WEBVTT 00:00:00.240 --> 00:00:04.319 You may be facing, coming out of, or someday face a tragedy. 00:00:04.319 --> 00:00:07.280 So should you be podcasting during or after it? 00:00:13.439 --> 00:00:16.445 Thank you for joining me for The Audacity to Podcast. 00:00:16.445 --> 00:00:17.804 I'm Daniel J. Lewis. 00:00:17.804 --> 00:00:21.964 During or after a tragedy, podcasting may be the last thing on 00:00:21.964 --> 00:00:22.684 your mind. 00:00:22.925 --> 00:00:27.005 Or maybe it's actually something you want or need to get back 00:00:27.005 --> 00:00:30.524 into, but you're not sure if it's appropriate. 00:00:30.980 --> 00:00:35.140 Whatever the tragedy is to you, there is no single right answer 00:00:35.140 --> 00:00:35.700 to this. 00:00:35.700 --> 00:00:38.979 But I would like to share several points for you to consider so 00:00:38.979 --> 00:00:41.939 that you can make the decision that's right for you. 00:00:41.939 --> 00:00:46.020 Now in this episode, I am going to use a lot of personal pronouns 00:00:45.454 --> 00:00:49.295 and refer to my own past divorce as an example because it's 00:00:49.295 --> 00:00:52.335 something that I've experienced and I can speak from. 00:00:52.335 --> 00:00:56.734 So I'm not trying to make this about me or woe is me or anything 00:00:56.734 --> 00:00:59.134 like that. I'm healed. I moved on. It's okay. 00:00:59.134 --> 00:01:03.699 But still, I think it provides some good examples that I can use 00:01:03.699 --> 00:01:07.299 from this and better to use my own tragedy than someone else's. 00:01:07.299 --> 00:01:07.859 Right? 00:01:07.859 --> 00:01:10.500 If you want to follow along in the notes for this episode, they 00:01:10.500 --> 00:01:13.805 are a simple tap or swipe away or go to the 00:01:13.805 --> 00:01:19.484 audacitytopodcast.com/tragedy. Number 1. 00:01:20.125 --> 00:01:22.125 First, a difficult truth. 00:01:22.284 --> 00:01:25.805 Tragedies don't impact everyone equally. 00:01:26.359 --> 00:01:31.479 I think we can categorize tragedies by 2 factors, impact and 00:01:31.479 --> 00:01:33.959 weight. Here are some examples of that. 00:01:33.959 --> 00:01:36.759 When I went through the wounds and betrayal of an unwanted 00:01:36.759 --> 00:01:41.159 divorce, that greatly impacted and weighed on me. 00:01:41.525 --> 00:01:44.885 It also weighed on many of my sympathetic listeners. 00:01:44.885 --> 00:01:46.564 Maybe you're 1 of them. 00:01:46.644 --> 00:01:51.765 But it didn't really impact you or the rest of my audience aside 00:01:51.765 --> 00:01:56.299 from how it impacted my podcast and the absence of my podcast in 00:01:56.299 --> 00:01:57.980 your podcast app during that time. 00:01:58.219 --> 00:02:01.900 If you podcast about a local town and there's a catastrophe in 00:02:01.900 --> 00:02:06.380 the town, that impacts and weighs on both you and your audience. 00:02:06.814 --> 00:02:10.655 The same would probably be true for major national or worldwide 00:02:10.655 --> 00:02:14.335 events, perhaps regardless of what your podcast is about. 00:02:14.495 --> 00:02:18.735 You might also have a tragedy involving someone you know, and 00:02:18.735 --> 00:02:22.940 that may weigh on you even if it doesn't directly impact you. 00:02:23.020 --> 00:02:27.020 And it may not impact or weigh on your audience at all. 00:02:27.099 --> 00:02:30.460 And a fourth example here is there might be a tragedy somewhere 00:02:30.460 --> 00:02:34.939 else that neither impacts nor weighs on you nor your audience, 00:02:35.564 --> 00:02:39.405 but you and your audience know about the tragedy even though 00:02:39.405 --> 00:02:43.885 you're not directly impacted nor weighed down by that tragedy. 00:02:43.965 --> 00:02:47.805 The personal impact and weight of these and other potential 00:02:47.805 --> 00:02:51.819 categories of tragedies should not diminish the nature of the 00:02:51.819 --> 00:02:52.620 tragedy. 00:02:52.860 --> 00:02:57.099 But these can give you some things to think about regarding how 00:02:57.099 --> 00:03:00.860 or even if you handle it in your podcast. 00:03:01.020 --> 00:03:04.379 So please keep these different categories in mind as I progress 00:03:04.379 --> 00:03:05.099 through this episode. 00:03:05.384 --> 00:03:10.104 The weight of the tragedy and on whom it's weighing, as well as 00:03:10.104 --> 00:03:14.264 the impact and on whom it's impacting and how much. 00:03:14.504 --> 00:03:17.305 Number 2, people need positivity. 00:03:18.010 --> 00:03:21.930 No matter what your podcast is about, it's probably some kind of 00:03:21.930 --> 00:03:24.969 positivity to the majority of your audience, even if that 00:03:24.969 --> 00:03:28.170 positivity is simply a healthy distraction. 00:03:28.330 --> 00:03:32.250 When I was deep in the sorrows of my divorce, I found comfort 00:03:31.865 --> 00:03:34.985 first in the book of Psalms in the Bible every day. 00:03:35.064 --> 00:03:39.065 And I also found great positivity in multiple podcasts, such as 00:03:39.224 --> 00:03:43.784 That Story Show and the Karen and Ellen letters and a few others. 00:03:43.784 --> 00:03:46.665 Those are 2, though, I distinctly remember listening to. 00:03:47.080 --> 00:03:52.599 Note that these podcasts had absolutely nothing to do with 00:03:52.599 --> 00:03:56.759 healing or relationships advice or anything that I was going 00:03:56.759 --> 00:03:57.080 through. 00:03:57.080 --> 00:04:01.080 In fact, there were a couple of things in some of these episodes 00:04:01.080 --> 00:04:05.855 that made me tear up a little, but they helped me to do something 00:04:05.855 --> 00:04:09.694 I didn't feel like doing at that time, but that I desperately 00:04:09.775 --> 00:04:12.575 needed to do. Smile. 00:04:12.974 --> 00:04:15.215 And your podcast could be that for other people. 00:04:15.650 --> 00:04:20.449 Your consistency might be just what someone needs when they or 00:04:20.449 --> 00:04:24.610 you and they both are going through or recovering from a tragedy. 00:04:24.930 --> 00:04:29.264 Sometimes, simply the routine is healing. 00:04:29.345 --> 00:04:33.985 I remember looking forward to laundry day just because it was a 00:04:33.985 --> 00:04:37.264 regular day that happened every week, and it was a routine. 00:04:37.504 --> 00:04:39.985 And the same thing for podcast episodes. 00:04:39.985 --> 00:04:43.810 I could look forward to certain episodes because sometimes it 00:04:43.810 --> 00:04:48.210 simply meant the week was passing and it was another week. 00:04:48.449 --> 00:04:52.370 Sometimes people need that. Number 3, people need community. 00:04:52.529 --> 00:04:56.689 Because of the, quote, intimate, unquote, nature of personable 00:04:56.689 --> 00:05:00.524 podcasting, it's easy for communities to form around podcasts. 00:05:00.605 --> 00:05:03.964 So when something impacts someone in that community, it's felt by 00:05:03.964 --> 00:05:09.004 the whole community, and it's often good for people to cry 00:05:09.004 --> 00:05:09.404 together. 00:05:09.919 --> 00:05:14.560 I think Pixar's movie Inside Out illustrated this beautifully 00:05:14.560 --> 00:05:18.879 with the importance of the character named sadness and the 00:05:18.879 --> 00:05:23.439 emotion of sadness and how it's actually necessary for healing 00:05:23.439 --> 00:05:24.240 and growth. 00:05:24.240 --> 00:05:27.805 I have a link to this that you can watch this clip on YouTube. 00:05:27.884 --> 00:05:29.884 The link is in the notes for this episode. 00:05:29.884 --> 00:05:31.485 It's simple tap or swipe away. 00:05:31.485 --> 00:05:34.685 They're also in the chapter for this moment. 00:05:34.764 --> 00:05:36.844 And you can also get that link over at the 00:05:36.844 --> 00:05:39.964 audacitytopodcast.com/tragedy. 00:05:39.964 --> 00:05:43.139 I really encourage you, pause the episode right now. 00:05:43.300 --> 00:05:47.699 And if you can, if it's safe to do so, go watch this clip from 00:05:47.699 --> 00:05:49.220 the movie Inside Out. 00:05:49.379 --> 00:05:51.939 Now assuming that you've actually been able to watch that clip 00:05:51.939 --> 00:05:56.544 and maybe had to dry a tear or 2, I also love this passage from 00:05:56.544 --> 00:05:58.144 the Bible that reinforces this. 00:05:58.144 --> 00:06:02.144 This is from the book of Ecclesiastes chapter 4 verses 9 through 00:06:02.144 --> 00:06:02.704 12. 00:06:02.865 --> 00:06:06.704 It says, 2 are better than 1 because they have a good reward for 00:06:06.704 --> 00:06:09.904 their toil. For if they fall, 1 will lift up his fellow. 00:06:10.159 --> 00:06:14.560 But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to 00:06:14.560 --> 00:06:17.599 lift him up. Again, if 2 lie together, they keep warm. 00:06:17.599 --> 00:06:20.079 But how can 1 keep warm alone? 00:06:20.240 --> 00:06:24.865 And though a man might prevail against 1 who is alone, 2 will 00:06:24.865 --> 00:06:29.745 withstand him. A threefold cord is not quickly broken. 00:06:29.745 --> 00:06:33.824 That's from Ecclesiastes 4 9 through 12 in the English Standard 00:06:33.824 --> 00:06:34.545 Version. 00:06:34.625 --> 00:06:39.800 People need people, And your podcast could help provide just the 00:06:39.800 --> 00:06:43.399 community that the people need. Here's another example of this. 00:06:43.399 --> 00:06:46.439 When I was going through my divorce, some friends invited me to 00:06:46.439 --> 00:06:49.080 join their Friday night Xbox gaming squad. 00:06:49.324 --> 00:06:52.845 That gave me something fun to do, a little camaraderie with other 00:06:52.845 --> 00:06:58.044 men, and it was sometimes simply stress relief or another routine 00:06:58.044 --> 00:07:01.245 that I could look forward to and helped pass the weeks. 00:07:01.550 --> 00:07:05.310 A few years later, 1 of those men went through his own unwanted 00:07:05.310 --> 00:07:08.189 divorce, and I was there for him every day. 00:07:08.350 --> 00:07:12.589 1 day, in tears, he apologized to me, regretting that he couldn't 00:07:12.589 --> 00:07:15.790 give me the support I needed when I went through my own divorce 00:07:15.790 --> 00:07:20.654 before him. But I told him, oh, but you were there for me. 00:07:20.654 --> 00:07:24.735 You were there every Friday night for me, giving me something to 00:07:24.735 --> 00:07:28.095 look forward to, something to help me have fun again. 00:07:28.095 --> 00:07:31.615 It might seem silly, but it was exactly what I needed. 00:07:32.170 --> 00:07:36.730 My friend was there for me even though it was Xbox gaming, and 00:07:36.730 --> 00:07:40.810 you could be there for other people even regardless of what your 00:07:40.810 --> 00:07:42.009 podcast is about. 00:07:42.250 --> 00:07:46.170 You could be there for them, and maybe your audience can be there 00:07:46.170 --> 00:07:46.650 for you. 00:07:46.954 --> 00:07:51.115 And that moves nicely into number 4, podcasting can be 00:07:51.115 --> 00:07:51.995 therapeutic. 00:07:52.235 --> 00:07:55.115 I'm no psychologist or counselor, and I don't play 1 on the 00:07:55.115 --> 00:07:55.754 podcast. 00:07:55.915 --> 00:08:00.440 But I've seen and experienced that letting it and eventually 00:08:00.520 --> 00:08:04.680 moving on are very important parts of healing and growing. 00:08:04.759 --> 00:08:08.440 Podcasting may give you an outlet for both of these things. 00:08:08.840 --> 00:08:13.574 My friend and podcasting influencer, Todd Cochrane, was only 61 00:08:13.574 --> 00:08:17.574 years old when he died a couple of weeks ago on 09/08/2025. 00:08:17.654 --> 00:08:20.774 His dad also died young, an unrelated cause. 00:08:20.855 --> 00:08:24.850 And a touching story I remember Todd telling multiple times was 00:08:24.850 --> 00:08:28.770 when he and his mom did several podcast episodes together talking 00:08:28.770 --> 00:08:31.569 through their grief, their healing, and more. 00:08:31.730 --> 00:08:35.889 Todd frequently spoke of how therapeutic that was for them both 00:08:36.049 --> 00:08:40.855 as well as how loving and supportive their community was. 00:08:40.855 --> 00:08:45.414 I remember my own first personal tragedy in working to recover. 00:08:45.414 --> 00:08:48.214 I was getting biblical counseling from someone in my church. 00:08:48.214 --> 00:08:51.814 I'd been podcasting my now retired clean comedy podcast, The 00:08:51.814 --> 00:08:54.740 Ramen Noodle, for barely a year at that point. 00:08:54.820 --> 00:08:58.339 And I remember my counselor saying something wise and encouraging 00:08:58.339 --> 00:09:00.500 despite how silly this sounds. 00:09:00.580 --> 00:09:05.779 He said, Daniel, the world needs the ramen noodle. He was right. 00:09:05.779 --> 00:09:06.580 I needed it too. 00:09:07.044 --> 00:09:10.725 I can think of multiple other examples of this, but the point is 00:09:10.725 --> 00:09:15.924 that returning to something you love will probably be difficult 00:09:16.004 --> 00:09:18.485 and may even feel inappropriate at first. 00:09:18.725 --> 00:09:23.250 But pressing through the mental and emotional resistance can make 00:09:23.250 --> 00:09:27.330 you stronger and help you reignite your passions. 00:09:27.490 --> 00:09:31.649 Number 5, it takes courage to not stay down. 00:09:32.050 --> 00:09:35.410 Eventually returning to your passions after a tragedy takes 00:09:35.410 --> 00:09:40.164 courage because you're proving, even if difficult, sometimes very 00:09:40.164 --> 00:09:44.004 difficult, that the tragedy cannot defeat you. 00:09:44.164 --> 00:09:47.284 I love the brief exchange from the movie Batman Begins where 00:09:47.284 --> 00:09:51.070 Bruce Wayne's dad goes and rescues Bruce who had fallen down a 00:09:51.070 --> 00:09:53.389 well and was scared by bats down there. 00:09:53.389 --> 00:09:58.190 And as his father is carrying him back into their house, his dad 00:09:58.190 --> 00:10:00.190 says, why do we fall, Bruce? 00:10:00.350 --> 00:10:02.350 So we can learn to pick ourselves up. 00:10:03.044 --> 00:10:05.924 I've got that clip in the notes for this episode and linked in 00:10:05.924 --> 00:10:07.924 the chapters too if you wanna check that out. 00:10:08.164 --> 00:10:10.565 Podcasting isn't just a pick me up. 00:10:10.725 --> 00:10:15.524 Sometimes it is part of the process we can use to learn to pick 00:10:15.524 --> 00:10:20.840 ourselves back up, often lifting others at the same time. 00:10:21.160 --> 00:10:22.279 I'd love your thoughts on this. 00:10:22.279 --> 00:10:24.120 You can comment on the notes at the 00:10:24.120 --> 00:10:28.759 audacitytopodcast.com/tragedy, or maybe you have the ability to 00:10:28.759 --> 00:10:30.600 leave a comment inside your podcast app. 00:10:30.954 --> 00:10:34.475 And speaking of lifting others up, special thanks to Brian 00:10:34.475 --> 00:10:38.075 Inspener, Dreb Scott, Dave Jackson, and Lyceum for streaming 00:10:38.075 --> 00:10:40.235 payments for the past couple of episodes. 00:10:40.235 --> 00:10:42.075 I really appreciate that support. 00:10:42.075 --> 00:10:47.970 Also, in addition to that, Dreb Scott sent an extra 5,678 00:10:48.129 --> 00:10:52.129 Satoshis saying, you are doing great work here. Keep it up. 00:10:52.210 --> 00:10:56.290 And Pestmirk, a new listener or a new contributor, sent a 100 00:10:56.290 --> 00:10:57.970 Satoshis saying, thanks, Daniel. 00:10:58.325 --> 00:11:03.365 And thanks to Lyceum who sent the liberty boost 1,776 Satoshis 00:11:03.365 --> 00:11:06.485 with a message that I'll save for a future episode about freedom 00:11:06.485 --> 00:11:08.164 of speech in podcasting. 00:11:08.325 --> 00:11:12.750 And, yes, I'm going to be touching on some serious somber, and 00:11:12.909 --> 00:11:16.850 potentially controversial things in upcoming episodes of The 00:11:16.850 --> 00:11:17.870 Audacity to Podcast. 00:11:17.950 --> 00:11:21.789 Because this is motivated by some recent deaths that have 00:11:21.789 --> 00:11:25.870 impacted and weighed heavily on me, and maybe on you and some 00:11:25.870 --> 00:11:26.669 others in my audience. 00:11:27.084 --> 00:11:31.084 So I want to address some of these issues, and I've had these on 00:11:31.084 --> 00:11:36.125 my list to address for literally years, maybe even a decade or 00:11:36.125 --> 00:11:37.644 more at this point. 00:11:37.644 --> 00:11:40.845 Certain things like censorship, freedom of speech, death, 00:11:41.110 --> 00:11:43.429 politics in your podcast, and more. 00:11:43.429 --> 00:11:48.070 So please, I want your feedback and questions on these issues and 00:11:48.070 --> 00:11:52.070 anything else that you feel is very somber and potentially 00:11:52.070 --> 00:11:56.264 controversial about what you include in your podcast. 00:11:56.424 --> 00:12:00.424 You can send that feedback through podcast feedback dot com slash 00:12:00.424 --> 00:12:01.225 audacity. 00:12:01.384 --> 00:12:04.585 And even if you don't have questions or thoughts to share, if you 00:12:04.585 --> 00:12:07.865 love The Audacity to Podcast and value the podcasting inspiration 00:12:07.865 --> 00:12:11.120 and education I provide, would you please consider giving back 00:12:11.120 --> 00:12:12.720 what you feel it's worth to you? 00:12:12.720 --> 00:12:15.759 That could be streaming Satoshis or sending a boostogram through 00:12:15.759 --> 00:12:17.279 your podcasting 2 app. 00:12:17.279 --> 00:12:23.120 You could go to theaudacitytopodcast.com slash give back and give 00:12:22.745 --> 00:12:26.424 support, financial support of whatever amount you feel it's 00:12:26.424 --> 00:12:30.664 worth, or simply sharing this episode and telling others about 00:12:30.664 --> 00:12:34.264 The Audacity to Podcast is really valuable as well. 00:12:34.345 --> 00:12:37.910 And now that I've given you some of the guts to podcast maybe 00:12:37.910 --> 00:12:41.590 after tragedy and taught you some of the tools, it's time for you 00:12:41.590 --> 00:12:45.750 to go start and grow your own podcast for passion and profit. 00:12:45.750 --> 00:12:46.549 I'm Daniel J. 00:12:46.549 --> 00:12:51.194 Lewis from theaudacitytopodcast.com, launching PodChapters very 00:12:51.194 --> 00:12:51.595 soon. 00:12:51.595 --> 00:12:55.434 Waiting list is still open over at podchapters.com, and thanks 00:12:55.434 --> 00:12:55.914 for listening.