Will Watt has a lot of wisdom for a 19 year old. Mostly, he knows he still has a lot to learn.
He is also passionate about helping others along the way as he follows his journey towards maturity. These things are the motivating factors behind Watt’s new podcast WillPower.
The show features interviews with local people Watt has found to be interesting or inspiring.
Watt say he really struggled in his early high school years before making a sharp turn in his Grade 12 year.
“Through high school I noticed that I always had a disconnect between the information I was learning at school and about how it would relate to real life for me,” says Watt.
“I struggled a lot with self confidence and self image when I was younger.”
As his last year of high school loomed before him, Watt decided he needed to make some changes in his life.
“I got a different perspective and saw that you can really change that perspective about yourself and really feel better about yourself,” says Watt.
“That was something I was really searching for in school and I realized a lot of other people are searching for the same thing.”
Watt turned to family, friends, teachers, podcasts and motivational speakers for inspiration.
He became the student body president at Castlegar’s Stanley Humphries Secondary School and tried to make things better at the school.
He even spent two months working on getting one of his favourite speakers, Nathan Harmon, to come visit the school.
It was quite an accomplishment considering Harmon is one of the most sought-after speakers in North America.
Related: Speaker Nathan Harmon inspires Stanley Humphries students
The desire to inspire others to improve their lives is what guides WillPower.
Watt says although teachers try to be there for their students, there just aren’t enough young adults helping teens and each other.
“I really want to help fill that gap,” says Watt.
“The purpose of the podcast is to give those solutions and insights for real life. There are so many youth struggling with anxiety, depression, bullying, self harm that it is really scary to me.
“I think there are solutions and that we need to take action on it. If I can be a role model at a younger age then I think there is value in that.”
His target audience is teens and young adults, but Watt hopes teachers will tune in as well so they can better understand the youth perspective.
“Not a lot of youth are open to talking to teachers and the more they know, the more they can help,” says Watt.
WillPower has been a work in progress, with Watt continuing to strive to sharpen his skills as a podcast host. Within the next month he plans to have a new episode ready each week.
Watt is thoroughly enjoying the production process and what he is learning from his guests.
“It’s kind of like my own selfish journey of wanting to figure it out, but at the same time I get this platform where I can share it with other people,” says Watt.
“As I apply things to myself, I want to share them with other people.”
If you want to garner a little wisdom for yourself, WillPower is available from your favourite podcast app.
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