Episode 224: Former Teacher Turned Podcast Manager with Maegan Green

Full Episode Transcription:

[00:00:00] Arianna Vernier: Hey y’all. On today’s episode, I brought on a former teacher turned podcast manager. Her name is Maegan Green, and she’s coming on just to share about her journey out of teaching, what fear she had, how she overcame them, what she loves about being a podcast manager, what it allows her to do with her babies.

[00:00:23] Arianna Vernier: And all the things. So I’m really excited for you to listen to this episode and just hear what it’s like from another mama who wanted to be home with her babies just like you guys. Let’s go ahead and jump right in.

[00:00:39] Arianna Vernier: Hey, Megan, welcome to the show. I’m so excited to have you.

[00:00:43] Maegan Green: I am so excited to be here on the show with you today.

[00:00:48] Arianna Vernier: Awesome. So I would just love it if you would share with my listeners a little bit about you, what you did before you dove into this virtual assistant world, and just kind of walk us through that.

[00:01:02] Maegan Green: Yeah, so my name is Megan Green. I was a teacher. I actually stopped teaching this past school year, so I am freshly out of the classroom. I taught third grade for the longest amount of time, and this past school year has really just been awful. Like there has, there’s really no other way to put it. I had my baby back in August and, any teachers that are listening know that it is hard enough going on maternity leave during the school year anyway, but especially at the beginning because that is where you set the foundations of your classroom and where I was teaching, we started at the end of July because we had just a different schedule, but because I missed the beginning of the school year when I came back at the beginning of November, I came back to chaos. And unfortunately, my substitute really didn’t have a whole lot of structure, which sucks for me because I came back to kids thinking, you know, they could kind of do whatever they wanted and so that made my life a lot harder. Going to work every single day, plus adjusting to being a mom of two. And that is hard anyway, much less when you absolutely dread going to work every day. And I was getting to the point where I was like, you know, I really wish I wouldn’t have had to come back to teaching, but I knew I had to because financially we couldn’t afford for me to come home and not work at all. So it was around, I think it was, I think it was during Christmas break that I decided, I was like, you know, I’m done. Like, I cannot do another year of this. Like, even though next year might be better, I just cannot risk it again because my mental health was suffering. And, you know, I did not like that at all. And then I felt like the way that I parented and being a wife and all that, all of that suffered too. So I started the whole route of LinkedIn networking, trying to find a remote position, and that was wearing me out, trying to, you know, change a resume from a teacher resume to a corporate resume. And it was just really stressful. And a friend of mine, she had become a virtual assistant like a couple years earlier. And so I reached out to her and was like, okay, like what exactly is this? Because honestly, in my mind I’m thinking like an MLM type thing because I think a lot of people think that until they know what it is, I know I did. And she directed me to a virtual assistant course. And I took that at the end of January, and then pretty much the rest is history. So that’s how I got to where I am today.

[00:03:55] Arianna Vernier: Awesome. I love how you mentioned that you thought that virtual assistance was MLM, because so many people think that, I think we’re just not used to there being opportunities to work from home that are outside of. You know, the direct sales world, and that really allows us the flexibility and freedom that we’re all craving. So a lot of people are very hesitant about like, what actually is this? And I thought the same thing when I started, so I totally get that.

[00:04:25] Maegan Green: Yes, I definitely thought that. And I’ve, I’ve actually heard other people say the same thing and like I’ve had to tell ’em like, no, that’s not what this is. Trust me, I have been. And it’s, it’s never turned out good. So I would not be sticking to something this long if it wasn’t MLM, trust me.

[00:04:43] Arianna Vernier: Right. So what would you say was the biggest thing that you had to overcome in your transition out teaching?

[00:04:50] Maegan Green: Honestly, the biggest thing I have, and I’m still overcoming it, honestly, is fear of the unknown. With teaching, it is a very secure position. I know what I’m getting paid every month because it’s salary, so you make the same thing every month, even though it wasn’t, you know, a lot of money. But I knew what was coming in and I knew it was coming in every month. So it has really been difficult at times getting away from that secure paycheck every single month because as an entrepreneur, virtual assistant, anything that you decide to do this, your own business, nothing is 100% guaranteed. And I have really had to have faith and just fully believe that things were going to work out and that my family was going to be taken care of. And that really has been. The hardest thing to overcome for me. And I’m still, you know, overcoming it as it comes and goes, because some days I’m like feeling great, like, yes, this is going great. And then other days it’s like, what am I doing with my life and why did I decide to quit teaching? You know? So it’s constant back and forth, but definitely fear is the hardest thing to overcome.

[00:06:01] Arianna Vernier: I really appreciate that you spoke to that because I know that that’s a struggle for so many of the women that I serve in my virtual assistant course and just our listeners. They’re all struggling with wondering, what am I gonna do about that financial stability? One thing that I do love to mention, I’ve mentioned it a few times on the podcast, is we see teaching as a stable income or any nine to five as a stable income, but really, You could lose that tomorrow if you lost your job. But with virtual assistants, if you have a handful of clients, you might lose one, but you usually won’t lose all at one time. So you’ll still have income coming from the ones you had. That way that’ll kind of tide you over as you work towards replacing the one that you lost. So I just want the listeners to understand like a lot of people are worried about that, of losing that stable income, and I totally get that, but in my eyes, virtual assistants is. More stable, so thank you for sharing that.

[00:07:04] Maegan Green: The one, good thing about virtual assistants that made me feel better is contracts, you know, and putting like a in mind I put like, you have to give 30 days notice. For us to end our working relationship. And that has definitely made me feel better because that gives me time to replace that income if I need to.

[00:07:23] Arianna Vernier: Right. And also for those listening, there’s some virtual assistant positions that are more like one-off services. So if you decide to go into website design, for example, you’re probably only gonna build one website for a client, and then maybe you’ll get them for website maintenance, but maybe not. So you’re not gonna keep building website every month for that same client and have that. Recurring income, you’ll have to go find new clients. But if you choose a service that’s more stable, like podcast management that Maegan does, then you’ll have that more stable, consistent, recurring income. So that’s something to consider too. So you’re a podcast manager. That’s what you chose to specialize in. Can you talk a little bit about how you ended up in that role and what you really love about it? And also just kind of explain like what a podcast manager does. ’cause some of my listeners might not know.

[00:08:16] Maegan Green: Yes, so whenever I initially took the virtual assistant course that I took, I had went into social media management and I had a couple of clients that I was doing some social media things for. And it stressed me out and I was like, Hmm, I’m not gonna keep doing something if it’s gonna stress me out. ’cause if I wanted to do that, I would keep teaching. So I did not want, you know, to continue to stay in one thing just because it felt more comfortable at the time. Because it did. Because honestly, one thing that I guess was helpful in the MLMs that I’ve been in in the past is I was used to creating stuff for social media. So I was kind of already familiar with it going into virtual assistants, but I got to the point where I was like, I didn’t even look forward to doing any work. Like I didn’t like it and I was like, I’m not going to do this to myself. And I had thought about podcast management when I was first trying to pick my like specialty, but I wasn’t as familiar with it. So I was like, Hmm, I’m gonna go with the more familiar thing. And once I looked into it, Lauren Wrighton, for anyone listening and you think you want to be a podcast manager, her podcast manager program is where I learned everything. So she had a free masterclass and I attended that, and that is when I decided that I wanted to go into podcast management. So I took the podcast management program and that is how I got into it. But as far as what a podcast manager does, is now of course, Everyone may not offer the same services. ’cause some people do some things and some people don’t do others. But for me personally, I do monthly management packages. So editing, audio, optimizing it, just make it sound better. Social media graphics, audiograms, which if you don’t know what that is, those are like the graphics that have like the cool little sound waves and a clip from the episode. And monthly analytics guest management. That is a lot of what goes into being a podcast manager and some other people have different things that they offer, some people will do like podcast videos and and things like that. I don’t offer that as of now, but those are some of the things that a podcast manager does.

[00:10:42] Arianna Vernier: Perfect. Yeah. Thank you for explaining that. When you mentioned, you know, going into social media management and then realizing that wasn’t something that you really loved, I did the same exact thing. I went into social media management and I’m like, like, I can do this, but it’s not fun and like you, I just wasn’t excited about it and that’s when I ended up falling into website design and that’s my love now. And I just want the listeners to understand. You need to pick a service that lights you up even if you don’t know how to do it. Yet, you can learn. There are programs out there that can help you learn. I know in my program, the Virtual Assistant Mama Academy, I have a whole unit just teaching different virtual assistant service skills, so you can learn even if you don’t know how to do it yet, but, I don’t want you to quit your job because you’re not happy there, and then find yourself offering virtual assistant services that don’t want you up either. I want you to pick something that sounds really fun to you and that makes you excited to work for your clients every day. So just wanted to mention that as well.

[00:11:45] Maegan Green: I 100% agree with that. ’cause that is what I told myself. I’m like, you know, I want to do something that I actually love. And just because it’s comfortable doesn’t mean you’re going to love it. And sometimes getting outta your comfort zone ends up being the best decision that you make. And there’s so many different kind of trainings that, I mean, even YouTube videos, if you don’t know how to do something, usually there’s a YouTube video about it. So, There’s plenty of stuff out there where you can learn if you do not know how to do it.

[00:12:15] Arianna Vernier: Yeah, that’s how I learned website design. I just watched a YouTube tutorial for how to build my own website and then I’m like, this is so fun. And so I just started finding clients and fell into it. So yeah, just find what lights you up. So you’ve mentioned you took a virtual assistant course, you did the podcast manager program. Is there anything else that helped you in your journey out of teaching?

[00:12:39] Maegan Green: One of the things that helped me was definitely listening to other people’s experiences and to know that it is possible to transition out of teaching or just to go into virtual assisting in general. I really connected with some of the other women that were in the virtual assistant program that I was in and that really helped a lot, ’cause some of them were just getting started out like I was, but some of them are also on like the other side of it where they have successful businesses. So it was really nice to have people to lean on that were going through the same things I am, but also to see, you know, where my business can. End up going in the future. And my business coach as well, she has really helped me a lot because especially the past like month, like the last month of teaching, I was really freaking out because I’m like, oh my gosh, I have one month of teaching left. Is this the right thing to do? Like am I, should I just go ahead and sign another contract? Which I did not. So no worries there. But you know, just that. Freaking out feeling that like, this is actually about to be real. This is not just a thought anymore. This is actually about to happen. And she really helped me with all of those feelings. And you know, ’cause she actually, my coach is a transition teacher too, so she knows exactly what I’m going through. And so those are the things that have really helped me in my journey to virtual assistants.

[00:14:08] Arianna Vernier: I think a lot of people, especially at the beginning of their virtual assistant journey, they hesitate to continue to invest in themselves just because they have that, that fear of it not. Of not getting return. But if you can get someone in your corner who has been where you were and can help you avoid making the same mistakes they did, that’s just going to accelerate your growth, accelerate the speed with which you can replace your income. So I love how you are a testament to that of like not being afraid to, I mean, maybe you were afraid, but you did it anyway to invest in a coach to help you. So that’s really, really cool. I think a lot of people hesitate about that, but I’m always like, no, like you’ve gotta get someone in your corner ’cause it’s gonna save you money in the long run. You’re not gonna make this mistakes. It’s not gonna take you as long to get to where you wanna

[00:15:00] Maegan Green: Yes, I agree fully. And it, it was scary at first investing, because I’m like, okay, my business isn’t where I want it to be. So like, why am I investing now? But at the same time, I knew I needed someone to, number one, hold me accountable. ’cause I’m gonna be working from home with two kids. And I knew it would be easy to let things slip through the cracks. To maybe put some things off, which thankfully none of that has happened yet. But just having somebody be like, Hey, you know, you had this planned out this week. Did you do it? And so I honestly really do recommend investing in someone to help you with your business journey, especially at the beginning. But I think even years into your business, it is always good to have somebody in your corner.

[00:15:44] Arianna Vernier: Yeah, I agree. So, If someone wanted to start transitioning into the virtual assistant world, but they just felt really overwhelmed, what would you tell them?
[00:15:56] Maegan Green: First thing that I would say is to do your research. Don’t look into it too much though, because I’m the kind of person that if I do way too much research and just don’t make a decision, I’ll end up just not doing it. Yeah. So, you know, if you know someone who is a virtual assistant, Maybe someone that you trust, just reach out to them. Kind of ask them like, Hey, what is this? What does this look like? What is your business like? What advice do you have? And then, I really think that a virtual assistant course is one of the best ways to go because I know that the one that I took taught me everything from the legal side of things, how to start an LLC, how to get a business bank account, and then even went into all the different like specialties, the services that you could offer. So I think that a course as well is the right way to go and. Honestly, you just have to get to the point where you have to make a decision, am I going to do this or not? Because if you sit on it too long, you’re gonna get scared and you’re gonna back out. So what that, what that looked like for me was, it was, I think February. At that point, I already knew, like even if for some reason this business did not work out, I was not going back to the classroom, I already knew that. So in February, I already told my principals that I was not gonna come back the next school year. And telling them that and already letting them know I’m not renewing a contract, made it more real for me and kind of made me be like, okay, it’s, it’s this business or it’s nothing. So really you just have to find the courage within you and just get out there and do it, because I mean, you can make it work for you. It may not look for you the same as it looks for me. You might be doing it as a side business. Maybe you want a full-time income, but it is possible. There’s so many possibilities in the online world.

[00:17:59] Arianna Vernier: I like how you mentioned that even though you weren’t sure if this business was gonna work out for you, you put in your notice anyway. Like that gave you a whole lot of skin in the game. Like investing gives you skin in the game, but also, you know, setting a deadline like, I have to get this going by this due date. Like there’s not really another option. Like, yeah, I could go find a different job somewhere else, but that’s gonna be a pain too. So if I like get a reason behind why I’m doing this, instead of just being like, well, I don’t have to, ’cause I can fall back on my teaching job still. That’s really helpful too, in pushing you to just take that leap. So I really like that you mentioned that.

[00:18:40] Maegan Green: Yes. And another piece of advice I would actually have is to. Find your reason why, and you may have like a financial reason. I mean, let’s be honest, nobody’s going into business just because they absolutely love it. I mean, you want some kind of financial gain or if you’re like me, I need it. But find your reason why. For me, that’s. My kids, especially my youngest, because my oldest, she’s three and she’s going to be going to pre-K three in August, so she’s not gonna be here as often starting in August. But I did not have the opportunity to stay at home with my oldest. Now I’m getting the opportunity to stay home with my youngest and she’s going to be our last baby. So I really want to soak that in and to be able to have time with her, but even with both of them, because I will be at home more and we’ll be able to be more present because I’m not tied down to the mental load of teaching. And if. You don’t really have that reason why you are going to find reasons why you shouldn’t be doing this. And my desire to be a better mother and stay home with my kids is bigger than it has to be bigger than my fear of “what if”.

[00:20:01] Arianna Vernier: I’m speechless. I don’t have anything to add to that. I felt the same way and that’s why I created this podcast and the Virtual Assistant Mama Academy because I know so many mamas feel just like you and just like I did, just wanting to be that present mom feeling like they couldn’t because they’re so drained coming home from their jobs every day and just wondering like, how can I still provide for my family, but be. That mom I’ve always dreamed of being so virtual assistants definitely gives you that capability, but you just have to trust and have faith and take the scary leaps, like that’s really what it boils down to. You are exactly right. So it has been so great having you on the podcast today, Maegan. Where can people come and connect with you?

[00:20:50] Maegan Green: I’m mainly on Instagram. My username is _maegangreen, and it is M A E G A N. I’m sure it’ll be in the episode description or something, but uh, yeah, my mom gave me that difficult to spell name so, If you don’t spell it right, you won’t find me.

[00:21:11] Arianna Vernier: That’s okay. I’ll have you linked in the show notes for those listening so they can come and find you. Well, it has been such a blessing having you on. Thank you so much for just coming and sharing your wisdom, your takeaways from your journey out of your job. And I just really appreciate you taking the time to do this.

[00:21:29] Maegan Green: Ah, you are so welcome and I appreciate you allowing me to come on here and to share my story with other people.

[00:21:36] Arianna Vernier: Awesome. Well, thank you guys for listening and tuning into this episode. Make sure you go and get connected with Maegan. And we will see you in the next episode here on the Virtual Assistant Mama podcast.