We were lucky to catch up with Christina McCrary recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Christina, thanks for joining us today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

I think in the back of my mind, I always knew. I grew up when talk shows were big. . .Ricki Lake, Sally Jesse, Montel. . .and I secretly wanted to be a talk show host. Secretly because artistic interests weren’t really nurtured in my household. I was steered toward more practical career paths. . .believing that the “right way” to do life was to do well in school and go on to graduate college and get a “good job”. I grew up being a “good girl”. . .doing what I was “supposed to” do and flying under the radar. . .not causing trouble and following the rules, doing well in school and aspiring to go to an Ivy League college.

I didn’t make it to the Ivy Leagues and dropped out of community college multiple times, eventually graduating in my 40s with a degree I have never used. I spent most of my young adult life married, raising 2 kids, and being “successful” at a “good” job in corporate Finance. I was living the life I was “supposed to” and had most of the checkboxes marked. . .down to having a house with a backyard and dogs. So why was I so angry and irritable all the time? Eventually I realized that I was really tired of feeling like I was misunderstood and unheard, like my voice didn’t matter. . .like I wasn’t a fully realized human being but more of an entity: mother, wife, worker bee. There were many times I didn’t speak up. . .mainly because when I HAD spoken up previously, there were unwanted consequences.

Wanting a safe place to express myself authentically, I started podcasting in 2020, during the pandemic. Like most of the rest of the world, I was working from home and had more time on my hands than I’d had in a long time. I decided to pour into having an outlet where I could be unapologetically and authentically me. Still a bit nervous and refusing to be video recorded, I started an audio podcast with some of my closest girlfriends. It wasn’t a professional endeavor but we created with the possibility of becoming professional in the future.

In 2022, another podcaster that I had been Instagram friends with for years reached out to me. He was recruiting podcasters for his media group. With his pitch, that’s when I really started thinking about making this a professional endeavor. I was nervous at first but I joined Sarcarrogance Media Group and the rest, as they say, is history. It took me a long time to call myself a “creative”. But when I really sat down and looked at what I was doing, I realized there was no other word for it.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

During the pandemic, I’d used my education, training, and work experience to do some freelance consulting – data entry, administrative projects, bookkeeping, brand design, and web development to name a few – while podcasting and blogging. As tends to happen, I became more and more comfortable and continued to develop until I looked up and had 3 podcasts, merch, and invitations to industry conferences and events – I was a full-blown creative!

My very first podcast was called Forever Unapologetic and I was 1 of 4 co-hosts. We did it at a professional podcast studio here in the LA area so someone else did the recording, audio mixing, promos, production, and release. I was able to hone my other creative skills – episode planning, branding, blogging, building and administering our website, and creating and maintaining our social media presence. It was a great learning opportunity.

My first podcast on SMG is called McCrazy’s Place. Going back to my original desire to have a safe place to talk about anything and everything authentically mixed with my (pre-COVID) love of hosting game nights, McCrazy’s Place is #JustConversation hosted by my alter ego, Xtina McCrazy. Some episodes are done in person, usually over beverages (and a meal, if I host in my home), and some are done virtually. It depends on the guest(s). I do all of the recording, branding, and production myself. I don’t really edit the conversational content (for the sake of being #ActuallyAuthentic) but I learned to edit with this podcast, adding title and ending sequences. I do promotion but SMG helps with that, too. I’ve created merchandise and I administer the corresponding YouTube channel, Instagram account and Facebook page. It’s a monthly podcast but I sometimes have trouble booking guests and have skipped a month here or there. Always looking for guests! Help me drop episodes consistently in 2024! See my guest intake form if you’re interested. (LOL)

I co-host Thursday Night Live. We go live every Thursday Night (5:15 pm Pacific/8:15 pm Eastern) on the McCrazy’s Place YouTube and Facebook pages; the Sarcarrogance YouTube, Facebook, and (very recently) Instagram pages; and the PGC (Phat Girl Chronicles) Media Facebook page. We discuss the week’s viral pop culture and social media topics and interact with our viewers in the comments. As my co-host is the owner and CEO of SMG, he does all of the production on this one. I just create the promos for everyone to share on their social media platforms every Thursday morning. (Feel free to join us in the comments!)

My most recent podcast is called The Lightning Bolt Chronicles. It’s a Harry Potter (I’m obsessed!) podcast which I cohost with my (equally obsessed!) best friend of over 18 years, Erika. We dropped our first episode on September 1st (#BackToHogwarts) and drop new episodes every other Friday. Each normal episode centers around a chapter of the book (yes, we started at the beginning and are going in order – and we have other “special” episodes, too). Designed for everyone from die-hard Potterheads to newly recruited fans of any and all ages; we give the title and a summary of the chapter, discuss new characters that have been introduced, compare the book vs the movie, and each give one “take away” from the chapter. Erika creates (and breaks down how to imitate creating) a craft related to the chapter and then we each answer a Harry Potter-themed “would you rather” question. There is a lot of behind the scenes for this one – editing, production, title/ending/segment sequences, interactive stories (trivia, “would you rather”), website development, social media administration and marketing. . .and keeping my potty mouth in check so that we remain age-appropriate. This podcast can be viewed on our YouTube channel or our website (www.thelightningboltchronicles.com) and audio versions are available on Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music, and iHeart Music. We’re on Tik Tok and Facebook but the interactivity happens in our Instagram stories. Merch available at www.sarcarrogance.com. #OnlyMugglesAfterAll

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

My mission is to literally just be me. . .creatively and otherwise. I was raised to be “seen and not heard”. Society has biases and prejudices (unconscious or otherwise) that will try to push you into a box. Being a creative has given me the space to not only speak; but to be heard; to be understood, whether the listener agrees or not; and to just be myself. It took me way too long to realize that, regardless of societal norms, I don’t HAVE to fit into a box. Once I realized that, my life’s mission became to be authentically me no matter what.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

I think being on this journey at all illustrates my resilience.

I know now that I’ve suffered from MDD most of my life – only having been diagnosed in the last few years. I didn’t know during the times I had attempted to end my own life (multiple times up to and including my early 20s). For whatever reason (perhaps so that I would eventually end up here?), it was never my time to go. And, somehow, I’m still here – and still able to love, create, learn, teach, be an empath, and offer others a safe place if needed.

In 2021, I spoke up for myself in a way I never could have previously. I can’t give a lot of detail but I initiated a lawsuit and, through that experience, learned a lot – about myself, about people with power (perceived or otherwise), about society, about capitalism, about existing as a minority, about the legal system, about public perceptions, about greed, about deception, about trust, and about the pitfalls of honesty. It was an extremely hard experience and I wanted to just. . .stop participating in life altogether many times.

In my early 20s, it was the births of my children that kept me from attempting to leave this world anymore. I felt like it wasn’t fair to them, as they hadn’t asked to be here. (Not sure my own mental health issues were the best thing for them either but. . .baby steps). During the lawsuit, all I could do was remind myself of WHY I had made the decision I made. While the other party, incorrectly, thought it was about money, I really did it to stand up, not only for myself, but for others who couldn’t or wouldn’t. Never before had I more fully believed and understood just how DIFFICULT it can be to stick to doing what you KNOW is the right thing to do – the very essence of resilience, in my opinion.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://msha.ke/xtinamccrazy