Meet Azielia. She works in corporate by day and co-hosts a podcast by night. Her podcast He Says, She Says, They Say encourages candid conversations about controversial and slightly taboo topics.
What is your podcast He Says, She Says, They Say all about? How did the idea come to be?
He Says, She Says, They Say is a podcast about different views on somewhat serious and taboo topics like cancel culture and incels. We invite guest speakers that have experience or expertise on a topic. Even though the topics we cover often revolve around serious issues, it’s important that we use humour as a tool to make sure our listeners find it not only informational, but also a fun podcast to listen to!
Prior to the podcast, my co-host and I have been old friends and without meaning to, always end up debating - especially on gender issues. We have really interesting conversations because of that - his view versus mine. So I introduced the idea of podcasting to him where we could share our different perspectives with others and that was how we ended up launching our first episode in December 2020 on the topic of mental load.
What comes first? The topic or the speaker?
Most of the time the topic comes first and we both think that's more important because we feel like the speakers are easier to find. The topic is fundamental for us to structure - the angle, whether or not the right things are addressed so we don’t end up echoing people who have already covered the issue at hand. For the topics, we tend to look at Twitter trends, political news, Reddit, etc. That's why it's interesting to have this “male versus female” perspective because what I find valuable for me might not necessarily be a topic of particular importance or interest for my co-host.
What did you learn from the first few podcasts that you’ve applied to your more recent ones?
My editing skills definitely got faster and my visuals got a lot better! As the podcast started gaining more traction though, we became more wary of the kind of things we shared to ensure that our guest speakers are comfortable with the episodes being published locally and internationally. We have a responsibility to make sure that all parties are in support of the podcast. At the end of the day, we want it to be honest and fun.
What’s your most favourite part and least favourite part of co-hosting a podcast?
My favourite part would be engaging with the guest speaker, no matter what their ranks are, in a good and comical way. I feel like we are lucky enough to have a platform where we can leverage on the humour without the podcast coming off as too serious. We record a new introduction for each episode and always manage to get the guest laughing which helps to set the tone. I don't have a least favourite part but I will tell you that having a podcast in general is exhausting because of the post production process. For one episode, I allocate a full day. But then it depends. If the guests feel like the recording still needs to be edited, then it could be more than that.
What advice would you give to someone looking to start their own podcast?
YouTube is a very important tool. Definitely try to see if you’re willing to put in the work by experiencing it through others online first. Most importantly, figure out why you want to start a podcast. I think a lot of people now are excited to start something (which is great and it gives a creative outlet to express yourself) but at the same time, having a podcast is a lot of work so you need to know what drives you to have one. Pick a theme that can still be enjoyable after the 100th episode. So don’t forget to think about the long run too!
