From Deck To Mic: How A Sailboat Coach Becomes A Standout Podcast Guest with Terry Barkman

Want conversations that feel like smooth sailing and still deliver punchy, practical value? We brought on sailor and coach Terry Barkman to unpack how his life on the water shaped a guesting playbook built on service, clarity, and trust. He believes great interviews start with a mindset shift: be a giver, not a taker; focus on the audience; and treat the host as a collaborator, not a gatekeeper.

We dig into the art of preparation without over-planning. Terry prefers a short pre-call to confirm fit, audience needs, and tone, followed by a light day-of warm-up to keep ideas fresh. He shares why sample questions are useful for alignment but explains how scripting answers can flatten the energy of a live conversation. You’ll hear how to translate your expertise into stories and moments that land, plus how to balance confidence with humility so you add value without hijacking the mic.

We also get practical about boundaries and trust. Terry outlines how he vets shows, sets clear lines around sensitive topics, and avoids the traps of forced vulnerability or clickbait conflict. He offers three crisp steps for first-time guests: craft a strong media one sheet or PodMatch profile, define deal breakers and must-haves, and pitch with empathy that centres the listener. Along the way, we explore the “sailboat effect” as a metaphor for conversation design: read the conditions, trim your sails, and move together toward insight.

If you’re ready to stop winging it and start guesting with intention, this conversation is your chart and compass. Subscribe for more behind-the-mic strategies, share with a friend who’s booking their first interviews, and leave a review with your top takeaway so we can keep building episodes that serve you.

Chapters

• 0:30 Meet Terry Barkman, Sailboat Coach
• 2:38 Why Sailing Shapes His Coaching
• 3:26 Pivot To Podcasting Strategy
• 4:53 Be A Giver, Not A Taker
• 7:09 Respecting The Host’s Investment
• 9:43 Audience Value Over Self Promotion
• 12:22 Collaboration That Actually Works
• 15:37 Prep Calls Vs Going In Cold
• 19:57 Questions, Lists, And Being Present
• 23:07 Boundaries, Trust, And Curveballs

Transcript

Carl: 0:30

It's going to be one of the things we've got. Let's dive into today's episode. And my guest today is Terry Barkman. Terry is a visionary, an entrepreneur, coach, and a sailor. He will engage with you your story directly and generously to inspire you to fully see and own your desires. Superb imagination, he will help you unlock and navigate a path that is truly your own. All the while keeping you safe and warm on the journey to the edge of your comfort zone, which we all need to get closer to our comfort zone, I think. Not closer to the comfort zone, but further away from it. You know what I mean? When he is coaching you, you will feel the combined energies of his strength and leadership and receptivity, wholeheartedness, and nurturing as a coach. Now, his mission is to create momentum and connection through shared adventures, adventure outdoors, so that you feel empowered to impact the world in meaningful ways. And today we're talking about uh Terry, by the way, is a speaker, he is a published author, he has a new book coming out, and he is a thought-after podcast guest and up-and-coming podcast. We are so glad that we're chatting with Terry today. Terry, welcome to the podcast.

Terry: 1:41

Thank you, Carl. It is so great to be here with you.

Carl: 1:44

It's an honor having you here, my friend. I know just as we were getting started, I was mentioning that the piece of you being a sailor was a phenomenal aha moment when I saw that. I remember about 20 years ago in broadcasting, being on a uh a leadership day or a team building day with my colleagues and co-workers. And it was on a sailboat. So it was kind of cool. So you understand there's there's a whole methodology to making sure that that sailboat sails correctly, shall we say? So you paint yourself as being the sailboat coach, correct? I do. And you have a book coming up called The Sailboat Effect, correct?

Terry: 2:23

Yeah, not a coincidence.

Carl: 2:25

Okay, all right, awesome. I just want to make sure. I'll take that again. I just want to make sure I had that information correct. So you are a sailboat coach, and your upcoming book, The Sailboat Effect, we're gonna talk about that a little later on. But what is it that got you before we talk about the podcasting piece? What is it that got you into sailing?

Terry: 2:41

I really started sailing as a kid and just loved going out on small boats on small lakes. And as I grew, I got onto bigger boats and bigger oceans. Uh, and I really love taking people out onto the water, especially if they have done little or no sailing, and just bringing them into that world, the calm and the optimization and the teamwork, all of the juicy bits.

Carl: 3:03

It definitely is very cool having been in, certainly not to the capacity that you have, but certainly having been on a sailboat. I think my first time was with my grandfather years ago, little 12-foot sailboat that he had. And then, as I said, with my colleagues in radio, basically managing the sailboat, if I'm using the correct terminology, is after a very short period of instruction, of course, some team building exercises, but phenomenal. I want to talk about podcasting today, though, because I know that you have dedicated time into getting the word out about what it is that you do. You've done some guesting, you're setting up in the next six months, a year to starting your own podcast. So, let's talk about your experience as a guest so far before we dive into what it takes to be a podcast guest and how do you really crank it out like a rock star. So, what's your experience been so far?

Terry: 3:53

My experience with podcasting has been mostly really exciting, mostly really excellent. The hosts are generally warm and inviting, and whether they are professional or not, they behave professionally. There have been a couple of negative experiences that I would love to steer myself and others away from ever having to go through. But yeah, mostly people are low-key collaborating already. And that was a clue for me to go, well, how can we kind of double down on collaboration and make the conversations that we're having even more kind of team-based and more centered around what the audience actually wants to hear?

Carl: 4:30

It's funny you mentioned that because podcast guesting and hosting, when you put the two together, guest and host, that's as easy a collaboration as it can be, right? If you can't do that, then you probably should expand beyond that. But but certainly it's it should be a very simple thing to do. But as you mentioned, there's there's sometimes that it isn't necessarily that simple. So, and I'm glad your experiences have been positive up to this point for the most part. How would you say, or what are the steps that you're taking to make sure that when you're connecting with hosts, that you are coming to the table as a top-notch guest every single time? So the best podcast guest you can be.

Terry: 5:09

I really have five questions that are kind of at the core of it for me. I ask myself, if I were somebody in the audience, I would say, how are you being a giver, not a taker? How can you find the right fit in terms of the host and the right show for you to be on? And then further down the road, how are you adding value to this show? Because it's important and slightly different. How are you adding value for this audience? And always leads us to the next beginning. How are you making it easy for them to pick you?

Carl: 5:38

I just want to make a couple of notes as you were talking. It's interesting that you said that about being a giver and not a taker, because I think that some guests come to the platform thinking, oh, I'm a guest, you're a host, you need me. And as a podcast host, I know, especially a podcast host that's been about that's being a broadcaster, I know I can pilot a show by myself. I just know I can do that. There's a benefit to having a guest because they're going to ideally share their experiences and help to elevate some of the messaging I'm already giving. So you by saying you're a giver as opposed to a taker, and then give me your show or give me the reins to drive the conversation. That's not the way, that's not the way I roll. And it sounds that like that's not the way you roll either, quite the opposite.

Terry: 6:26

It isn't. And I was lucky to be invited into the podcast world by a couple of my first hosts who had just recently had a negative experience with somebody. And so it was top of mind for them and top of heart. And they really kind of brought me in and said, Do you want to be the kind of guest that cares about being a guest? And I'm like, Yes. Yeah, teach me things. Uh and so I listened to their pain and I said, Of course I don't want to be that guest that comes on and says, Oh, I'm special. You have to whatever, bow down to me. I'm the one who's making your show great. No, it's uh we're equals and we're both providing value. Uh and one thing that really struck me from that initial sort of uh almost mentoring that I see received from these two hosts. If you're spending plus or minus a thousand dollars an episode to put this podcast out and get it into the world, you know, that's that's an investment. And some people are doing that on sweat and not money, but it's still an investment. To approach that as guest, I want to have uh obviously the confidence to know that I'm adding something, uh, that I'm bringing value to you and to the show and to the audience, but also the humility to go, you could have had somebody else, and I'm glad you picked me. I'm here to collaborate with you as equals who are creating something together, not as one of us needs to be better than the other.

Carl: 7:43

I like how you explained that, especially when you keep coming back to adding value to the show, which is one piece, but the bigger messaging I'm hearing from you is the adding value to the audience, because it's one piece that I think that as podcast hosts, we like to always remember our audience, or at least we think we do, but there's times we forget them. There's times that we'll bring guests on because they seem like they're a great fit, or we like them, or they're a friend of ours, but are they the best fit for the audience? So I like how you're constantly as a guest, as a host, I have to be top of mind of that. But as a guest, if that's top of mind for you and you're asking the questions, how do I add value to the show? What it is your show is about, but how do I add value to the audience? You're already thinking like a host, not just a regular guest.

Terry: 8:39

Yeah, I mean, I guess so. Uh, I don't think of myself as a host yet, but I'm certainly thinking about the audience, and so that is a common trait.

Carl: 8:47

It's a very important trait to think of, and that's why I wanted to, you know, if nothing else, give you that accolade of thinking of the audiences, because sometimes, as I say, we forget the audience we shouldn't as hosts, but sometimes the guest just wants to get their messaging out there, not realizing that, oh, yes, at the other end of the conversation is the audience. So what I have to have and provide the most value that I can. So I actually do want to talk about collaboration a bit today. I was going to say this for another recording, but but I think that we can I think that we can talk about this because at its simplest form, as I said earlier, a podcast guest and host relationship is that. But how are you making sure that collaboration is happening? How are you making sure that stuff is happening? But it's both the guest and host are saying rising to the top.

Terry: 9:36

For me, it's a lot, which way am I looking? What am I thinking about, and what's in my heart? I actually care about the audience. And so it makes it easy for me to kind of empathize with where they might be. And I do ask questions, both as I'm pitching myself and then as we get into the pre-show conversation. What does this audience need? What have they been getting lately? What can we do that will add, again, add value for them? And an easy mistake to make, and this was part of my mentoring for sure when I first became a guest, an easy mistake to make is I've got a book coming out. And I'm gonna find 17 ways in 30 minutes to bring up the fact that I've got a book coming out, self-serving, right? And it's selfish, but not in a way that promotes the whole show and what the audience is here for. Uh, and so not letting that take priority in my mind or in my heart allows me to be present with you and go, let's play a little bit. And we've kind of defined what the area is that we want to play in, and let's have fun with that.

Carl: 10:32

By the way, if you haven't heard, Terry has a book coming out. Uh we'll give you the details of that. Promise will give you the details that, you know, Terry and I have had multiple conversations about this before hitting her core today. So, Terry, I'll make sure that we give you the opportunity to talk about the book and and what the expected release date is and all that, all that juicy information as well. I want to ask you this question, though, as a guest. I have an opinion as a host, but I also come with 25 years of experience in broadcasting, which, and that's not to toot my own horn, it's just as it gives me a level of comfort and experience that not all hosts and not all guests certainly have. So, as a guest, do you prefer to have a preliminary call before the date that you're going to record? Or are you equally comfortable with less than 10 or maybe as much as 10 of 10 minutes of prep and then hitting record? Column A, you're having a call ahead of time to figure out what the recording is going to be about, or hey, it's the day of the recording. I don't know what we're talking about. Let's just go after a little bit of prep. Which would you prefer?

Terry: 11:37

I just want to give an aside here to the audience, Carl. And I will answer your question because it's an important one. But what you just did is a perfect example of what I'm talking about. When I show up to support the host and the show and the audience, what a good host will do is what Carl just did is say, and we're going to make sure we plug your book. We're going to make the win for you also. And if you're going in there and you're being selfless and you're being generous and you're being a giver, and that isn't happening for you, pick different hosts.

Carl: 12:08

I love that. Now back to my question, though. You answered that very politically, by the way. You said you didn't answer the question, but you did actually step aside, and that's fine. And I'm glad you're laughing. I'm really enjoying our conversation, but which do you prefer going in? Do you prefer the I like to be prepped, you know, a week to 10 days before, or are you equally as comfortable going in to a host like myself, not having a ton of prep and just rolling with it almost impromptu?

Terry: 12:39

Yes, I'm definitely on the prep side. I don't know if I'm exactly in the column the way that you shaped it, but I love that we had a talk before the day about are we a good fit? And if we are a good fit, what is the value that we can bring to this audience? And then right before this call, we had a reminder of that call. And has anything bubbled up since we talked recently? And has anything changed with the audience since uh depending how long ago that call was where we first met? And podcast hosts have busy schedules, so it could be more than a week later. And so that refresher, and then what we didn't do is give ourselves too much of a plan. And I love to be prepared without being over-planned.

Carl: 13:19

I was going to ask you that question, actually. Is questions or no questions? And if questions, because we're both connected through Podmatch as well. So I actually know Terry through another association called CAPS, the Canadian Association of Professional Speakers. That's how we're connected, but we're also connected through another channel, which is PodMatch. So I can easily go there, and I did. I went to Terry's page, and there's his bios there, his questions are there, his topics are there, it's all there. I don't necessarily have to ask those questions. I personally prefer to engage in conversation as opposed to okay, there's 14 or 16 questions I can pull from as we're chatting, but I like it to be more organic, right? I definitely like it to be more organic. Some prep is important. How much prep would be too much prep for you? Would you say coming in with a list of questions or being fed a list of questions from the host is too much prep for you?

Terry: 14:20

Great question. I love that I have a space on a Media One page to have some sample questions to give an idea of what kinds of stuff that I've talked about. And I think PodMatch has both questions and topics as a new PodMatch person. I'm just learning this now. And and I think that list of questions is helpful to hosts who want to decide if we're a good fit in the first place, if we're worth having a follow-up call on. And then an experienced host like yourself will often not ask questions off of the stock list, which I enjoy getting questions that are not the same ones that have answered on the previous bunch of shows. I don't know that a host has ever sent me a list of questions that they were going to ask. I think I would be fine with it if they did. But again, I would look at that as preparation, not planning. I wouldn't write out my answers to those questions and then try to answer it the way I'd written it. If there's a question that I hadn't really put a lot of thought into, I might do some writing to get my thinking out. And then I would put that writing aside and then be in the moment with you as a host.

Carl: 15:25

You would be surprised, Terry, my friend. How many guests will ask the host, what questions are you going to ask me? And you know what? For those guests who are savvy, now, as I said again, you're, you know, we're connected through through PodMatch and other channels. But a lot of hosts, a lot of guests will also have a podcast guesting one sheet, which has questions they're prepared to answer and topics that they can speak on. But there have been times where a guest will say, Can I get a list of questions? You'll never guess what my answer is every single time. See, I knew you wouldn't guess. My answer is no, because I don't know what questions I'm going to ask you in that moment, which is why I like to take that 15 minutes before. And I know there's a certain comfort in meeting the guests ahead of time to see if they are fit. And I like to do the vetting before we get to the recording through either I have a lot of people that reach out to me through either an agency, like a podcast booking agency, or they're reaching out through Podmatch, which is a great tool for getting on shows and for guests to and for hosts to get guests. So I already know whether or not they're fit. What I don't know is what their personality is. I just know from looking at their one sheet or their bio on podmatch that there's a good chance we're going to have a great conversation. I don't know if they have a sense of humor, I don't know if they have a sense of dignity. I have I have no idea how any of that comes together. So there's that piece I don't know, but I can usually tell within the first 10 or 15 minutes that as we're prepping, where this is going to go. And honestly, I have had little to no negative experiences, including today, by the way. You passed everything with flying colors, you're all good. But there are those times where it does happen where you'll get the guest, for example, that wants a list of questions and they want to know this and they want to know that. And they there's it's almost like it's too many things to know for the platform that they're getting on. And there's also the opposite, too. And I don't know if you've come up against this yet, but to get on shows, sometimes there are so many hoops to jump through. There's not only filling out the form, but it's I want all this information before we even hit record. Is there that's I guess that's one of the reasons why I'm asking, is there is there such a thing as too much before we even get to the airwaves to record?

Terry: 17:57

Yeah, I mean, if you're connecting on something like PodMatch, where you can kind of see the host and they've got everything kind of pre-labeled for you, and then you've done the work of creating a profile that has ostensibly everything in it, then having like an extensive application process feels a little redundant. I'm not saying that I would never do it, but I would need to have a reasonable expectation that there was going to be juice with that host and with that show. So it is certainly a barrier that I would, you know, I would think about whether it was worth overcoming that barrier. And to your earlier point about being sent a list of questions, I've never requested a list of questions, but I can see maybe if they're in a situation that I was in once, they're asking the question of can I trust you?

Carl: 18:43

I like that. Can I trust you? Okay. So I'll give you that because I know there are some pretty shadies out there that will say, sure, come on my show, and they'll ask you questions that you're either not prepared to ask, or they're controversial questions, or they're political, spiritual questions that you just don't want to. I always say there's things you don't want to talk about, and you know, between on certainly on most shows that I encounter, it's it's sex, spiritualism of any kind, especially religion and politics. Those are three topics on this show and on most business shows that you don't want to talk about. You don't want to broach those subjects, and you don't want to be surprised by them either as a guest or a host, because it can go both ways. But I can see how that can sometimes throw, even if it's not in those three key areas, that most people are savvy enough to know, okay, unless your show is geared that way, don't just don't do it. Don't upset the apple card. Have you ever been on a show though where you've been thrown a curveball like that where you get a question and you go, Oh, I wasn't expecting that one. And please don't say you've gotten one today, because then I'll have to go and you know, reconsider how we onboard our onboard our guests.

Terry: 19:55

Yes, I did have an interview that went sideways, uh, and I can talk about it because it never aired, and so this can be completely anonymous. People can't search out and figure out who it was. But I got to the interview uh and they were different than what I thought my research had told me. They it felt like somebody had told them try to get your guests to be vulnerable. And the interpretation of that or the way that the teaching had been done wasn't like creating an invitation and that's warm and a safe space for people to talk about stuff if they want to. It was like hit them with questions and try to get into some child trauma or something almost like reminiscent of Jerry Springer, where it's like, we're gonna we're trying to create a problem here because that's gonna be compelling for the audience. And I'm like, that's not the audience that I'm speaking to.

Carl: 20:45

Yeah, I don't think I've had too many negative experiences, as I said, in the podcasting space as a guest and as a host, but certainly there have been the odd time that a curveball has been thrown or a question that I wasn't expecting gets lobbed my way. And again, it's not usually something that's controversial. It's usually something that I haven't maybe fully thought about, or I have to dance around the itch my answer. And one of the answers I'm dancing around lately is about AI, because AI is something that's scaring a lot of people. It has a lot of value, it can be fantastic tools in AI, but some people are getting nervous and they're getting scared that it's going to replace them or they're you know, or totally upset their businesses. So I have to be very careful how I answer the question about AI and how much of it I use in podcasting, for example, or even the things that my my team uses. So I'm glad you clarified that though, about the your experiences and that so far it's they've they've been pretty good. Okay, I'm going to give you a scenario, and then I think we'll get you to uh provide your information after this. I just want to give you the scenario though. I'm brand new to podcasting. I'm not. Let's picture it. I'm brand new to podcasting. I want to guest on shows. What are the three key things you would suggest I do before I get on my first show? Three key things I should do.

Terry: 22:05

Definitely spend some time creating a media one page or get onto uh an outfit like PodMatch that walks you through the steps of what you are bringing to the table and leverage that to think about who am I in the sense of podcasting? What do I want to talk about? Who do I want to talk to? Who do I want to talk about those things with? And then think about if you have any deal breakers where you go, that's not a fit for me. That's not going to be a line for my audience. I don't, for example, need to talk about money, or I do need to talk about money. And so once you have a sense of yourself, your audience, uh, and you've got that kind of presented either in a media one sheet or on an app that's kind of custom built for it, then you're ready to start pitching yourself and start practicing.

Carl: 22:53

So I'm just going to run down these again. So a media one page, have that available so it's easier for the hosts. And yes, it is, by the way. So much easier when the hosts have it. The host doesn't have to go chasing for anything. Figure out what the deal breakers are for you and how you're going to approach them when they come up. And then start pitching. And as you're pitching, what is going to make the difference is whether or not you're pitching to shows that are going to matter not only to you, but also to the audience of the host in general.

Terry: 23:28

Your character as a beginning podcaster has completely fallen apart. You've given away the secret of that you have so much podcasting experience.

Carl: 23:36

So much ground we've covered today, Terry. I want to give you the opportunity, though, to if people have questions after today, how can they get a hold of you?

Terry: 23:44

My website is terribarkman.com. And I the spelling will be in the show notes.

Carl: 23:50

And we'll also make sure that the link is there for your socials as well. Oh, very quickly, before you go, the book. Give me the goods on the book. When can we expect to see it on uh, you know, uh purchase it from wherever it's going to be available? Give me a quick skinny on it.

Terry: 24:08

The book is out as of early 2025. It'll be available on Amazon and select bookstores. Also, my website is a great place to find out more about which bookstores and uh potentially even ordering through the website could be set up.

Carl: 24:25

Phenomenal, Terry Barkman. It's been a great conversation today. Congratulations on the success with the book, which I know you're excited about it getting out there sooner than later. Also, success in podcasting and everything that you're doing as the sailboat coach. And if I see you on the water, you'll be the one with the wind, and I'll be the one with the motorboat. Just letting you know if we ever see each other on the water. That's the way I roll. But hey, it's good fun. Before I turn you loose, Terry, I'll give you the final thought.

Terry: 24:54

Podcasting is fun. Think about your message and then stop thinking about it. Just go and enjoy the conversation, enjoy the value that you're bringing, and let it flow naturally.

Carl: 25:04

All right, that's a good place to leave it. Terry Barkman, but thank you so much for being my guest today. Thank you, Carl. It has been just delightful. Hey, thank you for being a part of the show today. So glad you can do it. Believe it or not, I can't work this magic by myself. So thanks to my amazing team, our audio engineer, Dom Carillo, our topic rating genius, Kenton Dobrowolski, and of course, of course, the artist, all of our factors, our project manager, and my trusty assistant Julovell Tiongco.