Tranquil Topics

One Year of Tranquil Topics: Reflections on Podcasting and Life's Unexpected Pauses

• Stephanie Graham • Season 1 • Episode 28

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Have you ever wondered what happens when you finally say "yes" to that idea you've been hesitating to pursue? As Tranquil Topics celebrates its first anniversary, I'm reflecting on the remarkable journey from nervous first-time podcaster to connecting with listeners across 20 countries and 183 cities.

This milestone episode offers a candid look at both the triumphs and challenges of building something meaningful from scratch. I share my recent Mercury retrograde misadventures (when everything from our fridge to our car headlight simultaneously broke) and how an unexpected week of dog sitting for a black labrador named Cooper provided a much-needed pause during my job hunting journey. There's something powerful about embracing life's unplanned moments that often prepare us for whatever comes next.

The podcast landscape has transformed my approach to uncertainty. Each job rejection now receives a spoken "thank you" as I trust that better opportunities are coming. This shift in perspective—learning to articulate intentions clearly while remaining open to possibilities—has been one of many unexpected gifts from podcasting. Others include newfound confidence in networking situations, meaningful connections with guests who have become friends, and the realisation that vulnerability creates authentic connection. As Christina from Indigo Holistics (episode 27) recently asked me: "What else is possible for you?" It's a question worth asking yourself too. Whether you're considering starting your own creative project or facing a period of uncertainty, remember that amazing things happen when you step beyond habitual patterns and simply begin. Subscribe for more conversations that inspire, inform, and create moments of tranquility in your day.

Thank you for tuning into this episode! If you enjoyed this episode please consider subscribing, rating, and leaving a 5* review on your favorite podcast platform. Your feedback helps to reach more listeners and continue sharing meaningful content.

"ZapSplat" is the resource used for the intro and outro music in this podcast. You can check them out for your own music requirements at the link below:
https://www.zapsplat.com/music/get-the-groove-an-uplifting-energetic-funky-modern-disco-pop-with-the-feel-of-a-band-piano-drums-guitar-disco-strings-and-more/

For more insights and updates, follow Tranquil Topics on social media or visit the website on the links below.

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Steph:

Hello, welcome back to Tranquil Topics. I'm your host Steph and it is a very special episode for me today because tomorrow, 30th of August, this podcast will be a year old and I absolutely cannot believe the journey that it's been, so I thought I would do an episode today on a bit of background of the journey and also a life update. On the last episode, I had Christina Page from Indigo Holistics on and she was such a lovely, lovely person to be speaking to and she really made me think about a lot of things that were going on, and I've been lucky enough to stay in touch with her and we were talking about Mercury retrograde, which finished on the 11th of August. Mercury retrograde is known for communication issues, technology related challenges and, my god, every time we get a mercury retrograde happening, something happens with technology and me. So I was talking to Christina about it because she says that it affects her with communication and like there's misunderstandings and things like that occur. Well, this mercury retrograde, our fridge freezer broke, our hoover broke, our microwave broke, the headlight in my car decided to die and I went to get it fixed by the lovely mechanics at my garage and turns out that it wasn't a standard bulb, obviously. So I said you know what? It's fine, I'll wait. So they ordered it in for me and whilst I was waiting, this gorgeous dog came in. He was called Stan and he came bouncing over and I was just I thought, do you know what all this stuff is happening? But at least I can still find some joy in the day, and the next Mercury retrograde is due in November, so we have some breathing space now before the energy starts coming back around again.

Steph:

Now, in terms of a life update, we've had some unexpected events in the family which has ended up with me and Alan dog sitting for a week. So I'm recording this episode on the 27th of August, which is late for me because I usually like to have them organised and ready to go, but we've ended up dog sitting a black lab called Cooper. He's Alan's auntie's dog and he is just beautiful. He has been an absolute delight, and me and Alan we really love dogs. I've said before on the podcast that we go to Crufts every year. My family dog, Socks, sadly passed last year and it leaves a huge hole in your life and I found having Cooper around made me really think about the future and it also made me pause, so this wasn't planned. Um, we're more than happy to dog sit, but I was on the job hunt and I still am on the job hunt.

Steph:

I'm open to PhDs or a job and I truly believe that what is meant for you won't pass you by, and each rejection that I've received from job applications, I've actually spoken out loud and said thank you because something better is coming my way. At the beginning it got, i t really got to me actually, because I can spend two to three hours per application filling it out, altering your CV to it, writing a cover letter, answering all the extra questions that they have for you and then to get a rejection. It really hurt, like it came across blunt, but I'm now saying to myself remember who you are, remember why you went back into education and spent four years to get a degree. Like I put my life on hold to achieve this and now I've got it. I'm saying out loud this or something better, and it's actually really, really helped me and I've written down what I'm looking for in my future and, career-wise, what I want to work around our lifestyle, and so eventually, of course, one day, soon we can get a dog or two. But I've kept it written down so it's at the forefront of my mind and I'm putting my intentions out there, I'm speaking them and for the right opportunity to cross my path and for those that have listened to my first episode Life's Little Nudges for me to know and be able to feel that, yes, this is the right opportunity for me.

Steph:

So it's still ongoing, still on the job hunt, but one of my friends said to me you know, this is a moment in time where, yes, everything is up in the air and it is uncomfortable. I don't like it at all, but having Cooper, it's made me stop and I think there's a reason for that. And I feel that, if you are in the same position as me at the moment, the chance to pause and the chance to actually think, rather than be on the go all the time, might actually be a positive in terms that it's allowing me to prepare for whatever's coming next. And, of course, having Cooper around has just been a delight. We've taken him to the beach, we've taken him to new areas that he's not been before. He's just, he's just beautiful. So that was a mini life update.

Steph:

But basically this episode is a celebration of one year of tranquil topics, because when I first started this podcast I said to myself and I said to Alan I'll give it a year and I'll see where I'm at after a year and I'm absolutely thrilled with it and first off, I can't believe it's been a year already. This podcast has brought people into my life who I wouldn't have normally crossed paths with. It's brought new friends to me. It's a lot of hard work behind the scenes with, first off, learning how to run a podcast, how to edit, how to approach guests, how to bring them on, how to do the social media aspect, which is the only part that really tests me. The social media is a lot. I find it quite difficult to do, but I'm still learning lots this day and I just want to say that from starting Tranquil Topics and hoping that one person finds my podcast to now looking at the stats and being listened to in 20 different countries, 183 cities, absolutely blows my mind. Like I'm just sat in a room in Manchester and I just can't believe that you're tuning in to listen. So thank you so, so much. I'm so grateful for every single person and every single one of you that has listened and that have chosen to spend time with me during your day. So thank you so much for tuning in.

Steph:

What I wanted to briefly touch on was what inspired me to start, because I think, if you're, if you're going through something at the moment where you're thinking I just, you've got this idea in the back of your mind and you just want to give it a go or you might be putting it off or delaying it. So I listen to so many podcasts, I love them. Um, and Alan said to me uh, over a year ago now, why don't you just start your own? And at the, at the thought of that, and my body was like, oh, I'm not sure about that. I don't know if I can do it, I don't know how like I'm not a podcaster, but all these intrusive thoughts started coming in, rather than the thoughts that are positive, which are you're learning something new, you can meet more people, you're trying something and trying to find something that brings you joy and listening to podcasts brings me joy, and hearing people's life stories and to be inspired by them brings me joy and to build a community. So that's what inspired me to start. Alan gave me the nudge. I thought about it and I thought, yeah, I'm gonna do this, I'm gonna give it a go, and I've learned a lot about myself along the way.

Steph:

I am very organized. I really really love anything to do with organizing, but it's made me more confident in approaching people I don't know, in speaking to people I don't know. When we had the holiday to Portugal in July that came through Alan's work. That was a massive networking event and I felt confident. I felt that I could go in there, not knowing anyone apart from Alan, and hold my own and speak to them and just find out about them as a person, what's led them to being here, and I'm really proud of that.

Steph:

Like I've grown in confidence and I think the things that seem to have surprised me or more so, shocked me actually was I found that I sort of have a fear of putting my face online and I am quite a private person and I found it difficult at the beginning to share aspects of my life actually, because I thought I don't know if people would be interested. Um, I don't know if I'm oversharing, undersharing, so I sort of kept it minimal and focused on helping others and guests. But along the way, I've realized that the podcasts that I listen to, you don't have to tell your life story, but I do need to be open about what's going on with me and this is why I started doing mini life updates at the start of them recently, because I think it's important to be honest and open with you all. That's where I'm at at the moment, like I said before, with the job hunting slash PhD hunting, and it's an uncomfortable feeling. It's feeling like I don't know what's coming next, but I'm open to it and this pause that has been forced on us over the past week or so, I don't think is an accident. I think that is meant to happen for whatever is coming next. But bearing in mind this fear that I think fear is actually maybe too strong a word, but this resistance of putting my face online, um and doing videos, I think from the guests that I've had on the podcast, they've a lot of them have said to me like people will connect with you if they can see you, which I completely understand. I completely understand and I know I need to just get out my own way and in the grand scheme of things, it's not a big deal and I think that was the biggest surprise for me, with how uncomfortable that made me feel because I haven't felt that before. So I've reflected and I've realised that my ability to actually build a podcast, build a brand, help people all over the world and also the guests that I've met. They've been so supportive and so open and so helpful as well. You know, when you speak to the so many people and you build these relationships with them, it's a lovely community to have and also realizing how helpful people actually are. And I've had a lot of guests come through other guests to say that they wanted to come on the podcast, which, again, I was just taken aback by because, like that is such a compliment.

Steph:

But to give you a quick peek into the creative process behind the scenes, the challenges and the wins, hours of work go behind the scenes of creating a podcast. There's the planning for the guests, there's the questions, there's the forms, there's the actual recording, then the editing, then the social media scheduling and then it all starts over again. And to think that I started this podcast during my third year of uni or just before my third year of uni started. I honestly don't know what, I don't know what was going through my mind and I don't when I think, when I look back, I think I'm not sure how I, how I did all of that at the same time.

Steph:

But some of the challenges, like I said, were the social media. I find I find that really difficult and last minute rearranges with podcast guests and thinking you know, what can I give out to people to listen to that can help them? And what I wanted with the podcast was to not niche down and for it to be topics that people can dip into, like use it as a toolbox to get what they need at that time in their life that can help them. And a year I've, I still got a long way to go. But I'm so proud of where Tranquil Topics is now and a simple win would be asking and receiving a yes, you know, if you don't ask, if you don't put it out there, then you'll never know. So I urge you if you've got something that you're thinking of right now after listening to me, say that. Just ask the question, give it a go, because you never know where it'll take you. And that's what I've found.

Steph:

I just think when you look at it on a micro scale and then you zoom out and to see this like web of people that I've come into contact with. I can't quite process it. It's very um, it's just, it just blows my mind. I don't. don't, don't know what else I can say about that. It's, it's incredible and it's crazy and I love it. But even if you're thinking of starting your own podcast, just be aware it's a continuous learning journey.

Steph:

I was so nervous at the beginning. I remember clutching a crystal whilst whilst recording my first couple of episodes, and it's so, i t sounds so silly because it's just me sat here in a room, but yeah, I just, it's opened my world and I want your world to open up. So, whatever you're thinking of giving a go, please just try, because you never ever know what's going to come from it.

Steph:

But my favourite part has been the power of connection and community and, like I said before, seeing those locations around the world, people listening, and I actually checked the stats this morning and I'm very close to a thousand downloads. Thank you so, so much. And Christina from Indigo Holistics, as I mentioned earlier, I'm still very much in touch with her and she said to me to think where I am at the moment, and this applies to every single one of you listening. What else is possible for me? Think outside the box, think bigger and go against your normal, habitual patterns and see where life will take you. So I'm going to finish there for today and thank you so, so, so much for tuning in, and I will see you very soon. Bye.,

Steph:

Thank you so much for listening. You can follow me on Instagram at Tranquil Topics, and if you have enjoyed this episode, please do leave a rating or review, as it will help me to reach more people, and I'll be back in two weeks time with another episode. Bye,