The view, when I’m doing my work is quite often a notebook and a computer. I try to make it be outside as much as I can too. Show-your-work photos are booooooring, I know. But capturing and gestating my thoughts, and then tapping on a keyboard. That’s mostly what I do.
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What does it really mean to be an effective podcast host?
Good podcasts succeed by focusing on engagement, not biography.
[…] everybody loves podcasting and talks about their podcast constantly, and yet never talks about hosting— how can I be a better host?
~ Vince Quinn (2:00)
This conversation with Vince Quinn focuses on the role of hosting in podcasting, emphasizing that many podcasters neglect to develop hosting as a craft. The discussion contrasts how people obsess over gear or downloads but rarely consider how to become better hosts. A strong host is seen as fundamental to a good show—someone who prepares, guides the conversation, and stays aware of pacing, clarity, and energy. The act of listening back to one’s own show is framed as a vital method of improving, not just through passive review but through strategic reflection on structure, tone, and listener engagement.
Vince and Craig also discuss common pet peeves in podcasting, such as hosts who aren’t prepared or who rely on generic question lists. They stress that shows should begin with engaging topics, not guest biographies, and that silence and space are useful tools for dynamic audio. Another significant topic is the use of LinkedIn and other platforms not just for promotion but for building real, reciprocal connections. The conversation closes with reflections on using podcasts as core drivers of content strategy for small businesses, suggesting that most podcasters follow flawed blueprints and should instead focus on clarity of purpose and realistic goals.
Takeaways
Hosting as the core skill — Hosting is the defining feature of a podcast and is rarely given the attention it deserves.
Listening back with purpose — Reviewing episodes is essential for improvement, especially when done with detachment and intention.
Preparation makes a difference — Being prepared with guest-specific context creates a better experience for both guest and audience.
Avoiding biography overload — Starting episodes with long guest bios wastes listener attention and can be a major turnoff.
Letting guests lead — Asking neutral, open-ended questions enables guests to share authentic experiences without emotional projection.
Using space intentionally — Strategic use of silence can enhance tension, rhythm, and storytelling in audio.
Engaging social media mindfully — LinkedIn and other platforms can be used effectively to build strategic business relationships.
Avoiding generic questions — Personalized, thoughtful prompts are more engaging than standard interview scripts.
Choosing the right content blueprint — Most podcasters imitate high-profile shows without realistic alignment to their own goals.
Using podcasting for business — Podcasts can drive content strategy, relationship-building, and lead generation for service-based businesses.
Maximizing limited resources — Bootstrapped creators can use a podcast to generate multi-purpose content across platforms efficiently.
Clarity of purpose — Defining success and setting short-term goals are crucial for keeping podcast production focused and meaningful.
Resources
SBX Productions — Vince Quinn’s business providing podcast production services.
Vince’s free 30-minute consultations — To help creators improve their shows.
It’s Not “Just Talking” — Vince’s podcast
(Written with help from Chat-GPT.)
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How can older adults reclaim movement as a joyful, empowering part of life despite pervasive cultural narratives about aging?
Letting go of perfectionism opens the door to playfulness and self-compassion.
If I can be more compassionate toward myself, I can let go of this addiction to competence and just let myself try, and suck. So yeah, I have come to embrace the idea that if a thing is worth doing, it is worth doing badly and playfully.
~ David Wilson (48:45)
This conversation with David Wilson explores how movement intersects with aging, self-perception, and cultural narratives. David begins by addressing how deeply internalized ageist beliefs affect people’s willingness to move, take up space, and try new things. The discussion challenges the idea that aging necessitates physical decline, emphasizing instead that variety in movement and awareness of personal stories can lead to growth and transformation at any age. David also critiques societal pressures that promote fear-based motivation, and he encourages a shift toward framing movement as a present-moment gift.
The conversation moves through practical barriers and misconceptions that keep people inactive, such as rigid goals, perfectionism, and the belief that certain types of exercise are required. It emphasizes meeting oneself where one is, using personal values rather than fixed goals as guides. The importance of self-compassion, playfulness, and the willingness to “do things badly” is highlighted as a more sustainable path toward movement. There’s also a critique of mainstream fitness messaging, which often excludes older populations by failing to address their actual lived experiences.
Takeaways
Internalized ageism — Movement hesitancy is often rooted in lifelong exposure to ageist narratives absorbed from a very young age.
Misconceptions about aging — Many decline-related assumptions are not due to age itself but to reduced movement and lifestyle limitations.
Curiosity over goals — Letting go of rigid, timeline-based goals makes space for exploration and deeper engagement with movement.
Compassionate self-awareness — Bringing compassion into one’s personal practice enables growth without harsh self-judgment.
Playfulness as practice — Play offers a route to joy and learning, especially valuable when countering addiction to competence.
Movement generalism — A broad, varied movement practice supports better adaptability and long-term capability.
Fear-based fitness culture — Much mainstream messaging about aging and exercise motivates through fear instead of empowerment.
Efficiency of the body — The body conserves resources by shedding unused capabilities, so maintaining movement variety is crucial.
Accessible movement — Movement does not require equipment, special clothing, or gym memberships—it can be integrated into daily life.
Time as a barrier — A perceived lack of time is the most common excuse for not moving, yet even minutes of activity show measurable benefits.
Specificity of training — Effective physical preparation must match the demands of real environments rather than generic or repetitive exercise.
Gratitude for the body — Pausing to appreciate the body’s enduring support helps reframe limitations and fosters a more engaged relationship with movement.
Imagination of aging — How one envisions growing older strongly influences present decisions about health and movement.
Practice as identity — How we treat ourselves in movement mirrors how we show up in the world and in relationships.
Resources
OldsCoolMoves website — David Wilson’s web site offering online courses and information.
Five Minute Movement — A series of short guided sequences emphasizing movement variety.
Ageism Unmasked — Tracy Gendron’s book exploring the deep roots and effects of ageism.
This Chair Rocks — Ashton Applewhite’s book offering another perspective on ageism and cultural narratives about aging.
Road Scholar — A nonprofit focused on travel and education for older adults.
(Written with help from Chat-GPT.)
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What happens when podcasters leave the safety of their studios to record in front of a live audience?
A physical space changes how podcasters, guests, and audiences engage with the medium.
You could actually just get out of your comfort zone, do this thing that you do in your house— do it live at a park and just see what happens.
~ Jeff Revilla (33:02)
This conversation with Jeff Revilla centers on the creation and impact of a physical podcasting theater, which offers independent podcasters the opportunity to record in front of live audiences. We explore how the controlled, familiar environment of home studios contrasts with the dynamic, unpredictable energy of live performance. The discussion covers how live podcasting challenges hosts to let go of production control and embrace spontaneity, leading to new experiences both for them and their listeners.
The logistics of creating the theater space are discussed in detail, including sourcing materials on a budget and designing the space to be flexible and immersive. The benefits of such live recordings are explored from multiple angles: audience feedback, performance energy, and personal growth for podcasters. The conversation also touches on the potential for this model to spread to other cities, encouraging podcasters to seek out or create similar spaces using resources like parks, coffee shops, and libraries.
Takeaways
Getting out of the studio — Shifting from a home setup to a live environment introduces discomfort but creates richer experiences.
Designing live podcast spaces — Flexible theater design enables immersive, close-range audience experiences with podcast creators.
Building on DIY culture — The physical space is assembled with minimal cost and creativity, reflecting a do-it-yourself mindset.
Live audience engagement — Audience reactions offer immediate feedback and energy, unlike the delayed response of online downloads.
Performance dynamics — Mistakes are part of the experience, and audiences are generally more forgiving than podcasters expect.
Hosting in person — Podcasters experience personal and creative transformation by stepping into a live setting.
Reimagining podcast venues — Parks, libraries, and coffee shops can serve as accessible, low-cost venues for live podcasting.
Community activation — Live events create tangible moments that draw friends and family into direct support roles.
Local expansion — There’s a growing opportunity for similar spaces in other towns, creating regional performance circuits.
Monologue vs. conversation — Structured content often falls flat in a live setting; spontaneous conversation resonates more.
Hybrid event strategy — Combining livestreams with in-person seating balances reach and intimacy.
Emerging infrastructure — Mid-sized live venues can help prepare independent podcasters to scale toward larger performances.
Resources
Poduty — The dedicated podcast theater space created and operated for live in-person podcasting.
My Guest Tonight — Jeff Revilla’s podcast.
Poduty Live 2025 — The two-day live podcasting festival planned for the last weekend in September, streamed and staged in-person.
International Podcast Day — An annual celebration of podcasting referenced as part of the event timing.
Indie Pods United — An earlier initiative mentioned in connection with previous live streaming events. (No public web site, but has a presence on various social platforms.)
Todd Glass — A comedian whose ideas on theater design helped influence the speaker’s stage setup.
Marketing Over Coffee — A podcast noted for being recorded in coffee shops.
(Written with help from Chat-GPT.)
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Well this is interesting! I’ve been adding time-references to quotes when I include them in show notes. I simply put the <minute>:<seconds> after the quote.
Today I realized that Overcast auto-magically makes those time codes clickable — touching the time code jumps play right to that point!
This is amazingly great for the listener.
For years there’s been discussion about chapters in podcast episodes. They are supported, yes. But there’s complicated to actually set up. The original way, is to embed the information within the mp3 audio file—that requires either special software which does just that, or your DAW has to support marking the chapters as you’re editing. Either way, a bit tedious.
But if this little feature of link-up-time-references in the notes works across more players… this is HUGE.
So: Take a look at your favorite player. Find an episode (any episode of Podtalk, for example) that has time-references in the show notes… and tell me if it works in your player.
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There’s two different main purposes for routines, and advice-givers mix them up. They lump these two quite different things under “morning routine” and it causes trouble when you try to design your own.
~ Mckinley Valentine, from The Whippet #185: Shielded and flower-like
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Partly, I include this because The Whippet is a sometimes quirky, often insightful, but always interesting little missive that I enjoy following/reading.
But also, WAIT WAT! …how is it I’ve never heard this idea/distinction before? Scroll down about 2/3 in issue № 185 to find this neat stuff about habits.
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How can podcasters build meaningful relationships that expand their reach, create new opportunities, and grow their shows—without relying on promotion or algorithms?
A five-step method helps you land dream collaborations by being helpful, not pushy.
[One little shift?] That’s it. If I hadn’t have gone to that event, if I hadn’t have just dumped my coat and helped direct people, if I hadn’t offered to help for free, if I hadn’t got to know the team, if I hadn’t, if I’d asked for the wrong thing or too much or too, I don’t know if I’d got the ask wrong, any one of those things could have ended up being like a Sliding Doors [the 1998 film -ed] moment where I then I go from 3000 leads to just going about my life as a coach.
~ Robin Waite (15:00)
Robin Waite shares how he reinvented his business growth strategy by focusing on building partnerships rather than following conventional marketing playbooks. Feeling burnt out by social media and traditional outreach, he adopted an “outside-in” approach—intentionally targeting people he admired, getting in the same room with them, and offering help without expectation. His approach centers on showing up, adding value, and making intentional asks that are aligned with what others actually need.
He illustrates this with a detailed story of how he ended up as a guest on Ali Abdaal’s Deep Dive podcast, which generated over 3,000 leads and $300,000 in business. Key elements included making himself useful at events, building relationships with team members, and being ready with a modest but well-timed ask. Waite expands on this philosophy by identifying five steps: be intentional, get in the room, be helpful, find the inside person, and offer something on a silver platter. The conversation underscores the power of authentic connection, strategic generosity, and long-term thinking in business development.
Takeaways
Intentional targeting of collaborators — Write down a list of specific individuals or brands that feel like a natural fit for connection and mutual value.
Be physically present and engaged — Attend events in person, sit in the front row, and look for ways to directly interact with people you admire.
Generosity without expectation — Offer help freely without asking for anything in return, and allow opportunities to arise organically.
Use social cues to create asks — Make requests that are context-aware, modest, and well-timed based on what you’ve learned about the other person’s situation.
Relationship-building is long-term — Partnerships can take months or even years to develop, and consistent presence matters more than speed.
Imposter syndrome is common — Many successful people share similar doubts and insecurities, making them more approachable than they appear.
Ask through value — Frame your request as a contribution or offer rather than a favor, focusing on what the other person would gain.
The power of introductions — Introducing others who might benefit from knowing each other is a high-leverage, generous act that strengthens your own relationships.
Reciprocity as rocket fuel — Gifts, paid gestures, or generous actions can accelerate connection when done thoughtfully and in alignment with mutual respect.
Avoid transactional thinking — Relationships thrive on genuine interest and value-sharing, not on immediate or one-sided exchanges.
Resources
Take Your Shot – Free Book Offer — Robin Waite’s book, offered for free (worldwide shipping) to podcast listeners.
Fearless Business Podcast — Robin Waite’s own podcast, combining solo and guest episodes on business topics.
Robin Waite’s YouTube Channel — Features practical, high-level content on entrepreneurship and coaching.
Ali Abdaal’s Deep Dive Podcast — The podcast where Robin Waite was featured, which led to 3,000 inquiries and $300k in business.
Simon Alexander Ong — Coach and speaker cited as a role model for being intentional and abundant.
(Written with help from Chat-GPT.)
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Price’s research comes at a moment when a growing number of archaeological finds and genetic analyses of ancient animal remains are adding layers of nuance to the story of domestication and partnership. Canines and humans, through their dynamic interactions, have formed one of the most unique, complex, and mutually beneficial relationships in history.
~ Richard Kemeny, from The Macabre and Magical Human-Canine Story
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I knew dogs were special. But the more we look into history, the more it’s clear just how important they were in our early millennia.
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But, when you work in six week cycles, or relatively short time frames, later means something else entirely. There’s no time for later. It’s now or not. Later doesn’t mean we’ll get to it at the end of this cycle. It means we’ll drop it. Later means another time, not this time. Later isn’t an obligation, it’s a maybe. Later isn’t a cage, it’s freedom. It’s not a debt to pay off, it’s an asset. There’s no pile of pile ups, there’s no guilt, there’s no feeling of late nights and crunch time ahead. Later simply means not now, not soon, and not for sure.
~ Jason Fried, from Avoiding pile-ups
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I read this and it really landed. Six weeks. Six weeks is an amount of time I can truly apprehend and plan for. Six weeks has become my new project size. If it cannot be done in six weeks, it needs to be broken down into multiple projects.
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What foundation is needed to create a sustainable and successful podcast without becoming overwhelmed by the complexity of the process?
Small, continuous improvements differentiate successful podcasters from those who fade.
When the first computers showed up at the school, they didn’t even know how to teach it yet. So you get those tools and you start layering them into your process. Then you learn how to break it and make something your own. That’s where your art, your style, your uniqueness comes through. But if you didn’t have that foundation, you don’t really have a right to jump to those other things— It just doesn’t work out most often.
~ Tracy Hazzard (11:47)
Tracy Hazzard explores the importance of building strong foundational skills before layering on tactics in podcasting, using examples from art and design education. The conversation highlights the ongoing challenges of rebooting a podcast show, particularly the unexpected complexity of shifting to a deconstructed review format. Attention is given to how applying design thinking can help evaluate what parts of podcast production should be simplified or improved.
Other topics include the value of owning a website and email list to control audience relationships, with personal anecdotes about SEO dominance and long-term content value. The discussion also covers practical strategies for sustainable podcast production, including the benefits of small team workflows, using AI to streamline writing tasks, and the pitfalls of overcomplicating production processes.
Takeaways
Building a foundation before innovating — Learning and mastering the basics leads to better long-term podcasting results.
Owning your audience relationships — Maintaining a website and email list provides resilience against algorithmic shifts on platforms.
Complexity of show format changes — Shifting from interview-based episodes to detailed show deconstructions introduced unexpected preparation challenges.
Value of authentic podcasting — Creating authentic and improvised moments makes shows more memorable and unique.
Sustainable workflows for podcasters — Streamlining production using AI tools and focusing on tasks only the creator can do is critical for maintaining momentum.
Podcast websites and searchability — Properly built podcast websites can continue driving traffic and discoverability years after a show ends.
Long-term SEO value — Strategic website naming and content accumulation lead to sustained search engine ranking.
Challenges of coaching podcasters — Continuous improvement through small, layered learning sessions proves more effective than overwhelming new podcasters.
Pitfalls of early distractions — Podcasters today face a landscape where getting distracted by tools and tactics can quickly derail progress.
Alternative monetization pathways — Even niche podcasts can achieve strong monetization through SEO dominance and strategic audience engagement.
Resources
Podetize — A syndication platform providing podcast hosting, production, and coaching services.
Feed Your Brand — A podcast focused on strategies for building and growing brand visibility through podcasting.
The Binge Factor — A podcast dedicated to uncovering the factors that make podcasts binge-worthy.
Smartcuts by Shane Snow — A book mentioned as a favorite, discussing how lateral thinking and smart shortcuts lead to success.
SmartLess Podcast — A podcast noted for its effective use of improvisation and co-host dynamics.
3D Start Point — The website for the WTFFF?! 3D printing podcast, demonstrating long-term SEO success.
(Written with help from Chat-GPT.)
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Our self-awareness as actors is pretty missing in that way! There are plenty of times where I thought, “That was something…” And then nobody thought that was anything. (Laughs) And then there’s other times where I said, “Oh, I don’t know about that.” And everybody loves it! So it’s not that easy.
~ Mads Dittmann Mikkelsen, from Mads Mikkelsen – The Talks
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Recently I’ve noticed I have a list of actors and when I see they are in a project… yes.
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I decided to retire in 2021 because, after such a long career, I had done enough, and it was time for something different. My art was much more interesting and challenging to me (and still is).
~ Andrew Wulf, from What I Miss And Don’t From Working As A Programmer
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Interestingly, when people ask me “what do you do?” I used to say, with snark, “As little as possible.” These days? Still that, but now without the snark.
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In the Greek story of Sisyphus, the king was condemned for eternity to move a massive rock up a hill but never reach the summit. Albert Camus famously saw it as a parable of the human condition: Life is meaningless, and consciousness of this meaninglessness is torture. This is how I’d remembered Camus’ essay The Myth of Sisyphus, which describes an afterlife as devastating as that of Prometheus having his liver pecked out by an eagle anew every day. But when I reread it recently, I was reminded that for Camus, the king isn’t entirely tragic; he has some power over his existential predicament. Once he grasps his fate—“the wild and limited universe of man”—Sisyphus discovers a certain freedom; he gets to determine whether to face the futility of it all with joy or sorrow.
~ Gal Beckerman, from A Case for Sisyphus and Hopeful Pessimism
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It’s our choice.
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We’re told to “just ship it,” but also to “make it great.” Where do you draw the line? When do you prioritize polish, and when do you hit publish?
I had to learn—the way you learn to ride a bicycle: do it over and over, the “principle” of the thing doesn’t help you do the thing—that the tension is a good sign. Now when I feel the tension between quality and consistency I know I’m in the correct place.
This morning, I’m thinking about a rowing metaphor: One oar is quality and the other is consistency. Pull evenly and the boat goes straight-ish. Also, if you try to row too hard, you get exhausted. The best way to make long-term progress is to row these two things, in balance, at a sustainable pace.
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When companies face real competitors, then some enshittificatory gambits are unprofitable, because they’ll drive your users to competing platforms. That’s why Zuckerberg bought Instagram: he had been turning the screws on Facebook users, and when Instagram came along, millions of those users decided that they hated Zuck more than they loved their friends and so they swallowed the switching costs and defected to Instagram. In an ill-advised middle-of-the-night memo to his CFO, Zuck defended spending $1b on Instagram on the grounds that it would recapture those Facebook escapees.
~ Cory Doctorow, from Pluralistic: Enshittification isn’t caused by venture capital (20 Jan 2025)
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There’s a lot of value in being able to just hop onto some platform and do what you need or want to do: easily organize a group of friends, say, while not having everyone know where your baby shower will be. It turns out that building complex systems is difficult, not easy. Any time you find something is easy to do (using some piece of technology) first, marvel at that. Because doing the difficult work of building that whatever-it-is enables the other things you want to do to seem to be easy.
And the second thing should do it think about why would anyone want to do all that difficult work and perhaps you should (at least sometimes) just directly do that difficult work yourself.
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You stand back and in a way, the reason it’s interesting is because it stands out, it doesn’t fit in, it doesn’t look like anything you’ve seen. But this is not really my position — generally. There might be moments where such a performance is necessary but we like to find a stronger relationship between the familiar and the unfamiliar. My feeling is that when a building is too self-referential, the audience is distanced; architecture becomes something that you look at. [Like in a cathedral or a monument?] Right, it’s a spectacle — whereas I think for 99% of the time, architecture is something that you should be inside and absorbed by. It’s something which convinces you by experience more than impresses you by image.
~ David Chipperfield, from David Chipperfield – The Talks
I think that tension exists in any creative endeavor. Perhaps, the existence of that tension is what defines something as being creative?
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Set a recurring date on your calendar to get together. And then stick to it.
Some people might find this tactic a little soulless and formal, the same way that some couples deride the idea of scheduling sex. Yet when your life is ruled by your phone and nothing gets done unless it ends up on a to-do list, booking repeat friend dates is practical—a way to carve out real time not just for errands and work, but also for engaging with the people you love.
~ Serena Dai, from The Easiest Way to Keep Your Friends
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I once had a long-running dinner with a few of my cousins and our spouses. We all liked to have dinner in, rather than out… but we couldn’t settle on a strict schedule. So instead, we made sure to start each gathering by having the “when do we next meet” discussion? :) Sure it took time to do that, but it has the advantage that everyone is in the room. We’d end up planning 4 or more weeks out, but it got on the calendar every time. And yes, we stopped because the last time we met up, we didn’t plan the next time.
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This is a perennial struggle for me. My ability to imagine things that I’d like to create, vastly and consistently exceeds my ability to actually create.
The standard advice is to narrow one’s focus. Choose one thing to focus on— especially if we’re talking about charging for a product. But even more generally, in podcasting, the standard advice is to choose one thing… one show… one format…
I’ve come to the conclusion that I am not that sort of creative. A while back I stood up a new “home” for myself on the Web at craigconstantine.com and as I was deciding what to put there, this occurred to me:
I create a ton of free, public stuff. Each of my current projects is its own rabbit hole to explore.
After decades of struggle against my own nature, I’ve given up trying to focus on just one thing. Instead, I’ve learned to relax—or at least, to be slightly more relaxed. When the creative energy is flowing, I channel it. And sometimes I simply pause.
That’s how I keep my podcasting sustainable. I create processes and move things along when I feel engaged and motivated. And sometimes I pause.
Many podcasters burn out. What’s a pace that actually works for you? How would your show change if you prioritized sustainability over growth?
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Dinner resists optimization. It can be creative, and it can be pleasurable. None of this negates the fact that it is a grind. It will always be a grind. You will always have to think about it, unless you have someone else to think about it for you, and it will always require too much time or too much energy or too much money or some combination of the three. It is unrelenting, in the way that breathing is unrelenting. There is freedom in surrendering to this, that even in this golden age of technological progress, dinner refuses to be solved.
~ Rachel Sugar, from Dinner Is Terrible
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I agree with Sugar. Somewhere along the way I learned that leaning into the mundane parts of meal preparation is actually what I need to do more often. I tend to get very head-down doing and that’s not healthy when it’s protracted hours upon hours. Instead, pre-planning when I’m supposed to stop doing and go work on the meal always results in my spending some meditative time in the ‘ol kitchen. Combined with “simple food, simply prepared”—fresh or raw ingredients, reduced combinations of flavors, smaller quantities, visually interesting—I feel I’m making some progress towards health and mental wellness in one activity.
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In the last year or so, it’s been making the time to just listen to podcasts.
When I started, I went through phases where I was consuming podcasts for particular reasons. Learning about how interviews are done. Learning about narrative structure. Learning what it takes to create highly-produced shows. (And probably more reasons that don’t occur to me now.)
Now, I make the time to listen just for the enjoyment. There are certainly many ways I can improve my podcasting, but I no longer need to be vigorously honing my craft. It can simply evolve at a leisurely pace, freeing me to simply enjoy the audio medium. That seems to feed back into my enjoyment of creating audio.
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