A lot of people listen to podcasts because they want to learn something and be entertained along the way.
Alex Blumberg
It’s been on the horizon an awful long while but it looks like we’re nearly there! With my first year of university almost complete and a long summer awaiting us, I’m almost ready to ready to introduce the ‘Breaking The Stigma’ podcast. Although vastly different to how I first envisaged it, I’m happy to have 2 regular co-hosts on board in Katy and David- something I feel will hugely add to the value of this podcast. Particularly since the listeners will not only hear my thoughts but a range of opinions on so many different topics!
With this year’s Mental Health Awareness Week fast approaching, our plan is share the first episode in the lead-up to that. Not to give (too much) away, but we will be first launching this new podcast by sharing a little bit about each of ourselves, how we met and what those tuning in can expect from the content we produce in the future. Similar to all your favourite podcasts- for example Elizabeth Day, Jay Shetty, Dr Alex Geroge to name and recommend a few- our episodes will made available on all of the common platforms. Apple Podcasts. Google Play. Spotify. And if I’ve missed any key ones out, feel free to drop a message in the comments below! We want this podcast to be as effective as it possibly can be.
Once we’ve truly embedded ourselves as a partnership trio and got to grips with producing regular content, editing promotion and all that techonological business I undoubtedly will fail to understand for ages, the long-term aim is introduce some guests into the equation. Whether it be friends, family members, colleagues or even somebody famous that inspires us in our day-to-day lives, I speak for the 3 of us in saying it’ll be fantastic to feature some incredible stories and people in order to expand our horizons and the reach of this podcast.
While I’d be simply plain stupid or naive to not recognise the immense challenges of establishing and maintaining a podcast, or did not acknowledge that the world of podcasting has become an extremely condensed market with lots of people jostling for listeners and genuine engagement, a big part of me is enamoured by the challenge of making this a success against the odds and doing something I enjoy consistently with a few of my mates. Particularly given the difficulties each of us have faced and how much we’ve had to battle to get to where we are now. It’s been far from easy, therefore having a great podcast would be something to cherish and saviour. Something to be proud of!
I’m fully aware that we are very unlikely to rake in views from day one, gain thousands of subscribers in a matter of weeks or garner significant amounts of publicity on social media, however it’ll be nice for us three to get our opinions out into the world and hopefully help a few people along the way. Yes it’s definitely cliche, but achieving anything more than that is a massive bonus! We may be no psychology wizards/experts, yet that doesn’t mean we don’t have valuable experiences and teachings we can divulge with an audience. Things that people can take away. Lessons that others can draw upon and use to their advantage in their own lives. That’s the beauty of the world we live in. What works for me might not work for you and vice versa. That being said, the more topics we discuss, the more issues we debate and the more conversations we begin, the greater the likelihood that somebody out there listening will resonate with something said and use that small snippet of information or piece of advice to benefit their own life.
Even though it’s certainly true that the podcasting world is innundated with creators of many genres and backgrounds, our main focus first and foremost is to be authentic and do things the way we wish to do them. Rather than modelling it on this person or that specific podcast, we want the whole process to be organic and natural so the listeners can understand that this isn’t forced. It isn’t scripted. We aren’t doing it for clicks, for admiration or hopping on a ‘trend’. We’re just 3 mates with a passion for discussing mental health and making a difference to people’s lives. And that’s more than enough motivation don’t you think?
P.S. Stay tuned- news is coming very soon!
Thanks for reading,
Adam
Breaking The Stigma 