We recently connected with Portia Booker and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Portia thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

In March of this year, I was working a job I dreaded. I’ve spent 15 years in the healthcare field, but after Covid, most positions in the administrative arena went remote. I am a social butterfly, the “work from home or remote train” picked me up by accident and held me for ransom. I used to spend an extra 30 minutes sitting on the porcelain stool (toilet) because I found more entertainment there than sitting at my desk in the dinning room. My soul was done. Everyday I felt distant and out of place from everyone who was on my team. There was 30 of us, but I felt as though I was in the movie Castaway. I made a plan to stay until April because money was tight. I saw an Instagram post that said “When you make a plan, God laughs.” Little did I know, this post would become my reality. On March 8th, I took my dog outside for pee-o-clock (he can’t leave unwanted gifts in the house). During our walk through the field, I received a Facebook video call from my friend in London. I stopped for a moment under a tree with small purple and red berries hanging from it. I vented to my friend how much I was ready to leave my job. She said to me, “Portia, you are going to quit your job today.” I started laughing because how did she know before I did. As she said this, a bright red cardinal flew above me in the tree and began to sing very loud. When I came into the house and put the dog away from pee-o-clock, I logged into my work computer. The anxiety and sweat show began as I thought about what reprimanding email would I receive today. I manifested my exact thoughts. I received an email from a coworker about an account I did not complete correctly and the person copied management on the email. Instead of responding to the coworker, I drafted an email to my supervisor with the subject “Thank You”. I wrote in the email of my resignation effective immediately. I hit send in a flash. My supervisor called my cellphone to apologize for things going sour. I told her thank you for your time and I appreciate being part of the team (despite feeling like an audience of one most days). She gave me instructions on how to drop off my equipment and my badge. I took a moment to cry after I hung up the phone. I was free from this prison, but now into the unknown.

Portia, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Before I stepped into the space of full time Podcaster and Producer, I was a television producer for a well known network. I would write scripts for the daily newscast and run the teleprompter during each show. My exit from the television world came from having a mental breakdown. I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder at a time when mental health held a heavy stigma. The doctor who diagnosed said my brain was broken and medication would be the only option for me the rest of my life. Little did I know, my suicide attempt would lead to my breakthrough.

I started my show Groove with Portia to interview interesting people around the world. Over time, my show became a platform for individuals to share how they overcame adversity and found an opportunity. Groove with Portia helped me work through my mental wellness obstacles along with return to my passion of storytelling. Each episode of my show has a tailored script, introduction of my guest and includes a mental health segment in every show. I believe sharing our stories help ease the stigma placed on mental health.

I’ve been a one-woman-band show ever since I started Groove with Portia. I take this same approach when I produce other podcasts. I am the producer for the following shows: No Crystal Stair Podcast, Finish Your Puzzle Podcast, One Connection Podcast and Because I Am S.H.E (Spiritually Healed & Empowered). I work with new and veteran podcasters on their performance, building an audience, sticking with one topic per episode, confidence, and episode breakdown. When any podcaster comes to work under me, they only need to show up and record the show. I write their custom script, create a schedule for their episode frequency, quick editing and audiograms. A few of my clients give me the honor of field producing while they are interviewing a guest. This is literally my favorite thing to do.

I am most proud of watching my clients hit milestones in their podcast journey. I remember when I first started how I would not share the number of downloads I had if it was under 100. I would not even share my flyer because people did not support it. I love hearing their excitement when I share with them their analytics. I also give my clients creativity control over what they record. When I worked for a big network, this was not an option.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

I released my audiobook, Finding Grace within Grief: Her Transition…My Transformation, on October 19th, 2022. This book is a personal narrative of looking at grief from the lens of being a benefit in our life instead of a deficit. My mother transitioned in July of this year. When I picked up her ashes from the funeral home, I had an epiphany that her transition is for my transformation. In our society, grief has a negative label slapped on it. Grief is no stranger to anyone. I want others to see that grief is a process, but it is not permanent. Through the passing of my mother, I have taken leaps I do not believe I would have in my life because I cared for her full time. I always tell people to think about how that person would feel knowing you have stopped living because they have transitioned from this world.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

I have full control over how I plan each day. I used to wake up at 4AM religiously to be at work by 7AM. I do not have to live by this standard anymore. I can stay in bed until 9AM and still feel productive. I have more flexibility to use all my creative skills (writing, photography, videography, voiceover) in all of my work. I did not have this amount of control or sastifaction when I worked in corporate.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://linktr.ee/portiabkr?fbclid=IwAR0kajn1v32w2DsTY8EyB6j1qDQfJDDlu_N-Pnr7_lh4UMQho1nB_G7i4rs
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/portia_hugs/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pbookali
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pabooker/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLOe3Yl6Zxbwsb8cGVTCR8A