to that point. So my prayer is that maybe some of these listeners we have friends of ours that are not at that point yet that maybe they'll avoid some of the things we've experienced because we have the opportunity to share this with them beforehand.

Cindi:

So what is the weirdest or the funniest piece of feedback that you've gotten so far?

Patrick:

I think it was episode one and we had said something about how we just have to let it go and I made a comment that I really want to break out in song right now but I'm going to hold back. And so I had somebody reach out to me and say they really think that I should have just let it go. I should have just busted out in song, and we're recording in our office here and we've got neighbors on both sides of us so we're not sure that they would have really appreciated that. But but that is probably the most interesting piece of feedback that I have gotten and who knows, maybe we'll see some of that in future episodes.

Patrick:

I know you're not as excited about that, but but that's the reality of who we are. Our kids say we live in a musical, because you can say something and we're going to bust out in song. If it sounds like a song, we're going to start singing it. So I mean, that's just. That is who we are as as people.

Patrick:

So I know we're getting ready to close here in just a little bit, but I've got a question for all of our listeners and you can reach out to us in our Facebook group or reach out to either one of us on Facebook, if you have us there, and if not, then send us a friend request, because we'd love to be able to have the opportunity to connect with you. But this is a question that we have a friend of ours that he's been trying to figure this out, and so I want to know your thoughts on this for our listeners. Do you think that our episodes are scripted or do you think that we are just doing this off the cuff, so we don't know what's your opinion? What do you think is our process for doing this?

Cindi:

I think it's funny because anytime I I I'm a big podcast listener, I love listening to podcasts, and so I've always listened to them and thought, man, like they just have it all together and that's awesome. And for the longest time I think that held me back Because I didn't really feel like what I had to say was going to be important. You know, we call that imposter syndrome, where everybody else can do it but you can't. You know kind of thing where you don't feel worthy of that. And I struggled with that for a long time because I would listen to so many people and they just had these incredible insights and incredible advice and things like that. And so, you know, until we started doing this and then you realize you know I'm not going to give the answer on that, but you know, you just realize that you know, as you go you learn different things, you things will come to mind that you didn't even realize was there. And it's sometimes we, we play it back and we're like, oh, that was packed with wisdom.

Cindi:

I just want to say to anyone listening, if you feel like quitting something, maybe that's a podcast, or you know, maybe it's a dream that you have, or you know, maybe it's a dream that you have, or you know, maybe it's just laundry. I know I definitely would like to quit doing laundry sometimes, but you know, don't quit, just keep going, because you're going to grow through the process of whatever that is and who knows what you're going to, what you're going to get from that. Maybe it's something that you're going to, you know, gain more confidence that you're going to need down the road. Whatever that is, just keep going, don't quit, don't give it up.

Patrick:

Yeah, don't quit, keep going. Unless you know you're talking about eating expired sushi, then you should quit. But for the rest of us, don't quit, because you never know what is just one step ahead of where you are. And wouldn't you hate to be the one that quit, digging a foot before you found the gold.

Cindi:

So, yeah, it truly, guys, if. If we can do this, so can you. Whatever that is, because the courage is in the doing. Just just do it. Just get up and do it, and you'll find that you have a strength that you didn't know is there, yeah.

Patrick:

So we want to thank you guys for coming along this journey with us, for hanging with us for these seven episodes. We pray that it's been a blessing. We pray that you've had some fun today, kind of taking a break from all the heavy stuff and learning a little bit about what goes on behind the scenes. We would love to hear from you, so reach out to us on Facebook or Instagram. You are more than welcome to join our Facebook group, love in the Hard, and don't forget to tune in next week when we get back to that deep, powerful stuff. We're going to talk about finding joy after the hard seasons. So until then, remember love is worth it, even in the hard.

Cindi:

God bless.

Cindi:

Hey friend, thanks for listening. If you got something out of this episode, be sure to follow or subscribe to love in the Hard on Apple Podcasts, spotify or wherever you listen, so you never miss a new episode. Please take time to leave a review, especially if you listen on Apple Podcasts. This will help more people access honest conversations about building lasting relationships, resilience through life's hardest moments and mindset shifts to overcome self-doubt.

Patrick:

And if you're really feeling it, go ahead and screenshot this episode on your phone and share it on social media. Tag us at Loving the Hard on Facebook and Instagram and we'll be sure to reshare your post. Thanks again for listening. We'll see you next time, Thank you.