My GO Fest Story: New York 2023 - Bridges, Belonging, & Becoming

Have you ever felt completely invisible until someone finally saw you? 

New York City is loud. It’s layered. It moves fast and it never waits for you to catch up. New York City felt like a pure Electric-type with high energy, unpredictable, and impossible to ignore. That’s why it was the perfect backdrop for my first-ever GO Fest with fellow content creators.

After years of traveling alone, I finally found myself surrounded by people who understood the heart of what I was doing. We split costs. We shared stories. We made each other laugh when the subway got confusing and our Airbnb had fewer beds than promised. We even stayed above a condemned pizzeria. Jamal, co-host of the Wayspotters Podcast, worked his magic negotiating air mattresses and getting the hostess to hold our luggage while we explored. His confidence is truly unmatched.

"Visiting New Jersey reminded me of Galveston."

GO Fest brought us to New York City. The New York State of Grind, a grassroots podcast-hosted event, brought us together. We stayed across the river in New Jersey, a quiet pocket of calm compared to the chaos of the city. Every train ride, every sweat-soaked walk under the bridges of NYC, felt worth it. I’d never seen traffic at 2 A.M. before. In Dallas, the roads would be empty but here, it was nonstop. When we passed through Times Square, I tried to take it all in, but it was a blur of light and noise. In the middle of it, I caught my reflection in a window. I didn’t recognize the person staring back, not because I was lost, but because I was finally starting to change. Looking back, I felt small and amazed.

"Time Square was madness and constant busyness."

Someone told me they listened to my show and they liked it.

I didn’t know them.

They said it like it was obvious. But to me, it wasn’t. I froze. My first instinct was to shrink back, to dismiss it. But something about their sincerity hit me and I let myself believe it. I mumbled a thank you, probably too quiet to hear. But in my head? It was loud. Louder than every doubt I’d ever whispered to myself after uploading a new episode. Louder than the silence of that first ghosted guest. That stranger’s words didn’t just make me smile, they cut through the noise I’d carried since starting the podcast. All those quiet hours editing, interviewing, scheduling, trying…they were worth something.

For the first time, I felt like a creator who belonged.

"I met prior guest and good friend SquidDaBeast!"

Meeting guests from my podcast in real life was surreal. SquidDaBeast, who inspired the Pokémon DVD signature tradition, was so down to Earth. It meant the world to meet him in person. What started as a fun idea became something more my way of preserving a record of the voices, friendships, and stories that built this journey. A living archive, not for clicks or content, but for the meaning behind it all. I also met MikeNerdLaw, who refused to buy a ticket to GO Fest on principle but still showed up just to meet fans. That says a lot about who he is.

"The photo that GO Cast Chris took, not knowing who I was."

Then there was the GO Cast Podcast meetup. I joined the group photo but didn’t say who I was. It wasn’t about hiding. I’ve always liked the idea of not being known right away. There’s something special about surprises. When Chris posted the photo later on Twitter, I replied, “Glad I was able to meet you guys!” He DM’d me in surprise, “THAT WAS YOU?” I just replied, “Yep. The one and only.” He said, “Why didn’t you tell me?” I said, “You never asked.”

It was funny, but also kind of perfect. I got to be a fan, a friend, and a creator, all in one photo.

We laughed a lot on that trip. Probably the hardest was when we checked to see if JCPics3 was still alive. JC had passed out on the couch after three time zones of travel. At first, I wasn’t sure if he was still alive. But looking at him, totally crashed out while the rest of us joked and shuffled bags, I realized this was what it meant to feel safe. To just be.

Somehow, I ended up with a bed to myself. I wasn’t complaining.

"GO Fest 2023 at Randall's Island felt isolated from New York."

Not everything about the event was ideal. Randall’s Island felt disconnected from the city. If you didn’t already know GO Fest was happening, you’d never have guessed it from the surroundings. It lacked the unified atmosphere I felt in Chicago or Seattle. And I absolutely got lost, more than once. The NYC transit system threw me in circles, but I learned to laugh through it. Every wrong stop, every confusing tunnel, just added to the memory.

Gameplay wise, nothing stands out. I did catch a Yveltal with the NYC background, and I spent most of the event trying to find people I’d met through the podcast. I’m still a hundo hunter at heart, so I wish I’d landed something perfect, especially a Bouffalant, but the real wins weren’t in the catches. They were in the conversations.

"New York State of Grind Podcast Meetup!"

We took a photo under a bridge that day, and I looked like a sweaty mess. But I was smiling. GO Fest is just better with friends, even when things don’t go perfectly.

At the gift shop, I bought a keychain, something small, but it meant everything. Years ago, a romantic crush gave me one on a trip. When she ghosted me, I gave it back, like returning the hope I had quietly placed in her hands. I didn’t want to carry something that reminded me I didn’t matter. But this time? I bought my own. A new memory. A different kind of souvenir. I didn’t need anyone else’s memory to make something special. I made this one mine.

"I collect a keychain every time I visit a new city."

Every episode felt like a question I kept asking the world. Do I belong here? Do I matter? GO Fest 2023 didn’t give me the hundo Pokemon I wanted. It gave me something better. It gave me the confidence that I was becoming the kind of creator I used to look up to. That I wasn’t an outsider looking in.

I had a voice.
I had a presence.
I had a seat at the table.

For so long, I thought that seat only belonged to people with numbers, names, or fame. But GO Fest taught me something else, it belongs to the ones who show up.”

In a city that never stopped buzzing, I found my own current and finally plugged in. I didn’t need someone else to give me meaning anymore. This time, I brought home my own souvenir, not a gift, but proof I had a voice. One filled with stories, not silence.

If you're reading this, chances are Pokémon has touched your life too. Maybe it gave you a friend, a goal, a place to belong. I’d love to hear your story.

🎧 Explore our curated episode playlists — whether you're into competitive battling, content creation, nostalgia, or community leadership, there's a path here for you.
🎤 Be a Guest — no audience required, just heart.
💬 Join our Discord — and connect with Trainers who get it.

💡 Tips for GO Fest First-Timers

• Plan your day, but stay flexible. The best moments often happen when you’re not rushing to the next spawn.

• Travel smart. Don’t walk alone at night. Be aware of your surroundings, especially in unfamiliar areas.

• Find your people. Whether it’s friends you know or creators you admire, GO Fest feels different when shared.

• Let go of perfection. The best memories might not come from the game at all.

Step Into More GO Fest Memories

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