….and that’s why I started a journaling podcast. I’m serious and I’ll explain it.
It is difficult to be active on social media and not see the question, “Why are relationships failing today” hit your feed at least once every year. I don’t think people even copy and paste the question (although there are many posts/questions that they copy from other users). I truly believe people are trying to find the answer to this question. Sure, some will get distracted and put their efforts into debating and speaking negatively about one demographic of people. But there is no doubt that those same people are desperate for an answer and want people to reach a consensus, even if it is an unfair one.
I don’t believe social media is the big reason why less people are getting married or even pursuing long-term relationships. There are a lot of factors that play into the shift we are seeing happen in relationships and I often found myself being that weirdo typing paragraphs in the comments, trying to get people to go beyond the surface of the subject. The more I saw those posts, the more I realized I can go on forever about why I think relationships don’t look the same as they did for our elders. It also hit me that these factors don’t just impact romantic relationships. Our friendships and familial relationships are being impacted, too.
The most pivotal epiphany I had is that our relationship with ourselves is what truly impacts how we relate to others. Now this is the one relationship I will give social media partial credit for: it is starting to change how much alone time we spend with our thoughts. Thinking for ourselves and by ourselves is critical and admittedly hard to remember in an age where all social media apps are incentivizing sharing your thoughts constantly.
But trust me on this: you need to be processing your thoughts outside of a screen. Conversations with other people are different in person, so what makes you think it won’t be different when it comes to conversations with yourself?
Social media is not the cause of the perceived deterioration of relationships today. Social media and how we navigate it is a symptom of something bigger that existed before we started logging into these platforms. Verbal Tea is my attempt for us to collectively navigate it, one episode at a time. This podcast will not give you all the answers as that is one of the first damaging things we are conditioned to believe: that one person/thing can give you the answer and fulfill you. This podcast will ask you questions and expose you to conversations that will challenge you to reach inside and tune into your inner voice.
There are a lot of amazing journaling podcasts out there, but not like this one and that’s on purpose. Each guest must write a journal entry and those entries guide our conversations. The guests I choose allow us to explore multiple layers and perspectives to truly challenge and heal us. I will share prompts here and on social media so that listeners can write along because this post isn’t about me expressing myself. Verbal Tea is about us collectively tapping into our power.
Everywhere I go, digitally or physically, I run into people who have so much they want to get off their chest or work through but don’t know where to start. My hope and my mission are to provide a starting point with Verbal Tea.
I kept this entry relatively short because it's sort of a trailer for the blog (and podcast). But, tune in here to stay up to date on an even more intimate look on the podcast topics from my perspective and bonus journal prompts. Each month, I will write posts that recap the topics we covered on Verbal Tea in the previous month. I'll also provide you a preview of the next topics we’ll discuss so you can write along with us.
I am so grateful for the supporters and network Verbal Tea have already built and I refer to us as the Tea Party. I look forward to the Tea Party growing. The links are all over this website but before I list them out, I want to tell you something more important than a follow: if you write along and want to share, want to be a guest, or want us to explore a certain topic, email us at VerbalTeaParty@gmail.com (or navigate to the “Contact Us” page on here).
Now for the obligatory call to action...
You can follow us at:
@VerbalTeaTime on Instagram and TikTok
Verbal Tea on Facebook, YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts and IHeart Podcasts (Published every Sunday)
We go live on Facebook and YouTube every Thursday at 8pm
Thanks for reading! I hope you stay connected and join the Tea Party.