Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Rachael Youngman. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Rachael, thanks for joining us today. What were some of the most unexpected problems you’ve faced in your career and how did you resolve those issues?

Learning the ropes of podcasting has been a rewarding challenge. I knew there would be a big learning curve but I underestimated the complexity. However, at this time in my life, as an empty nester and with being well into my long term career in software sales, I knew I wanted a new challenge. But most of all, I was driven by the desire to preserve our Native American stories, history, culture and traditions and I didn’t care what it would take to make that happen. Here were some things I had to teach myself and mistakes I made along the way:
What technologies to use and not use.
What equipment is needed and not needed (for instance, I built a large bag that would hold extremely complex equipment that kept breaking on me – I later figured out I could use a small recording device that fit in my purse).
How to edit audio and later video recordings.
How to work with guests to really listen, understand and help them feel comfortable along the way.
Research and writing.
Finding guests was one thing – getting them interested in joining me on the show and feeling comfortable about sharing their ancestral stories was another. Our American Indian ancestors were told for many years to not speak, to hide and to keep their stories, history and traditions within the tribe. I’ve been on a mission to ensure we are no longer hiding and that now it’s time for our voices to be heard. Getting others on board has been a challenge in itself, but I feel change is being made.
How I messed up all 3 recordings I’ve done with the Chief of the Choctaw Nation.
That fear of rejection (would anyone even want to listen to the podcast?) should not stop me from following my calling.
I underestimated the time it would take and the cost to do a podcast (but it’s worth it!).
Safety first – I learned the hard way to do recordings over Zoom or in a public place (unless it’s someone I know).
The power of social media.
How to save money on promotional products.
And more… :)

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My name is Rachael Youngman, a Choctaw originally from Anadarko, Oklahoma, known as the “Indian Capital of the Nation” because there are more Native Americans there per capita than anywhere in the world. Anadarko has an incredible history, and I was inspired by the many tribes I grew up around, especially the Plains Tribes. My dad was the art teacher at Riverside Indian School, the oldest remaining off-reservation Native boarding school today. Between spending time at the school, experiencing beautiful American Indian artwork and culture all around me, I carried those inspirations with me, even when I moved away from Anadarko.
Even though I was Choctaw, I was more familiar with the Plains Tribe’s culture than my own. My precious great grandmother, Ella (who passed away when I was in my late 20s), was full blood Choctaw, but she was taught to be ashamed of her heritage. I knew parts of her story, but there was a lot I didn’t know until after she had passed.
When Ella was still alive, my sister was writing a paper in college on genealogy and interviewed her about her past. My sister gave me a copy of that paper, but regrettably, I didn’t read it at that time. I put the paper in a filing cabinet, only to pull it out and read it many years after Ella’s death, when I was missing her and searching for a connection to her. I searched through the filing cabinet and was grateful I still had the paper my sister had written. I sat on the floor, soaking up every page as I bawled for hours. I realized I hadn’t honored her by asking more questions and if I had only read my sister’s completed assignment, I would’ve gone to my great grandmother and hugged her so tight. I had no idea the atrocities she had suffered as a Native American who was born in Oklahoma in 1903.
However, I had no idea there was much, much more to her story. Even with everything Ella told my sister, she only scratched the surface. I made it my mission many years ago to do her honor by delving into any piece of information I could find and preserve her story – her WHOLE story (or at least anything I could find). I soon faced a harsh reality. Researching my Choctaw ancestral stories would be extremely difficult. Most of our stories are handed down orally and what little is recorded hasn’t been digitized yet. But nothing would stop me. I was determined to make her story come to life – the good and the bad. She had lived through so much and yet was a loving and forgiving woman. I wanted to be her voice. But I also realized that perhaps I should give others an outlet to also be a voice for their ancestors too. So much of our history (especially oral history), if it isn’t preserved, it’ll just become dust in the wind.
I was tossing and turning one night and thought, how do I get these stories out there – would I set up a blog? Or maybe a website? Nope – a podcast would be the outlet. So what if I didn’t know what I was doing. I would learn. I woke up my husband and said, “I’m gonna do a podcast where American Indians can preserve their stories.” He said, “Ok great” and turned over and went to sleep. I stayed up all night deciding what the logo would look like and how I would get started. I told my daughter about it the next day and told her the only thing I couldn’t decide on was a name. She immediately came up with Native ChocTalk and I ran with it. It’s Native ChocTalk, a Podcast by Natives for All. I wanted this to be not just a means of preservation, but also a way for listeners of any ethnicity can listen and learn about our people and hopefully understand our history and culture. By the way, although my husband hasn’t been involved in the process, he listens to every single episode and wears my Native ChocTalk t-shirts – and I’m so grateful for his support!
Something that sets Native ChocTalk apart from other Native podcasts is that it’s all about sharing and learning, however I don’t get much into politics. There are plenty of American Indian podcasts that get into such topics and I’m glad to leave that to the experts. My podcast is more so about history and the preservation of ancestral and tribal stories.
I am incredibly proud of my guests who have fascinating stories to share and have been brave to share with others! I’m currently 2 years and 4 seasons into the podcast with 70 episodes and counting. I’ve interviewed people from Alabama Couchatta of Texas, Caddo, Cherokee, Chippewa, Choctaw, Chumash, Comanche, Creek, Haiwatha First Nation, Kiowa, Navajo, Oneida, Osage, Paskenta Band of Nomlaki Indians, Seminole, Wasauksing, Yurok tribes and more.
I spoke of my great grandmother, Ella. When she was in her last few hours of life, she didn’t have much clarity of mind and said the words, “Cicero killed him” a few times. No one in our family knew who Cicero was or what she was talking about.
What I discovered in my research long after she was gone, was that her Uncle Cicero had shot at a man named JD Anderson – a white man who had won guardianship (via paying several thousand dollars) over Ella, her half sister and several of her aunts and uncles so that he could take control of their land allotments, provided by the government (160 acres each). Mr. Anderson had treated them all as slaves – a horrid situation for all. Ella was only 3 years old when she was turned over as a slave to the Anderson family. Cicero shot through the window of his guardian’s home because he was angry that he couldn’t get his land back. This was one of many stories I’ve discovered, such as Ella’s father went on a killing spree of white men, because he was angry about the Dawes Rolls. He was sentenced to hang but was pardoned by President Grover Cleveland. So I’m here today because of President Cleveland. I’m proud of these and many other stories I have discovered and can continue to preserve for my family and descendants. I hope to do my great grandmother and her ancestors proud by doing so.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

I’m grateful to live in the day and age of social media so the preservation of stories I’m doing today can get out there to the world. Today, Native ChocTalk can be watched and heard on the most common podcast apps as well as YouTube and I promote each episode as it launches, on Facebook (I have a Native ChocTalk page and I also use my personal page, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn and I’m working on my presence on TikTok.)
Here are some things that have worked for me when it comes to social media:
The most daunting part about social media is of course, keeping up with it all. My goal is to answer every message within a 3 day period after I promote each new episode on Thursday evenings. I appreciate every message, so it’s important to stay in touch with my listeners in this way, answering questions, responding to their feedback and thanking them for listening.
As for me, I don’t keep my personal pages on private. I tried to originally, but realized people are much more active on my personal pages than they are on my business pages. And it’s a great way for them to see that I’m human, I have a family, I make mistakes, I share things that may help them in their personal lives too, etc. And I’m careful not to share anything that would put me or my family in danger, of course.
Every few days I go seeking to “friend” a few new people on my social media pages. I’ve been amazed at how many listeners I’ve gotten just from doing that. I also try to take note of their pages and fun things they’re posting with genuine and sincere interest. I love learning about other people’s worlds so social media is such a great way to do so.
There are many ways to give back. One way I like to do so is by promoting other Native causes, podcasts, artists and businesses – it’s a core part of my business plan, not just something I say I’d like to do. I do so by reposting such posts, I help to sell art by a Native American artist on Etsy, I post links on my website and more. I also send a portion of any money I make from selling the art and promotional products to Native boarding schools.
I wouldn’t underestimate the power of Linkedin. I’ve gained listeners and guests from LinkedIn and I hope to also someday seek sponsors from the site as well.
I believe social media is a necessary part of most any business and it needs to be tended to daily. I can’t possibly post or respond enough on social media, especially with a full time job in software sales, and working 35 hours per week on my podcast. However, it must be done, even if I have to do so at 3am or while I’m in the airport or waiting for an appointment.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

I’m grateful for folks who take time to support us artists! There are listeners who follow me on social media, who regularly comment on, share, and “like” my posts. Often times, it’s the same people over and over and I wish I could thank every single one. Each of those actions give my page (and therefore my business) visibility. So feel free to share our information on your social media, “like”, give a review, share our businesses with your friends and more. If they produce a product (beading, art, pottery, etc.), those items typically will make great gifts! And when you give those gifts, throw in a business card or even a handwritten note that has the artist’s website or social media sites so they can follow them and/or purchase from them.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.nativechoctalk.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nativechoctalk/
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/nativechoctalkpodcast/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/native-choctalk/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/NativeChocTalk
• Youtube: youtube.com/@nativechoctalk
• Cafe Press (Promotional Items): https://www.cafepress.com/nativechoctalkshop
• Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/NativeChocTalk
• Podcast Sites: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/native-choctalk/id1580331676
• Podbean: https://nativechoctalk.podbean.com/
• SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/nativechoctalk
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0d1uSpLMOu20FTR63rDWXm

Image Credits
All images are mine.