I'm CHELSEA

I’M A Podcast Host, Podcast STRATEGIST & Entrepreneur, Serial Traveller (currently in Europe), AND Passionate Reflector.

ABOUT Me IN 10 Seconds

I’ve been a sports reporter, sales manager, yoga instructor, gelato scooper, nanny, mindset coach, podcast host, and now podcast strategist.

ENFP-A, 6/2 Reflector, Aquarius Sun, Virgo Moon, Virgo Rising, Capricorn North Node, storyteller, overly curious, soon-to-be author, digital nomad and love zigging when everyone is zagging. I’m dead-set on seeing white space and creating new opportunities.

And most of all - I want you to live your life telling as many stories as you can, no matter how big or small.

Florida Native, I’ll be spending the next year abroad, in Cape Town, Medellin, Buenos Aires, Lima, Mexico, and Europe.

THE SLIGHTLY LONGER Version

I’ve been obsessed with storytelling since I was in elementary school. I got a perfect score on the writing section of a standardized exam in 4th grade. I was a newscaster for my school’s “news”. I read 1000 books in first grade.

Fast forward to college, where I majored in Media & Communication Studies at Florida State University, I studied storytelling like a palaeontologist and explored every storytelling opportunity I could get my hands on.

I took classes focused on hosting and reporting, while interning at news stations and PR firms. I wanted to live and breathe storytelling from all vantage points, understand how we use them to transcend our differences, and what makes a great narrative compelling.

I pursued a Master’s in Digital Media & Storytelling from Loyola University Chicago to deepen my understanding of you guessed it…stories! That program was the truth serum I needed - storytelling and creating were my innate gifts, and would be part of my legacy.

That program landed me a gig as a salesperson in content & influencer marketing. I excelled quickly thanks to my education, and moved to a manager role, working with brands and selling over $1M+ to brands like Yahoo Sports, Dell, and M&M’s.

I was the middleman in getting brands to partner with influencers to create content for them. One day, I had a lightbulb moment - this is what I did in school! I could do this! Wait, why WASN’T I doing this?!

The fire lit beneath me - I tried to express myself through a few different mediums—a beauty-focused Instagram, a blog (I lasted 1 post LOL), but when podcasting came on the scene, my spidey-senses were tingling. All it took was one season of “Serial”, and I knew that podcasting was going to be my storytelling vehicle.

It’s been five years since I launched my first creative baby, “In My Non-Expert Opinion”, and we’ve gone through several evolutions as a pod family. I’ve experimented with covering topics like health and wellness, spirituality, and lifestyle content. Now, as I enter my third year as a self-employed digital nomad, we’ve pivoted to cover two of my current passions, entrepreneurship and travel.You can tune in Here.

In 2021, I had another “holy shit” moment. I was a Mindset Coach, but something felt unaligned. I loved helping people realize their power, but the way I was doing it didn’t quite click. Then it hit me - I need to teach people how to activate their inner storyteller through podcasting.

I took my 10+ years of education in media and communications, 5 years of expertise in podcasting, every skill I learned in my corporate job, and blended it with my burning passion for creating to come up with my offer for podcast coaching.

I posted some IG stories about my pivot, and crossed my fingers.

Checking back a few hours later, I had 4 people ready to book with me ASAP. Boom - we were off to the races.

Since then, I’ve helped:

35+ podcasts launch

300+ episodes go live

DESIGNED THE LAUNCH STRATEGY TO CREATE A TOP 1% PODCAST

CREATED NEW REVENUE STREAMS THROUGH CLIENTS THROUGH PODCASTING

1991: born in Florida as a lil’ Aquarius

2000: started writing and telling stories in my class - I was a “newscaster” for my school’s news channel, and scored a perfect score on a standardized writing test (by accident - see above)

2013: graduated from Florida State University with a Media & Communications Degree, focused on hosting & reporting (my goal was to be an ESPN Sports Reporter or E! News Reporter)

2014: Moved to Chicago to pursue a Master’s in Digital Media & Storytelling from Loyola University Chicago

2014: Offered a sales job at a content & influencer marketing company

2019: Quit my job and moved to Sydney, Australia with no major plan

2019: Received my yoga certification in Bali

2020: pandemic hits - I start teaching yoga online and mindset coaching

2020: Move to Germany with my ex, continuing to do mindset coaching

2021: I pivot to Podcast Coaching, living in North Germany in a full lockdown

2022: I double-down on Podcast Coaching, and start living nomadically full-time; spent time in Cape Town, Valencia, Lisbon, Split, Mallorca, Ibiza, Nice, London, Porto, Hvar, and Malta.

2023: I plan to become world-class in what I do with podcasting, and publish a book of travel stories.

As if I didn’t tell you enough here, you can hear Even More about my story on this special “About Me” episode - I sat in the Guest Seat as my online Bff Serine interviewed me!

What Else should you know about me

I plan to live as many lives as I possibly can in this lifetime:

  • I want to go to Berlin and embody an eccentric writer, prolifically creating novels.

  • I want to go to culinary school in the Mediterranean and have a dish people know me for (”Chelsea’s coming over with her juicy grape leaves - rejoice!”)

  • I want to be a background dancer in a music video and train in London.

  • I want to create an education company focused on media and storytelling.

  • I want to try stand-up comedy and go on stage in Chicago.

  • I want to spend a few months in isolation and learn to surf in Costa Rica.

  • I want to become fluent in Spanish and learn in South America.

  • I will be a life-long student and plan to learn more than just the world of media.

  • I will never stop creating - whether it’s through my voice, writing, pottery, dancing, painting… I plan to use my creative abilities for as long as I possibly can.

If there was one thing I want people to know me for, it’s being a glimmering treasure chest of captivating stories and experiences.

  • It’s why I’m obsessed with travel and connecting with like-minded people who value curiosity, open-mindedness, and connection. I think traveling WHILE running a company is the most self-actualizing work one can do. I’ve developed more character from living in hostels and communicating in foreign countries than any book will ever teach me.

  • It’s also why I’m hell-bent on helping people do the same - share their powerful stories through podcasting.

Some values and beliefs I align with:

  • integrity

  • transparency

  • fun

  • empowerment

  • accountability

  • resourcefulness

I'm not for you if:

  • you don't believe Black lives matter

  • you don't think queer people should be able to get married

  • you don't value all bodies, disabled, fat, Black, and NBIPOC, queer, and trans

Featured
188 | An Honest Year in Review: Business Edition - Part 1
188 | An Honest Year in Review: Business Edition - Part 1

Let's cut to the chase - this is the episode you've been waiting for all year... the nitty gritty details of what REALLY went on in Chelsea's business this year.

She shares: her numbers (yes, really), what happens when you ignore your gut, qualifying clients because not everything is worth the sale, when she knew it was time to hire a VA, auditing your time to optimize it, IG is STILL not it, why brand partners probably won't be in the mix in 2023.

Oh... and this is just Part 1. Buckle up buttercup!

Read More →
187 | Demystifying the World of Podcasting PART 2: Should You Join a Podcast Network, How To Land Brand Deals with a Small Audience, More Monetization Methods, How Much Time Goes Into It + More
187 | Demystifying the World of Podcasting PART 2: Should You Join a Podcast Network, How To Land Brand Deals with a Small Audience, More Monetization Methods, How Much Time Goes Into It + More

Chelsea is BACK with Part 2 of the demystifying the podcast world episode! This week, she gets geeky with it, and divulges some advertising secrets brands probably don't want you to know... oops! Just here to help.

This ep is for you if you've been wondering: If it's time to join a podcast network, how to secure brand deals with a small audience, how do people get wealthy from podcasting, how much energy, time, and money actually goes into this and examples of people who have built empires from their podcast.

Read More →
186 | Demystifying the World of Podcasting PART 1: How Podcasts Can Help Business, Do Guests Get Paid, Podcast Networks Hard Truths, and How TF Call Her Daddy Inked a $60M Deal with Spotify
186 | Demystifying the World of Podcasting PART 1: How Podcasts Can Help Business, Do Guests Get Paid, Podcast Networks Hard Truths, and How TF Call Her Daddy Inked a $60M Deal with Spotify

We all know podcasting blew up in the last 5-10 years.

Huge shows like "Call Her Daddy" penned a $60M deal with Spotify (yes, that's an M for million), "Dirty John" turned into a TV show, and "Serial" is still a cult-fan favorite years later - we're still invested into what happened with Adnan's case.

But what REALLY goes on behind the scenes? Why does it feel like such a mystical world sometimes? Why do some shows take off, and others don't? How do you even get guests - do you have to pay them if they're "bigger" than you?

In this episode, Chelsea shares her years of expertise in the digital media space and podcasting world to uncover some of the biggest question marks.

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In My Non-Expert Opinion Podcast

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@Chelseariffe

LET’S BE SOCIAL

“Travel is the one thing that will break your heart into a million pieces and heal it whole at the same time. 💔❤️⁣ ⁣ You will fall in love with a location, a cuisine, a place, a view, a conversation, a person, a friend, a room, or a whole cult
Posting like it’s 2009 bc I want to and my horoscope said to 💅🏽✨
Yes, I really hiked to the top of Lion’s Head and no one forced me to 😂 On a real note, I’m being relentless this year about shedding identities I no longer align with.  I absolutely refuse to let age, my mind, society or anything