MILKING IT: GLOW @GLOWINY
Interview by TMILKY
Introducing Glow: gorgeous interviewer, sweet podcast rambler and icon.
What milk goes into your drinks?
In order of preference; almond, oat, semi-skimmed, full-fat. I'll take what's there, but I try to reserve dairy milk for cooking.
Interview to interviewer, what’s one way to get someone to open up?
Disarming them with a personal anecdote to make them laugh and unclench.
Ever asked someone a tough question, knowing you won’t love the answer?
All the time, but I don't need the truth to be beautiful, I just need it to be true. And more times than not, if I've worked up the courage to ask then I likely know the answer and I've started making peace with it preemptively.
Interviews have really evolved over the years. Now, we can do this over email. How do you prepare yourself to have inquisitive conversation?
Research! I try and learn about my subjects and their interests. When I find something that arouses my curiosity I follow that until I find a question. I ask myself: What do I want to know about this person that I can't easily find out myself?
As a big nerd I LOVE lore, so I often curate questions that might provoke an untold story or anecdote. This allows the subjects charisma to shine too!
Talk to us about your podcast work and how you felt ready and prepared to put your voice out there.
I knew I was ready to be a podcaster the first time I ever listened to a podcast. It was a great conversational podcast by some people I adore greatly. No shade to them though but they're cishet Millennials, it was 2017, and some of their thoughts and understanding of the nuances of identity and the world were a bit less refined or well-informed than mine, and I was only 18 at the time. If they could do it-- and they did a damn good job-- then surely I could do it even better? After a couple hundred hours of listening to a wide range of pods, I felt I had something to offer that I hadn't come across yet. I realised that the thing I was yearning to find in other pods is something that already existed within myself, and I couldn't wait to share it.
I'm a naturally social and charismatic person and I had considered trying Youtube, but I wasn't prepared for all the arduous work and logistics that would entail. And at the time the Youtube sphere was oversaturated, whereas podcasting was only just gaining popularity in the mainstream. Now don't get me wrong, podcasting is no easy thing, but I felt that the audio format allowed me more wiggle room when it came to production. I couldn't have done it without my amazing friends and acquaintances motivating me to stay consistent as I started my journey.
Advice to those wanting to be more honest and authentic in their personal lives?
It's terrifying, it really is, but doesn't a life spent stifling yourself and never knowing what life could be like sound even scarier? The World is made of millions of intricate systems designed to dim your light and keep you square, why let it win? The only real way to feel the warmth of people's admiration is to show up as yourself. Authenticity is rebellion. Be a fucking rebel.
I've spent the last few years learning to be more honest and unmask, and the response has been amazing. I've never felt so free, and the people I'm surrounded by are a reflection of that. Don't deny people the chance to show up for you. Don't deny yourself the chance to be truly loved. To be loved is to be known intimately.
Would you give the same advice to those wanting to be more honest in their professional lives?
There's a lot of nuance to that. But in short, yes. Being honest allows people to understand your needs, boundaries, communication style, capabilities/limitations. It opens the door for more sustainable professional relationships. That being said, harmless lies can be useful sometimes. The professional world can feel like a game of survival, and sometimes lying is just as useful a tool as the truth.
Sum up your experience working with the public, in a sentence, and include the word ‘light’.
It's pretty wholesome and rewarding, sometimes draining (or rarely, agonsing), but there's nothing better than wholesome or insightful exchange that leaves you feeling lighter.
