From Chatterbox To Pro-Wrestling Podcaster
- 3 days ago
- 3 min read
By Jaime Joshi Elder
“A bit of a chatterbox.”
The British have a way of making criticism sound whimsical or even charming, but anyone who reads between the lines knows what this means.
It means, “Your kid doesn’t shut up in class. My God, this one can talk. We moved her away from her friends. We even sat her next to a wall and it didn’t stop.”
I’ve heard this about myself ever since I was in grade school and honestly, what better way to channel this personality trait than to start my own podcast?
According to rough estimates, there are over four million podcasts floating around on the internet and initially, the thought of starting my own felt a bit like being a drop in the ocean but I had three things in my corner that made it seem less daunting:
The aforementioned gift of gab.
Working at Khanna House Studios, a podcast/content creation studio in Wellington, Florida where I not only have access to high-tech equipment, experts in audio/video production and marketing but also am surrounded by supportive and enthusiastic coworkers who want me (and every other creative who ambles through our doors) to succeed.
The (possibly impudent) notion that if Logan Paul can do I, I most certainly can.
Last year, I started Ring The Damn Bell, an amateur podcast about pro-wrestling.
Co-hosting with my best friend of 25 years, Ring The Damn Bell is a continuation of the conversations Jerry and I have been having since college - “list language” ranking our favorite wrestling finishers and gimmicks, dreamscaping cinematic epics featuring Mick Foley as The Santa Claus or a Samoan take on The Godfather Saga or more serious conversations regarding sexual assault allegations, failed efforts to unionize wrestling promotions and the litany of health issues people who throw their bodies around for a living suffer from ranging from degenerative joint issues to substance abuse to chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).
The show is in its second season and we are actively working towards building an engaged audience.
In addition to word of mouth advertising, we are working on building a more robust social media presence through Instagram and BlueSky with a plan to create a TikTok account this year.
We are also cultivating stronger relationships through the networks of our guests. To date, we’ve had multiple repeat guests and are constantly vetting and seeking more fresh voices to join us for a drink and to share their thoughts and memories with us.
While still a fledgling podcast, Ring The Damn Bell is earning trust and thrust through authenticity.
For better or worse, both Jerry and myself present ourselves on the podcast in the same way we would present ourselves in person. There is no artifice, we are who we are and as a feminist woman of color and first-generation immigrant speaking about a cultural phenomenon that is traditionally dominated by straight white men, I am acutely aware of how much weight my voice could carry.
I gave birth to my son in 2020, smack bang in the middle of the COVID pandemic, and my life changed in ways I still haven’t fully begun to grasp.
Ring The Damn Bell started as a bit of fun - a way to spend time with my buddy and a break for a harried mom of a young child - but once I started recording, I realized that much like the entirety of my life, my podcast is a love letter to my son.
To quote the Ridley Scott classic Gladiator, “what we do in life echoes in eternity.”
This will be part of my legacy which will hopefully live on long after I’m gone.
And my hope is that someday, when he’s awfully low and the world is cold, my son can find Ring The Damn Bell and listen to his mom talk about how much she loves her kid…and how much Hulk Hogan sucks.
I also hope scratching this creative itch will inspire me further.
Creativity begets creativity and I need it - we need it more than ever now.
While download numbers and an upward trajectory in listenership is great, our North Star for the podcast remains implacable - when it stops being fun, we stop doing it.
So, dream big, do the thing and ring the damn bell.
Let’s begin.
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