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Amanda Setili shares how she started her podcast Fearless Growth with a little help from her friends and what she learned in the process. 

When my podcast guest Ginger (Virginia) Bowman was a waitress right out of college, she went to see Jurassic Park and instantly had the desire to create animated imagery like the creatures in that movie. Although she lacked any training or knowledge relevant to the entertainment industry, Ginger started telling anyone who would listen, “That’s what I want to do.”

And people helped. A fellow worker helped her acquire computer animation software, and Ginger began self-training after work each day. A few months later, a customer heard her dream and connected her with an internship. Ginger interned during the day, worked as a waitress in the evening, then practiced with the software into the early morning hours.

Before long, she landed a job with Sony Imageworks, where she voiced a desire to lead a team as technical director and was promoted in record time. Ginger went on to win four Oscars on those teams, working in the creative departments of Hollywood blockbusters including Spiderman, Chronicles of Narnia, Superman Returns, Aviator, Stuart Little, Castaway and Matrix Reloaded. 

This reminded me about one of life’s best lessons, which is: decide what you want, and tell other people. It’s the habit that often separates highly successful talented people from unsuccessful talented people.

Key podcasts include:

• Greg White
• Mitali Chopra
• Sandra Hughes

Read the full article, What I Learned by Becoming a Podcast Host, on LinkedIn.