One Year of Podcasting - Behind the Scenes of Balancing Cultures
Episode 40 - May 6th, 2021
*Scroll down for: Behind the scenes details and Related Episodes*
We It has been one year since my first episode “aired” on May 7th, 2020. In what I thought was the middle of the pandemic, I pushed through with my pre-pandemic plans of starting a podcast.
Why did I take that chance? How did I push through all the challenges? Listen to episode 40 to hear the Balancing Cultures Story.
In this episode, I handed the interviewing reins over to my mom.
She asked about:
Why podcasting?
What inspired the name?
How I developed the logo?
How do I know the guests?
How do I balance?
What have I learned?
My advice for others
What’s next?
Logo Inspiration
Here is some of the thought process:
Image: Balancing but not a scale, more like a mobile or Venn Diagram – Different colors, different sizes, not an even distribution. Overlapping shapes to show commonality.
Colors: pastel were trendy and “happy”, changed to autumn colors for a cozy, coffee conversation between friends feeling with a touch of seriousness.
Font: White to stand out, especial for those with color blindnesssince the logo is red and blue. Serif font is easier for those with dyslexia and reading disorders. Something semi-formal but not Times new Roman.
The Balancing Cultures logo…it’s actually the second logo. The first one, along with my first 2 months of graphics, was lost with an account switch. So, I took the chance to touch it up a bit and make what you see today.
Is this the logo forever? Not necessarily. I am always reflecting and considering. If we can change, so can our logos. Is this balancing? I think it is. Branding and all that goes with it comes from the influences that taught us what visually represents different moods and feelings. More about that for another day.
How Did We Meet?
First thing, thank you to everyone who said yes to sharing their story on Balancing Cultures. Without you, there is no podcast.
When I first started podcasting, I needed to convince people I knew to be on an unknown, unpublished show.
For the first 6 months, it was mostly friends and family before I felt established enough to ask “strangers” to join me for conversations.
Here are a few connections revealed in chronological order:
I met Euan Rannachan in 8th grade when we were science lab partners directing a frog.
I worked with Rebecca Eisenberg on the Penn State hummer magazine, Phroth. While Meghan Foley and I were college roommates.
I met Katie Roessler at an “expecting mom” cafe meet up and stayed in touch since we had the same due date. She’s the one who said… what about a podcast?
The Balancing Cultures Newsletter will be “more than monthly” – Meaning more than once a month but less than every week. I promise not to flood your inbox.