We had the good fortune of connecting with Barbara Peters and Dr. Andrea Gould-Marks, the founders of Boom Talk Media, and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Barbara Peters, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
About 7 years ago, before most people knew what a podcast was, we had a vision to create meaningful media and make it available on a wide basis. We began by recording a radio program but soon found that it was too noisy with ads that we didn’t particularly endorse. We quickly migrated to recording podcasts and have been doing so for over 6 years. Because one of the co-founders/creators is a practicing psychologist, we lean towards interviews that examine the human journey, and we’re forever fascinated with people who “overcome the undergoing,” and often come out stronger on the other side. Since even today not everyone listens to podcasts, we wanted to bring those insights and relief for dealing with challenging times to our audience in a visual format, and our Relief-lets™ were born. They are tiny books that combine insights, inspiration and beautiful graphics & photography. Like a picture book for adults. To-date we published 3 tiny books and eBooks (30-70 pages) with more in the pipeline. The addition of a multi-talented graphic designer and photographer to our team was a huge gift and made our tiny books unique. Our goal for the reader who has just received their tiny book from Amazon, is to glance at each page, place it on their heart and return to it for longer periods, time and time again. Of course our Relief-let’s™ make for delicious gifts!
Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Dr. Andrea Gould-Marks is a board-certified and practicing psychologist and the founder of Lucid Learning Systems, and co-founder of Boom Talk Media. She has been helping people meet life’s challenges for over 40 years. She began her practice on Long Island, NY and has been a Tucson, AZ resident for about 11 years. She specializes in entrepreneurial psychology because we’re never too young or too old to reinvent ourselves. Dr. Andrea is passionate about helping people identify and clarify their pathway in life.
Barbara “BB” Peters, MBA, is the co-founder of Boom Talk Media. She began her career as a banker on Long Island, NY and later joined a small architectural firm in Seattle, WA where she lived for almost 20 years. Under her watchful eye as the CFO, the company grew to global proportions including an office in Shanghai, China. Having immigrated to the US at the age of 11 from Poland, Barbara calls herself a person of the world. Her life experiences have guided her to be empathetic to the cultural, educational and societal challenges that we all face. Today those passages continue to nourish her entrepreneurial spirit and artistic soul.
The two women creators came together one sunny afternoon at the luncheon meeting of The Network of Extraordinary Women that Barbara co-founded in Tucson, in 2016. It was love at first sight and the two began the adventure of a life time – Boom Talk Media.
Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Tucson, known to many as the Old Pueblo, is rich in natural beauty, art, music and gastronomy. Both Dr. Andrea and Barbara derive immense pleasure from nature. “Being outdoors, particularly during the cooler months of Oct – April, soothes our souls and replenishes our creativity.” Our favorite spots, often accompanied by out-of-town guests/visitors include: Aqua Caliente Park, Tucson Botanical Gardens, Tohono Chul, Sabino Canyon, Saguaro National Parks East and West, the AZ Desert Museum, Sweetwater Trails, Catalina State Park, San Xavier Mission, downtown Tucson with quick get-aways to Tubac, Bisbee, and Sonoita wine tastings. Catching men’s and women’s basketball and soccer games at the University of AZ is always a team favorite.
Favorite places to eat, hang out and listen to music include: Hotel Congress, Maynard’s at the train depot, Tucson Museum of Art along with its delicious outdoor cafe, Monterey Court with its ideal outdoor stage and tasty menu, Guadalajara Grill, Vivace, North restaurant at LaEncantada for cocktails & shopping, and our favorite sushi at Shogun on Oracle & River.
Every month there are substantially more amazing new restaurants to experience than those that we’ve already enjoyed and keep on our list for repeat visits. Tucson is a gem of a City!
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 have a most incredible team that continues to grow. These sweet humans include: Amy – marketing assistant, mother of 3 teenage boys, gardener extraordinaire, teacher and creative soul; Mark – ultra talented graphic designer, photographer, musician and author; Kelly from Colorado – virtual assistant and super creative social media poster; Claire – literary agent who is expertly guiding us to write a full-length book about life’s pathways; Eric our website developer, Tori our intern from UA and our newest jewel is Catherine – social media expert/guru who is taking our digital presence to another level. And the list wouldn’t be complete without a shoutout to our partners — Michael and Mark, two men who offer unfailing support and belief in our mission and projects.
Website: www.boomtalkmedia.com
Instagram: Instagram.com/boom_talk_media/
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/boomtalkmedia/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/boomtalkmedia
Other: On Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09KX4D1N8?binding=paperback&qid=1675202117&sr=8-1&ref=dbs_dp_rwt_sb_pc_tpbk