I have selected the first Gay It Forward beneficiary and project of 2025.
Now it’s time to enlist your support to help make this project successful.
Keep reading for details about Krystifer and his podcast project, Concertos of Chaos.
Meet Krystifer (he/him)
Krystifer’s love affair with music began in childhood. He is a classical pianist and composer who played for St. Matthew’s Catholic Church in Long Beach, California for almost a decade and served as the Assistant Director of Music Ministry at St. Clare in Berea, Kentucky for many years.
He loves art as much as he loves math and science. Music is his favorite language because it combines all of those disciplines.
He built a professional career as an IT engineer over 25+ years.
Then, in his 40s, not long after leaving his toxic corporate tech sector job, Krystifer was tentatively diagnosed with Ménière’s disease and is now almost completely Deaf.
This radical change in his body and life rocked his entire world.
He has been looking for his next professional role for awhile now, but the job market is super tough. As a person with ADHD, he feels better when his brain is deeply engaged in a passion project with lots of moving parts and details.
This year, he decided to focus his efforts on building out one of his creative dreams: launching a mental health podcast. Krystifer has recorded several episodes already and is planning an official public launch in June 2025.
His podcast, Concertos of Chaos, featuring his original musical compositions, is all about engaging in frank and open conversations about mental health to explore the magnitude of human emotions and help others know they are not alone even when it feels like they are.
He also is working on obtaining his Peer Support Specialist certification via Northern Kentucky University so that he can provide direct support to others experiencing mental health challenges.
For some context, Krystifer and I attended the same college (an institution which serves primarily low-income and international students) in the early 2000s.
In late 2024, after seeing one of his posts on social media about his podcast idea, I offered him a no-cost consultation to chat through his specific project needs and see if I could help.
Turns out, many of the skills I have are in areas he said he could use support on (visual branding/design, copywriting, big-picture strategy and planning). I immediately felt inspired by our shared values and his approach to destigmatizing mental health.
Krystifer shares about his experience below.
From November 2024:
“…The universe thought it’d be hilarious to take my hearing and plague me, so we think, with Ménière’s [though my doctors are struggling to find consensus on a definitive diagnosis].
“It started the first week of January 2024 and by March-ish dropped drastically. My current hearing aids at the time were already at their max prescription so I had to get some new ones. Of the shit I ‘can’ hear, none of it sounds the same anymore: music, people, piano, cars driving by, dogs barking, rain, the list goes on. I have to have fans and Alexa and my phone all making noise just to overpower the tinnitus so I can fall asleep every night. IT’S EXHAUSTING!
“I randomly have a day here and there where it’s like nothing ever happened: No head pressure. No dizziness. No nausea. No ear pressure. No ear canal pain. No ear throbbing. Damn near perfect hearing... Then I’m scared to go to bed because I know that when I wake up the next morning, most likely I won’t be able to hear shit and we’re right back to like it just happened for the first time. All. Over. Again.”
From January 2025:
After my body decided to go all Beethoven, which then caused me, along with other things, to vacation at a lovely 9-week outpatient mental health facility, I learned some things on how to process when life throws you a pile of nasty shit.
“It was through this experience that I also discovered my voice.
“I had an itch to do a podcast surrounding mental health for some time. The original fantasy in my head was that the content would be completely organic. Everything would come together naturally and smoothly. I had all this free time, right? Easy peasy. Wrong.
“I quickly learned, by episode two, you can plan however you want, but [a project like this] takes a life of its own and YOU have to learn IT. And of course, I’m learning it all while also dealing with my own mental and physical health challenges. It’s both fascinating and annoying AF.
“I’m glad to have a strategic partner like Maggie, to encourage me and help me navigate all the things that come up when working on a dynamic passion project like this.
“Concertos of Chaos is a platform for orchestrating raw mental health conversations and music is a constant theme throughout the show.
“I wanted to incorporate music back into my daily life and thought, what better way? Give each episode a musical title that can be a play on words or just a clever description of what’s inside the episode! The more control over certain aspects of my life I tell myself I have, it helps a little to deal with the deafening realization that I have zero control over my hearing.
“I'm very excited to work with Maggie! I've never done anything like this before. I cannot wait to start the deep dive into this project and help as many people as possible.
“With Maggie's help [on personal branding], I’m feeling seen, validated, energized, empowered, and motivated to bring this project to life.”
Krystifer’s Values, in His Own Words
I stand unequivocally for human dignity.
I stand unequivocally for human rights.
I stand unequivocally for radical honesty.
I stand unequivocally for universal equality.
I refuse to stay silent in the face of injustice. I refuse to compromise who I am, my values, my energy for profit. Through my podcast Concertos of Chaos and my work as a mentor, I aim to create spaces for raw, unfiltered truth - particularly around mental health.
I believe fiercely in breaking down the bullshit systemic barriers, fighting oppression in every form it presents itself, and ensuring no one faces their battles alone.
I wholeheartedly reject all systems and ideologies that value profit over people, and I actively work against discrimination, especially toward the unhoused and disabled humans. My commitment to these principles is non-negotiable. Full stop. I would rather lose opportunities than lower myself to despicable levels and throw my moral compass in the trash.
Above all, I believe in showing up authentically and standing firmly for what's right, even when it's uncomfortable or costly.
Fuck capitalism.
Why this project? Why now?
There is something extraordinary about bearing witness to someone sharing about their passions.
In Krystifer’s case, his core values and passions are the foundation for all his creative work and a means of coping with mental health challenges. That resonates with me on so many levels. As with all collaborative relationships, I see a chance for us to learn from and grow alongside each other. I also see the opportunity to help his message of hope reach more people at a time when so many of us in the LGBTQIA+ community are feeling hopeless, forgotten, and outright excluded.
Given everything happening in politics, the literal erasure of marginalized identities, federal funding cuts for crucial social service programs, fearmongering and legislation that puts targets on queer backs, the need for frank and open dialogue about our mental health is greater now than ever.
So many LGBTQIA+ voices have been suppressed and shadowbanned for speaking out about human rights issues. Now is the time to share and amplify those voices, to speak up for those whose voices have been silenced, to support our queer siblings and each other, in any way we can.
For my part, I have skills, knowledge, and resources of value. Unfortunately, I do not have the financial resources to donate consistently and make an impact on a large scale. However, I do have the capacity to make a difference one person and one project at a time. So that’s what I’m doing.
I am excited for the opportunity to share what I know about personal branding and communication to support Krystifer on this project, and would love your help to do that!
Read on for more details on what we’re working on together for the next six months, and ways you can contribute to make this unique community aid project successful.
Scope of Work and Timeline
This is a high-level overview of the project.
Phase 1: Discovery/Exploration
Timeline: Months 1-3
Scope: Values, audience, story to answer: who are you, what do you stand for, with whom are you hoping to connect; Visual brand identity to answer: how do you want to show up in the world? What colors and visual characteristics capture your personality, your mission/message?
Phase 2: Engagement/Strategy
Timeline: Months 4-5
Scope: Marketing/Promotional Communications to answer: where will you connect with your people, how can they find you and interact with you? What makes CoC different? Content to answer: what is your mission/message, what key themes align with your vision? (Consider a companion blog or newsletter)
Phase 3: Implementation - official public launch!
Timeline: Month 6
Scope: Infrastructure, Tech to answer: how will you curate/catalog and protect your work? How can you make it easy for people to find and engage with you? (Website, outreach)
Deliverables
These are the specific items to be produced throughout the project.
Documentation of core values associated with the podcast
Development of visual brand to align with Krystifer’s personality and core values
Document brand and style standards for the podcast
Strategic and creative direction
Project management and accountability
Communication and outreach strategy
Creation and/or co-creation of branded design templates
Content and communication management
Help Maggie Help Krystifer
Here is a breakdown of the cost impact for this project and how you can support.
Total Project Cost: $4,444, as broken down below by individual project need.
Project Need: Maggie’s Labor/Time
Cost: $2750
Description: 12+ hours of personal branding consultation, strategy, and production support over a 6-month period. Includes development of core brand guidelines for podcast (vision, voice, story) and visual branding, website, and custom promotional materials.
How to Support: Sign up for a Spectator or Visionary membership to help Maggie reach this goal
[SPONSORED!] Project Need: DIY Logo
Cost: $100
Description: Original/collaborative design created on a free tool, then we pay a third-party platform to produce files in all formats (transparent, greyscale, etc.)
Project Need: Professional Logo Package
Cost: $250
Description: Pays an independent designer to design a custom logo and deliver it in all formats (Maggie acts as project coordinator and creative strategist in alignment with Krystifer’s vision)
How to Support: Make a one-time contribution in any amount to help Maggie make this purchase on Krystifer’s behalf
Project Need: Tech: Software (Production, Storage)
Cost: $745
Description: 1 year Zoom upgrade to enable recording for longer than 40 mins without interruption; 1 year of cloud storage ($435), plus encryption ($150) to publish episodes on a platform that aligns with Krystifer’s values
How to Support: Make a one-time contribution in any amount to Krystifer directly to help him make these purchases
Project Need: Tech: Hardware (Storage)
Cost: $500
Description: External solid state drive for storing pre-production A/V files to be used for bonus content and episode archives (nice to have but not a necessity)
How to Support: Make a one-time contribution in any amount to Krystifer directly to help him make this purchase
Project Need: Tech/Equipment
Cost: $99
Description: (1) professional microphone so Krystifer can record with guests in-person
How to Support: Make a one-time contribution in any amount to Krystifer directly to help him make this purchase
Click HERE to download this project cost breakdown as a table with clickable links in PDF format.
About Gay It Forward
"Gay It Forward" is an advocacy and community aid initiative that enables me to provide personal brand and style support to LGBTQIA+ folks at no cost to them.
The expansion and subsequent re-launch of this initiative was inspired by the many weirdos and queerdos who have reached out for support but could not afford to hire me for services.