It only feels right to share my thoughts on paper as to why I decided to start a podcast
and the journey behind it. There has been something quite profound and liberating
about being in my 30’s. I really did have the best time in my 20’s, partying, being
completely unhinged, travelling and living a life of no responsibilities, sorrows or
struggles. And then I entered my 30’s being a complete wreck in terms of my mental
health and my daily struggles with anxiety and at times depression. Something that I
continue to deal with and perhaps always will. But I was fortunate enough to be raised
by wonderful parents who have loved me so much that I have had no choice but to
love myself too. That has been life changing for me as it has allowed me to implement
coping mechanisms and strategies. Despite the struggles I have always got up and
did what I needed to do.

Over time I have changed in more ways than I probably realise and during that process
I have lost friends and maybe some family members too. At times that was so difficult
to come to terms with, but on reflection I now realise that it is okay for relationships to
change. Sometimes if you are not growing together, you are bound to grow apart and
flourish on your own. It’s okay for people to start their own separate chapters as long
as there wasn’t any malice, intentional hurt and things ended in an amicable way. I will
always love and cherish those relationships as at the time they were exactly what I
needed and I will always have the memories to hold on to from that time. But
relationships, just like many other factors in life are inevitably variable. Perhaps the
people that are in my life right now, won’t always be in my future which is okay but I
would love to be able to hold onto snippets of the conversations we hold.

Since entering my 30’s, I feel stronger than ever before. I feel better and comfortable
in my skin which I know is a privilege. With this sense of confidence, I have
unashamedly reached out to strangers and ended up meeting the most inspiring,
wonderful and kind people. These individuals have helped me in many ways and
supported me through my darkest times. I really wanted to capture these peoples
voices, wisdom, knowledge and experience. These thoughts and ideas suddenly led
to the idea of starting a podcast! I told myself it needed to be on my 40 before 40 list
and here we are.

I spent around a year contemplating the idea of starting a podcast and whether this
should be something I keep personal or whether I should make it public. I was sat
amongst friends one evening and we were having the most wonderful conversations
which made me realise that it is not something I want to keep to myself. The
conversations were so raw and there is so much honesty that I wanted to be able to
share that with others. I firmly believe in inclusivity and there is so much love to be
received and given, so why not share the love? I truly hope that over time people can
resonate and be inspired by some of these conversations. The name ‘Tashas Tales’
just felt like the perfect title (no brainer) as it’s something that has been a huge part of
my journey for around ten years. From joining in random photo challenges on
Instagram in 2013 to sharing travel itineraries on the blog posts.

So far I have recorded 12 episodes and with each episode, I have realised just how
special these humans in my life are. Each and every one brings something so unique
and special to me. I will be sharing stories of empowering women (and some willing men) and stories of
resilience. I want to be bold enough to discuss topics and conversations that are
otherwise deemed ‘taboo’.

I have truly loved every single like, comment, reshare, follow and messages about it.
I cannot even begin to tell you what a confidence boost it has given me because
sharing such vulnerable conversations is really not as easy at it seems. But I am
beginning to realise that these conversations are truly necessary. Thank you for being
a part of Tashas Tales so far.

If you haven’t already, please do like, follow and share!

Now grab a brew and join me on my journey as I create a safe space for people to
have an open and honest chat about all kind of things on a Podcast!