Photo by Susannah Moore for Alexandria Living Magazine
Kidwell (left) and Buchanan (right)
Jessica Buchanan and Jessica Kidwell share more than just a first name. The Fort Hunt-area residents are both originally from Ohio, they are both married with two children, they are both educators and they are both writers.
You may be wondering why Buchanan’s name sounds familiar. Buchanan became widely known when she was kidnapped by Somali pirates in 2011, while working as a humanitarian in Africa. She bravely endured three months in captivity under deplorable conditions before she was rescued by Seal Team 6, thanks in large part to her husband’s relentless efforts to get her released. In 2013, she wrote a book titled “Impossible Odds” where she recounts her experience. She recently wrapped up a four-part audio movie series with Wondery called “Against The Odds”, which was adapted from the book.
Writing was what brought Buchanan and Kidwell together, but it was their instant connection that made them friends. A mutual friend set them up on a “writer’s blind date” at The Haven in Belle View where they ended up talking for three hours.
“I think it was like super awkward after, when I emailed you [Buchanan] and I said something like, ‘so I feel like this was a blind date but I would like to see you again’,” Kidwell recalled with a laugh during a recent interview. “From the get-go, it’s just always been about awkward conversations,” Buchanan added.
It was these awkward conversations that inspired them to start a weekly podcast together called, “We Should Talk About That” or “WeStat” for short. The podcast launched in January 2020, only six months after they first met. “She [Buchanan] always wanted to start a podcast and she had done a lot of the research and talked to a potential producer but it always fizzled out and I said, ‘I’ll do it with you,’” explained Kidwell.
In the podcast, they bring up important topics that many people are uncomfortable talking about, like PTSD, body image, middle age, imposter syndrome and more. This usually takes the form of an interview with individuals and organizations that are making a difference in these areas.
“People are doing incredible and amazing things, every day, everywhere in the smallest but so impactful ways,” said Kidwell. “It’s not like we’re talking to famous people. We’re talking to community members, whether it’s in this community or somewhere else in the world,” she continued.
The Alexandria community has embraced WeStat with open arms. “We didn’t necessarily plan to be so Alexandria enmeshed…[but] Alexandria has been incredibly welcoming and gracious to us,” Kidwell said.
“I’d say it’s been really interesting that it has become so hyper-local because it’s given me this experience of putting down roots that I think I have been resistant to,” said Buchanan, who was so focused on raising her kids and recovering from trauma that she didn't fully realize how lonely she was. “I didn’t know that the type of community that I have experienced through this initiative even existed here, and I feel very lucky and grateful to know that now, and experience it, because it has definitely opened me up in ways that I had kind of shut out in terms of building community. I think that’s been one of our hopes and objectives is to build a community around these conversations and I feel like we’re doing that.”
This sense of community became even more important through the remainder of 2020. The podcast launched only two months before the COVID-19 pandemic-related shutdowns. “It gave me purpose to wake up and not stay in the doldrums,” said Kidwell. The pandemic gave them the opportunity to talk to guests on their podcast that may have normally been too busy. Learning how to record remotely also opened up their reach around the globe.
Kidwell believes that the universality of the COVID-19 experience also amplified their local guests on the show in a unique way. This included local medical professionals, a yoga teacher and even a divorce attorney. “Although they might be local, the issue was universal, it was able to help launch us to a larger audience even thought we were still focused on Alexandria. I don’t think that would have happened if it wasn’t COVID because it was relatable no matter where you were, even if that practitioner may not be in your area.”
Their audience also shifted in other ways because of the pandemic. Their initial listeners were commuters who would catch an episode on their way to or from work. When these listeners suddenly started working from home, most had to pick up childcare and education duties, eating up free time and causing a temporary drop in listeners. At the same, time, it allowed a different audience to discover their podcast that may not have initially found them without the extra time that the pandemic created for them.
When asked about their favorite interviews so far, Kidwell divided them up into “light” and “heavy” topics. Her favorite heavy conversation was with Adelaide Lancaster who started We Stories as a way to educate herself and her white, upper-middle-class peers on racism. A resident of St. Louis at the time, Lancaster was inspired following the Ferguson unrest in 2014. We Stories provides resources to parents to lay a foundation with their children and break the cycle of racism.
Her favorite fun conversation was with 60 year old, Orthodox Jewish sex-therapist, Dr. Bat Sheva Marcus, who is also known as the “Queen of Vibrators.” She encourages positive views of sexuality with a partner or with yourself, not matter your age. She has worked with clients well into their 80s.
One of Buchanan’s favorite discussions was with the UK-based Rachel Lankester who founded Magnificent Midlife and is working to turn midlife for women on its head. She talked about menopause, sex and other issues women face as they begin to age.
Buchanan has also found the conversations around alcohol interesting and thought provoking. They’ve talked to a number of guests about alcohol from an alcoholic to a sober-curious person who challenges people to take charge of their relationship with alcohol.
The podcast has been more than just informative for Kidwell, Buchanan and their listeners. It has also been transformational.
Public speaking isn’t something new for Buchanan but the podcast has allowed her to rethink her view of herself and how she presents herself. “I think the podcast has helped me find my voice again. It has helped me tell story in a different way than I was telling it. It has helped me figure out what part of the story I play and that I’m not a victim, I am also a hero in that story as well. While Seal Team 6 will always get all of my gratitude and praise, I get to be a hero in it, too. The fact that day in day out week after week I practice using my voice with Jess and the guests that we have on, listening to myself, has really helped me stand up in a way that I wasn’t doing before and I wasn’t ready,” Buchanan shared.
She hopes to use this new voice to inspire other women to share their stories as part of a consulting business she plans to start. “We are stronger and more resilient than we know,” Buchanan said.
Kidwell also experienced a shift in her own perspective. She said she has often felt an overwhelming need to please. In the early days of the podcast, she was worried about being too focused on women and not being relatable to a larger audience before she came to a realization. “You’re not going to please everybody, and you’re not going to be for everybody,” said Kidwell. “It has been transformative in the podcast and in my life…I have gotten less outward focused and more focused on what do I want, what is important to me, what is important to us, what is our purpose?”
While their listeners may be mostly women, male listeners have said they appreciate the insight they have gleaned from the show and how it relates to the women in their lives. One of these men is their producer, Jarrett Nicolay, who owns Mixtape Studios off of Franconia Road. Jarrett is a musician who is a member of the band “Virginia Coalition.” All the music used on the show has been either written or performed by him including their theme song, “Be Where You Are” which he sings with Olivia Mancini.
Kidwell and Buchanan said there has been no shortage of potential topics and interviews for “WeStat” and they are excited for where the podcast will lead in the future.
“We’re open to anything, we’re open to the opportunities that come our way. We’d like to grow our listenership and grow our audience,” said Buchanan. They hope to resume house parties and live shows post-pandemic in an effort to nurture the community they have built. Long-term goals include writing a book, going on a tour and even potentially additional podcasts.
Catch up on “WeStat” episodes by visiting www.westatpod.com. New episodes are released every Monday.
