Smash the Ladder and Build Your Own!

Thousands of years ago, news often was carried by word of mouth. Peddlers, travelers and soldiers moved from place to place, telling those they met what was happening elsewhere in the world. Although certainly not a speedy way of getting the latest news, it served its purpose for those times.

Now, we're in an era where, with the touch of a computer key, we can be connected to the world in an instant. Still, our longing to hear news from the mouth of a human, to interract with them and offer our opinions, has led to an explosion in podcasting.

According to a guest on Peter Clayton's Total Picture Radio, there are 18.5 million listeners of podcasts, a phenomenal growth of 285 percent last year.

As a journalist, I refuse to think about a world without newspapers, but it's clear to me that people want to also be informed in other ways. Since it's my mission to try and be part of sharing news and information that will help others in some way, I've decided to launch a podcast.

Of course, I'm no fool and wanted to partner with someone who I believed shared my vision and would help me along on this new venture -- and also would be a lot of fun. Diane Danielson of the Downtown Women's Club, fit the bill and happily, she agreed to take this journey with me.

Our show is called "Smash the Ladder with Anita and Diane." We chose that name because we believe the old way of working is changing because of a variety of factors. On the show, we're committed to offering information on navigating this new and evolving workplace, and providing advice and insight from experts we believe will help you smash the traditional workplace ladder and build your own.

We've already done a test run of the podcast. We had great fun doing it, and despite a technological glitch in the beginning, I think we did a good job of telling our audience who we are, where we're going with the show and previewing some of the future guests.

On Feb. 19, at 10 a.m. CST, I'll be speaking live with Gordon Patzer, author of "Looks: Why They Matter More Than You Ever Imagined."

We're going to talk about if the way you look matters in the workplace, and how your own perception of yourself affects your success. I've already written about this in an earlier post, but there's lots more to talk about, so it should be a lively and provocative show. And the best part? You can call in and add your comments. If you can't stop by during that time, the show will be available anytime, and you can even download it on your MP3 player or add your comments later.

Finally, if there's a topic you'd like to see discussed or a question you'd like answered, send Diane or me a note and we'll do our best to get it on the show.






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