Written by: Emily Sharkis
My freshman year of college was a bit lonely, and to combat my feelings of isolation, I got really into podcasts like Binchtopia and Normal Gossip. I then took this love to a new level, taking a podcasting class and gaining a newfound sense of joy for speaking into a microphone. I started to love podcasting so much that after the class, I immediately started my own. Thus, Girl Talk by Emily Sharkis was born.
Since its conception, Girl Talk has added a co-host, and gone through numerous hiatuses. However, I owe this silly little podcast for a bit of personal growth. Here’s why.
1. The Value of Entertainment
As a pop culture fan, and a woman at that, a lot of people tend to downplay my interests, viewing them as insignificant, silly, or even vapid. However, starting a pop culture podcast and really diving deep into topics like Taylor Swift, movies, and memes has shown me that not only is there value in pop culture but an audience for it, too. Over the podcast’s short 29 episodes, we have amassed over 8,300 downloads with a zero-dollar marketing budget. A small feat to some, but a big one for yappers everywhere.
2. Career Growth
While the podcast hasn’t gone as “viral” as I might have hoped, I have still gained invaluable career skills to bring with me post-grad. I have seen a project through from inception to execution, doing a lot of the early work completely on my own. I have learned how to use Adobe Audition swiftly, even navigating some episodes with rather horrific audio quality (a learning moment, if you will). I have copywritten episode titles and descriptions, researched the most random of topics, become less afraid of my own voice, and added a fun piece of personal branding to my online presence. I sound more like a cover letter than I’d like, but these are certainly skills I am glad to have.
3. Nobody’s Perfect
There’s an elephant in the room. If you look at our catalog, you might notice that our episodes are released entirely randomly. While I’d love to blame this on work and my chronic health issues, it’s also largely because getting the energy to get on the mic is hard. Especially because our only consistent listener is my dad. At the end of the day, Girl Talk isn’t a cultural phenomenon or even a bi-weekly podcast like I had originally envisioned. It’s more of a dream that I can sometimes bring into reality. Either way, creating and co-hosting this podcast has allowed me to give myself more grace and remind myself to follow my dreams, even if the internet becomes littered with my failed projects. At the end of the day, I’m 21-years-old and there is so much life left to live.
If you have ever considered starting a podcast or any creative project at all, I highly recommend you go for it. You can check out Girl Talk on all streaming platforms.
Featured Image Caption: Featured image created by Emily Sharkis
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