Bring Back Hobbies! Start a Podcast and Design Your Life

07/30/21 • 42 min

Voices of Disruption with Deborah Olatunji

Every other week, I get a message in my DMs asking about how to start a podcast and manage time. The people have (LOUDLY) spoken! This week, I go into the tools that I use, talk about some behind-the-scenes logistics for the VODPOD, and lessons I’ve learned from podcasting for almost a year now. For starters, podcasting is a slow burn. I dive into questions from you all like, “how to stay consistent with editing and recording?” “how I learned graphic design?” and “what was the hardest part of starting?” This episode talks all about the beauty of podcasting and also on why our generation needs to tap back into having hobbies in its different forms. There are hobbies that never see the face of the internet and ones that you share with just your friends and family members. If you’re looking to start something new⁠—whether that's podcasting, journaling, painting, curating, dancing, reading⁠—and need an extra boost of inspiration, this is the episode for you. I also include a conversation on the effects of hustle culture and toxic productivity on our generation, capitalism’s pull on our mental wellness, and the concept of building a home through our ability to choose and create.

The VODPOD is all about centering voices and stories of Generation Z authentically. As voices of disruption, we recognize that vulnerability is a strength, not a weakness, and embrace storytelling in a way that sparks thought, inspiration, action, and conversation. Every time that you disrupt, you step into a power that allows you to create, uplift, and empower yourself and others.

LIVE DISRUPTED: Questions to ask yourself after listening to this episode:

What’s a hobby I’ve been interested in exploring that I haven’t tapped into yet?
How can I take control over my life and make choices that help me grow?
What does intentional rest as a hobby look like? How can I start making time for things I really enjoy?
In what ways do I engage with the hobbies of others? What can I discover from experiencing the art of someone else?

Join and connect with the community on Instagram @deb_olatunji, the podcast page, and the website! Be sure to leave a rating and write a review so that we can continue to share the stories of how fellow disruptors are being connected and empowered all over the world. Let’s disrupt together now!

LIVE DISRUPTED: Questions to ask yourself after listening to this episode:

What’s a hobby I’ve been interested in exploring that I haven’t tapped into yet?
How can I take control over my life and make choices that help me grow?
What does intentional rest as a hobby look like? How can I start making time for things I really enjoy?
In what ways do I engage with the hobbies of others? What can I discover from experiencing the art of someone else?

Previous Episode

How To Handle The Big Changes That Make Us Grow

Change is something we’ve become all too familiar with over the course of the past 16 months. Along with the newness comes the chance to confront our self-limiting beliefs and unpack what we’ve been taught to believe about exploration and growth. In this episode, I share the story of how changing my major from nursing has disrupted the path of my life. I talk about how I came to making such a big decision, what I had plans for beforehand, and what plans I have for the future. This is probably one of the most vulnerable episodes I’ve ever recorded. So much so that my editing process has an additional step: the first cut and final cut. I wanted to make sure that I shared this story in a way that connects with anyone who usually doubts themselves, has one too many existential crises, or feels stuck in where they currently are.

Life is all about making choices and decisions. You are not alone in this life. I hope that you have or can find community and support here in the way you choose to live your life. With the use of affirmations and iffirmations, navigating and understanding the need for change can help us grow and feel more connected to ourselves.

**Stat correction at 7:12 - According to the CDC, Black women are three times more likely to die in childbirth than white women.

LIVE DISRUPTED: Questions to ask yourself after listening to this episode:

What if I am allowed to be interested in something new? In what ways am I allowing myself to change and explore?
What if disappointing others means that I am no longer leaving myself behind?
What if I can live this life freely and pursue new goals and dreams?

Join and connect with the community on Instagram @deb_olatunji, the podcast page, and the website!Be sure to leave a rating and write a review so that we can continue to share the stories of how fellow disruptors are being connected and empowered all over the world. Let’s disrupt together now!

Next Episode

How To Shoot Your Shot At Love and Relationships with Amanda Giannopoulos

Let's get straight to the point. The very thought of "shooting your shot" has a clear meaning⁠—making your desires about another person known to said person. They are the forbidden crushes that our parents tell us to ignore in place of academic success, especially if you grew up in an immigrant household. It's the 5 stages of denial, a learned practice we've become way too familiar with in navigating our emotions.
But what if I told you that the act of shooting your shot is so much bigger than you think? And why has it been painted as taboo? As risqué? As BOLD? It's because going after what you want in relationships and love is one of the most powerful moves you can ever make.
The nerve-wracking, stomach-turning, gut-tumbling realization that you like someone is a sure sign of your growing humanity and your acceptance of it. Honoring that pull, that rush, that eye-dilating fear to reach out means affirming your ability to want something and open a world of self-trust and confidence.

In this week's episode of the VODPOD, I sit down with my very close friend Amanda to unpack why "shooting your shot" is put below the pursuit of success and how our upbringing and culture view's on relationship building can make or break our courage to go after what we want. We dive straight into the "how," take a chance on all kinds of love (romantic, platonic, familial, etc.) and hold nothing back.
Even though this episode was recorded in February, six months later it feels like a warm and special letter from the past. As we start to see the world open up, let's have the boldness to step out of ourselves, our fears, and our worries, and to instead step into the power that voicing our truth gives us. If you are looking for an honest and raw conversation on resisting struggle love, learning vulnerability, stopping self-sabotage, and making the first move, then this episode is for you.

p.s. Amanda and I finally did meet in April and again this summer after a year of connecting virtually!! **Stat check: The average person has 60,000 thoughts per day, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

LIVE DISRUPTED: Questions to ask yourself after listening to this episode:

In what areas of my life have I been getting in my own way by not going after what I want?
Who taught me about love and relationship building? What truth exists in what I was taught?
How can I start stepping into my power this month? What does shooting my shot look like in this season of becoming?