What up Pals 🙋🏿‍♂️,

Might as well call this the Pol and Pals newsLATER since it never seems to come out on time huh?

But that would be a wrong assumption because moving forward:

every other Wednesday will be the release date for new Pol and Pals.

I came to this decision with the help of some pals via a “pol” (😏) that was posted on Instagram.

I’ll be honest and admit that most of the responses were “IDGAF🥺”, but Wednesday was in 2nd Place, so give the people what they want right?

Preview:

• Watch/Listen Now

• Pal Quote

• Pol’s Takeaways

• Earleybird TV

• Coming Soon…

Watch/Listen Now

On episode 28, I have a #CreativeConversation with my pal, JoJoe Earley, President/Founder of Earleybird TV: a production company that is re-presenting black and brown stories to the world of cinema by broadening the revelation of their humanity through their magic, power, and spirit.

In this episode, JoJoe talks about:
- why he worked in a jail (8:11)
- how he became a Vine sensation  (12:46)
- the reason behind Vine shutting down (20:10)
- the inspiration behind Earleybird TV (37:49)
- living with Sickle Cell (44:36)
- why failing is the best success (1:04:04)
- how I have the potential to be the next Will Smith (1:06:36)

Pal Quote

Pol’s Takeaways

Because my interviews are focused on my guests telling their story, I try to give them as much Talking Time as possible.
“Pol’s Takeaways” is a space for me to share my thoughts on the interview.

You Can’t Half-Ass It

“Only one who devotes himself to a cause with his whole strength and soul can be a true master. For this reason mastery demands all of a person.” – Albert Einstein

At (14:31), JoJoe mentions how when he first started doing Vines, he moved in with Landon Moss and a few others, and they made vines every day for a month straight.

This behind-the-scenes admission really hit me because it made me realize how if there’s something that you want to truly be good at, you can NOT half-ass it.

I’ve been podcasting for a little over a year now, and it wasn’t until recently that I felt myself finally starting to find my footing within the space.

But I’ll be honest… when I first started Pol and Pals, my ego had me thinking:

“yea, this episode gon be the one😎”

“oh this shi right here? yeaaa they ain’t ready for this one to drop😎”

“ay yeoo Juan… I’m really finna get us out the hood bro😎”

But to go in line with this episode’s title: Failing really is the best Success.

Looking back, I’m glad that I didn’t randomly go viral with one of these earlier episodes because I honestly wasn’t ready.

As I started to learn more about the art of podcasting via interviews, articles, and subreddits (my new safe space), I reflected on if I’m actually willing to go all-in on this passion project of mine, or am I just half-assing it?

I had to ask myself:

• have I truly done all that I can to improve my interviewing skills?

• have I truly done all that I can to optimize my workflow?

• have I truly done all that I can to market myself?

The answer to all these questions were:

But instead of getting down on myself and pulling the plug (even though I thought about it a couple of times 🥺👉🏿👈🏿), I became motivated to change the answers to these questions.

I’m excited to see where this new investment and devotion takes the podcast, and I hope the journey is able to inspire you to go all-in (full-ass?¿🤔)!

WHAT ABOUT YOU?

What’s something you’ve always wanted to do or started doing, but feel that you’re still half-assing?

I read an article recently that pleasantly articulated “The Only Way To Become Amazingly Great At Something.”

I really liked the article, and I think my pals would benefit from it as well 😊.

Read the article

Earleybird TV

First off, I was looking for some way to fit this in during the podcast and even in this newsletter but unfortunately to no avail.

So I’m just going to force it: 🌅🐤👉🏿🪱

Second, since we’re all slowly losing our ability to focus on long-form content, one thing I like about Earleybird is how it’s still technically “long-form”, but broken up into short parts for easy consumption.

My favorite series so far is Four Seasons especially after hearing the back story about it during the interview (42:40).

Check out more Earleybird content below!

Watch Now

I love hearing from all the Pals whether it’s critique or compliments, so let me know what you think of the podcast and/or newsletter by replying to this email or leaving a review.

Coming Soon…

• On the next episode of Pol and Pals, my pal(s) and I will have a #CreativeConversation about what it means to be a photographer, the importance of helping others, and what it means to master something.