October 30, 2023 • 26 mins
On this episode of podversations, the Head of iHeartPodcast’s My Cultura Network, Gisselle Bances, sits down with the host of two My Cultura shows, DJ Dramos. Gisselle and Dramos to highlight the amazing work of My Cultura, iHeart’s Podcast Network dedicated to celebrating and elevating Latinx voices, stories and content creators in English, Spanish, and Spanglish.
Dramos was one of the first hosts to join the My Cultura Podcast Network with his show Life as a Gringo. Life as a Gringo is about elevating the voices of American-born Latinos who live their lives existing in a gray area. It’s all about identity and community. Now, he also hosts the show Street Stoic, a daily show where listeners can tune in for a shot of inspiration by combining Hip Hop lyrics with ancient Stoic philosophy because everyone needs a bit of morning wisdom from Dramos. Both shows are staples on the My Cultura Network.
This week, Gisselle and Dramos take it way back to the inception of My Cultura. They talk about why Dramos joined the network, his inspiration for starting another podcast, and the importance of amplifying Latinx voices in entertainment.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:04):
iHeartRadio presents Conversations, a weekly discussion with the biggest names
and influencers in podcasting. I want to learn the secret
psycho rituals scrubstars Zach Braff and Donald Beson used before
Every Fake Doctor's Real Friends taping how Vice News parachutes
into war zones to rescue journalists from life threatening situations.
For Why Kegan, Michael ke and Blumhouse believe three D
(00:27):
audio is the future of storytelling. Whether you're a newbie
trying to break into the podcast game or an exec
trying to refine your playbook, Conversations is the easiest way
to keep your pulse on the industry.
Speaker 2 (00:46):
Hi, everybody, welcome to the Speakers series. My name is
Jiselle Vonsis.
Speaker 3 (00:51):
I am the head of the Mike Gudra podcast network,
and I am joined by one of my favorite creators, Dramas.
Speaker 2 (00:57):
Hey, Dramas, Welcome.
Speaker 4 (00:59):
Thank you, Thank you so much for having me paying
me that compliment one of your favorite creators.
Speaker 3 (01:04):
Wow, of course, I think I like to say you're
one of our founding fathers, one of our founding thereators.
Speaker 4 (01:11):
Right, yeah, yeah, it definitely it definitely feels that way,
like we've kind of you know, gotten this thing often
running together and it's been a great process, you know,
throughout the last couple of years at this point, which
is crazy.
Speaker 3 (01:22):
Yeah, you were one of the first content creators to
launch a podcast with our network back in July twenty
twenty one.
Speaker 4 (01:29):
Yeah. Wow, it doesn't feel like that long ago, but
also feels like so much has happened between so that
it's a beautiful thing.
Speaker 2 (01:34):
We've done so much.
Speaker 3 (01:36):
You have two podcasts with us, Life is a Great
and The Street Stoic, which relations on both and as
you know, Michael Dura, is one of the few networks
that really elevates and celebrates our voices, our story our community,
our storytellers.
Speaker 2 (01:51):
You know, I wanted to start back to like.
Speaker 3 (01:53):
That July moment, but even a little bit further back
to when you first heard about the network. What was
your first reaction to a network that really celebrated us
and why did you think it was the right home
for you?
Speaker 4 (02:05):
I was ecstatic, you know. I think for me as
a creator, it was kind of like I knew what
I wanted to speak about, you know, and I knew
the type of commentary that I wanted to have. I
knew that I wanted to start being able to move
into a place of really just being authentic and not
having to conform. But you know, prior to micro Tura,
and you know, coming from the world of radio that
(02:26):
I existed in prior to really podcasting full time, it
was as if I had to keep kind of changing
parts of myself to adapt into this sort of pre
existing mold that that was already existing, you know, and
that was getting frustrating for me, you know. So it
was just kind of at a point where as a creator,
as a creative, not knowing what I was going to
do next, and then bam, I hear the news about
Michael Tudaan. It was just kind of very serendipitous sort
(02:48):
of moment where it was like, this could be the
thing I've been looking for, you know, where I can
speak to my community and speak to it from my
unique vantage point within the community. And you know, I
think it's been a beautiful sort of showcase of the
diversity that exists within the Latin community as a whole.
And what I'm most excited about or most proud of,
is the fact that we're representing so many different facets
of an incredibly diverse community, and I don't think anybody
(03:10):
feels like they have to change who they are to
exist within it, which is a beautiful thing.
Speaker 1 (03:15):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (03:15):
Absolutely, And you mentioned radio, so tell us a little
bit about that. You got your start in radio and
sort of how did that lead you in the podcasting.
Does it feel similar, does it feel different, does it
feel natural? Yeah?
Speaker 4 (03:28):
I mean what's ironic is I was doing podcasting like
years ago in my mom's basement basically, you know, like
before even radio is like on my radar as an opportunity.
I just remember like being really into the idea of
this sort of it felt like an act of rebellion almost,
you know, from from traditional format and you can talk
about whatever you want, and there wasn't you know, this censorship.
(03:49):
It was a very underground kind of thing. And then
you know, getting into radio and that was a beautiful
experience because I think it taught me how to hone
my voice a little bit, how to tell a story,
how to you know, sort of get better technical aspects
of it. But I still always, i think, longed for
the freedom of podcasting. But I look at radio kind
of as my college experience almost, you know, that was
(04:09):
like my years really learning, really kind of just grinding
it out. I was fortunate enough to really learn from
some of the best, particularly you know, with the Breakfast Club,
getting to be around people who are literally hall of
famers within their own industry, you know. I feel like
that definitely has led to my comfort in being unapologetically myself,
you know, seeing them be that way speaking directly to
(04:30):
their community. Seeing people like Charlemagne start a black podcast network,
you know, and being unapologetic about it, you know, and
really harnessing those voices, I think showed me that I
can have a place, we can carve out our own
niches and find success doing so. So I think radio
prepared me for some of I think the boldness that
you need to have in order to go out into
(04:50):
the podcasting world and really want to make a difference
by being unapologetically yourself. I think radio, like I said,
was like that college learning experience for me, home my
craft a bit and then being able to sort of
take the reins off when it came to podcasting and
just kind of go all in on my own voice
and being truly creative without any limitations.
Speaker 3 (05:10):
Yeah, that's great, and you've definitely gone all in you
have two shows with us, as I con said earlier,
Life as a Gringo and The Street Stoic.
Speaker 2 (05:18):
Tell us a little bit about each show and what
makes it so special for you.
Speaker 4 (05:22):
Yeah, so Life is a Greeno is obviously the first one.
It's like my baby, It's it's kind of my personal diary,
if you will. You know, it's the sort of core
of it is my experience in my otherness, you know,
sort of not feeling fully ingratiated into my Latin community,
but also you know, being reminded that I am othered
by you know, my upbringing in suburban New Jersey, you
know what I mean. So that gray area was kind
(05:45):
of the core of the show, and you know, sort
of I guess now there's a lot of other terminology
for you know, the Nosabo kids and things like that
that I think relate a lot to my story of
you know, not speaking perfect Spanish and being shamed, you know,
by your family for it, and and I think that
journey into finding comfort within your own skin and not
sort of feeling like you have to conform to some
(06:06):
asinine standards set by you know, God knows who. At
this point, we don't know who. The who's the one
sort of setting the tone for why you have to
speak Spanish, for why you don't or whatever it might be, right, Like,
it's really just about authenticity at the end of the day.
And I think within that it's a journey of somebody
finding themselves on a regular basis, the one that we're
all on, the never ending journey that is personal growth,
and I think that that's kind of become the core
(06:27):
of life as a good in go And then to
me also providing with sort of the Thursday Trends sector
of it. We do the two episodes a week, one
of them being about you know, stories directly affecting our community.
That was important to me as well, being able to
provide people with sort of a one stop shop to
really feel connected to what's going on within the Latin community.
And then the second one, the Street Stoke Podcast, is
(06:48):
a daily podcast that's you know, just meant to inspire people,
you know, and it combines my love for hip hop
with my love for ancient philosophy. And again it's sort
of existing in that otherness of showcasing things that aren't
traditionally supposed to go together but actually fit perfectly, you know,
and that's sort of me being able to inspire others
using the language that I've been taught, you know, through
music and the culture that I've been brought up around.
Speaker 2 (07:11):
Yeah, that's great. I wanted to dive a little bit
into life as a gringo.
Speaker 3 (07:31):
Started with the title. I fell in love with the
show because of the title. I thought it was just
a great title that kind of talks about the in
between right, yeah, between space that we all feel, you know,
were what they call the two hundred percenters, right like
we're American and then we also rep for our flags.
Where did the title come from? Like why did you
(07:52):
gravitate towards that specific title?
Speaker 4 (07:54):
So the story that like sticks out in my mind
of the actual like being called a karingo is me
being in Puerto Rico, like eighteen or nineteen years old,
hang out with my aunt who is around my age.
Is a whole nother story. But we go out to
like a club or a bar one night and I'm
gonna go meet up with her friends. We're gonna hang out.
She's like showing me around and I meet one of
her friends. I instantly fall in love with her, and
(08:16):
I'm like trying to hit on her and my aunt
introduces me and she's like, you know, this is my
nephew from the States, and this girl sort of without
even blinking, and I just like says, oh, so you're
a gringo. And it was like in jest and it
wasn't meant to be like this deep cup, but it
was also like one of those things that's like a
half joke, half serious type of thing where it's a
reminder that you know, even though you feel at home there,
(08:39):
you're oftentimes viewed as other because you know, you're not
necessarily viewed as like one hundred percent you know here
within the culture. Right. I wasn't born and raised in
Puerto Rico. My Spanish is not great things like that,
so they view you as as something other, you know.
And I think for me, you know, growing up in
the otherness of growing up in an you know, in
a town that was predominantly like Italian and Irish, my
(09:00):
one thing that I could fall back I was like, well,
you know what, like they can have their stereotypes about
what a Latino looks like, dresses like, talks like, but
I know when I go to Puerto Rico, like that's
home for me. You know, my father's very proud. We
brought me up on a lot of perto Rican tradition
and things like that. So this was like a punch
to the gut because it was like a reminder that
even though I thought these were kind of my people
and this is the one place I could really let
(09:21):
my hair down, it's a reminder that I don't fit
in here either, you know. So that was sort of
the word gringo just stuck in my head from that
moment on. You know, originally this was a book idea
that I just had while driving one day, and then
you know, you and I got connected to start talking
about podcast stuff and pitching ideas. Ironically, life was a
gringo was still kind of like that thing in the
back of my mind. It wasn't even like the thing
(09:41):
I was leading with, because I still was like battling
that imposter syndrome of if I say this now, does
that take away my credibility to be on a Latin
podcast network? You know. So ironically, I think me pushing
past that discomfort and then you and the whole team
welcoming it with open arms, celebrating it, you know. With me,
I think was like the last sort of piece of
(10:03):
my old self that I needed to shed before I
can truly be honest and vulnerable and represent myself in
the most authentic way, you know. So that's why it
is so incredibly special. And Michael Thuda as a whole,
and the whole team and everybody behind it, you know,
holds such a big place in my heart.
Speaker 2 (10:16):
Absolutely.
Speaker 3 (10:16):
There's so many topics that you cover life, A lot
of the topics that I love and I think are
important conversations to have. One you mentioned earlier was language.
I think your first episodes was with your parents. You
didn't grow up learning Spanish. Yeah, And you know, one
of the things about Mike Ludura is that we say
(10:37):
language doesn't define how Latin or Latina latine. You are right,
it's called and there is, like you mentioned, that shame
around not knowing the language.
Speaker 2 (10:49):
Or not speaking it perfectly.
Speaker 3 (10:52):
I think even myself, yes, I'm bilingual, and when I'm
in rooms with native speakers, I do get a little
bit nervous because they're like, you don't speak it perfect
doing it outside. I So I think there's a lot
of conversations still around that. But tell me about that
episode in particular and why that conversation was important for
you to have with your parents and to basically put
(11:12):
it out there for the listeners.
Speaker 4 (11:13):
Yeah, I think ironically it's probably the first time we've
ever really had that conversation and we just happened to
it in front of microphones and recording, which I think
it was a part of that process. My goal with
all this really was like, just keep digging deeper, keep
digging deeper into the vulnerability, your honesty, Like that's what's
really going to connect with people, you know. Going out
on this journey and taking the risk of like really
going all in on podcasting, it was like, because I
(11:35):
want to make sure I'm making a difference and I'm
representing people and I'm making people feel seen. So part
of that is like really just being unafraid to throw
myself out there and put myself in the fire, you know.
And part of that was then having that conversation with
my parents and making sure we're recording it for other
people to relate to it. You know. It's it's difficult
because your parents your parents, you love them, you're grateful
for everything, but it's difficult to have some of those
(11:55):
harder conversations of like why didn't you do this? You
know what I mean. I've held onto this for so
long because you never did this. And you know, obviously
it's not like I had some crazy traumatic childhood as
a result of this, but I think there is sort
of parts of myself that wishes that I had a
little bit more of that confidence, and I wonder what
it would have been like to have it at a
younger age, you know, to feel that connection at a
(12:16):
younger age, you know. Then also hearing their mindset, you know,
I think was important to showcase as well, right where
it's not just a one sided story, you know, and
them being able to sort of express maybe some of
the feelings of not wanting me to be alienated from
my peers, you know, going into a school that wasn't
predominantly Spanish speaking, you know, that didn't have a large
Latin population, so making sure that I didn't have an
(12:37):
acset and the things that might hold me back from
being seen as as just you know, your everyday hid
there and having the same opportunities, you know. So I
think there are certain conversations around that, and I think
people probably related to it because I hear a lot
of feedback in about that episode in particular, I think
just because like I said, I wanted to humanize my
parents a bit as well, I think was like the
bigger goal within it. Right, we see our parents oftentimes
(12:58):
as these like superheroes that are supposed to have all
the answers, you know, But when I think back, it's like, Okay,
my dad had me, you know, he was in his twenties,
Like what the hell. I wouldn't have known what the
hell do with a kid in my twenties, you know
when I think back to that time period. So I
think conversations like that are really important in the bigger
context when we zoom out of like how we think
about our relationship with our parents, the things that we
might be holding against them, but also humanizing them, knowing
(13:20):
that we're all just you know, trying our best here
and mistakes are going to happen. And I think, you know,
as a result of that episode, our relationship grew and
we got a lot closer, and it becomes easier and easier,
you know. So I hope that putting that on display
and that's why I love that episode, maybe encourage some
other people to have some other conversations with their parents
be it the same topic or just others, but just
being able to kind of get that connection and get
some of those answers that I think a lot of
(13:40):
us are searching for but maybe oftentimes are a bit
too afraid to ask about.
Speaker 3 (13:44):
Yeah, and there's a lot of reasons that parents sometimes
have for not passing down Spanish. You know, their experience
as immigrants here is something that wasn't a great experience,
and so they want their children to learn English, and
we do, right, and and our lives are lived in English.
And then for some of us like, yes, the language
(14:04):
in Spanish is great. And I think again that's why
Michael Dura doesn't say that all our shows need to
be in Spanish, because English is really how we consume
our content.
Speaker 2 (14:14):
It is how we're living our lives.
Speaker 3 (14:16):
And this conversation about Nosabo kids, right, that's come into
popularity recently. Can you define what that is and why
you're diving into those conversations.
Speaker 4 (14:25):
Yeah, so, I think you know, as my understanding, it's
it's really just sort of a funny way of describing
people who don't speak perfect Spanish essentially, right, So like no,
soabling less is probably has somebody to respond obviously it's
not perfect Spanish, right, So it's you know what point
you're trying to get across, but you don't know how
to actually perfectly say it, right, And that's sort of
the joke about it. And I think it speaks perfect
(14:46):
to that sort of middle gray area where it's like,
you know just enough Spanish to like be a part
of the conversation, but you're also going to be like
picked apart within the conversation, you know. And I think
that that is sort of the gist of it. And
I think it's an important conversation that I keep having
because I keep running into it in different ways, be
it the feedback I get from listeners talking about how
they share in that experience, or even me personally. You know,
(15:07):
when I travel to Puerto Rico, which you know I've
done a lot over the last year, I make it
a point to try and speak in Spanish everywhere I go,
and I see sometimes some people are receptive even if
I'm not speaking it perfectly, but others then, like the
minute that I don't say something grammatically correct, they start
speaking to me in English and refuse to speak to
me in Spanish from there, right, So it's like that
conversation still needs to keep happening because obviously there is
(15:28):
some sort of disconnect still within the community of like
the second you're not perfect within your Spanish, it's like
they take away your Latin card and now you're back
to being a gringo. Right, So I keep speaking about
it because I want to be a representative for people.
I want people to know I'm still on that journey
and I think it still is this thing that we
are like struggling with to a degree, many of us
when we are around to native Spanish speaking people.
Speaker 3 (15:50):
Yeah, it's definitely an important conversation. You're also talking quite
(16:10):
a bit about finances and findcial literacy, which I think
is also super important for our community. You know, you've
teamed up with State Farm, one of our sponsors, to
do a lot of financial literacy.
Speaker 2 (16:20):
Videos and conversations. Why did you gravitate towards that topic?
Why was that important to you?
Speaker 4 (16:26):
I think for me, the biggest stressor that I can
remember as a kid growing up, like within the dynamic
of my parents, it was always around money. It was
around not having enough money, overspending, not being able to
do what we wanted to do, And there always was
just some sort of issue surrounding money to lack of education, right,
which I know now, but you know, at the time,
not realizing that other people were being brought up taught
(16:47):
about what makes up a credit score or getting a
credit card, you know, their parents opening a credit card
joint credit card with them to help build up their credit, right,
or saving for college tuition or saving in general. Right,
Like these sort of practice is you know, my parents,
specifically on my mom's side, like my grandmother never had
a bank account. They kept money under the mattress, you
know what I mean. So, like what financial literacy are
they going to pass down to then my mom like nothing, right,
(17:10):
So she's figuring it out on the spot. And that's
pre internet, you know, and school public school systems don't
do a great job of prioritizing these things. So it's
not information that's readily available unless for generations your family
has been educating themselves on this as homeowners and things
of that nature. Right, But my parents, you know, my
mom was the first homeowner on her side of the family,
you know what I mean. So these are all things
(17:30):
that they're all learning on the spot, and as a
result of learning on the spot myself included, like I
got into financial trouble early on with credit cards and
things like that, and you know, for me, for a
long time, I assumed that I would never be able
to buy a home on my own, that I would
have to basically go under my spouse's name, you know,
when I eventually got married, and I remember going apartment
hunting and like the second they give you the application,
being like, all right, I know they're not going to
(17:51):
approve me. I won't even bother, you know, And that's
just being really frustrating in my life. So I made
it a point to turn that around, you know. And
I was fortunate enough time to get connected through the
Breakfast Club with somebody who is a credit repair specialist,
and working with them, it educated me on the process
of finances of what makes up a credit score. And
you know, then I paid down everything, I got my
(18:11):
credit up, and then I learned about pushing myself to
saving and I want to buy a house, what does
that take? Right, So going on this journey and recognizing
like I just changed the entire course of my life
and future generations potentially of my children and things like that,
just by going on this journey of doing the hard
work to educating myself. Right, my life is completely different.
It's in a far better situation than I could have
(18:32):
ever imagined because of this. You know, I'm not relying
on anybody else, So I recognize the value in that,
and I want to pass it down. Like for me,
it's always about throwing the ladder back down once I've
sort of you know, reached whatever climax I'm going for.
And that's why I've made it a point of conversation,
because I want to make sure people are focusing in
on the things that actually going to have the most
substantial change to their life. Right, we're talking about breaking
(18:53):
generational curses, like these are core things that we have
to learn about and do if we really want to
get to a better place and as a community, if
we really want to have a seat at the table,
you know, having people who are in great positions financially
is the only way that's really going to do.
Speaker 2 (19:07):
So you've also talked about relationships.
Speaker 3 (19:10):
There's a crossover episode with Amarala Nera that is just
so hilarious, and you guys talk about toxicas and toxicos
and all that juicy stuff about.
Speaker 2 (19:19):
Being in Relationships.
Speaker 3 (19:20):
Is there an episode that stands out as one of
your favorites?
Speaker 4 (19:25):
One of my favorite episodes, actually, yeah, the one that
I did with Frankie Ganis is one of my favorite ones.
His story is so incredible to me, like he was
somebody who was like on his couch till he was
in his mid thirties. He's like sleeping on a friends
couch those mid thirties, right, just trying to hold his
dream alive. And I just found that psychotic, but like
psychotic in the most inspiring way. And I loved hearing
(19:45):
that story because to me, it was just like, you know,
it was somebody who just fell in love with what
he does so much that he was willing to give
it his all. It was so profound to see somebody
now who's seeing an incredible amount of success, well earned
success with the show on Hulu This Fool. He has
the podcast as well, and I think just hearing his
first hand experience to me was just like a touching
(20:05):
reminder of why I do what I do. You know,
because I felt inspired by I got a lot of
feedback from other people about how it was the inspiration
that they needed in that moment as well. You know.
So I think that being able to have a platform
to share these stories, you know, is so incredibly important
because sometimes that's all we need, right, Sometimes we just
need somebody who looks like us, or sounds like us,
or comes from our background to remind us that it
(20:27):
is possible, right, and that the hardships that you're going
through are incredibly normal and you're not by yourself within
that you just have to push a little bit further, right,
And it's why movies like the Flaming Hot movie are
so impactful. And that was like a huge movie for
me that I was crying and felt so inspired afterwards, right, Like,
these are just moments that I think we all need
every once in a while to keep us on our
journey and on our path and to feel seen. So
(20:49):
I feel like I was able to contribute one of
those moments to some of our listeners and that's incredible
for me.
Speaker 3 (20:53):
Yeah, And I think that's why Mi Gudua exists, right,
so that people can see us telling our stories and
sort of leading the narrative, right, And.
Speaker 2 (21:00):
A lot of the times we don't get to tell
our stories.
Speaker 3 (21:03):
And Mike Ututa's offering creators from different parts of the
country and opportunity to tell that and different kinds of stories. Right, yes,
look forward to dram most the content creator.
Speaker 2 (21:14):
What's next? Where do you sort of see yourself in
the next couple of years.
Speaker 4 (21:18):
I definitely want to expand in more in person type
of things, you know. I've been doing some speaking engagements
and things like that to really just be able to
touch the community in a real way though, step outside
of the normal corporate speaking gig type of thing and
try to connect with people where they are and inspire
people in that way. You know. I've been also building
a wellness brand where we do you know, group mentorship
(21:38):
and coaching and trying to inspire you know, members of
our community, and that's been really fulfilling. And seeing just
the way that people's lives have been changing just over
the course of a few months from having conversations and
just having somebody to feed off of, I think has
been incredible. And then I think, you know, beyond that,
I want to do more things where I'm not necessarily
behind the microphone or in front of the camera. I
(21:59):
want to be to give other people from our community
the opportunity to have their voice heard or to bring
their stories to life, you know. So I think I've
been blessed with a lot of doors slammed in my
face and as well as a lot of you know,
beautiful opportunities like this one, where I have a lot
of lessons that I can teach to other people, a lot,
a lot of experience that I can shed on others
to help them on their journey and maybe make it
just a bit easier than mine was. So that's definitely
(22:20):
the bigger vision is to be able to start helping
others bring their ideas to life as well.
Speaker 3 (22:23):
Yeah, and I think it's a good reminder for us
that we are inspiring the next generation, right, Like I know,
for myself, I'm like, oh, I'm just here listening to
podcasts and like the launching shows. But it is good
to hear sometimes that you know you are making a
difference or that this show really touched somebody. And I
know for me, is just a reminder that we are
doing important work right and making a difference. With that,
(22:46):
I would love for you to give some advice to
folks that you know, want to follow in your footsteps,
that want to launch podcasts, that want to be a
content creator.
Speaker 2 (22:56):
What sort of advice do you have for them?
Speaker 4 (22:57):
I always think like you got to lead with authenticity, right,
You got to lead with what really speaks to you.
You know. I think it's it's easy to get hung
up and trying to recreate what's popular and all those
different things. But you know, this is a grind, and
if you don't truly have a passion or a love
for it, it's going to be very easy to sort
of walk away and quit, you know, if it's not
something you genuinely believe in, you know what I mean.
(23:18):
And I'm fortunate that, you know, I feel like I've
sort of found my voice and it's allowed me to
push past the more difficult moments, you know, And I
think that's probably the biggest thing. I think a lot
of people also forget that their unique experience adds something fresh,
you know. I think that it's a lot of people
get caught up and thinking everything's already been done, or
that they have to be somebody else, and they're sort
(23:39):
of missing their greatest asset, which is their lived experience,
their very unique vantage point.
Speaker 3 (23:44):
You know.
Speaker 4 (23:44):
I think that's the greatest thing that you could bring
to the table. You know that that's been my experience.
The more I've become me and the more I've displayed
myself and led with that, the more opportunities have begun
to present themselves, you know, And I'm grateful that I
kind of figure that out. And that's the biggest thing
I would say, is, like I always say, authenticity is
your superpower. And the second thing I always say is
(24:05):
if you don't see it, create it. You know, for me,
that is exactly what life is a going go. And
this whole journey I've been on is just that, you know,
I found my voice, and then I tried to convince
other people, you know, in radio, that they should give
me an opportunity or that we should create this. They
didn't see the vision, so I went and created it
somewhere else, right. I didn't wait for somebody to tell
me that now is okay or that they agree with it.
(24:26):
You know, I had a vision and I went out
and created it, and you know, luckily other people saw
that vision. But I think those are the two biggest things,
you know, is lead with your authentic self, create the
thing that you want to see. And I think those
are the two things that are going to kind of
help you sort of weather the storms that you're neverly
going to face on your journey to finding success into
getting wherever you want to be.
Speaker 3 (24:45):
Absolutely, and I would just add be bold, take chances,
write that email, find into that DM.
Speaker 2 (24:52):
Who better to advocate for you than you?
Speaker 4 (24:54):
Right, little tid, But I'll squeeze in there on that note.
One of the listeners of life is a Gingo, like
one the Day One people. She's now my business partner
because she was bold enough to like keep being on
every episode giving me feedback, sending me her resume, asking
if I needed a virtual assistant. When I got to
the point where I could hire a virtual assistant, she's
the person that I hit up and now like we've
become business partners in my wellness brand, right, So it's
(25:16):
like it is that boldness, you know, and being unafraid
to say this is what I want and this is
what I can offer. So I love that you mentioned
that one little tip that I want to add to
that story.
Speaker 3 (25:26):
I love that see persistence, I'm putting yourself out there.
Speaker 2 (25:30):
It's definitely important.
Speaker 3 (25:31):
One fun fact about Dramos and I we share the
same birthday, so you know, O query there coming at you.
Speaker 2 (25:39):
Parhamos.
Speaker 3 (25:40):
Thank you so much for joining us. It's been a
pleasure chatting with you. We love having you as part
of our network. They're doing amazing things and we're so
so proud of you. Just a reminder that The Street
Stoic Season two comes out October twenty third, and you
catch life as a Getting Goal every Tuesday and Thursday
on My Kurtura. Thank you so much for chatting with
(26:02):
me and for telling your story, and one's going to
be like super valuable for people to hear.
Speaker 4 (26:05):
Thank you so much.
Speaker 1 (26:14):
Conversations is a production of iHeartRadio. You can find more
from the biggest names in podcasting on the iHeartRadio app
or wherever you get your podcasts.
iHeartRadio presents Conversations, a weekly discussion with the biggest names
and influencers in podcasting. I want to learn the secret
psycho rituals scrubstars Zach Braff and Donald Beson used before
Every Fake Doctor's Real Friends taping how Vice News parachutes
into war zones to rescue journalists from life threatening situations.
For Why Kegan, Michael ke and Blumhouse believe three D
(00:27):
audio is the future of storytelling. Whether you're a newbie
trying to break into the podcast game or an exec
trying to refine your playbook, Conversations is the easiest way
to keep your pulse on the industry.
Speaker 2 (00:46):
Hi, everybody, welcome to the Speakers series. My name is
Jiselle Vonsis.
Speaker 3 (00:51):
I am the head of the Mike Gudra podcast network,
and I am joined by one of my favorite creators, Dramas.
Speaker 2 (00:57):
Hey, Dramas, Welcome.
Speaker 4 (00:59):
Thank you, Thank you so much for having me paying
me that compliment one of your favorite creators.
Speaker 3 (01:04):
Wow, of course, I think I like to say you're
one of our founding fathers, one of our founding thereators.
Speaker 4 (01:11):
Right, yeah, yeah, it definitely it definitely feels that way,
like we've kind of you know, gotten this thing often
running together and it's been a great process, you know,
throughout the last couple of years at this point, which
is crazy.
Speaker 3 (01:22):
Yeah, you were one of the first content creators to
launch a podcast with our network back in July twenty
twenty one.
Speaker 4 (01:29):
Yeah. Wow, it doesn't feel like that long ago, but
also feels like so much has happened between so that
it's a beautiful thing.
Speaker 2 (01:34):
We've done so much.
Speaker 3 (01:36):
You have two podcasts with us, Life is a Great
and The Street Stoic, which relations on both and as
you know, Michael Dura, is one of the few networks
that really elevates and celebrates our voices, our story our community,
our storytellers.
Speaker 2 (01:51):
You know, I wanted to start back to like.
Speaker 3 (01:53):
That July moment, but even a little bit further back
to when you first heard about the network. What was
your first reaction to a network that really celebrated us
and why did you think it was the right home
for you?
Speaker 4 (02:05):
I was ecstatic, you know. I think for me as
a creator, it was kind of like I knew what
I wanted to speak about, you know, and I knew
the type of commentary that I wanted to have. I
knew that I wanted to start being able to move
into a place of really just being authentic and not
having to conform. But you know, prior to micro Tura,
and you know, coming from the world of radio that
(02:26):
I existed in prior to really podcasting full time, it
was as if I had to keep kind of changing
parts of myself to adapt into this sort of pre
existing mold that that was already existing, you know, and
that was getting frustrating for me, you know. So it
was just kind of at a point where as a creator,
as a creative, not knowing what I was going to
do next, and then bam, I hear the news about
Michael Tudaan. It was just kind of very serendipitous sort
(02:48):
of moment where it was like, this could be the
thing I've been looking for, you know, where I can
speak to my community and speak to it from my
unique vantage point within the community. And you know, I
think it's been a beautiful sort of showcase of the
diversity that exists within the Latin community as a whole.
And what I'm most excited about or most proud of,
is the fact that we're representing so many different facets
of an incredibly diverse community, and I don't think anybody
(03:10):
feels like they have to change who they are to
exist within it, which is a beautiful thing.
Speaker 1 (03:15):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (03:15):
Absolutely, And you mentioned radio, so tell us a little
bit about that. You got your start in radio and
sort of how did that lead you in the podcasting.
Does it feel similar, does it feel different, does it
feel natural? Yeah?
Speaker 4 (03:28):
I mean what's ironic is I was doing podcasting like
years ago in my mom's basement basically, you know, like
before even radio is like on my radar as an opportunity.
I just remember like being really into the idea of
this sort of it felt like an act of rebellion almost,
you know, from from traditional format and you can talk
about whatever you want, and there wasn't you know, this censorship.
(03:49):
It was a very underground kind of thing. And then
you know, getting into radio and that was a beautiful
experience because I think it taught me how to hone
my voice a little bit, how to tell a story,
how to you know, sort of get better technical aspects
of it. But I still always, i think, longed for
the freedom of podcasting. But I look at radio kind
of as my college experience almost, you know, that was
(04:09):
like my years really learning, really kind of just grinding
it out. I was fortunate enough to really learn from
some of the best, particularly you know, with the Breakfast Club,
getting to be around people who are literally hall of
famers within their own industry, you know. I feel like
that definitely has led to my comfort in being unapologetically myself,
you know, seeing them be that way speaking directly to
(04:30):
their community. Seeing people like Charlemagne start a black podcast network,
you know, and being unapologetic about it, you know, and
really harnessing those voices, I think showed me that I
can have a place, we can carve out our own
niches and find success doing so. So I think radio
prepared me for some of I think the boldness that
you need to have in order to go out into
(04:50):
the podcasting world and really want to make a difference
by being unapologetically yourself. I think radio, like I said,
was like that college learning experience for me, home my
craft a bit and then being able to sort of
take the reins off when it came to podcasting and
just kind of go all in on my own voice
and being truly creative without any limitations.
Speaker 3 (05:10):
Yeah, that's great, and you've definitely gone all in you
have two shows with us, as I con said earlier,
Life as a Gringo and The Street Stoic.
Speaker 2 (05:18):
Tell us a little bit about each show and what
makes it so special for you.
Speaker 4 (05:22):
Yeah, so Life is a Greeno is obviously the first one.
It's like my baby, It's it's kind of my personal diary,
if you will. You know, it's the sort of core
of it is my experience in my otherness, you know,
sort of not feeling fully ingratiated into my Latin community,
but also you know, being reminded that I am othered
by you know, my upbringing in suburban New Jersey, you
know what I mean. So that gray area was kind
(05:45):
of the core of the show, and you know, sort
of I guess now there's a lot of other terminology
for you know, the Nosabo kids and things like that
that I think relate a lot to my story of
you know, not speaking perfect Spanish and being shamed, you know,
by your family for it, and and I think that
journey into finding comfort within your own skin and not
sort of feeling like you have to conform to some
(06:06):
asinine standards set by you know, God knows who. At
this point, we don't know who. The who's the one
sort of setting the tone for why you have to
speak Spanish, for why you don't or whatever it might be, right, Like,
it's really just about authenticity at the end of the day.
And I think within that it's a journey of somebody
finding themselves on a regular basis, the one that we're
all on, the never ending journey that is personal growth,
and I think that that's kind of become the core
(06:27):
of life as a good in go And then to
me also providing with sort of the Thursday Trends sector
of it. We do the two episodes a week, one
of them being about you know, stories directly affecting our community.
That was important to me as well, being able to
provide people with sort of a one stop shop to
really feel connected to what's going on within the Latin community.
And then the second one, the Street Stoke Podcast, is
(06:48):
a daily podcast that's you know, just meant to inspire people,
you know, and it combines my love for hip hop
with my love for ancient philosophy. And again it's sort
of existing in that otherness of showcasing things that aren't
traditionally supposed to go together but actually fit perfectly, you know,
and that's sort of me being able to inspire others
using the language that I've been taught, you know, through
music and the culture that I've been brought up around.
Speaker 2 (07:11):
Yeah, that's great. I wanted to dive a little bit
into life as a gringo.
Speaker 3 (07:31):
Started with the title. I fell in love with the
show because of the title. I thought it was just
a great title that kind of talks about the in
between right, yeah, between space that we all feel, you know,
were what they call the two hundred percenters, right like
we're American and then we also rep for our flags.
Where did the title come from? Like why did you
(07:52):
gravitate towards that specific title?
Speaker 4 (07:54):
So the story that like sticks out in my mind
of the actual like being called a karingo is me
being in Puerto Rico, like eighteen or nineteen years old,
hang out with my aunt who is around my age.
Is a whole nother story. But we go out to
like a club or a bar one night and I'm
gonna go meet up with her friends. We're gonna hang out.
She's like showing me around and I meet one of
her friends. I instantly fall in love with her, and
(08:16):
I'm like trying to hit on her and my aunt
introduces me and she's like, you know, this is my
nephew from the States, and this girl sort of without
even blinking, and I just like says, oh, so you're
a gringo. And it was like in jest and it
wasn't meant to be like this deep cup, but it
was also like one of those things that's like a
half joke, half serious type of thing where it's a
reminder that you know, even though you feel at home there,
(08:39):
you're oftentimes viewed as other because you know, you're not
necessarily viewed as like one hundred percent you know here
within the culture. Right. I wasn't born and raised in
Puerto Rico. My Spanish is not great things like that,
so they view you as as something other, you know.
And I think for me, you know, growing up in
the otherness of growing up in an you know, in
a town that was predominantly like Italian and Irish, my
(09:00):
one thing that I could fall back I was like, well,
you know what, like they can have their stereotypes about
what a Latino looks like, dresses like, talks like, but
I know when I go to Puerto Rico, like that's
home for me. You know, my father's very proud. We
brought me up on a lot of perto Rican tradition
and things like that. So this was like a punch
to the gut because it was like a reminder that
even though I thought these were kind of my people
and this is the one place I could really let
(09:21):
my hair down, it's a reminder that I don't fit
in here either, you know. So that was sort of
the word gringo just stuck in my head from that
moment on. You know, originally this was a book idea
that I just had while driving one day, and then
you know, you and I got connected to start talking
about podcast stuff and pitching ideas. Ironically, life was a
gringo was still kind of like that thing in the
back of my mind. It wasn't even like the thing
(09:41):
I was leading with, because I still was like battling
that imposter syndrome of if I say this now, does
that take away my credibility to be on a Latin
podcast network? You know. So ironically, I think me pushing
past that discomfort and then you and the whole team
welcoming it with open arms, celebrating it, you know. With me,
I think was like the last sort of piece of
(10:03):
my old self that I needed to shed before I
can truly be honest and vulnerable and represent myself in
the most authentic way, you know. So that's why it
is so incredibly special. And Michael Thuda as a whole,
and the whole team and everybody behind it, you know,
holds such a big place in my heart.
Speaker 2 (10:16):
Absolutely.
Speaker 3 (10:16):
There's so many topics that you cover life, A lot
of the topics that I love and I think are
important conversations to have. One you mentioned earlier was language.
I think your first episodes was with your parents. You
didn't grow up learning Spanish. Yeah, And you know, one
of the things about Mike Ludura is that we say
(10:37):
language doesn't define how Latin or Latina latine. You are right,
it's called and there is, like you mentioned, that shame
around not knowing the language.
Speaker 2 (10:49):
Or not speaking it perfectly.
Speaker 3 (10:52):
I think even myself, yes, I'm bilingual, and when I'm
in rooms with native speakers, I do get a little
bit nervous because they're like, you don't speak it perfect
doing it outside. I So I think there's a lot
of conversations still around that. But tell me about that
episode in particular and why that conversation was important for
you to have with your parents and to basically put
(11:12):
it out there for the listeners.
Speaker 4 (11:13):
Yeah, I think ironically it's probably the first time we've
ever really had that conversation and we just happened to
it in front of microphones and recording, which I think
it was a part of that process. My goal with
all this really was like, just keep digging deeper, keep
digging deeper into the vulnerability, your honesty, Like that's what's
really going to connect with people, you know. Going out
on this journey and taking the risk of like really
going all in on podcasting, it was like, because I
(11:35):
want to make sure I'm making a difference and I'm
representing people and I'm making people feel seen. So part
of that is like really just being unafraid to throw
myself out there and put myself in the fire, you know.
And part of that was then having that conversation with
my parents and making sure we're recording it for other
people to relate to it. You know. It's it's difficult
because your parents your parents, you love them, you're grateful
for everything, but it's difficult to have some of those
(11:55):
harder conversations of like why didn't you do this? You
know what I mean. I've held onto this for so
long because you never did this. And you know, obviously
it's not like I had some crazy traumatic childhood as
a result of this, but I think there is sort
of parts of myself that wishes that I had a
little bit more of that confidence, and I wonder what
it would have been like to have it at a
younger age, you know, to feel that connection at a
(12:16):
younger age, you know. Then also hearing their mindset, you know,
I think was important to showcase as well, right where
it's not just a one sided story, you know, and
them being able to sort of express maybe some of
the feelings of not wanting me to be alienated from
my peers, you know, going into a school that wasn't
predominantly Spanish speaking, you know, that didn't have a large
Latin population, so making sure that I didn't have an
(12:37):
acset and the things that might hold me back from
being seen as as just you know, your everyday hid
there and having the same opportunities, you know. So I
think there are certain conversations around that, and I think
people probably related to it because I hear a lot
of feedback in about that episode in particular, I think
just because like I said, I wanted to humanize my
parents a bit as well, I think was like the
bigger goal within it. Right, we see our parents oftentimes
(12:58):
as these like superheroes that are supposed to have all
the answers, you know, But when I think back, it's like, Okay,
my dad had me, you know, he was in his twenties,
Like what the hell. I wouldn't have known what the
hell do with a kid in my twenties, you know
when I think back to that time period. So I
think conversations like that are really important in the bigger
context when we zoom out of like how we think
about our relationship with our parents, the things that we
might be holding against them, but also humanizing them, knowing
(13:20):
that we're all just you know, trying our best here
and mistakes are going to happen. And I think, you know,
as a result of that episode, our relationship grew and
we got a lot closer, and it becomes easier and easier,
you know. So I hope that putting that on display
and that's why I love that episode, maybe encourage some
other people to have some other conversations with their parents
be it the same topic or just others, but just
being able to kind of get that connection and get
some of those answers that I think a lot of
(13:40):
us are searching for but maybe oftentimes are a bit
too afraid to ask about.
Speaker 3 (13:44):
Yeah, and there's a lot of reasons that parents sometimes
have for not passing down Spanish. You know, their experience
as immigrants here is something that wasn't a great experience,
and so they want their children to learn English, and
we do, right, and and our lives are lived in English.
And then for some of us like, yes, the language
(14:04):
in Spanish is great. And I think again that's why
Michael Dura doesn't say that all our shows need to
be in Spanish, because English is really how we consume
our content.
Speaker 2 (14:14):
It is how we're living our lives.
Speaker 3 (14:16):
And this conversation about Nosabo kids, right, that's come into
popularity recently. Can you define what that is and why
you're diving into those conversations.
Speaker 4 (14:25):
Yeah, so, I think you know, as my understanding, it's
it's really just sort of a funny way of describing
people who don't speak perfect Spanish essentially, right, So like no,
soabling less is probably has somebody to respond obviously it's
not perfect Spanish, right, So it's you know what point
you're trying to get across, but you don't know how
to actually perfectly say it, right, And that's sort of
the joke about it. And I think it speaks perfect
(14:46):
to that sort of middle gray area where it's like,
you know just enough Spanish to like be a part
of the conversation, but you're also going to be like
picked apart within the conversation, you know. And I think
that that is sort of the gist of it. And
I think it's an important conversation that I keep having
because I keep running into it in different ways, be
it the feedback I get from listeners talking about how
they share in that experience, or even me personally. You know,
(15:07):
when I travel to Puerto Rico, which you know I've
done a lot over the last year, I make it
a point to try and speak in Spanish everywhere I go,
and I see sometimes some people are receptive even if
I'm not speaking it perfectly, but others then, like the
minute that I don't say something grammatically correct, they start
speaking to me in English and refuse to speak to
me in Spanish from there, right, So it's like that
conversation still needs to keep happening because obviously there is
(15:28):
some sort of disconnect still within the community of like
the second you're not perfect within your Spanish, it's like
they take away your Latin card and now you're back
to being a gringo. Right, So I keep speaking about
it because I want to be a representative for people.
I want people to know I'm still on that journey
and I think it still is this thing that we
are like struggling with to a degree, many of us
when we are around to native Spanish speaking people.
Speaker 3 (15:50):
Yeah, it's definitely an important conversation. You're also talking quite
(16:10):
a bit about finances and findcial literacy, which I think
is also super important for our community. You know, you've
teamed up with State Farm, one of our sponsors, to
do a lot of financial literacy.
Speaker 2 (16:20):
Videos and conversations. Why did you gravitate towards that topic?
Why was that important to you?
Speaker 4 (16:26):
I think for me, the biggest stressor that I can
remember as a kid growing up, like within the dynamic
of my parents, it was always around money. It was
around not having enough money, overspending, not being able to
do what we wanted to do, And there always was
just some sort of issue surrounding money to lack of education, right,
which I know now, but you know, at the time,
not realizing that other people were being brought up taught
(16:47):
about what makes up a credit score or getting a
credit card, you know, their parents opening a credit card
joint credit card with them to help build up their credit, right,
or saving for college tuition or saving in general. Right,
Like these sort of practice is you know, my parents,
specifically on my mom's side, like my grandmother never had
a bank account. They kept money under the mattress, you
know what I mean. So, like what financial literacy are
they going to pass down to then my mom like nothing, right,
(17:10):
So she's figuring it out on the spot. And that's
pre internet, you know, and school public school systems don't
do a great job of prioritizing these things. So it's
not information that's readily available unless for generations your family
has been educating themselves on this as homeowners and things
of that nature. Right, But my parents, you know, my
mom was the first homeowner on her side of the family,
you know what I mean. So these are all things
(17:30):
that they're all learning on the spot, and as a
result of learning on the spot myself included, like I
got into financial trouble early on with credit cards and
things like that, and you know, for me, for a
long time, I assumed that I would never be able
to buy a home on my own, that I would
have to basically go under my spouse's name, you know,
when I eventually got married, and I remember going apartment
hunting and like the second they give you the application,
being like, all right, I know they're not going to
(17:51):
approve me. I won't even bother, you know, And that's
just being really frustrating in my life. So I made
it a point to turn that around, you know. And
I was fortunate enough time to get connected through the
Breakfast Club with somebody who is a credit repair specialist,
and working with them, it educated me on the process
of finances of what makes up a credit score. And
you know, then I paid down everything, I got my
(18:11):
credit up, and then I learned about pushing myself to
saving and I want to buy a house, what does
that take? Right, So going on this journey and recognizing
like I just changed the entire course of my life
and future generations potentially of my children and things like that,
just by going on this journey of doing the hard
work to educating myself. Right, my life is completely different.
It's in a far better situation than I could have
(18:32):
ever imagined because of this. You know, I'm not relying
on anybody else, So I recognize the value in that,
and I want to pass it down. Like for me,
it's always about throwing the ladder back down once I've
sort of you know, reached whatever climax I'm going for.
And that's why I've made it a point of conversation,
because I want to make sure people are focusing in
on the things that actually going to have the most
substantial change to their life. Right, we're talking about breaking
(18:53):
generational curses, like these are core things that we have
to learn about and do if we really want to
get to a better place and as a community, if
we really want to have a seat at the table,
you know, having people who are in great positions financially
is the only way that's really going to do.
Speaker 2 (19:07):
So you've also talked about relationships.
Speaker 3 (19:10):
There's a crossover episode with Amarala Nera that is just
so hilarious, and you guys talk about toxicas and toxicos
and all that juicy stuff about.
Speaker 2 (19:19):
Being in Relationships.
Speaker 3 (19:20):
Is there an episode that stands out as one of
your favorites?
Speaker 4 (19:25):
One of my favorite episodes, actually, yeah, the one that
I did with Frankie Ganis is one of my favorite ones.
His story is so incredible to me, like he was
somebody who was like on his couch till he was
in his mid thirties. He's like sleeping on a friends
couch those mid thirties, right, just trying to hold his
dream alive. And I just found that psychotic, but like
psychotic in the most inspiring way. And I loved hearing
(19:45):
that story because to me, it was just like, you know,
it was somebody who just fell in love with what
he does so much that he was willing to give
it his all. It was so profound to see somebody
now who's seeing an incredible amount of success, well earned
success with the show on Hulu This Fool. He has
the podcast as well, and I think just hearing his
first hand experience to me was just like a touching
(20:05):
reminder of why I do what I do. You know,
because I felt inspired by I got a lot of
feedback from other people about how it was the inspiration
that they needed in that moment as well. You know.
So I think that being able to have a platform
to share these stories, you know, is so incredibly important
because sometimes that's all we need, right, Sometimes we just
need somebody who looks like us, or sounds like us,
or comes from our background to remind us that it
(20:27):
is possible, right, and that the hardships that you're going
through are incredibly normal and you're not by yourself within
that you just have to push a little bit further, right,
And it's why movies like the Flaming Hot movie are
so impactful. And that was like a huge movie for
me that I was crying and felt so inspired afterwards, right, Like,
these are just moments that I think we all need
every once in a while to keep us on our
journey and on our path and to feel seen. So
(20:49):
I feel like I was able to contribute one of
those moments to some of our listeners and that's incredible
for me.
Speaker 3 (20:53):
Yeah, And I think that's why Mi Gudua exists, right,
so that people can see us telling our stories and
sort of leading the narrative, right, And.
Speaker 2 (21:00):
A lot of the times we don't get to tell
our stories.
Speaker 3 (21:03):
And Mike Ututa's offering creators from different parts of the
country and opportunity to tell that and different kinds of stories. Right, yes,
look forward to dram most the content creator.
Speaker 2 (21:14):
What's next? Where do you sort of see yourself in
the next couple of years.
Speaker 4 (21:18):
I definitely want to expand in more in person type
of things, you know. I've been doing some speaking engagements
and things like that to really just be able to
touch the community in a real way though, step outside
of the normal corporate speaking gig type of thing and
try to connect with people where they are and inspire
people in that way. You know. I've been also building
a wellness brand where we do you know, group mentorship
(21:38):
and coaching and trying to inspire you know, members of
our community, and that's been really fulfilling. And seeing just
the way that people's lives have been changing just over
the course of a few months from having conversations and
just having somebody to feed off of, I think has
been incredible. And then I think, you know, beyond that,
I want to do more things where I'm not necessarily
behind the microphone or in front of the camera. I
(21:59):
want to be to give other people from our community
the opportunity to have their voice heard or to bring
their stories to life, you know. So I think I've
been blessed with a lot of doors slammed in my
face and as well as a lot of you know,
beautiful opportunities like this one, where I have a lot
of lessons that I can teach to other people, a lot,
a lot of experience that I can shed on others
to help them on their journey and maybe make it
just a bit easier than mine was. So that's definitely
(22:20):
the bigger vision is to be able to start helping
others bring their ideas to life as well.
Speaker 3 (22:23):
Yeah, and I think it's a good reminder for us
that we are inspiring the next generation, right, Like I know,
for myself, I'm like, oh, I'm just here listening to
podcasts and like the launching shows. But it is good
to hear sometimes that you know you are making a
difference or that this show really touched somebody. And I
know for me, is just a reminder that we are
doing important work right and making a difference. With that,
(22:46):
I would love for you to give some advice to
folks that you know, want to follow in your footsteps,
that want to launch podcasts, that want to be a
content creator.
Speaker 2 (22:56):
What sort of advice do you have for them?
Speaker 4 (22:57):
I always think like you got to lead with authenticity, right,
You got to lead with what really speaks to you.
You know. I think it's it's easy to get hung
up and trying to recreate what's popular and all those
different things. But you know, this is a grind, and
if you don't truly have a passion or a love
for it, it's going to be very easy to sort
of walk away and quit, you know, if it's not
something you genuinely believe in, you know what I mean.
(23:18):
And I'm fortunate that, you know, I feel like I've
sort of found my voice and it's allowed me to
push past the more difficult moments, you know, And I
think that's probably the biggest thing. I think a lot
of people also forget that their unique experience adds something fresh,
you know. I think that it's a lot of people
get caught up and thinking everything's already been done, or
that they have to be somebody else, and they're sort
(23:39):
of missing their greatest asset, which is their lived experience,
their very unique vantage point.
Speaker 3 (23:44):
You know.
Speaker 4 (23:44):
I think that's the greatest thing that you could bring
to the table. You know that that's been my experience.
The more I've become me and the more I've displayed
myself and led with that, the more opportunities have begun
to present themselves, you know, And I'm grateful that I
kind of figure that out. And that's the biggest thing
I would say, is, like I always say, authenticity is
your superpower. And the second thing I always say is
(24:05):
if you don't see it, create it. You know, for me,
that is exactly what life is a going go. And
this whole journey I've been on is just that, you know,
I found my voice, and then I tried to convince
other people, you know, in radio, that they should give
me an opportunity or that we should create this. They
didn't see the vision, so I went and created it
somewhere else, right. I didn't wait for somebody to tell
me that now is okay or that they agree with it.
(24:26):
You know, I had a vision and I went out
and created it, and you know, luckily other people saw
that vision. But I think those are the two biggest things,
you know, is lead with your authentic self, create the
thing that you want to see. And I think those
are the two things that are going to kind of
help you sort of weather the storms that you're neverly
going to face on your journey to finding success into
getting wherever you want to be.
Speaker 3 (24:45):
Absolutely, and I would just add be bold, take chances,
write that email, find into that DM.
Speaker 2 (24:52):
Who better to advocate for you than you?
Speaker 4 (24:54):
Right, little tid, But I'll squeeze in there on that note.
One of the listeners of life is a Gingo, like
one the Day One people. She's now my business partner
because she was bold enough to like keep being on
every episode giving me feedback, sending me her resume, asking
if I needed a virtual assistant. When I got to
the point where I could hire a virtual assistant, she's
the person that I hit up and now like we've
become business partners in my wellness brand, right, So it's
(25:16):
like it is that boldness, you know, and being unafraid
to say this is what I want and this is
what I can offer. So I love that you mentioned
that one little tip that I want to add to
that story.
Speaker 3 (25:26):
I love that see persistence, I'm putting yourself out there.
Speaker 2 (25:30):
It's definitely important.
Speaker 3 (25:31):
One fun fact about Dramos and I we share the
same birthday, so you know, O query there coming at you.
Speaker 2 (25:39):
Parhamos.
Speaker 3 (25:40):
Thank you so much for joining us. It's been a
pleasure chatting with you. We love having you as part
of our network. They're doing amazing things and we're so
so proud of you. Just a reminder that The Street
Stoic Season two comes out October twenty third, and you
catch life as a Getting Goal every Tuesday and Thursday
on My Kurtura. Thank you so much for chatting with
(26:02):
me and for telling your story, and one's going to
be like super valuable for people to hear.
Speaker 4 (26:05):
Thank you so much.
Speaker 1 (26:14):
Conversations is a production of iHeartRadio. You can find more
from the biggest names in podcasting on the iHeartRadio app
or wherever you get your podcasts.
Host
Conal Byrne
Popular Podcasts
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.