Why I Entered Ryan Seacrest's Top Host Competition After My Hardest Year
Episode 128: I went quiet for two months. This is the honest reason why, plus the random email that convinced me to join Ryan Seacrest's Top Host Competition with iHeartRadio. Let me catch you up... since July, I went to Germany, lost my grandfather, spent weeks with family in Tennessee, traveled for work, studied for the PMP, and got sick twice. Nothing about this year has gone the way I thought it would, and the show felt it. Then an email showed up while I was walking my dog. I figured it was a fluke. It turned out to be the Top Host Competition, a fundraiser for the Ryan Seacrest Foundation, which builds media studios inside children's hospitals so kids in treatment get a creative outlet they'd never otherwise have. When I recorded this, I'd gone from the hundreds in my group to first place in my Group Top 5. The final winner will get $25,000, a six-episode show produced by iHeartRadio, and a seat on On Air with Ryan Seacrest.As you know, I'm building a new identity, trying to find my purpose life, and sharing all the messy middle in real time. You get the unedited version.In this episode, I talk about:Why the show went quiet, and what this year taught me about boundaries and burnoutHow Ryan Seacrest's Top Host Competition works and what the winner getsWhy asking for votes feels so strange for a former student athleteWhat winning would fund (i.e. clearing my interview backlog, hiring an editor, and better gear)How I am trying to show up for the younger version of myself who needed me the mostWhy I'd rather show you the messy middle than wait for the highlight reel HELP ME BECOME THE NEXT TOP HOST: Vote here! 🗳️You can vote free every day I'm in the competition, and donation votes support the Ryan Seacrest Foundation.Chapters:00:00 Why is it so hard to publish a podcast consistently on your own?02:40 What happens when travel, grief, and illness all hit at once?04:49 What could iHeartRadio's Top Host Competition mean for this show?09:09 How do you show up for the younger versions of yourself?10:34 PMP exam, burnout, and why I'm finally learning boundaries11:46 What winning Top Host would fund: editing, production, and better gear12:54 Why share the messy middle instead of the highlight reel?15:46 How to vote for me in Top Host, plus the guests coming nextCONNECT WITH AMANDA:Don't forget to subscribe for weekly content about identity, healing, purpose, and becoming your future self. Want to share your story or question for an upcoming Wanderer Wisdom Episode? Send Amanda a message here!Email: [email protected]: www.podcastforthelost.comInstagram: @podcast.for.the.lost & @amanda.k.powersTikTok: @podcast.for.the.lostYouTube: @podcastforthelostSubstack: podcastforthelost.substack.com AFFILIATE LINKS:ShopMy → Browse and shop the supplements, skincare, outfits,tech, and personal luxuries I actually reach for and use!