November 3, 2007… I did not realize it then, but that date would eventually change my life. What started off as a hobby turned into something much more meaningful. Over the course of these 19 years, I experienced the highs and lows of what it took to host a podcast on my own. More importantly, I would never change a thing.
The Buzz – BuzzWorthy Radio started at a time when podcasts were just being introduced. No one really knew what a podcast even was. I sure didn’t. It took one person to put the idea in my head to host my own show. I didn’t think I could do it. I went into this not only blind, but scared. Before we even get into the start of The Buzz, let’s rewind the tape back to 2006.
When the idea was first suggested, I was trying to find a way to produce a podcast since I didn’t have the tools to make it sustainable. Recording through my computer speakers was not going to work. I was about to quit before I even got started. However, a platform emerged that I was able to utilize. Thanks to MySpace (remember that site?), I got wind of BlogTalkRadio. While it recorded shows through your phone, it was 10 times better than recording through my speakers. It opened the door to the possibility of hosting a podcast.
Before The Buzz started in 2007, I was on another podcast called In the Zone. I wasn’t confident enough to host the show on my own, so I asked someone to co-host with me. It started off well, and then things shifted. He wanted to run the show and have full control over it. He ran the switchboard, and it became his own brand, in a sense. At the time, I didn’t think anything of it. That was mainly because I wasn’t confident enough to voice my opinions. I talk about Imposter Syndrome a lot. When I first started, it was on hyperdrive! Again, things were going OK… that is, until I actually voiced an idea. When I first started the show, I wanted to have guests on. I finally pitched the idea since the show was my brainchild, and I still wanted to incorporate interviews.
The idea was shot down. Of course, it hurt. Instead of saying anything about it, I let it go. Here’s the thing: everyone loved the host. I felt that if I rocked the boat somehow, I would be cast aside. So, I kept my mouth shut and moved on. That didn’t last long because, shortly after, things took a turn. Looking back on it, it was indeed for the better.
I left In the Zone in 2007, and it was not by choice. I was forced out. I was trying to sign into the dashboard, and I was locked out because the host had changed the passwords. I then heard him say, live on-air, that the “co-host” was no longer part of the show. I don’t even know what happened to make him do this, but I was angry. Picture those old cartoons where you see someone’s head explode. That was me. At that point, I didn’t want to associate myself with the show. I didn’t want my name attached to it anymore, and I started it! I decided to start a new show, and I wasn’t going to make the mistake of having someone overtake my throne, so to speak.
One could say The Buzz started out of spite. However, it also started because I wanted to finally do the show I had envisioned in the first place. I wasn’t going to have anyone dull that shine of mine. It just took that moment for me to realize, “I can do what I want to now without sacrificing myself.” Funny enough, when word got out that I was starting the show, people who were loyal to In the Zone felt that I wouldn’t make it. We talk about how some podcasts don’t make it past episode 10. Well, I was one of those people others assumed would fail. Remember what they say about people who assume. The show eventually became such a staple that I had people within the soap opera industry asking, “Who is NaVell?” That was the moment when I felt doors opening in the daytime community. It was a genre I loved (and still do). To have fans within that community reach out was humbling.
The competition between us grew for about a year before eventually waning. I also had a co-host in the beginning of The Buzz, but I was upfront about how I didn’t want him to overtake the show from me like my last one. He co-signed, saying that this was mine and I could do what I wanted with it. We eventually parted ways, and this time, it was amicable. It’s hard to do a show with a co-host because you have to work through each other’s differences. Sometimes, you simply don’t mesh well. I will always appreciate him being there at the start, but it was time for me to do it on my own.
Doing the podcast for so long eventually led to burnout. However, there were other factors that contributed to it. When you work a full-time job on top of what is essentially another full-time job, it can be taxing. Working in a managerial setting at one of those jobs is not for the weak. It eventually forced me to give up the podcast entirely for about two years. Prior to that, as I began working more hours, the show slowly drifted into the background. It wasn’t something I wanted, but everything began to wear me out. I was so stressed because of work that friends noticed I wasn’t myself. I wasn’t taking any time for me. I had to slow down. Well… that didn’t happen until 2022. After I suffered a mental breakdown due to work, and I won’t even mention the person who wasn’t empathetic to it, followed by layoffs shortly afterward, I re-evaluated what was important in my life. The podcast was one of those things.
I realized how much I missed being in front of and behind the mic. I missed all of it. I slowly found a way to get back into the fold. Certain people would ask me, “When are you podcasting again?” I would tend to give a non-answer. What they didn’t realize was why I wasn’t podcasting in the first place. However, those questions were also part of why I decided to start again. It was hard getting back into it. Publicists had moved on. They weren’t as forthcoming with talent opportunities as they used to be. I had to work on rebuilding those relationships. In the same breath, I formed new ones in the process.
Podcasting saw a boom when I returned to the medium. Celebrity-driven podcasts became a hot ticket. More and more people started their own shows, and many took off. I’m still an independent podcaster without those large numbers, trying to find my way back while continuing to grow. What’s interesting is that as podcasts became more of a mainstream medium, more people began working with me.
After 10 years of trying to attend San Diego Comic-Con, I finally got to go in 2023 as press. I began working virtual press for the Primetime Emmy Awards in 2022. I started covering the ATX TV Festival in 2024. I covered my first PaleyFest event that same year. This year, I went to Televerse. I also began covering TV press junkets. As you know, I’ve won a total of four podcast awards. I’ll admit that adding “Award-Winning” to my show’s description helped make some of these opportunities happen. However, it still took me working and building my résumé for people to trust me.
I had to learn how to evolve. I had to learn how to collaborate. I had to learn how to be a better listener. Basically, I just had to grow up! That’s also why the former In the Zone host and I have patched things up. We both had to learn that what we did was petty nonsense that could have been avoided. Again… wouldn’t change a thing. If that hadn’t happened, The Buzz wouldn’t exist. In a way, he helped push me to get that first door open. I’ve said this before, and I’m going to say it again: do not expect people to give you a handout. You have to work to build these relationships. You have to show up. You have to introduce yourself. You have to show them why it’s worthwhile to work with you. Many people don’t want to attach their names to something or someone because it could potentially ruin their credibility. It’s up to you to do the work and earn that trust.
There are so many people to thank, but the one I must thank is Roger Newcomb from We Love Soaps. Without his faith in me, I never would have started podcasting in the first place. Others have helped to perfect my voice. Roger was the one who helped me find it.
I am so incredibly grateful for all the relationships I’ve built over these last two decades. I am also humbled by the realization that this could all end tomorrow. I don’t know where we go from here, but I hope you continue this journey with me for as long as the medium will have me.
Here’s to another 19 years.
