Multispective Podcast: The Two Sides Of Every Life Story

There is a unique genre of podcasts that deals with people who have suffered severe life trauma and managed to overcome their pain to build a new life. The best of those podcasts include The Life Shift with Matt Gilhooly and All The Wiser with Kimi Culp. 

TV has a way of exploiting and sensationalizing these stories, with the host of the show playing the role of savior. Dr. Phil is the best example of the worst of these shows.

Multispective is a podcast that started in January 2022. It's a show worth your eartime because it enables listeners to follow vicariously the obstacles the guests on the show battled and ultimately overcame.

Here's the mission statement from the Multispective creators: "Multispective is all about building perspectives. No story is one-sided, no two journeys are the same, and people's lives are never as they seem."

The host of Multispective, Jennica Sadhwani, notes,
"We believe each person has a unique story to tell. Experiences, both good and bad, shape our everyday lives. Many of us go through similar things, yet our stories are never the same."

Multispective producer Joe Mills adds, "Hearing the countless stories of traumas and inner struggles drove us to create this platform. We hope that sharing real-life stories, told by the people who lived them, will help us push aside our judgments and allow us to rebuild our love and compassion for humanity."

Multispective is a podcast that shares these stories of triumph through tribulations. They invite guests from all over the world to share their life experiences, providing their perspective on society and culture today.

The name of the podcast itself is inspired, suggesting a view from many different angles and, of course, perspectives.

In each episode -- there have been 33 to date -- a guest or guests are interviewed by Sadhwani about their life experiences. In fact, the very first episode explored mental health in prison, especially prisoners in maximum security where that can often be isolated torture. 

One of the most powerful episodes was number 17 with Rae Lee, who discussed what's like to be a transgender woman in the U.S. and Shanghai, China. Host Sadhwani carefully explored what it was like for Rae to grapple with gender dysphoria, transitioning and integrating, and, sadly, the stigma felt from parts of society.

In the last two years, Multispective has dealt with surviving a high school shooting, being diagnosed with, and being treated for, a rare form of cancer, dealing with bipolar disorder, being a cult survivor, and a woman who suffered female genital mutilation at six years old.

The podcast episodes are well constructed and designed to be ear worthy. Here's why.

The intro music is this dirge-like guitar riff that appropriately sets the mood for the show. 

The sound production value is excellent, with mics balanced evenly for host and guests. Even guests who are remote are well-balanced and easy to understand.  

Each episode begins with the guitar riff and then Sadhwani speaks, detailing the specifics of this episode. Lately, they've been incorporating audio clips of the guest along with the summary, which only spikes interest in the episode. It is also a solid strategy for attracting new listeners who may be exploring and hit on an episode of the show.

 The linchpin of the podcast, however, is Jennica Sadhwani. As an interviewer, she's excellent. Nicely done, the way she guides her guests through the interview process. Sadhwani is careful with her guests. It's clear she's not trying to exploit them, but assist them in sharing their personal narrative. 

Sadhwani asks questions that require the guest to organize their thoughts, refine their life story, and explain their experiences. She asks strong follow-up questions that keep the guest on track.

Sadhwani is clearly searching for insights inside the narrative of her guests, not sensationalized details that can shock. 

As a host, Sadhwani infuses controlled empathy into her voice and tone. It's obvious she cares about the people she's interviewing.
Jennica Sadhwani has a bachelor degree from the Shanghai Starriver Bilingual School, which is a private, coeducational academy for Chinese students. She also holds a Master Of Science degree from the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. 

Multispective has a Patreon page for donations, which it doesn't nearly talk about enough on the show. Value-added independent podcasts like Multispective needs donations or subscribers to continue their journey.

It's interesting that shows like Multispective often find themselves in different genre categories based on the app or feed in which they are placed. Sometimes shows like Multispective are in health, mental health, self-improvement, culture, and even relationships.

To me, it's people who enjoy the plentiful true-crime podcasts who might most enjoy Multispective. On true-crime podcasts, the villains and victims take center stage. Yet, it's the victims who easily earn our empathy and concern. 

In Multispective, the podcast does a superb job of enabling the victims of life and its tribulations to frame how they succeeded where so many others fail. 

Listen to Multispective.  There is a Chinese proverb that says, "The gem cannot be polished without friction, nor man perfected without trials."