Breaking Records and Sharing Stories: A Conversation with Mai-Kee Tsang

We are breaking records today. Okay, maybe not world records or anything that you’re going to brag to your friends and family about, but it’s something that I’m pretty dang proud of. We have a three-time recurring guest on the show today. Yes, yes, yes! And she is one of my favorite people in the entire world, and I am just so blessed to call her my friend.

Today on the show, we have Mai-Kee Tsang, and y’all, she’s bringing the fire. Oh, my gosh, this conversation took so many different turns that I had not expected. It’s just so good. It’s so, so good. So we’re not going to wait any longer. Let’s get right to it.

Welcome to the Proffitt Podcast, where we teach entrepreneurs how to start, launch, and market their podcasts. I’m your host, Krystal Proffitt, and I’m so excited that you’re here. Thanks for hanging out with me today. If you’ve been trying to figure out the world of podcasting, think of this show as the time-saving shortcut you’ve been looking for. So let’s get right to it, shall we?

Meet Mai-Kee Tsang

Today’s guest needs no introduction because she has been on the podcast before, and she is the first person to be on this podcast for the third time. Yes, that goes back to the rule-breaking—no, we’re not trying to break any rules. I was talking about crushing goals and smashing all kinds of things here because I’m just so excited that she agreed to come on the show again today. It’s been a while; I was like, “Oh my gosh, it’s been since January 2020 since you were on the show.” We had just a fantastic catch-up. I’m going to link in the show notes to previous episodes I’ve done with Mai-Kee. If you haven’t listened to them, check out Episode 77, where we talked about how to be a guest on other podcasts. Then, we did a follow-up in Episode 119, diving deeper into podcast guesting strategies.

To quickly recap, Mai-Kee and I crossed paths in 2019 and met in person. It was just so magical and fun. We’ve shared so many incredible conversations about visibility and people sharing their important messages. We have this deep connection. We say she’s the peanut butter to my jelly. You’ll understand that reference in a second. But for those who have not listened to those episodes, go check them out after this. Let me give you a brief overview of who Mai-Kee Tsang is and why you need to know and follow her because she is incredible.

A Champion of Visibility

Mai-Kee is a podcast guesting strategist and a sustainable visibility mentor. She helps introverted and empathic entrepreneurial leaders feel safe in the spotlight when they guest on aligned podcasts to become sustainably visible and grow their business for the long haul. Y’all, we just had so many incredible conversations about things that neither of us had planned on talking about on a podcast. What’s crazy about this conversation is we recorded it before all the tragic events happened in Atlanta, and the Asian hate movement really took off. I just feel so blessed to have a friend who was already starting these types of conversations before it was in the media spotlight. She’s been working on these things behind the scenes, and I am so proud to call her my friend. She’s doing awesome, incredible things for the Asian community that I cannot wait to share with you. This episode was just incredible. So enjoy this conversation with my girl, Mai-Kee.

Celebrating Connection and Milestones

Alright, Proffitt Podcast listeners, I am extra excited today because we’re breaking records. Mai-Kee is the first person to be on the podcast for the third time. Welcome to the show, Mai-Kee.

Mai-Kee Tsang: Oh, Krystal, I have missed you so much. I’m so honored to be the first guest to have been on your podcast three times. It’s also the first time I’ve ever been on a podcast three times. I think…I was gonna say virginity broken. You know what I mean?

Krystal Proffitt: Anyway, it’s better than that. We’ve taken our relationship to the nth level. Obviously, we love each other so much. This is so fun to be able to talk with the peanut butter to the jelly of podcasting. Hang on, did we ever decide who’s the peanut butter and who’s the jelly?

Mai-Kee Tsang: Yeah, you’re the peanut butter. I’m the jelly. I can’t remember why.

Krystal Proffitt: I love peanut butter.

Mai-Kee Tsang: Yeah, that’s why we called it this. It’s okay. I like jelly. We call it jam. There we go.

Krystal Proffitt: Oh, my gosh. I’m so excited. We were talking about the first two times Mai-Kee was on the show, and I have it all written down. All this is going to be in the show notes. The first time was in August 2019, where we talked about how to be a guest on podcasts. Then, in January 2020, it was a follow-up because Mai-Kee had been on the show and pitched over 100 podcasts. Listen to that episode for the whole backstory. Then she came back and shared her experience.

Excitement and Growth in Podcast Guesting

I just want to dive right into what’s been the one thing you’re most excited about right now as it pertains to podcasting and your podcast journey.

Mai-Kee Tsang: I’m just so excited that so many people are finally seeing the beauty of this strategy. I will talk about holes in the industry and all that stuff in just a minute. What I really love is that people are taking it seriously as a way to amplify their voice and make deep, meaningful connections. It’s still in its infancy in the grand scheme of things, and I just love that it’s becoming more normalized to think of guesting on podcasts as a way to grow your business.

Krystal Proffitt: Oh my gosh. I’m imagining you telling someone two years ago what you did, and them looking at you like, “Wait, what? Can you explain?” And now, is it a lot easier to explain what you do to someone who’s never heard of how you strategize with podcast guesting?

Mai-Kee Tsang: Yeah, that’s precisely it. When I did that 101 challenge back in July 2019, podcast guesting was like, “What is that?” I’d heard of it, but I’d never seen anybody do it apart from PR agencies. I mean, how does a normal person do it who isn’t able to or doesn’t want to invest in that much? Yeah, it’s becoming more and more normalized, which I absolutely love because it’s my number one strategy. I love it because it aligns with my energy type, my human design, and how I love showing up for my audience. It’s sustainable for me. So the best thing is it’s becoming more normalized.

Krystal Proffitt: Yeah. Oh my gosh. I love the perspective of…she’s the jam to my peanut butter. Because I love geeking out and nerding out about podcasting, but podcast guesting is something I haven’t done a lot of. My strategy has been about content creation, and I’m just now looking at opportunities to guest on shows. I’ve established a name for myself and what I do now, so I feel like the opportunity is greater. But if someone’s listening and they’re like, “I wouldn’t even know where to start,” what advice would you give someone intimidated by guesting?

Mai-Kee Tsang: Absolutely. The number one thing to remember is that a lot of people get tied up in, “Am I an expert enough to do this?” I want to share this concept I like to call the credibility coin. Coins have two sides. The first side is professional credibility: formal qualifications, certifications, and results for your clients. But I find it often stops there. That’s where we slip to the other side: personal credibility. This is about living and embodying everything you’re teaching your clients. It’s about getting results for yourself. Unlike many of my peers who do podcast guesting for clients, I don’t pitch my clients anymore. I teach people. But I started with personal credibility. I did the challenge, got results for myself, then tested it out with clients. And the results were consistent. So ask yourself: Do you have both sides of the credibility coin? It’s okay to have one, but it’s even more powerful when you have both.

Krystal Proffitt: That’s so good. I’m thinking of a personal example. People often ask, “Krystal, how do you put out this much content? You have YouTube, podcasts, a daily podcast. Why do you do this?” Part of it was that credibility factor. Now, I’ve been doing this long enough, and it feels like decades. But I’ve done more than 480 podcast episodes at this point. It blows my mind. I could put that on my website. It makes me more credible. People might see that and think, “I could work with her.” That’s why I asked about guesting. I think so many people get caught up in this mindset of, “Do I need to do this for eight more years or get five certifications?” You said it brilliantly: What can you talk about really well that will actually help people? We’re going to get into this a little bit, like what it is you can do for others. It’s important to realize that if you’re listening to this podcast, you have so much to share. We all have messages, experiences, and journeys we’ve gone on. I promise there are people out there who can benefit from your story. I felt like that was a soapbox moment I needed to get off my chest. But