A big thanks to my loyal listeners! 

Throughout Season One, I received a good number of questions about Humoranities.  I thought it would be fun to add some color to the experience of creating a podcast so I’ve decided to share some stories behind the stories to help bridge the gap between Season One and Season Two, which arrives in late January. Be sure to stay tuned!

Origin Story – Podcast Episode

November 22, 2023 

When did you start working on the podcast?  What was involved?

A good four to five years ago, a handful of friends encouraged me to start a blog because they enjoyed my stories. “You should write this down Safura!” I tried, but I couldn’t seem to write my stories in a way that would match the way I tell a story, my style of speaking, or the way one might enjoy hearing a story. When I wrote out my stories, I’d lose the unique energy that’s expressed the first time a story is told within the context of a conversation. Usually, the events just occurred, so the enthusiasm is high and the laughter intense. The podcast is my way of capturing my thoughts and sharing the special charm of a story in a conversation with a listener. In person or on the podcast, a conversation with me is meandering, at best! 

When it comes to conversations with others, do you have a creative partner?

I think I spent a few years looking for a creative partner – someone to converse with where stories would pour out of us based on the topic of the week. I shopped the podcast idea around with various friends, but then I realized that doing a podcast was my dream, and not really anyone else’s within my circles.  It’s a lot to pull off on your own, and while I was scared, I decided it was really time to give something hard like this a try. 

Once I knew I’d be doing the podcast solo, the next issue I had was, “How do I have a conversation with myself – aloud?”

At first, I thought, OK, let me just get on a microphone, hit record, and tell a story.  I tried.  It didn’t work.  I needed more structure for myself otherwise I would get lost and nervous, even with a clear topic and notes.  Then I remembered that the structure of a story is to have a proper beginning, middle, and end.  That gives the storyteller some direction and it makes it easier for a story listener to follow along.  So I decided to have a larger story with a beginning, middle, and end, with small tangents in between to accommodate my natural tendency to meander. 

I am also lucky because not only does my family give me a lot of material for the podcast, but they are also incredibly supportive and encouraging.

What is Humoranities’ audience like?

Lots of online podcast guidance suggests that you should podcast about something you know well and target a certain demographic or audience. As you know from my first episode, what I’m good at is not exactly a niche topic that would have a niche audience. I enjoy a lot of things and to narrow it down to any one topic was going to be impossible for me, and I accepted that about myself and this endeavor.  And so far, I’ve come to learn there are many people out there who are interested in a variety of topics and forms of arts and humanities.  It’s awesome that Humoranities is relatable and interesting to a diverse audience and not any one type of person.  I geek out over podcast and website analytics and I’m both surprised and not surprised when I see that I have listeners in Mexico, Ireland, Kazakstan, and even South Korea!  It makes the cultural elements I talk about in my episodes resonate as truly human! 

Are you interested in interviewing others or having other people on your podcast?

Absolutely!  Now that Season One is done, I have something people can listen to for a sense of what Humoranities is about. Please reach out if you, or anyone you know, has humorous stories to share and finds joy in the humanities. I would love to engage in conversation! 

Connections & Community – Podcast Episode

January 4, 2024

How was Season One structured?  How did you choose the different topics?

For a few months, I spent lots of time writing out stories. Anything that came to mind. Then I took a step back to see how I could tie these stories together into a proper season. While each episode in Season One can certainly be heard and enjoyed on its own, I think it’s fun to listen to the entire first season in sequence. Why? The season progresses from a focus on me and my culture at home to many areas of human culture. It covers everything from understanding emotions to learning foreign languages. And you’ll also find that something I mention in one episode will be elaborated on in a subsequent episode. 

In the first episode, “Because, Why Not?,” you get to learn about me and the origin story of Humoranities. In “Living Vicariously,” the focus is on my family and how other peoples’ lives impact me and put me on a roller coaster ride of emotions. Then in “Big Feelings,” I progress from my own emotions to my family’s roller coaster of emotions on a single Friday night. 

The episode, “Trippin,” describes my love of organizing and travel planning. “VaKation,” shares how I love to study a language and culture before I embark on travel, and in that case we planned an elaborate trip to South Korea.  In my first episode, “Because, Why Not?,” I mention the Korean entertainment industry, and then the season wraps with “K-Drama Mama,” which dives deep into my love of Korean dramas. In VaKation, I highlight my study of Korean, and then in my final episode, I share how I’ve been exposed to enough Korean now to know when English subtitles are slightly misleading. I’m sure there are lots of other connections among all the episodes that even I’m not aware of!

What kind of feedback from listeners have you enjoyed the most?

I love it when a listener shares that an anecdote in Humoranities reminded them of a relationship in their life, or an experience they have had, or something that’s been on their mind.

I appreciate it when a listener reaches out to let me know they listened to an episode more than once, especially when I hear that parents re-listen to episodes with their children because they want to connect in a new way. I find this to be particularly true of adult listeners who have immigrated to the US and are raising first-generation children born here. For me, as a first-generation child of immigrants, when immigrant families use Humoranities as an opportunity to understand their child’s perspective and want their child to be heard and seen… I mean, that’s an unexpected outcome that warms my heart.  

Humoranities is relatable to people in stages other than parenthood or childhood, too. I recently befriended very cool twentysomethings during my time traveling abroad and my content about navigating life resonates with them as well.

And, of course, I love it when people ask me about the books I mention, the types of planners I use, or the best K-drama to watch.  I think that’s fun! 

Exchanges with listeners are the best part of podcasting and the desire to build a sense of community among Humoranities listeners is what I want all of us to enjoy!

The Struggle is Real – Podcast Episode

January 25, 2024

What part of podcasting is the hardest?

I thought writing content and speaking into a microphone would be hard, but it’s nothing compared to marketing and advertising a podcast. So, I’d have to say that the hardest part is the social media aspect. I definitely invited this challenge because technology is often my foe.

I tried to have a whole social media strategy in place. I did research and started to follow some social media strategists who give tips on what prompts to write, or the types of hashtags to use, or even the time of day to post. I’ve tried some of that stuff and well, let’s just say I’ve not gone viral by any stretch of the imagination. Now I either focus on an episode and its themes or I post whatever feels right on any given day. Somedays feel like a picture day, others feel like a quote, and still others feel like they deserve a reel. I am embarrassed to say that the first time I tried to remix a reel, I spent 4 hours struggling to add stickers and music, and so on. And then when I went to post it, it just disappeared. Then I tried again. And it disappeared. And again. Of course, I didn’t realize it kept dying because it had 31 hashtags instead of 30. That itself probably took me an hour to figure out.

I feel like Humoranities is the kind of podcast that will have organic growth, where someone tunes in and enjoys it and then mentions it to a friend. I know when I chat with people and the topic of the podcast comes up, those brief exchanges result in a new listener. I’ve also come to find that a lot of people who might enjoy Humoranities are not actually active on social media because they are busy with their families, reading books, studying languages, and traveling. Ironic.

But I’m still invested in the social media aspect because while I may not go viral anytime soon, I want to communicate and connect with others. After the pandemic, we are all less inclined to interact and comment on social media, but that doesn’t mean we don’t take in content. I want my family, friends, and the larger audience who listens to and follows Humoranities to know that I’m thinking of them. Each time someone stops to hear my thoughts and listen to me speak, it’s humbling and I appreciate each listen the podcast receives. But if you can, do comment on posts because those prompts will help me create future episodes of Humoranities that connect more directly with you as a listener.

When do find the time to work on Humoranities? 

I truly work on it any chance I get. I’m always writing notes to myself on my phone or in my little “The Impossible is Possible” blue notebook. I’m a morning person, so I’ll get up early and work on writing out my thoughts or editing different segments. On the weekends, when the kids are out and busy, you’ll find me talking to myself as I practice speaking into the microphone. Late at night, I’m tinkering around on Canva trying to create the next viral-not-viral post. It’s fun to be preoccupied with a passion project, but there is a downside.

Now all my little gaps of time are filled with podcasting-related items, so I have less time to connect with friends in real life. I think that will change sooner rather than later. The learning curve is always really steep when you’re doing something new and challenging. It takes time to cultivate a knack for it and as I make progress and develop some efficiencies in how I do things for Humoranities, I think time will open up again. I’ll be able to do more of what I love, which is recording voice notes for friends and of course, reading more books, watching more dramas, and planning for more travel.

Can you give us any hints about what’s in store for Season Two of Humoranities?

Well, I think you’ll notice how the podcast has improved production-wise – hopefully, fingers crossed. I’m much more comfortable speaking into a microphone than I was when I first started, that’s for sure.

And the second season is about socializing and social engagements, so it includes a bit more observational humor than perhaps Season One did. I think listeners will really enjoy it and I encourage you all to comment on social media posts or visit the Humoranities website to send in your thoughts so that I can continue to develop content that resonates or is relatable.

I hope you’ve had as much fun tuning in for the Stories Behind the Stories series as I have in sharing what happens behind the scenes.