originally written: June 8, 2021
revamped: February 8, 2022
The official Simply Jamilah Podcast has been around for two years now.
Considering all of my podcast episodes (thus far) have somehow turned into therapy sessions, I couldn’t exactly tell you why I started the podcast. Maybe I needed someone to talk to and felt like I didn’t have anyone so I turned to the mic? Maybe it was destined [to help me improve as a Jamilah]?
Over time, I’ve come to really love podcasting, and it’s not because my audience is growing; I am genuinely obsessed with speaking in a microphone.
I’ve gotten and am getting a lot more traffic than I could have ever dreamed of or anticipated, which fills my heart with an incredible amount of joy.
If you want to experience the same joy and fulfillment, here are some reasons starting a podcast is a good idea:
No Fancy Supplies Needed
Recently, a friend of mine overexplained audio interfaces to me and how they elevate whatever you’re recording to sound professional–like podcasts.
However, you don’t need to save up for the expensive stuff used by celebrities and paid influencers.
All you have to do is start.
You don’t need a fancy microphone or a computer or an insane knowledge about how varying audio softwares work. With companies like Anchor (now owned by Spotify), you literally only need a cell phone, like with everything else nowadays.
With a cell phone, you have the opportunity to take your show to the streets and get perspectives from the general public and/or make interviews a lot easier. In a studio setting, there tends to be a bit more of a process with accomplishing an interview if the guest is unable to come to your studio. For me, I use Zoom or Facetime to conduct distant interviews and simply screen record. Fortunately, Zoom creates MP3 files to go with the video recordings.
Since starting my podcast, I’ve gone through two microphones. Initially, I had a rinky dink mic I found on Amazon before switching to the Blue Snowball Mic. Now, I use the Samson Q2U mic, as recommended by Katy Bellotte, and I absolutely love it. For editing software, I simply use Wondershare Filmora, since it easily provides the option to export the file as a MP3.
Free Therapy
Your podcast episodes could easily turn into free therapy sessions. At least, that’s what seems to happen with The Simply Jamilah Podcast. Guests or not, cohost or not, lessons can be learned and realizations can dawn upon you out of absolutely nowhere.
Like anything in life, it’s another opportunity to learn, but it’s also enjoyable.
Archive Your Life
Besides Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, or any other social media platform, it can be a way to archive your life.
Hearing stories and the emotions in your voice–whether that be excitement, sorrow, or nonchalance–really brings back memories. The audio archive adds to the visual nostalgia pictures and videos provide.
Does that make sense?
I am consistently growing and experiencing and gaining more knowledge. When I listen to old episodes, I love hearing the growth and maturity, but I also love re-experiencing all of the emotions.
You’re Heard
My day-to-day life is spent working two jobs.
At one job, I am consistently getting talked over, interrupted, and/or can literally see my words going in one ear and out the other. At my second job, my words feel wasted because the person I talk to the most is normally on their phone, and I can’t tell if they’re actually paying attention.
With podcasting, it truly feels like your voice matters and someone cares; there’s such an intense feeling of pure happiness. I can say whatever I need to get off my chest and feel heard, even if no one is actually listening.
Plus, with the podcast, I feel like I can talk about anything and not be judged and feel even more accepted than this blog makes me feel. Whether it’s my experiences with suicide or my lack of experience with sex, it’s just so much easier to talk about it all on the podcast.
I don’t know how to explain it, but the support system for podcasts and the podcast community is built different. Something about it is more peaceful and feels like more of a safe space compared to the previously mentioned social media platforms.
As time passes, I find myself becoming more straightforward with my words, more honest with myself, and more Jamilah than before.
If you want to check out the podcast (in case you missed it on the home page), I got you:
