Making It

Really proud to present this episode where I speak to Geoblu, an artist, interviewer and event host. Growing up in NW London, Geo started making music at a young age and moved on to also hosting radio shows, such as on ITCH FM. We speak about building resilience, getting recognition for his music and how his passion has shifted towards interviewing and running events. Having made his own music, Geo is in a great position to give really interesting interviews over on his ‘GeoPresents’ youtube channel where he's featured the likes of Sainte, Feux and Kamikaze and he describes these interviews as an enriching, almost spiritual, experience that give him an insight into someone’s outlook on life. Geo has also hosted multiple events bringing together sick lineups and amazing vibes and we talk about the ins and outs of these events, covering the skills he's gained and the way he plans on scaling.  Have a listen to hear about his journey over the past few years, lockdown, thinking strategically about promoting music and events and much more! And make sure you follow him to see when the next event is on;)  Check him out on Instagram: @GeoBluLdn @GeoPresents  And 'GeoPresents' on Youtube!  Follow and rate the podcast @themakingitpodcast :)!  (Music by Wataboi: U Said It - https://soundcloud.com/wataboi/u-said-it-soundcloud)

Thursday 3rd March is University Mental Health Day 2022 and it was only right I opened up about my experience with mental health at university. University definitely has its highs and lows and it's often framed as 'the best time of your life' so in this episode, I talk about the different challenges faced by students at different points of their degree and about the key areas that negatively impacts our mental health. Social media, for some, is also a trigger that can affect our perceptions of the typical university experience and make it feel like others have managed to get a grasp of this crazy 3/4 years and balance it all and make the most of it, when in reality I believe we're all much more similar than we expect. We go through the same emotions, like loneliness, and the same experiences and none of us really know what we're doing. I hope that by opening up the conversation around mental health as a student, it can reassure others that others relate and we're not alone in our low periods. If you've enjoyed this episode, rate and subscribe! And follow @themakingitpodcast on Instagram!  (Music by Wataboi: U Said It - https://soundcloud.com/wataboi/u-said-it-soundcloud)

In this episode, I reflect on turning 21 and lessons I’ve learnt up until this point. Some of the key lessons I’ve learnt include learning to use comparison positively, learning to remain positive despite rejections and accepting the sole responsibility I have to prioritise myself and my goals. Growing up, I’ve realised how much experience has made a difference on my perspective and I wanted to share my reflections and lessons in this episode. Sometimes you just haven't lived long enough and experienced enough to stumble upon certain lessons and wisdom but one year into the podcast, and another year into my life mean I've learnt some nice lessons that I hope you all find helpful and interesting!  If you enjoy, rate the podcast on Apple or Spotify and follow @themakingitpodcast on instagram for latest updates! 

Welcome to this episode featuring Daniel to talk about men's mental health. November is the global men’s mental health month, with charities like Movember, working to spread awareness for the struggles that are often silently fought. Men are subject to cultural ideals and gender norms around masculinity and 'what it means to be a man' and Samaritans have found this contributes to rising mental health struggles and higher suicide rates.  In this episode we highlight some factors impacting men’s mental health and the societal influences that prevent conversations being had. Money, academic stress, uncertainty about the future, body image, and in particular, Daniel's journey with mental health, taking anti-depressants and his advice and outlook are discussed. We also discuss the importance of discipline over motivation, having compassion for yourself at every stage of your mental health journey and social media.  If you’re struggling with your mental health or want more information, take a look at this resource. @themakingitpodcast on Instagram @Danieloflaherty_ on Instagram

I recently went on a Vipassana 10 day meditation course that is one of India's most ancient meditation techniques. Taught by S.N. Goenka, Vipassana means seeing things as they really are and it is a method of self-purification by self-observation. Going on this course means you are silent for 10 days, away from all electronic devices, waking up at 4am, sleeping at 9pm, meditating for 10 hours a day and truly dedicating yourself to the technique. A fundamental lesson you learn is about impermanence - everything in life is impermanent and we have feelings (anger, sadness, passion) that cause sensations in our body. We are conditioned and used to reacting in certain ways to these feelings and sensations, but these reactions cause us misery, as do attachments to things. Either we're craving for an experience, and hurt when it doesn't happen, or we're avoiding an experience, and hurt when it happens. If we can become able to let go of craving and aversion, as well as attachments, we can understand the universal truth of impermanence in life and purify ourselves. This is quite a bit promise and for that reason, I had to see for myself if I could uncover the roots of problems in my unconscious to positively impact my life.  In this episode, I explain the purpose behind Vipassana, why someone would do it and recount days 1-4, with my hardest days being described. This was not an easy, or short, experience, but one that promises a life-changing and long-lasting impact so I was intrigued.  Come back next Wednesday for part 2 where I recount days 5-10, give my advice, tell some stories and explain the impact its had on my life.  Subscribe and review the podcast and follow the Instagram@TheMakingItPodcast (Music by Wataboi: U Said It - https://soundcloud.com/wataboi/u-said-it-soundcloud)

University is a special time in someones life if they choose to go. It is 3/4 years where so much growing up and change happens - in so many facets of your life. It's often the first time you move away from family, live alone, have more independence, make new friends, choose what you want to do, how you want to spend your time, and money. In this episode I talk about some of the things I've realised from my first year of university and what I wish I knew. Like learning the importance of prioritising your mental health and understanding what triggers difficult emotions. How you can choose to let yourself feel your emotions and be present, but then resist sitting in those feelings once you have passed the peak. For example, sadness can come with intensity but once you pass the most intense moments of it, you can choose to move on, shift your environment and shake it off, rather than prolonging it with sad music and isolating yourself. Ultimately it's important to prioritise the relationship you have with yourself and look after yourself, in life and university especially. University also has the education and friendship aspects that can be amazing, but also challenging. You can use systems and routines that work for you to achieve your education goals and do well as well as meet your friends for life. University and this new independence also means taking the action to go towards things you're interested in is up to you and super important to do. So have a listen if you are heading to university and want to know what to expect and keep in mind, your timing is unique and there is a silver lining for every hardship and challenge at university as well as the amazing pros. Follow @TheMakingItPodcast on Instagram and follow the podcast on all podcast platforms!  (Music by Wataboi: U Said It - https://soundcloud.com/wataboi/u-said-it-soundcloud)

Inspired by two entrepreneurs talking about the challenges of doing business, I noticed certain traits that are present in many of the most successful people. They're super curious, wanting to know every part of a business, they can be bad employees (because they're not fond of traditional, less efficient ways and want to innovate), and they can see a long term vision. This vision isn't often shared by other people until the peaks of success are reached but still, the ability to believe in a vision and look into the future of what legacy you and your business can create, is inspiring and fuels entrepreneurs.  Also, building on the benefits of visualisation, it can apply here to help anyone looking to start their careers - with a wealth of knowledge out there meaning you can familiarise yourself and therefore prime yourself to be able to handle challenges better and get a head-start. If every budding entrepreneur knew the typical pitfalls and challenges they're likely to come across, they could make the plans to get more comfortable taking risk, hire that employee earlier, put in systems to protect their mental health.  Listen to this episode if you want to know about some key traits present in successful people, and how to get a head-start so you can strengthen, or develop, those traits and give you an advantage on your journey.  (Music by Wataboi: U Said It - https://soundcloud.com/wataboi/u-said-it-soundcloud)

Today I’m joined by Andreas Schellewald to talk about Tiktok. Andreas is a doctoral researcher looking into communicative forms on Tiktok and perspectives from digital ethnography, meaning he's taking a look into the categories of content created and how the memes, audios, trends, etc become a way for people to communicate.  Tiktok has the ability to connect a large amount of people and create social ties through a shared engagement with communicative forms and Andreas takes us through his method and main takeaways from his research. This academic insight into Tiktok was super interesting and also led us to discuss the algorithm. Tiktok's impressive algorithm is important for both users and creators. Users, mostly engaging with the 'for you page', can see their content page personalised based on their interactions and engagement with certain themes. And on the flip side, content creators who can understand what users enjoy and how to optimise the algorithm can build followings and careers on the popular app.  As apps, like Instagram, move to prioritise short form video content, becoming skilled at social media is becoming increasingly beneficial, if not essential, to groups like activists who need the awareness and public support for their campaigns and so this interview was an interesting look into Tiktok from an academic perspective.  If you enjoy this episode, make sure to follow @TheMakingItPodcast instagram and leave a review on Apple Podcasts! Links to Andreas: https://andreasschellewald.com/ https://research.gold.ac.uk/id/eprint/30350/ (Music by Wataboi: U Said It - https://soundcloud.com/wataboi/u-said-it-soundcloud)

Shoot your shot! I mean it... in every aspect of life, there'll be times where you want or need something and knowing when you go for it and ask the question will benefit you. You either get what you asked for or you don't - not asking in the first place guarantees your result but trying your luck is the only way to know. As well as asking and potentially achieving your ideal outcome, you build character, resilience and grit by knowing when to persist. In this episode, I give some tips to help you get what you want - know what the other person wants, how can you make their life easier and therefore make them more likely to help you out, know your reasons for wanting something and explain them, if necessary.  It's a respectable trait to be able to persist when it matters and whilst you may project thoughts and feelings that you're annoying or being an inconvenience, others likely don't care to that degree and so it's more important to push through your discomfort and ask for what you want. I recount recent incidents where it's helped me to ask for what I want and even if it's not always successful, the strength in your character is a win enough.  So shoot your shot, ask that question, be bold, be persistent and good luck!  Follow @TheMakingItPodcast on instagram and follow the podcast on all platforms!  (Music by Wataboi: U Said It - https://soundcloud.com/wataboi/u-said-it-soundcloud)

Inspired by Andrew Kirby’s youtube video about instant vs delayed gratification and the domino effect, today I talk about these and link them to another effect - the compound effect. Instant gratification is short term superficial pleasure at the cost of long-term fulfilment; whilst, delayed gratification is short term sacrifice of superficial pleasures at the reward of long term fulfilment. The Marshmallow Test showed an interesting, scientific look at self control and the choices made around instant vs delayed gratification. And a later check in on participants found those who delayed gratification exhibited higher test scores, better social skills, better responses to stress, etc, showing the benefits of DG. I talk about the domino effect of our actions such as reading on your commute instead of going on social media. That one action can have a secondary effect on your creativity, knowledge, vocabulary and then perhaps you are able to have better discussions and therefore you feel more empowered to have more, similar conversations (because you have more confidence, knowing that you have something valuable to add to conversations). This domino effect in relation to the small actions we take towards our future goals can lead to positive spirals and paired with the compound effect, which highlights the impact of actions on future growth by either positively or negative compounding, means it’s important to focus on making better choices. Check out the episode and DM me your thoughts @TheMakingItPodcast on Instagram! Follow and review the podcast if you’ve enjoyed <3 Andrew Kirby's video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OgKhXzcS70w  (Music by Wataboi: U Said It - https://soundcloud.com/wataboi/u-said-it-soundcloud)

Shadow work is one of my favourite forms of self development. It’s an introspective practice where you make the unconscious (shadow self) known to your conscious and I detail some key techniques to get you started. Firstly, the WHY technique: whether in a journal or in an internal dialogue, you can continually ask yourself ‘WHY’ to discover and explain why something is bothering you, what’s on your mind, etc. This can help you build a chain of levels, each going a bit deeper, to create a better explanation of the causes of your triggers. It can make you realise when you’re using surface level reasons to explain your feelings and can bring issues to the surface. For example, the impact of childhood on your subconscious beliefs around money, love, friendship can arise and shadow work can help you understand yourself. The benefits include greater self awareness, greater perception, more maturity and ultimately, being prepared can give you the insight and optimism to do better - feel better, understand yourself better, act better. You can also use prompts, such as “It’s okay to _____” or “I feel bothered by _____”, as templates to guide your shadow work and leave it open ended so you can dive into why that topic has come to mind and what you could express about it. From thinking about focus and discipline, I’m reminded of something I call ‘reinforced laziness’ whereby getting away with the bare minimum conditions yourself to lower the standards for yourself and this can build a resistance to deep focus and hard work and so shadow work is a tool to overcome these behaviours and attitudes you may have adopted unconsciously. @TheMakingItPodcast (Music by Wataboi: U Said It - https://soundcloud.com/wataboi/u-said-it-soundcloud)

In this episode I talk to Andrew Thorp who is passionate about storytelling in business. From working as a consultant, coach, Ted Talk speaker and podcast host, he explores the art of verbal communication and verbal PR. Together, we talk about what makes a good conversation, how to draw from your life experiences and stories and how to be interesting. The most powerful tool you have to sell yourself is your story. And most people don’t know what their story is, what it means or what they could be saying. We are all the #1 expert on our own life experiences and so the art of storytelling comes from the lessons we extrapolate from life that can be packaged in a unique way. So get used to ‘hoovering’ up those stories and using them to make the points you want to make. ‘Hoovering’ is a technique where you log moments and stories in your life and by zooming into them for the entertaining storytelling aspect but then zooming out to share the lesson/insight gained and this can be key to having good conversations. Andrew outlines key characteristics on how to be interesting, highlighting the importance of reciprocity and having a genuine curiosity about someone. To be interesting, you have to first be ‘interested’ and then through fielding your relevant experiences and reflection, you can add value to conversations with your stories. In business and relationship building, storytelling is a skill worth practicing! From showing the human aspect of business, like the resilience of Nike, to allowing those soft skills to complement the technical skills you possess, during networking, storytelling and story listening is the key to meaningful and insightful bonds. If you can form a library of your stories and open up to the spontaneity of conversations, you can build organic and very powerful connections. Check out Andrew at: https://andrewthorp.co.uk/ Andrew Thorp on LinkedIn And the ‘Leaning Forward’ Podcast on all platforms (Music: Wataboi - U Said It)

Visualisation is a popular manifestation technique and today I talk about how to visualise, tap into senses and emotions and picture that dream you want. Paired with affirmations, this can propel your manifestations and bring about your dreams by giving you that emotional fuel to see the successful outcomes and programme your brain to make it happen!  Visualisation is also amazing at changing your approach towards tough times, with exam periods being my main example. Through mentally rehearsing and breaking down big and scary challenges and adding detail to what our upcoming periods may involve, we can detach from negative narratives, where we only view things as stressful and unpleasant, to more positive narratives, in which difficult things can be enjoyable!  Successful people have learnt to enjoy doing hard things and doing them often, so visualisation can us help us to that to and help us build our resistance and stretch ourselves beyond current capabilities. Listen now and SUBSCRIBE on all platforms!  (Music by Wataboi: U Said It - https://soundcloud.com/wataboi/u-said-it-soundcloud)

Today’s short and sweet episode is about a short and sweet message: Just do it! Just take the action and do that thing you’ve been thinking about. Whether it’s changing up your physical appearance or starting that passion project, I am here to encourage you to do it! If you’re anything like me, you’re thinking about the outcomes of things and this can sometimes make us avoid taking action because we’re scared to change our minds, not reach a certain success, etc and then be judged for that. But in reality, there’s always a lesson to be learnt so whether it’s today or in the future, know that everything you do will be valuable and it’s worth going after it and taking that risk. Hope you enjoy this episode and feel inspired to take some action!  Follow @TheMakingItPodcast on instagram and let me know what thing you're going to take action on!  (Music by Wataboi: U Said It - https://soundcloud.com/wataboi/u-said-it-soundcloud)

This week I’m talking to my wonderful friend Megan about our experience at university with self love, dating and independence. We chat about how important it is to cultivate your own ‘full’ life and put the focus on yourself, when so often it’s easy to focus on others - how amazing, cool or attractive they seem. From putting people on pedestals to asking whether we are ‘our type’s type’, we talk about how self confidence and self love are so important within dating. With many people feeling like failures if they’re single or feeling a pressure to date, listen to this episode if you wanna hear Megan’s perspective that is laid back and open minded towards whatever happens - whether that’s finding a great partner or enjoying singlehood. Also, it’s common to feeling FOMO, loneliness and have a strange view of guys/gals at university so Megan and I explore how to manage these, from prioritising time alone to grow to enjoy your own company and personal passions to changing the projection we have of those we crush on! Megan also leaves us with some important takeaways: “the most attractive people are vulnerable enough to love what they love, and love it out loud”, highlighting how fab it is to focus on yourself, pursue your interests and appreciate your life, even if you do want a relationship. Have a listen to this special episode on ALL podcast platforms now and FOLLOW and REVIEW the pod<3 (Music by Wataboi: U Said It - https://soundcloud.com/wataboi/u-said-it-soundcloud)

Today I’m talking about conversation cards and the main three businesses I think of in the conversation card industry. Conversation cards aim to deepen connections by asking thought provoking questions and giving an insight into players of the game - how they think and why they think the way they do. Cards Against Humanity, described as a game for horrible people, was the first to have popularised conversation card games and opened the gates for other companies to enter. The next company is 'We Are Not Really Strangers', which is a company that takes advantage of the instagram culture of sharing deep, thought provoking quotes and asking self care/introspective questions such as “who can you be most vulnerable with?” or “are you lying to yourself about anything?”. Founded by Koreen Odiney, WRNS, in my opinion, resembles the vibe of the NY Times ’36 questions to fall in love’ article but in a card form. Finally, FlexMami’s REFLEX card games take a different approach with more light-hearted and debatable questions, perfect for social interactions with a mix between would you rather questions, critical thinking questions and general questions to elevate above small talk into stimulating, deeper conversation. Conversation cards are increasingly popular to deepen connections and make conversations more interesting so it was interesting to discuss some of the biggest players in the industry and their individual niches!  Check out the companies here: Flex Mami’s Podcast: Bobo & Flex —> https://open.spotify.com/show/1s7eAUMUCE3klnBA0oZJzI?si=16METmOsSDG1SS0u05fqLg https://www.werenotreallystrangers.com/ https://cardsagainsthumanity.com/ (Music by Wataboi: U Said It - https://soundcloud.com/wataboi/u-said-it-soundcloud)

Today I’m reading from my journal about growth and inaction. The realisation that growth isn’t linear really hit me this week and made me think about the way I gamify self development and assumed it would be like levels I could accomplish, then not have to deal with again. But instead, I’ve realised in life, not only is it not black and white, with only one person ever being fully in the wrong in a situation but both parties having some responsibility but also, you’ll be tested with similar situations and people you thought you had handled but they’ll come in new ways to test your growth and if it can withstand different circumstances. Haley Hoffman Smith’s podcast episode on procrastination also inspired me to think about the shadow side of things we want. That level of wealth or successful business you want - what is the underbelly you are scared of that comes with achieving it? Perhaps accepting there's sacrifice and uncomfortable realisations you'll be confronted with like loneliness, having to distance from friends, working more on responsibilities. These can stop you moving towards your goals because you secretly are scared of the things you’ll have to deal with once you get there. After all, the duality of life means everything has its pros and cons. Also, the insulation we falsely believe will come by working on ourselves reminds me of the belief that we’ll be happy when we’re rich or famous, when really we’ll still be the same human beings dealing with the same internal conflicts unless we accept growth isn’t linear and that’s okay. Credits: Haley Hoffman Smith: What is Procrastination Protecting You From? https://open.spotify.com/episode/3vny1gMDIffRVaJWsfivOu?si=lUghufl3QDa3rcjV0cd2mw (Music by Wataboi: U Said It - https://soundcloud.com/wataboi/u-said-it-soundcloud)

Charlene Kristina is a mindset and empowerment coach who works with millenial women to level up their lives. We unpack what it means to be a coach and why this work is so important especially for women who play small in their lives. If like me, you never fully knew the difference between a coach and therapist, this episode will be super valuable! We also talk about daily non-negotiables such as journaling which is a key tool she uses to improve her mindset as well as chatting about combatting a scarcity mindset. The impact of childhood and seeing your parents’ relationship with money also plays a big role into how you act as an adult and she tells us about her work with clients to get to root subconscious beliefs using Emotional Freedom Techniques and Neuro Linguistic Programming You can check out Charlene @charlene.kristina_  on instagram and on her site https://ck-coaching.com/  (Music by Wataboi: U Said It - https://soundcloud.com/wataboi/u-said-it-soundcloud)

Affirmations! Today I'm talking about the 4 key steps behind affirmations - the importance of believing in your affirmations, pairing them with action, being consistent and how to structure affirmations. They can focus on the 'self', such as "I am worthy", or based on topics such as money "I am a magnet to money".  We have upwards of 40,000 thoughts every single day and habits can form of speaking negatively about ourselves so affirmations are the perfect tool to restructure our thoughts and change our feelings. Soul the Disney movie perfectly illustrates the ability for your words to destroy you and keep you from your passions and purpose so affirmations can be the positive spiral that build us UP rather than tear ourselves down. Thoughts become feelings so tune in now to get some inspiration and hear about the many, many benefits of affirmations! Follow @TheMakingItPodcast on instagram for the links to articles and to keep updated with the podcast!  (Music by Wataboi: U Said It - https://soundcloud.com/wataboi/u-said-it-soundcloud)

Today I’m joined by Prisca Mians, founder of Saved to Serve - a London based gospel dance company. Prisca's journey was impacted by fear - the fear of failing, starting and importantly, the fear of being seen. She tells us how she channeled fear into faith to avoid fear taking a driving seat in her life and to help her business flourish. Considering adaptions to online content and the growing importance of having an online presences for businesses, the fear of being seen can be amplified. But Prisca notes fear in general doesn’t ever vanish so we must get better at managing it.  Tune into the episode to hear how to do so as well as to hear about the challenges and opportunities brought about by lockdown, miraculous alignments in business and Prisca's top five most important pieces of advice. If you enjoy, make sure to follow and leave a review as well as check out Prisca at @sts_dance or at sts_dance@hotmail.com (Music by Wataboi: U Said It - https://soundcloud.com/wataboi/u-said-it-soundcloud)