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Pass the Mic: Celebrating 25 episodes podcast Q&A!
Episode 264th October 2023 • Real conversations about aging parents • Rebecca Tapia, MD
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Welcome!

In this episode I pass the mic to Liz as we discuss the podcast itself, how it's meant to connect with others and where we are heading in the future.

Want to be a guest? contact me at

story@rebeccatapiamd.com


Caveats:

  • This is a judgement free zone
  • There are no "shoulds" allowed, we live in curiosity
  • Take what works well for you, leave the rest!
  • This podcast is for informational purposes only; it is not intended as formal legal, financial or medical advice

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Rebecca

Disclaimer: The information presented on this podcast is solely for information purposes. We do not provide medical, legal, financial, or other professional advice through this podcast and we are not responsible for any errors or omissions. It is your responsibility to seek advice from a licensed professional. Any actions you take are done at your own risk.

Transcripts

Speaker:

MacBook Air Microphone: Hello.

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So I have something new for

us today that is going to be.

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A pass the mic episode, the first

where I take the microphone and have

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somebody else ask me a question.

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So I obviously like to be

the one asking questions.

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So this won't happen very much, but.

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Uh, thank you in advance for listening.

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I also want to just mark the occasion.

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So the reason I'm, uh, had this

type of episode today is I have.

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The first 25.

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Podcast episodes published already.

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And it has been so much fun.

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It has been something I'd

wanted to do for so long.

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And to actually have the

opportunity to do it.

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And all of the wonderful

people that have allowed.

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Me to interview them and

be part of their lives.

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You know who you are.

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I so, so much appreciate it.

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The guests that I have here make

the podcast, what it is and I can't.

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Thank you all enough.

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Thank you all for being listeners.

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We've got over 700 listeners

and 10 different countries now.

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And I am just so thrilled that

this is potentially helping

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people and starting conversations.

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And if nothing else, that there's an

extra phone call or an extra text

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message that that will make a difference

at some point, with, with these topics.

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So.

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Anyway, without further ado.

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Thank you so much for listening

and let's get started.

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Liz: Hello, everyone.

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Welcome back to another episode of

real conversations about aging parents.

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This is your host, Rebecca.

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And today I am going to pass the mic.

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So, uh, periodically throughout the

podcast, I, I think it's important

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that I'm not the one always.

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Necessarily running the conversation

and, um, like some perspectives

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and give the opportunity to other

people that are part of the project

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or listen to ask me some questions.

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So I have a very good friend of mine, Liz.

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Liz.

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Thanks for being here.

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Thank you

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for

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Liz: having me.

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So you're a, an avid listener

and I always look forward to your

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comments and constructive feedback

on the podcast as they come out.

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And , you always need that kind of

person out in the community that can

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tell you when you edited something

wrong or when something maybe came off

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better or worse than you thought it did.

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Um, so thank you for being that person

for me, that that's really helpful.

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Absolutely.

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And so what we're going to do today is

we're going to be kind of unstructured.

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I wanted to give you the mic, um,

to ask questions about my experience

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or the podcast itself or anything

that, that you think as somebody

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listening would be relevant or helpful.

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So, uh, that's my cue to stop talking.

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Great.

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Okay.

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So my first question is why

did you start the podcast?

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. So I, I love podcasts in general, and

I've been consuming the vast majority

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of information through podcasts for

probably the last five to seven years.

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And uh, just as somebody who's

traveling on the road a lot or

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with my kids and just something

very easy to consume and listen to.

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And when I hear a great podcast, I share

it with my friends through a podcast link.

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And so.

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Thank you.

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When I wanted to get more serious about

this conversation and this project,

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I had first actually started a blog.

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Nobody knows about this because

nobody read it, which is reasonable.

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And so I got on medium.

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com and started writing.

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And what I noticed was I would

spend a lot of time and I love

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to write by the way, but I would

spend a lot of time writing it.

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And then I'd spend a

lot of time editing it.

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And then I'd put it out there and it

just didn't have any staying power.

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And I realized that I could,

uh, dictate into writing.

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Um, so then I started to do

that and then I was like, why

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don't I just talk on a podcast?

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That's probably Going to cut out a

lot of the middleman and make it more

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shareable than maybe a blog post would be.

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So I'm kind of a recovered blogger.

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Um, and then I moved into thinking

that there'd be a podcast.

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And then I just got excited because I

thought it'd be fun to talk to people

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in the same medium in which I've been

operating or listening for a long time.

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So that's, that's where the idea

of the podcast came in originally.

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I thought I was going to do a

podcast on multi generational living.

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And I pushed myself, I still

have the list to write down the

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podcast topics, but I just ran out.

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I mean, there's a finite number

of things as much as I love that

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topic that I could talk about.

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And I was like, who's going to be

driving to work and listen to a

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podcast on multi generational living,

especially if that's not part of their

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life or a potential part of their life.

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Um, I, I knew the podcast would.

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Would be fun for me and my, my friends

and colleagues that have, uh, known about

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this passion I've had for a long time.

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And I wasn't going to like send them

a, a podcast on bathroom dimensions.

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And what was ironic is as I

pivoted away from that, somebody

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actually started a podcast on.

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Multi generational living.

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And I've wondered how successful that is

and they're doing it really, really well.

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So that was kind of a funny thing

that that ended up popping up anyway.

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Um, but the minute I realized that I

could talk to people about these very

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deep, complex issues of the mind and

our connections with other people,

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given my, my background, that was it.

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Like my, my head exploded and

I was like, I must do this.

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Um, I must start the podcast

and I just started recording.

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That's awesome.

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I know we're certainly glad that you

have, um, really enjoyed, enjoyed

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listening to them and learning more.

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Each one makes me and my family

take a deep dive into the topic.

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So thank you for doing that.

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My next question is, um.

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What is the most surprising

aspect of the podcast so far?

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Well, that I, that I've been doing it.

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Um, I'm in a weird state of my kind of

professional life right now, making a

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lot of transitions and the fact that

it gets published every Wednesday

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has been a huge accomplishment.

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But other than the surprise of that, um,

I, when I started out, I thought that

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the podcast was going to reach people.

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Like me that are worried are

supporting aging parents.

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And what I have been surprised about

are the number of people that have

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picked it up as an aging parent.

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And listen to it and thought, Oh my God,

I don't want my kids worrying about this.

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Or, you know, I'm going to have this

conversation and I get this set up.

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And every time I get one of those stories

that trickles back that, um, that this

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is beneficial or at least eyeopening

for everybody, not, I mean, I, again,

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I kind of went into it thinking the

only people that would listen would be.

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People in my boat, but it's a community

issue and that that there's change

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coming in all directions to um To be

more prepared to be more open to be

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more caring and kind on this topic I

that's been surprising to me and it's

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actually made me a little paranoid

when i'm talking because I i'm always

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very Sensitive to not come off as like

ageist or, you know, we're here because

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people, other people are getting old.

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I mean, I'm getting old too.

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Everybody's getting older.

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And, and this is, this is geared towards

myself as well as a parent, you know?

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So, um, but yeah, as far as

surprising that that part is unusual.

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And then I realized like, you know, when

I'm talking to people in their sixties,

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They are right there in the middle.

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They, they saw their parents

alive in the eighties.

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And then they're also an, a quote unquote,

aging parent to somebody in their forties.

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And so that population has

probably been, um, one that I was

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surprised about, but they get it.

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That's the cool thing.

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When I talk to people in their

forties about this, they,

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they don't really get it.

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Um, They don't, uh, connect the same way,

uh, somebody in their, their sixties.

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And so I've, I've really enjoyed

kind of being surprised by that.

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Um, so as someone who's Um, in my late forties, I, I am, these, these

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topics do, do resonate with me because,

you know, I have aging parents and

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I also, you know, I am a parent and

what was surprising to me is that.

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My 30 year old daughter is

benefiting from these as well.

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I did not think she would be a

demographic who would listen to

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this type of podcast, but she is.

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And, you know, she looks forward to

them every Wednesday, just like I do.

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And, um, and it's.

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It's, it's helped our conversation

about, you know, how we will do things

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or how, you know, um, we will handle

things as, as I age or expectations

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that, that maybe I have or, or she has.

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Um, so that's been interesting to me.

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All right.

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So my next question is, um, which is this.

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I'm really curious.

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So how long does it actually take

to create each podcast episode?

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Uh, so they're, the episodes

are varying quality for sure.

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Um, the actual, from start to

finish, probably three to four hours.

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Wow.

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Um, because you've You know, find somebody

you work through, you know, whether

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or not they want to be a guest and the

privacy issues and make sure they're

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comfortable and then follow up and then

set up the recording almost always end

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up rescheduling between one of the,

one of the, both of us, a time or two.

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And then the actual

recording is the raw file.

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And then I go back and.

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And, um, that, that's also a varying

quality and I have some that I haven't

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been able to edit back to, to what

I consider a standard to publish

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that they're just sitting around.

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Um, and that's my, they're mostly the

ones I record on my own and then just

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can't stand when I listen back to them.

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Um, but a lot of the conversations

that I put out there are much

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longer than what you actually hear.

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Um, and I try to keep

them drive timable, like.

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Less than an hour for most of them

and less than that, even more ideal.

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So not heavily edited to like

change the substance, but the

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pauses and the, that kind of thing.

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And just try to go back

and crunch them up.

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Um, my daughter, the eight

year old does help me with

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editing as if it's not obvious.

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That's editing is, is not great.

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And, um, there's a couple of times

I've published a blank episode.

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That was embarrassing.

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Um, I mentioned this in a different

episode upcoming, but I have a

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tortoise in the same room where I...

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Record the podcast.

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And so I could hear the tortoise in the

podcast when I'm listening back to it.

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It's a thumping sound in the back.

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Um, but that's the best place

for me to record in the house.

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Uh, but yeah, it, it definitely, and I

go back and I read it a couple of times.

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I listened to it.

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Um, so by the time I've actually

published it, it's been three

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or four hours per episode.

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Wow.

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That's quite a time commitment for sure.

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It's fun though.

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I like it.

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It's never, it doesn't

feel like work to me.

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I, I, I love the topic and I love,

um, what's going out and I can see

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the potential to start conversations.

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And so just that part of my brain, um,

it, it, it, I look forward to doing it.

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I don't look at it like, Oh my God.

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Now, if I'm running late that there's

one podcast where I interviewed

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my kids and that was because I

had recorded one and I couldn't.

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I didn't like it and it

was really late in the day.

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And, um, and so then I grabbed

my kids and did those interviews.

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So that didn't take three

hours because they were here.

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Um, but yeah, so that's,

that's pretty much standard.

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I could do it in shorter periods

for shorter episodes, but yeah.

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Cool.

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That's good to know.

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And I will say, I think your,

your editing skills have

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improved since the first episode.

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Thank you.

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Right?

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Or your, your, uh, the

sound quality, et cetera.

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So you're just getting better and

better the more, the more you do.

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So my next question is, um, how many

podcasts do you think you'll do?

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So going back to when I talked about the

multi generational podcast that never

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happened, I was like, I could probably

do 50 and cover most of the topics.

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But when I switched to doing

conversations, I was like,

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there's millions of stories.

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I'll never run out of people.

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To find to tell me a story.

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Um, and so I know the potential

there is unlimited that there's way

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more people with stories and I have

Wednesdays left in my natural life.

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So I knew that was good.

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But going into it.

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I had this idea that I would do 100

And just see what happened and see,

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so I thought I would, um, watch the

growth, watch the uptake, you know,

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see if it was still resonating.

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Um, I certainly don't want to

do the podcast just for myself

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to listen to, but, um, yeah.

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So I'd set out doing a hundred.

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Hopefully I'll get way past.

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that, but that's two years of podcasting

and that's way more than most podcasts.

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Get most of them fizzle out right

about now, actually somewhere

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between 20 and 50 podcasts.

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They kind of go out with a lot of

steam and then they, um, publish

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and then they realize it takes a

lot of work and, um, and it's some

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organizational skills to, to do it.

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And I think, you know,

it's easy to lose sight of.

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I had also considered one point, just

doing a series, like knowing it would be.

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Say 50 episodes and then just saying

that from the beginning, like, okay,

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one of 50, two of 50, three of 50,

but I don't know if I, I didn't want

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to limit myself like that because

they're, they're too much fun.

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And I keep promising to do these

follow up episodes because I really

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want to, and there's people that

have things happening in their life

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that I'm going to follow up on.

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And I think that's part of

the conversation, right?

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Right.

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A couple.

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Yeah.

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I have on deck for next year already that

I, I can't wait to do and, and follow up.

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So that's awesome.

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That, that would be neat because I know

some of them where you have talked about

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following up, I, I definitely would

like a, a follow up on some of those,

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um, just to see how things work out.

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I'm really curious to see how,

how Anne's doing and, , what

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became of, her situation.

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She, she was back in episode seven

and I just reached out to her.

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She's moving in November of this year.

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So I'm thinking spring of 2024,

I'm going to come back around.

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Would be a good time.

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Yeah.

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For sure.

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Yeah.

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That's awesome.

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Um, so.

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What are you hoping people will

do as a result of listening?

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I think have a conversation.

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I think that's the most important thing.

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And I struggled with even

what to name the podcast.

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I had some like, you

know, quirky, fun names.

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And I had read this advice about

naming the podcast exactly what it is.

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So people knew like, it was just

like, that's instead of something

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abstract, you know, they were

like, that's, that's what that is.

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And so it has this very vanilla name, but

really the intent is the name as well.

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And it's real conversations

with aging parents.

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Is the intent of this podcast and, um,

or, you know, vice versa, so the aging

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parent having these conversations,

because that's, if I had to pick the

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one thing that I can't materialize in

the middle of a medical crisis for a

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patient, it's a prior conversation.

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I can't.

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There's no prescription for that.

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There is no, um, way to recreate that

time when that conversation could

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have been had, um, prior to this.

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And, and I, and I know I don't talk

about this a lot on the show, but

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I have extensive experience with

patients in a coma and other severe

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traumatic brain injury type outcomes.

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And they, they don't,

they can't communicate.

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Anymore because of the brain injury and

so those conversations are amplified

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the ones that they have with their

family all become amplified because

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that was their last communication from

a healthy normal working brain and and

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I just in general value conversations.

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I talk a lot, you know, I have a lot of.

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Um, activities in our house.

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We always have people over and dinners

and that's just a part of our lives.

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But I, if anybody hears anything,

um, I want it to inspire a difficult

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conversation, um, because that is

prevention for some of the, um,

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pain and suffering that I see.

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in a hospital setting.

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And, and that would mean the most

to me that it, it led to that.

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And I would say second to that, there's

a lot of difficult stories on, uh, the

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podcast and that is intentional as well,

because I, if anybody can hear themselves.

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In somebody else's story, um, especially

stories that are, aren't quite as rosy as

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others, um, to give them some community

to give them some, uh, validation or,

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uh, just less isolation in that topic.

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Like, what if I don't have a

good relationship with my parent?

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What if I'm estranged from my parent?

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What if my parent is abusive?

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What if, what if, what if, and

I will continue to seek out the

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diversity of stories for that reason.

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Um, so people can identify everybody who

can find something they identify with.

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Uh, throughout the stories and, and that

alone, I think is also something that,

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that you could take away or even giving

context or empathy to other people.

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So if you were blessed to grow up with,

you know, the number one parents, triple

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A, five star parents, and you have a,

a friend that's Not dealing with that,

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and it will give some context to that

and how that could be more difficult.

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And, um, maybe some of the

more challenging decisions

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that they have to make as well.

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So those are probably the two things.

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So conversations and community,

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that's awesome.

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Yeah.

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And I, as far as I'm concerned,

that's definitely, um, what,

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what's happening, um, for us.

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I know.

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And I'm sure, I'm sure

I'm not alone in that.

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Um, so how do you, how do you find guests?

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So I started by interviewing everybody I

knew, um, but, but quickly I was able to

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find people that knew people that I knew.

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And then it just started going from there.

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And more recently I've had people

just reach out as listeners or, um,

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somebody found me on the internet.

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Um, and then I'm in a bunch

of different communities,

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especially physician communities.

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And I'm always.

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Um, looking for, uh, people with

stories and so that's been good, too.

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And, uh, the experts,

that's even been fun.

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Um, I didn't originally plan to

interview experts, but I, I think

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that's a, I mean, I have the same

questions everybody else has, right?

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So, yeah, but, but I have a

forum to go find the people that

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I want to pick their brain and.

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Um, if there's anything that I enjoy

doing, it's picking other people's brains.

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And so doing that in that setting, that

means that I don't have to turn around

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and go tell all my friends what I learned

from an estate lawyer or something.

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I could just send them the link.

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It's so much easier.

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Um, but yeah, so I'll continue to

find, I think the key experts in

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these areas and, and, you know,

talk to them sometimes repeatedly.

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Um, but so yeah, it's

still, it's still early.

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Um, I don't, I don't feel like I'll

have a shortage of that, but I'm always

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keeping in mind again, that diversity

of trying to find people with different

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viewpoints, , I'd like to develop, um,

more diversity with the, , religious and

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cultural, , standpoints as well, because

that, that varies, that's a huge factor

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in how people think about their parents.

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Um, so, uh, anyway, yeah.

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So that's how I find them.

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:

And anybody who's listening

that wants to be on the.

369

:

Podcast.

370

:

They could always email me.

371

:

The email address is story.

372

:

S T O R Y at Rebecca Tapia md.

373

:

com.

374

:

And I can put that in the show notes.

375

:

Right.

376

:

That would be helpful.

377

:

So what's next for the

podcast or in my life?

378

:

Yes.

379

:

Yes.

380

:

All of the above.

381

:

Um, no, I, in, in the, in

the podcast specifically.

382

:

I love, I, um, I love doing it.

383

:

What's next is, um, I think taking

what I did the first 25 times and,

384

:

um, , growing it, making it better.

385

:

Eventually I'll More

professionally edit the podcast.

386

:

So what would be next would be actually

having them professionally sound edited.

387

:

But until that point, we're going to,

well, it's makeshift it's tortoise time.

388

:

I mean, it's, it's, uh, it's fine.

389

:

Um, and the truth is these

conversations don't happen in a

390

:

professional sound environment.

391

:

, . Um, this is the first, , past the mic

I'm doing, but I have two or three in

392

:

the works that I think will be good.

393

:

And I think you'll hear a

different part of me if somebody

394

:

else is talking to me versus me

talking to the microphone myself.

395

:

And, um, and that'll help.

396

:

That'll challenge me, I think, to be

to, to, yeah, just Think differently

397

:

and give different answers than I

would if I was just asking myself.

398

:

But yeah, I will continue doing, I

think next year, I think this, the

399

:

next, uh, 12 to 18 months are going

to be really fun again, because we've

400

:

already built so many cool stories

that are happening in real time.

401

:

And I don't know of a lot of

other podcasts that do that.

402

:

Um, usually once they have a guest

on, I mean, that's, it's a one time,

403

:

uh, thing and it's usually like a

promotional thing or something, but

404

:

now, um, we have real life stories.

405

:

There's a real life people there.

406

:

going to come back and say,

Oh, you know what I said?

407

:

Here's, here's what really happened.

408

:

Right.

409

:

Yeah.

410

:

Well, and, and, and in that regard, I

would also say, um, or I'd like to say

411

:

not to be so hard on yourself about

the, uh, the sound because part of it

412

:

does make it feel like, like, You're

having a conversation with, with a

413

:

friend when I'm listening, I feel like

I'm having a conversation, you know, or

414

:

I'm part of your conversation, um, you

know, so, so you're keeping it real.

415

:

Well, I'm going to put

that in my show notes.

416

:

Liz said to keep it real and I don't

have to obsessively sound edit these.

417

:

What's funny, and this is probably

too much information, but there's

418

:

a cool setting in the editing

software I use called Studio Sound,

419

:

but it makes me sound like a frog.

420

:

But it cleans up the audio beautifully.

421

:

Um, and I used it with the, uh, the

podcast with Cecilia and it still bothers

422

:

me how, how the sound is on that one,

but that's, that's a beautiful podcast

423

:

and I've just left it that way, but, um,

that's just an example of, there is a

424

:

lot of tools that can clean that up, but.

425

:

Um, sometimes at the expense of the tone,

the tone gets messed up a little bit.

426

:

So if you ever hear me sounding

like a frog, it's because of

427

:

the, the, the software editing.

428

:

And it's much faster for me to sound

like a frog and have it clean than

429

:

me to go back and do it manually.

430

:

So there, yeah, that's it.

431

:

So now we know.

432

:

Yes.

433

:

Well, great.

434

:

This was, this was fun.

435

:

Is there anything, I appreciate you giving

me this opportunity to have the mic.

436

:

Thank you.

437

:

Thank you.

438

:

Um, is there anything else that you'd

like to share with us before we go?

439

:

Um, so I'm going to tell people,

um, a little secret, which is

440

:

you were one of the first people

I recorded and I learned a lot.

441

:

I know.

442

:

I know you're going to turn red now.

443

:

And I learned a lot from the

recording, but I wanted to make a

444

:

point that by the time we were done,

the most important thing to me is

445

:

that somebody is comfortable and

that this is a very private topic.

446

:

And when I'm interviewing

somebody that I know in real life.

447

:

That can be really challenging because

we know a lot of the same people

448

:

and, um, I say this because I want

to, if anybody's wondering, reassure

449

:

it, there are things I've recorded

that I don't end up publishing.

450

:

Um, it's even after I record them,

I always send and, you know, ask

451

:

for edits or make sure they're okay.

452

:

Um, and, and those are the ones that

will end up actually in the podcast

453

:

and, and I know that was hard for

you and it was actually a really.

454

:

Um, one of my first interviews.

455

:

So it was kind of choppy on my end,

but eventually I would like to find a

456

:

way to, I think you have an incredible

story and a lot to share and, um,

457

:

find a way to do that, but that's

just an example of that, you know,

458

:

the, again, the, the baseline here is

these are private issues and that's

459

:

one of the main reasons we only really

use first names unless somebody asks.

460

:

Or tells me that they're going

to use a second name so people

461

:

can find them their last name.

462

:

So, uh, for a couple of people,

they've been like, Oh, you can find

463

:

me on Instagram and they're very open.

464

:

But for everybody else, we're

using either a first name or even

465

:

a pseudonym, uh, for many of them.

466

:

Um, and if that allows them to be

candid and, um, I think that's,

467

:

uh, you know, that that's good.

468

:

So I, I do appreciate

you doing that recording.

469

:

I know we can, uh, eventually go back

and do something again, but you're

470

:

right in the middle of it, right?

471

:

I would like to redeem myself.

472

:

That was a terrible recording.

473

:

No, it wasn't!

474

:

Well, um, anytime I ask you questions

about, you know, your family and you

475

:

know your family will listen to this,

that's, that's different than me

476

:

asking somebody I've never met in a

different state that there's no chance

477

:

anybody's ever going to find this.

478

:

So, so anyway, it taught me a lot

and I appreciate you being willing

479

:

to be one of the first people that.

480

:

I was like, yeah, let's do an interview.

481

:

But it was a good early lesson of, I, it

helped me develop my standard of like,

482

:

um, this isn't meant to hurt anybody.

483

:

This isn't meant to

make anybody sleepless.

484

:

And so if, if I ever get into that again,

you know, those, um, I have a much clearer

485

:

picture of kind of how to handle that.

486

:

So I'm glad that it was

beneficial in some way.

487

:

So, so now the listeners, the

listeners know if you have a, uh,

488

:

a, um, A recording with a robotic

sounding voice is going to be me.

489

:

We just talked about this.

490

:

I was like, Oh, I could disguise your

voice, but everything was so obvious.

491

:

It was like, because your

story is so unique, though.

492

:

I mean, your story is so,

um, is so individualized.

493

:

And so the coolest thing, another

thing was that came out of when I

494

:

did the recording with you, your

daughter was there and She's 30.

495

:

Right.

496

:

Um, and so I thought she was in the

corner on her phone, , and wasn't really

497

:

paying attention, which I wasn't wanting

her to it was just like, I noticed she

498

:

was in the same area, but seemed kind

of paying attention to something else.

499

:

And so I wasn't even talking to you

thinking that she was listening at all.

500

:

And the coolest thing, and I do

have this part recorded, is when

501

:

I turned it off, and she was like,

wait a minute, what does this mean?

502

:

And she just had this, like,

these wheels start turning.

503

:

And then I thought, okay, if, if a

30 year old on their phone is like

504

:

feeling connected to this topic,

um, that could be really cool.

505

:

Like maybe I'm too narrow in my scope

of who I think might benefit from this.

506

:

Absolutely.

507

:

Absolutely.

508

:

You're right.

509

:

It's happening to all of us that,

you know, even if you're even

510

:

your kids have aging parents.

511

:

Yes.

512

:

Yeah, absolutely aging parents.

513

:

And hopefully it will benefit them

in the future as well, you know,

514

:

and they they can listen to these

Um, as they get older, right?

515

:

Yeah.

516

:

Let me give you some other, um, titles

of what I thought I was going to call it.

517

:

So one was, um, what to expect when

you're expecting aging parents.

518

:

Oh, I thought that'd be fun.

519

:

Um, and then another was kind of silly.

520

:

It was like, Supporting

your boomer parents.

521

:

And then that was kind of dumb,

but anyway, so I went through it.

522

:

I was trying to make it catchy

and it ended up being the lamest

523

:

title ever, but then it's so

clean, which is exactly what it is.

524

:

It's perfect.

525

:

Yeah.

526

:

Anyway.

527

:

But yeah, no, it's, it's been

really fun and I'm glad we got to.

528

:

Absolutely and I think some of the

conversations are, um, like for me

529

:

personally, it has, it spurred me on to,

um, getting my funeral plan set up and

530

:

I'm 48, you know, and my husband thought,

but, you know, why are you doing that now?

531

:

You know, we don't, we

don't need that right now.

532

:

And, um, You know, but

it's, it's inevitable.

533

:

It's going to happen to all of us.

534

:

So why not?

535

:

Why not now?

536

:

Um, you know, I think it's,

it's, it's, it's really starting

537

:

some good conversations.

538

:

So.

539

:

Yeah.

540

:

And you, um, I mean, we'll get more into

your story in a future episode, but you.

541

:

Are also a widow as well.

542

:

Right.

543

:

Before you got remarried,

you've already been through the

544

:

young age of losing a spouse.

545

:

And so I think you're probably in a

different head space of, you know,

546

:

this Canon does happen and it is tough.

547

:

And how do I make it

easier for everybody else?

548

:

So we, we don't have to open that

topic here, but I, but, but yeah.

549

:

You say that with a very special

context as well of, of knowing

550

:

what it's like to go through that.

551

:

So absolutely, . And I don't think

I mentioned this to you before, but

552

:

it also, um, my mom went with me.

553

:

Um, and so she planned

her funeral as, as well.

554

:

So that's a win.

555

:

That's awesome.

556

:

Yeah, totally a win.

557

:

So, um, so that, that was good.

558

:

My grandmother that lives

with us, uh, Nana, uh, she.

559

:

She planned everything a long time ago,

and she planned it all the way down to

560

:

the songs that she would allow to be sung

at the, uh, service, her favorite songs.

561

:

And so I always thought that was, I will,

of course, when I heard that the first

562

:

time I was like, that's kind of creepy.

563

:

And then later, I was like,

why the hell not, right?

564

:

You're not planning, planning your party.

565

:

Right.

566

:

So, um, yeah, so that's the way

I, I, I, I think about it, but,

567

:

um, but thanks for sharing that.

568

:

Yeah.

569

:

Yeah, for sure.

570

:

Well, this was fun.

571

:

Thank you again for allowing

me to be the guest host.

572

:

Absolutely.

573

:

Yeah, I'll have you back in the future.

574

:

We got a lot of things to talk about.

575

:

We do.

576

:

Um, and I'm taking notes on my current

situation and that we can, um,

577

:

talk about it on a future episode.

578

:

That's like one or two

margaritas before the podcast.

579

:

I've never had a margarita

before any podcast, but for that

580

:

one, that might be possible.

581

:

Yeah, yeah, we might have to.

582

:

Well, thank you, Liz.

583

:

You mean a lot to me and to the show.

584

:

And I just thank you for being

a part of it and coming up

585

:

with some great questions.

586

:

And I will talk to you soon.

587

:

Sounds good.

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