On-Air Wisdom from Pat Miller: Insights from a Year of Podcasting
Pat Miller chats on the Professional Photographer podcast with Shawn Lee (middle) and Shola Richards (right).
Many PPA members tune in weekly to the Professional Photographer podcast for insight and inspiration. When the show reached its one-year anniversary, the Marketing team wanted a creative way to celebrate the milestone and spotlight its host, Pat Miller, while also driving engagement to the podcast.
To mark the occasion, I proposed and conducted an in-depth Q&A interview with Pat Miller that captured his biggest takeaways from a year of conversations with top photographers. I handled every step of the process — from interview prep and recording to writing and editing the feature for the September issue of Professional Photographer magazine.
The resulting story highlighted Pat’s practical business wisdom, connected readers to the personality behind the podcast, and inspired renewed interest in the series. The feature was shared across PPA’s digital channels, driving new traffic and engagement to the podcast landing page.
In September, PPA celebrates the one-year anniversary of its popular podcast, Professional Photographer. To recap an eventful year, PPA staff talked to podcast host Pat Miller to find out what he’s learned during his tenure interviewing successful photographer entrepreneurs, his business advice, and what inspires him.
PPA: Between hosting the Professional Photographer podcast every week, being the founder of the Small Business Owners Collective, and running your own business, your schedule is packed. How do you avoid burning out?
Miller: I’m a passionate solopreneur, but I also know I must take care of myself first and foremost. That doesn’t mean I don’t take care of my clients, though! The fastest way for me to take care of my business and clients is to make sure I’m taking care of myself—how I eat, exercise, sleep, and manage my clock. I’ve also set up a digital divide between the business and my personal life, with contractors and virtual assistants who answer the phone for me when I’m away.
Too many small business owners get so busy with what they think they should be doing that they end up in a kind of productivity theater where they think they’re moving the business forward, but in reality, they’re just shuffling papers around.
It’s important to know when to quit when things aren’t working. I call it “strategic quitting.” That’s a whole other conversation, but it’s definitely something I live and practice each day.
PPA: Could you elaborate on how you create separation between your work life and personal life?
Miller: When you love what you do, it doesn’t feel like you’re bringing work home. It feels like you’re continuing to play after hours. But that’s not healthy. It may sound terrifying, but when I took LinkedIn and my email off my phone it helped me create more separation between work life and home life. If the concept freaks you out, you probably should try taking those apps off your phone!
PPA: How do you create an environment during your interviews that makes people want to open up?
Miller: There are two ways I do it. The first thing I keep in mind is that if I’m having a conversation with one person, they are the only person on the planet that matters. My job is to listen to what they have to say and wring out as much knowledge as I can. I think of myself as an advocate for the listener and viewer.
The second way I do it is by making the subject I’m interviewing feel like they’re sharing information that’s valuable. One question I always ask in my pre-interview is, “What’s something no one’s talking about, but they should be?” Without fail, people light up and start talking more about that one thing. That’s how we get amazing interviews.
PPA: Have there been moments during production of the podcast when you felt out of your element, since you’re not a photographer yourself?
Miller: Whenever I’m in doubt, I run to my wife, Abbie, who is a professional photographer [and longtime PPA member]. I ask her to translate “photographer language” into “business guy” language for me. The Professional Photographer podcast has gravitated toward the business of photography and is less about the actual camera. So, when we have people on the show, we focus on their areas of expertise.
PPA: Have you noticed a theme among entrepreneurs about the types of challenges they faced early in their careers?
Miller: Most entrepreneurs get started by offering too many products to too many people for not enough money. The greats of the industry I’ve had the chance to sit down with are gifted photographers, but they’re also equally outstanding at running a business. They all go through a process of narrowing down and finding their niche without compromising on their vision. I’ve learned that the real greats are fiercely protective of their vision and creativity. They follow it, regardless of what other people say.
PPA: What’s an essential tool that successful photographers have in their toolkits?
Miller: Every single serious studio and business owner needs to have a CRM [customer relationship management software] so they can manage who their leads are, who their customers are, who their past customers are, and how to create a communication ecosystem with the people who care about what they do.
PPA: You were a radio host for many years. What’s different about podcasting, and what do you enjoy most about each?
Miller: The hardest thing I’ve learned to adjust to with podcasting is that it’s not live. My background was hosting a four-hour radio show, every single day, for two years. When we went live on the radio, I was taking listener calls and making decisions on the fly. There’s a momentum and performative element to live radio. With podcasting, there’s a limitless amount of space and less constraints. It makes things less stressful and gives you a chance to revisit topics.
PPA: If you could interview one person, alive or dead, who would it be and why?
Miller: The first person who came to mind is Jimi Hendrix. To me, Jimi Hendrix is the idea of being “one of one.” Millions of people have picked up the guitar. No one did it like he did it. No one blended rock and jazz in that era and played guitar the way he did. My question is not, “Jimi, how did you play the guitar?” My question is, “How could you feel that certain of your creative vision and pursue it in the way you did?” That trait is something I’m so fascinated by right now. I could make a list of 60 people who also did that, but Hendrix was the first person who came to mind.
Get more insights from the “Professional Photographer” podcast at: ppa.com/podcast
• Professional Photographer magazine, September 2025•