For the past few weeks, I have been listening to episodes of the podcast “Heavyweight”. In this podcast, host Jonathan Goldstein explores stories of real-life people and connects with them to help them resolve a moment in time they wish they could go back and change. After listening to multiple episodes of “Heavyweight” and getting a sense of familiarity, I have learned not just about the fallbacks and quirks of others, but I have been able to explore my own experiences and connections that I have made throughout my life so far. This podcast, as a whole, allows for the listener to reflect on their own experiences as a human who makes mistakes and falls in and out of various relationships. Across the episodes that I have listened to, “Heavyweight” keeps a familiar tone of nostalgia but also includes Goldstein’s dry humor and amusing comments throughout.
I found one particular episode to be very interesting and thought that it was a great example of Goldstein’s podcast as a whole. In this particular episode, called “Galit”, Goldstein is contacted by his ex-girlfriend, Galit, who also happened to be his first love from years ago. After she reaches out to him, the two of them agree to meet and catch up with one another. Goldstein recalls his own anecdotes on their relationship to the listener and elaborates on how certain aspects of the relationship and breakup still affect him to this day. Holding true to his usual podcasting methods, when Goldstein finishes his own accounts, he records portions of him and Galit meeting up, as their conversation steers from casual conversation to somber questions about the past. This conversational portion of the episode, as with many of the “Heavyweight” episodes, gives the reader a very intimate insight into the lives and experiences of others and even allows for the listeners to relate these experiences and emotions to their own.
I found this episode to be particularly nostalgic in the sense that Goldstein was experiencing firsthand the emotions of meeting up with this person after years of radio silence and not sparing a thought to Galit. This episode explores the lasting effects that people can have on us, especially when these people come to us at a vulnerable time in our lives. By exploring this idea, Goldstein touches on an aspect of life that nearly everyone can relate to. At some point, everyone finds themselves at a vulnerable age on the cusp of adulthood, not knowing what to do with our emotions. While this episode “Galit” is a great example, it isn’t the only episode that explores human emotion and the lasting effect others have on our emotions and who we become. I have discovered across multiple episodes that through Goldstein’s explanations, firsthand accounts, and personal conversations with others, “Heavyweight” takes what could be seen as individual life events and makes them much more universal. In some way, shape, or form, all listeners can find a way to relate to many episodes or at least take away a lesson from any given episode.
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