Pilot Episode: Chat with Elise

I just wanted to give a little more detail about the first episode than what the tagline post gives and share an in post media player that's a little friendlier.

At the beginning of the year I started to consider doing this podcast. As a low-key person with no experience in audio editing, it seemed like a far-fetched idea for me to spend time interviewing people about their lives and turning those conversations into podcasts. But having enough courage to try it out, Elise Bassett let me interview her to see what I could do. I sat on the result for a while, because I worried this wasn't something I'd stick with doing. Also, as time went on, I noticed how the dynamic of our friendship changed, which gave me pause about sharing this. To make the idea of sharing more complicated, I noticed how much her life changed even in just the few months after the interview. But ultimately, this episode really embodies what I want Reflection to be. It shows how each of our life stories are always a work in progress and there is something that we each are experiencing that resonates with other people.

Elise grew up in Princeton, New Jersey. Now, most of us haven't had to deal with the pressure of growing up in an Ivy League town, but feeling the pressure to fit in and be a certain way is certainly something most of us can relate to. Through Elise's experience, she shows how challenging it can be to navigate the fine line between developing a personal identity and being part of a community. Elise also opens up about discovering the barriers that come with anxiety and depression. That was a very familiar theme for me. It can be scary when life shows us our limits, particularly when facing those limitations with anxiety and depression.

As Elise took me through her life story and seeing the difference between what she expected life to be to what her reality is, she shared a very hopeful outlook. Having hope can be really challenging when mental health issues stand in the way of the life you want, but Elise provides a personal perspective on what gives her hope and shows a will to keep dreaming.

I need to give a shout out to Elise too for not only letting me try this out on her, but helping come up with a name for the podcast and designing a logo.