Podcast Guest Application | Shades of Strong®

Podcast Guest

Share Your Story

Some conversations begin with a question.
Others begin with a story.

BEFORE YOU APPLY

GUEST APPLICATIONS ARE CURRENTLY CLOSED

What Story Would You Bring to the Porch?

The porch is the heart of Shades of Strong. It’s the place where we slow conversations down, ask better questions, and talk honestly about support, strength, relationships, family, culture, and the things Black women are living through in real life.

The podcast, the blog, and the emails are all extensions of that porch. Different formats, same kind of conversation.

For podcast guests, we’re not looking for polished pitches or professional biographies. We’re looking for stories.

The moments, seasons, lessons, challenges, and experiences that shaped the way you move through the world today. The kind of story another Black woman might hear and recognize something of herself in.

Take your time with the application. Answer honestly, share what feels comfortable, and tell us about the story you’d most want to bring to the porch. We’d love to get to know you.

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Name

First

Last

Website / URL

Are you a Black woman

1. How did you hear about Shades of Strong?

2. Tell me a little about yourself. (Please do not paste your professional bio.)

We're interested in the woman behind the bio. Tell us a little about who you are, what matters to you, and what makes you, you. Please do not paste your professional biography.

3. What season of life are you currently navigating?

What's taking up space in your life right now? This could be a season of growth, healing, transition, caregiving, grief, reinvention, rest, joy, or something else entirely.

4. What happened in your life that changed the way you think about strength, support, or asking for help?

We're often shaped by a particular moment, season, relationship, loss, challenge, or realization. Tell us about the experience that shifted something for you.

5. During that season, what did you wish people understood about what you were carrying?

Sometimes what hurts most isn't what we were carrying, it's feeling like nobody understood the weight of it. Tell us what you wish someone had seen, understood, acknowledged, or asked during that season.

6. Tell me about a moment when support either showed up in a way you’ll never forget or was missing when you really needed it. What stayed with you about that experience?

Share one specific moment. What happened, what kind of support was or wasn’t there, and why does that experience still stand out to you?

7. If invited onto the porch, what personal story would you most want to share with our listeners?

Tell us about the story, experience, season, or turning point you'd like to explore in conversation. We're looking for personal stories, not presentations or teaching topics.

8. Why Shades of Strong? What made you feel like this was the place you wanted to tell this story?

What drew you to the podcast, and why does this conversation feel like a fit for Shades of Strong specifically?

9. What do you hope another Black woman takes away from your story?

Imagine a Black woman listening while driving to work, folding laundry, sitting in a doctor's office, or trying to make it through a difficult season. What do you hope stays with her after the conversation ends?

10. Is there anything you'd prefer not to discuss during the conversation?

I want my guests to feel comfortable and emotionally safe. Let me know if there are topics, experiences, or details you'd prefer not to discuss.