It’s Ben a Year — The Season One Finale (ft. AJ)

This week on It’s Ben A Week, Ben wraps up his very first year of podcasting with a deeply personal and celebratory Season One Finale. After 50 straight weeks — zero missed Tuesdays — Ben sits down with the one person who started this journey with him: AJ. With thousands of listeners tuning in from across the world, Ben reflects on how the podcast began, how much it’s grown, and how much work went into creating something from scratch with no team, no production company, and no built-in audience.Ben opens the episode with a candid look back at:How he went from “not a podcast person” to launching his own showListening to podcasts during 4 a.m. drivesBelieving he could do it better than the people he was listening toBuying equipment, teaching himself editing, and learning everything the hard wayAll the technical chaos: broken cameras, audio drift, video not syncingWhy seeing thousands of listeners globally still blows his mindHow viewer DMs, comments, and Spotify Wrapped screenshots kept him goingAJ joins and the two dive into:AJ’s wild travel schedule and why he’s been MIATheir “helper” who worked one day and disappeared foreverThe holiday party of the year (Disney characters, uplighting, themed cocktails)Ben eating french fries in the bathtub the morning afterHow DoorDash has become Ben’s emotional support systemTheir year in concerts — Beyoncé, Missy Elliott, Janet Jackson, Rufus du Sol, Katy Perry, Brandy & MonicaThen the episode becomes a full-circle reflection on Season One:Ben revisits Episode 1 to hear how far he’s comeLearning to talk less, listen more, and actually interviewWhy Caroline Rhea’s advice changed everythingHis biggest interviewing challenges — guests who won’t talk vs. guests who won’t stopHis proudest guest moments: Margaret Josephs, Ursula Carlson, Rawson Marshall Thurber, Weston Brown, Blaine, Sherri, Victoria, Liam “Shoes”The episodes that unexpectedly became emotional pillars (Mother’s Day, Weston, Blaine)What this podcast has done for other people — not just BenWhy he’s grateful this show didn’t take off “too fast”The finale ends with a heartfelt conversation about Season Two:Ben taking two weeks off to reset, reimagine, and rebuild the setDebating new formats, episode lengths, and weekly vs. biweekly releasesAJ urging him to meditate, poll listeners, and get closer to who Ben really isThe possibility of new structure: guests, cultural commentary, games, call-insBen stepping into next year with confidence, clarity, and momentumIt’s emotional, honest, funny, chaotic, nostalgic, and full-circle — the perfect ending to an unbelievable first season.🎧 Subscribe to It’s Ben a Week New episodes every week filled with unfiltered stories, wild guests, and brutally honest laughs. Hosted by photographer and professional barrel racer Ben McDonnell.📍 Listen & Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube | Amazon | Wherever you get your podcasts🔗 Connect with Ben: Instagram: @itsbenaweek TikTok: @itsbenaweek Website: itsbenaweek.com💬 Want to be on the show? Submit your story or pitch at itsbenaweek.com