Escape from Cubicle Nation takes to the airwaves

After some serious thought and gentle cajoling from my buddy Robert from iscatterlings, I have decided to start the Escape from Cubicle Nation Radio Show on VoiceAmerica.  I first read about VoiceAmerica from my buddies Denise and Patsi of The Blog Squad, who recently started their show Blogging & Beyond.

My show launches on March 9, and it runs every Friday for 13 weeks.  This gets me excited for a number of reasons:

• I have really enjoyed the interviews I have done on recent podcasts and wanted to have the opportunity for listeners to ask questions directly to my guest experts
• I am always interested in getting the “free yourself from the bonds of corporate drudgery” message out to as wide an audience as possible, and an internet radio show seems like another neat extension of blogging and podcasting (ironically, Robert told me that when he was living in a remote area of Namibia, he used to listen to VoiceAmerica shows as a way to stay connected to the world of business and marketing in the U.S. and Europe)
• Now I have another excuse to talk with interesting people
• The VoiceAmerica headquarters happens to be here in Phoenix, so I get to go into the studio and record live, complete with studio microphones, cool headsets and production assistants that make strange arm motions to signal breaks and who do magic on the mixing board (maybe I have seen too many episodes of Frasier).

Here is the breakdown of the first few shows which will air live on Fridays at 1pm Eastern Standard Time (GMT -5):

March 9:  How has corporate life gotten so unbearable?
Guest: Dr. Bob Sutton, Stanford University, author of The No Asshole Rule:  Building a Civilized Workplace and Surviving One That Isn’t
While there have always been challenges working in a corporate environment, in the last decade it has become vastly more unstable and uncomfortable. Frequent mergers, acquisitions, downsizing, off-shoring, shrinking economies and powerhouse talent from countries such as China and India have left many corporate employees stressed, frustrated, cynical, overworked and afraid for their jobs.  Learn why you need to radically redefine your relationship with work if you need to stay in a corporate job for awhile until you can start your business.

March 16:  Where to begin:  The key starting points to launch your new business
Guest: Rich Sloan, Co-founder, Startup Nation .
The process of starting a new business can seem totally overwhelming to a new entrepreneur.  Luckily, there are organized, clear steps to follow that will ensure your business is started the right way, with the biggest chance of success.  Rich will share his own fascinating and adventure-filled entrepreneurial story, as well as share what has worked to launch thousands of businesses at the Startup Nation community.

March 23:  Identify your true passions so you start a business you love.
Guest: Dr. Srikumar Rao, Columbia and London Business Schools, author of Are You Ready to Succeed? Unconventional Strategies to Achieving Personal Mastery in Business and Life.
One of the common symptoms of being in a corporate environment for a long time is disconnecting from your emotional and intuitive self.  Before choosing which business to start, you must identify your inherent interests, talents and passions.  Dr. Rao has very unique and useful tools for getting to the heart of finding your purpose.

March 30:  Profile of a purpose-filled business.
Guest: Steven A. Darden, Owner, Success and Directions Enterprises, Navajo Cultural Educator and Leader.
A real example of a successful entrepreneur who blends creative talent, flexibility, spirituality and family into his multi-faceted home-based business.  This is a show for those of you who identify as a “Renaissance Soul,” as Steve combines award-winning feather and bead work, leadership consulting, traditional Native American healing and real estate investing in his business model.

I have thirteen episodes in all, so I would love to ask your input and help in the following areas:

• Suggestions for good topics
• Suggestions for good guests (Don’t be shy to pitch yourself if you have successfully made the leap from corporate to entrepreneurship, or if you are an expert in a topic that you think my listeners would get value from)
• Suggestions for sponsors.  Yes, this is going to be a “real” show, complete with sugar daddies and mamas!  Is there a company that you think would be a great fit for my target audience?
• Call in to ask questions on the shows! Can you imagine how embarrassing it will be if I launch my first show and in the Q&A section, no one calls in?

I am really excited about this and hope you are too.  Like all internet radio, the shows will be available for download if you are unable to listen at the appointed time.

If you want to leave your thoughts in the comments, that would be ideal so that others can view and build on your ideas.  But if you feel more comfortable sending an email, please do!  pcs (at) ganas (dot) com.

Thank you Robert so much for your kind and supportive encouragement.  I would not have done it without you!

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And I might as well break a little more startup news … a new baby is in the works in the Slim household!  Yep, I am pregnant with baby #2.  We are very excited and can’t wait to  become parents again.  I will share a few thoughts related to this:

• I promise not to turn this blog into “Pam’s baby journal.”
• That said,this is an official disclaimer that I may have a moment where I write unnecessarily snarky posts.  In the case someone gets offended, I will have my lawyer read the following statement:  “Pam was not in her right mind — it was the hormones talking.” (Anyone who has ever been pregnant or lived with someone who is will understand this.)
• My email response time has been lagging since I am unable to do my customary late-night inbox cleanses since I am so dang tired!  I must get more efficient with email (all you GTD aficionados must have tips for this!)  To those who have sent kind notes or questions lately, my apologies for not getting back to you yet.  I will soon!
• Finally, for those that have been gently goading me about my (stalled) book project, here is the good news:  now I have a REAL deadline!  I hope to make real progress, if not finish it before the baby comes.

Thanks everyone for bearing with a long post!