Jun 5

Jun 5 Why I Started On My Own Terms Podcast

I often get this question and I thought it’s about time I pen something down and use it across the board. I can answer the question in 4 parts:

Why the podcast topic - career changers and unconventional career paths?
Why podcast as the medium?
Why start podcast now (i.e. 2021)?
Why do I want to spend my (precious limited) time on this endeavour? What is really in it for me?

Why the podcast topic - career changers and unconventional career paths?

I have been through it and know how it feels. I myself have gone through rather drastic career changes and unconventional career path (see my LinkedIn). I have experienced the anxiety, soul-searching, agony and excitement that came along with it (not necessarily in that order). I can completely relate to folks out there who are in such crossroads of their careers or lives. And I want them to know they are not alone.

Perspectives matter. Career (change) is a topic which involves many factors - one’s skill sets, personal aspirations, financial circumstances, family situation, timing, opportunities, the economy, etc. It’s a topic i’m passionate about and I want to provide actionable insights and perspectives through my podcast.
I own the topic. I think having been through what I have been through probably puts me in a good position to provide unique vantage points - through my own lenses and my podcast guests’.
I wanna give back. I think in some ways, I have lucked out in some parts of my career journey so far. (e.g. landing in e-commerce a few months before Covid19 hit) And I wanna pay it forward.

Why podcast as the medium?

I've been a big consumer and beneficiary of podcasts - it’s a medium i’m fairly familiar with - so it makes sense for me to start with this medium

Great things I like about the podcast medium:
- With its intimacy, the medium is great for story-telling and extremely great for trust-building
- You can multi-task while listening to podcasts i.e. you can listen while you commute, run, walk the dog etc.
- Podcast as an industry is only in its early stage - it has huge room to grow and evolve
Relatively easier medium to start - for someone with no content/media background or skills (I legit didn’t know the difference between Instagram video post and reel)
Generally dominated by American (Western) narratives, definitely can do with more Asian perspectives 🙂

Why start podcast now (i.e. 2021)?

Covid19 was a big push for me:
- Remote online conversations/interviews became the norm - saves me travel time, set up and venue cost
- More time to reflect: “how if I die today?”
Availability of technology/software to make it possible and affordable
Friends provided me the additional push - from Aaron Wong who started a youtube channel on the side: “I wished I started it earlier” (he became my first guest for my podcast)
Having said all that, I took a few months to do my research, speak with friends and conceptualize the podcast to really make sure it’s not a narcissistic and vanity venture

Why do I want to spend my (precious limited) time on this endeavour? What is really in it for me?

My selfish agenda:

I want to use the podcast to develop my skills in asking (good) questions. I salivate at podcast episodes where the host asks really good questions to extract the very best out of the guests - and the audience walks away with mind-blowing wisdom and value. I wanna work towards that.
Expand network and relationships. Having said that, I have not approached any new contact just for the podcast yet. I have only interviewed friends and acquaintances for the podcast so far. Maybe because of the depth and intimacy of the life stories shared by them in the podcast interviews, I find my friendships with my guests evolving to a new depth after the interviews.
Have fun. Have some laughs - while connecting with the guests in the podcast interviews/conversations and deliver value to the audience along the way. What else can be more cool than that?