A few weeks ago, I got an email from someone asking if I’d be down to appear on his podcast. I didn’t do too much investigating, besides subscribing on the podcast app, and I rescheduled multiple times before I finally got a chance to meet Bobby. I biked 9 miles (stupidly) from my apartment in the North End to Allston, MA, and ended up at a seriously cool home studio. If you’ve never heard of Bobby Hobert, he started the popular podcast called Purpose in the Youth, about a year ago. Listen to the podcast, and you won’t even care about who he is interviewing as much as what their message is. The cool thing about him is he could’ve taken the celebrity route, talking to people with millions of followers, but instead, he interviews people who have a mission. Yea, they may have millions of followers, but their message goes deeper than their Instagram count.

This is one of my favorite Influencer Intros yet!!

A: What did you do before you started Podcast in the Youth?

B: I was a full-time student at a small business school, Bentley University, in Waltham, MA before the podcast. It was perfecting timing because I had the idea to launch it about four months out from graduating and by the end of the summer I had everything ready to go to launch the first episode on August 31, 2016.

A: What prompted you to speak to people about their passions? 

B: I had promised myself that I wasn’t going to just take any job that came across my lap when I was graduating, it would have to be something that I was passionate about or something that excited me to get out of bed every morning. Just a week before my finals my best friend who is a pop/r&b artist, Dylan Reese, called me and told me he had got booked for his first tour and he wanted me to tour manage it. It was a dream come true for the both of us and I had seen someone who was so passionate about his craft actually make things happen so thats when I decided I wanted to capture the stories of passionate people.

A: What, so far, has been the most memorable story you have heard or person to whom you have spoken? 

B: I get asked this question a lot and I really can’t say there is one that stands out the most. I’ve had people like Gibson Hazard, episode 22, who picked up a camera and just decided he wanted to become the best concert photographer and now at 20 and he just off The Weeknd Tour shooting for 6lack, then theirs Tim Larew, episode 32, who started a music blog back in college and now is the talent manager for Boston’s artists Cousin Stizz, Michael Christmas, Cam Meekins etc. I think what’s unique about the podcast is that every episode is special in its own way. It’s people that’ve realized what their passion is and have never lost sight of it even through the highs and lows.

A: What is your favorite place to do work, or to get inspired, in Boston? 

B: My favorite place to do work is in my studio in my apartment. It’s pretty much where I’ve built this podcast and it’s where I can toss my phone on my bed, get to work, and not get distracted by anything else going on. I drive Uber pretty much full-time in Boston and just driving around the streets inspires me. Seeing so many different people hustling around the city any hour of the day for me feels like energy and pushes me to keep going.

A: What do you personally hope to gain from hearing stories of people’s passions? What do you hope your listeners gain? 

B: One thing – perspective. I don’t think i’ll ever be an artist, a professional BMX rider, make-up artist, film director, health and wellness coach etc but gaining the perspective of why these people do what they do and what they’ve gone through to get there to me is inspiring and a great way to learn. I think its important that we find what we’re good at and to perfect that skill set but I think its equally important to know a little about a lot. I hope the listeners get inspired, learn something new, are entertained or find the podcast as a place where they can escape the millions of others things going on in their life and just relax. Go back hundreds of years and people used to sit around camp fires telling stories while others just listened, I hope this can have the same impact.

A: How do you think social media, and Instagram in particular, has affected your brand visibility? 

B: I think people that come across the Instagram account posting can tell this is legit and isn’t just a temporary thing that will be gone in a few months. I’m a big believer in quality over quantity and try to only post content that will either pull the person in to want to learn more, give them some insight on what’s being talked about on the podcast or a little motivation. It’s hard to get people to click “play” on an hour long piece of content so through these 60 second video clips I try to give them enough value so that they feel comfortable giving it a listen. Social media can be your best friend or your worst enemy but there is no question about it, you must be on it to gain brand awareness.

A: Who is the most influential person in your life? 

B: If we’re talking about someone I personally know and talk to, its my best friend Dylan Reese. I wouldn’t be where I am today or who I am if it wasn’t for me, that guy is my brother. If we’re talking someone I don’t personally know then I would say Gary Vaynerchuk. I’ve consumed almost every single piece of content that guy has put out and he’s helped indirectly guide me through the process of being an aspiring entrepreneur and the keys to winning.

A: What are your plans for the future of your podcast? 

B: Take this podcast worldwide and capture stories of people all over the globe. Run a YouTube channel with tons of content around not just the podcasts but finding other ways to bring value to people. Host “passion fairs” where people set up booths with what they do and what they have to offer much similar to career fairs. I vision this podcast becoming so much larger than what it is now. Patience is the name of the game.