We caught up with the brilliant and insightful April Corner a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
April, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.
One of the most meaningful projects I’ve ever worked on is launching this December 2024. I’ve partnered with Starkey Canada to give one lucky Canadian a free pair of hearing aids.
When I started my hearing loss channel, Hard to Hear It, my goal was to raise awareness and spark conversations about hearing loss and hearing aids. Now, I’m thrilled to take it a step further by using my platform to give back and make a tangible impact.
Hearing aids are often unaffordable, which makes this initiative deeply personal and important to me. It’s an opportunity to help someone with hearing loss access the support they need and continue fostering change within the community.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
In 2016, at just 25 years old, I was diagnosed with otosclerosis—a form of hearing loss caused by abnormal bone growth in the middle ear.
Today, I rely on hearing aids every day.
For years, I struggled with insecurity about my hearing loss. But over time, I chose to shift my perspective and focus on the positives it brought into my life.
When I was first diagnosed, I searched online for resources, community, and acceptance. Instead, I found mostly spaces geared toward the 50+ crowd—helpful, but not what I needed.
That’s why I created Hard to Hear It. Initially, it started as a YouTube and Instagram channel to help me cope and share the ups, downs, and everything in between on my hearing loss journey. Recently, I launched HardToHearIt.com—a resource I wish I had when I was first diagnosed. My vision is to make it a growing hub that welcomes others and collaborates with businesses to better serve the hearing loss community.
Is there mission driving your creative journey?
What drives me every single day is my passion for inspiring others who are navigating their hearing loss journey. To support this mission, I created a mini-workshop called Shifting Your Mindset: Learning to Enjoy Your Hearing Loss and designed t-shirts that proudly say, Hearing Aids Are Cool—because they truly are! I also started a YouTube series called Hear Me Out, where I interview individuals, businesses and other like-minded people connected to hearing loss.
Through videos and other creative outlets, I share my story and experiences to encourage others and remind them that they are never alone in this journey.
We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?
Be authentic! Don’t be afraid to let your personality shine. You never know which piece of content will resonate with your audience.
It’s really that simple. When you have a message to share and speak from the heart, your audience will find you. One of my reels went viral (just shy of 5 million views), and it was just a 5-second video with text saying, “I can turn off people”—a playful nod to being able to take out my hearing aids. It was so simple, yet people loved it, and that moment became a turning point for my channel’s growth.
Remember, success doesn’t happen overnight. Consistency is key. Show up, stay genuine, and trust the process—you’ll see growth in time.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://hardtohearit.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hardtohearit/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hardtohearit
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aprilcorner/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@hardtohearit
