Conversations with Benoit Kim

Today we’d like to introduce you to Benoit Kim

Hi Benoit, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My name is Benoit Kim, a US army veteran, UPenn-educated former policymaker turned psychotherapist, and host of Discover More- an Apple Podcasts Top 100 podcast.

I pivoted into the non-profit and policy sector from management consulting upon graduation after an early recognition of the corporate rat race, then committed to Teach for America (AmeriCorps program) teaching in inner-city Philadelphia before taking a military leave from this commitment and graduate studies at the University of Pennsylvania due to a 2017 near-deployment.

In this 2017 near-deployment to the North-South Korean border, I experienced my first major depression. I had to forcibly acknowledge that perseverance does not always prevail, which catalyzed my venture into the realm of mental health. Then, I worked in the policy sector for a few years after becoming the youngest policymaker in the NGO’s 100-year history before pivoting recently into the clinical field as an aspirational psychedelic-assisted psychotherapist.

Lastly, I started the podcast in 2019 as a passion project which has turned into a business with a growing audience base, and the show has been recently ranked #7 in independent science podcasts, #16 overall in all science podcasts, and concurrently makes frequent appearances on the Apple Podcasts top 100 leadership charts across the globe.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
People now use the term “entrepreneur ” as loosely as “narcissist,” which either usage is often misused without proper understanding and context. Similarly, I soon learned why entrepreneurship is the farthest from a rosy path that many would portray as falsely on social media after I decided to turn my now 5-year-old podcast from a passion project into a business in 2o23.

The podcast has experienced more than 15x growth, as evidenced by breaking the Spotify Wrapped 2023 statistics of exceeding the maximum displayed 999% growth, in the past 1.5 years of investment and expansion, At the same time, the process of running a business is filled with extreme peaks and lows, such as terminating and hiring contractors, recruiting aligned talents, constant logistical jigsawing with known prospective podcast guests and their publicists, balancing my full-time psychotherapist position with my full-pledged podcast business with significant operational costs, to name some highlights. The biggest struggle I continue to encounter is the challenging nature of vetting bright talents and managing team members, however.

Another popular saying that comes to my mind is, “People don’t quit their jobs because of work, they quit because of their bosses,” which rings true in my experience. In this, I learned that being an employer demands an invisible effort that employees do not see, such as taking calculated risks, cultivating incredible patience, wielding a multidimensional perspective, and utilizing a strength-based approach that fosters the best culture and support system that would yield the best outcome for the team overall.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am a full-time registered psychotherapist through the Board of Behavioral Sciences in CA after obtaining my full-ride merit-based scholarship to a dual-degree master’s from the University of Southern California. Concurrently, I am also the founder and owner of Discover More LLC, a podcast business, with a full production studio, home recording studio, three team members, and an established presence in the podcasting industry based in Los Angeles. My podcast is consistently ranked as one of the top twenty shows in the social sciences category, across the globe.

Who else deserves credit in your story?
I do not believe that anyone is “self-made” because we all stand in the invisible sacrifices of others who came before us, in business, science, or life. I want to extend digital flowers to Navin Rao, the chief technology officer, Santiago Calogero, a film director, and Oliver Yi, the corporate sponsor for the production studio space, for their major contributions to the business expansion and vision over the past 1.5 years. Of course, most importantly, to all the one hundred and thousand plus audiences that tune into the show every month on YouTube and audio platforms. Not to mention, all the thought leaders, Tim Ferriss, and Joe Rogan for paving the way in the field of podcasting.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.discovermorepodcast.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/discovermorepodcast/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@DiscoverMorePodcast