Host of The Drive Project Podcast on the Converge Media Network and National PBS Host Jay Martin Jr. was recently featured on the cover of Greet Kirkland Magazine. He also had a feature story about his fashion sense appear in 425 Magazine. Martin says that being able to share his story on an even broader scale is something he’s been striving for his entire career and he’s very grateful for the opportunity.

“I look over my journey, and even though it seems like it’s been forever, it hasn’t really been that long. To already have a front cover in that time is mind blowing,” Martin said. “For others to want my story to be shared makes me feel really seen and valued.”

That story includes influences from his grandmother as well as a push from friends and family to “just start”, which you can read more about here.

“For others, I hope that if they continue to take steps towards their goals, that they know it really can happen,” Martin said.

For Martin, that included realizing he didn’t need to be in a podcast studio in order to create a podcast. His friends began calling him the “mobile mogul” based on his tenacity and innovation when it came to sharing his message and creating content.

“It starts with just pushing the button,” Martin said. “The most important step towards anything is to just start.”

Martin has now been promoted from Seattle’s PBS station, KCTS 9, to hosting national PBS shows and specials, including the one that got him interested in television - Nature.

“That was surreal,” Martin said. “It was truly a full circle moment.”

He knows, of course, that being pushed into the spotlight even at the local level is a team effort. His main takeaways from being featured on the magazine was that of gratitude for those around him.

“When I open that magazine, I see all the people who have helped me get to this point,” Martin said. “It’s a family and we’re doing this together. This isn’t just me by myself and I feel the connection of what I’m a part of every time I see that cover.”

You can see more from Greet here, and keep an eye out for 425’s digital release later this month