Oscar Cecena, of Unstoppable Xpeakers, had an idea to share stories of immigration, and wanted to create a place where immigrants could tell stories about their journey of moving to a new country.
Oscar considered doing a blog, but it didn’t look right. He bounced other ideas around until landing on a podcast. Joining Toastmasters gave him the confidence needed to kick off the project.
“I joined Toastmasters four months before I launched the first [podcast] episode, and I can feel the improvement I’ve done about in this little time. Discovering the joy of public speaking helped me become a better host and the podcast’s audience has grown considerably. I managed to engage more listeners and make new friends.”
Unhappy with the the political climate in Mexico, Oscar moved to Toronto in 2013. Over time, he and his wife adapted to the new culture. Now, he says: “It was the best decision we could have ever made. I’ve grown a lot as a person, and I’m happy with the results.” In Mexico, Oscar’s life revolved around his job. He worked 10 hours a day, on top of two to three hours spent commuting. With the few hours left at the end of the day, he pursued activities to earn more money.
Life in Toronto is better. He has a good job that provides a decent living, and free time — which he spends much of on the Immigrants of Toronto podcast. This Podcast has produced 1,694 episodes to date, featuring 997 Canadian immigrants and 697 immigrants across 40 other countries. Oscar has produced 13 weekly episodes that had been listened more than 1,700 times. 59% of the listeners are located in Canada, while the rest is divided between the other 40 countries that the podcast has reached, the top being the United States and Mexico with around 10% of listeners each.
“I never imagined that speaking in public would bring me so much enjoyment.”