In the first couple of episodes, I simply want to provide some context for the show, after which I want to turn most of the talking over to you, T-Town.
My aim in this first episode is to answer an incredibly important question for this show, and I think for you. That question is, "why would anyone want to hear your story?"
Here is the simple answer: Because you will help others and help yourself.
My goal with T-Town Stories is to clear a fertile space, where we can sow our stories and cultivate an appreciation for people in our community. T-Town Stories is a community-building enterprise, a local-support initiative.
Allow me to get a little existential as to why I started T-Town Stories. When we Exchange our stories, in many ways, it's as if you're seeing the world through other eyes, for those brief moments, isn't it?
Stories invoke the imagination. Different areas of our brains are engaged as we make various cognitive and Emotional Connections; we can be temporarily teleported from our reality and placed into someone else's world.
In a way, as we perceive another's actions, decisions, influences, emotions, and more, we gain new experiences. Hearing stories rips us from the mundane of our moment, and helps us realize our moments aren't so mundane but are creating something worth sharing.
People often devalue their stories. I want to prove their value. And for the people already sharing their stories, I want to provide a unique way for you to keep on sharing.
I have been itching to start something in 2020, but 2020 hasn't been very cooperative with any of our plans, has it?
I started thinking about podcasting in 2019. If you know me, that may surprise you; I am not an entertainer, I am not loud, I have dabbled in production type stuff in the past, but I was always behind the scenes.
But I have always felt like an extrovert in an introvert's body; can anyone else relate? The T-Town Stories Podcast satisfies the extrovert and introvert in me. I get to meet new people and have an excellent conversation (extrovert), but I don't do most of the talking. You do, T-Town (Introvert).
I have been an avid podcast listener for about a decade; I am also a gadget lover - I love geeking out on all equipment and tools it takes to operate a podcast. I am a story lover, and I believe there are no ordinary people. All of this culminated in an idea, a way to expose the inspiration and intrigue all around us.
I believe this podcast can develop into a beautiful thing for the Tuscaloosa area. I want to contribute to community building. I think the podcast will encourage and inspire. Think about that random conversation you had with a neighbor or co-worker, which struck you with its gravity or goodness and provoked an urge to tell others and perhaps invoked some introspection in your own life. It's because stories impact us, especially real ones. In a day of social media outrage and echo chambers, more dialog is needed to remind us of our shared humanity.
I started this podcast for all these reasons. Join me in the next episode as I talk about some practical parts of the show and how you can get involved.
