What's with all the F**king Swearing? - Weekly Update 3

Hey everyone! Hope you are all having a great week! I am recording this in Washington, DC! I am flying back to ATL tonight but in the meantime, here is my weekly update! In this episode I'm going to rant a little bit on some of my thoughts, share some of my other favorite podcasts that I have been listening to, and answer some questions that I've been getting, and give you a preview of this weeks episodes.

I have been reaching out to other podcasters and getting connected with some other people in this space, and tons of people have been commenting on my audio quality! I didn't really think it was that big of a deal until I started listening to some other podcasts that were just getting started, and I'm not trying to be mean, but most of them just aren't up to my standards. It doesn't really take much to have professional sounding audio. My entire setup excluding my computer and the editing software I use was only about $260. There is a bell curve to how much the equipment costs versus how much better your audio will sound. For example my Lavalier Microphones that cost 40 dollars each are going to sound a lot better than the microphone that comes on your phone. BUT you could still get really good, crisp audio on your phone microphone, too. Most people just aren't recording in the right environment. The environment you are recording in can take your recording from a 3 to a 7. If you are recording in an super echo-ey environment or there is a bunch of noise in the background like the A/C running really high or a refrigerator running in the background it can be really challenging to get listenable audio quality. If people only had to listen to it for a few minutes it would be fine, but these people are listening for hours at a time. They don't want to hear a constant humming in the background. I try my best to record in environments that don't have those negative qualities to make the post-production as easy as possible. I do all of my editing myself, so the less time I have to spend fixing the audio the better. I also want to get into the New & Noteworthy section in the iTunes Store and Podcast app and I know that in order for Apple to feature my podcast it's going to have to be up to their standards as well.
Speaking of featuring podcasts, I wanted to take the time to share two podcasts that I have listened to this week that I think you guys would really enjoy as well if you enjoy my content here.

The first podcast that I highly recommend is The Joe Rogan Experience: Episode #974 with Megan Phelps-Roper. Megan used to be a prominent member of the radical religious cult, the Westboro Baptist Church. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the Westboro Baptist Church, they are especially known for their hate speech towards the LGBT community, Catholics, Muslims, Jews, and basically everyone else on earth. Their church website is godhatesfags.com, and they also have made statements such as, "thank God for dead soldiers," "God blew up the troops," "thank God for 9/11," and "God hates America." They picket soldiers funerals, religious gatherings, gay pride rallies and more. Megan left the church a few years ago and in this amazingly powerful interview she gives a surprising inside look on what goes on inside the church, how talking with people on Twitter helped her realize the errors in the church doctrine, and why she no longer is affiliated with them, and how she escaped the church. It was one of my favorite podcasts I have listened to in a while and you shouldn't miss out.

The other podcast I would recommend this week is Control-Walt-Delete with legendary tech reporter Walt Mossberg and Nilay Patel. The episode is called Walt and Nilay Sign off. This was the final episode of Control Walt Delete, so if you like this podcast it is unfortunately all over because Walt is retiring, but they have 75 other episodes from the past 2 years that you can go back and listen to. Walt Mossberg was personal friends with Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, and tons of other billionaire tech entrepreneurs, so he has some amazing stories about those guys. This final episode was recorded in front of a live audience in New York City, with a Live Q&A as well. If you are a tech-nerd like me, you will really enjoy that podcast.

Okay so now I am going to take the time to answer a few questions that I have been getting.
Some people, mainly my parents and their friends that want to listen to my podcast, are commenting on my use of "iinappropriate" language, and I thought I would address that. I have a very reasonable explanation for why I choose to swear on this podcast that I think is pretty logical.
Number 1: I don't want to filter myself. In any way. I want to be as transparent and open as possible. I have no interest in censoring myself. Transparency is a huge driving factor behind this podcast and I think that being as open with my audience allows for vulnerability, and that is the only way to build trust.
Number 2: I don't want to filter my guests. I want my guests to feel as comfortable as possible. I don't want them to change or filter their responses just because lots of people are listening. I also think it would be silly for me to censor myself, but then allow my guests to curse. By allowing myself the freedom to curse, it lets my guests know that they can be free to express themself however they want to as well. Of course their will be some guests who I know don't swear out of personal convictions or whatever, so you will probably not find me swearing on those episodes.
Number 3: I think that I owe my listeners my real thoughts and feelings. Some people have commented that they think my cussing seems kind of forced, especially in the first episodes. I think that is because in the back of my mind there is a slight hesitation before I do it. Since this is being put out there for everyone to hear, there's a voice in my head telling me to not say it, but like I said, I have made the decision to not filter myself, so I say it anyways. Pretending that I don't swear in real life is just preposterous and putting on a filter to separate myself from the virgin ears of the listeners seems disengenuous. Over the course of this podcast I think it will become more natural.
Number 4: Times are changing. The line between professional and unprofessional is blurring every day. We can't stop pretending to live these double lives. I don't want to have this weird voice that I only use when I know someone is listening. Its fake and gross, and everyone can tell its weird. Throwing in a curse word lets people know that you don't take things too seriously and that you are comfortable. The more we police language the more power you give to the word. The more we use these taboo words, the quicker they will lose their power. If they are such "bad words" don't we want them to lose their power? I think so. I think that having curse words in are an automatic filter for those who are not open minded enough to look past them. If it truly offends you, then maybe you shouldn't be listening to my podcast. If you are still listening at this point then I think you will be fine.

The next question is something that I have been wrestling with. I was recently contacted by an Olympic Gold Medalist and motivational speaker and I really want to have her on the podcast. The only problem is she lives in New York. Eventually I want to be able to use this podcast as a way to travel and see the world. I would love to be able to fly up there and do a podcast but right now with my work schedule its just not a reality. So the question is: Am I going to do virtual podcasts where I am not in the same physical space as my guests?

I am torn because I really want to have her and others on the podcast, but I hate virtual interviews. They are not as intimate and there is a weird disconnect you get when you are not in the same room. The other problem is the audio quality. Like I mentioned earlier I really want to make sure my audio quality is up to my standards and typically Skype interviews sound like they were recorded with a toaster oven. The audio is delayed and its just a big pet peeve of mine. On the other hand, I could totally do the interview, deliver the content to you guys, and just do my best to clean it up and get over myself. I am looking into some software that is designed specifically for this type of scenario but I am still wary of the quality. Let me know what you guys think. Should I start doing virtual conversations or stick with face to face and not settle for sub par quality?

This week I have Three new episodes for your ear holes.

Episode 18 is with my friend Luke Crawford. Luke is an Entrepreneur, Photographer, Competitive Shooter, Hunter, Fighter, Political Activist, fellow Eagle Scout and much more. I have been friends with Luke for over 15 years or so, and we had a lot to talk about. Luke has always had a way of standing out from the crowd, and not just because he is taller than everyone. Since high school he has been on the news, on the radio, and he has gained a sizable following on Instagram and Facebook. In this episode, Luke shares some amazing stories of how he got into the world of Firearms, the famous story of how he got on the news for his unique business idea, his huge recent win with Students for Concealed Carry, how he outsmarted Donald Trump's campaign and beat them to the punch on a great business idea, and his activism with fighting Human Trafficking and the Sex industry in Atlanta. I have wanted to have Luke on my podcast since I started, and I really enjoyed catching up with him and I'm sure this will be a classic episode. I can't wait to have him on again.

Episode 19 is with Celebrity Stylist and Fashion expert, Cameron Hesseltine. Cameron has styled a bunch of celebrities including: Jon Hamm, Kate Beckinsale, Chrissy Teigen, and Sarah Hyland. In this episode Cameron shares her story of her upbringing and why she dropped out of college, her crazy stories of styling celebrities in LA and why its not as glamorous as it seems, and we talk men's fashion, the taboos surrounding it, and some do's and don'ts for the guys out there. I have been getting into men's fashion more and more over the past year and it was really fun to talk about all that stuff surrounding men's fashion with her. Cameron is also going to be starting her own podcast soon, so stay tuned for that. I can't wait to be a guest on her show and I will let all of you guys know when she officially launches it.

Episode 20 is with my friend, Lyndsay Carreno. Lyndsay is a world traveler, political activist, historian, and one of my best friends, and she actually lives here in Washington, DC. I have been waiting to release this week's update because I knew we were doing this podcast, and I wanted to at least release three episodes this week. Lyndsay moved here six months ago, and didn't know a soul. Just straight hustled from the ground up. It has been her dream to move out here, and I am super proud of her of conquering her fears and just going for it. On this episode, Lyndsay shares her stories from her childhood and growing up in England, the stories of the impact her dad has made on her life and his tragic death last year, and at the end we delved into some good ol' american politics. I was super excited to come visit her and record this episode and I want to thank Lyndsay for being so vulnerable and sharing her stories with us. You definitely don't want to miss this one.

Those three episodes will be coming very soon, so stay tuned.

That's all I have time for today! I am actually flying back to Atlanta today, so I am going to be recording a lot more episodes when I get back.

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Music by Calvin Kraakevik