Social Media Stars Making a Social Impact: Why & How Morgan Absher of ‘TWO HOT TAKES’ Is Helping To Change Our World
An Interview With Edward Sylvan
I’ve had one individual reach out who credited his marriage being saved because of the podcast. He was having a hard time connecting with his wife. He felt there was never initiative for her to be interested in anything he cared about, and a big passion of his was podcasts. He was listening to my show one day when his wife overheard a story and was immediately asking questions about it. It’s now turned into a part of their daily routine where they take a walk, listen to the show, and discuss their opinions on issues discussed. It’s given them a deeper look into each other and allowed them to reconnect on an intimate level again.
As a part of my series about leaders who are using their social media platform to make a significant social impact, I had the pleasure of interviewing Morgan Absher.
Morgan is the founder and host of “Two Hot Takes” podcast and YouTube channel (founded in February 2021). Her team of co-hosts scavenge Reddit and the rest of the internet to give their two hot takes on the juiciest dating, relationship, life, and AITA stories (nothing is off the limits). Notable guests include Drew Afualo (Tik Tok), Sarah Schauer (YouTube), and Tinx (Tik Tok). It can be found on various podcasting platforms such as Instagram (129k followers), Tik Tok (2.7M followers), and YouTube (293K subscribers).
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?
It’s really been the perfect storm of events that led to becoming a podcaster/creator. I was just finishing my doctorate in occupational therapy as the pandemic hit. Due to this, I was unable to get a job as an occupational therapist for almost a year after graduating, and my mental health took a big hit because of it. I loved Reddit and reading crazy drama on the internet to escape. I got an idea that if I loved it this much maybe others would too and a podcast might be the perfect way to share, be creative, have something to put my time into. After 8 months of talking about it obsessively, my boyfriend gifted me all the equipment to get started. Just like that Two Hot Takes was born in February of 2021 and it’s been a little over a year of big growth and building an amazing community.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began this career?
I think the most unexpected experience was going to a dancing show with some friends and my boyfriend while traveling for the live podcast performance in Austin, Texas. We were watching a performance when suddenly one of the dancers recognized us and started beaming about how much she loved the content and podcast. It was one of those “what are the chances” moments.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
I will say I’m still making mistakes week to week and that’s just a part of growing and trying new things as a creator. I think one of the biggest goofs I’ve made so far is when I ran out of space on my video recording device when I had my first big guest come on. Right after I had just gotten up to check it too! It was heartbreaking for me, but it taught me a lot about rolling with the punches. The audio listeners didn’t notice, and I recorded a video message for those on YouTube to explain the oops with my dad’s camcorder from the 2000’s to lighten the mood. The community was so supportive and really made me feel like it wasn’t an issue. Accidents/mistakes happen and those that love your content will support regardless of a few bumps in the road.
You have been blessed with success in a career path that can be challenging. Do you have any words of advice for others who may want to embark on this career path, but seem daunted by the prospect of failure?
There is so much room on the internet for more content, so don’t give up. It may take a little time to find your people, but all the work is worth the reward. Don’t be scared to post content that may appear as cringey and post in as many places as you can.
Ok super. Let’s now jump to the core focus of our interview. Can you describe to our readers how you are using your platform to make a significant social impact?
As an occupational therapist, my niche has been mental health and addressing psychosocial needs. I have found that is something that has carried over to the podcast without even consciously trying. The podcast has become something I never anticipated and more than just entertainment. It has shaped its way into a platform that helps people. I get messages daily that the podcast has improved listeners’ anxiety/depression and has allowed them to connect deeper with their partners/friends. I have found that it has even provided them the courage to pursue therapy for mental health struggles. The positive impact it’s had on others means so much to me, because as an OT my life path was supposed to be helping people. I still am but in a new way.
Can you tell us a story about a particular individual who was impacted by this cause?
I’ve had one individual reach out who credited his marriage being saved because of the podcast. He was having a hard time connecting with his wife. He felt there was never initiative for her to be interested in anything he cared about, and a big passion of his was podcasts. He was listening to my show one day when his wife overheard a story and was immediately asking questions about it. It’s now turned into a part of their daily routine where they take a walk, listen to the show, and discuss their opinions on issues discussed. It’s given them a deeper look into each other and allowed them to reconnect on an intimate level again.
Was there a tipping point that made you decide to focus on this area? Can you share a story about that?
I’ve always loved being creative and the podcast became an outlet that really took me out of my own struggle with mental health — being unemployed during the pandemic, as many can relate to, was a bit of a depressant. I did end up getting an occupational therapy job eventually and I loved it, but there was something that I thought of that really stuck with me and made me want to be a creator full time. I have found that I reach more people on a weekly basis with the podcast than I could during an entire career as an OT. I couldn’t get it out of my head and gave notice shortly after to really focus on this path. My hope is to positively impact as many as I can with this content and charitable works going forward.
Are there three things the community/society/politicians can do to help you address the root of the problem you are trying to solve?
Access: Access to quality healthcare and mental health services is not easy. It’s not affordable and even with health-care coverage, mental health services are often not covered. I’d love to increase accessibility to these services whether that’s by funding/subsidizing lower-income programs. In thinking about creating access, it would be amazing if you could walk into a mental health practitioner’s office like you do a sport cut. If you need help it shouldn’t take weeks or months to get an appointment for it. This also means we need to increase the number of therapists, as rates have declined over the years. This is on an education level by making programs more affordable and offering incentives for loan repayment through working in lower-income areas for a certain number of years.
Funding: Like mentioned with access, funding to lower-income programs is rare. It’s a big reason why many of the patients I worked with ended up homeless and unable to function in society. If mental health interventions had been available earlier, these individuals might not have struggled so much in their lives, occupations and could have managed their illnesses more successfully. I would love to see mental health services become affordable so that anyone could access it. People shouldn’t have to choose if they’re going to eat or get help for their mental health.
Increased community services and programs: I would love to increase visibility of mental health services and add programs on the community level. Living in Los Angeles, it’s hard to feel a sense of community. Connection is a big indicator of quality of life and mental health. If we can add programs in communities that focus on connecting people through mindfulness-based activities, physical activities, social activities, and life skill activities, I think it could improve community mental health. Having a therapist on hand screening the community and offering services would also be a way to identify people that may not seek help otherwise.
What specific strategies have you been using to promote and advance this cause? Can you recommend any good tips for people who want to follow your lead and use their social platform for a social good?
I’m working on a new podcast with my partner to address and raise money for homeless and mental health initiatives in Los Angeles. It’s in the early phases of planning but we would love to share some of LA individuals’ stories and to provide listeners a way to donate directly.
If others would like to get involved, I’d recommend partnering with local organizations. Here in LA the LGBTQIA+ center has amazing programs and housing opportunities for the community. It would be huge if creators could partner with organizations in their area to raise awareness, money, or encourage others to volunteer.
What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why? Please share a story or example for each.
Take it one day at a time — when you’re first getting started the checklist and number of things you need to get done can be so overwhelming you don’t know where to start. Just start picking things off your list one at a time, and once the ball is rolling it won’t feel so overwhelming.
It doesn’t have to be perfect — I struggled with not wanting to put out any content because I wanted it to be perfect. but it’s never going to be perfect. I’ve been doing this for over a year and still make mistakes. Technology fails, cancellations happen, life happens but don’t sweat it and just do the best you can.
Establish boundaries — Determine what boundaries look like for you from the beginning. Whether that is spending time with others you’re working with, when, and how much you’re working, or how available you are to listeners- Just try to have a clear idea about how you’d like things to run.
Take care of yourself first and foremost — It’s okay to shut things down — necessary. For me I had a hard time shutting my devices off and not feeling like I constantly had to respond to listeners that wrote in for advice. Burnout is real and easily preventable if you’re consistently practicing self-care that’s meaningful to you.
It’s okay to ask for help — Things are going to go, and you will be busy with work. It’s okay to accept assistance because it has potential to make your brand better for it. It doesn’t mean that you are not capable just because you allowed support from others.
You are a person of enormous influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
Living in Los Angeles, mental health struggles and homeless can be witnessed daily and oftentimes to two go together. This is not just a Los Angeles or United States issue, it is worldwide. No one should have to sleep on a concrete sidewalk with a blanket. I’d love to see communities pool together and create housing for everyone. There have been some amazing communities pop up in Los Angeles so far and they could be easy to replicate with support and funding.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
A quote that’s been resonating with me recently is “Don’t believe everything you think.” I’ve been battling a little imposter syndrome, and so this really hits home. It’s easy to let negative or intrusive thoughts trick us into thinking we’re not qualified, successful, worthy, or talented. But they’re just not true. we all have our unique gifts and talents. This quote is a nice reminder that my inner fears and thoughts may not be the reality.
Is there a person in the world, or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them.
Joe Biden — Let’s talk about climate change. There are so many big-scale issues that we need to address but climate change is feeling more dire than ever. Seeing scientists crying and trying to get people to listen is really making it come to light what a dire situation we’re in. Oh, and talking about that student debt crisis would be a bonus. The more educated a society is the happier, healthier, and wealthier it is for everyone. I would love to see people unburdened by their student debt and ensure quality free education for generations going forward.
How can our readers further follow your work online?
I can be found by searching Two Hot Takes on YouTube, Instagram, Tik Tok, and wherever you listen to podcasts. I additionally write relationship columns for USA Today and those can be found by searching my name, Morgan Absher, and USA Today.
This was very meaningful, thank you so much!
Social Media Stars Making a Social Impact: Why & How Morgan Absher of ‘TWO HOT TAKES’ Is Helping To… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.