Having an inward facing industry podcast was always part of the plan for Left Hand Guide. It just wasn’t part of the initial launch until last year.
In late 2024, I ran into an old coworker from museum life named Scott at one of our favorite coffee shops. We’ve run into each other there several times and almost always yap for hours. He was one of the first people I told about my idea to become an independent museum professional, and he was very supportive. During our winter visit, his whole demeanor shifted. He perked up like a freshly watered plant, and as we said our goodbyes, he commented on how much better he felt after talking to me.
That was when I knew the podcast should be the first service I offered.
Scott isn’t the first person to tell me they felt better after talking to me. The ability to hold space for others and put them at ease is probably my biggest strength (and at times a curse). Colleagues from multiple departments took their lunch in my office to chat while I worked. Strangers open up to me. If I had a dollar for every time I’ve heard, “I’ve never told anyone this before, but I feel like you’ll understand,” I could open my own museum and hire all my friends.
There are so many discussions that need to happen in the field. Not as a conference session or roundtable. Just human to human. Telling each other what we can see. A space to reflect, vent, grieve, and scheme. Opportunities for those conversations to happen seem to be fewer and farther between. We can have some digitally and mine them for gems, creating content that museum and living history professionals can engage with whenever they wish. For free.
Of course I decided to interview Scott as my first guest. Among the many thoughts he provoked in my mind, the loudest was,
How do we want to be perceived?
Seems like a good question to ask right now. Enjoy mulling over it when you listen to Episode 2 “Who Are We?”
