We cover information about Megan’s journey from starting her food blog, Pip and Ebby, to creating the Eat Blog Talk podcast and community. Dan interviews his wife about the challenges and triumphs of food blogging and running a business in general, as well as valuable lessons for aspiring and established bloggers alike.

Listen on the player in this post or on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or your favorite podcast player. Or scroll down to read a full transcript.

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Guest Details

Connect with Pip and Ebby
Website | Instagram | Facebook

Dan and Megan have been married 18 years and have two boys. Dan works in the travel industry and enjoys driving the family in their RV, going sky diving and being a hand model for his wife. He fully supports having a fabulous food blogger in the family and does so very well.

Takeaways

  • Longevity is key in food blogging: You need to see food blogging as a long-term game, requiring patience and consistency, even when faced with industry changes.
  • Develop essential qualities for success: The top three qualities Megan recommends for aspiring food bloggers are patience, flexibility/resilience, and a willingness to learn and adapt.
  • Leverage your unique personality to build your brand: According to Dan, what makes Megan’s blog and podcast stand out is her personality.
  • Prioritize time with family: Megan and her husband value the schedule freedom they’ve achieved, allowing them to prioritize quality time with their children.
  • Recognize and address burnout: Dealing with burnout in a timely manner (and ideally preventing it) is essential to maintain a sustainable business and personal life.
  • Embrace the power of community: Megan was able to build a supportive community, both through the Eat Blog Talk podcast and the various mastermind groups she has created.
  • Leverage your partner’s support: Megan credits her husband’s unwavering support as a key factor in her ability to pursue food blogging and launch the Eat Blog Talk podcast.

If you Loved this Episode…

You’ll love Episode 400: Why Did I Start Eat Blog Talk, Exciting Blogging Developments & How to Set Healthy Boundaries with Megan Porta – where Megan gets interviewed by Taryn Solie, her community manager.

Transcript

Click for full script.

EBT600 – Dan Porta

Intro 00:00

Food bloggers. Hi, how are you today? Thank you so much for tuning in to the Eat Blog Talk podcast. This is the place for food bloggers to get information and inspiration to accelerate your blog’s growth, and ultimately help you to achieve your freedom. Whether that’s financial, personal, or professional. I’m Megan Porta. I have been a food blogger for 13 years, so I understand how isolating food blogging can be. I’m on a mission to motivate, inspire, and most importantly, let each and every food blogger, including you, know that you are heard and supported. 

Supercut  00:37

Hey, food bloggers, check out our new SEO supercut, a bonus 15 minute episode capturing highlights from SEO episodes we have recorded recently. Go to eatblogtalk.com/SEOsupercut to get access today. 

Dan Porta  00:53

Hi everyone. This is Dan, Megan’s husband. Welcome to episode 600 of the Eat blog talk podcast. We decided to do something a little different today, and I interviewed Megan. We had fun talking about her journey in food blogging and podcasting and just looking back on that history and some of the challenges and all of the successes that she’s had. We had fun, and we hope you enjoy it. This episode is sponsored by RankIQ.

Sponsor  01:20

Hey, food bloggers, one of the constant positive things that has been going on this year in 2024 is the Eat Blog Talk mastermind group. Even despite all the changes in our industry and all the things that keep coming at us, the members in the group have remained positive and on track and pivoting where needed and just overall thriving. I want to share this audio clip with you from Lucy. She’s the blogger at Southern Food and Fun, and she talks about making the investment in your business and in yourself. For more information about the group for 2025 and to apply, go to eatblogtalk.com/mastermind. Here is Lucy, for anybody on the fence, you know, I I highly recommend the mastermind. It’s expensive, but it’s an investment in your business, an investment in yourself. And I feel like, definitely, for me, when you have skin in the game, you will put more into it. Like, I feel like I’m working harder because I’m paying this money for this mastermind. So I need to be present and focused and get as much out of it as I can. So that’s definitely helpful to me. I highly recommend it. Now, back to the episode.

Dan Porta  02:32

Megan, hi, nice to see you. 

Megan Porta  02:35

Hi, nice to see you and talk to you too.

Dan Porta  02:38

Welcome to your own show.

Megan Porta  02:40

Thanks.

Dan Porta  02:41

So episode 600 that’s pretty amazing. And someone had the idea that I should interview you, ask you a few questions about your journey as a businesswoman. So we’re going to do that. I will try to keep it professional. Keep the movie quotes out.

Megan Porta  02:57

Thank you.

Dan Porta 02:58

It might be difficult, though. So let’s see, 14 years ago, Pip and Ebby, why’d you start it?

Megan Porta  03:04

14 years ago was when Sammy, our youngest, had just gotten into daycare, and I remember both of us being very sad about that, and I just wanted to be home with him and Elijah. So I remember I was talking to my good friend Heather, and I was saying, why can’t I be one of those lucky people who makes money blogging? And she was like, Megan, you can be. Why don’t Why don’t you just do it? So I remember that night, I was super excited. I came home and I started Pip and Ebby. I was probably like a big tornado running through the house, but I just knew this was my way out of the corporate world. It was my way to be home with our boys more and, yeah, that’s why it started, and how it started. 

Dan Porta  03:49

And you were not loving your corporate job at that time, if I recall correctly. 

Megan Porta  03:55

No, it wasn’t going great, but it did get worse. That was, yeah, like in the next six months, it started getting way worse. But yeah, I didn’t love it.

Dan Porta 04:04

So when you got into Pip and Ebby, what would you say were some of the early challenges that were difficult to overcome, some of that learning curve right away?

Megan Porta  04:15

Well, it was an entirely different world back then, so it’s really hard to even put my brain back there, because it was like, like, you can’t even compare the challenges that we face now with what I was facing then. But I guess just like, how to make money, because back then, there were a couple little quote ad networks, not like MediaVine and Raptive today at all, but I just didn’t know how to make that happen. Like today, it’s super obvious. Here’s what you have to do. There’s kind of a path and a formula. Back then, it was like, I don’t even know where to start. And there were no communities. There was no giant Facebook group. There were no mastermind groups. There were no podcasts. I mean, we were all just kind of fishing on our own, so I guess, just like I knew in my brain that it was going to work, but I didn’t know the steps to take. 

Dan Porta  05:10

A lot of trial and error. 

Megan Porta  05:12

Yeah, a lot of trial and error, and a lot of working on the wrong things too. I remember spending a lot of time, just like, tweaking HTML code on my site for something, and looking back, I was like, I probably didn’t need to be doing exactly that. So, I don’t know, just a lot of spinning my wheels. I guess

05:30

That would probably be frustrating for a lot of people. How did you maintain the motivation?

Megan Porta  05:37

Just that really huge desire to leave my job and to be home. And honestly you, I mean, your support really helped. I think if you would have been not supportive, or if you would have not trusted me that I had this vision for what I knew I could do, then I for sure would have gone back to the corporate world.

06:00

Well, kind of jumping out of the timeline. What would you say the motivation is now? So back then, it was to get that initial freedom. What keeps you going now?

Megan Porta  06:09

Still freedom, but I think it looks differently. Our boys are older now, just I really love the freedom that we’ve attained in our life. Like we can take vacations when we want, when it aligns with the boys school, and I can pretty much take my summers off and spend time with you and them. We can all spend time, so much time together, and that’s my favorite thing in the world, is spending time with you guys, so that it’s still freedom, but it looks just a little bit differently.

Megan Porta  06:40

Yeah, and it’s, I, when I talk to people about this, it’s, it’s still a lot of work, a ton of work, but you you have more control of when you do it. So I see you working super hard in the spring, so that, yeah, the summers can take a little bit easier, which is a huge advantage. So back to the early days. Was there a point in time when you started to get a little bit of success where you felt really confident, like, Okay, I’ve got this. I’m food blogger Megan?

Megan Porta  07:09

Well, I never felt like that, but Pinterest really loved me and loved a lot of food bloggers content. Like, what year would that have been? Like? 2014 2015 2016 those were the glory years of Pinterest, where I literally did not have to do much work. I mean, I could take a really good photo, put it on Pinterest, and when, within a few hours, it was viral. And that brought me so much traffic, I cannot even tell you, like, I got more traffic then than I do now, by far. So yeah, that was kind of the point where I was like, wow, this is so cool. And then, as we all know, that changed, things change, and we have to evolve. But Pinterest was my first kind of indicator that things were going well. 

Dan Porta  07:57

Is there anything specific? Do you know why that happened? Just, I’m just curious. 

Megan Porta  08:00

Yeah, I think that was before any algorithms really needed to be incorporated into Pinterest. It was just kind of a wild west situation where, yeah, there were really no rules. It was just like, you post what you want to Pinterest, and it just went into this feed. Now it’s like, okay, Pinterest is a legit search engine, and so there’s so many content creators putting their content on Pinterest that it just has required them to create an algorithm. So if you publish something on Pinterest, it doesn’t go directly into the home feed of everybody. It’s like it goes through this whole algorithm thing. 

Dan Porta  08:42

Interesting. It is a crazy world. I’ve learned over the years. So Pinterest, years were good. You’re cruising along. I remember, like, the first $1,000 check month, I was like, Whoa, sweet. I know picking up steam with that as you got bigger and bigger. What would you say are a couple of the main lessons or pieces of advice you would give someone as they’re growing their blog?

Megan Porta  09:09

I think the most important thing is longevity. If you get into food blogging, and I somehow knew this from the start, it was just ingrained in me, thankfully, because it’s really kept me going. But you have got to see this as a long game. People get into it and they’re like, Megan, I’ve been blogging for a year and I haven’t done whatever XYZ. I’m like, Oh my gosh, a year, that’s crazy. You just have to see it as a long game, and you have to be patient, and you have to be consistent, no matter what, even when Google throws a wrench in all your plans, or Pinterest or whoever it is, just so necessary that you have those qualities, that patience, that consistency. And that you know you’re going to be doing this for a long, long time. 

Dan Porta 10:04

So yeah, top Yes. Let’s go there for just a second. Top three qualities in today’s world of food blogging, what would you give someone who is just starting out if you could create your perfect food blogger? What are the top three things they need to have? Either personality wise or skill wise.

Megan Porta  10:21

Patience is probably number one, flexibility or resilience. Number two, just because a lot of things, especially now, a lot of things happen that we don’t see coming, and we have to, we just have to adapt. And then three, I would say, just a willingness to learn and try new things and just constantly be growing, not just with your business, but with yourself.

10:48

I would from what I’ve seen of you, I think that consistency for you slash tenacity is huge. And going along with the patience, it’s been fun to see over the years. You just don’t give up, and stuff changes. And you find a way there’s just, like no other option, you’ve decided that this is going to be what you do, and so you’re able to take the ebbs and flows, I think, very well, which would be beneficial, because there are ups and downs.

Megan Porta  11:18

Yeah, I see people all the time who don’t have that tenacity, and it is, it definitely hurts their business.

Dan Porta 11:27

All right, let’s move on a little bit here. You started Pip and Ebby doing that for a long time. Was it nine years? Nine years in, and then you decide, let’s do something else. Let’s add to this. Let’s create a podcast. Yeah, so, yeah. Why? Why Eat Blog talk?

Megan Porta  11:46

Well, I’ve always had this, I don’t know, like, a desire to educate. Okay? First of all, I feel like I’ve been given just an extra dose of challenges, whether it’s my personal life or in business ventures. I feel like whatever I do, I just have these extra lessons that I get to learn, that maybe not everyone else gets to learn. I’ve just always known that about myself. So with food blogging, I did so many things the hard way and the wrong way, and I knew that about the time that the Pinterest algorithm kind of swept away my traffic. And I think it was 2018 that sounds right. Yeah, at that point, I was like, Oh man, I just did so many things wrong. I could have set myself up so much better to have a way more successful business. So then I started learning about all the things that I’d done wrong, which were plentiful. And then I think I took that next year to just really think about, how can I help people, because I have a heart for helping others as well. So I just, I’d been listening to one of my favorite podcasts, John Lee Dumas, and he had structured his business in a way that was really inspiring. So he basically created a podcast, and then created his whole entire business around his podcast and serving people and delivering value. And it was just so cool how he did it. So I remember, it was like, late April of 2019, I don’t know why I remember that, but I sent him an email. He doesn’t know who I am, but I was like, Hey, here’s my situation. I gave him a brief rundown. I really know I want to serve value to food bloggers. What do I do? And his reply was, you need to start a podcast pronto. And that was it. And I think the next day, I did it. I remember telling you in the kitchen that night, I was like, hey, guess what? I’m starting a podcast. And you just kind of looked at me like, Oh, okay. Like, I had never even brought this up before. It was kind of out of the blue. And I mean, of course you were supportive, but you’re like, wow, I Okay. So that’s how it started.

Dan Porta  13:53

I came out of nowhere. But I know when you say you’re gonna do something, you do it. So I was like, Yeah, all right, cool. Here we go. Kind of fun. Was it hard to interview with people at first?

Megan Porta  14:03

Oh my gosh. You probably remember this. It was so hard. I’m I’m such an introvert. I am actually like I’ve gotten so much more outgoing, but I used to be extremely shy as a kid. I was the shyest kid ever. Having conversations with people was not my favorite thing, so it was very, very hard. I remember, like, the first year or two, even two years, I would write out word for word scripts, what I was gonna say, and then if it veered off, I would panic. And the night before each interview, I would just be so nervous. It was hard. But then after a while, it totally changed, not only in my interviewing skills, but now I feel like out in the wild, I’m such a way better conversationalist with just people I’m meeting, or friends or whatever. So yeah, I can say Eat Blog Talk has changed my life in so many ways for the better, and that is one of the ways.

Dan Porta 15:03

Yeah, I definitely noticed that. Like, you weren’t necessarily shy, but over the years, you were much more outgoing and engaging and putting us out there too, volunteering us. Like, Oh, all right, I guess we’re doing more stuff.

Megan Porta  15:20

You’re like, Wait, what are we doing? 

Dan Porta  15:22

You’re just your confidence, I think just grew. 

Megan Porta  15:25

Yeah, conversational confidence definitely has grown, and I think I’ve gotten way better at, like, just being in a room of people and knowing how to engage everyone and include everyone in a positive, engaging way. I didn’t know how to do that before the podcast.

Dan Porta 15:43

Did you do anything specific to grow as a host? Or was it just experience, just doing it more and more? Were there specific tools or resources you used to try to improve in that?

Megan Porta  15:55

I think mostly just time doing that consistently. I mean, I’ve produced two episodes, plus a week for five years now. So that is the hugest thing. But I also joined a podcasting group. It was like a little mastermind for a couple of years that really hugely helped me to grow my confidence and skills. That group was an awesome help.

Dan Porta 16:17

Yeah, was that the Wamily group? And that’s where you met, Cat, right? 

Megan Porta  16:22

Yeah. Hi, Cat.

Dan Porta  16:23

So you’re kind of putting yourself out there a little bit for podcasts in front of people, especially as you grow what are the pluses and minuses of being out there for people to listen to and praise and or critique?

Megan Porta  16:38

That that was hard. I don’t know it was just like I it was just something I knew I had to do if I wanted to do this venture, which I did. I was committed from the start, so I knew I would have to put myself out there and be vulnerable and kind of share things about myself that I’d never shared before. So yeah, being a person who is very introverted. It was not easy for me, but it has gotten better over time. And I know there are people out there who probably don’t like me or don’t like things I put out there, but thankfully those people haven’t like shown their faces to me, and that was kind of my wish from the beginning, like I know not everyone’s gonna love me, and that’s okay, because that’s just a fact, not everyone, like, loves all of us, but I just wished for those people to maybe be quiet and not tell me, so I haven’t heard much of that. Like, oh, this person doesn’t like your message or whatever, and that is just fine with me.

Dan Porta  17:39

Yeah, and obviously there’s going to be little things. I remember when you put your book out, your recipe book, you know, there’s mostly positive comments, but there’s always going to be a little bit of negative and I remember us having, us having conversations where that was like, you just know that’s going to happen based on percentages. The more you’re out there, more you’re going to get some negative stuff. But I think you’ve done a good job of not letting that affect you and and most of it is positive. I do remember the S lady. Remember someone didn’t like your S’s?

Megan Porta  18:11

Oh yeah, it was, I don’t I think it was a dude. I don’t remember, but yeah, someone commented, left a review on the Eat Blog Talk podcast. It’s still there about how harsh my S’s are and how they can’t listen to me talk. Yeah, that was kind of harsh, but I don’t I think I’ve gotten really good at just letting that sort of thing kind of roll off my back. Like, maybe I’ll, I’ll get upset for a moment, but then I’m like, wait this this is not worth it. And I think of all the people who give me good feedback, and that’s really where I focus, I have this little trick for anyone. Actually, I have two tricks for people. If you get really upset about negative feedback, hire somebody else to take care of all of your comments, all of your YouTube comments, or blog comments anywhere people are leaving you comments, Amazon, and tell them not to tell you when there’s bad stuff. And the other thing is, when you do get raving, awesome comments from people, which you will when you do this long enough, put them in a folder, like I have a folder in my Gmail. It’s called awesomeness, and I just send like every single email that people send me, like Megan, I really liked this episode or whatever. I put it in there, and then when I do get a negative comment, I go read through those awesome, inspiring comments, and it instantly makes me feel better. 

Dan Porta  19:36

Yeah, and I think some of this ties into the resilience that you needed to be a successful food blogger, that resilience kind of carries over into this. And you know, food blogging is going to have ups and downs too podcasting, you know, you’re going to have more of those with people and so being able to just get over the negative stuff, I think you’ve done awesome with that over the years. And there’s a not much. When you look at the positive, it’s easy to focus on the negative, but the positive is so massively huge.

Megan Porta  20:07

It’s more powerful. Yeah, when you hear positive, you’re like, wow, that means so much. And then the negative, over time, it just loses its power. Like, wow. That doesn’t even mean anything that that sad person that wrote about my S’s, what are? What is their life like? And I just kind of feel sad like, wow. The fact that they took the time to leave this comment about the way I say my s’s is really sad. And then I move on, yeah,

Dan Porta  20:34

I think your s’s are cute. 

Megan Porta  20:36

Oh, thank you. Now that’s all I can hear when I hear myself talk are my sharp s’s, so I try to soften them, but it’s kind of hard. 

Dan Porta  20:47

I think they’re great. Was it tough getting guests starting out?

Megan Porta  20:51

Nobody knew what the heck Eat Blog Talk  was. It was a pain. It was honestly one of the biggest pieces of the job for two years was doing outreach and pretty much begging people to be on the podcast. Like, hey, I talked to you at a conference once I remember you knew a lot about affiliate marketing. Would you be willing to come on a podcast? A lot of people said yes. So many people are generous with their time and their knowledge, thankfully, but it was still a lot like thinking through all of the topics, like, what topics are gonna are people going to like, and then aligning those with actual humans. Oh, yeah. And then there was this tipping point. It was in 20… It was after covid, I think, like right at the start of 2021, when I was in that podcasting group I was talking about when we were sharing wins on a call, and one of my wins was, oh my gosh, I just had this epiphany that I hadn’t been doing podcast outreach at all, like all of the applications had started rolling in. So my outreach days were over. I was so happy. And I remember everyone was like, Oh my gosh. That’s that’s like, what we all dream of. You have reached the that point, and I just felt so proud of where Eat Blog Talk was at then.

Dan Porta  22:09

I remember that that was huge. And that, again, goes back to your consistency, building it up in the early days. And now it’s I, whenever I ask you, it’s your booking out so far in advance, and that allows you to also be, you know, time episodes and topics so that they’re the most beneficial to the audience. That was a very cool milestone.

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Megan Porta  23:36

And being more selective, I think now so before it was like pretty much anyone who applied was like, yes, please come fill a spot. Because two episodes a week is a lot to publish, especially when you’re just getting started. But now we are just so much more selective. Like, all the time someone will fill out an application. I’m like, you know, I think we just covered this topic, or this person doesn’t totally seem to align, so we actually say, like we decline applications now, which it kind of feels good, because we’re really trying to align value. And I feel like over the past year, the episodes have gotten more way more valuable than they even were before. So that feels really good. 

Dan Porta  24:19

That is being able to be more choosy and just get the best information out there is wonderful. So you cruising along doing all these episodes, your interviews are getting better. You’re getting better information out there, and then the community. Did that start right away? Was that always the vision to have the podcast being a resource alongside of offering a space where people could come and gather.

Megan Porta  24:46

Yeah, I always, I mean, from the start, I wanted that. I wanted to form a community on top of the podcast and just bring people together. I’m I’m such a connector at heart. I love connecting people. It’s one of my favorite things. I think I’m fairly good at it. So I knew that that was going to be a piece of the business, but I also knew that it was going to take time to build that because you you can’t just build that trust right away. Like, Hey everyone, I’m Megan. I’ve been a food blogger for so many years. Trust me, you have to build that rapport over time. So I knew that was part of the equation, so I did that, I would say, two years into the podcast or so, was when I just started experimenting with putting a mastermind group together. And I think at first I did quarterly just to see if it would work. And it did. It was huge success. The first pricing was really, really low, but I just wanted to get a feel for it. And then, after a year of doing that, was when I started the year long mastermind programs, which has been, as you know, super successful and awesome and beneficial for food bloggers. But yeah, that community piece was always a goal, and I absolutely love that part of the business,

Dan Porta  26:02

And it’s evolved over the years too. I remember how you started out trying to experiment with different platforms, and the mastermind group that’s continued as you’ve just refined things. So what? What are the main pieces of it? Now, I feel like there’s three main parts. You have accountability groups. Mastermind groups. How are all of those going? 

Megan Porta  26:23

They’re good, yeah, we’re trying to now incorporate different price points so that people feel like they’re not totally excluded, that people from all budget ranges are able to join some group in Eat Blog Talk. So the accountability group is the lowest tier pricing. That’s going great. People in there are loving it and taking advantage of all that we offer there. And then the mini minds is kind of a step down from the mastermind, and that is just like, just a mini version of the mastermind program. So we’re cutting things in half. So like, you meet half the time, and you get half the guest experts, and you get, I don’t know, like it’s less than half the pricing and all of that. So the mastermind program is just kind of our signature offering. I would say, if you’re really ready to level up and dig into your business and network and connect in a really powerful way, then that is the good option for you. But it also does come with a little bit of a higher price point. 

Dan Porta  27:22

Yeah, I’ve enjoyed seeing all of those evolve over the years as well. And one of the things that I think has been impressive is you’re always trying to make it better. So you look at Eat Blog Talk on day one, or the community on day one, and it’s it’s different now and better, because you’re always trying to improve those different things, which is, is pretty fun. And now you are at this point where you have a pretty big community, you have built this trust. You’ve done four years of masterminds now. So how does that when you step back and you’re publishing episode 600, how does that feel?

Megan Porta  27:56

It feels really good. I try to listen to people really closely from year to year, and I think that’s why I’ve been able to improve it. That’s not something I’ve always been good at. I’ve like, before the mastermind program, I think I was more of the person to just like, oh, they don’t know what they’re talking about. I can like, I know best what, what’s best for the business or whatever. But having this community of people that you’re immersed in it just has forced me to listen like these people are paying money to be a part of this group. You’ve got to listen to them and do what they think is best. And so I think that’s how it’s really been able to evolve, is because I lean in, I ask them, I listen, and then from year to year, I do make those improvements just with I don’t know, even if it’s just a little tweak that somebody suggests, I really try to always be improving the groups.

Dan Porta  28:51

Yeah, and as facilitator, your role is obviously a little bit different, but being around like-minded people who are smart and dedicated and trying to grow their businesses is obviously a positive for you as well. Are there any specific things that stand out for you, personally or professionally, that you’ve taken away from the masterminds?

Megan Porta  29:10

Oh my gosh, so many things I learn. I probably learn more from the people in the groups than they do for from me. I learn every day. I don’t even know if I could pick out a handful of things. It helps me stay relevant as a food blogger, and just so many things. We’re in there all the time. We have a private Slack channel that we talk with each other on daily. So I’m always learning the new trends and the things that don’t work anymore. So I can’t imagine running my business without the mastermind. They are a huge benefit to me in my business.

Dan Porta  29:46

So 600 episodes. What do you envision over the next 600 episodes when we’re doing episode 1200 and I’m interviewing you with a slightly more gray my beard, where do you want to be?

Megan Porta  30:01

Oh, goodness, I don’t know. I mean, I know I will be around at episode 1200 so I know that we will be doing this interview again. I don’t know. I think the podcast will still be delivering tons of value to people relevant information. The community will be even bigger. The mastermind groups will be huge and plentiful, even more than they are now. I also see in person retreats being a bigger part of the business. You and I have talked a lot about purchasing rental properties around the US, partially for the purpose of hosting retreats. That’s something that, oh my goodness, people love the in person retreats, myself included, they’re so much fun. They are honestly like the best experience ever. So I can see that being a larger part of the business, that would be really fun for me, if that were the case, and then I don’t know, just like other random like books, I want to write books and help entrepreneurs outside of the food blogging space, just with mindset like, that’s a really big focus for me, is just focusing on your mindset and your body, like taking care of yourself as a way to grow your business. So I don’t know what that looks like, but I can see that growing as well in some way. 

Dan Porta  31:19

That is very cool. Just a few more questions for you before we wrap this up. If someone wants to start their own podcast, what are three pieces of advice to just get going?

Megan Porta  31:30

The longevity podcasting is a lot like blogging, where you just can’t get in and expect it to grow immediately. You’ve got to you’ve got to kind of expect to not make money off of it for two years. I would say so, knowing that picking a topic that you know people are going to devour and love, and then, honestly, just do it like the sooner you get your voice out there, the sooner people are gonna start trusting you and getting to know you. So don’t hesitate if it’s on your mind, if you have those three things and you just take action, yeah, then you’re on your way. 

Dan Porta  32:07

Get started. Be consistent. 

Megan Porta  32:08

Yes, consistency is huge too. Yep.

Dan Porta  32:10

So going way back to the very beginning, one of your biggest motivators and initial goals was that schedule freedom for you, for our family, and you know, you’ve largely achieved that we are able to, you know, be flexible with going places and choosing when to work for the most part, obviously, there are things that come up. So what’s your next big personal goal?

Megan Porta  32:35

Oh, that is a big one. I mean, time and schedule freedom has really always been it for me, just continuing that right now. We do have that time freedom and schedule freedom I feel like nailed, however, like I’ll take the summer off, but then I spend three weeks in the fall catching up and being stressed and getting sick, and this year is no different. So my next goal would be to figure out how to not let things like that happen so that I’m not having to do catch up. I don’t get burned out. As you know, I experienced burnout for a few months prior to us talking right now. So that’s huge. I don’t ever want to experience that again. So just getting that sort of thing under control while having our schedule freedom. 

Dan Porta  33:24

Yeah, I feel like that self care piece is is a passion of yours, so it’s been exciting to see the growth over the years, and then see you help other people. And yeah, I’m excited for the next 600 episodes. Any other things that come to your mind as you reflect back? Pip and Ebby, Eat Blog Talk, 600 that’s a lot.

Megan Porta  33:47

I know. Isn’t that crazy, I feel like because I increased the number of episodes I published this year, so going from two to three a week has really accelerated, because I think we just did 500 early in the year, which seems weird, but yeah, 600 is a lot. I was going to ask you, can I ask you a few questions?

Dan Porta  34:08

I mean, I suppose. I mean. 

Megan Porta  34:11

Okay, good, yeah. So you asked me, like, those times when I was like, Hey, I’m starting a food blog and, hey, I’m starting a podcast, what was going through your mind? I’ve never asked you that. I mean, you’re always so flexible and supportive and like, Okay, let’s do this. But did you have any initial like, What is she thinking thoughts? 

Dan Porta  34:29

I don’t I mean, with the food blog, it was no, it felt like because you were still working, yeah, you’re still working a job. So it was like, Cool. Let’s see what happens, and see how this can grow. And like I said, the. The first like monetization started coming in, and that was pretty awesome. And then when your job ended, that was just a kind of an interesting time, but we got through it after that job ended, and I think it was because of that, that just tenacity, the consistency like this is going to work, and the pieces just lined up. I look at those years, and it was, it’s weird to see how we got through things just kept coming up. And I and I think a lot of that is because our attitude, which was just like, this is going to happen, it’s going to work. We’re not sure exactly how, in this little period. And then by the time we got to the podcast, it’s like, okay, cool. I mean, you’re one of those people when you put your mind to something and you decide to do something that you’re gonna do it. So that’s just been kind of fun to watch and see grow over the years.

Megan Porta  35:37

So you’re probably just clutching your seat waiting for me to not say anything else. Like, hey, I’m gonna start a, I don’t know, like a TV show or something, you’re like, oh, great, here we go.

Dan Porta  35:49

No, bring it.

Megan Porta  35:52

Do you have a favorite recipe from Pip and Ebby?

Dan Porta  35:154

Make the chili a lot like that. And the other one I probably use the most is the Swedish pancake one for the boys. We just do that every weekend. So those are the ones I see the most.

Megan Porta  36:07

from your perspective, what do you think makes Pip and Ebby stand out in this crowded food blogging space? Yummy,

Dan Porta  36:16

Good, easy food and you.

Megan Porta  36:20

that’s a good answer, because I think each person is responsible for creating their brand. And, yeah, that’s really important. What else do I want to ask you, What is your thought about the future? Because I know, like you have stepped back from your job, you still work in the travel industry a little bit, but you’ve you’re super flexible with your schedule, and you’re able to do everything you do there at home. So we really do have that ideal schedule freedom that we’ve always wanted. It’s like, pinch me, this actually happened. So I guess two questions, how do you feel about that, like our time freedom that we have, and what do you see for our future? 

Dan Porta  37:03

Well, the schedule stuff is obviously awesome. I think that’s great. It’s been very fun to have more time with the boys and be able to go places with them and just have more time. I remember, I was talking to one of my friends who’s older than me. He’s in his 60s, and I was when talking about this, stepping back from work, and I liked one thing he said, he said, you can’t go wrong if the decision ends up with more time with your kids while they’re at home. And so that was encouraging, and I think he’s right. So that’s one thing you’re not going to regret, is having that time, making that happen. And for the future, I don’t know. I think I see more of the same as far as our flexibility, but I also envision some new stuff that we haven’t even figured out quite yet. I am still doing the part time travel stuff. Travel is great. I’d love it. So I could see us doing some things in travel and then just continued world domination for Eat Blog Talk.

Megan Porta  38:10

Oh, you’re funny. No, I love your answer so much, just like you can’t go wrong with the kid stuff. I feel that so strongly now that I have a little bit more handle on my schedule and my calendar, I really do prioritize, and I know you do too, just that time, even picking Elijah from school, I make that a priority because he only has one more year of high school. So after this, I’m not going to be able to pick him up from school in this way ever again. So all those little things I really try to just soak in and prioritize every single day, and I know you do as well roller coaster trips. Do you think we’ll continue crazy roller coastering?

Dan Porta  38:5

Yeah, I don’t see that ending. We enjoy it, though. I like riding the rides. I know you do too, and Sam will keep pushing us to try out new spots. Yeah, you know, when you think about it with, Sam freshman, that’s so freshman, sophomore year, like four summers. So, yeah, I know one to make the most of that. 

Megan Porta  39:14

That is why I take advantage of every moment. And then one last question for you, so burnout, I just alluded to that a little bit ago. Yeah. Like, how was that, from your perspective, seeing me go through that, I think this was the longest period of burnout I’ve ever experienced, just after Flavor Media just pretty much all summer kind of helped. Had some health issues. It was kind of rough. It was not my favorite stretch. So from your perspective, how does burnout affect entrepreneurs? And this is not just for me, this is for other people who I really want you to avoid this because it’s not fun, and I can tell you all day how terrible it was, but it would just be good to have your perspective as someone who lived with me during that.

Dan Porta  40:05

It’s definitely noticeable. Obviously, it’s like, the energy didn’t have a lot of energy. It’s not like, you know, it’s not like you were hard to live with, or anything like that. You could just sense that your energy was lower. And I think what helps is being able to recognize that and then go back and kind of see how things build up, and then try to avoid that, or plan ahead for when you know busy stuff is coming, and then when you’re in the midst of it, I think one it’s you used to, I think you apologize too much. So like, Oh, I’m sorry. I’m just not feeling good. It’s like, that’s like, if you’re in burnout, you’re a business person, you don’t need to apologize, just let people know how they can help you and support you. And you know, everything comes to an end too. So you know if you’re in a bad spot, it’s going to be over.

Megan Porta  41:23

Yeah, well, I appreciate that, because it I did feel like a burden, just not there was a really long stretch this summer where you were doing the dishes every day and making food every day for all of us. And I just started feeling like a big loser. I was like, oh gosh, he’s doing the dishes again. So then I would start apologizing. And you were like, stop it.

Dan Porta  41:23

We don’t have that many dishes. It’s pretty easy.

Megan Porta  41:27

You’re very nice, very kind. Well, Dan hubby, you’ve been a huge supporter of me. I honestly back to one of your questions. I don’t think I without you, I don’t think I would have pursued food blogging after I lost my job, and I certainly wouldn’t have started a huge endeavor like Eat Blog Talk. So you are one of the main reasons why all of this is here. So I love that you’re a part of this 600th episode. 

Dan Porta  42:56

Well, give me too much credit, but…

Megan Porta  41:59

All right. Well, anything to wrap up, since you are the host on this episode, do you do like quotes or fun facts or anything like that, to add some levity at the end. Yeah.

Dan Porta  42:08

So my fun fact is, let me see here, 1234567, maybe eight. I have made out with the host of this podcast in eight different types of airplane.

Megan Porta  42:26

Oh, wow, how do you do you remember all the airplanes,

Dan Porta  42:30

pretty much any airplane I’ve been in? Oh yeah,

Megan Porta  42:33

I guess that’s true. And they’re mostly skydiving airplanes, by the way. 

Dan Porta  42:38

Yeah, that’s my fun fact. 

Megan Porta  42:40

Yeah. Do I get to share a fun fact? Yeah? Okay, I don’t have one, but I can think of one. I mean, a lot of people probably know this, but it’s one of the first things that comes to mind, is I have two different colored eyeballs, and they’re very different colored. And it’s funny, because, like, I’ll know people for years, and then, like, one day they’ll be like, Whoa, do you have two different colored eyes? And then sometimes I’ll be at the Starbucks drive through, and someone who literally just saw me for two seconds will be like, so cool that your eyes are different colors. So some people notice, some people don’t, but yeah, it kind of makes me look like an alien. 

Dan Porta  43:17

Sammy and I are convinced you are an alien, by the way.

Megan Porta  43:21

Yeah, you guys, there was a moment on our summer RV trip, where something happened on Instagram, where I thought someone was someone else, and you guys looked at me like I seriously thought that. You thought I was some robot, alien intruder. You looked very concerned, and ever since then, you’ve been teasing me that I’m not human. It’s all right, I will never forget those faces. All right. Well, thank you for hosting this I had so much fun, and I hope that people find I don’t know some fun and value in this episode. Sure they will. 

Dan Porta  43:58

Yeah, I enjoyed it as well. 

Megan Porta  44:01

All right. Well, thanks for listening everyone, and we’ll see you next time. 

Outro  44:10

If you enjoyed this topic, you’ll also love the episode I recommend in the show notes. Click on the episode description to find the link. Thank you, and I will see you next time you.


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