Naj Austin — ”What does it mean to put ourselves on a platform that requires less of us?”

Think about the places you frequent most. What’s the experience like? How does it make you feel? How are you connecting? And who are you connecting with? Whether online or offline, Naj Austin has been exploring these questions through her visionary endeavors, which include Ethel’s Club and, most recently, Somewhere Good, an “audio platform for intimate community conversations.”

With its distinct, design-driven app and a growing suite of partnerships and offline offerings, Somewhere Good is poised to become a leader in how we can authentically connect in our complex digital age. For Naj, shifting away from scrolling our feed and moving towards feeding our relationships remains a through-line. And with that mission comes recalibrating how we pay attention to ourselves—and each other.

In this interview, Naj shared more about the role of slowness and solitude in her work, her relationship with listening, and the importance of community participation. This episode also opens with a story from Amy Snook.

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Episode Transcript: https://slowstoriespodcast.com/naj-austin 

Learn more about Naj's work: https://najaustin.com/ 

Follow Naj: https://www.instagram.com/najaustin/?hl=en 

Learn more Amy's work: https://www.pareastudios.com/parea-books 

Follow Amy: https://www.instagram.com/asnooks/?hl=en