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The AdopTwins
A podcast from two adoptees about Life, Loss, Moving On, and Growing Up.
The AdopTwins
From Podfest Chaos to Theme Park Clarity
Imagine attending a highly anticipated event only to find yourself dashing out due to a speaker that didn’t quite hit the mark. That's exactly what happened to us at Podfest, where our initial excitement quickly gave way to a series of comic misadventures. From a misadventure with an Uber to an unexpected night at Howl at the Moon with fellow podcasters and some fun-loving Canadians, we navigated a rollercoaster of events. And despite a door that wouldn't lock at the hotel, we found our groove at an AEW wrestling show, where discovering Dalton Castle became a highlight.
Our escapades didn't stop there. A wild ride on a Guardians of the Galaxy-themed roller coaster got us ready for a space simulator that gave us a taste of astronaut life—but spoiler: it’s not for everyone (including us). Yet, amidst the chaos, we found clarity. Our podcast received positive feedback, which helped us sharpen our identity and strengthen our connection with our audience. While we didn’t cross paths with other adoptees, the journey motivated us to continue sharing the joy of our AdopTwins podcast. Tune in for laughs, lessons, and a peek into our zany adventures that celebrate the joy in life's unpredictable moments.
Follow us on IG @theadoptwins
visit us on the web at https://adoptwins.com/
Hi, this is Meg.
Speaker 2:And this is Billy.
Speaker 1:And we are.
Speaker 2:The Adopt Twins.
Speaker 1:Meg and this is Billy, and we are the Adopt Twins. Welcome to a podcast from two adoptees who are navigating life loss, moving on and growing up.
Speaker 2:For our adopted friends we hope to bring you a familiar point of view and for our friends who aren't welcome to the complicated so um, you and I went to this thing called pod fest right after christmas new year's we went and we were super excited for it yeah, stoked yeah, but then it became a thing it did.
Speaker 2:Yeah really was a a disappointing experience on the whole. I I think it started off okay in terms of the potential that was there. Obviously, I didn't know what to expect when it came to what their execution of the event was going to be, when it came to who the speakers were going to be, what vendors were going to be there and the general purpose of the event. So as it unfolded, it just kind of struck me as an event that there was definitely some good things to take away from with some of the speakers.
Speaker 1:Yes, which we haven't implemented at all yet.
Speaker 2:Well, I think we implemented the change of the titles.
Speaker 1:Yeah, the titles of the episodes. Yeah, the titles of the episodes. That's the only one we've gotten to, so far.
Speaker 2:But yeah, then we both just gobsmacked with a speaker who just, I mean, my personal feeling was did they just find this person like on the street ranting and raving? Hey, come on in. You've got some things to say, don't you? And I think it could fill 30 minutes.
Speaker 1:Yeah. So we made a very elegant exit by use of fake phone call and emergency, and then we decided to spend the rest of our day at Universal.
Speaker 2:Oh.
Speaker 1:I remember going to Universal and our Uber driver went and continued charging me while he was driving halfway back to wherever he was.
Speaker 2:Oh, have a good one Off you go.
Speaker 1:Oh, that was sucked. I didn't want to go to the party at Howl at the Moon, so I went to Disney Springs and then I was going to go to the hotel and the Uber driver brought me over to Howl at the Moon because I had the wrong address in there. Oh yeah, that was great.
Speaker 2:Yeah, howl at the Moon, because I had the wrong address in there. Oh yeah, that was great. Yeah, howl at the Moon was kind of cool. Shout out to the Canadians who listened to us we chatted with. Maybe they're listening right now, time being a flat circle, if you're listening. Hello, it was wonderful to talk to you about the empire of instruments that your family had the experience with and also, just, I think there was a golf course. There was a golfing thing nearby, that Howl at the Moon, where it was podcasters and golfers just blending together.
Speaker 1:Were they with the Von Trapp-like place or something in Vermont too, or was that someone else?
Speaker 2:No, I think that was them. Yeah, like they were. Yeah, it was yeah. So that was pretty cool. And then you showed up and I'm just like I think you'd be coming over to this one.
Speaker 1:And I said I didn't think I'd be coming over here either.
Speaker 2:But it was fun. It wasn't too offensive.
Speaker 1:And our hotel room door oh yeah, I remember there being something with it. And our hotel room door oh yeah.
Speaker 2:I remember there being something with it and our door was open and would not lock.
Speaker 2:That was the thing that we had to contend with. Yeah, it really was just a comedy of errors where the decision was made. I mean there were some cool things that definitely happened. We got to chat with another podcasting group of people who were really rad and they were very kind and interested in what we were accomplishing and working towards. There were some people's podcasts that I certainly was recommended to listen to. That I listened to afterwards Not necessarily my cup of tea, but was happy to support another podcaster who was making their dream come true.
Speaker 1:Absolutely, and everyone has different tastes. So they have their niche audience, we have our niche audience and it's good.
Speaker 2:And definitely some of the advice that was there was really cool and the sponsor I think it was the sponsor was very accessible and really interested in hearing feedback and everybody's journey and it really was just like, on the whole, I would say, up until one inciting moment, a fine experience, yeah, and then, and then it was unsafe.
Speaker 1:We almost joined a cult.
Speaker 2:Yeah, we were. You know, I've had my experience with cult-like situations.
Speaker 1:Oh, yes, I remember that.
Speaker 2:But the red flags went off and all of a sudden it was looking around, being like one of us. It's like no, that's okay, thank you so much, you have a great one. Bye-bye. And then we no, that's okay, thank you so much, you have a great one. Bye-bye.
Speaker 1:And then we soothed ourselves with wrestling.
Speaker 2:Yeah, we hit up an AEW show that was playing impromptu-ly, if that's a word.
Speaker 1:It was my first professional wrestling show.
Speaker 2:You seemed like you had a great time.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, I was so excited that then that night we got to watch more wrestling on TV.
Speaker 2:Oh, we watched the Royal Rumble, that's right, so you got to see live wrestling from a house show perspective. That is mostly up and coming talent, which I think we can both agree that Dalton Castle was the highlight of that show.
Speaker 1:Yes, I was going to bring that up.
Speaker 2:Oh gosh, apparently he was a DJ like a radio DJ in Albany back in the day and he interviewed the lead singer of one of my favorite bands way back in the day and he did not have In this Moment. Are you familiar with them? They're a really hard rock band band. The woman singer that, as I think, as Dave Grohl described Kurt Cobain singing. It's kind of like listening to somebody boil nails. That's her voice and it's so powerful and it was just interesting to see these two worlds happening.
Speaker 1:How did you find this out?
Speaker 2:I'd like to thank the algorithm, I guess, but anyways, yeah him, with the boys down in Orlando, it couldn't look away.
Speaker 1:So the next day we had our closing networking event before the whole fest was over.
Speaker 2:We went to that. We didn't go to that, did we?
Speaker 1:We went to Epcot.
Speaker 2:That was our closing. That time we actually went into said park and did some rides and ate lots of food. We ate around the world, right, Ate around the world. Yeah, and this is when I was still technically vegan quote unquote among my peers and I was being a little sneaky. We have a new name for non-vegan me and they call it Road Billy. I was being a little sneaky. We have a new name for non-vegan me and they call it Road Billy.
Speaker 2:The genesis of Road Billy happened at this pod fest I guess it was a harbinger of things to come where it's just like all right, we're just going to keep the expectations where they are. Oh, the reality is completely different. Everything is upside down and we live in bizarro land.
Speaker 1:So we went to Epcot. Epcot we ate around the world. We got to ride the ride that you really wanted to do?
Speaker 2:yeah, it was. I think it was a guardians of the galaxy inspired ride, because that was in a simulator of shooting into space.
Speaker 1:Oh, that was terrible.
Speaker 2:That one shakes you to your core.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I never want to do that again.
Speaker 2:Yeah, astronaut, life is not for me Good for you if you love it, but man.
Speaker 1:Yeah, once this world is on its way to be completely destroyed, I will just be destroyed with it, because I will not be able to go into space.
Speaker 2:It's time to enjoy the little things. But yeah, that's really nice, that kind of like kicked everything off and it was nice not drinking around the world and then going on the Guardians of the Galaxy ride, because I don't think I would have been very helpful in an Uber at that point.
Speaker 1:So all in all, it was successful in our reunion of seeing each other in person again, but we didn't meet any other adoptees there, so that was sad.
Speaker 2:No, we didn't meet any adoptees, but there was definitely a lot of interest in our take on the podcast realm. I guess you could say what we were doing because we were such novices at it and a lot of people had a lot more experience and had an understanding of techniques and tools. But on the whole we got a lot of positive feedback about what our podcast's vibe is Right and I think it was really fun to be able to sort of hone in and define the definition of ourselves, what our audience can relate to. That was a pretty cool course.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so that did help us figure out more of what we wanted to do. If you liked this episode of the Adopt Twins, I urge you to pull over if you're driving, or stop what you're doing and take one minute to take out your phone and text someone you know that you think would also like the Adopt Twins. Send them a text that says hey, I've been listening to this podcast and I think you'd like it. Let me know what you think and send them a link to the show. Word of mouth is the best way to spread the hilarity of the Adopt Twins, so stop gatekeeping us and let someone else know We'll catch you all soon.