What Ten Cities Taught Me About Making a Podcast

I did not know what I was doing when I started this.

That's not false modesty. I had journalism training, years of writing experience, and strong opinions about storytelling. What I didn't have was any idea how hard it is to make something that sounds simple.

Here's what ten cities actually taught me:

The story you plan is never the story you make. Tokyo was supposed to be about ambition and discipline. It ended up being about loneliness and belonging. The city decided. I just showed up with a microphone.

Production value matters less than point of view. Some of my best-received episodes were technically imperfect. Listeners forgave the rough edges because they felt something. They don't forgive a polished episode that says nothing.

The local music changed everything. Using artists from each city wasn't just a creative choice…I’d like to think it has become a part of the show's identity. Every episode sounds like where it lives. That wasn't in the original plan when I started kicking this idea around. (And hopefully you have discovered some new music you wouldn’t have otherwise!).

Shipping is a practice. The first few episodes nearly killed me with self-editing. The later ones got easier… not because they were less important, but because I learned that done and imperfect beats perfect and invisible every time.

The listener always knows more than you think. People who live in the cities I covered pushed back, added context, caught things I missed. That feedback made the show better and reminded me this was never supposed to be one person's monologue.

Ten cities. Ten lessons. Season 2 starts with all of them already inside it.

EVERYCITY WHISPERS

KNOW THE WORLD. KNOW THYSELF.

hello@everycitywhispers.com

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