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Monica Gokey, Radio Producer: Episode 14

Monica Gokey became location independent after realizing that being a traditional radio producer wasn’t conducive to the family life she wanted. So, she went freelance and over time realized that if she was going to build the career she wanted, she was going to have to become more focused and productive in the time she had. So, she did. Monica now does her radio production work while on her family’s cattle ranch in Idaho, along with podcast production and journalism. You can find Monica on Twitter and Instagram.

When Hard Choices Aren’t

Living in Anchorage, a high cost of living city, working a job with a 40 hour per week minimum, and wanting to spend time with her family just didn’t mesh for Monica. When her husband’s family had an opening on the ranch for summer work, they leapt. But her career had to change with the move. It took a while to get her productivity and scheduling humming, but now Monica keeps a daily schedule with seasonal variants. I can’t stress enough how building a schedule that works for you is paramount to keeping your location independent life going. If we don’t keep us on track, no one does.

Choosing a Good Fit for You

Monica pitches media outlets, but the same ideas hold true for finding clients. Do you want to build a foundation of long term reliable work that may pay a bit less per hour or so you want to continually pitch new clients that may or may not be a good fit, though the one-off projects may have a higher hourly rate? (Price per project, even when you calculate hourly, but that’s a separate discussion). And do you think you can turn those higher paying jobs into long term clients? There is no right answer, it’s just a matter of choosing the right fit for you.

Interested in finding your own perfect Location Independent Career?

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Reach Work

Monica references her reach work a few times in this episode and this is an idea worth digging in on. Is what you’re working on moving your career closer to your goals or are you just coasting along doing what you’ve always done? Both are fine, but need to be done with intention. If you have big goals, it’s time to stop and think about what you’re doing to get there. Monica sets aside about 5% of her work to move her career along. What percent would work for you?

This American Life
Radiolab
Salt Institute for Documentary Studies
Transom Radio Workshops
Hindenburg
Adobe Audition

Download the transcript here

Kathryn Hunter