Issue 48: Stepping into responsibility

Allow me to be a little less quirky this week …

I just finished watching Cobra Kai season 6, part 3, and talk about the feels. It was nostalgic to say the least. I tried to enjoy every moment, savoring the last callbacks, the bow wrapped arcs, all while knowing this was the last hurrah. Sure, there will be binge rewatches in my future, but you only get to enjoy a first experience once. That’s how I feel with these last Moving Forward episodes. There’s a normalcy and sense of familiarity that one maintains, acting as if it’s just another day in the neighborhood. Mister Rogers famously did this for the last season of his show, performing each episode as if it were no different from the many thousands that came before. Yet there was an unspoken understanding that this was the end.

I am now experiencing that strange feeling of put on your business as usual face while being two steps away from the finish line. It’s bittersweet and everything in between.

-John

Moving Forward 498 : Growing into responsibility

Waxing nostalgia is earned, not given.

I’ve heard quite a few comments about the end of my podcasting journey. Most of these are questions in some variation of “why stop now?” or “is it really the end?” This has been ongoing since episode 400 when I first announced the light at the end of this podcasting tunnel; though I had long planned this years ago.

At first I didn’t know what to make of these questions. Truth be told, I was a little annoyed, thinking “you do 500 episodes over 10 years and when you come back, ask the same thing.” When faced with “why not go to 600, 900, 1000, 10,000” or “why not do moving sideways or moving upward” quips, I would simply smirk and bite my tongue. Then it hit me as I was prepping 500 (no hints yet), that maybe I was taking this the wrong way.

Looking back, no one has ever questioned whether I would reach 500. I have not once heard “500? Isn’t that a lot?” or “are you sure you’re not overreaching?” When I announced that I would end there, it came as a surprise but not because of the goal post itself. Then, I considered that perhaps these questions were subtle accolades regarding my abilities as a podcast host and producer. I have since reframed my perspective and now see them as compliments, whether back (or fore) handed. For many, Moving Forward has been a small apart of their busy week. Whether it’s a weekly listener tuning in regularly or an occasional visitor, this show has been a mainstay and something you could always count on to be there.

As the guy behind the mic, this podcast has helped me grow into taking on more responsibility. The comments I’ve heard over the past few weeks don’t come easily. They’re earned because of the responsibility I’ve shouldered over the past decade in ensuring that I reach 500 episodes.

Responsibility is the least sexy aspect of doing a podcast but an important one. These past few weeks have been a reminder that any endeavor is a commitment of time, energy, and hard work. I’ve always said that once the shine and sheen of launching a podcast wears off, it becomes about the consistency and commitment.

So how has Moving Forward been a catalyst for developing a greater sense of responsibility? In the early days, it was responsibility to self: believing and proving to myself that I could pull this off. As the show grew, and I gained subscribers and listeners, it became about responsibility to others. Many of you tune in as part of your weekly routine whether on a morning jog, an evening walk, a subway ride to work, or during your lunch break. This external responsibility has been the most awe inspiring; one that has kept me going week after week, especially during those times when I just didn’t feel like turning on the mic.

Finally, as I now look at the end of this journey, I feel a responsibility to the show itself; to land this ship in a satisfying way so that future listeners can take their own moving forward journey long after I hang up my mic. I also see by extension, a responsibility to legacy. Moving Forward will far outlive my life as a podcaster, something I’ve noted in recent conversations. My hope is that this show will continue to be a bright spot for future listeners and a source of inspiration.

I liken this experience to going to college. In high school, you have many guardrails to make sure you do your homework and turn in your assignments on time. But once you leave the nest, you’re on your own and it’s up to you to decide how much (or how little) you want to make of that experience. College, and especially graduate school, won’t hold your hand. The professors will give you a syllabus at the beginning of the semester and it’s to you to decide how much to invest in the material and in yourself. Podcasting is similar in that respect. It’s easier than ever to launch a show. Just look at how many new ones pop up daily. But where you take your listeners, and the arc you forge, is entirely in your hands. There are no guardrails, except for the choice you make in turning on that mic and hitting record.

I’ve talked a lot about how Moving Forward has given me so many unexpected and wonderful gifts. That I can feel a deep sense of nostalgia as I’m nearing the end isn’t simply sentimentality. It is a reward for fulfilling a long term commitment that was borne out of the responsibility I owe to me, the guests, the show, and most of all, the listeners. It is this sense of responsibility that has been my guardrail for constantly and consistently moving forward.

Catch this week’s episode on Spotify.

Moving Forward is also available on Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, iHeart, CastBox, Pocket Casts, Spotify for Podcasters (formerly Anchor), and Audible.

^{*Affiliate disclosure: these are links through which I earn a commission from qualifying referrals and / or purchases.}

Moving Forward

What’s ahead this season.

1. Moving Forward season 12: Moving Forward’s final season will be split into three parts with the first seven episodes serving as a retrospective. Part III will wrap the show with episode 500, the series finale.

2. Moving Forward release schedule:

   • ✅Season 12, Part 1 (episodes 493-496) will air Thursdays, starting Jan. 9th, and concluding on Thursday, Jan. 30th.

   • Season 12, Part 2 (episodes 497-499) will air Thursdays, starting Feb. 13th, and concluding on Thursday, Feb. 27th.

   • Season 12, Part 3 (episode 500) will air sometime in late March 2025.

3. The Weekly Quirk: The newsletter resumes today (Friday, Jan. 10th) with issue 43. The remaining issues will be released on Fridays, coinciding with the podcast schedule, and concluding with issue 50 sometime in late March.

_{[Note: Upon conclusion of the podcast and newsletter, all Moving Forward episodes and The Weekly Quirk issues will remain available to stream and read online so long as I’m able to keep them published cost-free via their respective host providers. However, while I would like to keep them preserved for posterity sake, I can’t guarantee they will be available forever. Additional note: the copyright to all content, including audio and literary rights, remains with me, my assigns, and my heirs, regardless of publication status.]}

Available now at my bookstore on Pangobooks

Speaking of narrative arcs, here’s a great collection of little ones packed into one paperback.

Quirky reads 📚

Speaking of good books, here are some titles I’ve been reading lately.

[Affiliate disclosure: these are affiliate links to Amazon through which I earn a commission from qualifying purchases.]

• Just After Sunset: Stories by Stephen King (**).

• Follow me on Goodreads for book recommendations and to see what else I’m reading.

Upcoming (March 25, 2025)

Declutter Your Home and Free Your Life - virtual class through Johns Hopkins Odyssey (open to all with discounts for Hopkins alum).

Resources

Teach a man to fish, you know the rest (if you don’t, check these out).

• Book a coaching call with me on Clarity.

• Follow me on Goodreads for book recommendations.

• Check out one of my favorite daily newsletters Morning Brew (affiliate referral link).

Books

I wrote most of these so spruce up your home library and look smart in the process.

• The Poshmark Guide for Individuals and Small Businesses (Paperback, Kindle, Audible) 

• The Poshmark Guide for Individuals and Small Businesses (Apple audiobooks)

• The Poshmark Journal for Individuals and Small Businesses

• The Corporate Cliches Adult Coloring Book

• I Am a Professional Metalhead (audiobook) (Audible affiliate link) written by Angelo Spenillo, narrated by John Lim

Support the newsletter and podcast

“What are you selling?!?” -actual quote from a b-school classmate

• Books! Check out my used bookstore on Pangobooks.

• Try out Audible (affiliate paid link).

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Affiliate disclosure

Note: Links to Amazon and Audible products are affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.