🤩 Optimism & Gratitude 🙏🏾

Sounds Like Impact: A newsletter for audio and action

Banner for Sounds Like Impact: audio and actions to help make waves.

Welcome to Sounds Like Impact!

This edition we celebration National Optimism Month with guest curator Bill Burke, and I send shoutouts to some of my favorite women in podcasting!

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ICYMI: Last week we had a guest curation from Camille Laurente of Hueman Group Media about finding joy in activism.

😃 Finding Joy in Activism

Community: #SoundsLikeImpact community member Maya Chupkov, of Proud Stutter podcast, is giving a FREE workshop on DIY podcast PR tomorrow! 3/14

Opportunity: 1619 Education Impact Grant due 4/15

Request: I would love your feedback on this newsletter as it approaches one year!

We are 7 subscribers shy of 700! Seems auspicious. Will you share this newsletter with someone in you life? 🤗

🎧 #AudioForAction Theme of the Week

Finding Optimism in 2024

Playlist cover for ‘Finding Optimism in 2024’ by Bill Burke

The last few years have been challenging for all of us – we’re burnt out, exhausted, overwhelmed. I don’t need to tell you about this… you are probably experiencing some of this yourself. Optimism in the face of these challenges seems like a trite response. And that’s exactly why I wanted to curate this list. Optimism has positive mental, physical, and emotional wellbeing impacts and it’s more accessible than you probably think. These shows are not full of toxic positivity, but instead highlight how we can navigate real challenges and adversity with an optimistic mindset, and how powerful that can be in our daily lives.

-Bill Burke, Founder of The Optimism Institute

Reminder: To guest curate, be interviewed, advertise and more, click here.

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Podcast covers for The Science of Happiness, Untangle: Mindfulness for Curious Humans, Blue Sky Podcast, How to Fail with Elizabeth Day and TED Talks Daily,

• Blue Sky, Bestselling Author and Podcast/TV Host Kelly Corrigan on Why She Believes There is “A Pretty Big Payoff To Every Hard Moment,” and “There’s No Feeling as Good as Being Useful to Someone

  This extra special episode, Kelly shares the deep impact a positive outlook has had on her life and career, like how facing her own cancer diagnosis gave her greater empathy for others, and how her career gave her greater appreciation for how intellectual humility is a key ingredient for an optimistic outlook.

• TED Talks Daily, Life’s an obstacle course – here’s how to navigate it / Maryam Banikarim

  TED is always full of insightful, inspiring stories. This one is from Maryam, a community activist and leader, who shares a framework for survival during difficult times – seeing obstacles as an obstacle course to be curious about – a positive way to rethink some of life’s toughest hurdles.

• How To Fail with Elizabeth Day, Dan Levy on Overcoming Rejection and Harnessing Grief

  Optimism doesn’t mean everything goes right - it is more a signifier of how you react when things (inevitably!) go wrong. This episode is a perfect example of overcoming some of life’s biggest challenges with a favorite funny actor – Dan Levy.

• Untangle, Show Up As The Most Powerful Version of Yourself. With Anese Cavanaugh

  Untangle is all about living your best life, and this episode dives into how to be intentional with your leadership, energy, and connections and why how you show up matters – great lessons from the brilliant award-winning speaker, author and teacher Anese Cavanaugh.

• The Science of Happiness, Why Grownups Should Be Playful Too

  The Science of Happiness is chock-full of research-backed strategies for a happier and more meaningful life and this episode is no exception – it is a great reminder about why acts as small as dancing in the rain to singing karaoke can bring more presence, child-like joy and happiness into our lives.

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📣 Spotlights

I was gifted a mug that has the podcast cover of Degrees: Real talk about planet-saving careers! Thank you Yesh and Amy!

For the spotlight this week, in honor of Women’s History Month, I want to share some women in podcasting who have helped me or accompanied me on my journey in podcasting, especially after I was part of the first wave of mass layoffs at Spotify in January 2023 (yes, media layoffs got me too!).

It’s a few weeks to a year of this newsletter, and I’m not sure where I would be without the thoughtful advice and support from these women; I’m so grateful.

If you are not already familiar with the work of these individuals, please make sure to check out their work!

P.S. This list may get cut off in email so please open the entire post.

• Juleyka Lantigua, Founder of LWC Studios

• Elaine Appleton Grant, Founder of Podcast Allies & Host of Sound Judgment

  • The Degrees S6 team, an Environmental Defense Fund co-production with Podcast Allies – Tressa, Stephanie, Tina, Yesh, Amy,Mia Lobel

• Arielle Nissenblatt, Community Marketing at Descript + Creator of Earbuds Podcast Collective

• Alexandra Cohl, Audience Development at Slate + Creator of Podcasting by the Moon

• Ivana Tucker, Founder of Moso Haus

• Camille Laurente, Founder of Hueman Group Media

• Natalie Tulloch, VP of Audio at Hello Sunshine—congrats on your first show!

• Christabel Nsiah-Buadi, Creator of AudioDiaspora

• Rekha Murthy, Podcast Strategist

• Joanne Griffith, Chief Content Office of American Public Media

• Priscilla Alabi, Writer, storyteller and producer

• Ruxandra Guidi, Co-founder of Fonografia Collective

• Adesuwa Agbonile, Storyteller and myth-maker

• Meggan Ellingboe, Strategic Communications Professional

• Frances Harlow, Co-Founder of Arcana Audio

• Ivy Le, Creator of FOGO

• Mackensie Freeman, PR at Sunshine Sachs Morgan & Lylis

• Morgan Swift & Madison Richards, Marketing at The Podglomerate

• And the entire Tink Media team! Lauren Passell , Aakshi , Devin Ilana Nevins , Shreya Sharma , Andreea Coscai

Some of these folks I had the pleasure of working with, some were connections through others, some were chance encounters and some were so kind to accept cold outreach.

I’ll stop here for now, but I also want to acknowledge all of the wonderful women who have guest curated and participated in interviews for Sounds Like Impact; more acknowledgement to come on that front!

Truly, thank you all! 💚