Year: 2018

Faithful Family

March 1, 2018 Eric Riddle Guests 1 Comment

April Roberts Cohen was born, um, er, well, two years before I was. Her name was going to be Karen, but when she was born April 9, our parents were divinely inspired to name her April. From a human perspective, this helped them remember her birthday.

As mentioned, I came along two years later. From an early age, April assumed the role of surrogate mother. She was exceptionally caring. At three she was found to have taken me off the bed and was cuddling me with her blanket. It can’t be proven, but I think she dropped me on my head in the transition. That would explain a lot, anyway.
Our lives followed distinct paths, but merged when I was diagnosed with a mental illness and she became a psychiatric nurse. Now, in addition to being my sister-friend, she helps me monitor my moods and meds, advocates for me in the often complex world of mental health care, and encourages me in my walk with Christ.
Perhaps the greatest thing I can say about April is I have made her my medical power of attorney. I literally trust her with my life and death.
—

Jen Anne (Johnston) Riddle and I met in April 2009 while I was visiting my sister in Boston.  Jen was my sister’s roommate.  I was there to see my sister run in the Boston Marathon.  They were part of an intentional Christian community and I was the lucky man who had brother privileges. I stayed in an empty room next to Jen’s room. About a year later, we struck up daily phone conversations that led me to two more Boston trips for long weekends of dating around the city. Our first kiss was in a public park in Salem, Massachusetts. You may say I was bewitched.

She had courageously left Boston to live close to me in Columbus, IN in August 2010.  She was able to transfer Masters of Divinity credits to Christian Theological Seminary and continue her career working with children with autism.

In 2012, I proposed to Jen in a labyrinth in Bloomington, IN.  My youngest sister secretly hid behind bushes about 100 feet away and took pictures. Jen left the labyrinth with a ring on her finger.
The picture above was taken in October 2017 during our 5 year wedding anniversary trip.  The labyrinth is carved into a gentle sloping hill at Kent University in Canterbury, England.  In the background is the Canterbury Cathedral.
Jen is now an elder at The Living Room church in Columbus, IN.  She continues to serve children with autism. She is very good at what she does, including being an incredible wife.

Editing Breathing

February 22, 2018 Eric Riddle Behind the Scenes Comments Off on Editing Breathing

Saturday was a busy day-  easily my second most anxious day in the studio since we started.  We were juggling recording the intro/outro on episode 1, as well as completing a few more loops.  Earlier that morning, I woke up at 7 AM to begin editing our Marie Henning interview.  Editing can be an obsessive activity.  I knew it was getting bad when I was analyzing keeping or editing my breathing.

Its a good problem to have…. an engaging interview with many questions asked and intimate responses.  The lesson in agonizing over editing to get to the 45 minute goal is…. just breathe.  It’s a lesson I’ll remember as I continue on podcast production strategy. Read More

Revealing Progress

February 14, 2018 Eric Riddle Behind the Scenes 4 Comments

Another Monday night. I take my son to soccer practice and have 90 minutes to drive to Tony’s, get some collaborative work done, and then head back. Tony has had prolonged sickness, like many of our fellow Hoosiers this winter. I played bits from the episode I’m nearly done editing. I have probably put at least 6 hours into the editing process.

After watching the Garageband Podcasting Essentials Lynda.com video, I have become proficient in the editing. I do plan to watch the video again before I dive back into episode 2 editing.  My biggest editing frustration is not being able to listen to it at 1.5x speed. Read More

3 weeks away….

February 9, 2018 Eric Riddle Behind the Scenes Comments Off on 3 weeks away….

Precisely three weeks from today we launch our debut. Eric is currently working on the final edits of our pilot episode. He shared with me it is hard to cut anything out of such a quality interview. I agree, but think especially for our first show, we need to establish a reasonably firm time parameter at 45 minutes.

As Eric edits, I am busy with a number of tasks. Composing a “For Further Help” page, drafting an outline of “The Making of Revealing Voices,” proposing some ideal WordPress themes for podcasting, and investigating some Facebook ad campaigns. Finally, I’ve been crafting questions to ask our first three guests: Marie Henning, Katie Dale, and Amy Simpson.

Some of the questions I have come up with so far include:
Read More

0 – Revealing Voices Trailer

February 5, 2018 Eric Riddle Podcast Episodes, Season 1 5:31 Comments Off on 0 – Revealing Voices Trailer

Episode 1 is less than a month away.  In this release, Tony and Eric share a brief story of how they met in 2014 and what led them to the brink of Revealing Voices.  There is also a sneak peak of what to look forward to in future episodes.

Behind the scenes blog posts of the podcast creation  are at www.revealingvoices.com

All music in the release was produced by Tre Scott. Cover Photo produced by Ruby Reese Photography.

Eric Riddle dreaming of podcast launch

Less Than 1 Month Before Launch!

February 5, 2018 Eric Riddle Behind the Scenes Comments Off on Less Than 1 Month Before Launch!

Every other Saturday is my primary work day on the podcast.  I probably total around 10 hours per week now. It is enough to keep us on schedule.  Lynda.com has been very helpful. With my 1 month free subscription, I am also learning about WordPress, which will expand on the podcast content.

I do have my excited moments when I fantasize about my personal journal, Tony’s writing, and our blog posts being crafted into a book.  As with my previous book, it would be partly personal journey, partly a how to manual (about starting a podcast), and partly a journey into mental health advocacy. Read More

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Cheers to Amy from Ruby Reese Photography

February 1, 2018 Eric Riddle Behind the Scenes Comments Off on Cheers to Amy from Ruby Reese Photography

Tony and I want to thank Amy from Ruby Reese Photography for her time and talent.  We really appreciate the images and had a great selection from which to choose our logo. Below are just a few examples.

Indiana friends, click the link to reach out to Amy and schedule a professional photography consultation.

The Fruits of Labor

January 29, 2018 Tony Roberts Behind the Scenes Comments Off on The Fruits of Labor

Over 5 months ago, Eric and I took a walk down a gravel road past my church. We talked of life, God, psych hospitals, Faithful Friends, smoothies. Somewhere between the dust of our steps and the breeze around us, the Spirit stirred us and an idea was conceived. A podcast.

5 months later. Last night. January 25, 2018. We birthed a 5 minute 30 second trailer for Revealing Voices. It goes something like this:

Read More

Out of the Silence, Like Prayers

January 21, 2018 Eric Riddle Behind the Scenes Comments Off on Out of the Silence, Like Prayers

Today we recorded our first interview! April (Tony’s sister) and Jen (my wife) joined Tony and me in our new studio- made official with the addition of a new IKEA conference table. The recording sounds excellent.  We had a scare after taking an intermission, but thanks to power of the “Undo”, recovered the recording.

Earlier in the week, Tony and I decided that the standard question we will ask all guests is “What does healing mean to you?”  The question worked really well today and generated great discussion that rippled throughout the interview.  I’m really satisfied with that question because it is a strong connecting point between faith and mental healthcare communities.  From my perspective, the faith and mental healthcare communities are the primary healing elements of society.  A goal of the podcast is to help bridge the conflict and misunderstanding that exists between these two areas. Read More

Blubrry & HostGator: Podcast & Website Hosts for Revealing Voices

January 12, 2018 Tony Roberts Behind the Scenes Comments Off on Blubrry & HostGator: Podcast & Website Hosts for Revealing Voices

Last night was a tense, yet overall productive evening. Eric came over to the studio and we tried to evaluate which was a better podcast host – Blubrry or Libsyn. While Libsyn seemed to be a little cheaper, it did not appear to have the same flexibility or quality of service. So, we purchased a package with Blubrry (2 years, I think).

The next thing to do was find a web hosting service. Mike from Blubrry recommended several possibilities. PC Magazine ranked HostGator as one of their Editor’s Choice. It seemed to be the best bang for our buck, so we called them with the intent on purchasing a plan, setting it up with WordPress, then migrating our Blogger site to our new website. We got a 3-year plan.

That’s when things got  complicated. Read More