Perspective Rethink & Relearn. This is the name of the ambitious, international podcast project that Cecilia Ponce has launched together with us. The first season with a total of 12 episodes is now online. And planning for season 2 is already in full swing. I spoke to Ceci about the background and motivation for this extraordinary project.
Ceci, how are you feeling right now? Have you made any New Year’s resolutions or do you think nothing of it?
I’m doing very well, thank you very much. I’m really looking forward to 2023. I already have a few resolutions. I made them before New Year’s Eve and have been working on them for a few months now. Somehow I have a lot of respect for New Year’s Eve and prefer to start the new year with calm and gratitude. The first of January always reminds me of the great significance of every day of the year.
The year 2022 practically ended with the last episode of Perspective Rethink & Relearn. Can you give readers an overview of what your podcast is about?
With pleasure. Perspective Rethink & Relearn is a podcast that tries to broaden your own perspective by questioning your own thoughts and the desire to learn new things. This new perspective should result in an experience whose origin should come from the experience and know-how of our guests – and not from information without substance that you can google yourself from the internet. Each season is dedicated to a specific topic, with each of our guests shedding light on this topic from a different angle. At the end of each season, each listener will have a new, multi-dimensional picture of the topic that will broaden their horizons.
As a lawyer, what motivated you to create a podcast on this topic?
Cecilia Ponce
The motivation to create this podcast has a completely different background. The podcast was a direct consequence of another wonderful project: a virtual book club that I founded during the global lockdown during the pandemic. This book club consisted of a wonderful virtual community of readers from at least five different religions from 37 countries, all with different professions and backgrounds. We had ambassadors, doctors, nurses (even those who have been in the front line fighting Covid-19) artists from all different backgrounds, lawyers, engineers, housewives, professors, entrepreneurs, teachers and judges. They all had something in common: they didn’t know what the future would bring, but they all loved reading. The book club became an oasis for us members during this time. It was precisely this plurality that brought us joy and serenity in these difficult times. The different readings of the same book, expressed as personal opinions and experiences, also amused and enriched us all. This gave rise to the idea for a podcast, which could illuminate a topic from different perspectives as a kind of kaleidoscope.
What do you want listeners to achieve with your podcast?
There are so many fantastic people in this world who live their lives with passion and great dedication and are involved in great projects. And at the same time, there are so many people who are hungry to discover and learn new things and who want to be surprised by life! My goal is to be able to offer substance to these listeners. I want to establish Perspective Rethink & Relearn as a connection between open-minded people.
Season 1 is dedicated to the topic of colors in very different ways. How did you approach the concept?
I came up with the theme of our first season, “Colors”, because one of the interviewees once asked me: “I dream about colors and I always think about colors. And you?”…and I thought “how strange, I’d like to know more about that”. Then I thought a lot about colors and started working on the first season shortly after. I also liked the idea of presenting a visual theme in an audio podcast, which sounded like an exciting challenge to me.
Did you know from the outset which facets of the topic interested you and did you then look for suitable experts? Or did you already have individual contacts and then looked to see what exciting stories would emerge?
I researched exactly who had a personal relationship with colors or who had written extraordinary studies about colors. I looked for people who think “out of the box”. I only knew two of the experts from the 12 episodes beforehand; the rest I only met during the project, as a natural part of the puzzle, so to speak.
You spoke to experts in very different fields. How did you establish the relevant contacts?
I was convinced from the outset that these people were exactly the right ones for this puzzle. I invited them to talk to me and told them about the project. These people are very intelligent and educated and – as I said before – hard-working and committed, but naturally also super busy as a result. I am therefore very grateful that they also believed in the project and that they were generous enough to give us their time.
Let’s move on to the production. How did the recordings go? And how was it for you personally?
I have a lot to thank Micha (Michael Viol) for here. He helped Petra, my wonderful co-host from the first season, and me a lot. He showed us how to use the microphone properly and gave us lots of little tips that increased the quality of the production, as we were clueless about podcast production at the time.
We also created your own website for the podcast. Why was it important for you to have your own website for the podcast?
Petra van Veelen (co-host)
The internet is a world of its own. I think it’s good, important and right to provide an address with a face for listeners, with which you can present yourself in this world.
You’ve indicated that you’re already hard at work planning season 2. Can you tell us anything about that yet?
Season 2 will, in my opinion, move the audience on all levels… I hope I will be able to convince my favorite guests to participate in the season. I have chosen each and every one of the selected experts for the project – just like in the first season – not only because of their reputation and expertise, but also because of their humanity and professionalism.
That sounds exciting! Can you tell us the theme of the second season?
I’ve already mentioned the theme! Let’s see if the readers can guess it. 😊
Thank you, dear Ceci. We look forward to implementing the second season of Perspective Rethink & Relearn with you. Now we wish you a great start to the new year!
I have you to thank! I wish We Are Producers all the best for the new year!
You can find more information about Perspective Rethink & Relearn on the podcast’s website.
