Ever wonder how to make an impact among those around you, but don’t quite know how? Maybe, it seems unattainable or the idea never came to an execution point. This was the case for podcast host and college student, Melanie Kee. Melanie always had the heart and concept to launch her own platform but had no clue how to truly bring her ideas together. The pandemic helped her take her concepts more seriously, and launch her podcast. MEL Talk Podcast, standing for Meaning, Engaging, and Legendary, was designed to help Millennials and Gen-Z express themselves openly. The topics that the podcast encompasses are politics, racial disparities, sexuality, and more!
While giving a platform to all of her guests, Melanie still maintains her academic status with being a sophomore at Hampton University on a communications path. Her ambitions of social justice shine brightly with the way she involves herself in her platform and on campus.
What inspired you to create a podcast & what do you hope to gain from the experience?
2020 really was a hectic year and a lot of things were going on. This had me watching the news a lot more than what I normally would, really more than I ever would’ve before. Me and my parents really wanted to stay informed and know exactly what’s going on because it was so much. I just started forming opinions on so many different things that were detailed and intricate. The term I like to use for it is “radicalized”. I became radicalized in every aspect when it comes to politics, society, to even COVID. I just felt like I needed somewhere I could just say what I wanted to say. Also, my Big helped encourage me to do it.
What I want to gain from it is building my own platform by having my own personal brand, potentially turning this into a career, and monetizing it by talking about things that matter in a way that I can make a change.
What type of preparation did you do before launching your podcast?
I actually prepared to launch in a week. During this time, I designed my logo and even stayed up until 3 a.m. one night because I couldn’t decide on a logo! For the first episode, I made sure to do a lot of research on the trends for Millennials and Gen Z versus Baby Boomers and Generation X. I always reference TikTok videos on my podcast, which may have people look at me crazy, but it really has a lot of valuable information. I would get episode ideas from there and just do the research needed before presenting it to my audience. Research, find a guest, created my logo, and make the promotional flyer.
What was it like launching your podcast during the pandemic?
It was easier than I thought it would be. Honestly, I’m glad that I started it during the pandemic because doing virtual interviews and episodes is almost just as simple as being on FaceTime. I’m a little nervous about doing in-person interviews, if I can be honest, as the pandemic looks like it’s coming to an end soon, but also excited!
Since Melanie has launched her podcast, she has had guests such as entrepreneurs, mental health advocates, and influencers. With the majority of all of them being college students, including herself, this sets the stage for more important conversations to take place. When you’re younger, there are many things that you don’t take seriously. However, this does not mean that everything in your life is something you don’t take seriously. This allows for the “young people are irresponsible” stigma to be broken. With this in mind, much of what MEL Talk encompasses can be controversial and sometimes robust. In our interview, Melanie soon revealed what her experience has been like with having this type of content on her platform.
Now on your podcast, you focus on a lot of different topics such as HBCU life, race, and politics but what would you say is the true message you're trying to convey on your platform?
Equality for all people, all genders, all races, all sexualities, all skin tones, all hair textures-- that’s something I’m really passionate about equality for all people, regardless of background.
Were there any other things that you had in mind to do prior to starting a podcast as far as ways to execute your perspective?
Not in particular. I really just wanted it to be a place that was super chill. Even though we’re talking about complex topics, I wanted it to be a place where people felt comfortable to say what they want to say and just speak about their experiences and opinions.
How have you been working to make your platform a transparent space and use it for good?
I think I’ve been working at this by taking the initiative to invite guests to my show. Putting that invitation out there that’s open to literally anybody I think goes a long way to show that this podcast is meant to be a safe space for all kinds of people. I kind of don’t feel like I’m doing enough though, so in the future, I think I’ll just keep reaching out to different kinds of people (different genders/gender identities, races, ethnicities, etc.) to welcome them onto my show.
How do you plan on balancing having a podcast and school once it starts back?
I have no idea! But one thing I am doing to help is training myself to wake up early which was inspired by a TikTok creator. I feel like I’m going to have so much to do, I’m not gonna have enough time in the day so I want to have as much time as I can to get things done.
Tell me about a time where on your podcast, you were speaking about something, and you were surprised by the response you received
In one of my episodes, I was speaking about colorism with my guests and the differences in the way dark-skinned men and women experience this. For this, both of my podcast guests were dark-skinned and one of my questions to them was about the concept of light-skinned people sometimes experiencing colorism and how they felt about it. Their response was that it can be equal and they intentionally did not want to minimize someone else’s struggle just because it’s not theirs. This surprised me because a lot of people don’t believe that they are equal, including myself. It was definitely a good surprise.
Since your target audience is Millennials, how important is it to you to ensure that our voices are being heard and what impact do you feel we have as young people?
I feel like it is very important because I think young people have a tremendous impact. Throughout various generations, we’ve seen young people be the leaders of progressiveness and social change, so I definitely think it is important to give a voice to us-- Millennials and Gen Z. We will be the ones that are here the longest amount of time with Baby Boomers and Generation X getting older. We will be the ones that have to deal with society and the planet in the long run.
I’ve noticed that you’re a big advocate for sexuality and sexual advocacy, does your personal life play a role in this? My personal life definitely plays a role in this! Though I don’t identify as a member of the LGBTQ+ community, I think that as a woman, my sexuality and femininity are a huge part of my life almost as big if not bigger than my race.
I believe that as a woman I have to be an advocate for the sexual safety and liberation of women from double standards and judgment from society. In terms of sexual preference, gender identity, etc.
My personal life doesn’t really play a role in that area because I do identify as a cis, straight woman. However, I am just a huge advocate for equality for all. I believe that all people should be able to be happy and enjoy the same rights and freedoms as others. As a black woman, I know what oppression feels like all too well so I would never want to inflict that same feeling onto someone else.
What has been one of your biggest lessons within the past month from starting your podcast?
One of my biggest lessons has been that preparation is key. Sometimes, I’ve had certain guests that didn’t seem as prepared as I may have wanted them to be. I don’t want them to feel like this is another job for them to have to do all this research and whatnot, but I also want them to know what they’re talking about. I want them to have good points to counteract or just have general good points and stand behind what they’re saying with factual information. Even with myself in older episodes, I wasn’t as prepared as I may have liked to be just because I’m a terrible procrastinator. I’m learning to stop that though, so now I have more things done in advance and scheduled when it comes to content.
What can your fans expect to see from you in the next coming months?
Definitely a Youtube channel and more group discussions instead of just me and one other person. Those are my main focuses right now.
To someone who is looking to do what you do, what would be your advice to them?
Just do it! Don’t wait around, don’t talk yourself out of it! If you’re a spiritual person, pray about it and meditate on it because, at the end of the day, that’s your “yes” or “no”. Even if it’s all working out, try not to sike yourself out because sometimes I’ll do that and tell myself “maybe I’m not supposed to be doing this” or “maybe this won’t be as big as I thought” but everything’s going smoothly. It’s just not moving at the pace I want it to. You just need to be patient and it will come.
Melanie would be considered “Up Next” because of her passion for equality and everyone’s voice being heard is the baseline of her platform. What sets her apart from other podcast hosts is her daring nature. Melanie is very authentic and outspoken when it comes to sharing her opinion. However, she always ensures there’s the intention behind her content and that the content makes her viewers think about things from a new or broader perspective.
MEL Talk is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Audible, and Google Podcasts which can be accessed here.