Meet Chris & Cody | Cohosts, BSP: Believer Skeptic Podcast

Hi Chris &, do you disagree with some advice that is more or less universally accepted?
This question resonated with both Chris and Cody, so being two halves of the same podcast, we wanted to each give our “piece” as they’re actually related: Chris: “If you make it, they will come.” No, really. I have been told more often than not that you just have to put your material out there, and people will be attracted to it. Not necessarily so. We have been podcasting for four years now, and it is still a lot of work (fun work, though, if that makes sense). We can’t just put out an episode in its raw form and expect people to love it. There is research, editing, promoting, marketing and so on. I am happy to put in the effort for quality work, but don’t let anyone fool you into thinking that you can just press record and everything else will appear. If only it were that simple! Cody: “Tape a picture of the house you want above your desk. You’ll work hard and end up with that house!” I’ve found these pieces of advice about expectations to be pretty terrible. Let’s take an example regarding our podcast. Say we create our podcast with the expectation, “In three years, we’ll be making $5K a month!” Then, during those three years, we create great content, make people laugh, expand our audience, and attend fun events. However, we didn’t make the $5K a month. Well, we’ve accomplished some great and unexpected things, but still see the podcast as a failure because we didn’t meet that expectation. I think setting tangible goals (“Start a podcast”) are great, but expectations from those goals often derail you from unexpected successes.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
We’d love to tell you more about our podcast, BSP: Believer Skeptic Podcast. In short, we are an LGBTQ paranormal comedy podcast (try saying that 5 times fast). There are many amazing paranormal podcasts out there, but there are a couple aspects that set us apart: 1. LGBTQ Love! We are an LGBTQ podcast and love representing the community. Chris and Cody are both gay and have participated in such amazing events as Pride48 (an amazing LGBTQ stream). We try to be entertaining and fun, while remaining sensitive to all genders (or lack thereof), sexualities (or lack thereof), and everything in between. 2. The Believer/Skeptic Angle! Chris believes in the paranormal, while Cody is skeptical. Therefore, in addition to sharing fun information and stories around paranormal topics, we also discuss why some people believe and why others don’t (translation: Cody debunks the crap outta the topics). It’s a really cool angle to the paranormal and listeners really seem to enjoy it. Getting to where we are today certainly wasn’t easy. Every single aspect is a learning process. For example, the first few episodes had some crappy booty sound, as there are tips and tricks to clean recording. That was just the beginning (seriously, lol). But we’re really proud of where we are and are excited to continue growing.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Oh gosh, this is such a great question! OK, I (Cody) lived in Page, AZ for a year, and I think it’s the most beautiful place ever (EVER!!!). So let’s do this: 1. Spend a day boating on Lake Powell. It’s literally like driving through the Grand Canyon if it was filled with water. There are places where glorious cliffs rise up on either side of you. It’s truly majestic, and you could easily spend days there.. 1a. For dinner, we’d stop at the Antelope Marina Restaurant. You can pull your boat right up to it, eat a delicious meal, and then take off. It’s a more upscale restaurant, which is a nice end to the day. 2. The next day would be spent touring Antelope Canyon, a place where a bajillion photographs are taken. Just google it and you’ll be like, “Ohhhhh, this place!” I’ve done several tours, and they’re all fun and unique. While a private Hummer tour was fun, I recommend the open-back trucks. You and like 10 other people zoom from Page to Antelope Canyon in the back of a truck. It’s exhilarating and just a little scary. 2a. The rest of the day would be spent hiking some lesser known trails in Page. There’s one that goes around town (and the golf course) and it’s really beautiful. I highly recommend the trail if it rains, as it creates little waterfalls all over town. 2b. There was a BBQ joint in Page called DCs. I’m not sure if it’s still there, but it’s amazing. I’m from Texas, and it’s the only non-Texan BBQ I love. 3. You can’t visit page without seeing Horseshoe Bend. Google it. It’s crazy. The cool part is you can actually boat the river. So when you look down into the canyon and see boats and fisherpeople, that could be you the next day. Another cool/scary thing about Horseshoe is there’s not fence or anything; you can walk right up to the ledge. It makes for a beautiful/freeing experience. Just be careful! 4. The next couple day has to be spend at the Grand Canyon. It’s obligatory. 5. Flagstaff! Downtown Flagstaff is sooo much fun. My sister and I go every year for Black Friday (yes, we are the weirdos who love the craziness) and shop in downtown. There are fun shops selling everything from art to candles to cloths to woo woo crystals. 5a. We never visit Flagstaff without eating at Karma Sushi. It’s in the middle of Arizona (with no oceans for at least 2 miles), but we love it. Great atmosphere and food and drinks. 6-7. The next two days are spend in Phoenix. There’s so much to do! There are actually several amazing hiking trails. I particularly like the Estrellas or the White Tanks in west Phoenix as they’re more remote and so beautiful. For food and drinks, you can just wander downtown and central phoenix. I particularly love Fez and Thai Basil. And don’t forget to visit the gay bars!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
We’d like to dedicate this shoutout to amazing author, Jacqueline Smith. She’s been an amazing guest on our podcast as well as helpful in so many areas, including Cody’s LGBTQ writing career. She is always around whenever a question or issue or anything arises. She also loves all things paranormal, and her series, Cemetery Tours, is an amazing read. Please check her out. You won’t regret it.

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