The Impact Of A Year

2020 was indeed a year to remember, although many would rather forget it ever happened. January 2020 was a start much like every other year, one with much optimism. Personally, my wife and I were getting ready for the arrival of our third daughter Amelia. On February 28th, our daughter was born. Several days later in March, I walked back to work, only to be sent home because of a pandemic known as Covid-19.

2020 was off to a crazy start as everyone was sent to stay home, not engage in social activities, and wear masks when outdoors. This new wave made the need for a community all too real. We cannot spell community without unity, and yet, in the interest of unity, the community took a hit.

With no other choice, everyone had adapted to the new reality, turning living rooms into offices, bedrooms into classrooms, and “zooming” became a verb. Distance didn’t remove the desire for community, it only shined a light on the need for it. Therefore, many individuals spent more time with their immediate families and even reconnected with people they hadn't heard from for years, sometimes even decades.

Not only was the need for community highlighted in the year 2020, but also the need of making dreams a reality. Leaving things for later now seemed to be a thing of the past as we all understood, tomorrow isn’t guaranteed.

On May 4th, I was on Facebook. A friend of mine, Vanessa Santiago had been facing a distinct set of challenges. The pandemic was starting, the lockdown and social distancing was a thing, but she was also dealing with the passing of her brother. And yet, on top of all of that, she signs on to Facebook to ask a seemingly simple question: “do people read blogs anymore?” I say it was a seemingly simple question because indeed it was the first domino to fall. I replied to her question moments later, stating: “I think so but, if you can write the script, record yourself in a video discussing the topic, then repurpose the audio for a podcast, and finally post that script as a blog, you’ve enhanced your reach exponentially. However, the short answer is yes.”

From that May 4th post, Vanessa and I began to message back and forth. We went into details of who was her target audience, what was her message, what sound and feel did she want the podcast to have, and when did she want to start. For many of the questions I presented, her response was the same as for the comment I provided to her post: “that just overwhelmed me”. However, we kept conversing.

The first thing we did was discuss her message. Oftentimes we have a great idea, but do a poor job in defining the why. As we worked together, Vanessa was able to clearly define what her message was and why she felt the need in presenting that message. 

She already had a blog and a social media presence with the name The Voice Of Tamar. Using that name, we began to develop a clear definition of what the Voice Of Tamar was about. We defined the vision, mission, and target audience of The Voice Of Tamar.

The next step was to strategize. When would she launch the podcast, what date and time? What platform would it be made available on and how would people know about it? We began to go into great details of when, where, and how. This dream of bringing forth her message of life after trauma was now taking shape and becoming real. 

Too many times we have a dream, but leave it only as a “what if?” As Vanessa and I worked together we were able to actually give a frame to all of these ideas and organize them accordingly. Often the dreaming of a dream is simple, but planning and strategizing to make it a reality requires specification. Therefore, we did not hesitate in utilizing the resources at our disposal to make the audio clips of what would be The Voice Of Tamar podcast.

In the original post of May 4th, the question Vanessa asked was about blogs. However, when we began to discuss what she felt a greater inclination in doing, we found podcasting and letting her voice be heard was much easier for her. This is important to note because oftentimes we have a dream, but by creating a specific plan, we can define where the starting point should be, and in this case, it was podcasting.

On June 14th, just 5 weeks and 6 days after her May 4th post, the first episode of The Voice Of Tamar podcast aired. 

As the first season began, so did some challenges. Several episodes had already been recorded for the launch, however, soon it was time to record new episodes. Although it had been 5 weeks since we started working together, it had only been nearly 10 weeks since the passing of her youngest brother. As Vanessa dealt with her past traumatic events and shared her story through the podcast, she was also confronted with emotions from the passing of her brother and the life he lived. These discoveries made it inspiring some days, but difficult on other days. I have worked with Vanessa as she has shared her story and the story of her brother. 

Whenever we set goals, difficulties will show up. Rather they are a byproduct of the goal in mind or because of the reality that life’s challenges don’t stop when you focus on a goal. Regardless, we as visionaries need to push forward to make the dream a reality and of course, those who are part of our tribe should serve to nourish the vision. As I have worked with Vanessa, I have strived to do just that, nourish her vision, help her push past the perceived limits, and encourage her when it seems as though the goal is too far away.

On September 27th, the 15th episode aired. This was also the season’s final episode. For 15 weeks straight, the Voice Of Tamar podcast aired, reaching more lives than ever expected and creating a wonderful community of survivors. Vanessa had shared parts of her story and healing journey and in a year of uncertainty, one thing was certain, healing comes in layers.

At the end of the season, there was a sense of gratitude from both Vanessa and me. She did all the work, I simply helped develop a plan and strategize to make her dream a reality, or at least part of it. Shortly after the end of season one, we started working on her website. 

As we began to work on what would soon be vanessa-santiago.com, we also spoke about merchandising and branding. We had scratched the surface about the topics before launching the podcast, but given its success, a tribe was forming. 

There was much hesitation from Vanessa when this topic of selling merchandise was initially spoken about. I remember her saying she didn't want to be seen as though she was putting a price tag on her gifting. For Vanessa, this is not a hobby, this is a calling. 

Oftentimes we look at new possibilities through the past failures of others. The initial conversations about creating merchandise were put on hold until the tribe created through the podcast spoke. Some too many supporters wanted to express their gratitude as she had begun publicly sharing her story and creating a community of survivors.

The support for the Voice Of Tamar sweaters was more than expected, and while that was a good feeling, there was still much work ahead. A moment of celebration and rejoicing was had, but we did not get drunk on the accomplishments realized, for more was to come. Often we see how far we've made it in our journey, but we must not confuse a checkpoint with the destination. The accomplishment of developing merchandise and seeing people wearing the apparel was a sign that a tribe was forming, but it was just that, a sign. 

We continued to work on what the website layout, design, aesthetics, and purpose would be. The idea was to create a hub where anyone could find resources, merchandise, podcast episodes, and her blog.

In January 2021, the website launched. It was met with great support by the tribe that had been created during season one of the podcast. The website has become a place where many individuals have found resources as they begin or continue in their journey of healing.

Today, the Voice Of Tamar Podcast has nearly 3,000 plays and is available on various platforms including Apple podcast, Google podcast, Spotify, and so many others; and Vanessa is just getting started! Goals are a reflection of where we are in life. As we continue to grow and change, so our goals become bigger and bigger. Furthermore, the accomplishment of past goals builds in us a belief that gives us a license to dream big.

You may find yourself hesitant in starting a new project or may not see the starting line, however, I’d like to team up with you in your journey. Two things stop us from making our biggest dreams a reality, the story we tell ourselves and the story others tell us. Often, it's the latter which we fear to change. Changing the story others tell you requires changing your tribe, luckily for Vanessa, she had a tribe that was supportive and nourished her vision. But, there is still the story we tell ourselves.

Mental roadblocks and limiting beliefs are created by what we see take place in our lives, the lives of those who surround us, or the beliefs those around us have made vivid and real to us. Getting past those limiting beliefs requires understanding where you are, where you'd like to be, and carving a real-world plan on how to get there, this requires strategizing.

Belief, strategizing, and action are the pillars of success. As we work together I believe you will be able to strengthen your belief, strategize for a better tomorrow, and put into action a plan for success. Consider the reality that success starts with the story we tell ourselves and surrounding ourselves with people that will nourish our vision can make a world of difference.