In this article, I interviewed Anagha, IBlieve’s Podcast Lead, as part of our new series, IBlieve Teams Spotlight. Here, Anagha takes us behind-the-scenes to show us what the team is all about, the creative process behind each episode and how you can get involved!
Please introduce yourself!
I’m Anagha, and I am a DP1 doing IB in Denmark. I joined IBlieve last June, and it has been an exciting experience for me. When I joined IB in MYP, I discovered IBlieve, including the podcast, and I have loved listening to the podcast since then. When I joined the team, I was ecstatic because I was finally able to help IB students worldwide.
In your own words, what is the Podcast team all about?
The team is all about making relatable podcasts for IB students which they can listen to while they are walking to school, traveling or relaxing. The podcast is about students getting advice on crucial IB topics such as how do you deal with stress or how a subject’s curriculum looks. IB is complicated with 6 subjects along with TOK, CAS and EE. Personally, I think it is much more effective when you listen to someone who has experience with these things as you are assured that what you are hearing is right. The podcast also talks about how you deal with the workload and tips and tricks for each subject. It is like a one-stop shop for everything.
What is the 2024 mission of the Podcast team?
I think that this year, our main goal is to increase our listener numbers. Last year, the team’s main problem was conflicting schedules which caused problems in posting, so we want to also be able to manage posting better.
Right now, I am planning for 2 interviews, and we are going to compile recordings from IB students from around the world on important topics. I think this will really help us maintain posting continuity which is one of our main goals, and implant more creativity into our work.
[We] also aim to produce high-quality podcasts. I think the key aspect that we want to include is relatability. The hosts are honest in admitting their struggles – “Yes, I did not sleep last night.”, “I had 10 cups of coffee’ – which helps the viewers see themselves within the hosts. This is one aspect we want to really bring into our episodes.
What does the process of creating episodes generally look like?
We have a document where the hosts plan how the episodes are going to go (i.e. how much time they are going to spend on each segment). The hosts come up with a preliminary outline which usually starts with a general catch-up on what is going on with their lives before diving into the topic. I look over it before giving them feedback. The hosts then record the episode on Zoom. If they are doing an interview with someone, which they have done in the past, they record that and send the Zoom recording as well as their individual recordings to me. I use an audio enhancer which removes the background noise, and Sound Trap to put all the recordings together. We then add the intro and outro, and I create the name of the episode which is catchy and something that I, as an IB student, would directly click on and listen to.
For you, what is your favorite thing about the Podcast team?
As I mentioned earlier, I joined the IB in MYP, coming from a system which was completely different, I was totally lost, but when I found the IBlieve podcast and listened to some episodes; I realized it was not impossible. I then read through IBlieve’s resources, and I realized that there are a lot of people in the world who are going through the same things as me.
When I looked at Reddit or Tiktok, the people there were strangers. But, in the podcast, I heard hosts who I had been listening to for many episodes, who I had sort of gotten to know. When they put out an episode, I heard about their personal struggles and how they were coping with it. It gave me the faith that I could get through my own struggles.
The fact that IBlieve is making a difference, and the podcast is able to contribute is what makes me happy.
How can the audience get involved in your team? What is your ideal recruitment profile?
The podcast team is normally run by two co-leads and 2-3 hosts who all work in collaboration to create, edit and publish episodes.
For the position of podcast co-lead, we generally look for someone who has a bit of editing experience, has good leadership qualities and is able to direct the team and manage conflicts. We want someone who has a good vision for the podcast; someone who understands IBlieve’s mission and is eager to spread it. It can be hard to manage the podcast, especially if you are doing the IB. But, as long as you value it, you will make it work. The most important value for me is someone who resonates with what we believe in, which is to help other IB students around the world.
If you want to be a host, you should be at the end of DP1 or the beginning of DP2, so you have some experience on how IB works. IB alumni are welcome as well. They have seen it all: the IB exams, the transition between DP1 and DP2, etc. Other than this, we are looking for someone who is committed and works well with our current hosts. A host must be able to communicate their availability, episode ideas, and a group timeline to deliver the episodes. They must be able to voice out any concerns they have, and also be relatable; no one is perfect in the IB and that is fine! We want people who are confident enough to admit they made mistakes in the past, but have grown from them.
Where can the audience find the podcast?
We post new episodes on Mondays, 12 PM GMT on Spotify. New episodes are also linked in the IBlieve newsletter. Whenever we have a new season, we also get a new podcast cover which we update on our Spotify profile, IBlieve’s social media channels and newsletter.
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