Creating a Visually Appealing Brand For a Podcast With Sergio Halabi

[00:00:00] Sergio: This is the first thing that people see, even before listening to your podcast. So when they’re scrolling through any app and they’re searching for new ones or something. The first thing that’s gonna catch their eye is the artwork even before the name, even before the description of the podcast.

[00:00:20] Nemanja: Welcome to the Nootka Sound Podcast, I’m your host Nemanja Koljaja, a professional Sound Engineer, Audio Editor and Podcast Producer and a CEO and Founder of Nootka Sound, a professional podcast production facility. Today we are joined by Sergio Halabi, a host and producer for his show The Paradigm Shift, the show that challenges philosophical, metaphysical, and higher consciousness ideas in order to help activate your mind and make you question the nature of reality. Okay, so Sergio, welcome to the show and it’s a pleasure to have you here.

[00:01:15] Sergio: Hi, thank you so much for having me. Thank you.

[00:01:18] Nemanja: So why don’t you tell us a little bit about the Paradigm Shift and what made you start it and how did you go about doing that?

[00:01:25] Sergio: Well, uh, the aim behind it is to make people question certain established ideas that we all already have. And I have been a big fan of anything philosophical, spiritual, sometimes conspiracy theories as well, since I was very young, in my early teens. So I felt that I have gained enough, you know, like a wealth of knowledge over the years. And now it’s the time to kind of share it with other people and just, you know, provoke certain ideas. Like I always start my podcast with saying that this is just to challenge you and not for me trying to convince you in anything. I just want you to question things and then see where that leads you like where the rabbit hole takes you down. You know what I mean? So to me, it’s always been just to provoke ideas in others. That’s what it’s about. And obviously now it’s the right time, especially with what’s going on in the world and we all have more time on our hands. So it felt like the right time to go ahead and kick start it.

[00:02:30] Nemanja: Yeah, that’s cool. So yeah, the time is right for podcasting. Okay so your show focuses and some big philosophical questions while also touching upon a wide variety of topics, like you’ve said anything from politics to religion. What is it about the podcast that made you think that you could convey all of these complex messages via such a simple format?

[00:02:52] Sergio: Yeah, well, actually, that’s a good way of putting it because the whole point behind it is to convey complex ideas in simple ways. I’ve heard a lot of people talk about how they, like, they don’t understand certain metaphysical ideas for example, or philosophical, and they feel very overwhelmed when they want to approach the subject. So they rather not approach it at all. So what I would want to do, and that’s what the longterm plan for my show is to take these complex ideas and just bring them in a very nice and simple way so that it’s relatable to everyone. And as long as people can resonate with it and can understand or feel like, yeah, I’m understanding this. It is, you know, working and everything. That’s more than enough for me. So this was the point behind it. So that I spend, for example, my week researching topics, understanding how they are and everything, and just making them as simple as possible for my audience.

[00:03:48] Nemanja: Okay, cool. Aside from publishing your show to all of the standard streaming platforms such as Spotify, iTunes, or whatever you also went for recording video as well and distributing it to YouTube. And in your perspective, what is the difference between listening to audio only content and watching a video, for example?

[00:04:07] Sergio: Well, I mean, from the people that I noticed, how they reacted, there are two types of people. So people who just like to listen to the idea, and those are the ones who are going to, like you said, Spotify, or Apple iTunes, and they are ones who need to connect with the podcaster. So they need to see something, you know, when they listen to him. So I took the idea from how I listened to a lot of YouTubers who technically don’t do much on screen in terms of editing or, you know, images, music, and all that. They just sit and press record and it’s the content that speaks for itself. So I felt that I can approach two different targets in the market between people who want to see me and connect to me, you know, to my face, see how I react to things, see how I express and those who would just like to listen to me while driving or working or doing something.

[00:04:58] Nemanja: Wow. That’s smart.

[00:05:00] Sergio: Yeah. Thank you.

[00:05:02] Nemanja: That’s a good idea, actually.

[00:05:03] Sergio: Yeah. Even from a technical point of view, it’s easy because I work on the YouTube one first in terms of getting all the  audio sync correctly and all my brands on screen and everything. And then once I’m done, I just export it as an Mp3 to put it on the podcast. So it’s not double the work or anything. It’s just one work that at the end, I either export it as Mp4 for YouTube or Mp3 for all the other podcasts.

[00:05:27] Nemanja: Oh, I see, I see. And how often do you upload?

[00:05:31] Sergio: Well, it’s a weekly show. So the way I do it, when it comes to managing time between… I have two different jobs, I found that Monday morning is the best time for me to record. So I record it Monday morning. I edit it by Monday night and Tuesday morning is when I release. So that has been working for the past couple of weeks now.

[00:05:51] Nemanja: Okay. So can you tell me if you started your show all by yourself or did you have any help with the technical stuff? And if not, what kind of resources did you use to learn about starting the podcast?

[00:06:03] Sergio: Well, when it comes to technical in terms of sound and audio, I actually went to a friend of mine. He has a YouTube channel.

[00:06:10] Nemanja: Okay.

[00:06:11] Sergio: But it’s a bit small. He just started a year ago. So I went to him to ask about the mic and what can he suggest to me in terms of what to use as a startup cause at the end of the day, I’m not going to invest now so much until I see the show grow and everything. So as a startup what I’ll use and he suggested the microphone that I’m using now, And in terms of the other technicalities, I am graphic designer, so I was able to use those skills in terms of creating my brand for the show. In terms of the logo, how I present it, everything I do, even when it comes to a little bit of editing for YouTube and stuff like that. So those things I already knew from my own job. And that’s it! In terms of items and what I got, it’s very simple, to be honest, it’s just the mic, which I invested in everything else. A basic software is available for everyone to use.

Yeah. For free.

Yeah.

[00:07:05] Nemanja: And what kind of microphone do you use? Can you tell me that?

[00:07:07] Sergio: Yeah, it’s a Rode NT. It comes with the USB plug that I connected directly to the, to my laptop. And that’s it.

[00:07:17] Nemanja: Okay. So being a graphic designer do you think the visual representation of a podcast is important.

[00:07:24] Sergio: It is extremely important, not just a little bit, just to me, I think it’s one of the most important things, because this is the first thing that people see even before listening to your podcast.

So when they’re scrolling through any app and they’re searching for new ones or something, the first thing that’s going to catch their eye is the artwork, even before the name, even before the description of the podcast. So to me, the more professional it looks, the more whole it looks, if you want, like everything coming together, the more it automatically implies that this is a serious podcaster or a company doing podcast behind this, not like a trial or someone just testing it at home or something, you know?

So to me, especially from, you know, my background in advertising and all that as a designer, I know how important that is. So that’s why I focus so much on it.

[00:08:12] Nemanja: Yeah, that’s so interesting. I, to be honest, I haven’t thought about it in such a way, but you are right. I think most of the people actually prefer experiencing things visually rather than just listening.

[00:08:25] Sergio: Yeah, because if you think about it today, the podcast scene is is going faster and faster, especially after the lockdown. So unless you big celebrity like Joe Rogan, for example, or these, you know heavyweights, or unless you belong to a network that produces your podcast, you need to stand out. And the way you do that is not just by the quality of your work, because this will be the second part but the first part is your artwork, your brand in itself, how striking it is. And that’s when you’re going to be able to get the first you know click or audience and stuff, and then your quality will speak for itself.

[00:09:00] Nemanja: Okay. So obviously the Paradigm Shift is a new show. So have you thought about marketing to show and what do you think is the best way to approach attracting listeners to a show that just launched.

[00:09:13] Sergio: Well, the way I approached it is using other social media platforms. So I’m using for now Instagram, because Instagram is very big in my community. So other communities don’t use Instagram as much. They use, for example, Facebook or Twitter or something. To me, Instagram is a great way to reach them. So the way I did it is from my own personal account. I informed others that oh, look, I created basically the Instagram page and I filled it up with a little bit of posts because people don’t like to go to a new account and just see one post, for example, or two, they will be immediately like drawn out. Like, no, I don’t think this is you know enough or serious.

So I filled it with 9 or 12 posts. And when the time was ready for me to announce my show, I pushed and we want to go to that account. So that’s from that account and in the bio, they can go to the link that shows them where all my podcasts are published. So I’ll be using that mainly for me to promote it.

[00:10:15] Nemanja: And what do you think about using paid ads and similar marketing methods?

[00:10:20] Sergio: Oh, yeah, I’m definitely for it. But in the right time, because again, you need to have an established followers and posts in order to attract new customers. Even if people see sponsored ads and they click on them and they see you have 30 followers, for example, on Instagram, they be like, maybe I’ll come back in a year or something. You know what I mean? There’s something within people that just, they want to be part of a bigger group. Right. So if they see you have 3000 followers, they’ll be like, I’m going to press follow and I’m gonna listen to you. But if they see you have very little, they’re not going to be tempted to do so. So it’s within the right time is when I you know suggest people to promote whatever they want on Instagram.

[00:10:59] Nemanja: Okay. So can you tell me if being a show host is a vocation you’d be willing to pursue or is podcasting just a hobby for you?

[00:11:10] Sergio: Well, I mean, to me, I’m not putting too much pressure on myself when it comes to the start of the show. Obviously I would want to do this for a long time because I’m a person who enjoys talking a lot. So this was a thing long time coming, you know, but for now I’m not looking at it anyway then for me, just a platform to express certain ideas that I have, I don’t want to over promise myself or put too much pressure on myself when it comes to this, that this is my thing. And I’m going to pursue it like, you know, like I’m going to make money out of it, it’s gotta be my career or something. I’m not considering to be that now. To me, it’s just a testing ground. I’m just expressing, seeing how I’m feeling about it, how long I can do this. And then time will tell where I take it. But I mean, if it becomes big, I’ll definitely be following up on it. Yeah.

[00:12:01] Nemanja: Okay. So speaking of which, how viable do you think it is trying to live off of podcasting and specifically, do you think it’s possible at all to monetize your show so it could cover all of your financial needs?

[00:12:14] Sergio: Well, I mean, it’s a little bit difficult to consider that the show would cover financial needs, at least for me and the community I’m in. So this is something that it’s a decision that I had to take and as well as like, what language should I be speaking in because either I have to choose something, you know, my native language and that would have gotten me faster audience and a bigger one at a faster time because people like to rotate around one of their own, but there is a ceiling when it comes to doing your own native language. Right. So, whereas if you do it in English, it’s going to be a much slower growth, but there is no ceiling to how big you can get. So to me, it feels like. I’m not sure if it’s going to be fully monetized, at least not on its own. Like I have read before about other for example, YouTubers and even podcasters that they create something, but then they support it with other stuff such as merchandise, such as, you know, like ads or whatever and stuff like that. So there is several ways in which you can end up monetizing your podcast, but we have to always be realistic and the world we live in today and how many podcasts they are, how much audience is there and all that. So it’s not like ten years ago. So I’m always trying to keep a very realistic approach to things.

[00:13:34] Nemanja: That’s so true, man. Like there’s nothing I can add. You’ve said it all. Okay. When it comes to creating content for your show, can you walk me through your process of preparing an episode and some of the resources you rely on when covering a topic?

[00:13:49] Sergio: Yeah. So basically from the start, even from before I decided to make the show, and I think this is a bit of a mistake, a lot of people are doing these times, which I noticed when I go on different forums and Reddit and other stuff that they want to start a podcast, but they don’t know what it is about or what’s the theme or what are their topics. I think that’s crucial because what I have, I have already, established like in my plan that I have season one, for example of the show, it will have 24 episodes and I already know what each episode will have as a topic. So even before I bought the mic, even before I prepared, not even, I didn’t even make my logo or named my podcast, I had already written down the 24 topics that I want to discuss. So that helps me a lot right now, because now every week after I release one episode, I go into research mode for nearly five days. So whenever I have time, I read articles, I read books, I watch videos. I have, it’s a streaming service, it’s called Gaya that I also watch stuff on it for research and everything. And by the time, like the night before I want to record, I have everything ready. So I have on my MacBook, I have, you know the software called the Mind Nodes.

[00:15:02] Nemanja: Yeah

[00:15:02] Sergio: So I prepared all the topics that I want to discuss in the podcast. So everything’s there for me in text, in research, everything. And then the day of the recording, I just. You know, go to my set up because I also have a YouTube channel so I care about the set up where I am. So I prepare that and just sit and the moment basically I start recording is the moment I already have all the knowledge ready. You know what I mean? So I don’t spend time while I’m recording, wondering what I’m going to talk about or how to jump from one point to another I already have all the segways and all the sidetracks and everything in front of me written. So, and every once in a while, I just glance at the screen and Oh yeah, I know that going to switch to this topic, I’m getting to now talk about that. And usually that lasts for around half an hour of recording. So all in all is an hour and then there’s the post production work. So after I save all my files, I get them into one software prepare all the sounds, all the videos. I prepare everything which takes me around two hours of editing. And then that’s it, exporting and waiting for people’s reactions.

[00:16:08] Nemanja: Yeah, that’s really cool. I mean, I also like organizing stuff, but you seem to have it all figured out.

[00:16:17] Sergio: That comes from my other job of as a designer. So I gained all that knowledge. I’ve been working around12 years now as a graphic designer. So I know how to research everything and prepare for a project. You know what I mean? I have trained myself how to handle a project from zero until delivery, so that I’m taking that experience and putting it in this new medium, basically.

[00:16:40] Nemanja: Yeah, yeah, that’s really cool because I like to think of show hosts as kind of like the mixture between the investigative journalists and radio personalities.

[00:16:51] Sergio: Exactly actually that’s works. You’re right that because first they have to prepare everything and go into full detective mode. And then as a radio show, they have to present it in a nice and in a good way.

[00:17:03] Nemanja: Yeah. Yeah. So true. Is there something you’d like to improve when it comes to your show that you feel is lacking at the moment?

[00:17:10] Sergio: Oh, yeah, definitely, definitely. I already received so much good feedback from people that I personally know and others, when it comes to the first episodes that I released, I released six now, if I’m not mistaken. So some people, like, I know someone who is a sound engineer, he contacted me the next day and he was like, listen, so I’ll give you an advice on the sound. You can do this and that and put the mic in this position and that and all that. So I’m learning as well while I’m doing it. I’m already learning how to get better at it. And to me, that’s the most fun part of it if I’m honest, like it’s just a continuous growth in learning something new and that’s the most fun. So I’m definitely like imagining that eventually I’m gonna master the audio technique of it and how to get people to come and you know join me on the podcast and have interviews with them. So I’m going to be monitoring two mics and two cameras and stuff like that. So, yeah.

[00:18:07] Nemanja: Yeah, that’s great. I mean, I’m not a video guy, I’m just a sound engineer, but when people come to me, they’re usually baffled at how complex the whole thing is. And then when I explain it to them, they’re kind of, yeah. Wow, it’s that simple. Really.

[00:18:22] Sergio: And the funny part is that people like you, you know, because you’re a sound engineer, you automatically detect all the mistakes or anything gone that we do in sound. So it’s like, we can not fool you guys. You know what I mean

[00:18:34] Nemanja: I don’t like going to concerts because when I’m there, I can’t stop thinking about how bad the band  is playing?

[00:18:41] Sergio: You can’t enjoy them anymore.

[00:18:43] Nemanja: Yeah. Like that’s a real problem, man. We can laugh all we want, but that’s a real problem.

[00:18:50] Sergio: No, I have that as a graphic designer. I can’t enjoy any place I go to in terms of like, I look, I opened the restaurant’s menu and I’m like, why is it designed so badly? And you know my date’s like, can you just order the food? We need to eat. So I get you. I get you.

[00:19:03] Nemanja: Yeah, totally. Okay. So if somebody is just starting out and they’re looking to launch their first podcast, what advice would you give them?

I think number one advice is never announce your podcast if you only have one episode, this is a very, very, very important thing. You need to record at least five, upload them to wherever, and then just that’s when you can announce it, because like I said, it’s really important for people to feel that you are serious about what you do. And automatically, if they see you only have one, they might lose interest, no matter how good the podcast is. So I feel prepare a lot before  you announce it officially. And, uh, definitely seek out if you cannot do it as a podcaster, seek out a graphic designer or someone who will help you with creating your brand because it’s a big, big, big, important thing.

That’s so important.

[00:19:59] Sergio: Yeah. And I feel like it’s so easy these days, even if you go online or reddit that there’s a lot of people doing this for free and stuff. So the resources are there. You know what I mean? It’s not as limited as it used to be before or difficult. Just go ahead and  you know search online. People will just do stuff for you.

[00:20:15] Nemanja: Yeah, totally. I have to agree with the stuff. If you said about having a couple of episodes, because what I have in mind, I haven’t actually started promoting the show yet.

[00:20:25] Sergio: Yeah.

[00:20:26] Nemanja: I have a couple of introduction episodes that were mostly intended for my clients, where I go over all of the technical stuff, like choosing the right microphone or tips on how to improve the recording quality. And then I’ve obviously started interviewing people and that’s going to be the second aspect of the show, the actual interviews.

[00:20:45] Sergio: Oh, okay. Interesting. Interesting. Yeah.

[00:20:48] Nemanja: And then after I get a couple of the episodes out, I’m going to take some time to market the show and promote it. And yeah, the biggest issue is that I just don’t have the time to do it at this moment, but I do strongly agree that you should have at least some content before you actually start distributing and promoting the podcast.

[00:21:08] Sergio: Yeah, that’s true. Like, take it on yourself. Like if you go to a channel, a podcast or something and see only one episode, do you feel encouraged to subscribe or to stay, you know, like you have to think on yourself.

[00:21:20] Nemanja: Okay. So when you look back on your past episodes, are there some things that you would have done differently?

[00:21:27] Sergio: Well, so far that comes to mostly my audio. This is what my biggest concern is now. So I know that I could have done better. Each episode is getting better and better. You know what I mean? So, but at some point it becomes like you have to release something, you know what I mean? You can just keep sitting and recording on your own and waiting for it to get to that perfect level, because then you’ll never, ever release it. Right? So you just release it and then you wait for feedback and what people are saying at the same time you’re going to be improving. But yeah, definitely for me, the audio has been an issue, but that was the most difficult part because that’s the new part when it comes to my knowledge.

[00:22:06] Nemanja: Okay.

[00:22:07] Sergio: Yeah. Like I said, in terms of other stuff, I already know them, but when it comes to the audio recording, how to put the mic how, to be able to not get the, you know, like the echo sound outside, ambient sound and all that stuff. So that’s just my learning curve basically.

[00:22:22] Nemanja: Well, I just released like the episode last week on recording tips. That’s like a 10 minute episode. So I do recommend listening to that because I go through like, what is the healthy signal and everything else. When you think of the gain structure and the acoustic treatment…

[00:22:38] Sergio: You know, what’s killing me the most, to be honest is the sound of the AC because where I live is unbelievably hot, like it’s 40 degrees. And I have to turn off the AC and record and sweat, or I have to keep it on. And then I have to remove the sound in Audacity, but I don’t get the correct sound when I do that. Like, it’s losing some of its… so that’s a big problem.

[00:23:01] Nemanja: I mean, if it’s not really a good software, you kind of tend to remove the frequencies of the voice with the frequency of the AC. I know, I feel the same way because as we’re speaking, I’m sitting in sweating without the AC, so

[00:23:13] Sergio: Yeah, same, same. We need to move to colder countries.

[00:23:20] Nemanja: Okay. Can you tell me what are some of the podcasts that you enjoy listening in your spare time?

[00:23:25] Sergio: Yeah, I definitely, to me, number one, without a doubt is Joe Rogan, I really, really like everything about it because it’s so diverse. And at the same time it does feel like, you know, it’s the same show over and over, you know? So to me, this is my number one, but I also listened to some podcasts here on local level basically like some of people I know personally or others. That also is something that I do because it helps me understand the market and everything. There’s another one which I like is called the Mindscape. And, uh, it’s more on the you know other side when it comes to information that you need to know. So it’s not like interviews and stuff, but it’s mostly about, you know, spiritual stuff, other stuff, complexity, consciousness, stuff like that. Even metaphysics. Yeah. So these are the topics that I usually go for.

[00:24:17] Nemanja: I mean, when it comes to Joe Rogan, of course I’ve listened to him and I do enjoy him from time to time. And the interesting thing is I think, uh, like a couple of guests that I’ve spoken to already, the first thing they mention is the Joe Rogan show.

[00:24:31]Sergio: The guy is a pioneer when it comes to podcasting, he’s like what we all want to be you know.

[00:24:36] Nemanja: And that just shows how much people like him and how good he is at what he does. And it’s really rare to see.

Do you know him

[00:24:43] Sergio: from his UFC? Have you watched UFC or anything?

[00:24:46] Nemanja: No, I’ve heard of it, but I’m not really into that kind of stuff

[00:24:50] Sergio: Because I used to be his fan when I used to watch UFC years ago. And then when I knew he has the podcast, it was like, wow, this guy is on another level. You know, like he can do this and that.

[00:25:00] Nemanja: Oh, wow. Yeah. And what did you think of his transformation from a UFC fighter to a podcast host?

[00:25:08] Sergio: Actually, it’s really interesting when you think about it, because it’s like you have a, for example, like a safe job, right. Which pays a lot and you’re very knowledgeable in it and people know you and you’re on TV. And then you would try to leave that and go start something on your own. So that really talks about his entrepreneurialship when it comes to wanting to be his own boss, for example. So it was very smart the way I see it, that he was able to transition knowing that he will take fans with him, you know, because he’s already established in the UFC and all that. So he used that as well platform to kind of jump into podcasting. But it’s really interesting seeing how much. You know, like, cause when you see someone in a specific environment such as the UFC and he’s talking about sports and fighters and everything you think okay so that’s all he knows. Right. And then he goes into his podcast and he talks about you know either like aliens or smoking up I don’t know where or politics idea everything. So be like, okay, so, you know, multi layered man with a lot of ideas.

[00:26:15] Nemanja: Yeah. I mean, when you have an interesting person, I think you can listen to him or her like 24/7.

[00:26:23] Sergio: Exactly. Exactly. And it’s also about like the charisma that he has, you know, and everyone who within this field should have, because it makes you want to listen to them even if, sometimes you don’t agree with them. You know, sometimes they would say things that are questionable or even the topic could not be like very big important to you, but they ended up grabbing you because of the way they talk and the charisma they do and all that. So that’s important.

[00:26:48] Nemanja: Yeah. Speaking of which, I think it’s really hard to do that, to like transfer the charisma when you have the audio only content. I think it’s kind of easier when you have the video aspect of it and then you can as you mentioned earlier, you know, connect with your listeners.

[00:27:06] Sergio: Actually, this is an advice that if some of your, you know, listeners would care about, because when I first recorded on my podcast, I didn’t want to do it as a video and it was just audio and I even tried to do it with a different tone in the way I was speaking. So I was speaking much slower, I had music in the background and stuff like that. And that I thought, because it fits the theme, you know, of spirituality and, you know, and all these things out there. So I thought that would work, but that was going against me because it was taking so much energy out of me to do it. Because I wasn’t myself. So it was like extra work. Like I left it for the month and I was like, not even excited to do it anymore. And I was wondering, why did I just lose interest in something like, I didn’t promote it. I didn’t get it out there. But I realized that I wasn’t using, you know, what I already have in terms of like the way I talk and my character and everything. I was trying to be something else. So it worked against me completely. So once I decided to drop that and just go ahead and talk very naturally. It just flows out of me and it’s much easier. It’s no longer as a job of work to me.

[00:28:12] Nemanja: Yeah, that makes sense. I mean, whatever job you do, I think when you love what you do, it really makes it a lot easier to perform the task and do the job because that you feel that emotion, you know, you want to do it and yeah,

[00:28:26] Sergio: Exactly. What’s that saying? That it goes, like do something you love and you’ll never work a day in your life or something like that.

[00:28:31] Nemanja: Yeah, totally. Totally.

[00:28:33] Sergio: No. I mean, look at you, for example, you’re a sound engineer, right? So whenever you’re working on this, this is your space, your environment, like your perfect place for you.

[00:28:40] Nemanja: Yeah. And the, like the strange thing is, is that I’m editing and listening to podcasts, like, I don’t know, eight hours a day or something. And then still after that time, I go and I dunno, recorded an episode with you and listen to some other podcast.

So your life is the

[00:28:55] Sergio: podcast, basically like everything is podcast

[00:28:57] Nemanja: Yeah basically, and I’m not bored. You know, I really enjoy it and that’s… I dunno. I’m really happy about choosing the path. I really like

[00:29:07] Sergio: Like imagine you like someone like you, who’s doing podcasts, engineering, sound, everything, and then you want to do something on your own. Imagine if you don’t even like what you do, like you’re going to end up hating yourself and your life and your job and everything. It’s a recipe for depression.

[00:29:21] Nemanja: Yeah, totally. Okay, I really wanted to ask you because the first thing that came to my mind when I read the title of your episodes, like the Annunaki was the Ancient Aliens, like, is it something you watch and you enjoy watching.

[00:29:36] Sergio: I adore watching an don’t I just enjoy, it feels like this is what I was born to know. I mean, like ever since I was a child, when, you know, like Discovery channel was the big thing and every time they would talk about ancient civilizations, like the Egyptians, what they did, the Mayans, the Aztech, or anything related to that, it would just like, take me to another plane. You know what I mean? Like to me it’s the most important thing. I don’t know why, but recently I’ve been introduced to this entire new mythology of the Annunaki and everything when it comes to Mesopotamia and Sumerians and stuff like that. And just that literally elevated everything I ever knew, because it also reflected my relationship with religion and spirituality as a whole, you know what I mean?

[00:30:23] Nemanja: Yeah. I also enjoyed the show. I mean, it’s not something I necessarily hundred percent agree with and there are some episodes that are kind of too like farfetched, but I like the idea of, you know, questioning things because the one thing they are right, is that the mainstream science really doesn’t question anything at all, like, they’re just like, go with it and they have like this preformed definition of stuff and it either conforms to that, or they either push it aside and it’s like, it’s not important.

[00:30:55] Sergio: Exactly. And this is what like upsets me to a certain extent, because anything outside of that is called pseudoscience and they just, you know, put it in a category of almost like science fiction. And it’s kind of annoying because a lot of the ideas that science is now proving were considered pseudoscience maybe 500 years ago. You know what I mean? So this is a rejection in the scientific community to any idea that’s a bit out there is a bit ignorant because why do you keep rejecting it? Why don’t you actually put through the knowledge and see if there is something or not, you know?

[00:31:31] Nemanja: Yeah. A person who’s always enjoyed, like mythology. I really enjoyed reading about that. And I think shows like Ancient Aliens is a good way to make you use your imagination and to think outside the box and I think that is really something that people need to work on.

[00:31:48] Sergio: Exactly. Exactly. Especially when it comes to these ideas. Yeah. I agree. But to me it’s like the difference between different mythology is especially the Greeks and the Egyptians. And the one that is Sumerian in nature is that it does feel there’s a, a bit of more you know, like how mainstream media just goes after Greek mythology or Norse mythology or Egyptian mythology, but they’ve kind of let this, the Sumerians they’ve put them on the side a bit, even though the Sumerians are the cradle of mythology. But I think that would raise too many questions among people, especially religious people, because I spoke about it in my podcast that like I didn’t even know that the three Abrahamic religions, Christianity, Islam, and Judaism come from that. You know what I mean? Like they have so much in common with that mythology that it feels like they’ve kind of hid it or put it on the side so that people don’t question too much where it comes from.

[00:32:43] Nemanja: Yeah. I don’t know. I think that all of the religions, have, a lot of things in common and I think people should focus on that instead of trying to find more differences.

[00:32:53] Sergio: Exactly exactly my point is that like, if you see different religions and talk to people and understand what they believe is you will come to understand that we are much more similar and we have so much in common than we have in separation, but it’s kind of been used as a political way to divide people by telling them these people are different than you, but when you actually go down to the ideology behind it and the actual doctrine, you feel like we’re all the same. You know, we have a bit of technical stuff different name here, uh, you know, a date there different, but in essence, we all want the same thing you know, we all want to be good people. We all want not to hurt each other and that’s it. That’s it.

[00:33:33] Nemanja: Yeah. And like, I really do think the podcast is a perfect medium just for that, you know, for getting people closer on a global scale, whether you’re, you know, from, I don’t know, United States or somewhere in Asia, this little format just brings people together and that’s the most fascinating thing about this and what I do.

[00:33:56] Sergio: I definitely, I definitely agree with you on that because unlike before only few people could talk to you know, like big audience people on TV, the radio, you know, and not everyone had a voice. Whereas now with podcasts, everyone has a voice. So when you sit and hear someone on a podcast, you can actually feel you’re in the room with them. You know, like you’re having a conversation.

[00:34:18] Nemanja: Yeah, totally. Okay. So do you have any famous last words you’d like to share with us

[00:34:23] Sergio: just as a, you know, for me in terms of my podcasts and everything that I just always want people to question everything that they hear or see, or, you know, everything around them. Don’t just accept it the way it is. Just even if it’s labeled under science and labeled on the news, anything like that, just make your own mind as to what resonates with you. Do you feel this is an actual thing? Do you feel like this is good? Or you have questions, question everything all the time. Cause that’s the only way humanity moves forward. You know what I mean?

[00:34:55] Nemanja: That’s so true. Developing the critical thinking.

[00:34:58] Sergio: Exactly.

[00:34:59] Nemanja: Okay. So if our listeners would want to reach you or check out your podcast to where can they do so

[00:35:05] Sergio: Tou can find me on Spotify, Apple, iTunes, Google podcasts as well, just search for Paradigm Shift podcast. Oh, you can go to same Paradigm Shift podcast on Instagram, and that will have all the information, all the links where you can go and listen any way you want . I’m as well on YouTube Paradigm Shift Podcast as well everywhere.

[00:35:26] Nemanja: Cool. Well, thank you so much for your time, Sergio, it’s been a pleasure to talk with you and yeah, this has been an amazing conversation.

[00:35:34] Sergio: Same thing for me, man. Same. Thank you so much for having me. I was really excited for this and I really like wish you all the best and I can’t wait to, for you to actually fully go on and like, I’m going to be a big supporter.

[00:35:47] Nemanja: Thank you, man. Yeah, me too. That’s it!

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