Michelle Words

Michelle is a writer, blogger, and podcaster. She started off doing poetry and eventually transitioned into blogging. She was inspired to start a podcast after a conversation with a former boss, even though she initially had doubts about her voice. Michelle began podcasting in 2020 and found it to be a great outlet for conversation and storytelling. She also discussed her blogging journey, which focused on showcasing BIPOC individuals. She was recognized for her blog in 2016, which was a significant moment for her. Currently, she hosts her podcast on her blog and enjoys creating content for social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok. The pandemic coincided with her podcasting journey, but it was more influenced by being fired from her previous job and having the time to dedicate to podcasting. Michelle's background in service-based employment helped her become comfortable with interviewing and connecting with strangers. Welcome to the Canadian Businesswoman Podcast. My name is Esther, and today I have the pleasure of talking to a fellow podcaster and really just content creator extraordinaire. How are you today, Michelle? I'm fantastic. It's a great day today. Welcome to the show. And as I usually start the podcast, I ask my guests to introduce themselves, give us a little bit more information about your background and what led you to what you're doing today. Okay. Well, thank you so much for asking me to be on the show. This is a pleasure, so thank you so much. I am a writer, blogger, podcaster. I will start off with a writer, even though podcasting is the latest thing I'm into. I guess at the core, I am a writer. I love writing. I like creating. And I started off doing poetry, like, you know, when I was younger, that moved into doing zines, believe it or not. I also did, like, I was a volunteer at a call-in radio show, a talk show. After, yeah, after university, I did that. And after that, I just started writing. I just started writing. And then with podcasting, I did a blog. I mean, Words With Michelle is the blog, and that's where everything started. And then it was a boss, and I keep using the same story, because it really is true. I bumped into one of my bosses. We worked together for only three months. Keep this in mind. I worked with her for only three months. But I actually bonded with this lady, and then she was gone from that job. And I never saw her for about a year or two. Maybe three. Actually, I think it was probably three years at that point. And then, yeah, it was two to three years. And then I bumped into her on TTC, on the subway. And she's like, oh, my God, where's your podcast? I'm like, well, I don't really have one. I don't have a podcast. I'm still blogging. She's like, what do you mean you don't have a podcast? I mean, you're the one person I know or should have one. So she got me thinking. I went to work, sat down, told my coworker. I'm like, I think I'm going to end up doing a podcast. I mean, I'm blogging right now, but she put it in my head, and I can't get it out. I can't get this out of my head. Because, I mean, I didn't want to do a podcast. I wasn't sure if I liked my voice. I just thought it was too whiny. So I was like, do I need to have a podcaster? So then I just ended up that entire day, I just researched. I didn't do my work. I just researched, went to Google, did a deep dive on podcasting. And then about a couple months after, I became a podcaster. I just kind of bit myself into it. And that's when I actually started doing it. And you started around 2020. Is that right? With the podcast? With the podcasting? Yeah, because I was blogging from 2014 onward. And then podcasting, I started in 2020. So the funny thing about that is that I was working as an employment counselor before. So that was my official, not corporate job, but my 9-to-5 as an employment counselor. And then I got fired in 2020. In January 2020, I got fired, which was the best day of my life. And that was my emancipation day. I loved that day, January 15, 2020, because I hated my job. And I was depressed. I'm not going to lie. I was really feeling sad. And then when the pandemic happened, I just went full throttle into podcasting. I loved it. I just thought, okay, just talking with people was awesome. So I did that. And then I stopped doing it. So in 2021, I lost my brother. It was the beginning of 2021. So in January, I was still podcasting up until the end of January. And then when he passed away, I just stopped for months and months. And I did a few shows in 2021 and a few shows in 2022. And then I kind of picked up. And then now I'm more ramping it up just because I have some projects that I'm working on. So I'm just kind of like, you know what? I'm creative. I love doing this. I love chatting. And it's just a part of me. I can go anywhere and talk to anyone. I can go to the grocery store and have a full-on conversation with anyone who's around me. So I realized this is your gift. You just like to chat. You like conversation. I feel people are – they inspire me. People are my muse. I mean, I just love hearing their stories. It just kind of makes me happy. So that's how I just all kind of started. Before we get into the podcast side, let's go back to the blogging for a bit. So what was your goal when you started your blog? And what did it become? Well, I started the blog because I really and truly did not – okay, so I focus on BIPOC. I focus on Black Canadians and just people of color, to be quite honest, because I didn't see them in magazines. So we're going to take it back to 10 years ago. So I remember Slay Magazine. I always mention Slay because I actually really, really liked that magazine. It was a free publication, and I think it was attached to the Toronto Star. So this was over 10 years ago, and I liked it. There's a bunch of magazines that I liked that just stopped because we know that the industry kind of had a halt or things stopped because people are not buying that many magazines. But I thought, you know, I really want to see my people. I really want to see what we're doing because I knew of people. I followed them. I knew of the Tree Anthony's. I knew of the Dalton Higgins. I knew of all these people that I was inspired by, and I'm like, I don't see them anywhere else. You know what I mean? And if you do, it's just like randomly. So I'm like, you know what, let me create, and I was a writer, so I'm like, let me create something where I can actually just kind of showcase people that motivate me. And I just started, and that's what the blog did. And then I was actually acknowledged for my blog in 20, I believe it was 2016. I don't know if you remember. It was called Her Story in Black, and it was from Emily Mills. She did a digital photo exhibit. It was 150 Black Canadian women acknowledged for being trailblazers. So I was acknowledged for being a blogger, and that was huge. I still do some kind of thing about it, and I'm not going to lie. That's no word of a lie. It was very huge for me because I didn't know that anyone really liked my blog. I mean, I liked it, and I liked the people that I focused on, but for her to acknowledge me in her story was outstanding. That was huge. That was really, really huge. Congratulations for that. If anybody recognizes you, you always, I would think, be honored for that, right? Because you were there for the work, and then this was just like a happy bonus that you didn't even consider, I'm sure. But it just acknowledged and reinforced what you were doing. You were doing the right thing, and you were on the right path. I don't know if being a blogger is a requirement for being a podcaster because I also had a blog. It's no longer a thing. I was also a writer for a long time, and maybe there's a connection because you're both dealing with words, and you kind of have to be able to think it through first before you can communicate it. The same thing with that, when I started my blog, I had very low expectations. It was like for film festivals, and I ended up, by the end, working with TIFF, which I never, ever imagined would be a thing. If you like to write, bloggers are not dead people. Start writing about something you enjoy. Write for the passion, and the rest will follow. Are you still doing your blog as you also podcast, or what's happening with that? I will be quite honest and say that the blog is kind of like, I don't, I host my podcast on the blog. I keep saying I'm a blogger, but it's not really because I've taken a vaccine. I do have another blog that I work on, but it's a food blog, but I don't really put that much effort into it. The main blog is Words with Michelle, and I host my podcast there. I may start putting actual posts on it, but I think I have more fun doing other posts for social media like Instagram and TikTok. That's why I kind of don't blog as much, but yeah. It does require more work. I also want to start doing blogs that promote the episodes, at least. So, transition to podcasting, was the whole pandemic situation going on at that time, was that a part of the influence, or was it just kind of a coincidence? It was an actual coincidence. It was really a coincidence, because I think what kind of propelled me, probably was being fired. I had all this time, right? When I was working, I was so tired. When you have a 9-to-5, and my job was mentally exhausting. I was helping people look for work. It's hard enough looking for your own job, but now you're helping other people that have certain barriers. I was exhausted. When I came home, I would crawl into bed. When the pandemic happened, I mean, I'm at home. I was interviewing people. Because of Zoom, Zoom made it so easy, being remote. You can interview so many people so quickly, so I did that. It was just a perfect storm type of thing, because I had the time. Everyone's using Zoom. Everyone wants to keep busy as well, right? Some people say that you take the time to relax. I really didn't relax during that time. 2020 was not relaxed. I didn't relax. I just had fun chatting with people on every subject known to man. It was fun. I also am in a service-based employment. I work in admin and medical field. I understand that, because I'm constantly talking to people, trying to help people explain things. You feel like you're repeating yourself. I like to talk to people, but after a while, that becomes exhausting. It's a lot of energy, because if you care about your job and you're trying to do it for the right reasons, then you get invested in these people, and then by the end, you don't have a lot for yourself. I understand, but I feel like it's good training, too. I didn't connect it myself, but I'm like, oh, I feel comfortable talking to complete strangers, because I've done that for so many years. I can interview people, get to know their situation really quickly, really easily. I know how to do that in a way that's respectful and not intrusive. It was a good training ground, I guess, right? It was, because actually, you kind of made me remember something, because I remember when I left. When I started my blog, actually, prior to that, I was an employment counselor at another place, but I stopped working there, and I wasn't in that industry for a couple of years. But even though I would leave the house and I would still get people coming up to me and speaking to me, but actually, sorry, it was the job that made me realize that interviewing was my skill, I had people just tell me everything. They would just offload so much information. So many people had peace, and I felt it. I felt that they were so comfortable around me that I thought, okay, you know what? I mean, I like talking to people. This may be it. I was kind of known for my interviews before, but it was on a small scale, but this was full-on. Worth of Michelle was full-on interviews. That was all I did. Yeah, same. Definitely same. Again, I think that's when you're in the service industry, people, like, they take advantage of the services. Like, they may be also, you know, people are isolated and they're not socializing, especially during the last couple of years. So if they have a chance to talk to somebody, they are more than happy to talk to you, especially when you're saying you're there to help them, right? So you started your blog, I mean, your podcast. So what was the goal with the podcast, and what has it kind of turned into? It's funny, because actually I was thinking about this when I was thinking about the show. I was thinking, I didn't think I had no purpose before. Like, I honestly think I did things just because I was passionate about it, and I believe that's the truth. I think I did it because I'm like, you know what? I like this. Hopefully one day I'll be recognized and I'll get jobs from this. Now, I mean, I still want that, but I'm more forward-thinking now. I'm thinking, okay, this is what I want to do. Not pivot, but I want to use this as a launching pad for other things. I mean, I'm working on a book. There's all these things that I have going on, so I'm like, yeah, a book, it's fun to do. I mean, podcasting is, like, talking to people is definitely going to be a part of my life, either shows, you know what I mean, or through books. Well, I'm really impressed with what you've done so far with the podcast. You've managed to get some great guests. So what's the process with that? How do you usually reach out to people and connect with people? Like, podcasting is great for that. So how have you used podcasting to do that? Oh, my God, DMs. I, like, stalk people. I mean, like, because, I mean, I do get notes. I mean, I've been getting notes from 2014, like, from my blog. And I think one of the proudest moments, believe it or not, was when I wrote about it. It was from my blog, Tracy Moore. Like, I feel like I sent her emails from 2014 to 2018 or 2019. And finally, in 2019, she said yes. She probably never read the email. That's the funny thing. I think she probably never received an email from a DM. But as luck would have it, I came home from my last job. And I was just like, I need to get someone. I want to introduce someone. And I'm like, it's going to be Tracy Moore. And within seconds, she responded to my DM. I'm like, I was in shock. I literally just sat there with my mouth wide open. I've been wanting her for so long. So finally, yeah, she responded. And we just made it happen. We just made it. And she's such a lovely person. I've been, I don't want to say lucky, but I've met some outstanding people. Like, okay, everyone that's on the blog and podcast, I like. So I've been kind of, I keep sending emails. It's just as simple as that. You just keep shooting your, shoot your shot. That is my motto. Like, if they say no, they say no. Because I've sent, as of recently, to some people I don't think I'm able to get. Okay, I didn't get a response, my dear. But I'm going to keep doing it. Because I'm like, I'm known for my interviews. I do a good, I believe I do a good job. So I'm hopefully, you know, it takes me to other places, you know. So it's just that, just being consistent. I agree. I had the same struggle when I started the podcast last year. Because initially, I started with friends and family. And there was a lot of no's or just not responses and that kind of thing. And that was discouraging. And then I just said, okay, well, I need to expand my search. I was trying to take the easy way out and just start with friends and family. Now I've got to post, you know, set up a social media, start reaching out to people. And immediately people started saying yes. And like you said, everybody who said yes has been the right person. It's been a great interview. I've met so many interesting people. I love every single person I've talked to. It's never been a disappointment. So the right people who are meant to be there and who you're supposed to connect with, they always find you. And just by you doing the work, by having the podcast, by having the blog up, you are more likely to get it because people will take you seriously. They will take you seriously because they see that you've done the work, even if you don't have a lot of episodes or blogs. You just got to get started, set up a social media page, and just start asking people. So is there anything that I haven't asked you that you wanted to share with us today? I have a few things on the go. The next thing that I'm working on is a book. I really am looking forward to that. I have a few. It is based on my blog. So just a little tidbit for anyone listening. It's based on my blog. But that book is going to be out soon. I'm really excited about it. Well, I'd love to have you back once the book is out and we can talk more about that and get some more information out there. So definitely follow up on that. Oh, my gosh. I look forward to that. I love that. I love it. And if somebody wants to reach out to you to learn more about all the things we're working on, what's the best way to reach you? I guess Instagram. So it's wordswmichelle or at. I'm doing the wrong thing. It's at wordswmichelle or TikTok at wordswithmichelle. YouTube at wordswithmichelle. X would be at wordswithmichelle. As long as you go wordswithmichelle, I'm going to come up on Spotify, Apple Podcast, and all the other social media. So just Google wordswithmichelle and you'll get a hold of me. Wonderful. Make sure to include all that information in the show notes. Thank you for being here. And we look forward to learning more about your book once it's out. Have a good day. Thank you so much for everything. This has been a pleasure. I've loved this. It's an honor that you've asked me to do this, so thank you so much.