Therapy Talk: The Podcast

I'm obsessed with podcasts and audiobooks. I vividly recall what a game changer it was to have purchased my first pair of AirPods, and suddenly be able to effortlessly tidy my home while immersed in a Guardian Long Read Podcast, The Moth, or Where Should We Begin.

For a brief period, It's Complicated even had its own podcast. Initially, it was professionally recorded and edited by the (sound) artist, Reece Cox. Afterward, I took the reins, though admittedly with a certain degree of insecurity. During my time as the host and editor, I conducted short interviews with therapists about their work. I'd then edit the recordings using GarageBand and release them on Spotify and other podcast platforms. I thoroughly enjoyed these 'Therapy Talks,' but, for self-sabotaging reasons, the endeavor came to a halt more than a year ago.

What happened was that I got to speak about the topic that is closest to my heart, friendship, with a therapist from the platform who I admire greatly. The chat was so fulfilling that I found myself apprehensive about playing back the recording and doing editing justice to the therapist's insights.?At the time, our team was operating at only a fraction of its current capacity, and I would often bury myself in the flurry of urgent tasks whenever something felt a bit too creatively challenging.

Then, the week I finally mustered the resolve to resume work on that particular episode, disaster struck – I accidentally spilled coffee into my computer and realized that my sound recordings were among the few files not backed up. For some inexplicable reason, this self-imposed failure cast a long shadow on my motivation to revive the podcast, and I ended up taking a year and a half to regain my confidence.

However, I'm now ready to dust off the microphone once again, albeit in a more modest way. I've made a commitment to myself to set up a process where I focus solely on preparing for the recording, conducting the interview, and then entrust all post-production work to an editor. This way, neither procrastination nor spilled coffee can get in the way. If you happen to have any helpful tips for a home recording enthusiast like me, please don't hesitate to reach out. I'm looking forward to sharing with you part two of this podcasting journey!