We’re Nominated & Need Your Support - Vote for It’s Layered Podcast at the Australian Podcast Awards🗳️

Hey, Delvers! 🎧

Your faves have some incredibly exciting news – It's Layered Podcast is proudly standing in the run for the Listener's Choice Award at the Australian Podcast Awards, and let’s just say we’re super stoked! But, here's the thing: we couldn't have gotten this far without your ears and hearts. And now, we need your fingers to do the talking! 

We've always believed that like the best conversations, the magic lies in delving into the layers, and we like to believe you think so too. If our episodes have ever added a layer of joy, insight, or companionship to your day, we're asking you to hop onto the Australian Podcast Awards voting page before 10th October and cast your vote for It's Layered Podcast.

Here's how you can help us take home the gold (or at least, the bragging rights!):

1. Visit the Australian Podcast Awards voting portal at: Cast Your Vote

2. Search for "It's Layered Podcast" in the search bar – you'll find us amongst some amazing podcasters.

3. Click that 'Vote' button – it's one small click for you, one incredible moment for our podcast!

4. Verify your email - the Awards will send you an email asking you to verify your email for your vote to count, so please do!

P.S. You can vote as many times as you have emails so feel free to do so ;)

And, while you're at it, why not spread the love? Share this with your Mama, your aunties, uncles, cousins, besties, bros, sisters and anyone else you can! You can also share your vote on social media, tag @AustralianPodcastAwards and us @itslayered, and use the hashtag #AustralianPodcastAwards to join the conversation.

Not sure why we're nomination-worthy? Check out what Greedy South had to say about us in their article: It's Layered Podcast by Zimbabwean Duo Breaking Waves. We're proud of our roots, how far we’ve come and the layers we bring to the mic every single time.

Help us shine the spotlight on the stories, the laughs, and the real talk we've shared over the last 5 years . With your vote, we can let the entire continent know what you've all helped us build – a community, a conversation, and a podcast that's layered with love.

Thank you for every listen, every message, and soon - hopefully, your vote! You're not just part of our audience, as Delvers you're part of the It's Layered family. ❤️

Go on, make some noise – vote It's Layered Podcast! 🗳️🎙️

And remember, the countdown is real – voting closes on 10 October 2024!

🎉 Exciting News: Join It’s Layered Podcast Live at ‘Beyond the Valley’ Festival!

We’re excited to finally share that It’s Layered Podcast will be live at Beyond the Valley Festival this NYE! Join us at the Podcast Stage for a thrilling live recording session.

📅 Date: December 31

📍 Location: Podcast Stage, Beyond the Valley Festival

It’s your chance to experience our podcast in a way that you’ve never seen before. You’ll get to dive deep into discussions with us in real-time, get to ask us some questions, and be part of the energy that only a live audience can bring!

Why Join Us?

It’s our FIRST ever Live Podcast Session: We can’t wait to do like we always do - get to delving and answer some of your questions with our live audience Q&A.

Connect in Person: We’d love to get to know you all a little better, and to do that in person? What a treat!

Inside Scoop: Get the inside scoop on some of our untold stories before anyone else!

👫 Bring a Friend: Podcasts are better together! Tell a friend to tell a friend, and let’s make it a day to remember.

🎟️ Tickets:

Secure your pre-sale tickets here and ensure you don’t miss out on this one-of-a-kind podcast experience.

Prepare to delve into fascinating topics and be part of something truly special. We can’t wait to see you there!

For more information, keep your eyes on our website and follow us on our social channels.

So, you’ve decided to start a podcast- now WHAT??!!

Rumbi and I decided to turn some of our hour-long long-distance friendship chats into a podcast. Surely there are people out there that were also grappling with the same issues and concerns that we had as Zimbabwean women living far from home? But after we had made the decision to go for it- I found myself absolutely stuck. I mean- I had heard of podcasts of course but had instantly dismissed them as not for me (oh, the irony!)! Rumbi certainly listened to more podcasts than I did so I had to play “catch-up”, familiarise myself with this whole new world of podcasting AND to top it all off, also figure out how to start one.

Not surprised that soon after we decided to leap forward, you guessed it, I got a major case of analysis paralysis. According to Investopedia, “Analysis paralysis is an inability to make a decision due to over-thinking a problem. An individual or a group can have too much data. The result is endless wrangling over the upsides and downsides of each option, and an inability to pick one.”

Always having been a creative since I was young, I enjoy the free expression and release that comes with creating. From coming up with a concept (sometimes it does feel like they come to you in dreams), to seeing if I can bring the actual vision to life, to seeing a creative project through- I know I enjoy the creative journey. Most times, with no pressure about where or what the actual destination is. I mean it’s no wonder that Rumbi and I solidified our friendship during Art classes when we were young high schoolers! You’d think after all this- creating a podcast would be a breeze but apart from the hard work that comes with podcasting, to quote Erykah Badu, “I am an artist and I’m sensitive about my shit.”

So how did I push past getting stuck in a rut of over-analysing and seeking perfectionism when launching our podcast? Push past the endless options and directions that something creative can lead to?

I simply told myself- START.

START deciding what the intention of the podcast is.

START listening to podcasts that I could relate to.

START curating topics that resonated.

START, START, START…. just START.

And by no means was this a cure for my analysis paralysis but it certainly laid out a plan on how I could push past it. Is it scary having the world (potentially) listen to your voice, thoughts and opinions? Is it scary knowing that some of the things that you say intentionally, or not, can be taken out of context? Is it scary having a part of my beautiful friendship scrutinised? HELL YES- but I did it anyway. And no matter what it is that you want to do and embark on- you can either sit there for years and years with nagging thoughts on what you want to do and how you’d do it, or like me, you can…. just START.

———————

by Amanda Mudege-Fleischer

Why A Podcast? Why ‘It’s Layered’?

Amanda and I have been friends since high school. We met in 2001 as bright-eyed and bushy-tailed teenagers dropped in the middle of the Mashonaland East bushes to figure out life as boarders at Peterhouse Girls’ School in Zimbabwe. OK, I may be exaggerating but, basically we were facing the big-bad world of boarding school and the complexities of high school on our own.

Over the years, our friendship developed into a strong bond. As life would have it for many of us, we went our different ways to university - Amanda to Australia and I to South Africa. Thankfully, Facebook became a thing and our friendship stayed in tact through social media and the internet. Our conversations and catch-ups would often last for hours as we unpacked all we were experiencing, thinking and navigating through.

When COVID hit in 2020, our DMC’s continued and we found ourselves constantly saying “It’s so layered” because nothing is every really just black and white. The conversations evolved into “we should start a podcast” and with a crash course in podcasting thanks to Dr. Google, we jumped in head first.

Why Podcasting?

Being two Zimbabwean girls in the diaspora, we were acutely aware of the black narrative being heavily westernised with Africans viewed through Eurocentric lenses. Blackness when it came to the black narrative were mostly associated with the Northern America and UK experiences. The black African narrative was very limited when it was spoken of. We couldn’t see our people’s stories - in their complexities - being discussed. We realised we had something to say, especially pertaining to taboo topics like ‘mental health’, ‘classism’, ‘colourism’, ‘black tax’ and the effects of ‘colonialism’.

We realise it is important to tell our stories in all their nuances and speak to others from our country to share their stories. This podcast is an outlet and a community for those of us who have experienced a myriad of things and felt like “surely, it can’t only be me!” A catalogue of our stories that we hope - one day - our children and our children’s children can refer to as they seek to understand what life was like for us.

If we don’t tell our stories in their truth, who will?

———————

by Rumbidzayi Zezula Dube