We did it, y'all. A full season of Cultural Combos is in the books, and it's all thanks to a community effort. From our guests who took the time to sit down and speak of their journeys, to the event directors and staff who allowed us the space to record on-location; we were able to roll out 15 amazing episodes to all of you, the listeners. I can't thank you all enough for what's been an amazing ride so far that I can't wait to take even further in the new year. In a bit of a departure from our usual flow, I took this New Year's Day as a bit of a yap session so bear with me.
Speaking primarily about the two biggest events of the year, the 2024 season was an exercise in finding my stride as a host and show runner, but still having some highlights as a player. This was personally the most time spent I'd spent working events after offline majors resumed, with Combo Breaker and East Coast Throwdown being my fullest plates. I'm incredibly thankful to have had the opportunities to work both shows alongside some of the very best in the business. With that said, I realized I need to do a much better job at this whole work/life balance thing. Working the event, playing in the tournament, and still recording episodes was a common situation; but I've realized that trying to be great at all of those things didn't allow me much space to be great to myself. In this year, I found myself drawing great inspiration from great loss. There is no better reminder of time being temporary, than no longer being able to spend it with the folks you hold dear.
I'm looking forward to making 2025 the best I possibly can, both inside the show and out. We got more guests, more events, and more Ovaltine lined up.
Thanks for listening, and Happy New Year. <3
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