Mother's Day seems like it should be a Hallmark moment. But for many, reality is far different. Dana Black started her very personal podcast, I Swear on My Mother's Grave, for listeners suffering from complex mother loss — meaning not only people who have lost their mothers to death, but also, in life  by estrangement, illness, addiction, circumstance. 

Sensitivity warning: This conversation touches on alcoholism and addiction. 

Audio storytellers can learn design the tone, writing, and mood of a podcast to foster  intimacy with listeners. They can grapple with the defining the role of the podcast host. They will learn how to make guests, and listeners, feel seen, and to create a sense of belonging. We also discuss the power of scenes to convey memory, character, relationship and feelings. 

At the end of every episode, I give you a few of the many takeaways from these conversations. Here are today’s:  

1. We say podcasts are an intimate medium. But that’s really not the case. What’s true is that podcasts have the capacity to feel intimate – but it takes a clear sound vision to make that happen.  Dana has it. She thinks carefully about how she wants her listeners to feel. “Come here come here come here,” she whispers. She talks to them directly, as if they’re right there. “Sit by the fire with me. Grab a cup of cocoa. Put on warm socks.” She wants them to feel they’re in on a secret and so she writes, voices, and sound designs with that goal in mind. 
    
2. There’s no intimacy without trust. “The only way to gain the trust of someone I’ve never met,” Dana says, “I have to share myself, so that they will share themselves.” 
    
3.  There is so much power in scenes. A 45-second scene – in Dana’s case, about getting American girl dolls for Christmas – we get a distillation of who her mother was. Scenes done well are beautiful shortcuts to both facts and feelings – and inevitably have listeners conjuring up memories from their own lives. 
    
4. One reason listeners are hooked on I Swear on My Mother’s Grave: At the end of every episode, Dana reflects on what that conversation meant to her, often in surprising ways. Listeners can’t wait to find out what she’ll say. 

Links mentioned in this episode:

• Mother's Grave Retreat, June 8-11, 2023
• I Swear on My Mother's Grave
• Sound Judgment Ep 5: Finding Your Voice with Shelter in Place host Laura Joyce Davis

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Credits 

Sound Judgment is a production of Podcast Allies, LLC. 

• Host: Elaine Appleton Grant
• Podcast Manager: Tina Bassir
• Sound Designer: Andrew Parrella
• Illustrator: Sarah Edgell

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Help us find and celebrate today’s best hosts
Who’s your Sound Judgment dream guest? Email me: [email protected]. Because of you, that host may appear on Sound Judgment.

Credits 

Sound Judgment is a production of Podcast Allies, LLC. 

Host: Elaine Appleton Grant

Podcast Manager: Tina Bassir

Production Manager: Andrew Parrella

Audio Engineer: Kevin Kline

Production Assistant: Audrey Nelson