College students all go through struggles. Halfway through the semester many may start to burnout. Students can tend to feel like we are not motivated anymore; yes, I have been there myself. Although we tend to think we can make it by ourselves, but we can’t. Listening to others to help you in any situation helps you along the way. I recommend a good podcast “Beat the Culture”.  Furthermore, I decided to interview Grace Walker to hear more information from someone who has been in our shoes . Grace is a new podcaster who was a former student at MSJC. 

What is the podcast about?   From the podcast description:  Beat the culture is a podcast designed educate and encourage YOU to live life differently than the norm. Each week, we look at what the world is doing and analyze it with a Biblical perspective. You will leave each episode feeling inspired after hearing stories of people who DIDN’T follow the culture to success and get some great advice that you can implement into your own life. Do not follow the culture, BEAT it.

The interview follows in Q and A format:

What are some of the challenges you faced in creating a podcast?   Do you have any advice to offer those who are looking to start their own podcast?

Time management is difficult! Along with starting a podcast, I also had to create social media and keep up with marketing and writing my blog! Some advice I have is to prepare a few weeks of episodes in advance to ensure a safety net. (Ex: if you get sick one week, you will have some pre-recorded content to use instead of having nothing)

Who are some of the people who inspire you and why?

Dave Ramsey!! He is a Christian; financial expert and he has helped me build my business and morals. His book, “Entreleadership,” is super inspiring for anyone looking to start a business. I also enjoy listening to the rest of the Ramsey Personalities and Allie Stuckey.

What types of things have you learned in preparing for and producing your podcast?

I have learned a lot about technology, how to use it, and how to manage social media.

Can you explain what to expect to see on your blog?

My blog is essentially my podcast in written form. I write a blog post for MOST (not all, but most) podcast episodes. Some people enjoy listening, but others enjoy reading- so I want to appeal to a variety of different audiences.

Can you give advice from your podcast?

I talk about a lot of different topics there!! It is really all things self-improvement and convincing people that they can change their lives, with biblical based advice. VERY similar to Dave Ramsey (which I give credit to a LOT). I speak out about finance, mindset, and education a lot! I would say if I had to sum up my advice in a sentence, it would be: “don’t worry about what others have to say about you. All you need is God and some confidence. Don’t live like everyone else, beat the culture!”

I was listening to one of your podcasts where you talked about people giving hate comments. How often do you get that?

That was my first major incident with haters on social media, but I expect to get a lot more as I grow my platform.

-Do you let it affect you in any way?

I love it! The haters fire me up, and I just want to approach it all with positivity. The people who hate are typically the ones who need some extra love and confidence. I try to use their hate to inspire me to inspire them!

-I am sorry for people being so cruel,

I was always told if someone is bringing you down it is because they are in pain and they need to take their anger out on someone else.

Thank you!!!!!! I completely agree.

What is the best way to manage money?

That really depends on your individual situation. Referring to Dave Ramsey’s baby steps, everyone is in a different position. If you are in debt, you want to save up an emergency savings, pay off debt, invest, grow wealth, and give. That is pretty much it summed up!

What was your experience like at MSJC?  Are you in school now?  What is your major?  What do you want to do career wise?

 I loved MSJC!! I ended up getting my AA in Communications and Liberal Arts there. I had a great experience and wish I could have gotten more involved. My mindset there was really “get in, get out.” Because I wanted to graduate early. I did that! But then my life changed a lot- and I decided that I am no longer pursuing a bachelor’s degree for the career I want. With that being said, I wish I hadn’t rushed my time at MSJC since it was the only college experience I ever had. Career wise- I have a direction and some goals but not entirely sure yet. I’m growing my career in real estate, but I really hope to be a motivational speaker and grow my podcast and platform! I’ve got a lot of goals and talents that God has blessed me with, I just hope that I can glorify him and make a positive impact on the world.

Now, can you give advice to the college students who might be struggling currently/ such as ways to study better, manage sleep, not stress so much.

Oof! Managing sleep is something I struggle with too. I would recommend listening to my episode “Beat your Sleep” where we talk about the psychological facts behind changing your sleep schedule and the benefits of waking up early. I am still working on changing mine, but I am much more motivated to do so after reading those facts. Stress on the other hand, I really would recommend prayer. 1 Peter 5:7 states to cast all of your anxiety upon Him (God), and the more I learned to trust in His plan, the less stress I had. I used to be a stress case though- but this helped IMMENSELY!

Any advice for college students who are getting ready to graduate and face the real world?

Don’t care what other people think and keep your eyes on your end goal!

Lastly, do you have any final advice for the people reading?

Yes, listen to my podcast Just Kidding!! But I would definitely say SAVE SAVE SAVE!! And AVOID DEBT LIKE THE PLAGUE. It IS possible to go through college without loans, I did an episode about that, and it is possible to save money even in hard times (I did an episode on that too).

—————————————————————————————

I really hope you get inspired to listen to “Beat the Culture” every other Thursday. You can also read her blog and follow her on social media “Beat the Culture”. Show her much love for putting effort into helping others with their life. Be kind and share her podcast to other college students you think might need advice.

Podcast on apple and spotify

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/beat-the-culture/id1542690921

Blog

https://www.beattheculture.com/blog

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/Beattheculture