Most people have listened to at least one podcast episode in their life, or at least know what a podcast is. From “True Crime to Reply All”, there is a podcast for just about any listener interested in any topic. 

Meet Hanna Dahlin, ‘23, and Lucia Gavin, ‘23, two Vantage students who are making a place for themselves in the podcast world. Inspired by Emma Chamberlain’s podcast Anything Goes, the duo started “Lucia + Hanna Share A Brain” in February 2022. The podcast centers around themes such as self-care, stress management, and positivity.

“We just wanted to make a safe space where we could share our thoughts and ideas, so people can understand that everyone else goes through struggles as well,” said Dahlin, “We sometimes talk about darker topics, but we like to keep it really positive and want to inspire others as well with it.”

“We’ve [also] talked about managing stress in school, we’ve talked about summer and trends, we’ve talked about sports in school, friendships, it’s kind of all over the place,” Dahlin added.

Dahlin and Gavin use an app called Anchor to record and upload their episodes to Spotify. 

“We don’t really do edits, which makes it extremely real,” Gavin pointed out. “I’d say our podcast is very us-driven. We record when we want, which can sometimes be a little flaky because we’re busy, but it’s very realistic.”

One of the challenges that comes with running a podcast about positivity is maintaining an optimistic mindset. Both Gavin and Dahlin reflected on how the podcast challenges them to find the positives in every situation and stay confident through their discussions of heavier topics. 

“We don’t want to talk about drama and the worst, terrible parts of our lives. We’re trying to reflect and focus on the positives that come out of that,” said Dahlin, “It’s a good challenge to think, ‘I’m going through this, how can I find the positives and share it with others?’”

Despite this, both Dahlin and Gavin agree that the podcast is enjoyable to run overall.

“Hearing feedback about [the podcast] is the most enjoyable part, because when you hear people applauding you for sharing your thoughts that are completely raw. It feels pretty nice to know that people are listening, and people are using your advice,” said Dahlin.

“It’s an interesting feeling when people will tell me, ‘Oh, that’s how I feel about this [topic] too’,” said Gavin. “That, and just being with Hanna, because Hanna is the best.”

“I just want to say that I’m very lucky to be able to do this with Lucia, specifically because we share a lot of the same thoughts, and I think it’s very unique that I found someone like her that’s on the same wavelength as me,” expressed Dahlin. “I think it’s really great to share our thoughts with the people around us and see that people actually are listening and supporting us.”

“I think Hanna’s such a bright light, and I’m so beyond thankful for her,” Gavin emphasized, “Sometimes it can be a challenge to find people who share the same creativity. I think it’s good to take the time to find people and invest in relationships that you feel like good things come out of.”

“It’s just a really cool experience, and I’m glad I’m doing it with her,” concluded Dahlin.

Lucia + Hanna Share A Brain is available to listen to on Spotify