Usha Vance pictured along with her three kids.
Usha Vance Launches New Podcast To Tackle 'Worrisome' Trend Among Young Americans
Ahead of the birth of her fourth child, Usha Vance is opening up like never before. In a new interview with NBC News, she spoke candidly about her daily life, her role as a mother and her relationship with her husband, JD Vance.
She shared that they do not always agree, but that they support each other. During the interview, Usha Vance also described herself as a trusted advisor to her husband. Beyond her public duties, the Second Lady has now ventured into something new — the world of podcasting.
'This Would Be The Thing to Focus On'
Usha Vance speaks about the launch of her new podcast aimed to promote reading among children.
On March 30, Usha Vance launched her new podcast series, Storytime With the Second Lady, which is "designed to inspire a lifelong love of reading" in younger audiences. Speaking with NBC News, Vance reflected on how her role as a mother inspired the project.
She said the idea grew out of her own experience teaching her three children to read at home — and that's when the concern about falling literacy rates, particularly among children, struck her.
Calling the trend "worrisome," Vance said this was the right moment to act. "If I was going to do anything, this would be the thing to focus on at this moment in time," she said. "There's just a lot that people can do in their family home without a ton of resources or effort."
Therefore, Usha Vance asserted that with her podcast, parents won't need many resources to help their children learn and love reading.
Second Lady Targets Young Audience With Her Podcast
In each episode of Storytime With the Second Lady, Usha Vance invites a "special reader" to read a children's book aloud. Episodes run around 10 to 15 minutes, making them easy for young listeners to follow along.
The podcast is recorded in a studio designed and decorated with input from her own children, giving it a warm, personal feel. Vance noted the show is primarily aimed at children in late preschool or early elementary school.
"It's a podcast that really is just for children. The notion is we will have someone come in — a special reader, we're calling them — read a fun book, have a very short little conversation about things related to the book, maybe about their career, if they have some sort of interesting background," she said.
"And then invite children to pick up books on their own. It's sort of just an advertisement for reading," Vance added.
The first three episodes are already available on YouTube and Spotify. Vance herself served as the first reader for the podcast, reading The Tale of Peter Rabbit, and was followed by racing legend Danica Patrick and Paralympian Brent Poppen.