Introducing Herspective, Indianapolis’s Latest Podcast

Photography by Callie Zimmerman

Be Her, Be Heard. That’s the catch phrase coined by B. Michelle and D. Dowdy for their upcoming podcast, Herspective. On March 31st, the women will launch  their lifestyle podcast that’s mission is to teach, empower and give a voice to black women in Indianapolis and the world, posting new episodes every Tuesday. We sat down with the creators to learn more about Herspective and the women’s goals for the brand. In the midst of mass quarantine, tune in to Herspectives to have a laugh, get advice and relax!

Chelsea Robinson: To start off, what are your names?
D. Dowdy: I’m D. Dowdy
B. Michelle: I’m B. Michelle

CR: Where are you both from?
DD: We are both from Indianapolis, Indiana
BM: AKA, Naptown.

*All laugh*

CR: What is Herspective?
BM: Herspective is a podcast that’s a free space for women of color to express their perspectives and opinions on a multitude of topics. It’s a judge-free zone where we embrace sisterhood as we discuss our daily lives and experiences as we navigate through our lives as black women.
DD: Herspective is where you can be ‘Her’ and be heard.
BM: If nobody takes anything else away, take that. Be Her and be Heard.

CR: When is it launching?
DD: We planned to launch the middle of March, but we decided to launch March 31st, so the end of the month.

D. Dowdy

CR: Are there any other podcast creators or podcasts that have inspired you to do this, or where did your inspiration come from?
DD:
I feel like my natural personality fits podcasting, cause I started off as a guest on a podcast and then I became a co-host. We’re no longer together anymore, so that’s why I kind of decided to start my own.
CR: *Asking BM* Is that a similar situation for you?
BM: Yeah, kind of, yeah. We’ve worked in creative spaces together. So, when she brought the opportunity to me- we’re friends that support each other and we have different opinions on things, but we love each other despite it, so we bring a lot to the table. She brought the opportunity and I said, “Yeah, I would love to do it with you” and I’ve been on a podcast before and I loved the vibe and speaking, so I knew I’d have fun doing it.

CR: You kind of touched on this, but why did you choose to do this together?
DD:
We’ve got a lot of good chemistry and we can agree to disagree- we don’t always have to agree on everything. We always bounce ideas off each other and we just get along. I feel like she always has something to say.

B. Michelle

CR: What kind of content will you feature on Herspective?
BM: Everything is fair game. As Black women, we have a lot to say about a multitude of topics, but we don’t have the platform to speak on it. So we want to create this platform so we can do that. We’re going to talk about relationships, sex, love, financial responsibility, cooking, encouragement, mental illnesses- nothing is off the table.
DD: Parenting. Generational parenting. Loving yourself, too.

CR: How does Herspective differ from other lifestyle podcasts?
BM:
We are both two very different black women, but we are very willing to open up about anything. We are not fearful of that. We come from different perspectives. I’m a single mom, I have a lot to bring to the table as far as that. We can agree to disagree, even with other people’s perspectives that may be different from both of ours. Our willingness to have open dialogue, our transparency and our versatility will be what people want.

CR: How are you choosing your guests?
DD:
I think in the beginning we are going to focus on entrepreneurs in the city- business owners from photographers to restaurant owners, to models.

CR: What are your long-term and short-term goals for Herspective and yourself?
DD:
For Herspective, I want it to be heard and supported, and want to provide a safe-space for women to be themselves unapologetically, and long-term I want to monetize Herspective and be a national brand. We would also like to travel, do live shows and events for our podcast.

CR: If you could feature anyone on your podcast, who would it be and why?
DD:
Tyler Perry, because he built his career from the ground up.
BW: I picked Ciara because I love her, one, and she’s a mom and she remarried after she had her first child- we just have a lot in common. She’s a business owner, a model- well not that part, I don’t have that part *laughs* but she’s known, she’s seen, and she’s had a very successful career and she’s the same age as me. I would like to hear her perspective on business and being a mom and getting remarried after all she’s been through.

Keep up with D. Dowdy and B. Michelle on Instagram and follow Herspective to stay updated!

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