How To Start A Podcast: The ‘Life After Struggle’

In an era where everyone seems to have a microphone, very few people have a message. Even fewer have a movement. That is why the rise of the Savannah, Georgia-based podcast Life After Struggle (LAS) deserves attention from aspiring podcasters, entrepreneurs, community leaders, and digital creators across America.

Started by Timothy "Malik" the Barber, Green, an artist, author, and barber, and Sanford ‘The Last Poet’ Shuman, a poet, author, and entrepreneur, Life After Struggle has accomplished what many social media strategists claim is nearly impossible. In only a few months, the platform has grown from a modest following to more than 50,000 followers while maintaining a grassroots identity and an authentic voice.

Their motto is simple:
"Inspire and be inspired... and tell our story for God's glory."

That mission resonates because it is rooted in something increasingly rare in media today—real life.

The duo discusses trauma, entrepreneurship, relationships, resilience, identity, purpose, and personal growth. They have hosted guests ranging from BloomBridge CEO and certified AI strategist Jessica Doyne to 23-time world arm wrestling champion "Monster" Michael Todd. Along the way, they have built relationships with entrepreneurs, artists, educators, and community leaders across the country, including at the National HBCU Black Wall Street Career Fest in Little Rock, Arkansas.

For future podcasters, their success offers a blueprint.

Five Tips for Building Podcast Culture and Choosing the Right Co-Host

1. Start With Purpose, Not Popularity

The strongest podcasts begin with a mission, not a marketing strategy. LAS was built around overcoming adversity and inspiring others. People follow purpose long before they follow production quality.

2. Choose a Co-Host Who Complements You

Malik and Sanford bring different strengths to the table. One perspective challenges the other. Great podcasts require chemistry, not clones.

3. Tell Real Stories

Authenticity is the new currency. Audiences can sense manufactured conversations. Vulnerability often creates stronger engagement than perfection.

4. Create Community Before Content

The best podcasts function like families. LAS listeners do not simply consume episodes; they become participants in a larger movement.

5. Respect Every Guest

Whether interviewing a local entrepreneur or a world champion athlete, every guest deserves professionalism. Today's unknown guest may become tomorrow's headline.

The Bible reminds us:
"Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin." — Zechariah 4:10

The greatest podcasts often begin with a smartphone, a vision, and a willingness to be consistent.

Five Tips for Growth, Sustainability, and Followers

1. Consistency Beats Perfection

Many podcasts fail because creators wait for perfect equipment, perfect graphics, or perfect timing. Publish consistently and improve over time.

2. Leverage Your Guests' Networks

Pay attention to the buzz surrounding your guests and their networks. Every guest brings a new audience and a new opportunity for growth.

3. Build Across Platforms

A podcast is not simply audio. It should live on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, and wherever your audience gathers.

4. Invest in Relationships

The strongest growth strategy is often collaboration. Partnerships create opportunities that advertising dollars cannot buy.

5. Stay Rooted in Service

Audiences eventually abandon creators who only seek attention. They remain loyal to creators who provide value, encouragement, and inspiration.

As Proverbs 27:17 teaches:
"Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend."

Community creates sustainability.

Learning from Other Grassroots Success Stories

Life After Struggle is not alone in proving that authentic content can outperform expensive productions. Consider Michael E. Brickus, creator of the Brick House movement, whose community-centered approach has inspired health, fitness, and personal accountability initiatives reaching multiple states. Consider independent digital educators and creators who have transformed lived experience into online influence without corporate backing. Consider countless local media entrepreneurs who began with little more than determination and a willingness to serve their communities.

The common thread is not fame. It is credibility. People trust people who have actually lived what they are talking about.

Why LAS Resonates

The Life After Struggle movement succeeds because it reflects the realities many Americans face. Career setbacks. Personal loss. Financial hardship. Trauma.

Relationship struggles. Questions about identity and purpose. Yet rather than dwelling on defeat, LAS focuses on transformation. Its message is that pain does not have to be the final chapter. The movement's appeal spans Generation X, Millennials, and Generation Z because adversity is universal. The details may differ, but the struggle is familiar. And so is the desire to overcome it.

The Apostle Paul wrote:
"And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not." — Galatians 6:9

That scripture perfectly captures the essence of podcasting, entrepreneurship, and life itself.

Final Thoughts

To all future podcasters, influencers, media startups, and entrepreneurs: pay close attention to the buzz surrounding Life After Struggle. Study their authenticity. Study their consistency. Study their guests. Study their network. Most importantly, study their commitment to the community. Because successful podcasts are rarely built on microphones alone. They are built on trust. They are built on relationships. They are built on service. And when done correctly, they become something much larger than a podcast. They become a movement. Life After Struggle appears to be well on its way to becoming exactly that.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Edmond W. Davis is a social historian, journalist, and professor. He is the founder of the National HBCU Black Wall Street Career Fest. This native of West Philadelphia, PA, and graduate of Coatesville High School, his wife, and his son currently live in the Little Rock, Arkansas, area. Davis is committed to cultural empowerment and educational equity through storytelling, civic engagement, and journalism. In 2026, Davis was a grand marshal at the 38th Annual African American History Month Celebration Parade, the largest in the U.S. during Black History Month. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are 1.4 million college faculty in the U.S. Davis is the only collegiate/university faculty member to have been a national radio host/producer, HBCU research director, 20-year history professor, director of career services, and an Amazon # 1 author, who’s featured in the award-winning short documentary of his life, FROM GRIND TO GROWTH: The Edmond W. Davis Story.

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