Daily Inspiration: Meet Laura Darnell

Today we’d like to introduce you to Laura Darnell. 

Hi Laura, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I got my Bachelor’s Degree in History from UMKC and decided I wanted to work in a museum, so I went on to grad school and got my Master’s Degree in Public History at MTSU in TN. After completing my master’s in December 2016, I moved back home to Leavenworth, KS in July 2017. And after struggling to find a job in my field for a little over a year, I got a temporary contract position at an insurance company in KCMO in September 2018. I had been working there for a few months and I didn’t feel challenged, I missed doing history- studying it and researching it. I had been listening to podcasts for a couple years and kept thinking these people sound like they are having so much fun. I bet this is something I could do. I went back and forth on the decision for several months and finally decided to start a podcast on Kansas City history in May 2019, and my first episode debuted in September 2019. Today my podcast is about 2 years old, I am about to hit the start of my third year, and I am still at that insurance company; I was given a full-time position the same month my podcast started. 

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Some of the early challenges were figuring out how to start the podcast, how to organize it, and how to produce it. However, my biggest challenge is time. Since I have a full-time job, finding the time to research and produce each episode, while also maintaining a social life, is challenging. 

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am a historian, and the host of a podcast- Homegrown KC, a podcast dedicated to exploring Kansas City’s fascinating history and sharing stories from its rich past. 

Each topic focuses on a person, place, or event in Kansas City history. I think what makes my show unique is its focus on local, community history. 

My show can be found at redcircle.com/homegrownkc, or on any app where podcasts are available including apple podcasts, google music, pandora, spotify, and audible. I also have a patreon. Subscribers to my patreon get access to exclusive episodes featuring other local historians, a shout out on each episode, and an item from the merch store valued at 5 dollars or less.

Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
I am the person that decides ok this is what we are going to do let’s do it. And if I am really excited about it, I just jump straight in, which a lot of the time, means I then have to go back and correct things because I didn’t do enough research beforehand. (I know that kinda weird coming from a historian.) I had a friend who helped me research how to start a podcast, how to produce it, edit it, and market it. I also contacted a couple of my favorite podcasters and asked them for advice. 

So, my advice to those who want to start a podcast is: do your research. Find out everything you can about how to make a podcast, and if you have questions, then ask them. 

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: https://homegrownkc.wordpress.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/homegrownkcpodcast/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HomegrownKCPodcast/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/HomegrownKC