Help McCall make podcasts & SheShed Sound Studio
TL;DR [too long; didn’t read] If you care about recovery (specifically those of us who love addicts/alcoholics &/or struggle with codependency) please consider donating as much as you possibly can. Every dollar will be used to soundproof and convert our Tuff Shed into SheShed Sound Studio!
Just imagine the kind of content that a network of Los Angeles-based recovery folks could create with access to a professional-ish sound recording space PLUS the support, encouragement and help of one another!?!
Listen to the UnBoxing God Podcast
Co-Create with Serenity, Courage, and Wisdom (and great sound!)
NOTE: If COVID has crippled you financially - We get it. Please give even $1.00 - seeing new supporters join us is just as encouraging as the amount of money we raise! If you share this campaign, far and wide, with your own words of personal encouragement... you never know what could happen.
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—THE STORY—
Hello friends, this is McCall. 2020 is almost over, and like all of you, I couldn’t have imagined how this year would go. But in the midst of COVID, and losing my job as a result, I got BUSY!
I created the UnBoxing "God" podcast (link to podcast below) and released 36 episodes - one a week, every Tuesday, for seven months. The show has already gotten over 10K listens, and hassubscribers in 16 countries (it even ranked at #7 in Philosophy:Ireland on Apple Podcasts).
It’s all been an exciting crash course of learning: creating the website, all the graphics, basic audio editing, transcripts, show notes, YouTube video versions with subtitles, Audiograms , social media, distribution to ALL the platforms with podcasts, etc. -Not to mention the research for each episode- I’ve loved I every minute. And I still love it. But more than anything, I want to keep doing it.
However, like I said: no job - no income, little savings left - times are tight. We've made 6 months savings last for almost 10. There’s simply no way I can JADE [justify, argue, defend, explain] spending another dime to indulge my newfound passion the way I really desire... UNLESS I get some help. Asking for help is very difficult for many Adult Children - and first we must admit we need it!
Would you be willing to donate any amount you can to help me continue making podcasts?(Potentially, helping many others too!)
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—FINANCIAL/EQUIPMENT DETAILS (+ links)—
• We must raise AT LEAST $769 to invest in an integral piece of podcasting equipment (called a RODECaster Pro Integrated Podcast Production Studio).
This incredible piece of technology will ensure all recordings are consistently presentable to the human ear, plus has tons of bells and whistles that will make all the tasks of creating an episode feel easy but sound complex!
• For just ONE voice: $1599 covers a ‘one person bundle deal ’ (mic, mixer, cables, etc) which will allow me to record polished, professional level sound.
We’re talking ASMR level vocal quality here.
• For a host, plus 1 other (a co-host, or guest): $1,729 will get a ‘two person bundle’ and adds a set of much better quality microphones and headsets.
I want to learn from others and share that knowledge with all of you. With this equipment I can even go "on the road" and interview others -socially distanced of course- with consistent quality sound! Because, if you know me, you know I will talk to and learn from ANYONE... panhandler, celeb, priest/rabbi, I believe there are street-corner prophets and truck stop mystics everywhere, and I long to be one of them.
• The Full Monty: $2,499 is the exact amount required to get good equipment for 4 people (hosts/guests) to all record at once!
I really want to be able to facilitate a group conversation. Guests! Co-hosts! And even bigger ideas for the future. Keep scrolling to read ideas for potential new shows.
• Any extra $ will go towards soundproofing!!! (And hopefully a bit of décor.)
Los Angeles is LOUD. Especially our ‘hood, and particularly our street. We live on a major road in a densely packed area, with car alarms and sirens and helicopters throughout all hours - day and night. [Not to mention: one wall of the shed borders the women’s sober living home next door. 20 years living here has taught me - newly sober female addicts can create some crazy cacophonous noise!]
A few inexpensive wall hangings hung over acoustic sound panels, plus some gently used furniture, will go a long way towards creating an inviting and comfortable studio for guests and other local podcasters to enjoy.
The 12th Step tells us to carry the message forward, and that’s what I want to do. Ultimately, I’m hoping I can grow my individual effort into a collective force; a whole network of recovery oriented shows, podcasts, blogs, even videos, workshops and films.
I’m a firm believer that recovery can be just as contagious as dis-ease. Help me prove it, won’t you?
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A SPECIAL WORD TO MY “FAMILY” - BIOLOGICAL + BY CHOICE:
If you’ve made it this far, I suspect you are someone who knows and loves me (McCall) personally, so I will leave you with this:
I need nothing more - no more books, or bracelets, or bags, or cards… if you were considering sending me anything at all (for the holiday or our 16th anniversary 12/11) please, donate towards this lofty goal instead. A card plus stamp is at least $5. Donate that Abraham to THIS, and I will be FILLED with gratitude and joy! Then, share the campaign with as many others as you possibly can (especially if you post a link and include your own personal words of encouragement). Consider your extended network... would might be willing and able to support recovery centric media, tell them why you think it’s important, and then let Santa/Waldo/God do the rest!
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—POTENTIAL SHOW CONCEPTS—
In addition to Season Two of the UnBoxing “God” podcast, here are some of the new show concepts we are exploring:
• Anonymous... for the most part
- Listen to a random person share their story: “what it was like, what happened, what’s it like now” (think 15 min. speaker lead, if you are in a 12 step program of recovery) - then, hear me ask all the questions, and share tales of how I relate (basically, all the crosstalk you long for). I am fearless to inquire, and promise to ask all the probing things others might shy away from. In addition, I've been told I can “somehow pull out all the gory details” due to my own willingness to be vulnerable and transparent.
• MomAnon
- My daughter's BFF's mom and I barely know each other. She knows I made a podcast and I know she is a comedian - so, what better way to get to know each other than to co-host this show, where we will talk about Mother/Child relationships! (We may let some dads in on the fun eventually...) Other Parents will anonymously share an embarrassing or shameful story of their own. Our girls will teach us one thing All Parents Should Know (a new slang word or trend).
• McCall & Response
- I will call people (or stop them on the street, in a market, wherever I can) and have a conversation. That's it. I will talk, listen, ask, challenge. No rules. No expectations and no holds barred.
• Terminally Unique
- Two relative strangers will be paired up to exchange a vulnerable truth of themselves which makes them believe they are Terminally Unique. Then the host will help us discover if there might be any overlap or commonalities between them and all of us.
• Trailer Trash Talk
- Two hosts (perhaps the husband+wife team of Kyle + McCall) with guest hosts and friends, will discuss what they know - and what they can presume - from the advertising and branding of a new movie. Like MST300, the hosts will pick apart the trailer they watch, live, and say anything that crosses their minds. Uninhibited and Uncut.
• Reasoning It Out
- Two people in recovery (members of any 12 Step program) will discuss a difficult issue they face in their lives and then will “Reason Things Out“ with one another - fully anonymous and without gossip or criticism. Basically, a rare opportunity to listen in on a “12th step/outreach call” and experience what a sponsor/sponsee relationship might sound like.
