This week, we celebrate the 300th episode of the Spin Sucks podcast. That means I have been podcasting for nearly six years, which just blows my mind. 

All those years ago, Megan Dougherty from One Stone Creative called me and gently advised me to do a podcast.

I said, “I know. I know. My team keeps saying this, too. But I just don’t have the time to try to add that in.”

She said, “What if we repurposed existing Spin Sucks content, and you did it solo without guests?” 

That translated in my brain to mean I could do it at 5 a.m. when everyone else was sleeping, and I wouldn’t have to try to negotiate calendars with a weekly guest, which was my biggest hangup. 

So I agreed, and away we went! We repurposed content for the first few episodes, and then I realized that I could easily add to the podcast without spending a lot more time, so I started doing things more timely. 

There have been a few weeks when I just haven’t gotten it done, which is what replays are for. We don’t typically record anything new at the end of the year, but for the most part, we are 300 episodes in.

And, to celebrate, we thought it’d be fun to do something different—and I invited my first-ever guest.

You can listen to the episode below, but I’ve given you a sense of what the episode is about in case you’re more of a reader (like me).

And with that, I am pleased to introduce you to Kelly Dietrich, my husband of 21 years and best friend for 24 years. 

Spin Sucks Podcast Guest

We had a fun conversation about his company—how he’s grown it, what he’s learned, and how he’s marketed it over the years.

I asked him the following:

  • Not many people here know what you do for a living for two reasons: 1) your job is far more interesting than mine, and I get a little jealous when they want to talk to you and not me; and 2) your job can be very polarizing. But to give you a proper introduction, please tell us what you do for a living.
  • I don’t want to spend our time together today talking about politics, though I’m sure plenty of the listening audience would love to know what you think will happen in November. Instead, I’d like to focus on your business’s growth and how you handle marketing for it. In the beginning, my team helped you out, and you ended up hiring a marketing director away from me (with my permission). Tell me, what’s one of the smartest marking moves you’ve made to date? Other than working with my team, of course.
  • And, on the flip side, what’s one of the dumbest marketing moves you’ve made?
  • What’s the biggest marketing challenge you face right now, and how are you tackling it?
  • What are some things that have changed in marketing your business in the past 10 years?
  • Now, let’s switch to running your business. Some of the things I admire about your leadership are that you delegate well, aren’t worried about controlling everything, and don’t let perfection get in the way of being finished. I see many business owners (especially agency owners) face these challenges. How do you manage to do those things well?
  • What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned so far?

Rapid Fire Questions

After discussing Mr. D’s entrepreneurial and marketing journey, I invited a second guest to the episode. This is someone you’ve heard from a few times, particularly if you listen to the podcast or have been on the Spin Sucks ride since the pandemic.

Introducing our rising sixth grader, Miss Addison Ellis Dietrich. 

I rapid-fired 20 questions at them, both to see who could answer the fastest and if Addie knew more answers than Kelly.

These are the questions I asked, but to get the answers, you have to listen!

  1. Who is my favorite human?
  2. Who is my second favorite human?
  3. Who does Olivia Benson love the most?
  4. What is my favorite flower?
  5. What is my favorite drink? 
  6. What’s my favorite thing to do?
  7. What’s my favorite animal?
  8. What’s an animal I wish we had?
  9. What is my greatest weakness? 
  10. What’s my favorite color?
  11. What’s my favorite food?
  12. What’s one thing I always say?
  13. What do I do when I’m at work?
  14. Where is my favorite place to go?
  15. What is my favorite holiday? 
  16. What makes me laugh? 
  17. What is my superpower?
  18. What do I do when I’m not working?
  19. What’s my favorite thing to cook?
  20. What do you love most about me?

And, let’s be real, it’s less about the answers and more about how they interacted. I think Beanie won the most correct answers.

There you have it, my friends! A 300th Spin Sucks podcast episode celebration.

Thanks for sharing this journey with me and indulging me in an episode with my favorite humans.

We’ll be back to our regularly scheduled programming next week.

Gini Dietrich

Gini Dietrich is the founder, CEO, and author of Spin Sucks, host of the Spin Sucks podcast, and author of Spin Sucks (the book). She is the creator of the PESO Model© and has crafted a certification for it in partnership with USC Annenberg PRA. She has run and grown an agency for the past 19 years. She is co-author of Marketing in the Round, co-host of Inside PR, and co-host of The Agency Leadership podcast.

View all posts by Gini Dietrich