

Today we’d like to introduce you to Becky Kilimnik and Diana Doty.
Hi Becky and Diana, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
BECKY: For years, I had been searching for a way to bring the traditions of oral storytelling and ghost stories from my native Appalachia to a wider audience.
I chose to podcast because it is also an oral format, and it’s also a very new industry, which I find exciting. I proposed the idea to my friend-in-spookiness, Diana, and she dove into the idea like it was a jar full of gummy worms.
DIANA: After a year of preparation, a major life opportunity that would’ve taken me around the world and given me my dream career had just fallen through. It felt like fate when Becky proposed this idea to me. When we saw how our little indie podcast started climbing the charts, we realized this could be a real grown-up job.
BECKY: How did we get where we’re at now? While we focused on growing our audience, we began to discover new ways to bring value to our audience through our artwork and uncommon interests.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
BECKY: Time. As a working mother, my time was very limited, and podcasting takes a lot of time.
My biggest challenge before podcasting full time was finding the confidence to prioritize the podcast over the traditional expectations I was holding myself to.
DIANA: My biggest obstacles were my reputation and my ego. It was scary to shed that veil of professionalism and get back to my spooky, weird roots to be the entertainer I’ve always wanted to be.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
BECKY: We’re known for our spooky comedy and the safe environment we create for our listeners, our guests, and our community.
DIANA: Everyone has their own truth for what they’ve experienced, and we honor that truth by focusing on the subjective art of storytelling. Aside from this, we have our own individual artistic pursuits.
BECKY: I am an artist by training. My past career was in visual communications; now I paint and draw. I still do occasional design work, but it’s to honor my own artistic goals and vision.
DIANA: I am a writer. Through this venture, I have learned how to write from my heart instead of always from my perfectionist’s brain. I am exploring my talents in three-dimensional physical art.
What does success mean to you?
BECKY: For me, success is having what I need to be comfortable, having the time to enjoy it, and being present for myself and my family. Also, some mild fame would be nice.
DIANA: Fame-wise, I want to make a lasting impression by making people think deeply and laugh at the same time. Financially, I don’t want to hesitate when I’m ordering a burrito, and they ask “do you want guac with that?”
Success with podcasting seems to be based on doing a good enough job entertaining our listeners that they feel inspired to help us do more of it. Our main support comes from our patrons on Patreon, who get extras and ad-free episodes (patreon.com/homespunhaints).
Contact Info:
- Email: info@homespunhaints.com
- Website: homespunhaints.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/homespunhaints/
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/homespunhaints, https://facebook.com/groups/homespunhaints
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/HomespunHaints
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/homespunhaints
- Other: https://firesidechat.com/beckykilimnik
Image Credits
Homespun Haints Media