9 years hosting my podcast...How is it even possible?

My first podcast episode aired: December 22nd, 2009. There are a number of reasons why I've been able to host A View from My Window for nine years. There have been MANY people who have mentored me, trained me and listened to me. All of that was the perfect recipe to to start the fire burning and planting the seeds for my intense love of, wanting to be and eventually becoming a journalist. I'm a self-taught journalist who honed my craft by watching others in the field. I knew I needed to see and feel news in action. All the trips to WLFI News 18, WISH-TV and the relationships I have, even to this day, with everyone I met, especially at WLFI, made me know for a certainty that I needed to be a journalist! I really got to see firsthand that being in a TV job is much more than lights, camera, makeup, hair and nice clothes. Those things are certainly a part of the job, but the most important and lasting part is the person you are behind the camera. We're all human and have ''off'' days, but always remembering that you want to be a warm, caring, invested, engaged person to the people you interview, work with or meet. They deserve the gift you bring to them, because when you think about it, whoever is in front of you, is bringing a gift that they possess to you. The gift of telling you who they are and what drives them to do the work they are doing. All these things I keep in mind before recording an interview for my podcast and then I try to use those things while the interview is going on so that I can show them that I care about the things they have shared with me.  It's really the most beautiful gift that I can weave together a story so that listeners can get the full picture of who is being interviewed. That is the part that keeps surprising me, even after all these years! I'm grateful that The Arc of Indiana was the organization that was the one to say YES! Thank you to ALL the staff! I have the best co-workers! Thank you to my producer Sally Morris and my sound engineer Bryce Dickerson for helping me with questions, concerns, brainstorming and just plain ' ole fun and laughter!!! Thank you to my mom for always believing in me and never voicing any doubt, but always supporting me! For always being my "backbone"! Thank you to everyone who I have interviewed on the podcast, too! It truly has been a privilege to tell your stories, hear your backgrounds and get to know you better! Thank you goes out to retired executive director of the Arc of Indiana, John Dickerson for being the one to see my potential and RUN with it! You will always have a special place in my heart for how you made my dream a reality! Thank you to the current executive director Kim Dodson who has continued to make me feel valued and appreciated and is always up for an interview whenever we need her and is always such a bright spot whenever I come in the office! Yes, I have the best boss! Thank you to Paul Howell, who became my mentor when he worked as an anchor at WLFI... Thank you so much for getting the ball rolling all those years ago! You were the biggest cheerleader for my dreams back then and it was the strongest motivator to keep my dream alive! Thank you to Ken Oguss who was always ready for the ride! Along with your forward motion, you always helped me slow down and really hone my craft and explore what was possible!! For that I am ever grateful! My first interview where I was being interviewed was with Joe LePage! I was so nervous, because it was my first time being the one interviewed! Looking back on that interview in 2010, I was nervous, and you could see it, but Joe couldn't have been sweeter!! Thank you so much Joe!  You interviewing me back then is one of my favorite memories!!  It takes a village, and the people I have met that have become part of my village to accomplish my dream of hosting a podcast for 9 years... You ALL are the best! Thank you for coming along for the ride!  I am so glad to have come this far...and I can't wait to see the places we go!!

Michelle Fischer is the host of A View from My Window, a podcast produced by The Arc of indiana

A look back at the Pathways to Employment Premiere :)

The Narrator (me) and the filmmaker  Ken :)                        

We all know the excitement that's in the air before an awards show or the premiere of the movie we have just been dying to see.  No, I haven't been to an actual awards show or movie premiere in Hollywood, but I have felt it.  I decorated my living room with pictures of Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon when I watched the movie, Walk the Line, because I wanted to feel like I was there.  I even wanted to eat Johnny Cash themed snacks during the movie! :)  I always think to myself, "If I could just be a fly on the wall!  I want to see how they made that scene look so real," or "I wonder what was happening in the background that made that actress say her line like that!"  I appreciate the time, energy and effort that goes into the movie even more when I know those details.

Brandon Boas, A photographer featured in the film!  :)

I got the same feeling when I went to the premiere of the documentary series Pathways to Employment.  I got to go to the premiere, get all dressed up, (I looked adorable, by the way) ;)  have my picture taken on the red carpet, and eat and mingle with many of the stars!!  OH OH!!!  I got to be a fly on the wall too!!  I got alot of tips and tricks on what the sought after, soon to be Oscar winning filmmaker, Ken Oguss used to get the breakout film stars to tell their stories of inspiration...he used lots of fun looking technological toys to capture them!

Aside from the technical aspect though,  Ken's heart comes straight though the screen to touch your heart! It comes from the fact that Ken isn't just a filmmaker and storyteller in title only.  He invests time, energy and interest in the subjects whom he films.   For the Pathways to Employment documentary, you become a fly on the wall, as it were, by being taken along for the ride as the viewer and given a very personal view into the lives of the six individuals featured.  What you will first notice as you watch these videos, is the amount of positivity that is in each video.  Sometimes, to an outsider, the person with a disability may seem to have a lot of roadblocks and some may wonder, how will they ever accomplish the things they want?  These videos show how each person has accomplished their goals by replacing the word "CAN'T with CAN and they see the challenge as an opportunity.  Their team of cheerleaders and supporters focus on their potential, which makes their differences fade.  Simple equation: Find a way to turn the seeming negatives into positives.  That's what is fully showcased in these six videos....and when you have a filmmaker who fully understands that and embraces that idea, in collaboration with the Arc of Indiana, the end result is a motivating beautiful piece of work!!

What made it such a happy night for me was not only seeing Ken's hard work be recognized, but I was happy for the stars themselves!  I've heard their stories, many of them being guests on my show, telling me about the pain of being told they can't, or that no one understands them.  At times they have been stared at, or laughed at.....but not on the premiere night!  That night they were applauded and their faces glowed!  I was so glad to be a part of that night...words can't even begin to say how much!

Sally,  Jill and my Mom! :)
Three of the many great supporters I have on my team! :)

Behind the title of Pathways to Employment, Ken took a picture of a road and the two yellow lines on the road look like an equal sign.  So fitting, as everyone who looks for and wants a job, the same is true for those with disabilities....employment is their goal...and there are many pathways to get there!

Jennifer Schwab, Special Events Manager
with the Arc and one of the many hard workers who brought
this event together! :)

Hear some exclusive behind the scenes extras from Ken in this interview he did with me after the premiere!!   http://www.arcind.org/upload/media/A%20View%20into%20the%20Pathways%20to%20Employment%20Film%20Series.mp3

Michelle Fischer is host of  A View from my Window, a podcast produced by The Arc of Indiana

Ken Oguss- Inspiring others through the art of storytelling

Ken Oguss grew up in a family of storytellers. Its just what they did.  Everyday happenings would be turned into a story.  Storytelling was something that his mother told his older sister to teach him, allowing his imagination to be at its full potential!  Now, he uses that imagination that was allowed to grow during his childhood, and brings it to every aspect of what he does. Whether it was his job as a librarian, the host of Riley Children's Hospital's The Hello Show, or his new project which involves producing a series of Employment videos for the Arc of Indiana.  The focus is on finding meaningful employment for people with disabilities and he artfully and gracefully uses what gives him so much joy- the power of story!

What makes Ken so excited about storytelling?  He tells me:  "There are so many methods to telling a story....I get to be a film maker, an audio recorder, a photographer, a musician, a painter and an author".  These are the things that make Ken a master of the storytelling world and he uses these different tools to make the stories he tells come alive!

"Everyone has a story", he tells me, and Ken is just the person you want to tell your story to.  He really takes time to understand the kind of person you are, so he captures the essence of what makes you, YOU!

Capturing the essence of a person involves putting yourself in someone else's shoes and that is what Ken has done from the very start of getting this video project off the ground.  Even though some things are new, he's accepting the challenge because his desire is to show that people with disabilities are people that can offer many things to the community when they find meaningful employment.  That's something all of us desire, whether we have a disability or not.

Ken Oguss inspires others through storytelling, but who really gets inspired is the person who's story is being told, because the storyteller captures the unique art of storytelling with YOU in mind!

Learn more about Ken, the world of Digital Storytelling, and The Arc of Indiana's Video Project by checking out the links below!

http://web.me.com/kenoguss/Site/Storytelling.html -Get to know Ken Oguss!http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_storytelling- Learn about the world of Digital Storytelling!
http://www.arcind.org/news/?naid=88- Learn how your story can be featured in The Arc of Indiana's Video Project!

Michelle Fischer is host of A View fom my Window, an audiocast produced by The Arc of Indiana