Today we’d like to introduce you to Xavier Cooper.
Xavier, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
As a child and through my teenage years, I always struggled with finding my purpose in life. There was a time where I wanted to be a rapper, a music producer, a veterinarian, the list goes on. I never knew exactly what I wanted to do in life until I went to college and was exposed to different people and placed in an unknown territory. In 2011, I moved from Decatur, GA to Indianapolis, IN to attend Ivy Tech Community College. While I was in Indiana I lived with my sister who had recently obtained her master’s degree and knew the ins and outs of college. I didn’t have the test scores or grades to get into any 4-year universities at the time so I started out at a 2-year university. While I was there I met up with a group of black men that were also attending Ivy Tech, and together we formed a group called, “Brothers and Bagels.” We named it that because one or two days out of the week we would all meet in the school cafeteria around breakfast time to discuss how we were doing in classes, current events, girls, life outside of the classroom, how we could improve things on campus and other things we wanted to talk about while we ate bagels. Sometimes it was doughnuts.
But eventually, instead of gathering around a table to talk about these things, we decided to create our own podcast that reflected the conversations we had during the times we met up for “Brothers and Bagels.” This was my first time recording myself actually talking. I’d been in the studio to record music before but I never actually shared my opinions while being recorded. I was kind of nervous about how I sounded at first because I knew there was a chance of other people hearing it and being judgemental. But after a few weeks I became more and more comfortable having a dialogue with my peers despite knowing I was being recorded. We did this for a short period of time and we stopped because people had different school schedules and no one could consistently come on to talk on a weekly basis. Fast forward two years and I start to attend IUPUI in downtown Indianapolis to pursue my bachelor’s degree in journalism. During that time, my best friend and I started a WordPress where we wrote about the NBA. This was the first time I had written a sports article. I loved writing about the NBA but I shortly realized that’s about the only sport I truly had a love for. In my mind I was going to be this super sportswriter. But I had to be real with myself. I had no passion to write about other sports other than basketball. This made me question whether or not journalism was for me.
When I graduated from IUPUI I moved back home to Decatur in 2016. When I moved back I was writing for an online publication called Soaring Down South which covered the Atlanta Hawks. But there was something missing. I liked writing about the Atlanta Hawks but something in me wanted to do more. So in 2018 I started a podcast titled, “The Xavier Cooper Podcast” in an attempt to see If I could do something along the lines of broadcasting as well as writing. I was nervous at first, just like I was with “Brothers and Bagels,” but it was like riding a bike. Once I did the first two episodes I was comfortable behind the mic. After about the fifth episode I decided this was what I wanted to do. The rush I feel while interviewing people is unexplainable. Now I put all of my energy into being the best podcaster/broadcaster I can be.
Has it been a smooth road?
When I was in college, I found out that all my life I suffered from anxiety. When I was younger, I had no idea what it was I was feeling. But one night before a big test I had an anxiety attack and it scared me. It scared me so much that after that day I started not being myself. I stayed in the house more, I was afraid to drive, I was afraid to try things because I thought anxiety would stand in my way. On top of that I had people tell me anxiety isn’t real and that I should just get over it. When I started my podcast, I thought to myself, “what if I mess around and have an anxiety attack while recording?” Then I realized that this was my purpose and I shouldn’t be nervous about something I’m supposed to do. Plus the engineer could always cut and edit my audio if such a thing would happen (Lol). I’m still struggling with anxiety till this day but I don’t let it dictate my day. I’ve learned to trust GOD and the plans he has over my life.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with The Xavier Cooper Podcast – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of and what sets you apart from others.
The Xavier Cooper Podcast is a platform I use to inform and entertain my audience. I would compare my podcast to Voyage ATL just an audio version. I meet with local people and talk about their careers and their life in a way where it’s not uncomfortable and it’s not negative. I pride myself on giving a good interview. I try to ask questions that aren’t too generic and boring. I want people to listen to my podcast and have a new perspective afterwards. I want my audience to learn something while being motivated at the same time. So far I’ve had actresses, teachers, people in comedy, and people in the music industry to all come on my show and talk about their and accomplishments and challenges during their careers. I’ve met some people that I may not have ever come in contact with had I not started my podcast. I’ll be the first to admit I don’t push out as much content as I should. But that’ll change very soon as I gain more resources.
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
What I like most about Atlanta is how many successful black people we have. Everyday I run into people that look like me starting businesses and grinding to reach their goals in life. It’s a normal thing to see black people in Atlanta driving fancy cars, living in big houses, raising healthy families, all while maintaining their faith in GOD. Atlanta has inspired me to set my goals and expectations high as a black man.
What I don’t like about Atlanta is there are successful black people. But on the other hand I don’t feel like there’s not enough people showing the youth how to obtain their dreams without being famous. I see so many kids and teenagers aspiring to be like the local rappers and Instagram models instead of the successful businessman or the doctor that works for Emory. Atlanta is a nightlife city and sometimes these young men and women aspire to be more like entertainers than people with regular a 9-5 job because it doesn’t look fun. I wish there were more seminars and career fairs that show the youth you can be more than a rapper, athlete, or social media model.
Contact Info:
- Phone: 404-992-5359
- Email: xacooper100@gmail.com
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