Release Day Review: Goodniks

I'm whipping some coffee up for a good dalgona* and thinking. Spring has sprung rising temperatures and tensions. The world feels harsher as those of us who might be able to shake off COVID try to figure out where we want to be. For others, it's a never-ending question of if the world will ever be safe for them.  

Personally, I want everything to slow down. Everything feels too fast, moments feel unappreciated, and the good is drowned out by the ever-present doom of humanity. It takes active work to remember that the world has always been ending- and there's no stopping it.

While I've been able to get by, I've been struggling more than I try to let on. I don't understand a lot of things about the world. The least I do know is that we need more helping hands. We need more people out to do good for all rather than the good for them. On a wholly selfless level, too. Good for the sake of good.

When Tink Media popped the idea of Goodniks into my inbox, I looked forward to it. The episodes sit around 15 minutes, great for my busy brain, and explore some people who are actively doing good in their communities.

There are people who fight for good on every level. Think of the friend who is always ready to hold your hand or the coworker who seems to always bake at the right time. Or the activist who relentlessly pushes for their cause.

All of these individuals will have different pasts yet all have been led to a similar future. This podcast was created by Jeff Leitner, and is hosted by human rights activist Annalisa Enrile. Our first episode talks about the quirks, the typically negative things that turn out to actually be boons in these individuals' lines of work. For some it's a "no holding back" attitude, for others it's a bit of neurodivergence. It's a whole lot of good hearts that all mix to make the Goodniks.

While the production quality isn't quite at the highest levels of podcasting, the overall structure and ease of the podcast make up for it. I wish it was deeper in the first episode since I barely feel like I got to know the people we were discussing. My hope is the future episodes lean into each as an individual rather than a collage of humans. What I love though, is that it's easy to listen to, short, and leaves you thinking about what good you can make in the world.

Which is something we all need a little bit more of.

Thanks to Tink Media and GreatPods for getting together an early listen for me. If you'd like to submit your podcast for a Release Day Review send me an email! Release Day reviews are some of my favorites.

Also, don't forget to subscribe to the Monthly Magpie so you can see all the reviews I've posted for the month!  

*It's nice here, and I want delicious coffee nonsense.