Back in 2013, Greg Hemmings and I met for one of our semi-regular beers at an uptown pub. As usual, we wanted to catch up and see how the other was doing.
Greg and I had long kicked around the idea of working together, but had never been able to nail down the right project to collaborate on.
Between sips, Greg told me that we should start a podcast together.
“Sounds like a great idea! What exactly is a podcast?” I asked, puzzled.
Greg, always curious and slightly ahead of the curve on all things tech, had recently returned from New Media Expo in Las Vegas. There, he’d met some of the leaders in the emerging space of podcasting, a fledgling medium that, obviously, has since exploded in popularity. Back then, however, it was a new frontier.
Hard to believe
Greg pitched it this way: his film company, Hemmings House, had recently been certified as a B Corp, a process that had introduced him to many innovative entrepreneurs. Similarly, my job as a leadership coach meant I was exposed daily to successful, interesting people with stories to tell. In other words, we had a large stable of interview subjects to draw from and share with listeners.
And so the Boiling Point was born.
I find it hard to believe that 10 years have gone by. And it’s incredible to think back on all the guests we’ve hosted, each one with a compelling and valuable story to share. Despite the humble origins of the project, we’ve landed some big-name guests for the show, most notably Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield, and the influential thinker and author Seth Godin (catch the first episode, then the second).
And yet some of our most gripping and emotional conversations have been with lesser known people, such as Patrick Gordon, a former soldier now fighting the war on hunger. That’s the beauty of the Boiling Point’s broad focus – we’re able to share a variety of engrossing stories with our listeners.
'Really cool'
“It was really cool to dig into a different medium,” Greg told me recently while reminiscing about the launch of the podcast. “I work in the business of sharing stories and amplifying stories and podcasting is just part of that. So it was a very good learning experience for me,” he added. “We were able to amplify a lot of local entrepreneurs’ stories. We always had that desire to share our local stories outwards.”
On a personal level, podcasting has helped strengthen my curiosity. That’s why I encourage leaders to consider starting a podcast: it makes you a better listener and broadens your thinking with new ideas.
It’s also exciting to see how the podcast has evolved. Greg has taken a hiatus from the show, with Emily Rodger, a fellow Vision coach, taking over as the show’s lead interviewer. Emily has added a boundless energy and perspective to our conversations, and I’ve enjoyed sitting in the passenger seat as she drives the show’s focus.
The ride over the past 10 years has been very rewarding – from heading into the unknown of a new medium to finding our niche within the growing podcasting world. And Emily and I are both thrilled about what’s to come.
It’s amazing what can happen when two friends meet for a beer.
Dave Veale
Founder & CEO
Vision Coaching Inc.
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