Back in 8th grade at Eastern Middle School Shreya Prabhu had an inkling she’d like to find a way to share inspiring stories of young women.
By 9th grade she embarked as a podcast host.
Today, as an 11th grader Greenwich High School, Shreya’s “Female Factor Podcasts” has accumulated an impressive catalog of guest interviews available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. There is also an Instagram page.
“I did 21 interviews in 9th and 10th grade, and have been getting more and more into it. I recorded eight over the summer and I’m doing two his week,” she said.
Shreya Prabhu photographed at the Greenwich Library Café. April 19, 2024 Photo: Leslie Yager
But the road to success involved a lot of hard work.
“Starting my freshman year at GHS, it was not the most gratifying process because I wasn’t used to interviewing people,” she recalled. “Podcasts need to sound like conversations, and at first they didn’t flow.”
“At I tried to make my questions deep and meaningful – to ask about struggles and make the stories relatable to listeners,” Shreya recalled. “But I realized I needed to be flexible and improvise, and have better transitions on follow-up questions.”
“Overall I know I’ve improved,” Shreya added, noting she created a form for each podcast guest to complete in advance that includes a place for their bio.
Still, she said creating the content takes weeks, and sometimes months, though the end product is typically just 15-20 minutes long.
“I’ve learned to go with the flow,” she said, adding that sometimes the interview goes in unintended directions.
Over time, Shreya improved both her technique and editing skills.
And then something else happened.
“I started wanting more out of the process: more listeners,” she recalled.
Enter Girls With Impact.
Shreya participated in a Girls with Impact workshop back in 2021, having been inspired by a neighbor Jodi Bell.
“That’s how I found out about Girls with Impact,” she recalled. “It’s a mini-MBA program for teen girls based in Greenwich. I attended one of their events where graduates gave speeches. I went because Jodi was there.”
At 16, Jodi Bell created a non-profit, In Case of Deportation, an organization focused on informing American–born children of undocumented parents or guardians of how to prepare for parental deportation.
Shreya stayed in contact with Girls with Impact CEO and Founder, Jennifer Openshaw.
“I pitched the idea with her, and she suggested partnering with Girls with Impact,” Shreya recalled.
“That made a difference because we partner on social media posts and that resulted in more followers,” Shreya said, adding that with the help of her online analytics, she learned that her podcasts had reached listeners in 12 countries. “I’m glad because it is reaching the right target audience. It says females 13 to 25, which is exactly what I wanted.”
As for the collaboration with Girls with Impact, Shreya said, “They also give me people to interview.”
Today about 30% of interviewees are Girls with Impact graduates and 70% are people Shreya finds on her own.
What makes a good candidate for a podcast interview?
“Overall I look for people who have a passion in their field,” she said. “Maybe it’s STEM, or maybe they’re an activist. Maybe they are authors who have won writing awards. Anything they’re passionate about and has a story.”
On her podcasts Shreya has featured people ranging from 13 to 25.
“Just yesterday I interviewed a Girls with Impact graduate who is in the process of founding an organization that brings more attention to books with main characters who are people of color,” Shreya said. “She wanted to draw more attention to books that have BIPOC characters.”
Asked what makes her unique, Shreya said, “I’ve always been the kind of person who has ideas and acts on them. I take risks with ideas and I’m a self starter. But, also this is fun for me. I enjoy it and learn from it.”
When she’s not busy working on a podcast, Shreya is an editor at the Greenwich High School student newspaper, “The Beak,” or participating in Model UN. She is also a member of the First Selectman’s Youth Commission and on the Girls With Impact Advisory Board.