So, rather than my usual Metal playlist on the walk to work this morning - I fired this up - now 3 episodes deep - I felt it's time for a review.
On the actual technical side of the Podcast - your speech is very well paced, not many umms and arrs and errs. It's perhaps a touch slow in places for my personal tastes - but that is a matter for personal preference. What I mean by that is that some of the pauses are perhaps 0.3-0.5 seconds too long. Audio quality is very good for a new podcast, there's not much in the way of distortion, your voice has a nice timbre and is paired well with the subject matter - I did notice a few audio bits and pieces (like random noises in the background) - nothing that was distracting, but things to think about in future. These are the small things that take it from a 'good' podcast to a 'Professional podcast'.
I like the consistent intro - it does a good job of grounding each episode - that is, you know you are listening to the same Podcast. A suggestion though - since you use the same intro, it could help listeners if you announce the Podcast name and number e.g. 'Welcome to Episode 3 of the Screaming in Silence Podcast - A Pain in the Neck' - so that people who listen across multiple platforms or don't notice if they've already listened played that one can recognize it.
I'm not sure if you are reading from a script or you are ad-libbing it, which is great that I can't tell because it means that the subject matter is flowing well.
Now to the Podcast subject matter.
Well, suffice to say you have shot up massively in my estimation, I knew you had had some form of injury, but never pressed to learn more detail. Knowing now about the chronic pain you suffer everyday has been nothing short of eye-opening. What I overwhelmingly got though from the Podcast is such a sense of genuine Gratitude for life. I can see clearly why you've been encouraged to be a motivational speaker and how your words can help others who are fighting their own issues.
Particularly interesting was the feeling of acceptance - when you talked about no longer fighting the pain but learning to work with it - that was a very insightful moment. I did rather 'enjoy' your descriptions of your pain (not because you are suffering - but I'm a Death Metal fan - so it's an imagery I'm used to).
I also got a strong hint of Stoicism. When you talked about not wanting to take a hospital bed that others could use or not needing the tools provided or just the general feeling of 'This is the cross I have to bear, no point complaining, just get on with it' - which was uplifting.
Finally - the resilience that you've displayed - I drew a lot of parallels between the way that you articulated your approach to life after your accident to the way that Special Forces soldiers talk about their life experience, 'Yesterday was a battle that I won, today will be tomorrow's victorious yesterday' - that notion of just putting one foot forward at a time. Even when you talked about the accommodations you have to make in your life, with your pain (such as lying down when it hits a 12/10) - that you still find ways to get through life, your description of eating breakfast and having to force yourself to eat despite what you are experience was particularly moving.
Once you've established an audience and a community - I'd be interested to hear you discuss your experiences with experts in the field or other people who have similar stories.
Physics; Thou art a cruel, heartless Bitch-of-a-Mistress
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