6 Lessons From Kiss92 FM
Mathieu and I at the broadcast studio
Hearing yourself speak through the microphone is weird.
Hearing yourself speak through the radio channel is ten times weirder.
I didn’t like the way I sounded.
It was super fun, though, being on radio and all, talking about the vision we have and all things creativity.
While our 'conversation' with DJ Joshua Simon lasted (only) thirty minutes, I spent the entire weekend reflecting on my journey as an educator and business owner.
I thought I share some lessons from the radio show—or rather, lessons I learnt from the days leading up to that moment, and what the whole process of running Gosh! Kids had taught me about business and life.
Raise Your Hand, Accept The Task
Going on radio wasn’t something I had set sights on, so when Joshua Simon suggested Mathieu and I bring Gosh! Kids on the show, I felt uneasy. Do I have anything interesting to say? Who wants to listen to two boring thirty-year olds talk about their vision for the next generation? The more I spoke about my inadequacies, the more it morphed into a vicious cycle of self-discouragement. I had to put a stop to it, because if I didn’t—if I had continued to short-change myself—fears and insecurities will snowball into an insurmountable obstacle that could undermine future endeavours. The more you lie to yourself, the more it becomes a reality. Yes, its overwhelming. Yes, its nerve-wrecking. Yes, every new challenge always seems too big for us to handle. But raise your hand, accept the task anyway, for no task is too big, and no task is too small. “What if I am not ready? What if I’m not smart enough? What if I mess up?” a young Marcus Aurelius once asked his teacher, Rusticus, in the days leading up to him becoming the emperor of Rome. “Just do your best, step by step,” Rusticus replied, “That’s no small thing.”
Preparation Breeds Confidence
Behind every successful venture is a well-oiled system that moves the mission forward. This couldn’t be more true for a high-profiled broadcasting channel. I noticed a delicate software system the radio producers used to operate the show. But even more delicate was the posture of the producers—everyone displayed an air of mastery, from fine-tuning the audio, curating song list, orchestrating them into a seamless queue, ensuring all is accounted for, because, as they say, everything is as good as your preparation.
You’ll Always Be Treated as a Newcomer
Minus family and friends, everyone else who tuned in had zero idea who we were. Even if we had a nice website, an active social media page, a good product or programme, whenever we talk about what we do at Gosh! Kids, there will always be people who hear it for the first time. They’ll comment, do they sell baby clothing? It's hard to remember (and admit) when something that you’ve been working on for a long time is still new to a lot of other people. Of course, I don’t expect people to have heard of us. In fact, most people have not heard of us. So what do I do? I get out there, and I meet them. I’ll tell the same to my kids—if you’re trying to do business or sell a service to potential customers, you’ve got to get out there and make it happen. Meet them at where they are.
Technology is Power
For decades, radios have been trusted to disseminate information to the masses. It's great that people who haven’t heard of us now get to hear us (even if they never intended to). That’s the power of technology. And if we’re not leveraging it for ourselves, we’re gonna be a few steps short, playing catch up in a never-ending race. The numbers are now on TikTok or Instagram. Hiring managers are looking at your social media profile as a reference for capability. Technology is the language of the future. Teach our kids to leverage it for good, while being wise and tactful around it.
You Never Know Who You’re Going to Meet
How did we land a spot on the radio show? Story was, my brother was featured by DJ Joshua a couple months earlier. They became friends. My brother invited him to his birthday party. He introduced Joshua to us. We shared about what we were doing at Gosh! Kids. He interjected us midway through our pitch, “we gotta get you on the show. Let me call my producer now.” Corporates call this networking. I call this 'you'd never know who you’re going to meet, so always be prepared to share your story/biz idea/dream'.
Be as Natural as You Can
I would be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous for the show. Maybe I was worried I wouldn't be able to answer the questions as convincingly and confident as I'd expect. “There is no script,” Simon said, “we’re gonna let this conversation run as naturally as possible. Treat it like you're talking with a friend.” I'm glad it turned out this way. It forces me to be natural. The visual aid of a string-of-words could take away spontaneity or in-the-moment awareness—an integral part of human creativity. Maybe, we should just let it be, let the river flow naturally. Trying to fixate boundaries ends up killing creativity.
I can’t end here without thanking everyone—whether you’re a past student, a parent, a friend or someone who has been following us on this journey of empowering children through creativity—for supporting us and believing in the vision we share.
As cliche as this sounds, we’re just getting started. We’ve got great things lined up for 2024, and I can't wait for you to be a part of it.
For now, enjoy the vacation with your kids. If you’ve nothing to do and want your kids to stay creative, we’ve got a lineup of activities, notably our 3-day photo camp and tourist for a day.
Be well,
Miss G (@gladyssoh)
