WILLIAMSBURG — Noel Goodman, a local stand-up comedian and father, needed to find a creative outlet. With much to say about the current state of the world, Goodman launched “The Good Man” podcast.
“The Good Man” podcast was born out of Goodman’s stand-up routine. During a set, Goodman reflects on being born into a Cuban Catholic family before he was adopted by an Ashkenazi Jewish family.
“I have lived so many different places and had all these different upbringings, I just felt like I have learned a lot really quickly in life. I’ve had moments of joy, despair, and I felt like I have a lot to share with people,” Goodman said.
Each episode of “The Good Man” podcast centers on a different theme. Goodman discusses everything from fatherhood, life lessons, religion, politics, and more.
“I really try to cover all of my subjects in a wide variety. I think it’s really important to me to give a unique perspective. I don’t want to just regurgitate what I’ve already heard on another podcast. I like to think that I have a unique take on what I’m speaking about and I want to really offer that to my listeners,” Goodman said.
Goodman hopes the podcasts can conjure up conversation for his listeners.
“We live in a really fragmented culture now. Podcasts naturally lend themselves over to long-form conversations. There’s really no gotcha moments in podcasts, you really get to flush out ideas. It’s a little more honest. I really want people to have these conversations with people who may have different views than I do,” Goodman says.
A Navy sailor who spent time deployed to Somalia, Goodman’s ship ended up in an active fire fight against pirates. The situation was a profound moment in his life that encouraged him to find a creative outlet through poetry.
Through his comedy, poetry, and podcast, Goodman looks to add value to his listeners’ lives.
“I’ve always had this need to express myself. I’m a very introspective person by nature and I like to think that I’m a very honest person by nature. Podcasts were a great medium to express myself both honestly and fully. This is truly who I am. I think people listen to podcasts because they enjoy that honesty,” Goodman says.
Goodman himself is a podcast consumer and says that podcasts with different views than his own are the most interesting to him.
“I like to listen to a wide variety of podcasts. I’ll listen to the hard right-wingers who I don’t always agree with but I’m surprised when I do find something that I do agree with. I’ll listen to a left-leaning podcast and I can find things I disagree with. My defenses don’t go up as quickly as they might in a conversation or watching a news program. I’m willing to listen to someone I disagree with on a podcast and surprise myself with what I do find common ground with,” Goodman says.
Goodman tries to release a new episode every two weeks. “The Good Man”‘ podcast is available on all podcast streaming platforms.
