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Are you finding it stressful to pick topics and prep for podcast episodes before you even hit record? The time between episodes can move very quickly, and often lead a podcaster with the stressful thought – is it time for a new episode already?
I hear this all the time from podcasters. They love the idea of having a show, but when it comes time to actually sit down and record, they freeze up (which is easy to happen without a plan or process).Â
What should I talk about? How do I organize my thoughts? How do I make sure I’m not rambling?
Today’s guest has figured this out!. And she’s been doing it consistently for nearly five years, which is why I asked her if she would come on my podcast to share some helpful tips with other podcasters.Â
Megan McLean is the COO of fitDEGREE, a studio management software company for boutique fitness studios. She co-hosts the FitSpot Guru podcast with Nick Hale, the CEO of fitDEGREE.
They’ve been clients of ours for nearly five years, and they’ve published 340 episodes. Let me say that again: 340 episodes!Â
To put that in perspective, only about 6% of podcasters even make it to episode 100. So Megan and Nick are in a very rare category.
And here’s the thing: their podcast runs like clockwork; we get to see it working with them each week on their show, and it makes things so much easier for us on our end. They’re always ahead. Everything is organized. They batch episodes in advance. It’s a well-oiled machine!Â
So I wanted to bring Megan on to share exactly how they do it.
The Two Types of Episodes They Publish
One of the first things Megan shared is that they didn’t always have this dialed in. Over the years, they’ve tried different formats and frequencies.
At one point, they were publishing three episodes a week. But they started getting feedback from their audience, studio owners who would listen on their drive to and from the studio, that it was too much to keep up with.
So they scaled back to one episode per week and landed on two types of episodes:
Deep Dive Episodes – where they go in-depth on one specific topic
Q&A Episodes – where they rapid-fire through multiple questions
This gives their audience variety while keeping things manageable for Megan and Nick.
The Power of a Predictable Structure
Here’s what Megan said that really stuck with me:
“Once you create that skeleton, and all you’re doing is rotating in new information, prepping becomes second nature.”
Megan and Nick have a predictable flow for every episode. It goes like this:
- Intro
- Nick’s Nuggets (their version of a TLDR or quick takeaway)
- The main content (broken into sections like objective, strategy, and tactics for deep dives, or just question/answer for Q&As)
- Outro
Every single episode follows this structure. The only thing that changes is the content – it’s what I would call “plug and play”!Â
And here’s why that matters: it removes decision fatigue.
When you sit down to prep an episode, you’re not starting from scratch. You’re not staring at a blank page wondering what to do. You already know the flow. You just need to plug in the topic.
This is huge.
How Megan Uses AI (Without Sounding Like a Robot)
Megan is a big fan of using AI to help with prep. But she doesn’t just type in a prompt and copy-paste the output.
She’s trained the AI to sound like her and Nick.
Here’s how she did it:
- She fed the AI past Slack threads between her and Nick
- She uploaded old emails and newsletters
- She included Instagram captions and client communication
The AI picked up their voice, tone, and style. Now when she uses it to draft episode outlines, it doesn’t sound robotic or generic, it actually sounds like Megan and Nick.
And she says she could batch out 20 episodes in about 10 minutes if she wanted to (wouldn’t that be a nice feeling for us as podcasters, knowing this is possible)?
That’s the power of combining structure with smart AI use.
Co-Hosting with Your Boss (and Making It Work)
One of the most interesting parts of this conversation was hearing Megan talk about co-hosting with Nick, who’s also the CEO of fitDEGREE.
She describes their dynamic like this: Nick is the visionary, and she’s the integrator. He has the big ideas, and she makes them a reality.
On the podcast, it works the same way. Megan builds the skeleton and outlines, and Nick brings the energy and expertise.
Her advice for anyone considering co-hosting? Find someone whose strengths complement yours.
You don’t want two people who both want to talk over each other. And you don’t want two organizers who are both trying to control the structure.
You want balance. One talker, one organizer. One visionary, one integrator.
That’s where the magic happens.
Why Being “Too Anxious” Is Actually a Superpower
Megan jokes that anxiety is a superpower when it comes to podcasting.
Like me, she’s too anxious to do things last minute. So she plans everything as far out as possible.
I’m usually a month ahead on my own podcast too. I don’t want to be staring at the microphone with a blank look on my face saying, “Oh my gosh, I have a show coming out this Thursday. What do I talk about?”
If you’re someone who gets stressed about deadlines, use that to your advantage. Batch your episodes. Plan ahead. “Future You” will thank you!
The Friend Group Podcast That Never Launched
Megan also shared a story that I think a lot of people will relate to.
A couple of years ago, she and a group of friends decided to start a podcast together. They were excited. They recorded a few episodes.
But they never published anything.
Why? Because they didn’t have a clear direction. They didn’t have a strong enough “why.” And not everyone in the group was equally motivated to keep going.
Megan said they agreed not to publish anything until they hit episode 10. They didn’t even make it past episode 4.
This is so common. I’ve seen it happen with clients too.
If you’re thinking about starting a podcast with friends or a business partner, make sure you’re aligned on:
- Your why – What’s the purpose of this podcast? What’s the goal?
- Your roles – Who’s doing what? Who’s the organizer? Who’s the talker?
- Your commitment – Is everyone equally motivated to keep this going?
If you don’t have clarity on those things, it’s going to be really hard to stay consistent.
Your Permission Slip
If you’re struggling with podcast prep, here’s what I want you to take away from this conversation:
Create a structure. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel every week. Build a skeleton for your episodes and just plug in new content.
Batch in advance. Don’t wait until the last minute. Record multiple episodes at once. Plan ahead.
Use AI smartly. Train it to sound like you. Feed it your past content. Let it help you with outlines, but don’t let it ever replace your voice.
Find the right co-host (if you go that route). Look for someone whose strengths complement yours, not someone who’s exactly like you.
And most importantly: Don’t overthink it!Â
Megan and Nick have published 340 episodes because they have a system. They’re not winging it. But they’re also not making it harder than it needs to be.
And I know you can do the same!
The Bottom Line
Running a podcast doesn’t have to be stressful, and sharing that message over and over again is a big reason I do my podcast. With the right structure, a solid prep process, and smart use of tools like AI, you can create a show that runs like clockwork, just like Megan and Nick have, and I hope the insights she shared can help you on your own podcasting journey.Â
You can tune into The FitSpot Guru Podcast on Apple Podcasts & Spotify each week and hear more from Megan and Nick, and you can learn more about fitDEGREE at www.fitdegree.com/!Â
Ready to launch your podcast with a simplified, stress-free plan, in as little as TWO WEEKS? Book a no-obligation call now at podassist.com and learn how we can walk you through this process with one-on-one coaching and support!
Remember- it’s YOUR show and there are NO RULES!