The Joy of Podcasting Without Metrics (with Lori Pine)

Here's a radical idea: what if the best thing you could do to ensure the success of your podcast is to not track your numbers. At all. In this episode of TALKING THE TALK, Courtney talks with Lori Pine, former corporate executive and host of THE JOY CEO PODCAST, about the radical-sounding but deeply strategic decision Lori made when she launched her show: she would not look at her podcast metrics for a full year. No downloads. No rankings. No dashboard spiraling. No letting a squiggle on a screen decide whether the work was worth doing. Instead, Lori committed to staying in the room long enough for the magic to happen. Courtney and Lori talk about redefining podcast success beyond the usual metrics, building a show around mission and service, and why protecting your momentum may matter more in year one than measuring every move. IN THIS EPISODE • Why Lori chose not to check her podcast metrics for an entire year • The non-numerical success metric that shaped her show from the beginning • How a podcast can support a coaching or consulting business without giving everything away "for free" • How Lori uses both guest interviews and solo episodes to serve her audience • Why outsourcing and flexibility helped her stay consistent • What happened when Lori accidentally learned her podcast was ranking in the top 5% globally ABOUT THE GUEST: LORI PINE Lori Pine is the founder of Lori Pine Coaching & Consulting and host of The Joy CEO Podcast, where she helps ambitious women redefine success on their own terms. Prior to launching her business, Lori spent decades leading teams and billion-dollar business units at companies including Coca-Cola, Anheuser-Busch, and Campbell Soup Company. Today, through coaching, consulting, speaking, and podcasting, she helps high-achieving women build careers and lives that align with their values, purpose, and definition of success. Learn more at loripine.com. ABOUT THE HOST Courtney Reimer is the founder of Sounds Great Creative Podcast Strategy, where she helps founders, entrepreneurs, thought leaders, and brands build podcasts that create visibility, authority, audience connection, and long-term business value. Before founding Sounds Great, Courtney developed and launched award-winning audio content for companies including Spotify, Audible, MTV, and Discovery, including executive producing Archetypes, the Meghan Markle-hosted podcast that famously unseated Joe Rogan at #1. Today, she specializes in helping people build podcasts that are strategic, sustainable, and unmistakably human. Follow Courtney: Instagram: @soundsgreatpodcasts LinkedIn: Courtney Reimer ⚡ Subscribe to Courtney's newsletter, Sounds Great on Paper, for more insights, hot takes, and early access to opportunities to work with her. ⚡ ☕ This podcast runs on curiosity, crunch time, and caffeine. If you have enjoyed it, by all means Buy Me a Coffee! I'll return the favor by continuing to create engaging, enriching episodes for you to slurp down like I do my morning cup of ambition. ☕⚡ buymeacoffee.com/soundsgreatcourtney