Reston Teens Create Empowerment Podcast

High School can be a difficult time for many teens, but three high school students living in Reston began their sharing experiences through a podcast in hopes of empowering others.

“The Epic Theory” began under three South Lakes High School Juniors named Anastasia Vlasova, Esha Pathi and Hannah Giusti in July of 2019. Since then, the students have produced 15 episodes of the podcast that are available for free on Spotify and other apps, according to the website.

The podcast is “focused on self-growth, venturing outside of our comfort zones, finding passion and uplifting the global community,” the students wrote in an email to Reston Now.

What began as a “curiosity-driven summer project” turned into so much more as the girls said they began to attract international followers.

In the last several months, the team built a relationship with the CORE Foundation, a non-profit that helps social entrepreneurs achieve their goals. The group is helping to boost the podcast, according to the girls.

“In addition to recording our authentic, existential conversations, we have hosted a “Dream Big” event at a local elementary school, during which we interacted with sixth graders and encouraged them to pursue their dreams,” the girls said. “We explained to them the power of brainstorming solutions in pursuit of their dreams, as they will inevitably experience obstacles.”

During the event, the trio said they helped the kids embrace optimism about their future and the power of their individual voices.

The girls were actually planning yet another upcoming “dream big” event but unfortunately had to cancel it due to concerns over COVID-19.

“But we are still moving forward with recording podcast episodes and solidifying our status as a non-profit,” the girls said about the forced cancelation. “We are using this time to brainstorm, update our website, share social media content, and record podcast episodes.”

In the latest episode of “The Epic Theory,” Vlasova hosted the podcast by herself since the girls decided to voluntarily self-quarantine. She spoke about what it means to “live your best life” during quarantine and shared tips about how to feel fulfilled during this time.

“The whole idea of stagnancy really freaks me out, and that’s why I am so motivated and eager to learn and try new things,” Vlasova said, adding that she tries to never plateau in her quest for knowledge. To avoid boredom during this time, she said she is always reading new articles or researching cool ideas.

“As news of COVID-19 is occupying most of today’s media coverage, we would love a chance to shine light on what we, as teenagers, are doing to positively contribute to the world,” the students said.

Image via The Epic Theory/Instagram