Podcasting Badass: Podcast Tips & Mindset Tricks For Success & Monetization

#12 Microphones and Self Titled Shows ft. Athra

• Steve Bennet-Martin • Season 1 • Episode 12

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In this Brainstorming episode, Athra and I discuss keyworks and podcast names and we brainstorm her future podcast about being a death doula!

Together we go through some exercises and advice that can help any podcaster overcoming microphone or naming concerns.

Find Athra at athrabodhi@gmail.com

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Steve:

Hey there, podcasting and bad-ass is it's your host server, Steve, the podcast guy here with another exciting episode of podcasting and bad-ass this week, we are doing a brainstorm episode with a potential future podcaster who is so close to starting their podcasting journey. This week it was with Who is planning to create a very unconventional podcast that I was very excited to talk with her about as we covered one of her biggest obstacles in getting started, which has been finding a right microphone. And after a tearing her hair out after wasting money on a couple of different mics that didn't give her the results that we needed. We sat down and we talked not only about her podcasting concept, but about the technology that required behind it with microphones. So enjoy this, especially all of you techies. At the end of the episode, if you found this information helpful, please leave a review, a five star review, wherever you're listening would be great and make sure you're following us wherever you're listening. So you can get these new episodes. Every single Monday. Until then keep on podcasting. Hey there, it's Sober Steve, the podcast guy here with Aethra today to talk about an exciting podcast idea that she has been planning and is actively working towards. Welcome to the show, Aethra.

Athra:

Thank you, Steve.

Steve:

Yes. So tell me about this podcast of yours and where it came from.

Athra:

Oh, it is so exciting. So let me just say, I am author of the book Confusion, Compassion, Confession. a married woman's dilemma. So in the book we have an 8515 support group that meets once a month to help women with the issues of their unconventional marriages. And once a week, one week per month, we entertain letters that people send in and the group responds. So we've received some quite exciting feedback. And so we will be addressing the letters in the podcast, and we have a regular guest who will be joining us on the podcast to get a male perspective.

Steve:

Excellent. I love that. Not only that you're talking about and going there because one thing I love about podcasting is how we can talk about anything. But that you're getting them at different perspectives. When talking about sex and unconventional marriages or relationships or overcoming struggles with intimacy what is a hot take or something that you feel very passionate about? That's maybe a little controversial.

Athra:

Women who are married to men who have sex with men.

Steve:

Yeah.

Athra:

And so that's one of those things that actually inspired my book. In 2018 when I was in the green room with a gentleman who is the director of a non profit. And he helps men who have sex with men who are HIV positive and who have AIDS. And he encouraged me to write a book to address those issues, because that's something that we don't necessarily talk about in the African American community and how it is tied into the church. And so I made a promise that I would find a way to discuss that in a book.

Steve:

I love that, you know, exactly as much as your podcast is going to be able to shape and affect a lot of people. I'm sure that you also know exactly the type of person you're looking to speak to. I mean, tell me more about who you think your ideal listener is for your podcast.

Athra:

Well, our ideal listener will be, like I said, women, late twenties, to about their fifties, maybe, who, are struggling with their faith and the fact that they're in an unconventional marriage, not like they thought it would be. And to really let's start having a conversation so that we can accept what is and at the same time protect lives.

Steve:

Yeah, I love that. And the purpose is just so important. I can tell the way you talk about it is very passionate. So what will these episodes look like, do you think, in terms of the format?

Athra:

Well, of course, there will be audio. There's an author, his name is Peyron Long, and he has written a few books that actually deal with the issue. And he brings forth the church as well. And so I've invited him to be a regular guest on the show so that we can get a male perspective because at the end of the day, every podcast is designed to help people improve their quality of life. And we need to make sure that We accept the is ness, and like the guy told me in the green room, let's look at this honestly, and let's accept and let's try to heal from it, because that's where the issues are coming from. People want to pretend like it doesn't exist, but everyone knows it exists. And because we pretend like it's not existing, people are hurting from it.

Steve:

Yeah, I feel that deeply. I mean, people see it in my name, but I work a program that involves feeling that we're only as sick as our secrets and to live honestly and openly. And so oftentimes when it comes to sex and relationships, there's so many rules about what things should be like. I love that you're going to work on shattering them and be having open, honest conversations. Now do you have a name already in mind?

Athra:

Actually, it is going to be the Aethra Bodhi show.

Steve:

So you already have a great, online audience that you engage with regularly through social media elsewhere?

Athra:

Well, between the other author and I, we do, and we're still building it. I'm going to be honest, Aethra Bodhi is my pseudonym. So I'm coming forward. With the pseudonym and merging it with my followers, people who listen to me, I do a message once a week on Facebook live through the enlightened living ministries, we are really wanting people to heal because sometimes conventional religion has. Left us void, questioned, and we're trying to lead people back to a more peaceful place in their lives. Wow, Steve, here's something else that attracted me to you, sober Steve, because I had to go through a 12 step program, and I went through a 12 step program as a family member. I have family members who struggle with addiction. And when they were in their rehab programs, of course, family members are invited to join them. And I ended up having to go to Al Anon because I realized that I needed some work on me. And when you say people are only as sick as their secrets, that's one of those things that is discussed for people who are recovering because they have to address their secrets. It is through my life experience working as a paralegal, working as a public education teacher, that I've realized what causes marriages to break down are the secrets. That people can't share. So when they are struggling and they really want to heal, they are afraid of exposing who they are for fear of rejection. And we want to normalize these things like let's just have some honest conversations because even in the book When we are in the 8515 support group and we discuss Sexuality one of the things we point out is this Moses knew when the Hebrews left Egypt that they needed to build a civilization that could compete with everyone else. So that is probably the reason why Moses said men should not lie with men. The way that men lie with women, we know it had to exist. Otherwise, it would need it to be talked about. Oh, that's one of the things that we talked about in the book. Now, are we trying to build a civilization where we need to build an army to compete with other great empires? not in 2024. So now maybe we need to look at things a little bit differently and start healing ourselves.

Steve:

That's what I'm doing over here. Just helping with population control. No, just kidding. But no, I do love it. And I love like how openly talking about it because so much like of my religious trauma in my past was related to my sexuality. And so I love that. Like now I found my way back through God and have a church, but it's because I found one that's like open and accepting it. But it took a long road to get there. So it's nice being able to, to have them not conflict with each other anymore. Now, one thing I would recommend as we're getting into getting your podcast ready and to launch before we get into the technical side, which I know is something you're excited to get into in terms of hardware and. Things like that is with your name. I love having your name in the podcast name. I would definitely recommend considering at least in the title of the way that you type it out having a title extension afterwards of what it is about so that people can find you who don't already know you because the number one thing when people search for podcasts is going to be things that are in the title of the podcast. And so if your name of your show is just your name, then the only way that people will find your show is if they're typing in your name. But if the name of your show is the a through a Bodhi show. Conversations with women about unconventional sexual relationships or marriages or however you want to include your key words cause you know who you're talking to, just let them know afterwards who you're talking to. Just put who you're talking to afterwards in the name, I would highly recommend that and you'll be set to grow pretty quickly. And so getting into the idea of the hardware difficulties, tell me about your microphone headaches.

Athra:

Well, there's way too much feedback noise for me and we've worked with a few technical people. So we're going to try some other microphones. What are some? Recommendations that you have.

Steve:

All right. First, we can definitely drop brand names. I have no affiliates that are paying me to talk about them nicely or badly yet. So until that happens, I'll talk about what I love from my experience, honestly, because I made the mistake when I started off as spending way too much money on crap that I never ended up needing to use because it wasn't good enough, or it was like, I didn't have the accessories to make use of it to its maximum potential. So, what have you tried that didn't work?

Athra:

It is simply the microphones. When we listened back on various devices, there was way too much feedback. So, we need a microphone that is going to give us as much of a crisp sound as we can get. We are beginning budget, and I've read a beginner budget ranges up to what 5, 000 I'm like, that's not a beginner budget. So I've been researching, but you know, it's not yielding what I want. So I'm happy that I have this conversation with you.

Steve:

Excellent. And I have found success using microphones at different levels of performance and I eventually settled on one that works for me most of the time when I'm at home and then I have my one for when I'm on the road traveling and doing remote things. To get started though, I started off with a relatively affordable, for me at the time, having a microphone that was in the 50 to 60 range was affordable for me. And today, even four years later, I've done my research and the Samsung Q2U is what a lot of people consider kind of the great entry level mic in that price range. Because with the microphone, I like the Samsung Q2U because it is both an XLR and a USB microphone. So if you're recording it on your computer, you can, or if you have some sort of fancier recording device that has more of the traditional microphone cables, you can still use it for that. So it's versatile in that you don't, it can work with whatever you're using pretty much. So it makes that easy. From there you can do things like add, a little pop filter on top of a microphone like that or any microphone instantly makes it sound better because even as I'm talking right now without the pop microphone, certain things might sound differently than if I hold on. Put it back on and it just, it makes some of the sounds of the harshness around my voice sound better. And these filters that you can put over your microphone, I got like a three pack for$8 on Amazon. They're very cheap and you can add it on. So it instantly takes, if your mic is 50 to$60, instantly will sound like it's like an 80 or$90 mic. If you're using a hundred dollars mic, it'll instantly sound like it's$150. Mic it. It's the kind of way to cheat the system is to add the filters and things over it. That make it easier for you as well as making sure that you're recording in the right environment. Not everyone needs to go crazy and glue styrofoam or like the rubber foam all over the, like I have on my office when they get started, but it is important to make sure that you're somewhere where it, the sound is maintained or muffled in some way, shape, or form.

Athra:

Okay,

Steve:

how did all of lander feel?

Athra:

Great. I'm feeling relieved.

Steve:

Yeah. What, what, what made you relieved about hearing all of that?

Athra:

Well, you, you gave me number one, you recommended a microphone that a lot of people use as beginners. Number two, you've already told me when you get ready to upgrade, try this. And then you told me about the filters

Steve:

I'll link over to the Amazon links of all of these in the show notes when the episode comes out.

Athra:

Okay. Thank you. Yeah. So I am relieved. You just do not understand. I feel better. I can exhale. Thank you so much. I really appreciate it.

Steve:

Yeah, no problem. Well, I will make sure to share when you do your first announcement on social media to my account to announce that it's live so everyone can check you out. And if they wanted to email you in the meantime to connect right away about this amazing project you're working on, how would they do that?

Athra:

And with my name, athrobody at gmail. com. And if there's anyone out there that has a question, going through something, their own dilemma, email us because your letter may very well be selected.

Steve:

Excellent. Sounds good. Well, thank you so much. It's a pleasure getting to know you and your future show better.

Athra:

Okay. Thank you so much.