What I'm Thinking About...

Building EveryCity Whispers is a creative challenge, but also a mental one. Between storytelling, tech, growth, and self-doubt, there’s a lot on my mind.

This is a snapshot of everything I’m thinking through as I try to make something meaningful, one episode at a time.

🎧 Creative & Editorial

• Do I have any stories worth telling? Is this interesting to anyone besides me?

• How do I balance personal narrative with cultural insight?

• Are my thoughts structured well enough—or am I just wandering?

• Is the sound design enhancing or distracting?

• I have a million ideas for creative variants of my logo? What are the best few to go with, and should I test them somehow?

• Am I leaving enough space for emotion?

🛠 Production & Workflow

• How do I make this sound great without spending 40 hours per episode?

• What’s my actual workflow from idea → publish?

• Can I realistically sustain a monthly “cornerstone” episode and weekly minis?

• What’s the backup plan if I miss a week?

🌐 Website & Tech

• Does the website reflect the tone of the podcast?

• Should I custom-build this or use templates?

• Am I using the right tools (Sanity, Next.js, Stripe)?

• Where do transcripts, show notes, and links live?

• How do I embed episodes without it looking clunky?

• Should I build a city map or visual episode archive?

🗣 Voice & Identity

• Does this sound like me?

• Is the tone too polished? Too raw?

• Am I being vulnerable or performative?

• What’s the line between storytelling and oversharing?

• Would I want to listen to this if I didn’t make it?

📈 Growth & Audience

• How do I grow without turning into a content machine? How do I balance knowing what platform algorithms reward (frequently published nonsense) vs. wanting to respect my audience and only give them thoughtful, quality work?

• Should I be on TikTok, Twitter, LinkedIn… all of the above?

• How do I build community without burning out?

• Am I talking to people or at them?

• What’s the simplest way to invite someone to care?

💸 Monetization & Sustainability

• Should I set up “Buy Me a Coffee” now or wait?

• Will I ever make money from this—or do I even want to?

• Is it okay if this never scales?

• If I do monetize, how do I keep it aligned with the soul of the show?

😬 Internal Stuff

• Am I procrastinating or genuinely reworking?

• Why do I feel so much anxiety when it’s time to publish, an episode or even a promotional post?

• Is this just self-expression—or does it actually matter?

• What if I put everything into this and no one shows up?

• What if people do show up?