Ballarat Storyteller:
Tess Griffin, The Innerview
In Tess’s experience, people connect better with stories that are vulnerable, real and relatable. Her message? Don’t be afraid to open a conversation.
Each week, at least one person tells Tess Griffin something about themselves they probably haven’t shared with their family or best friend, let alone a stranger they’ve just met. Sometimes it’s intricate details about how they felt in a life-changing moment. Sometimes it’s a wild, anonymous note about how their partner once cheated on them with their ‘cousin’.
It’s all part of the process of telling their story. Something Tess helps them with as the creator and host of the popular podcast, The Innerview. Her show is about to begin its third year as an outlet for everyday people to share details about what has shaped them as a person. Sometimes these stories are funny or beautiful. Sometimes they’re shocking or indescribably devastating. Always, they are raw and deeply personal.
Less than two minutes into our virtual catch-up, it’s obvious why people get in front of Tess and start spilling their beans. Even through a computer screen, I see her eyes light up when I mention the slightest detail about myself. It’s totally involuntary – her natural reaction to learning a little more about me, driven by a healthy curiosity about what makes all people tick.
For her interviewees (and me today, as the interviewer), I can see how this subtle but reassuring response could be like a green light – a ‘go’ sign that makes people comfortable to offload what’s on their chest, or permission to be excited about their achievements with someone genuinely interested in what they have to say.
Although every episode skilfully delivers her guest’s unique story, through The Innerview we learn more about Tess, too. She offers information about herself without hesitation. Whether it’s sharing details about her tough upbringing, a funny anecdote, or her own vulnerabilities, Tess is in the moment with every person she interviews. As well as being a natural empath, she believes it’s what helps people open up.
“I’m not a closed book while they’re bearing their soul,” Tess says. “Personally, if someone’s like that with me, it’s reciprocated.”
“I feel really honoured that people trust me with the information they share and they’re happy to open up to me. I think it’s a real honour and a gift and I’m really grateful for it. I don’t take it for granted. I know it’s a big thing.”
Even though the show has sat in the top 50 and the top 100 of the podcast charts on and off over the past two years, creating and running The Innerview hasn’t come without challenges. When I ask Tess what it was like in the early days, she laughingly responds with “Uh, a nightmare!”
The Innerview got its start because, as Tess puts it, she was ‘obsessed’ with podcasts. “I started listening to a podcast by Dax Shepard called The Armchair Expert. He was so candid and open about his childhood, which was similar to mine. I would tell my husband Sam, ‘I can’t believe someone so famous is so open about this.’
“I felt so seen. I told Sam, ‘I feel like I could do that. If I had the equipment, I think I could do a really good job.’”
“Then Sam surprised me with all the equipment. He went all out. He came home and said, ‘I got you this package of things you really, probably don’t need. But you have to do it now. You said you were going to do it.’ I was so grateful…then it sat in the cupboard for two years.”
“When it came to podcasting, at the time there wasn’t a lot out there on ‘how to’, so I put it away. But after many YouTube tutorials, I found my feet. We still have hiccups, but I feel like I’ve figured out a good routine.”
“My favourite thing [about the podcast] is the opportunity to meet new people or connect with people I would never have before. I love making friends, and this is incredible because it’s giving me opportunities I never would have had otherwise.”
In Tess’s view, everyone has an interesting story – a philosophy that undoubtedly contributes to The Innerview’s success. Her motivation for beginning the podcast was, like Dax Shepard, to share things people don’t really talk about. Topics range from coping with the death of a parent, to infertility to divorce in your 20s.
“You don’t necessarily have to interview big celebrities [for people] to relate to someone or for them to be interesting. By sharing these ‘taboo’ topics…we know it helps people because we get messages all the time. And it’s healing for me, too.”
Having recently surpassed 85 episodes and with an average of 1k – 2k downloads per episode, it’s safe to say The Innerview has earned its reputation for delivering consistently captivating stories. The secret ingredient for a ‘good’ story though, Tess believes, is relatability.
“I think being vulnerable, real and relatable is important,” Tess says. “A story that has a relatable aspect will make me think. Think about things like ‘How would that affect me?’, or ‘I know someone who is going through that’, or ‘wow, my children are happy and healthy, and I need to reframe.’”
Storytelling is an integral part of connecting and building relationships with others. For Tess, storytelling is also important because it helps remind people they’re not alone.
“It opens up beautiful conversations and helps drive a deeper connection with people. On this podcast, you’re telling your story and hundreds or thousands of people are listening to your episode. I think my guests are always surprised by how their story really reaches people and affects people – strangers! People really do want to listen – even if it’s coming from someone they don’t know,” Tess says.
“Connecting with others, having conversations, opening up and sharing your story…it’s so important. It’s crucial.”
You can listen to The Innerview wherever you get your podcasts, and find more info on Instagram @the.innerviewpodcast