Student-Run Podcasts at OHS
OHSers have many podcasts on wide-ranging topics, from politics and economics, to eating disorders, to female empowerment, to OHS culture. This article gives an overview of several podcasts run by OHS students.
Responses have been edited for length and clarity.
Ryan Lee Podcast: Responses by Ryan Lee
The Ryan Lee podcast is about Ryan Lee usually interviewing guests and doing wacky stuff. I (Ryan Lee) run the podcast with a behind-the-scenes team of Sophia Risin, Katherine Viala, Henri Machado, Ethan Yun, Nathan Bowman, Tyler Lamaa, Ayden Hur, Alina Zhong, and Jiayun Zhang. I started my podcast at the start of quarantine because I was bored out of my mind and wanted to do something funny. My favorite podcast episode so far has to be when we played Among Us with Dr. Tillman or when Adithya Narayan and I rated my pillows based on my description. Be sure to check those out! Have fun and do podcast episodes on stuff that you're passionate about. Working on a podcast, which started from a joke, led to me learning more about myself and life than I would have anticipated. I learned that I had a passion for telling stories and reporting on topics typically overlooked. Working on this podcast has also given me the opportunity to meet other students who I would not have normally gotten to meet and led me down many a Wikipedia wormhole in the production of episodes.
Blurred Box: Responses By Sophie Mansoor
The Blurred Box podcast is run by myself, Sophie Mansoor (OHS '22), Chloe Isabella Tsang (OHS '21), Pooja Kalyan (OHS '21), and Andrew Cramer (Trinity '21). The podcast is focused on our conversations about culture, travel, relationships, and world-issues in relation to humanitarian causes and human rights. We also bring guests from various communities (such as the OHS community), friends, and other instructors to have them share their unique views and perspectives. Our podcast, the Blurred Box, was a project that stemmed from the SOHS UNHCR Club; however, we've grown to be so much more than just a club initiative. We were inspired to start this podcast because we thought the podcast would be an amazing chance to have humanitarian-focused discussions with multiple perspectives to increase awareness for issues that tend to go unnoticed. Though, in addition to raising awareness for others, it’s also a chance for all of us to educate ourselves and give ourselves a platform to speak out about issues we care about.
These past few episodes have definitely been some of my favorites! The reason why is because I feel like we, the podcast hosts, have been becoming more of a family: we are growing as a podcast, but we are also growing with one another. However, there was one episode that I particularly remember being my favorite, and that was Season 2, Episode 5: A Personal Talk on Toxic Masculinity. We brought in Sam Chachkes, a student from Trinity High School, and he shared his experiences of the severity of toxic masculinity. It's one of my favorites because the conversation that stemmed from it was extremely raw and open, and it talked about a topic that no one really focuses on. These conversations are so important because I believe that social change starts from the telling and listening of stories.
If you want to start a podcast, don't be afraid to push yourself out of your comfort zone! I know for me, being in a podcast was a daunting experience, but I'm so glad I started it with my peers, Chloe, Pooja, and previously Haven Hunt (OHS '20). This is a great opportunity for you to gain a platform to voice your thoughts, but also to hear from other individuals -- if you're interested in starting one, definitely take that opportunity to do so! Being in a podcast has been an amazing part of my time here at OHS! It has taught me that I should not be afraid to speak out -- I am less afraid to debate for something I care about, and I feel as if I trust myself and my intellect more. However, my biggest takeaway from the podcast was the connections I made and the discussions I had. All of the podcast hosts are phenomenal individuals, and the discussions that arise from all of our perspectives are incredibly engaging. I've gained connections with my hosts but also with the guests that we bring on, and overall, I've grown as an individual throughout the conversations I had at the Blurred Box podcast.
Our Free Bodies: Responses by Chloe Peng
I am the only one who runs this podcast, but I am open to collaborations. Our Free Bodies is all about self-love, EDs (eating disorders) and their supplementary effects, the recovery process, nutrition, and more. Through reflecting on books, listening to uplifting speakers, and just having casual conversations, the podcast aims to be the solace that teenagers have been looking for, especially in helping teens to recognize the presence of their self-worth within their bodies and self-love. I started this podcast because of my experience with eating disorders in my sport of figure skating. Since I was 9, I've been told I was too fat, not only by my coaches and "friends" but my parents. Even if I was 75-80 pounds at the time, I was restricted from many foods (e.g., cookies, cakes, red meat, anything that was considered unhealthy in my parents' eyes). And I was subjected to weigh-ins every day by my father, who recorded my weight in a notebook. All this, and even more, catalyzed an eating disorder: bulimia. There are so many things I can get into in regards to the cause of my ED, but the general basis is that I spent over five years in my bulimic mind and have only recently started recovering (still am). I felt so alone and that I was the only insecure little girl in the world. But when realizing how prevalent EDs are (not only in my sport but in every field), I decided it was necessary to share my experience and what I've learned to help others going through what I went through.
I thought I needed to give back and become someone who can help end stigmas in performing arts sports and who can help others realize how beautiful they really are. It's a passion that I feel obligated to pursue. And that's why I started this podcast. My favorite episode is episode 4. I collaborated with Haley Raines, an incredible YouTuber whose work surrounds the ED/nutrition/self-help realm. It was the first time I talked to someone about this topic, as I had no one else to discuss this with before (my parents, coaches, and people around me were a major cause to my ED, and because of that, I've never opened up to anyone about it). In this episode, Haley and I talked about her ED and recovery journey, veganism, self-love mantras, and more. It's also just a wonderful conversation in that listeners feel like they have a friend. My advice would be to talk casually. You want listeners to feel comfortable, as if they are just hearing a friend talk. It's obvious when you're reading off a document or script, and it's not fun to listen to at all.
The biggest takeaway from working on my podcast would be that I, as well as anyone else dealing with EDs, am not alone. I have struggled so much by myself, and it was so incredible to see people DM me about how much they could relate or hear people share their stories with me because I've always been surrounded by such toxic people and thought the entire world was just doing their best to make me suffer. But realizing that I am not alone made me feel incredibly liberated, or just happier in the sense that I might not have to suffer alone.
And She Did: Responses by Zoe Huml
Sophie Panigrahi and I (Zoe Huml) run a podcast called And She Did, where we interview and spotlight female leaders in different fields. Sophie and I started this podcast because we want to provide role models to young women and show that they can accomplish anything they put their minds to! We also were very interested in podcasting in general and wanted to see what the process is like. We just started our podcast, and so far, we have only done an introduction episode for Sophie and me, and we had an interview with the founder of ClearCare, a self-prescribing lens kit. I'd say our interview has been my favorite episode so far because she is very driven and hardworking, and ClearCare is incredible. My advice for anyone wanting to start a podcast is to publicize your episodes on social media! Our And She Did Instagram is how we've gotten most of our listeners. My biggest takeaway from working on our podcast has been how women truly can achieve anything that they put their minds to. Even though we just started this podcast, I feel so lucky to interview these incredible women because they provide me with so much inspiration, and I really hope that it provides our listeners the same!
Right Side Up: Responses by Riley Revilla
Right Side Up is a political discussion podcast, and I (Riley Revilla) run it with Jeanine, a classmate at OHS!
We started it because we recognized the need in our current social climate for an open and respectful discussion about major political and possibly controversial topics. The RSU podcast was started to bring awareness to the political issues our nation is facing and to air out the different viewpoints surrounding a certain topic. My personal favorite would probably be the episode on the 2020 election. It was a spirited discourse, and I think a lot of fruitful discussions came from it. My best advice would be to find what you are passionate about. You can work hard to make a good podcast, but at the end of the day, it will be the passion that shines through. My biggest takeaway has been learning how to listen as we discuss topics from a wide range of perspectives for the show. The Right Side Up podcast discusses the widely pondered issues in the United States political sphere.
Economics Podcast: Responses by Riley Revilla
Our podcast is about economics and how it relates to politics, big news, currently trending about markets, and interviews with interesting people in that world. I (Riley Revilla) run it alongside another OHSer, Ashish. I joined the project after it had launched. Ashish had recorded a few episodes and was looking to add someone onto it, and I liked the idea, as I am very interested in economics. I think my favorite episode that we have recorded is the episode on free college and how that works and relates to markets. It was extremely informative, and I enjoyed working on it!
Aside from being passionate, as I mentioned earlier, I think it is super important to have a disciplined schedule. It helps the podcast run smoothly and makes it easier for all involved. Another major takeaway from running this podcast has been learning how to ask the important questions: what do you want the listener to get out of the podcast, and how can you direct questions so that they get the relevant information they want and need?