Coming soon: Reasons Not To Quit
a podcast about persistence with host Hanne Blank Boyd
Do you need some reasons not to quit? I mean, what with all the far-too-many flavors of horribleness out there in the world and the gobsmacking crappiness of partisan politics and heart-searing awfulness of terrorism and war?
Yeah, me too.
Don’t worry, though: I got you covered.
My new podcast, Reasons Not To Quit, will begin airing beginning in November, 2023.
It’s a podcast about persistence and the ways people find not to quit — whatever that means to them — when they need to keep going.
Each week I speak to a featured guest about a time they found themselves staring down the “to quit, or not to quit?” question, and what they ultimately did about it. They share what they’ve learned from their own experiences, talk about how other people helped or hurt the process, and bring us up to date with what helps keep them going in their current day-to-day.
Podcast guests come from all different kinds of backgrounds and lead all kinds of lives. The experience of having to figure out how to keep on keeping on is something all of us share.
What does it mean “not to quit”? Lots of things.
Not quitting could mean not giving up on a dream. It could mean not quitting school. It could mean not committing suicide.
It could mean not quitting on trying to change the world, or not quitting trying to get your creative work in front of audiences, or not quitting doing all the things it takes to support your family day in and day out.
Not quitting could mean quitting something specific--a job, a relationship, a habit--in the name of not quitting something bigger.
Why Reasons Not To Quit? Because everyone needs some sometimes.
This project grew out of a solo project that I did from 2016 to 2022 on social media. During the six years that I did this project, I wrote and posted almost 2000 one-sentence #reasonsnottoquit and posted them, most often one per day, on social media.
The best part of doing that project was people’s reactions to it. So many people reached out to tell me about their own Reasons Not To Quit, or their responses to ones I’d written. The stories people told me broadened and changed how I thought about persistence and resilience.
Often, people’s stories gave me brand new things to think about, new angles on persistence and keeping going despite the struggle that I’d never thought about before. It was an astonishing experience. I wanted to share it with other people.
So I’ve decided to explore it in this new way.
Reasons Not To Quit’s home base will be right here on Substack: reasonsnottoquit.substack.com
All episodes will be available in audio format and in a print transcription for maximal accessibility. Transcriptions and show notes for every episode will be available at the show website. The site and transcriptions will be in basic black text on a white background for maximum legibility.
Reasons Not To Quit will be free for everyone always.
These kinds of ideas and conversations can be life-altering and in some cases life-saving. I believe it’s vital to make them accessible regardless of a person’s ability to pay. Those who want to support the project and can afford to do so are of course warmly welcomed.
I’m immensely excited to share Reasons Not To Quit with you.