How to Make a Podcast… That Breathes

Phillip Dieke

When people ask how we started Radical Sacred, I usually laugh and say, “By accident.”

We didn’t set out to become podcasters. We just wanted a place to have the conversations we couldn’t have anywhere else—honest talk about faith, creation, and the world as it is. But along the way, we learned a lot about how to make something that feels alive.

Here’s what the process actually looks like—and what it’s taught me about attention, curiosity, and technology with a soul.

Start with Curiosity

Every episode begins with a question that won’t leave me alone. It’s rarely a topic; it’s a tug. Something I can’t stop thinking about—how nature shapes our theology, what pilgrimage means in modern life, why the sacred keeps showing up in unexpected places.

That curiosity becomes the heartbeat of the conversation. My co-host and I don’t chase what’s trending. We chase what’s stirring in us. The best guests are the ones who live inside those same questions.

We reach out however we can—email, social media, word of mouth. There’s no formal pitch, just an honest message: We love your work, and we’d love to talk with you about it.

That simple, genuine ask opens more doors than a polished media request ever could. People can tell when you’re reaching out from genuine curiosity rather than ambition.

When a guest joins the virtual studio, we don’t start recording right away. We breathe together. Literally. Just a few slow breaths and a short blessing to center ourselves in the same moment, even if we’re on different continents.

My co-host lives in France; I’m in Texas. We can’t share physical space, but we can share time. That’s enough. That moment of presence changes everything. It reminds us that what we’re about to create is not just content—it’s conversation.

Before we hit record, we tell guests that if they ever say something they regret, we’ll cut it. Even a day or two later, if they want something removed before it goes live, we’ll honor that. That promise gives people freedom to speak honestly. And honest conversation is the only kind worth recording.

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Use the Tools, Don’t Worship Them

We record through Riverside.fm, which has become our creative home. It lets us record high-quality audio and video, edit with AI assistance, and pull out clips for social media with just a few clicks.

The tech makes the process easier, but it’s not what makes the podcast meaningful. The soul of the work is still in the listening—the human pauses, the laughter, the small hesitations that tell you something true just landed. When the AI tries to “clean up” the conversation, I go back and add the imperfections. They matter. They breathe.

Podcasting is rhythmic. Record, edit, publish, share, repeat. Sometimes we’re ahead, sometimes behind. There’s always one episode uploading while another is being edited and a third is being planned. It could feel like a grind, but for us it’s more like a spiritual rhythm—a weekly reminder to stay curious, keep learning, and listen for what’s next.

Let It Breathe

The biggest lesson I’ve learned is that a podcast isn’t just an audio file—it’s a living thing. It has tone, pace, and texture. If you give it space, it will teach you what it wants to become.

Our episodes aren’t perfectly polished. They’re spacious, curious, and human. That’s how we like it. Because what we’re really doing, underneath it all, is learning to breathe with the world again.