“My time in high school and my time in college taught me to learn…you’re learning how to learn…that’s really the stuff that prepared me for what I do today,” states Aaron Mahnke—the host of the famous podcast Lore.
Hamilton Wenham Regional High School brought in Aaron Mahnke for a DECA speaker series.
The series is designed to “expose students to all different career paths,” said Ms. Wilson, the series and library media head. Wilson “brainstorms people in our community” to bring in and ultimately “tries to come up with a nice variety [of speakers].”
Wilson said the series brought in Mahnke specifically because “podcasting is very unique.” Mankey has won multiple “Best History Podcast” awards, and his podcast Lore inspired its own TV series on Amazon Prime.
Aaron Mahnke shared his journey to becoming an established podcaster and gave insight into his everyday life. He began by reading a sample from his published book Lore;
He focused on the story of Mary Webster—rumored to be doing the devil’s work in her town of Salem, Massachusetts, during the witch trials.
Mahnke captured the audience with his ability to make Mary’s life feel real through his storytelling and vivid descriptions. He drew his listeners into her world with a gripping narrative built from historical research into New England myths that left students sharing his intrigue and wonder.
Aaron Mahnke’s initial entrance to podcasting was on a casual basis: a hobby beyond his self-made graphic design business.
Yet this hobby soon took off, with downloads increasing from a few hundred to thousands daily. With this newfound fame, Mahnke switched his main source of income from graphic design to podcasting and gave even more focused attention to Lore.
He now posts a new episode every week. These episodes cover local legends and global myths.
However, podcasting does have its challenges. The workload was described as “immense” and like a “never-ending cycle,” as he must compose a new story to be recorded every week.
“It’s like jogging in front of a lawn mower. It’s fine until you stop jogging, and then you get run over,” said Mahnke.
Mahnke described how he had to learn to delegate work as the publishing frequency increased. “As an octopus, you pick up all these things, and eventually, you have to learn that you can’t carry all of it at once, and so you have to give some of it to others.”
My time in high school and my time in college taught me to learn…you’re learning how to learn…that’s really the stuff that prepared me for what I do today.[/pullquote]Yet, through that delegation, Mahnke highlighted the importance of maintaining a connection to his work and purpose. Before he releases his work, Mahnke states, “I ultimately am the one to give it a thumbs up or down, and writing the book [the one he is working on now] keeps me close to it.”
Despite these challenges, Mahnke still enjoys his job and is passionate about covering such niche stories.
Mahnke attributes the majority of his workforce skills not to his college degree (in psychology) but to the general message of education: learning how to learn.
“The point of education isn’t just the specific topics but proving you can learn,” he said.
This insightful ending to his speech gave students hope: just as Aaron Mahnke did not know he would become a podcaster, many students do not know their future plans.
But even when they feel lost, students should understand the value of learning how to learn, a critical skill that will be useful in any workforce.
Aaron Mahnke provided insight into the world of podcasting and wisdom on the value of learning. Students were left with hope and perspective on the value of their education and the possibilities of jobs after graduation.
Aaron Mahnke has published several of his stories in the series The World of Lore, including Wicked Mortals, Monstrous Creatures, and Dreadful Places. His podcast, Lore, is available on several streaming platforms, including Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
