Well, here we are! I am delighted to share the very first episode of The Be Cringe Podcast with you all.
In this solo episode, I lay the foundation for what I hope we’ll all get out of this podcast. I also share some pretty big news (and I do it suspiciously casually…).
This is actually the second version of this intro episode. When I first decided to launch the podcast, I wrote out what I wanted to talk about in this first episode and turned it into a script. It was polished, it didn’t ramble or go off on tangents, and overall, it sounded clean.
Too clean, if you asked me. I published it just moments after I put up the trailer, but took it down after listening again. It sounded scripted, and it didn’t sound like me.
It sounded like I wrote something for This Might Be Cringe, set up my mic, and recorded it to be enjoyed while reading on Substack. There’s definitely a time and place for that — I’ve always wanted to add recordings to my essays, but if that were the goal, I wouldn’t need a podcast.
I want the podcast to be different. I want the conversations I have and learnings and insights that come out of those conversations to happen authentically and organically, and I knew I had to lead by example with this solo episode. It’s less polished, and that feels important for me.
One of the reasons starting a podcast has felt so difficult for me (besides it being totally cringe) is that I’ve sold myself a narrative that I’m not a speaker but a writer — that written communication just isn’t my jam, that I talk in circles and ramble, and that I don’t have a voice for radio. And if I am being self-aware, that all might be true! But I know it won’t get easier unless I try.
Also, we’re allowed to do things we’re bad at. We’re allowed to have fun while learning, figuring it out, and making mistakes along the way.
I’ll be back in a few weeks’ time with our first guest! I’m really excited about the conversation we’re going to have, and can’t wait for you to follow along.
Thanks for listening to Be Cringe.
Be Cringe is available wherever you get your podcasts, and this episode will be available on all platforms very soon. If you know someone who’d make a great guest, let me know in the comments below.
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