Talks in Tan-dem

Oh do we have a special collaboration in store for you today! Our subject this week is Elisavet, or as I like to call her, Dora – a nickname I gave her within our first week of friendship; a nickname she despised till she learnt it came from a place of true endearment. She entered our lives like a little tornado of sarcasm (little because as I like to remind her regularly, she is 0.5 cm shorter than me), but also fit right into our little friend group. A few months after we met, she started her very own podcast named ‘A Lack of Tenderness and Companionship’, (or LOTAC for short) which leads me to our big reveal: not only do we have our next profile up today, but this one comes with its very own podcast too, for all our podcast fans out there! Usually on her podcast, she is the one asking the questions, but this time is going to be a bit of a ‘how the turn tables’ type of situation. In this episode, you will briefly hear me interviewing her, after which we swiftly digress into a number of other slightly unrelated topics for reasons you will learn in this very article. So bear with me, and you will find the link to the episode at the end of page.

Dora the explorer content creator

As with most other choices in life, Dora’s podcast did not simply appear out of thin air, but instead has stories and reasons behind it. The tl;dr of it all is that Dora enjoys maintaining a social media presence and values platforms that allow her to connect with others (we call them friends, she calls them fans – tom-ay-to, to-mah-to). 

Her content creation story began with the making of vlogs (which are essentially video blogs), with a sweet and personal reason. Back when she and her best friends faced the looming prospect of living in different cities, she turned to YouTube vlogging as a way to chronicle their time together. She filmed short videos of them just living their lives together to document memories that could be revisited whenever they missed each other. But, as she quickly realised, vlogging wasn’t exactly a casual hobby. Filming was one thing, but editing? That was an entirely different beast. Between cutting footage, adding transitions, syncing audio, and making sure no one said anything too incriminating, the process was time-consuming and, at times, frustrating. And to top it all off, she was doing it all on a ridiculously tiny phone screen.

Then came the question of audience. At first, her vlogs were just for her inner circle, a way to keep their adventures alive. But a part of her wanted to share them with more people – because why should only her friends get to enjoy the beautiful pandemonium of her life? The first time she made a vlog public was when she visited Utrecht with her brother. She recalls a mother commenting on her video, sharing that her child had been there too and that watching it brought back fond memories, making her feel as if she was transported back there. Dora found this small interaction rather wholesome, and something she would not mind having more of. 

She began sharing short clips of her daily life as Instagram stories, curating them specifically for her best friends through her ‘Close Friends’ list. People loved the fun (and sometimes chaotic) clips she posted on her Close Friends stories, so she thought why not take it to a bigger audience? With Gen-Z being all about casual, unfiltered content, TikTok seemed like the perfect platform to continue her journey. Additionally, her mom (in what can only be described as a plot twist) gave her the ultimate green light by asking her why doesn’t she make a simple video and become TikTok famous? With that motherly endorsement, Dora went for it. But beyond the fun of content creation, TikTok also gave Dora something more meaningful – it helped her find her voice and build confidence in sharing her thoughts with a wider audience. 

That voice became even more important when she moved to Switzerland to pursue a Master’s in Neuroscience, leaving behind her friends and family. Naturally, she missed them dearly, and to bridge the distance, she started sending long voice messages about the various happenings in her life. However, she had a nagging suspicion that no one was actually listening to them, and with Instagram capping the voice memo limit at 1 minute at the time, this was just not sustainable. It was around then, in a particularly difficult emotional period, that she decided to channel her thoughts differently. In March 2024, from the proverbial lemons life had handed her, she began recording her lemonade (the lemonade being her podcast). Well I love a good quote, and like the great Yoko Ono said ‘Experiencing sadness and anger can make you feel more creative, and by being creative, you can get beyond your pain or negativity.’

Her podcasting journey

Dora has always found comfort in the voices of others, which is why she naturally gravitated toward podcasts long before she ever started her own. She loves having them on in the background, filling the silence and keeping her company as she goes about her day. Her favourite is a Greek podcast where the hosts dive into completely random conversations about anything and everything – no structure, no script, just pure, effortless chatter. She uses these podcasts as a kind of mental buffer, a way to keep her mind engaged and distracted. She likes different genres of podcasts for different occasions. For example, on flights, she swaps light-hearted discussions for true crime, the suspense somehow making long-haul journeys feel shorter.

Eventually, it was not enough just to listen – Dora wanted to be part of the conversation. The idea of starting her own podcast had been floating around for a while, but it wasn’t until she found herself needing an outlet that she finally went for it. She quickly found that recording was easy, but editing was another story. It was a slow, meticulous process that took far longer than expected, yet she welcomed the distraction. Luckily, she had some guidance. A friend who had already been running a podcast gave her tips on how to get started, making the whole thing feel a little less intimidating. And so along with her unique superpower of not loathing the sound of her own voice upon playback, ‘A Lack of Tenderness and Companionship’ was born. To her it was not just a catchy title, but a phrase she often used, almost like a running joke. 

Her first episode featured a particularly interesting friend, and from there, the show took on a life of its own. When it comes to choosing the overarching topics of the episodes, Dora wants them to be interesting for both her and her guests. For example, the topic of her first episode centred around ‘living at home’. Dora had experienced both sides, having lived away and returned to living with her parents, while her guest had not left home yet. She was fascinated by the contrast in their perspectives and wanted to explore what living at home meant to each of them. This approach has shaped the way she structures her podcast. She does not just interview people; she engages in conversations that feel natural, fluid, and full of unexpected turns. 

So far, she has released 8 episodes, each one a mix of humour, introspection, and the kind of conversations that feel like eavesdropping on a particularly entertaining friend group. And while she is happy to share parts of their world, some things remain sacred – like inside jokes, which she tries to keep under wraps. This is something we both have in common. 

LOTAC recently also became a multilingual podcast. At first, it was entirely in Greek, which made sense since her guests were all Greek, and conversations naturally flowed in their shared native tongue. As she pondered over it, she said if she had tried to record in English with her Greek friends, she thinks she would have inevitably slipped back into Greek mid-sentence. Anyone who speaks multiple languages knows this struggle well – some expressions just work better in one language than another. Certain jokes land differently, emotions feel more natural, and switching languages mid-thought occurs without intent.

But as her life expanded beyond Greece, so did her podcast. Living in Geneva meant meeting new people from different backgrounds, and suddenly, English became the common language. Recently, she made the shift to recording some episodes in English, marking an exciting new phase for LOTAC. Her latest episode (the one accompanying this very article) is only her second English-language release. What an honour!

The brand that is Elisavet

From vlogger to tik-tok-er to podcaster – Dora can create across different platforms, and has proven she is great at it. Who knows, maybe one day we could see a whole brand built around the fun and loving person that I have just described to you. Might I just add that much like her personality, this profile has really been a joy to write. I am also excited to have been the first person to listen to this episode of LOTAC, and I can tell you that Dora has done an amazing job with the editing. And as an added collaborative treat, the adorable artwork for this episode has been created by none other than Claudia, who you might remember from our second profile. So without further ado, click here to listen to us talk about everything and nothing at the same time. Enjoy!