My entire life, I’ve been surrounded by amazing people, with incredible stories to tell. I always felt like everyone had a story that could relate to anything I was going through, so I really started learning a lot through their stories. Fast forward to now, and I still love learning through the stories of others. It’s inspiring, educational, and relatable. This is why I decided to create a podcast where I give people a platform to do this very thing. Tell me their story.
Why Choose a Podcast?
I felt like as soon as I heard about what senior project was, I knew I was going to do a podcast. I have put together almost 3 years of collective experience in radio broadcasting and group podcasts. It started when I hosted my own radio show while going to school at snow college. I instantly fell in love with it! I got to talk and listen to music for hours (both things that I love). Sadly, covid had me leaving college, and going back home to Arizona. My time back home made me realize my passion I had to be in the studio, and to be on the mic. I needed to find a way back into it.
When I came here to Rexburg, I found a path right back to the broadcasting studio. Although I wasn’t going to be hosting a show, I was going to be able to learn about the great world of podcasting! I joined BYUI’s official podcast “The Spot” and found that I really love talking with others and making meaningful content for people to listen to. I now developed the skills to at least have a good feel of how to create a good podcast, I just needed to find something people would be interested in listening to.
The Title
This was the first thing I started brainstorming about. So, I decided to simply think about the kind of podcasts I like and create something I would listen to. I avoided things that seem complex, because I just can’t sit and listen to something that makes my head hurt. So, I did the total opposite of complex, and stuck with a very simple title. I believe it worked for the best, because I’ve never had anyone say their head hurt while listening to my podcast!
The Structure of the Podcast
Along with keeping the title of the podcast simple, I wanted to keep the substance the same. The podcast would really go wherever the guest takes it. Their story is the highlight, and they should feel comfortable enough to share it. As they share their stories, I would hope they get the feeling that they are talking with a friend, because that’s the vibe I wanted to go with. The more natural the conversation was, the more likely people would feel okay with sharing their stories.
Goals
When I decided to fully commit to this podcast, I wanted to make sure I was doing it with a good purpose. My main goal was to allow every day people to recognize that they have a story to tell, and that someone needs to hear your story. When I shared my purpose with a lot of people, they would often say something like “oh, well I really don’t have much to share.” This is a common believe among a lot of people, that their stories don’t matter. Well, I wanted to be a voice to those that don’t think they have much to share, because they honestly have so much to give, they just need a place where they feel comfortable sharing it.
When it came to how many people I would want to listen my podcast, I never had a true goal. I was very pleased with the amount of people I reached in my short time uploaded though. I had two episodes that were cut from late may, so my first episode wasn’t even up until June 11th.
With the evidence I do have, I was able to make each episode a bigger success than the last one. This is how I imagined things might go, so I’m very proud.
What Did I learn?
Taking on a podcast alone is a lot tougher that I thought. I had always had a group to turn to, and to brainstorm with. This was all on me, and I was required to make a good product. I was still able to learn a lot through this experience, here are just a few:
- Trust in your guest – They are the star of the show. Without my guest (or a story of a guest), I don’t have this podcast.
- Be patient – One of the best things about becoming more patient, is that I also was able to become a better listener.
- Use all my resources – We have so many things to help us be successful in today’s world. I found myself turning to just about everything I could, in order to give a diverse and good product.
- Do what I love – This experience showed me that I need to continue to pursue a career in something I really love. My work ethic is better, and I’m just a happier person in general.
I was able to spend a good amount of time on this project. There was a lot of preparation put into the podcast, before I ever even got to upload an episode. Seeing all the work that goes into creating a project like this, I’d definitely say that I learned the importance of time management.
In total, I was able to have 51 hours put into this project.
Conclusion
I loved getting the opportunity to create this podcast. I grew a lot in my ability to think creatively, communicate, listen, make connections, and many more. I will continue to make more episodes, as I want to keep challenging myself, while also sharing more amazing stories. The guests that I did have, were amazing. They were perfect starts to how I imagined this podcast to turn out.
The thing I loved most from this experience, was seeing how I was able to help people. Getting reactions from listeners and having them say how a simple episode helped them get through something. This made creating all this so much more worth it. I hope I get the chance to tell stories through my podcast for years to come, and I hope I often look back at this amazing experience of creating it.
