Podcasting Dreams Inspired by Jay Shetty

It was probably some morning, and I was searching for interesting things to listen to as I prepared for the day. I found On Purpose by Jay Shetty and was hooked by the first episode. I heard things profound, insights that were deep and thoughtful, and practicality in the tonality of his words. I felt endeared by just how adept this man was in his ability to understand people, interact with them, and offer them useful ways to live better as a person.

Now, every morning as I go through my routines, I often have Jay Shetty in my ears, sharing from his well of knowledge on how to live better. He shares truths, ideas, and methods for being better and living on purpose in diverse aspects of life. He is a person I admire, and he pops up in some conversations that I have with people—at least, the things he teaches.

As a result of listening to him so much, I have grown to develop a keen interest in podcasting and probably doing something similar to what he does. I am not savvy with my knowledge of human interactions, nor do I always know the best way to approach certain things, but having a microphone in front of me and talking comes naturally to me. Heck, it's somewhat part of the reason why I started the 9ja Show in Hive Naija.

As a matter of fact, I felt like I really wanted to start a podcast, so much so that I joined NaPodPoMo (National Podcast Post Month) by @epodcaster. It's a month-long marathon that encourages people to explore the art of podcasting or refine their skills by making entries all through the month of November, beginner or experienced.

I was a little bit underprepared for the whole challenge; however, I failed to take the big step of starting as I self-deprecated a lot and never even participated once. I just stayed inside my shell for most of it, and nothing happened. Nonetheless, the desire to start a podcast someday still remains.

My reason for starting a podcast isn't to just talk, per se; essentially, journaling my thoughts and sharing my experiences vocally is a much different experience than writing and documenting it all as texts. It's a whole different feeling that I find enthralling.

On many occasions, I would catch myself making audio recordings about my thoughts and feelings. A good number of them are conversations with myself on the way forward; some are random "notes to myself," others are rants. Speaking, in essence, is something that I enjoy doing. Yes, the girlfriend has to deal with a lot of that side of me occasionally—but she tells me she loves it, so I fire on most times. Boy, oh boy, do I find it exhilarating sometimes to speak... Surely, I listen too.

It's a new year, and part of my aspiration is to start the podcast at some point. It's a little bit rough this month with the new job that I do, so it'll have to be much later. I don't have it all planned out yet, although I reckon that I should by now.

I learned that having guests can make podcasts more engaging for the listeners and even the speaker(s). I have considered this and would definitely like to have guest speakers to discuss it with. And this is where it all connects: I would like to someday have Jay Shetty come on to my show to have a discussion and listen to his thoughts and insights in person.

There's a lot that I have learned from him and even about him. One aspect that I admire about him is the type of relationship that he and his wife, Radhi, have. It's not just talk when he teaches about having better relationships with one's partner; it is evident in their conversations that they have something truly beautiful, although there aren't that many episodes with her around.

I imagine that if I had Jay Shetty on my show someday, I would ask him certain questions that I haven't heard him explicitly answer in the episodes that I have listened to. Things pertaining to relationships, interactions with people, and navigating life are specific to my experiences. Until that time, I guess I have to start the podcast first.