Mica: [00:00:00] Welcome to the 58th episode of The Savory Shot, a podcast about the art and soul of working in food photography. I'm your host with the most, Mica McCook. I'm a food photographer based out of Austin, Texas. Welcome to the show. All right. I know, y'all. I know. It's been a hot minute since our last episode. I swear to Dumbledore above, there's a good reason for my disappearance. To be completely and 100 percent honest, I was burned out. Completely overwhelmed. I didn't even realize how badly I needed a break until my brain just said, nope, and put the brakes on everything. And I do mean everything. This show means everything to me, [00:01:00] y'all. I say it every episode, and yet it still doesn't feel like I say it enough.
But I am grateful to every guest who takes time out of their busy day to come on the show, and every listener who makes the time to listen to these episodes. I never want to let y'all down. And sometimes I get caught up in trying to make everything perfect.
Running a podcast is a ton of work. I've said this before, I'll say it again, it's a ton of work. And especially when you're carrying all that responsibility solo, add pressure perfection to the mix and you have yourself a burnt up pie. So in short. I took a break from everything because I had a burnout and you know what, that's okay.
Burnout happens to the best of us, [00:02:00] especially when you're freelancing and juggling all the things. I remember feeling a tinge of guilt when I finally admitted to myself that I was burnt out. Then I said, "Girl, you not the first, not the only, and certainly won't be the last. So get back up when you're ready to rock and roll."
If you ended 2024 feeling burnt out, or if you're still feeling burnt out, please don't shame yourself. Listen to your body, my friends. Take a step back and truly rest your mind, your body, and your soul. And don't set a timeline for your return. Your intuitive self will let you know when you're ready.
And when you're ready, you might realize that you want to do something different. And that's okay too. So what have I been up to during this break?
2024 was a hard year for me, [00:03:00] professionally. I don't think I'd ever been tested the way that I was until this year. Had a lot of deep conversations with myself. It felt like a lot of things were out of my control and I was running to keep up. So I focused on what I could control, which was my health. I started exercising, eating differently, and I lost about 66 pounds, so far. I feel great physically, and my mind is in a much better head space. I strength train on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. I walk five miles on Tuesdays and Thursdays. And on Saturday, I go for my long walk, which is now up to eight and a half miles. And y'all, this change has done wonders for my body, my diabetes, but more importantly, it's boosted my [00:04:00] confidence to the sky and beyond.
I've learned so much about myself and what I needed during this time. And working out has helped me realize how important it is to embrace what I can do and not get hung up on what I think I should be doing. It's about balance, that's for sure, ying and yang, up and down, left and right, one and two, balance, balance.
Don't get me wrong, ya girl still believes in pushing herself, but I now believe that one needs to recognize one's limits at that moment. My podcast is not, and will never be perfect. I'm not a professional podcaster with a whole team behind me. I don't have a fancy smancy studio. I don't have a producer. I don't have any of those things. It's just me. And this is what I can do when it's just me. And that's going to be [00:05:00] just fine. So what I've been doing the last few months is doing things that bring me joy.
Like genealogy research, diving into a pile of romance novels. If you are a fan of the romance novels, let's swap stories. I want to hear your book recommendation. Of course, exercising and just focusing on my mental well being. It was a much needed total reset, and I feel so much better for it. I can say wholeheartedly that I'm excited to jump back into the podcast with this fresh and renewed energy.
Your girl feels like she just downed a whole pot of fresh brewed espresso, so I'm ready to go. I'm like running in step, like real fast, like Speedy Gonzales, I'm ready for it. Now, you know your girl loves resolutions and I make them every [00:06:00] year. I have three for the podcast. First, I want to focus on creating great interviews and not so much podcast growth.
Last year, I made it a goal to monetize the Savory Shot. I got so caught up in the numbers game that I lost sight of why I started the podcast in the first place. It became more about business and less about the joy of conversation. And I'm done with that. I want to create a space for genuine connection, for insightful conversations.
That's what truly matters. Not to say that 2024 wasn't full of meaningful conversations. They were. They absolutely were. But I don't think I appreciated them enough because I was more focused on growing the podcast. Second, I want to connect more with y'all. The amazing and beautiful listeners. [00:07:00] I love this podcast and the relationships that I've developed with some of y'all.
I want to hear from you. I want to learn from you and share this journey with you. You're the reason why I do this. And I never want to lose sight of that. One of the biggest lessons I've learned so far during this weight loss journey is that small consistent steps lead to big accomplishments.
You don't have to conquer the world every single day. I didn't lose 66 pounds in a week. I sure as heck didn't lose it in a month. I've lost it over the last eight and a half months with small actions every day. So I want to be a good host. And a good host is consistent. So that's what I want to do. I want to show up authentically doing what I can with what I have without the pressure to be [00:08:00] perfect. And bonus goal y'all is to have fun. I'm going to put out the best show that I can with the resources that I have and the time that I have. And that's enough.. That's more than enough.
All I know is that 2025 is going to be an exciting year. I am excited about the guests coming on the show. I'm excited to release all of the episodes that I didn't release in 2024 at the end of this month and next month. I'm a big believer in fresh starts. Each new year is a clean slate, a chance to begin again.
So I'm not going to dwell on how I dropped the ball. I am excited about picking it back up and moving forward. And that's what I'm going to put my energy into. I'm going to let go of whatever shame, whatever disappointment, and move forward with this renewed energy.
I'm really grateful for [00:09:00] your patience and your support, and I can't wait to share this next chapter of the Savory Shot with y'all. Stay tuned for amazing interviews. Fun conversations and a whole lot of heart. Come say hi to me over at my Insta Mica dot McCook. That's MICA dot McCook. That's where I'm hanging out a lot these days.
Or you can send me an email podcast@thesavoryshot.com. Tell me what you've been up to. Tell me how your New Year's was, how your holiday was, what goals do you have, what resolutions? You already know I'm a firm believer in resolutions and setting them, so what are your intentions, your affirmations, all that jazz.
What goals do you have for yourself in 2025? Let's talk about it till then. Hasta pasta. Thanks for showing up. Thanks for coming back. This is a short [00:10:00] and sweet episode. The next episode, episode 59, you are in for a real treat. So head on over to that and have a good listen. Bye, y'all.