If you had told me twenty years ago—back when I was launching one of the world's first parenting podcasts in 2005—that I’d still be behind a mic today, I wouldn't have been surprised. Communication is my oxygen. But if you told me I’d be doing it while finally understanding the "why" behind my own chaotic, quick-witted, and often overwhelmed brain, that would have been the headline.

Sitting down with Ron Rapatalo on Ronderings felt like catching up with an old friend over a beer (or in my case, a non-alcoholic one, celebrating five years of sobriety). We dove into the messy, unpolished reality of a life lived out loud, and it gave me a chance to reflect on where I’ve been and where we’re all going.

The Squirrel in the Room

The biggest shift in my story lately is my diagnosis of ADHD at age 50. For years, I was the "class clown," the "Bart Simpson kid" driving teachers crazy. I just thought that was my personality. Now, I realize it was my operating system.

I did what any Web 2.0, old-school geek would do: I launched a podcast about it called Wise Squirrels. But this isn't just a hobby; it’s a mission. When I learned that undiagnosed and untreated ADHD can shave up to 13 years off your life expectancy due to impulsivity, addiction, and accidents, I realized we have to stop the misinformation. It’s not a "childhood phase," and it’s not caused by trauma—it’s about as heritable as height!

My "Secret Weapon": Improv

People often ask how I’ve navigated a 20-year career in digital marketing, communications coaching, and speaking. My answer is always the same: Improv. Training at Second City Toronto wasn't about learning to be a comedian; it was about learning to be a master communicator. Improv teaches you:

• Active Listening: Hearing with your whole body, not just waiting for your turn to speak.

• Acceptance: The "Yes, And" (what I call “Nice, And”) mindset that allows you to lead with acceptance.

• Overcoming Fear: Learning to fail fast and think on your feet.

In my keynotes, I tell leaders that if they want to connect, they have to drop the script. Whether you’re on a stage or in a boardroom, the magic happens in the moments you didn't plan for - that’s why companies and conferences hire me to deliver my Master Communicator’s Secret Weapon keynote and workshop.

The "Enshittification" of Connection

Having been on Twitter since early '07 and LinkedIn for nearly two decades, I’ve seen the "social" part of social media slowly erode. We’ve moved from genuine community-building to "shock and awe" algorithms.

Lately, I’ve been calling out the "AI-generated" hollow shells of interaction we see online. We’re reaching a point where AI writes an article, and another person’s AI agent leaves an automated comment. It’s a closed loop that removes the human entirely, minus the suckers paying for such systems.

My stance? Proximity is power. In a world of bots and deepfakes, the only way to build an untainted, "nice" network is to get back into the same room. Use the digital tools to stay in touch, but don't let them replace the power of looking someone in the eye.

Staying Human

At the end of the day, whether I’m coaching a client on their presentation skills or interviewing the former director of the International Space Station about his own ADHD, I’m looking for the same thing: authenticity.

We’re all just trying to navigate this messy thing called life. If understanding your own helps you love yourself a little better, then I’ve done my job.

Thanks to Ron for the interview on his podcast. You can listen to our conversation above or on his podcast's show notes page, Authentic Connection in an AI World: ADHD at 50, Leadership, and Human Networking with Dave Delaney.

• Transcript

  [00:00.000 --> 00:18.000] What's up? I'm Ron Rappetalo, and this is the Rondering's podcast. Around here, I sit down with

  [00:18.000 --> 00:22.880] guests for real, unpolished conversations about the lessons and values that shaped them.

  [00:23.440 --> 00:28.560] I'll be right there with you, Sarah, my own take, laughing at myself when I need to,

  [00:28.640 --> 00:31.520] and wondering out loud about this messy thing called life.

  [00:33.520 --> 00:37.360] Glad you pulled up the chair. Let's get into it.

  [00:40.000 --> 00:44.640] Welcome back to Rondering's fam, where we left up stories, lessons, and the moments

  [00:44.640 --> 00:50.240] that shape who we've become. Today's guest, woof, this one's a ride. I'm sitting down with

  [00:50.240 --> 00:56.080] D Dave Delaney, a Toronto kid to her Nashville neighbor, a 20-year podcasting OG,

  [00:56.080 --> 01:00.160] and a master connector who somehow blended radio routes, improv training,

  [01:00.160 --> 01:03.920] and a lifetime of curiosity. It's one of the most authentic voices in the game.

  [01:04.640 --> 01:10.400] Dave Journey touches everything. Early social media days when community was real and RSS ruled,

  [01:10.400 --> 01:14.960] the evolution of storytelling online, what it means to stay human in world where bots out

  [01:14.960 --> 01:21.280] number people. We go deep on this ADHD diagnosis at 50, how it reframed his entire life,

  [01:21.280 --> 01:29.360] inspired by his ADHD podcast, Wise Squirrels. It opened up a conversation about neurodiversity,

  [01:29.360 --> 01:33.920] stigma, and finding language with the things we've carried for decades. This episode feels like

  [01:33.920 --> 01:39.840] two guys, rabbit and beer, saying the quiet parts out loud about connection, about communication,

  [01:39.840 --> 01:44.000] that are protecting the human spirit of the world that keeps trying to automate it. Let's get

  [01:44.000 --> 01:50.560] into it. Hey friends, before we get started, I want to share something that's been a big part

  [01:50.560 --> 01:56.160] of my own journey. Two years ago, I published my book, Leverage. That experience cracks something

  [01:56.160 --> 02:01.920] open for me. I saw how publishing isn't just about pages, about owning your story, sharpening

  [02:01.920 --> 02:07.200] your voice, and amplifying your impact. The part that meant the most, readers reached out to me

  [02:07.200 --> 02:13.120] to say they felt seen. That's what I knew this work mattered. I love the so much I co-founded Leverage,

  [02:13.120 --> 02:17.840] publishing group with friends who would make know this world inside and out. Now we help leaders,

  [02:17.840 --> 02:21.760] entrepreneurs, and change makers turn their ideas into books and podcasts that actually

  [02:21.760 --> 02:27.440] move people. Got a store in you, and I know you do. Let's chat. Find me a link then, or at

  [02:27.440 --> 02:33.040] LeveragePublicianGroup.com, because the world doesn't just need more books. It needs your book.

  [02:33.040 --> 02:41.520] All right, let's get to today's episode. Peace. Robderick's universe. This is a real treat because

  [02:41.520 --> 02:48.960] Dave and I, like I would say a number of my guests over the 70-80 episodes by the time this gets

  [02:48.960 --> 02:55.120] published. I have not met yet, but we have a common person in common. My former colleague,

  [02:55.120 --> 03:02.000] Brett Kunch, rhymes it lunch, right? I know Brett well, and when I was asking Brett, because Brett is

  [03:02.000 --> 03:08.880] a very avid link theater, if that's the appropriate noun. And he said, I think they should be someone

  [03:08.880 --> 03:13.680] you should chat with, Ron, and especially for your podcast. And so here we go.

  [03:14.240 --> 03:19.120] Dave, ladies on the mic. Dave, how you doing today? I'm great, Ron. Thank you for having me. I'm

  [03:19.120 --> 03:24.720] excited to be here. Must be good to be on the other side of the podcast, too, huh? When you're not

  [03:24.720 --> 03:30.560] hosting and interviewing, you get to... Oh, yeah. Nothing to... Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's easy peasy,

  [03:30.560 --> 03:36.480] man. Yeah, I don't have to have my notes and figure out my questions and all the things. Yeah,

  [03:36.480 --> 03:42.720] usually with with Y squirrels. It's... Yeah, a ton of crap, and it's just like... Yeah, it takes a lot

  [03:42.720 --> 03:49.200] of time, so... Yeah. Well, I know I told you right before I hit the record button, right? The fun

  [03:49.200 --> 03:54.720] and improv nature of this means I have no notes. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Which is even better. There's

  [03:54.720 --> 04:00.320] me... But I know that there's a work for everybody, right? This comes from like decades of interviewing

  [04:00.320 --> 04:06.640] people for jobs and lots of combos is that I am very much depending on my ability to improv,

  [04:06.640 --> 04:12.000] which is... That's not every podcast. I wouldn't even tell a lot of people to do that, right? Because it

  [04:12.000 --> 04:16.880] requires... It's a skill, right? Yeah. But I think that's what makes it fun because I can't bring

  [04:16.880 --> 04:22.000] my authentic self without doing it that because you're going to say things that I don't know about

  [04:22.000 --> 04:26.960] you. I'm going to get curious. They're going to be natural emotions that come up because I'm like,

  [04:26.960 --> 04:32.640] oh, shit, I didn't know that about me. Because I really... I don't know. Which is why this is

  [04:32.640 --> 04:37.840] joy for me. So... Yeah, yeah, yeah. Let's get it started. What's your story? Yeah, what's my story,

  [04:37.840 --> 04:47.760] Morning Glory? What is my story? There's so many stories, but my most recent story is being diagnosed

  [04:47.760 --> 04:56.560] with ADHD at 50. And so in being diagnosed, I did whatever nerd with ADHD does, and I launched

  [04:56.560 --> 05:04.400] the podcast about it. I launched my podcast, you know, before I was formerly diagnosed with ADHD.

  [05:04.400 --> 05:12.720] So we're... Yeah, I might... Yeah, I might... Well, my challenge with the podcasting stuff is that

  [05:12.720 --> 05:20.560] like I started podcasting in 2005. So 20 years last month or whatever month we're in. So about 20

  [05:20.560 --> 05:26.720] years ago. And I always joke that, you know, I've had multiple podcasts because I have ADHD

  [05:27.760 --> 05:33.840] and undiagnosed at the time. So I always joke that had I started with a podcast about ADHD 20 years

  [05:33.840 --> 05:40.640] ago, I'd have like Joe Rogan money now. Not being platforming freaks, but I would still be... Yeah,

  [05:40.640 --> 05:46.640] yeah. But, you know, that's okay. What was your first podcasting? Oh, five podcasting. My God,

  [05:46.640 --> 05:50.880] what was the first one that you did back then? It was called two boobs in a baby.

  [05:52.720 --> 05:56.160] Kind of like two men in a baby. Is that what three men in a baby? Was it a riff on it? Yeah,

  [05:56.160 --> 06:03.680] maybe they ripped it off. I don't know. Probably. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So we were pregnant and with our

  [06:03.680 --> 06:09.200] first kiddo, Sam, and so we decided to start a podcast because we have friends kind of internationally.

  [06:10.160 --> 06:16.240] So we called it sort of an audio baby book where we would just share the, you know, what our experiences

  [06:16.240 --> 06:23.600] are, you know, being pregnant and kind of navigating that. And then, and then like all American sitcoms,

  [06:23.600 --> 06:29.520] when the ratings start to slip, you add a baby to the cast. And so suddenly we had a second baby,

  [06:30.160 --> 06:36.640] 11 and a half months later. Wow. So you talk about five like a true American sitcom in the 80s.

  [06:36.640 --> 06:41.360] Yeah, right. Yeah, exactly. Exactly. Why is the kid older all of a sudden? What the hell? You're

  [06:41.440 --> 06:47.280] right, right, right. Yeah. Yeah. Totally. Totally. But yeah. So, so yes, it's been podcasting a long time.

  [06:48.160 --> 06:54.160] And, you know, I joke about American sitcoms, but I'm actually Canadian or canarican now as they say,

  [06:54.720 --> 07:00.880] or as nearly young says, at least. So born and raised in Toronto, went to Ireland, met my wife

  [07:00.880 --> 07:07.840] there who's from Tennessee. And that's how we ended up in Nashville. Wow. So because you mentioned

  [07:07.840 --> 07:13.520] podcasting, like, well, we've in other elements of your story, right? Because it's interesting.

  [07:13.520 --> 07:19.120] Like when I find when I ask people, what's your story? Generally speaking, I get the little bit of like,

  [07:19.680 --> 07:25.200] what's what's my life? If that's the name of the shot, I forget the name of the show with like the 50s,

  [07:25.200 --> 07:29.600] right? People go through on like, yeah, yeah, this is your mom, but yeah, you know, like surprise guests,

  [07:29.600 --> 07:36.480] right? But I'm really curious about someone like you who's been in podcasting for so long. So my

  [07:36.480 --> 07:41.600] curiosity is like, all the podcasts that you've done is that content's still out there that you

  [07:41.600 --> 07:46.480] had like, do you ever look back on it and go, oh my god, I can't believe I put this together.

  [07:46.480 --> 07:50.960] I want to resh out like restart these ideas and curious like when you look back at all of it,

  [07:50.960 --> 07:55.440] like what you've learned and like what that journey's been. Yeah, I mean, yeah, I do look back at

  [07:55.440 --> 08:02.960] some of them. I don't listen to most of them maybe occasionally if I have like a thought about a

  [08:02.960 --> 08:08.480] guest on a previous episode or one of the other podcasts because I've had everything from like

  [08:08.480 --> 08:13.440] two boobs in a baby was sort of more of what I call a rambles kind of couples cast, right? Or

  [08:13.440 --> 08:18.400] more of a couples cast in that case. Yeah. So we were sort of inspired early on by like Don and Drew

  [08:18.400 --> 08:24.720] who were pretty early into podcasting. And so I sort of modeled it kind of off of their their

  [08:24.720 --> 08:32.400] format. And then I've had a podcast where it's just me solo. I had one called Walking with Dave,

  [08:32.400 --> 08:37.440] where I'd be walking the dog and I just rambled. So I called that a rambled cast just when I'm solo

  [08:37.440 --> 08:44.400] person. And then the interview format, which is what I'm doing now. So yeah, I sometimes think of it

  [08:44.400 --> 08:52.160] like an actor in a way and I dabble in that. But that, you know, it's too cringy to like watch or

  [08:52.160 --> 08:56.480] listen to yourself from years ago, but we're occasionally. And some of them are still out there,

  [08:56.480 --> 09:02.080] some of them aren't. Yeah. What inspired you? You gave a little bit of the background of like

  [09:02.160 --> 09:07.840] tube is in a baby started, right? But like these other podcast ideas aside from the one that you

  [09:07.840 --> 09:12.960] now are doing, I think on ADHD, right? The wilds girls. But where are the inspirations for the

  [09:12.960 --> 09:17.120] other podcast where there's just like a fucking, I'm going to record because this would be fun or

  [09:17.120 --> 09:22.800] like what there was. There's some Genesis story. Yeah, that's a good question. I've so I majored

  [09:22.800 --> 09:29.280] in radio and television broadcasting back in the day. And so what came was really and I majored

  [09:29.280 --> 09:35.200] in radio actually and worked in television years later. But and and so that was like, you know,

  [09:35.200 --> 09:43.840] mid 90s and in the, you know, in in 2004, I'm also a nerdy. So I've always loved internet culture.

  [09:43.840 --> 09:49.360] Well, I used to love it not as much now, but that's a different. It's getting to be drags. You

  [09:49.360 --> 09:56.560] have to find a dumpster of fire. Yeah. I know. But yeah. But early days, you know, I was, I mean,

  [09:56.560 --> 10:02.880] I ran a BBS on my Commodore 64, which dates my my that reference. But that was, you know, 80s.

  [10:02.880 --> 10:08.880] That was pre internet when I was like, yeah. So I've always been into online, online. But I was

  [10:08.880 --> 10:14.880] never into gaming or anything. I was into years later reflecting on my career and my life and

  [10:14.880 --> 10:22.080] and working with coaches myself. Yeah. As well as, you know, now coaching others. But I learned that

  [10:22.080 --> 10:28.000] I'm really about communication at the end of the day. And so and and people like I genuinely,

  [10:28.640 --> 10:34.560] there's no point in communicating if it doesn't involve people, right? And so, just, you know,

  [10:34.560 --> 10:40.800] starting podcasting was a way to kind of build a community. We had a forum and and listeners could

  [10:40.800 --> 10:45.920] interact with us and things. So it just made sense. So yeah. So I've been in that space forever.

  [10:45.920 --> 10:51.760] Some of the other podcasts I had, I did some work with the business accelerator sort of a startup

  [10:51.760 --> 10:57.360] incubator here in Nashville interviewing, you know, entrepreneurs both locally and then

  [10:58.800 --> 11:08.160] more popular names, people like Seth Godin and yeah, Kawasaki and yeah. And so I had that podcast.

  [11:08.160 --> 11:13.680] Not chronologically speaking, but I had one as I mentioned that of me just walking the dog.

  [11:13.680 --> 11:19.600] I had another one of me sort of reciting old like short stories and things that I journaled

  [11:19.600 --> 11:26.960] over the years. I had another one called the called NBN radio, which was stood for new business

  [11:26.960 --> 11:31.840] networking radio, which my book is called new business networking. So I started that around the same

  [11:31.840 --> 11:36.400] time to promote the book and also just to talk to people about networking, good networking, not

  [11:36.400 --> 11:43.600] icky networking. And then and then what else? Oh, and then nice podcast, which was the last one I had

  [11:44.160 --> 11:52.400] before starting ADHD-Y squirrels. But I'm now 63 episodes today or 60, yeah, a little over 60.

  [11:52.400 --> 11:59.680] Congratulations. Thanks. Yeah. And yeah, I love it. It's definitely this one's different in a lot

  [11:59.680 --> 12:04.640] of ways and it's really special and important. Yeah, it makes so much sense and it's nice to meet

  [12:04.640 --> 12:09.760] someone that has had formal training to get into this world, right? I don't want to assume this

  [12:09.760 --> 12:16.080] is all podcasters, right? But you know, this makes me think of when I reference at time of this

  [12:16.080 --> 12:22.320] recording, right? Was it a career there earlier this morning? Right? So I'm talking to middle schoolers

  [12:22.320 --> 12:28.560] about what I do. And you know, it was the thing that interested them most. It wasn't my full-time job.

  [12:28.560 --> 12:34.400] We were saying that I was a podcaster and saying that was a storyteller. And it's the part about

  [12:34.480 --> 12:40.720] my journey that I'm like, that's not what middle school run ever would have thought. And I just

  [12:40.720 --> 12:45.520] had this thought, well, but I remember we had to write for in my middle school class, like I had to

  [12:45.520 --> 12:51.440] write this like mini book about something I enjoyed. And interestingly enough was about video games

  [12:51.440 --> 12:58.080] and playing old NES back in the late 80s, right? Yeah, sure. And it was fascinating that I think

  [12:59.120 --> 13:03.520] I'd been so consumed with like how good I was academically and the things I was good at

  [13:03.520 --> 13:10.640] academically in terms of test scores, math and science. And yet as I got older and I realized

  [13:11.120 --> 13:17.120] being around people that my even more genius skill was the emotional and social intelligence

  [13:17.120 --> 13:22.400] and being able to communicate and inspire people, right? Yeah, that's true. I'm curious,

  [13:22.400 --> 13:27.440] like how did you choose radio and TV to be something you measured in when you did that, right?

  [13:27.440 --> 13:31.280] Because it makes sense, like in the world that you're in and what when I know about you so far,

  [13:31.280 --> 13:34.880] they that like, yeah, of course, you would have measured into that, right? But I don't know

  [13:34.880 --> 13:40.480] podcasts. There's why so like, I measured like in something in like median, right? That seems

  [13:40.480 --> 13:49.280] to be much smaller percentage. Yeah, I think I always actually wrote a blog post about this at

  [13:49.280 --> 13:55.520] on my blog at Dave Delaney.me a long time ago, but it was about this, you know, I'm a child of the

  [13:55.520 --> 14:04.400] 70s 80s. So radio was obviously a big a big part of that. And you know, and being sort of a

  [14:04.400 --> 14:11.280] person who is maybe annoyingly, you know, undiagnosed, right? So I'm the Bart Simpson hyperactive

  [14:11.280 --> 14:17.760] kid back in the day driving my teachers crazy. And I was the class clown. And I've always been

  [14:18.400 --> 14:24.080] quick-witted and funny or funny looking at least. So I would love to get people laughing. And

  [14:24.160 --> 14:29.040] that's still something I do with my presentations in my, like, when I do a keynote or workshop or

  [14:29.040 --> 14:35.920] something. It's a big part of what I do. But so I always loved getting people laughing. I would do

  [14:35.920 --> 14:43.360] like crank calls and record the call. And so I had those cassettes of crank calls. The friends and I

  [14:43.360 --> 14:48.960] absolutely loved listening to we had a video show. Benjamin Dover is a Benjamin Dover here.

  [14:49.200 --> 14:56.080] Right, right, right. Yeah, we did some pretty fun ones. So stuff like that, the medium of like

  [14:56.080 --> 15:03.360] recording it, like the idea of using media was just fascinating to me. And as I got older,

  [15:03.360 --> 15:09.920] I got more and more, you know, into making mixed tapes for friends and ex-girlfriends and all the

  [15:09.920 --> 15:17.600] stuff. And so performance has always been part of it too. I studied improv with Second City and Toronto

  [15:17.680 --> 15:22.800] and kind of have done a lot of improv and comedy in my, in my career. And that plays a role in my

  [15:22.800 --> 15:28.800] life. People don't know if the audience doesn't know, like Second City and the Canadian, like,

  [15:28.800 --> 15:34.560] geniuses that have gone through there. As someone who, like, consumes a lot of pop culture, I mean,

  [15:34.560 --> 15:41.760] Second City. My, that is, yeah. Who did you train with there? Did you get to see any of the, like, folks?

  [15:42.480 --> 15:47.440] No, they were sort of before my time. I mean, they were like, because it was, you know, but, but,

  [15:47.440 --> 15:52.640] yeah, I mean, Toronto's not that, I mean, it is now, I guess, it's the fourth largest city in

  [15:52.640 --> 15:57.920] North America now. Yeah, it's crazy. Because the show SCTV was Second City, right? That was

  [15:57.920 --> 16:03.760] Second City television. Yeah, so Second City. We're dating ourselves day by talking about SCTV,

  [16:03.760 --> 16:09.280] what that, that's, that's it out, like, yeah. Well, for folks who, who might be a tad younger,

  [16:09.920 --> 16:15.440] or, or more into, like, more current shows, you know, Shits Creek, which has wrapped,

  [16:15.440 --> 16:20.800] but Shits Creek is a great example because Eugene and Catherine O'Hara were both alums from

  [16:22.000 --> 16:26.800] and Second City and Toronto. And so Martin Short, Gilder Radner was around, even though she's

  [16:26.800 --> 16:32.160] American, they let her hang out. John Candy. Yes. I think it's a Catherine O'Hara there.

  [16:32.800 --> 16:39.120] Andrea Martin, Rick Moranis. Yes. You know, Ghostbusters and, and I struck the kids and

  [16:39.680 --> 16:44.880] all those guys. So, yeah, there was like a, yeah, SCTV or Second City, I should say, started in

  [16:44.880 --> 16:51.680] Chicago and then, and then moved or opened a location in Toronto. And that's where that

  [16:51.680 --> 16:56.640] crew of famous comedians and actors, Martin Short, I think I mentioned them. We're also

  [16:57.760 --> 17:04.080] there. I know I'm forgetting somebody and it's driving me crazy. I know. I'm like thinking. Oh, wait, Rick Moranis and

  [17:05.520 --> 17:10.240] this is terrible. Okay, it'll come. It'll come. This is the ADHD brain at work because our minds

  [17:10.240 --> 17:14.800] are moving so fast. It's like, wait, it's, it's there. I just slowed down to get the name right in

  [17:14.800 --> 17:20.720] front of my face. Yeah. Jill Flierny, but there's someone else. Okay. Oh, my gosh. You know, it's

  [17:20.720 --> 17:26.640] interesting. So because we have such a rich amount of like podcasting episodes, not as rich as

  [17:26.640 --> 17:32.160] yours. I'm not 20 years in, right? But like I'm two and a half years in one of the podcasts that I

  [17:32.160 --> 17:40.720] have was one of the co founders or one of the like main teachers and coaches at a popular improv

  [17:40.720 --> 17:46.160] studio here in New York City, Magnet theaters. I'd Rick Andrews on and just taking one class with him

  [17:46.160 --> 17:51.520] and then my wife took several and just when you get that taste of improv and what that means or

  [17:52.320 --> 17:57.600] how well you can communicate with others, but how well that allows you to lead because he teaches

  [17:57.600 --> 18:04.240] leadership classes too. That's what I did. Right. Yeah. Yeah. I've got a, like I've got a keynote

  [18:04.240 --> 18:09.920] presentation I do. It's my signature talk. It's a one I've done. Yeah. It's most popular and it's

  [18:09.920 --> 18:15.920] called the master communicator's secret weapon. And the reveal to the audience is the secret weapon

  [18:15.920 --> 18:22.560] is improv. But and then I go through sort of these core concepts from improv, like overcoming a

  [18:22.560 --> 18:27.760] fear of failure or thinking faster on your feet, body language, active listening, all these things

  [18:28.400 --> 18:35.280] leading with acceptance, all of these takeaways that I learned from improv, but teaching the audience

  [18:35.280 --> 18:40.400] how to apply these lessons to the way they show up in the world and network and meet other people

  [18:40.400 --> 18:50.240] and so on and lead people. So it's not sometimes improv actors become speakers and then like

  [18:50.240 --> 18:56.640] bring the audience on stage and things like that. I do some interactive stuff and I do some, but

  [18:57.680 --> 19:06.480] I'm very careful not to make people feel uncomfortable. And so I'm quite, quite careful with that.

  [19:06.480 --> 19:12.400] I do do a workshop called the the secret weapon workshop, which sometimes conferences will

  [19:12.400 --> 19:19.120] hire me to do as a as a follow up to the keynote. So that way they'll, so that way like it's a breakout

  [19:19.120 --> 19:25.040] session at that point. So those who are keen to really get their hands dirty, imaginary dirty,

  [19:25.040 --> 19:29.520] of course, it's improv, but they will come to my breakout session and then the other sessions can

  [19:29.520 --> 19:35.040] go on. So that way those who want to really get into it. And and of course I do like corporate

  [19:35.040 --> 19:40.160] workshops and training as well around around using these skills because yeah, there's a lot,

  [19:40.160 --> 19:44.960] a lot there, but I'm careful not to not to make people feel uncomfortable either.

  [19:45.760 --> 19:50.720] All right, let me keep it real. A lot of this have write-up books and air goals lists.

  [19:50.720 --> 19:56.640] Maybe for years, I sure did. Good news is there's more than one way to get it done. If you've got

  [19:56.640 --> 20:01.440] more money than time, a ghost rider can help bring your story to life. If you've got more time

  [20:01.440 --> 20:06.160] than money, a great book coach can guide you through the process step by step. If you're on a

  [20:06.160 --> 20:09.920] written thing, you'll want someone to shepherd you through publishing, so you don't waste time or

  [20:09.920 --> 20:15.680] cash. Here's the thing though, no matter how you do it, the real win is riding the right book,

  [20:15.680 --> 20:20.080] the one that builds your credibility, grows your business, and actually makes difference.

  [20:20.080 --> 20:24.560] That's what the team with books that matters all about. Head to books that matter, that board,

  [20:24.560 --> 20:30.240] and get some feedback in your idea of manuscript. Don't sit on any longer. Your book can be exactly

  [20:30.240 --> 20:35.760] what the world needs. Because it can be right when people feel like they're put on the spot,

  [20:35.760 --> 20:39.920] or they're not being, or they're doing something that's outside their comfort zone, it can get a

  [20:39.920 --> 20:45.280] little dicey, right? I've seen that when I, the one semester I took the improv class, right? I mean,

  [20:45.280 --> 20:49.680] I think it's hard for some folks because it, you know, the thing that I had to unlearn in doing

  [20:49.680 --> 20:55.280] improv was like, this is not about me being funny guy. I'm not doing stand-up, right? And the

  [20:56.000 --> 21:01.200] person that person never survives the class, they never graduate. And I had to learn to like,

  [21:01.200 --> 21:06.400] Ron, this is not about saying the funny line, you have to do it in the moment, in the yes and

  [21:06.400 --> 21:10.960] structure of the improv, right? And so you're just reacting off of someone and just, and in

  [21:10.960 --> 21:16.720] if it's the insanity of some of the premises is where the fun is, right? And if you just

  [21:16.720 --> 21:22.000] do it, right? Yeah, absolutely. And that's what I really learned is like, just like when you

  [21:22.000 --> 21:26.960] lead, you don't always have control over all some of these leadership things. And you and I coach

  [21:26.960 --> 21:32.400] like, I'm like, they're really, this is really happening in their leader. This is crazy shit. And I go,

  [21:33.040 --> 21:38.240] but then you have to like, sort of like help make meaning, provide space, ask questions. And then

  [21:38.240 --> 21:43.760] really good stuff can come out when you listen really deeply and help build with somebody, right?

  [21:43.760 --> 21:50.240] Which is 100% like it's total improv. Just like the podcast. Yeah. Exactly. Yeah.

  [21:50.800 --> 21:55.120] Well, something I think you and I are interested in and I can't help but to bring, you know,

  [21:55.120 --> 22:00.160] bread into the space, like my colleague Brett connected us because he thought you and I would be

  [22:00.160 --> 22:05.360] good connects in the fact that like you have also written a book on networking. I wrote one myself

  [22:05.360 --> 22:09.280] more like a circle of champions. Tell me a little bit about when you wrote there and like what

  [22:09.280 --> 22:16.640] your approach is because when I hear when people hear the term and always wigs people, I get it and

  [22:17.600 --> 22:22.400] here's how Dave explains it. So go well. Yeah. That's why the keynote is called networking for

  [22:22.400 --> 22:27.680] nice people because, you know, and I used to run a website called networking for nice people as well.

  [22:27.680 --> 22:33.600] So yeah, because networking does have kind of negative connotations, of course, and makes, you know,

  [22:33.600 --> 22:39.360] you feel kind of icky if you think of networking like in your stereotypical kind of the networking

  [22:39.360 --> 22:46.000] examples that come to mind. Yeah. So when I moved from Toronto to Nashville, I didn't know a soul

  [22:46.000 --> 22:52.400] besides my wife obviously and kids and like one other couple and besides them, I didn't know anyone

  [22:52.400 --> 23:00.320] and I was looking for a job and, you know, all that stuff. And so part of the book, new business

  [23:00.320 --> 23:06.960] networking is about me moving here and not knowing anyone and how I networked my way to getting a

  [23:06.960 --> 23:13.280] job and then landing and then eventually, you know, launching my own business. Yeah. And it's not

  [23:13.280 --> 23:17.200] just about me. I mean, there's plenty of examples in there. But as I mentioned earlier, as an

  [23:17.200 --> 23:23.760] early adopter of social media and social networks, I have chapters, now the books like 13 years

  [23:23.760 --> 23:30.960] old now. So I have chapters on Twitter and Facebook and LinkedIn. A lot of that is still relevant.

  [23:32.080 --> 23:38.640] But except Twitter, which I wouldn't recommend anyone used. And, and then I have chat. So I have

  [23:38.640 --> 23:42.320] chapters on these different social networks because I've been on them like forever. Like I was on

  [23:42.320 --> 23:48.000] Twitter February 07 and I've been on LinkedIn 18 years just a couple months ago. And so

  [23:49.040 --> 23:53.680] because I'm an early adopter in this stuff and use them to genuinely build relationships,

  [23:53.680 --> 23:59.280] meet people and then go to conferences like CES or South by Southwest or other tech sort of

  [23:59.280 --> 24:05.840] related conferences. I would meet up with people there. And so I do have chapters on podcasting

  [24:05.840 --> 24:10.880] and then I also have chapters on how to organize your own events, how to attend conferences and

  [24:10.880 --> 24:16.640] network, you know, well. And so, and, and part of that is, you know, one message I have is talk

  [24:16.640 --> 24:23.040] to strangers, unless you're my kids. So if you're a kid listening, don't, yeah, don't talk to strangers.

  [24:24.080 --> 24:29.440] But to talk to strangers and what's really funny is my book, New Business Networking came

  [24:30.320 --> 24:36.720] from me at a conference who I saw a woman sitting behind this table of she was a publisher and she

  [24:36.720 --> 24:41.280] had some books on display and I knew some of the authors. So I went over and just introduced myself

  [24:41.280 --> 24:45.920] and started chatting. And she's like, what's your book? And I said, I don't have a book. And she's

  [24:45.920 --> 24:52.560] like, you know, what what's your book? And I'm like, and I had this idea of like online and offline

  [24:52.560 --> 24:58.240] networking kind of combined. But I never articulated. I never even shared the crazy idea with my wife.

  [24:58.240 --> 25:04.240] And she would hear all the crazy ideas. God bless her. Yes. And so she got it out of me and I said,

  [25:04.240 --> 25:10.000] well, I have had this idea and I explained it to her. She's like, I love that. And we exchanged

  [25:10.000 --> 25:16.400] information, like contact information. I followed up with her. She sent me a visit or a book proposal.

  [25:16.400 --> 25:21.120] Next thing I knew I had a publishing deal. I had an advance, a contract, all that stuff. And I'm like,

  [25:21.120 --> 25:28.480] oh, and that's how somebody writes a book with undiagnosed ADHD, by the way, is with a legal contract.

  [25:29.440 --> 25:36.880] Because otherwise it's not easy. So and it wasn't easy. But yeah. So my book about networking came

  [25:36.880 --> 25:42.560] from networking, which I kind of like. That's fascinating. I have a somewhat similar story. I

  [25:42.560 --> 25:48.960] tell me yours. I got reached out to via LinkedIn by the same folks who helped me produce this podcast,

  [25:48.960 --> 25:53.520] by the way. So they also do podcasting. My friends at Thought Leader Group, right? Yeah. And so I

  [25:53.520 --> 25:59.200] got to reach out through either Randier Kent. I'd have to look back. It was one of them, right? Yeah.

  [25:59.200 --> 26:03.600] But we'll stick with Kent. And it was like, hey, do you want to write a book? And it just felt time.

  [26:03.600 --> 26:08.240] It felt the message felt different enough. I was like, effort, because you know, when you have

  [26:08.240 --> 26:13.040] a lot of connections on social media like you and I do, you get hit up a lot. I get, you know,

  [26:13.040 --> 26:19.200] I don't respond to most of it. But this one, I was like, I'm curious. So I had the combo. And

  [26:20.000 --> 26:26.400] the cell was good because Kent and Randier that asked me a lot of good questions and it went into,

  [26:26.400 --> 26:30.480] you know, we should write the book about. It was at a time in my life where I was like, I'd been

  [26:30.480 --> 26:35.760] thinking about it for a minute, right? I knew what that was good at. Professionally, right? Yeah.

  [26:35.760 --> 26:42.000] Career coaching, career networking, giving advice. And then the book turned into more of a how to

  [26:42.000 --> 26:49.280] network into, let's make it a story. I love it. And so it became around the seven archetypes of

  [26:49.280 --> 26:53.200] people you need to your circle of champions, right? You know, be your person boarded advisors.

  [26:53.200 --> 26:58.160] There's all these terms for it. For a little parable, I guess, in a way. Yeah. It became like,

  [26:58.160 --> 27:04.800] here are the things that each of these like archetypes have. But it tells it through the stories of

  [27:04.800 --> 27:10.000] these people and how they helped me at different points in my career and life, including my wife,

  [27:10.000 --> 27:14.960] right? Yeah, that's personal. Sage. And so I like the book because it's not your usual like,

  [27:14.960 --> 27:20.240] here's just advice. It's because the thing that I've learned over and over again,

  [27:20.240 --> 27:24.480] not only this podcast, but things that I consume that I enjoy, it the story is good.

  [27:25.200 --> 27:32.240] I'm going to keep coming back. So I do. Yeah. Well, sorry, before you ask, I do like,

  [27:32.880 --> 27:39.440] you know, coaching with with my clients on how to better know themselves their strengths and so on.

  [27:40.400 --> 27:45.760] And I go through what I call the route down, which is this process with them. But the reason

  [27:45.760 --> 27:52.400] why I brought it up was, you know, like if I do a workshop with a company and we do profile analysis

  [27:52.400 --> 27:59.120] or personality strengths, you know, that kind of thing, then it's kind of done as a team or

  [27:59.120 --> 28:04.960] a department or company wide. So they all know and their strategies for that, like, you know,

  [28:04.960 --> 28:10.960] change in the color of their business cards or pinning up their type on their cubicle or door

  [28:10.960 --> 28:15.520] or whatever. But for you, for the book, and you'll have to excuse me for not reading it,

  [28:16.160 --> 28:24.400] it's okay. If you need like to have this group of wise, you know, mentors in your life who fit

  [28:24.400 --> 28:29.680] each different category, how do you know, how do you know your wife was a sage? I mean, that would

  [28:29.680 --> 28:35.440] be an obvious one, right? But like for the others, are you actively, were you actively looking for

  [28:35.440 --> 28:40.720] these different types of people or, or did you just realize like, Oh, wait, this person is this

  [28:40.720 --> 28:46.480] and this person is that. So a lot of their like magic sauce in the writing of the book, it was

  [28:46.480 --> 28:50.640] they just asked me about people influenced me. And then as they went through the series of questions

  [28:50.640 --> 28:56.880] about each person individually, and then became what title would you give this person? So the title

  [28:56.880 --> 29:00.880] came much later. And the idea of the archetype came in reflection, it's talking about the story

  [29:00.880 --> 29:07.280] of the person. That's cool. So they go straight it with you. Is that how it worked? Yeah, I'm someone,

  [29:07.280 --> 29:11.920] this is where the ADHD really comes down. So I struggled to write five page papers in high school

  [29:11.920 --> 29:18.000] in college. Sure. Yeah. You know, ginkgo below the and lip thin black tea with a little bit of

  [29:18.000 --> 29:23.920] milk was my caffeine to stay up and pull on writers, right? Right. Um, to sit down like my wife just

  [29:24.000 --> 29:29.280] wrote a dissertation for her doctorate, right? Graduated in May. I don't have not, not don't have.

  [29:30.240 --> 29:37.120] It would be a lot of energy for me to like do that kind of stuff like kind of like that detail

  [29:37.120 --> 29:45.760] long work is not. It doesn't give me juice like this love, right? The hour or less, right? The

  [29:46.400 --> 29:53.120] writing reading an article versus a book. I mean, Dave, I have too many books on my bookshelf,

  [29:53.120 --> 29:58.480] which is not in view and the bookshelf where my TV sits in the living room. There's Polly,

  [29:58.480 --> 30:06.400] the three books that are below my laptop. It's like 25 books that I have bought or been given

  [30:06.400 --> 30:11.280] in the last three years. I don't think any of them I've opened. I just have these books. Yeah,

  [30:11.280 --> 30:16.160] but I read avidly to be clear, right? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Of course. Of course. Yeah. Yeah.

  [30:16.160 --> 30:21.680] It's back to social media, right? Because I think you and I have in common like being early adopters

  [30:21.680 --> 30:25.760] of social media, which isn't everybody in our Gen X age range to be clear. I have,

  [30:25.760 --> 30:29.360] let me forgive me for saying this, but it's my part. So I'm going to say like there's some people

  [30:29.360 --> 30:34.720] I'm like, you're a luttie. Oh my god. It's like weird to be like you. It's like, it's really,

  [30:35.440 --> 30:40.320] I'll say disconcerted, but it isn't what it is, right? So I'm curious. We've seen the evolution

  [30:41.120 --> 30:45.520] of what the social part of social media is when you go back to like, when you started,

  [30:45.520 --> 30:51.600] I started really adopting social media in the MySpace and friends through days and AI and chat

  [30:51.680 --> 30:56.000] rooms, right? That was my beginning of social media. So I was really like early 2000s when I

  [30:56.000 --> 30:59.840] started to have a laptop, right? Yeah. But you were there before that, right? I was like,

  [30:59.840 --> 31:06.080] audience, so I'm curious from like the journey arc that you've seen and the good, the bad,

  [31:06.080 --> 31:11.120] and the ugly. How would you describe that to the audience? Yeah, it's a great, great question.

  [31:11.120 --> 31:17.200] I think early on, well, for, I mean, it's pre-internet, but there's BBSs, but the connection,

  [31:17.280 --> 31:21.920] I mean, I won't be a welder that, but people can look at bulletin board systems.

  [31:21.920 --> 31:26.720] Yeah. And you know, you were at the mercy of a phone line, like,

  [31:26.720 --> 31:36.480] traditional phone line. So, exactly, exactly. Mom, put down the phone. But in in the earliest days,

  [31:37.280 --> 31:42.560] you know, there was sort of listservs that kind of popped up and and wikis and things like that

  [31:42.560 --> 31:47.760] and forums. And then you could create your own forums if you had a little tech savvy. And so I

  [31:47.760 --> 31:54.000] started doing that, creating forums. And then, you know, podcasting, of course, and blogging,

  [31:54.000 --> 31:57.920] and web blogging before blogging or whatever it's called now. Now it's called the content

  [31:57.920 --> 32:04.480] management system. Yeah. So it's an acronym, same thing, yes. Yeah. I mean, either way,

  [32:04.480 --> 32:10.080] if it has RSS, the real simple syndication that was created by our, our godfather,

  [32:10.080 --> 32:16.000] our father of all this stuff, one of the fathers, I guess, Dave Weiner, who created RSS. Yeah.

  [32:16.480 --> 32:21.120] You know, without RSS, we wouldn't have blogging or podcasting or any of that stuff. Yeah.

  [32:21.120 --> 32:26.720] Not anyway, like it, like it's grown and like it's become. The state of social media is a good question

  [32:26.720 --> 32:36.640] because what's happened is these different social networks or companies, let's say,

  [32:36.800 --> 32:42.080] let's say Facebook and Twitter and so on or Meta or X or whatever you want to call them.

  [32:43.600 --> 32:53.520] They, they took seed, they took funding to, to grow their businesses. Naturally, they had to.

  [32:54.560 --> 32:58.080] You know, the joke was always that Twitter has no business model because they have no idea what

  [32:58.080 --> 33:07.360] it is. And over time, what happened was they went public and they had investors and investment

  [33:07.360 --> 33:15.520] and their shareholders and investors wanted an ROI and wanted to see that. And so these companies

  [33:15.520 --> 33:24.080] started aggressively trying to find ways to, to increase time on site and engagement and, and all

  [33:24.080 --> 33:30.080] the stuff. And unfortunately, through algorithms that are, you know, much more toxic now than they

  [33:30.080 --> 33:36.560] were, but they were also, you know, we're right back to traditional media. So like,

  [33:36.560 --> 33:41.760] newspapers, you know, there's a line in newspapers in journalism that was, if it bleeds, it leads,

  [33:41.760 --> 33:47.120] which is like it gets to the front page of the paper because, you know, people like, they don't

  [33:47.120 --> 33:51.440] like it, but they want to read it because they're curious, the train rack or whatever. And so,

  [33:51.440 --> 34:01.200] social networks have gone that way, unfortunately. And now, they work on a shock and awe model

  [34:02.160 --> 34:07.600] that, you know, if they don't have people on their sites interacting and spending time,

  [34:07.600 --> 34:12.320] then the advertisers aren't interested in advertising. And if the advertisers aren't interested,

  [34:12.320 --> 34:17.600] then they lose that money and then their investors are pissed off and their companies will go away.

  [34:17.680 --> 34:24.240] And so, I'm concerned about the future right now, just, and I haven't even talked about AI yet,

  [34:24.720 --> 34:32.000] but I'm concerned about the future just because even with podcasting, like the podcasters I enjoyed,

  [34:32.000 --> 34:38.880] some of the podcasters I enjoyed, I now don't trust anymore because they've started selling

  [34:38.880 --> 34:45.600] weird things or they're, you know, they've become hypocrites or they're, or they're platforming

  [34:45.600 --> 34:53.440] people with terrible ideas. And they're only doing that either they have bad ideas, which could

  [34:53.440 --> 34:59.920] be the case, or they platform these, these people, it just really in order to get the rage and get

  [34:59.920 --> 35:06.480] people talking about it because did you hear so and so on this podcast and then everybody goes to

  [35:06.480 --> 35:13.040] listen, that increases views, that increases time on site, et cetera, and their advertisers are happy.

  [35:13.520 --> 35:21.360] So, I'm not sure what the future looks like, but right now the model has gone a long way from

  [35:22.400 --> 35:27.600] social networking because you want to network and not icky networking, but genuine networking

  [35:28.320 --> 35:35.280] on social networks to what we're looking at now. And yeah, it's definitely concerning.

  [35:36.080 --> 35:40.640] I feel you and I have been around the block enough. I think when I give my picture like why I'm

  [35:40.640 --> 35:45.520] still involved in these things because I think what you had to say is very much in alignment of how

  [35:45.520 --> 35:51.600] I've seen social media change, right? The socialness is more of, you know, you had the media part

  [35:51.600 --> 35:55.280] and the revenue and the investor part, like that's a huge thing. It's like, you know, the

  [35:56.240 --> 36:02.480] breakdown of, of journalism, I think can really be attributed to how much, how prolific social

  [36:02.480 --> 36:07.680] media has become. And you can make a pretty clear line, right? Where at all the ad revenue that

  [36:07.680 --> 36:13.440] funded journalism, you know, print journalism go, but to social. Some simplified level, right?

  [36:13.440 --> 36:21.040] And so the money went and so, boom, right? And so, you know, one of the things that I've seen

  [36:21.760 --> 36:27.440] in doing social for myself is like you, it's a means to an end. I want to build relationships

  [36:27.440 --> 36:33.840] with people. It is not as interesting to me just to like comment on people's things and message

  [36:33.920 --> 36:38.160] people. Now granted, there is still a number of people, if I use LinkedIn as the one platform

  [36:38.160 --> 36:43.360] I tend to focus on, that I've just done that with, right? And probably similar to you, right?

  [36:43.360 --> 36:48.080] Because you have a brand and you're putting out a lot of stuff, right? There's this push pull of

  [36:48.080 --> 36:52.240] like people feel like they really know you, which I find fascinating, right? And I think,

  [36:53.040 --> 36:57.920] I mean, this is my ADHD and play. I think I can overshare a little bit too much around good,

  [36:57.920 --> 37:01.840] but can feedback about that about our misses, which is true, right? Oh, yeah.

  [37:01.840 --> 37:07.840] It's been really working on what that kind of like line is. And I'm extroverted. So I enjoy

  [37:07.840 --> 37:13.680] the kind of dopamine effect of having people engage with me. And what I care most about

  [37:13.680 --> 37:18.720] is to build an offline relationship. Even if that starts with your phone or zoom, right? I think

  [37:18.720 --> 37:24.320] that for me, I think for you is like, this is where the networking part of it, because we grew up

  [37:24.320 --> 37:30.160] when it was without as much of that infiltration, right? I was like, you know, I remember building

  [37:30.160 --> 37:33.840] my LinkedIn methodically. And now that I've been on it for 20 years, like, people,

  [37:33.840 --> 37:38.480] how did you get that many followers? I'm like, that's a 20 year journey. If you would have met

  [37:38.480 --> 37:45.760] 06, like 05 to 13, I didn't really use it a lot. In the last decade, totally different, right?

  [37:45.760 --> 37:49.680] And then when Microsoft bought it and did things to invest in it to make it more social,

  [37:49.680 --> 37:54.480] LinkedIn dynamically changed. My estimation, right? Yeah, I know. I agree. I agree. I think,

  [37:55.120 --> 38:02.400] you know, roughly, I know certainly Twitter definitely or X or whatever, but 50% of the users

  [38:02.400 --> 38:09.920] now are bots. And the same is happening on LinkedIn to some degree. I don't know what the percentage is.

  [38:09.920 --> 38:14.000] Yeah, all these crazy third degree things that ask me like, do you want a job? Do you want this?

  [38:14.000 --> 38:21.040] I'm like, ill, you're well, and also like, but also it was weird. Yeah, I mean, I have the same

  [38:21.040 --> 38:28.880] two or three or four people that are liking everything I write and commenting on it. And I just

  [38:28.880 --> 38:34.800] wrote a post about this on my LinkedIn profile at Dave Delaney called how to automate everything on

  [38:34.800 --> 38:41.680] LinkedIn. And the just and the gist of it is don't like stop because what's happening now is people

  [38:41.680 --> 38:48.480] are using AI to just generate content without even thinking about it. I'm all for aspects of AI,

  [38:48.480 --> 38:54.320] certainly I use it too. But if you write, if you use AI to write an article and then you post it

  [38:54.320 --> 39:00.400] on LinkedIn, guess what? You'll start noticing over time. And I'm noticing it more and more now,

  [39:00.400 --> 39:06.160] where, and this is part of the, that, the gist of that article that I wrote on LinkedIn. What's

  [39:06.160 --> 39:13.840] happening now is people that I know are commenting on my articles, my posts, but I can tell from

  [39:13.840 --> 39:18.800] the comments that they're posting that they're not writing that. And so they're using an automated

  [39:18.800 --> 39:27.840] tool to AI to generate automatically comments on certain people's posts. So when you think about

  [39:27.840 --> 39:35.520] that, if you take a step back, that's AI creating the content and AI responding to the content. So

  [39:35.520 --> 39:40.960] we're kind of like removing the human element from the equation there. Yeah. And that's where we're

  [39:40.960 --> 39:48.240] going. And so my, my firm belief, having co-founded a couple of unconferences, pod camp and bar camp

  [39:48.240 --> 39:55.360] and Nashville and running monthly networking events over the years and, and doing a lot of work

  [39:55.360 --> 40:00.480] as a speaker going to conferences and writing about networking is I wrote a post about this,

  [40:00.480 --> 40:06.480] not that long ago too, called the power of proximity. And my belief now moving into the future,

  [40:06.480 --> 40:12.480] unless things change is the only place to build relationships will be in person.

  [40:13.440 --> 40:20.960] And you can use online to keep in touch, like Facebook or LinkedIn or whatever, to keep in touch

  [40:20.960 --> 40:28.800] between whatever events. But the proximity piece of this is key. And I think about this a lot.

  [40:28.800 --> 40:33.840] And we're almost, we're not quite, but we're almost at the point where, well,

  [40:34.240 --> 40:40.640] one, you and I can be talking and I might not know that you're even a human, right? Because you

  [40:40.640 --> 40:46.560] could just be an AI-generated avatar of yourself or someone else. And I can be speaking with you

  [40:46.560 --> 40:52.160] virtually here and not know whether you're human or not. That technology, I'm sure, is already in

  [40:52.160 --> 40:57.200] existence. I mean, inside the platform that I used to record this in Riverside, there's an AI

  [40:57.200 --> 41:04.080] voice feature. It sounds kind of close to me. It's not exactly Ron, but I played with it and just

  [41:04.080 --> 41:09.840] like, let me type how I sound. And I was like, I hit the button. I said, ask my Mrs.

  [41:09.840 --> 41:14.640] my daughter, does this sound like me? It's like, it's a decent approximation. We know it's not you

  [41:14.640 --> 41:20.800] because like, there's a way that Ron sound is very Ron-ish, right? But it was like, hmm, it's not-

  [41:20.800 --> 41:25.760] Yeah, but it's weird, right? It's weird because the more you think about it, it's like, well,

  [41:26.000 --> 41:33.760] like, I mean, like smartphones have already made us done. And we know this because what is your

  [41:33.760 --> 41:38.720] kids or best friends phone number? Oh, no. I don't know my two kids phone numbers. I have no idea.

  [41:38.720 --> 41:42.240] You get all the gun to my head. I know my wife's phone number only because

  [41:42.960 --> 41:50.560] back when we were dating in 2010. Sure. You would probably remember your childhood phone number.

  [41:51.200 --> 41:57.600] Yeah, because it's the the dialect portion of it or something about automating that into like my

  [41:57.600 --> 42:02.320] like physical memory that's like in my head. Well, not just that. I think, I think there's

  [42:02.320 --> 42:07.520] something to that. But also, you had to learn it. Like, you couldn't call your mom to pick you

  [42:07.520 --> 42:12.960] up from somewhere if you didn't have her phone number. So like, it wasn't even a question of like,

  [42:12.960 --> 42:18.000] how to learn it. It's like, I know it. Like, this is my number. Right? Yeah.

  [42:18.960 --> 42:24.320] Because you could argue that like pressing the buttons on a smartphone, assuming you actually

  [42:24.320 --> 42:28.400] dial a phone number. So I suppose there's that point. Yeah. Yeah. So maybe if you started

  [42:28.400 --> 42:31.760] dialing the phone number on your smartphone, that might work because they're designed to be

  [42:31.760 --> 42:36.880] addictive anyway. So there are. Yeah. I mean, I wonder if you have a perspective they've

  [42:36.880 --> 42:42.320] having been in the space of right? Like, can we stop it? Or is there an in between of like,

  [42:42.320 --> 42:46.960] do we just need to create more in person spaces? Like mitigate? Like, what's your like,

  [42:46.960 --> 42:53.280] talk because this tide at every damn conference I'm at. And so certainly might what I what I get paid

  [42:53.280 --> 42:58.160] to do is like watch the K-12 ad and social impact spaces. And AI is talked about at every damn

  [42:58.160 --> 43:04.800] conferences. AI products left in right. Some good. Yeah. Some not really. Right? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

  [43:04.800 --> 43:16.080] Yeah. Yeah. A lot of it is not good. AI is just like, it's a tool that, I mean, AI agents are

  [43:16.080 --> 43:22.480] out there for for us to use. And if you're if you're let out or if you're fearful and you don't

  [43:22.480 --> 43:28.240] use them, then you're going to fall behind because this is the tool, whether you like it or not,

  [43:28.240 --> 43:34.160] this is the tool we need to use. We heated our houses with coal, even though it was terrible for

  [43:34.160 --> 43:38.640] the environment, but that's what we had. So that's what we had to do or drive the car and we're

  [43:38.640 --> 43:42.720] putting off emissions. But we got to get from you got to drive. So

  [43:43.200 --> 43:50.560] but I think it's important to be smart about how people are using AI, what personal information you're

  [43:50.560 --> 43:58.560] sharing, understanding the ideas of AI hallucinations and you know that the aspects of, you know,

  [43:58.560 --> 44:05.120] making up answers, not knowing and even citing sources that aren't real. You know, so it's

  [44:05.120 --> 44:10.000] important to keep that in mind where the future is going though. As I said, I really do I really

  [44:10.000 --> 44:17.360] do believe in person is is key. And until, you know, until until you and I meet up in person and

  [44:17.360 --> 44:22.400] I find out you're a bot or I find out you're like, it's Blade Runner. Once we're a Blade Runner,

  [44:22.400 --> 44:26.720] I don't know, man, or we're a black mirror. That's the sure, you know, it's funny when you gave

  [44:26.720 --> 44:32.000] the bartending reference, right? I was like, the like the whole like if it bleeds, it leads. I

  [44:32.000 --> 44:36.880] thought about the the the I didn't watch the whole recent season of black mirror the one episode

  [44:37.040 --> 44:42.960] dark man. I couldn't watch it. It's super like the one where I forget the the actor's name is an

  [44:42.960 --> 44:48.320] Irish guy and Rashida Jones is in it as his wife. Oh God, I know the episode you're talking about.

  [44:48.320 --> 44:53.920] And that episode like you think about just the print tractor like wait, I'm low on money. She

  [44:53.920 --> 44:59.600] hasn't wait. It's just it's soup, but that was the one. That was the one that stopped me from

  [44:59.600 --> 45:03.920] watching the rest of black mirror. I was like, that's enough. I don't need this in my life because

  [45:03.920 --> 45:13.040] it felt too possible. Yeah. In terms of like where this is all going. Oh, absolutely. I mean,

  [45:13.040 --> 45:18.880] that is happening. Like people are, you know, you are getting like come like you go to like a porn

  [45:18.880 --> 45:24.960] site and you're unknowingly download malware that or spyware that activates your camera and you're

  [45:24.960 --> 45:31.440] watching porn and God knows what and you're recorded and then you're sent that video and you have

  [45:31.440 --> 45:38.880] to send X numbers of Bitcoin or whatever some some currency as blackmail for this. Like this stuff

  [45:38.880 --> 45:43.520] is happening. And it's even happening at the human level when, you know, I think, you know,

  [45:43.520 --> 45:49.520] sending like sexting an image to your girlfriend or boyfriend and then you break up and then

  [45:49.520 --> 45:56.000] they have these images still and, you know, yeah, I'm yeah, it's real. Yeah, it's a it's it's tough.

  [45:56.000 --> 46:01.520] I mean, the space that you work in, especially with the kids too, like I'm a big I'm a big fan

  [46:01.520 --> 46:09.040] of common sense media. Yeah. And they're doing they're doing great work and but I do encourage

  [46:09.040 --> 46:15.600] any parents out there or teachers to definitely check out. Excuse me, check out common sense media

  [46:15.600 --> 46:22.720] because they do great work. Quick pause in the action here. I know a lot of us leaders, entrepreneurs

  [46:22.720 --> 46:27.360] folks are trying to do good work and felt that grind of pushing a boulder uphill by ourselves.

  [46:28.080 --> 46:32.560] The learnings you don't actually have to do it all alone. You need to discover your program

  [46:32.560 --> 46:37.680] at thought leader path, like having a think tank in your corner. It's not some cookie cutter formula

  [46:37.680 --> 46:42.880] but your story, your plan of impact, giving you the clarity and assets to take the next big step.

  [46:43.440 --> 46:47.840] I've seen people go through this and walk out with their voices amplified and the sharpened

  [46:47.920 --> 46:53.760] some even launching podcasts like this one, boundaries. So if you're tired of grinding the dark,

  [46:53.760 --> 46:58.960] you're ready to step into your impact with right support, check out genius discovery dot org.

  [47:00.000 --> 47:05.280] Thanks for that name. Well, before I ask you the rondon question, I want to like because we

  [47:05.280 --> 47:11.120] had both talked about our own very recent diagnosis of ADHD. So tell me a little bit about the

  [47:11.120 --> 47:18.240] Y squirrels podcast and what you've been learning from others and your own diagnosis as you've

  [47:18.240 --> 47:26.320] been doing the Y squirrels podcast. Yeah, thanks. Yeah. So well, I've learned a ton about ADHD and

  [47:26.320 --> 47:33.920] also in my own therapy and research as well. But in doing the podcast, I mean, it's incredible

  [47:33.920 --> 47:38.480] just learning so much about it by speaking to subject matter experts, but then high achievers,

  [47:38.480 --> 47:43.600] you know, I spoke to the former director of the International Space Station for NASA who ran

  [47:43.600 --> 47:50.320] it for 16 years and was diagnosed at 60 after he left, you know, and people like just really cool

  [47:50.960 --> 47:57.200] people doing great work. And, you know, I think there's so much misinformation and disinformation

  [47:57.200 --> 48:04.160] about ADHD that I'm doing my best to kind of course correct and inform people to the best of

  [48:04.160 --> 48:10.080] my ability always with the caveat that I'm not a doctor and nor do I play one on the internet.

  [48:10.080 --> 48:15.200] Yeah, but I love your hair. Yeah. Right. Yeah. And I've always loved like I've always loved

  [48:15.200 --> 48:20.640] coaching and helping people, whether it's, you know, and whether it's one-on-one or groups or

  [48:20.640 --> 48:26.720] workshops or presentations, as I said, I love it. And I've always coached, but you know, I was a

  [48:26.720 --> 48:32.240] speaker for Google for about six years because I was teaching small business owners and operators

  [48:32.320 --> 48:39.040] how to use digital marketing being the early adopter that I am. And so with Y-scorals though,

  [48:39.040 --> 48:46.160] what's happened is a lot of my coaching clients are now coming through Y-scorals, which is fantastic

  [48:46.160 --> 48:52.560] because knowing what I know about my own operating system and the different presentations of ADHD,

  [48:54.400 --> 49:00.160] one type three presentations. You know, there's all this incorrect information out there and I'm

  [49:00.640 --> 49:07.440] trying when when I started doing the podcast over time, I learned that that from from Russ Ramsey,

  [49:07.440 --> 49:13.920] who's kind of one of the authorities of ADHD and very well respected, you know, I quoted him

  [49:13.920 --> 49:20.720] that with undiagnosed and untreated ADHD, your life expectancy can be up to 13 years less.

  [49:21.760 --> 49:28.800] And so it's not just that kind of shifted my little passion project to a bit of a mission

  [49:29.360 --> 49:35.440] to help educate people and help inspire people. You know, I have a free what ADHD assessment

  [49:35.440 --> 49:42.880] that anybody can take at Y-scorals.com. I don't see the results, but of course, I also add that like

  [49:42.880 --> 49:48.880] with that, regardless of the outcome of that, you should obviously speak to your doctor or health

  [49:48.880 --> 49:55.920] care professional to, you know, investigate whether you may or may not have ADHD. I always

  [49:56.480 --> 50:03.440] recommend that you always ask your doctor first about ADHD. Like, what do you think about ADHD?

  [50:03.440 --> 50:08.160] What are your thoughts? Because what you may hear them say because there's still quacks out there

  [50:08.160 --> 50:14.880] is it's it's over diagnosed or it's not real or it goes away after childhood or all these things

  [50:14.880 --> 50:22.800] which are not true at all. And so, you know, if your doctor happens not to believe in ADHD or what

  [50:22.800 --> 50:28.640] it was formally called ADD, if they don't believe in it, then it's time to find a new doctor because

  [50:29.280 --> 50:38.960] they may also not believe in cancer or diabetes or blood. So run away is what I'm saying. It's a good

  [50:38.960 --> 50:46.480] test, even regardless of like, even if you have no Iota about ADHD and you don't think you do

  [50:46.480 --> 50:51.040] and whatever. Next time you see your doctor ask them about ADHD and see what they say and if they

  [50:51.360 --> 50:56.560] say any of what I just mentioned, get the hell away. Yeah. It's so funny, right? Because I gave

  [50:56.560 --> 51:03.120] or I think the tell for me at a younger age, I particularly go back to like post college, right?

  [51:03.120 --> 51:08.080] Yeah. Because my friends, like, I could be very stream of conscious when I chat, right? I'm

  [51:08.640 --> 51:15.200] the it's almost like everything I have to say has parentheticals and tangents that I have to get

  [51:15.200 --> 51:20.960] out before I say the thing. So my conversation is like this. I get to my point eventually.

  [51:21.040 --> 51:25.760] But I want to tell you all the story and all the context is in my fucking end. And then that that

  [51:25.760 --> 51:30.320] context leads to something else that I have to tell it just it's never direct. Yeah, I'm exactly the same

  [51:30.320 --> 51:37.120] by the way. Yeah. And so hashtag land the plane, Ron. Bingo. That's what I'm always saying. Land the

  [51:37.120 --> 51:42.960] plane, Dave, land the plane. What I've learned because I've had to coach myself to do it and others,

  [51:42.960 --> 51:49.520] the like interview is think like a PowerPoint slide, Ron. Structure like a PowerPoint slide,

  [51:49.520 --> 51:53.680] like PowerPoint deck, right? Which is not easy because when I get excited, I'm just on.

  [51:53.680 --> 51:59.200] Even when I talk to early say the career day, I had a slide deck, but I feel I'm a lot more in my

  [51:59.200 --> 52:04.960] element when I have the deck is background. And then I'm just sort of reacting to it and sort of

  [52:04.960 --> 52:09.600] feeling the moment. But that's great because like the master communicator secret weapon that keynote,

  [52:10.720 --> 52:18.320] I did that in front of 600 people. Yeah. The governor was my opening act. And it was a group of like

  [52:18.320 --> 52:24.480] security or it was a group of like health security professionals, but it was a very male testosterone

  [52:24.480 --> 52:31.360] type of group, very kind of blue collar group. And the AV team could not it was the first time ever

  [52:31.360 --> 52:37.440] in 15 plus years of keynotes and speaking that they could not get the slides to work. And so I had

  [52:37.440 --> 52:42.800] to deliver the hour keynote with no slides, which was fine because I know the material. It would have

  [52:43.200 --> 52:46.720] been I liked the visual aspects because I designed my own slides most of the time.

  [52:46.720 --> 52:53.920] Yeah. So, but yeah. So, so knowing the material like your like your point, you know, and using the

  [52:53.920 --> 52:58.960] slides as sort of as part of what I do with like teaching when I teach presentation skills,

  [52:58.960 --> 53:04.560] because I do a lot of that or coach people on design presentation, designing presentations and

  [53:04.560 --> 53:10.240] actually delivering the presentations. Yeah, that's that's important to know that material. And

  [53:10.880 --> 53:15.680] yeah, if you get off script, you get off script. Yeah. That's what we're rehearsing these things,

  [53:15.680 --> 53:21.840] like I think like there's so much about, you know, your radio TV background, the scriptedness of

  [53:21.840 --> 53:28.800] having a PowerPoint or Google slide or a canvo, right, to know your material so that you then can

  [53:29.760 --> 53:35.680] improv as need be and adjust the audience, right? I mean, for me, this is like, if I take comedy,

  [53:35.680 --> 53:41.680] are there incredible scripted comedies? Yes. You know, my favorite one, my favorite modern day

  [53:41.680 --> 53:48.480] comedies of all time will be the most non scripted comedy ever, curb, curb enthusiasm. Oh, absolutely,

  [53:48.480 --> 53:56.880] yeah. Brilliant. Yeah. That's all improv. Yeah, it is. It's all improv. And to think and to do that

  [53:56.880 --> 54:05.600] level of comedy, but it's harder, right? And I find like this kind of podcast, when people say,

  [54:05.600 --> 54:11.680] this seems effortless, Ron, I'm like, you don't see the 30 years of me interviewing and talking to

  [54:11.680 --> 54:16.320] people like for me, Dave, to go back and forth and you're an easier guest because you run up like

  [54:16.320 --> 54:21.200] and you and you just not a talk, right? This is a thing where it's like, you're the prototypical guest

  [54:21.200 --> 54:25.120] because I could just shoot the shit with you and like, oh, we're almost in an hour. I mean, we're at

  [54:25.120 --> 54:29.200] the 50th most minute point for God's sake, right? And we just kind of went where we went, right?

  [54:29.760 --> 54:35.120] But I don't think like, that's not a lot of people's comfort zone, right? Like, I am,

  [54:36.080 --> 54:41.440] I'd like to just be curious, like, I know questions to ask because in my head of all these

  [54:41.440 --> 54:46.160] decades of interviewing people for various things and having conversations, I just recognize the

  [54:46.160 --> 54:53.440] patterns, the sort of the built-in rubrics in my head. Yeah, it's from your experience, right?

  [54:53.440 --> 54:58.640] Like it's like, you know, when I listen to like, like a couple of things that I go for in my

  [54:58.640 --> 55:05.120] podcast, one, you know, is I want the guest after to say something to the effect of that,

  [55:05.120 --> 55:09.680] that felt like we were just having a beer. Not an alcoholic preferably because I'm five

  [55:09.680 --> 55:15.680] years sober, but, but not an alcoholic. That's okay. But that felt like having a beer or the other

  [55:15.680 --> 55:22.320] one I always go, I hope for is something I noticed from Terry Gross on who's one of the best

  [55:22.960 --> 55:29.760] it from Fresh Air, the NPR program. And I noticed it listening to her interviews over years

  [55:29.760 --> 55:35.840] that her guests will say something to the effect of, I've never been asked that before. Oh,

  [55:36.720 --> 55:44.000] like something to that effect. And she's able to get a question like on my last podcast,

  [55:44.000 --> 55:51.440] I interviewed Richard Turner, who's in his probably 70s, maybe 80s now, who's a completely blind

  [55:51.440 --> 55:58.640] magician. Like he fooled pen and teller, he's like an incredible guy. And there's a documentary

  [55:58.640 --> 56:04.880] about him and stuff. And he's one of the best like up close magicians, but he's completely blind.

  [56:04.880 --> 56:13.920] And he does decks of cards, which is crazy. Yeah, I heard him interviewed on a bunch of podcasts

  [56:14.880 --> 56:20.240] and for him, I was nervous because I'm a magic nerd. I like that, but I like magic. And so I was

  [56:20.240 --> 56:27.440] really excited to interview him. And I made a, I made it a point to not, because I noticed on

  [56:27.440 --> 56:32.640] interviews and a lot of like actors or famous people do this is they just recite the same stories

  [56:33.280 --> 56:38.480] always, right? And if you listen to their interview, you'll hear the same anecdotes or same stories.

  [56:38.560 --> 56:43.680] And he was going there and I kept getting him off off of it and away from those stories.

  [56:44.560 --> 56:48.160] And afterwards, he was like, really pleased with the outcome of the interview. He was really like

  [56:48.160 --> 56:53.120] thankful because I was like, no, no, no, no, no, like what I don't want to hear about the thing

  [56:53.120 --> 56:57.680] I've heard about in every other interview with him, you know? But yeah, now I love podcasts. I mean,

  [56:57.680 --> 57:03.040] yeah, you're clearly really good at it. So thank you. Well, we're at that time, Dave. So,

  [57:03.040 --> 57:07.600] because this is called randering, I have to ask you, you're randering. What's the lesser value

  [57:07.600 --> 57:16.400] you want to share today? I guess from this conversation, I think, if you feel that you have ADHD

  [57:16.400 --> 57:22.880] or you think you might go and see your doctor and get an assessment and get a test. As I mentioned,

  [57:22.880 --> 57:28.000] ask him about it or her about it, but also go to yscorals.com and you can try the free assessment

  [57:28.000 --> 57:31.280] there. And again, I don't see the results. So that's a good starting point as well.

  [57:32.000 --> 57:37.920] I think there's a lot more of us out there is what I find it's like being a part if I use

  [57:38.640 --> 57:45.440] my love of Marvel comics, having ADHD formally diagnosed makes me feel like an ex-man. It really does.

  [57:46.240 --> 57:49.840] Well, it's a couple of things, it's both good and bad, right? It's like, it's like, I think it's

  [57:49.840 --> 57:54.640] mostly good, but it also comes with things I have to be really conscious of. Yeah, and there's one

  [57:55.360 --> 58:02.640] it's one out of every 15 and a half Americans at least have ADHD and that's adults, by the way,

  [58:02.640 --> 58:11.280] and 20% don't know the idea. So, and if you look at like, as I mentioned, life expectancy when you

  [58:11.280 --> 58:17.440] don't know, unfortunately with ADHD, not everybody of course, but some people are prone to addictions,

  [58:17.440 --> 58:25.520] some people are prone to anxiety or depression or other comorbidities. You're more impulsive,

  [58:25.520 --> 58:31.120] which can cause you to crash your car more likely. The prison population, I don't know the numbers

  [58:31.120 --> 58:37.360] on it, but for my understanding is a huge amount of the prison population are ADHDers undiagnosed

  [58:37.360 --> 58:45.440] or untreated. It's very serious, it is something you should take care of. And it's also almost as

  [58:45.440 --> 58:50.800] heritable as height, just about as heritable as height, which means that if one or more of your

  [58:50.800 --> 58:58.000] kids has ADHD, it means that highly likely you or your spouse also has ADHD, which also means one

  [58:58.000 --> 59:06.800] or both of your parents also had or have ADHD, which can then start to help you look at any childhood

  [59:06.800 --> 59:13.520] trauma in a different way at least with some more empathy. And I should also add that don't listen

  [59:13.680 --> 59:21.040] to the freaks out there like Gabor Maté and others who are dispelling, they're sharing disinformation

  [59:21.040 --> 59:27.840] at this point, intentionally telling people that trauma causes ADHD, which is not true at all. ADHD

  [59:27.840 --> 59:34.720] or suffer from trauma, probably. Apparently as a kid, you hear like 20,000 worse negative feedback

  [59:34.720 --> 59:41.360] from teachers and adults in your life. So we do face, not everybody, but people do face trauma,

  [59:41.920 --> 59:49.120] but they don't, the trauma, it doesn't cause the ADHD, it's a heritable thing. The only exception

  [59:49.120 --> 59:56.800] again, my understanding is that ADHD can be caused by head trauma, but there's, I think that's a

  [59:56.800 --> 01:00:03.600] pretty small percentage of people. And then also pollution. So if you have lead in your water or

  [01:00:03.600 --> 01:00:09.440] you know, if the mother drinks that and the child is born, the child, they might, but it's largely

  [01:00:09.520 --> 01:00:15.520] heritable, most likely heritable. So it's also important to keep that in mind. So if, if that's

  [01:00:15.520 --> 01:00:20.320] why so many more women are being diagnosed now, because they're taking their kids, the stigmas are

  [01:00:20.320 --> 01:00:27.040] think God being, you know, reduced at least, so that they're taking their kids to get diagnosed

  [01:00:27.040 --> 01:00:32.080] or to get tested, they find out they have ADHD and as the mother, sometimes the father, but usually

  [01:00:32.080 --> 01:00:38.560] the mother, as the mother goes through the process, they suddenly hear all of this and go, oh shit,

  [01:00:39.200 --> 01:00:44.640] I have ADHD and it makes complete sense. So that's why a lot of older, or a lot of women now

  [01:00:45.200 --> 01:00:49.920] are being diagnosed and people aren't being overly diagnosed. It's just we're catching up now.

  [01:00:49.920 --> 01:00:55.120] Yeah. Well, thank you for your wisdom there Dave and sharing that rendering. So before we leave,

  [01:00:56.240 --> 01:00:59.760] how do people find you? Well, would you like to promote? You've been promoting a number of things

  [01:00:59.760 --> 01:01:04.640] very organically. You know, this goes, right? But I want to give you space. Yeah, I mean, people,

  [01:01:04.640 --> 01:01:10.880] yeah, I mean, you know, if we're listening and talking, if you're here to explore, you know, ADHD

  [01:01:11.760 --> 01:01:16.720] or not, check out why squirrels. That's, you know, if you want to check out the podcast, just search

  [01:01:16.720 --> 01:01:21.840] ADHD, why squirrels and you'll find it in your podcast player. But that's probably the best place

  [01:01:21.840 --> 01:01:28.240] and you can find the links from there to all the other places. Right. Dave, this is a real pleasure

  [01:01:28.240 --> 01:01:34.000] chatting with you. When you get to ADHDers to chat, we could have gone another three hours to be

  [01:01:34.080 --> 01:01:38.320] clear. There's so many other things I was going to ask you. But I'm like, we're just going to go

  [01:01:38.320 --> 01:01:42.560] or two and like, yeah, part there, I think there's going to need to be a part two. I just might need to be

  [01:01:42.560 --> 01:01:47.600] a part of why squirrels, by the way. Absolutely. Yeah. So I'm going to have you on it. Yeah, for sure.

  [01:01:47.600 --> 01:01:52.960] Yeah. I definitely want to have you on. Awesome. Well, in the words of one of my favorite sports heroes

  [01:01:52.960 --> 01:01:58.880] that I leave every rendering's podcast, Deon Sanders with this wisdom and this call out,

  [01:01:58.880 --> 01:02:03.600] we always come in hot with amazing guests like Dave Delaney. Peace you all. Thanks.

  [01:02:05.360 --> 01:02:12.240] Wow. What a gift of conversation. Dave reminded me and hopefully reminded you that so much

  [01:02:12.240 --> 01:02:17.680] life is about presence, not the algorithm, not the metrics, not the airbrush version of ourselves

  [01:02:17.680 --> 01:02:23.920] online, that's slowing down, listening deeply, remembering that our quirks, patterns, and squirrel

  [01:02:23.920 --> 01:02:29.040] moments, actually tell a story about how our brains are wired, that those stories, the stories deserve

  [01:02:29.040 --> 01:02:34.800] compassion, not judgment, his improv mindset, leading with acceptance, moving through fear,

  [01:02:34.800 --> 01:02:40.640] listening with your whole body, that's leadership, that's connection. And as honestly about ADHD,

  [01:02:40.640 --> 01:02:45.120] diagnosis and learning myths, his reminder when we understand ourselves better, we can love

  [01:02:45.120 --> 01:02:50.640] ourselves better. If you haven't yet, check out his podcast Why Squirrels and take the free

  [01:02:50.640 --> 01:02:56.640] assessment at whysquirrels.com. And as always, if this conversation resonated with you,

  [01:02:56.640 --> 01:03:00.800] share with someone who might see themselves in Dave's journey. Thanks for tuning in. Thanks for

  [01:03:00.800 --> 01:03:05.280] being part of this community. It's day curious where a rendering's coming your way. Peace.

  [01:03:07.600 --> 01:03:11.520] Before we wrap, I've got to give a huge shout out to the crew that helps make

  [01:03:11.520 --> 01:03:17.840] renderings come alive every week podcast that matter. Their mission, simple but powerful,

  [01:03:17.840 --> 01:03:23.120] every great idea deserves a voice. So if you've been sitting on that spark of a show or story,

  [01:03:23.120 --> 01:03:30.080] don't overthink it, just start head to podcast matter.com and let their team bring your vision to life.

  [01:03:30.560 --> 01:03:41.200] Till next time, keep rendering, keep growing, keep sharing your voice with the world. Peace.

  [01:03:47.840 --> 01:03:57.360] Thank you for listening to today's rendering. I enjoyed hanging out with me and my guests,

  [01:03:57.920 --> 01:04:02.720] and I hope you leave with something worth chewing on. If it makes you smile, think,

  [01:04:02.720 --> 01:04:08.080] but even roll your eyes in a good way. That's no longer someone else. I'm going to wrap a towel

  [01:04:08.080 --> 01:04:15.840] and until next time, keep rendering, keep whacking, and keep becoming.

  Description text goes here

Back in 2021, we pulled the trigger and purchased a hot tub for our screened-in porch. Each time Heather and I submerge in the bubbling 104-degree water, we share a deep sigh of relief and exclaim that it’s the best purchase we’ve ever made. Without the distraction of phones, we can discuss upcoming family plans, what’s going on at work, etc.

I’m very aware of the constant draw and addictive design of smartphones, operating systems, and applications. The big tech companies design their products and algorithms with this in mind. The more time you spend, the more money they can extract from your attention, which is more valuable than your time to advertisers.

Let’s use Facebook as an example. The greater amount of time you spend on Facebook, the more money advertisers pay Facebook for your attention (AKA “engagement”), leaving you with less time to pay your limited attention to more important matters like your loved ones, friends, and communities, and caring for your own mind.

Our hot tub is the one place I completely disconnect from technology (beyond my Kindle). When used solo, it’s my place where I sit, soak, and think. I read, journal, and meditate there, and it brings me great clarity and calm to listen to the birds chirp, watch the sun rise or set, and observe the countless squirrels springing from tree to tree.

FROM faux pas TO REVELATION.

On a recent session, I accidentally brought my phone with me, which was a huge faux pas, but it led to a revelation and a test you can do for yourself with or without a jacuzzi.

On this fateful occasion, I kept mindlessly picking up my phone and searching for whatever popped into my mind. I would quickly realise this and move the phone away from me, only to habitually pick it up again moments later. I laughed at the insanity of noticing it magically reappear in my palm! How did you get here again!?

It’s not just me: according to a Reviews.org analysis, Americans checked their smartphones nearly 186 times a day on average in 2025. I’m getting better at this, averaging 88 daily pickups. Still, that seems like a lot to me.

On my next soak, I was careful to avoid bringing the phone along. This time, I had a plan. For the 45 minutes I would be there, I would honestly note in my journal each time I would have used my phone. For example, let’s say I was reading a book and came across a mention of predictive analytics, which reminded me of the plot of the movie Moneyball. Suddenly, I question myself, who was the co-star with Brad Pitt?

In that distracted moment, I would jot down the question in my journal. Who co-starred in Moneyball? Rather than finding the answer on my phone instantly (Jonah Hill), I would return to reading instead.

Later, it might occur to me that the forgotten actor also starred in the hilarious Superbad with Michael Cera, who was on Arrested Development. This might trigger me to try to recall whether they ever did a reunion episode of that amazing show. I’d jot that question in my journal. Did they ever make an Arrested Development reunion? And so on.

Once I was out of the tub, dried off, and reviewing my journal, I found a list of about 15 questions I had pondered. Realistically, it would have taken me about 2-3 minutes to find the answers to each question on my phone, even with an additional distraction like a notification, tempting video, or yet another question to answer. Now, here’s the math part of the Hot Tub Attention Test.

Liberally speaking, 15 questions X 2 minutes = 30 minutes, or more realistically,

15 questions X 3 minutes = 45 minutes.

Planning a 45-minute soak in my hot tub for calm and clarity would have led me to spend 45 minutes staring into my phone! I would have entered the hot water and felt the bliss for less than a second before picking up my phone and searching for the answer to every random question that popped into my mind. And that’s the kicker, I may not have even noticed the hot water or my calm surroundings. I would have unknowingly wasted both my precious time and attention.

Reviewing my written list of questions made me realise most were pointless. Yes, maybe I had an eureka thought worth investigating, but the majority were mundane. Who cares that Jonah Hill co-starred in Moneyball (no offence, Jonah), but the answer wasn’t worth mindlessly searching for after the fact.

Try the Hot Tub Attention Test

Rinse and repeat my Hot Tub Attention Test for yourself. You don’t need a hot tub. You can try this anytime, anywhere you mindlessly carry your phone. Try it when you sit for a ten-minute meditation practice, when you’re waiting in the car to pick up your kids, when you’re in your bathtub or bathroom, when you're mowing the lawn, or taking an artist’s day.

And if you’re interested in how much time you could be wasting, here’s how to review the number of times you pick up your phone.

How many times do I pick up my phone?

How to Find Your Number of Pickups (iPhone/iPad)

1. Open the Settings app.

2. Tap Screen Time & See All Activity

3. Scroll down to the Pickups section to see your daily/weekly stats.

4. Throw your phone out of the window.

How to Find Your Number of Pickups (Android)

1. Open the Settings app.

2. Tap Digital Wellbeing & parental controls (often a green circle icon).

3. Scroll to how many times you've unlocked the device (pickups).

4. Throw your phone out of the window.

Here's a view of the Nashville skyline when I moved here in 2008 versus January 2025 (below). Crazy, right? Did you know you can look at previous years of Google Maps Street View images? Likely, not. It’s not your fault; blame Google.

I taught this hidden feature to thousands of people when I was a speaker for Google. It boggles my mind why more consumer-facing companies don't hire outside facilitators to represent them. For Googlers, they probably assume everybody knows about this feature, but they don't.

I love the look on people's faces at networking events when I share LinkedIn's hidden QR code scanner in the app. Features hidden on purpose? Hardly, but they likely assume users know. They don't.

When I wrote my chapter on Twitter in my book, New Business Networking, I shared tips on creating private and public lists and using Advanced Search, both killer features most users had never heard of. Nowadays, I wouldn't recommend X to anyone, but I digress.

Not only should more consumer companies hire outside speakers and brand advocates, but they should also have them report back on what they discover in the field when speaking at events and networking at conferences. You'd be surprised by how many features you think your users know about but don't. It takes an outside perspective to shed light on solving your UX mysteries.

Wouldn't you agree?

It's lazy and sad.

I use #AI in many ways; it's crucial to learn and understand new technologies, especially new artificial intelligence agents, and to stay up-to-date on evolving ways to use such agents, whether through prompts or APIs.

What's lazy is using AI to write FOR you, replacing YOU from the writing altogether. Imagine a future of LinkedIn being filled with AI-written articles and AI-written comments. What's the point at that point?

I still believe in the power of human-to-human connection. Using AI to help is smart, but using it to replace us is sad. No more original thinking. No more genuine connection.

Naive or Dishonest

If you're using AI to auto-comment, reply, or send messages that pretend to be you, it's naive because you don't understand the implications. You haven't thought clearly about why you want to leave comments on hundreds of posts. If you do know what you're doing, it's dishonest because you are using this method to fool people (actual humans) into thinking that you read and enjoyed what they published - and we notice this.

Stripping yourself from otherwise genuine human interactions online removes the social from social networking, leaving the networking to bots, and then why even log in to LinkedIn anymore?

What do you think? Will AI ruin the social web in the hands of humans? Discuss here.

Screenshot from Flickr by Pixelant.

There was a time when social media felt like a communication revolution. It opened doors to connect with people across the globe, breaking down barriers and democratizing conversations. Suddenly, you could directly communicate with actors, comedians, business leaders — people you'd never meet otherwise. My kids marveled when they discovered Vanilla Ice was following me on Twitter, but he never replied to my DM. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I loved how you could meet someone at a tech event, follow up on Twitter, and keep the dialogue going. Or we'd first connect online, then strengthen that relationship in person at a "tweetup," conference, or "unconference." It was authentic, human communication — playful, exploratory, and full of possibility. The magic happens with hugs, handshakes, and high-fives... and lest we forget fist bumps.

Then the business model changed — and so did communication

When social platforms went public, the game shifted. Shareholders and boards demanded more revenue, pushing platforms to maximize engagement at any cost. And what keeps us engaged? Content that triggers the strongest reactions.

It's the same principle behind the old media adage: "If it bleeds, it leads." But unlike newspapers, which had editorial oversight, today's algorithms decide what we see based purely on what gets the most clicks — not what's thoughtful, balanced, or helpful. This has fundamentally altered how we communicate online. Conversations are now often driven by outrage, fear, or sensationalism, rather than curiosity or genuine connection.

We can't even trust who we're communicating with

It's not just what we see, but who we're talking to. Bots and AI agents have become so sophisticated and widespread that it's increasingly difficult to tell if you're engaging in real human communication at all.

Then there's the nefarious actors and simple trolls who use social media fan flames of division, a striking example was when Russian operatives created Facebook groups that organized opposing protests outside an Islamic center in Houston, Texas—one anti-Islam and one pro-Muslim—effectively turning Americans against each other, all orchestrated from Russia for around $200. It's a chilling example of how easily our communication channels can be hijacked to sow chaos and deepen divisions.

What once promised meaningful dialogue has been distorted into a landscape where you should question every online interaction, or you should be.

The slow erosion of networks for real communication

That's why I believe the days of social networks — at least as platforms for forming new relationships — are coming to an end. The remaining value is primarily in helping us maintain communication with people we already know, such as friends, family, and colleagues.

Facebook still exists for that reason, though engagement is already dropping in the U.S. and Canada, especially among younger users. LinkedIn continues to be effective for professional communication, but if algorithms continue to prioritize attention over authenticity, even that utility could fade. Recently, LinkedIn significantly reduced the number of personal notes that could be included in connection requests. I've always taught my clients to include that note to remind the person who you are and where you met IRL. Want access to more personal notes? Now you need to pay LinkedIn.

Ultimately, meaningful communication comes back to proximity and directness. We'll meet at a networking event. I'll send you a follow-up email. Maybe we'll grab coffee or chat on Zoom. We'll build trust through conversation, stay in touch, and reconnect at future conferences.

If I want to be introduced to someone, I won't rely on LinkedIn — I'll reach out to the person directly. That's going to put more pressure on us as professionals to organize our contacts thoughtfully, maybe with a solid CRM or even just a smarter inbox. If tools like Gmail and Outlook start building better relationship features, they could become the new hubs for professional communication, as email is still king.

So how do we protect our communication from all this noise?

I still stand by what I wrote in New Business Networking: Don't put anything online you wouldn't want your parents or grandparents to see.

Slow down and take a breath before diving into Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, or even X (if you still use it — I don't recommend it) — especially the feeds. Notice how a headline, post, or thread makes you feel. If it spikes anger, fear, or anxiety, close the app or tab. Recognize that these platforms are designed to manipulate our communication, to turn our emotional reactions into profit.

This isn't about tuning out from important issues. It's about being wise communicators — understanding that many online stories are shaped by business incentives, malicious actors, misinformation, and deliberate disinformation intended to divide us. It's also key to question how a story affects you and, if it does, what you plan to do about it other than sharing the story in the digital echo chambers. Instead, call your elected official to express your concerns, boycott the unethical business in question, register to vote, support a nonprofit that is fighting for what you believe, or volunteer your time. You get the idea.

Communication still matters — more than ever

The internet can still fulfill its early promise of powerful connection and meaningful communication. But that will only happen if we approach it with more discernment, more skepticism, and a deeper commitment to building human relationships beyond the reach of manipulative algorithms. There's power in proximity.

I was recently repulsed by a trailer for a movie called Am I Racist? that pokes fun at DEI and related topics. I consider myself liberal and left-of-center with friends from every political persuasion, but the film trailer made the movie seem flat-out mean, making fun of people who are trying to do right or at least think they are. Then I noticed the film is from The Daily Wire and even includes locations in Nashville, which is unfortunate because once you get past the redneck cliches, drunken tourists, and mobile hot tubs, Nashville is a very diverse, warm, welcoming, and accepting city that is, unfortunately, attracting the wrong types of people like idiotic Nazis and the like, but I digress…

Later last night, I fell into a seemingly endless swiping session on YouTube Shorts, or maybe it was Instagram Reels; it doesn’t matter. I came across a funny clip of interviews with MAGA types saying ridiculous things. I noted the clips were from The Daily Show, a show I used to watch frequently, and suddenly, it hit me like a ton of clicks.

We are all just being played against one another so that other people can get rich from our rage, pride, fear, and ignorance. Such content increases views, shares, followers, comments, and TOS (time on site). The sites and profiles with the most of these make the most money from advertisers. It makes sense when you think about it, but the business model is unfortunate. This greed and competitiveness are why podcast hosts I used to enjoy end up platforming bad people with bad ideas, and I unsubscribe.

Yes, there are elements of ridiculousness in far left-leaning ideologies, just as there are on the right. And yes, I love humor and parody like the next guy. However, programs and movies such as these are designed for specific audiences, and when they include highly edited TikTok-worthy clips, we miss the context and the whole story from such man-in-the-street-type interviews. And when it’s all said and done, this is entertainment from companies who care more about the dollars they earn than the division they fuel.

It’s good to laugh at ourselves, but it’s unfair to use these pawns as scapegoats for our own pompous bullying entertainment. Of course, it’s great to make fun of those who purportrade such bad ideas, misinformation, disinformation, and hatred. I’m all for that to a point, but this has become a significant problem as social networks and news networks’ algorithms are tweaked to get our attention as we sit in siloed echo chambers online.

Turning the other cheek.

If you want to talk about religion, you’ll have to buy me a (non-alcoholic) beer. Still, I’ll share that I was raised Catholic and have read the idea of "turning the other cheek” in most other popular religious texts, like Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Islam, Jainism, and Taoism. Each of these traditions promotes non-retaliation, forgiveness, and responding to harm with compassion or restraint. For the purpose of my idea and upbringing, let’s stick with turning the other cheek for a moment.

The idea is simple: it’s time for everyone to turn to the other channel and note its similarities. Spend a day or so watching and listening to news networks, YouTubers, and podcasters from the other side of your political preference. You’ll see familiar formats like attractive talking heads, fancy newsrooms with interactive touchscreens, stale sitcoms, and comedy shows you are used to in your preferred content. They may even have the same advertisers.

Turn your addictive device off and turn to your neighbors.

Maslow's hierarchy of needs.

Upon accepting that we are all being played, turn your addictive device off and turn to your neighbors, who, as it turns out, are much more similar to you than you think. Abraham Maslow figured this out over eighty years ago.

Correct me if I’m wrong, but this is still the United States. Or did I misread that, as I received my US citizenship around this time last year? And not so fast, Canada, the UK, Ireland, and everywhere else. This is happening where you are, too.

Yes, you will find the media that suits your personality and beliefs; these technologies are designed to ensure this. Enjoy the talking points, heated debates, and hilarious monologues. Just be sure to hit pause and question what and why you’re seeing or hearing what you’re seeing and hearing.

Just as I’ve explained to my kids ad nauseam, when you see something online or in the news that makes you feel angry, sad, fearful, or frustrated, pause for a moment, take a deep breath, and question the source of that item and consider what’s in it for them. It’s usually money, power, or a combination of both. It’s okay to be entertained and laugh at what you view, but remain mindful and diligent in seeing through this facade, remembering that most of this is just entertainment and it’s a business that, sadly, too often, is dividing us rather than uniting us.

Keep reading about social media and addictive tech.

This article first appeared on my Substack. Don’t miss future posts and the extras you’re likely missing.

Image by Katie Holmes from Flickr.

I decided to take a break from social media. For the months of June and July, I refrained from posting anything to the social networks I have belonged to for over a decade. This was my first time taking time off for a digital detox from Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

The purpose of my break was partly to unplug from the noise. Please note that our exchanges are never considered noise if you are connected with me on a social network. The other part was to clear my head of my dread and anxiety.

The noise is from the strangers in my feeds pontificating about politics and arguing over whether masks are useful during a pandemic (stop being stupid), the bots configured to create rage, the media companies seeking clicks and views, the stalker-like advertisements that follow me from retargeting even after I’ve made the purchases. You can stop wasting your money Rayban and Rugstudio, I already bought from you.

Let’s not forget how social networks use algorithms to decide who and what we should see in our feeds. I preferred social media when it was social, and we didn’t need this.

What I Did on My Summer Digital Detox

The following are things I noticed being off social media.

More Thinking. In the past, I haven’t paused long enough to consider why I wanted to share something. I’ve thought much more about this since taking a break. I share on social because I like to entertain, inform, and promote my content and content from people I admire.

Saved Time. When I snap a photo, I usually do so with the intention of sharing it on Instagram. Instead of posting it right away, I take the time to use filters and photo editing apps to improve the quality of the shots. I then consider the caption and corresponding hashtags. I would guess it takes me about 15 minutes to post one photo to Instagram. I’ve posted 3,642 images to Instagram since I created my account in 2010. That works out to 37 days, 22 hours 30 minutes.

More Reading. I ended up recouping the time I would have spent on social media. This left me with more free time to read books again. When taking Peggy for a walk, I often flip endlessly through Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter. I replaced this urge by returning to my books within the Kindle app.

No News is Good News. When I wasn’t reading my Kindle app, I (too) often switched to Google News or Apple News and would fall down the rabbit hole. Obviously, staying informed is important. However, too much news is never a good idea. I found the experience better by pondering why I clicked each headline.

Reach Out and Touch Someone. Like the old Bell telephone ads of yesteryear, I realized there was much more value in emailing, texting, video conferencing, or phoning a friend than tagging them in a social media post. One friend released his new book, so I called him to tell him how much I enjoyed it. Another friend exchanged a series of text messages with me about his divorce. One friend and I had so much fun chatting over Zoom for the first time in many years that we scheduled a second call and continued the conversation.

Shutting Down the Phone. The damned phone is a big part of the problem. I appreciate a smartphone for the glorious piece of technology that it is. However, I’m not naive enough to ignore the addictive features built within. I realized I needed to power my phone off to keep from picking it up. I deleted the social apps, switched it to grayscale, and turned off the dopamine-releasing notifications.

Positives of Social Media

I would be remiss not to talk a little about the positives of using social media. While I did delete the social media apps from my phone, I still logged in once a day to check my private messages. My break was not a break from being social; it was a break from social media.

I made the Twitter exception of checking my Nashville Weather list from time to time as dark clouds loomed, especially when I was on the lake.

I received a warm welcome back when I announced that I had returned from my break on August 1. Thank you to those who said hello.

If you missed the news that I had taken a break, I expect the algorithms failed to inform you. It makes sense; why would the platforms want to give you an idea to take your break?

How about you?

Have you ever taken a break from social media? How did it work for you?

Email is distracting me from everything else.

It’s been years since it was paramount that I be available at all hours of the day. I managed social media for two technology companies. To do my job well, it was essential that I monitored our brands and was available to assist our customers when need be. That was over eight years ago. 

In 2005 B.i. (Before iPhone) days, I was commissioned a Blackberry by my employer. I remember that blinking red light often represented urgent matters related to my role in rebranding an entire television network across Canada. I was dealing with issues across six time zones! 

These days, I still get urgent emails from time to time, but it’s seldom. I am thankful that I have few fires that need extinguishing now.

When I worked for the television network, my boss did something inspiring. This is something I am implementing today. Walter had an out of office email auto-reply on all of the time. It read something like…

Thanks for your message. I check my email twice a day at 9:00 am and 4:00 pm. If the matter is urgent, please call me at XXX-XXX-XXXX. 

I am certain this inspiring move made Walter more productive. I know this because of the amount of time I find I am stuck in my inbox. This has inspired me to repeat this method and combine it with only checking social media at specific times of the day (or taking months off entirely). It’s time to get more serious with my goals to produce better content.

By managing the email expectations of my clients, prospects, and colleagues, I can now focus more time on the work I need to do. Blocking myself from checking email and removing notifications allows me to improve my productivity and focus.

“Turn off your email; turn off your phone; disconnect from the Internet; figure out a way to set limits so you can concentrate when you need to, and disengage when you need to. Technology is a good servant but a bad master.”

— Gretchen Rubin  

The question isn’t, “How should I start a podcast?” It’s ”Why do I want to start a podcast?”

Over the holidays, I spoke with a friend who was excited about launching a podcast in the new year. He had reached out because of my knowledge of the medium from over thirteen years of producing and listening to podcasts. I started my first podcast in 2005.

Rather than jumping into software, hardware, and marketing recommendations, I asked him why he wanted to start a podcast. He explained that he wanted to use it to promote his clients by interviewing them. I asked him what excited him about podcasting and he admitted, nothing much. He wanted to create a podcast because so many others were. It seemed like the right thing to do. 

Podcasting is popular these days, 26% of Americans listen to podcasts monthly. He thought it would be a great way to build his brand and promote his clients. I asked him if his customers listen to podcasts, he wasn’t sure. 

A podcast is a labor of love (or you have a team)

A podcast is much more work than many people realize. There are two ways to handle this. The first is to commit yourself to many hours of work. Here is a breakdown of what you will be spending your time on for an interview-type show.

• Purchase necessary equipment like a good microphone, headset, and software. 

• Develop the marketing plan for the show. Commit to a publishing frequency like one new episode every Monday. 

• Create or outsource theme music.

• Create or outsource album art. 

• Submit the podcast to directories like Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Soundcloud, Google Podcasts, and new editions like Audible, Pandora, and Spotify. 

• Outreach to your potential guests. Plan for back-and-forth emails to schedule time for each interview. 

• Guest research and show preparation like writing questions. 

• Conduct the actual interviews. 

• Edit interviews and produce each episode. 

• Upload episode file to hosting service. 

• Create a corresponding blog post with show notes for each episode. 

• Promote each new episode and blog post across social media channels and to email newsletter.

• Create social media channels and email newsletter if you don’t already have these.

• Consider purchasing ads online to get more listeners.

• Beg your listeners for iTunes reviews. 

It’s going to cost you time and money

The second option is to outsource the work. This can cost hundreds of dollars per episode. I asked my friend about the budget he was willing to allocate to his podcast. Either way, it would cost him time and money. 

My friend’s idea was to create a podcast to feature interviews with his clients. I asked how his guests would perform in the interviews? Would they be entertaining, inspiring, or helpful to his listeners? He doubted it. He confessed that some might actually sound terrible. 

How would he expect to gain listeners of his podcast if the content wasn’t enjoyable to the listener? In fact, it might actually do a disservice to his clients if they come across inarticulate or standoffish. Plus, if he only gains a few listeners, how will this serve his clients?

I could sense his nodding head over the phone. My honest feedback might have come across a little blunt, but I know I was saving him time and money - that’s what friends are for. 

How about this instead?

I proposed a different idea to reach the same results he strived for: feature his clients and build his brand. Interview his guests via email and feature those interviews on his blog. This would take little time because his clients would provide the bulk of the content by answering his questions. In addition, his clients would likely share their interview with their friends, fans, and followers. This would strengthen his brand and introduce his business to new prospects.  Win-win. 

Are you thinking about starting a podcast this year? Start by asking yourself why. Consider the work it will take and whether there is an easier way to achieve the same results. If you decide a podcast is the right decision, I wish you the best of luck with your show. Send me the link, I would love to check out your podcast.

I am passionate about podcasting, I’ve been doing it on and off since 2005. I am also passionate about helping my clients and friends make the right decisions. By all means, start a podcast, but begin by asking. Why?

Several months ago, I was enjoying dinner with a group of people. One of the guests ordered a vodka and Red Bull. A woman gasped as he began to sip his concoction. He stared at her curiously and asked if she had ever tasted the beverage. She explained she would never drink the stuff because of something she read on the internet. 

"Red Bull is made with bull semen."

The group of us laughed, and the woman became flushed. She insisted it was probably true because she saw it online. Her friend had sent her a link to the story. I politely introduced her to a website everyone needs to know about called Snopes.com.

Snopes is the definitive internet reference source for urban legends, folklore, myths, rumors, and misinformation. If you ever come across a story that seems too wild to be true, check Snopes. Check the story, especially before you share it.

I should add that Snopes is entirely independent and self-supporting; they receive no funding from any person, group, agency, or organization. 

Is Obama a liar? Is Trump a fake?

Want to know how that politician is performing? Would you like to see if that political rumor is true or not? Check Politifact.com before spreading the story.

PolitiFact is a fact-checking website that rates the accuracy of claims by elected officials and others who speak up in American politics. When you hear something on talk radio, TV, online, or at the watercooler, it's best to check its accuracy here first. 

Understand online and traditional media outlets are businesses. Sensationalist headlines always draw our attention. The more clicks, eyeballs, and eardrums they receive, the more money they earn from advertisers. 

Most sites and media outlets have biases and may even lean to one political side over another. It's no secret that Fox leans Republican, and MSNBC leans Democrat. It's up to you to recognize this before you amplify the "news" with your friends on Facebook.

When you share fake news you are part of the problem.

Don't be a red-faced, bull semen-sipping believer. Be responsible by checking the facts and source first. Spreading fake news and misinformation can not only make you look foolish, but it can also be downright dangerous. Less informed, more gullible people can act on rumors in horrible ways. 

I've included the latest stories and rumors below from Politifact and Snopes. Click through to learn more and to be informed. 

The Latest from Snopes and Politifact

Can't see the latest above? Click over to Snopes or Politifact directly.

The Red Bull bull semen rumor is totally fake, but the headline made you click to read this post, right? That's how they get us. ;)

A few photos from the first BarCamp Nashville, August 18th, 2007. 

BarCamp Nashville, the free, technology unconference is celebrating its tenth year this Saturday, October 15th. If you have any interest in technology (and you should), you would be nuts to miss this celebration. 

My friend and co-founder, Marcus Whitney, recently wrote a wonderful recap blog post about how BarCamp Nashville came together. Our main goal was to put Nashville on the "digital map". We wanted the world to recognize the technology talent in our city. Our plan was to launch BarCamp and later PodCamp Nashville (now known as Craft Content), and pass the organizing torch to a new team each year.

CORRECTION: After our panel today, Marcus reminded me of the reason why we passed the torch. Originally, we had planned on doing the second BarCamp Nashville, but Marcus started his own company and decided not to do it. So Kelly Stewart (one of the original organizers) and I decided to pass the torch to the next group. Who knew my mind would be foggy after nearly ten years. 

The model has worked well. Each year a new person takes the lead of a specific task and the previous person becomes a mentor. For example, if one person manages sponsorships in 2016, the person who managed it in 2015 teaches them everything they need to know. It's been cool to notice how different people have changed roles over the years as they have learned new skills or wanted to test to new areas of interest.

Countless New Friends

I can't speak for each volunteer, but I can imagine that their experiences have led to new areas of expertise for their careers and businesses. Plus they have made new friendships with fellow volunteer organizers. I know that personally, I have made countless friends from my involvement as an early organizer and co-founder, and later as a speaker and fellow attendee.  

BarCamp Nashville was created by our community for our community. It is with deep thanks to all of the attendees and speakers who have made it an amazing event each year. I also want to thank the gracious sponsors who paid to make BarCamp happen. Finally, and most importantly, I want to raise a glass to toast all of the dedicated organizers who have continued to grow and nurture Nashville's original unconference.

BarCamp Nashville Organizer Roll Call (2007 - 2016)

Abby Whisenhut
Adam Auden
Alan Eatherly
Alan Fox
Alex Ezell
Alison Slamon
Andrew Duthie
Anna Stout
Ashley Bright
Audrey Hunter
Audrey Shores
Bart Renner
Bayard Saunders
Ben Wilburn
Berenice Valdes
Bob Kalwinsky
Bobby Brock
Brad Blackman
Brianna Reed
Bryan Duplantis
Cal Evans
Carla Swank Fox
Carter Harris
Catherine Hardin
Chad Taylor
Chase Ramsey
Chris Mihalcik
Chris Riesgo
Chuck Bryant
Clark Buckner
Cliff Corr
Colin Yearwood
Corey Davis
Courtenay Rogers
Courtney Seiter
Cristina Cinque
D'nelle Dowis
D'nelle Throneberry
Damon Romano
Dan Cotton
Dan Eggenschwiler
Dani Heileman
Dani Heilman Howell
Darren Crawford
David Beronja
David Payne
Dean Shortland
Deanna Vickers
Deborah Fisher
Deborah Sanderfur
Diane Sanders
Doris Palomino
Dustin Thomason
Edwin Acevedo
Elizabeth Elmore
Emily Fordice
Emma Everett
Eric Near
Eric Shuff
Erica Cosminsky
Erin Cubert
Erin McInnis
Erin Page
Gaines Kergosien
Hannah Moyer
Heather Venesile
Heidi Short
Jacques Woodcock
Jairo Ruiz
James Logan
Jamin Guy
Jenni Leeds
Jennifer Nash
Jessawynne Parker
Jessica Murray
Jessica Peoples
Jimmy Thorn
Joanne Eckton
Joe Smith
John Ellis
Jordan Kasper
Joseph Bradley
Josh Cole
Julia Corrigan
Julie McReynolds
Julie Moore Dey
Kailey Hussey
Kate O'Neill
Katherine Neunaber
Keith Miles
Kelly Stewart
Kenny Silva
Kerry Woo
Kim Hatcher
Knight Stivender
LaCheka Phillips
Laurie Kalmanson
Les Gebhardt
Lesley Smith
Lindsey McMurray
Lisa French
Lucas Hendrickson
Marc Apple
Marcus Snyder
Marcus Whitney
Marissa Benchea
Mark Rowan
Mark Williams
Marshall Romero
Mary Carnahan
Mary Kergosien
Mathew Laughlin
Matthew Jackson
Max Trenkle
Maynard Garrett
Melanie Friebel
Melanie Meadows
Michael Daugherty
Michael Morton
Michelle Price
Michelle Ward
Mike Conrad  
Mike Logsdon
Miller Canning
Nayeli Anaya Hernandez
Neil McCormick
Nicholas Holland
Nipun Joshi
Paul Sunderhaus
Penny Cupp
Rachael Kahne
Rob Wingfield
Robin Thorpe
Russell Campbell
Sam Bradley
Samantha Yeargin
Scot Justice
Scott Greer
Scott Troutman
Sean Hill
Steve Cunningham
Sue Anne Reed
Tabitha Tune
Thomas Vaughn
Tina Wisneski
Todd O’Neill
Tom Cheredar
Tony Grotticelli
Winston Hearn

Did I miss you? Sorry about that. Please leave me a comment. 

Join Us This Saturday

Marcus and I will be hosting an interactive question and answer session with each other and the audience on Saturday. We hope to see you at our session, A look back (and forward) at BarCamp Nashville. Check out all of the other amazing sessions planned too! All for free. 

Happy 10th BarCamp Nashville. 

I had a fun back-and-forth with Brad Wilson and Tahira Endean on Twitter on Saturday. They reminded me how much fun social media can be when you're being social. 

I have been struggling with the social side of social media lately. Maybe you have too. I find I have been having less conversations with folks. I believe I'm partly to blame because I have been spending less time online. I have also been too self-promotional, and I haven't been listening enough. By listening, I am referring to reviewing conversations from my saved Twitter lists and search results, and the Facebook and LinkedIn groups I belong to. 

My Selfless Promotion Challenge

This week I'm trying an experiment. I'm calling this my Selfless Promotion Challenge. I'm going to put the social back into social networking. Here's my plan.  

• I've logged into my IFTTT and Buffer accounts to pause my scheduled, automated content.
• I have updated my Tweetdeck layout to only include Lists and Search Results (in addition to my replies and direct messages). 
• I will NOT like or retweet any content without a comment of my own. 
• I will NOT promote any of my own content or services. I will only promote other people.
• I will leave more comments on the blogs and groups I enjoy. 

I was trying to think of ways I could measure the results of my experiment, but I concluded measurement is beyond the point. If I am truly being selfless, I shouldn't care about the results. All I hope is that the results are more conversations, re-connections with old friends, and I make some new ones. 

Have you ever looked up at the sky at night and wondered about the Milky Way? Do you ever consider your actions and the effects they have on the universe? Do you want to become a better public speaker? Are you wondering what these have in common? Have I opened this post with too many questions?

I had the great pleasure of spending my birthday at TEDXNashville this year. Heather and I agreed that our favorite speaker was astrophysicist, Dr. Kelly Holley-Bockelmann. We decided "The Spacetime Symphony of Gravitational Waves" was our favorite because of several reasons. 

Why we chose Dr. Kelly Holley-Bockelmann's presentation as the best TEDX Nashville for 2016 

There were many amazing presentations, but The Spacetime Symphony of Gravitational Waves stood out for som

• She dumbed down an extremely complex topic so the audience would understand. Even I understood!
• Her passion for the topic was contagious. 
• Humor was used throughout the presentation that kept us laughing. 
• She reflected on something we all recognize, staring up to the Milky Way. I loved that she started with this and returned to it again at the end. 
• The presentation was interactive as the audience rose to take part in The Gravitational Wave Dance.
• She was the best-dressed presenter. Her dress was a memorable part of the presentation. 
• She left us with a profound thought that we must consider each day. 

As a public speaker, I always watch presenters with the intention of learning new ideas to deliver more impactful talks. This presentation was definitely one that will stick with me. 

Even if you have no interest in understanding supermassive black holes, spacetime, or gravitational waves, you must watch this presentation.

Get ready to learn why your choices matter and how they will be written into the universe. 

If you want to learn more about delivering a killer presentation, pick up a copy of Talk Like TED: The 9 Public-Speaking Secrets of the World's Top Minds by Carmine Gallo.

Milky Way photo by James Wheeler

The Art of the Podcast

What are the five types of podcasts? What is the common thread that connects each? How can you make your podcast better?

I presented The Art of the Podcast at the Craft Content conference in Nashville. My goal was to leave the audience, a mix of current and future podcasters, with ideas on how to tell better stories and produce better podcasts. I began my talk by describing the five types of podcasts. 

The Five Types of Podcasts

1. Interview. An interview podcast is a program that features a guest and a host. Some of my favorites include; The Nice Podcast (shameless plug), The James Altucher Show, WTF with Marc Maron, Marketing Smarts, and Six Pixels of Separation. 

2. Couples-Cast. A podcast featuring two co-hosts. I used to use this definition for podcasts with actual couples like Dawn and Drew, and my first podcast, Two Boobs and a Baby. I now use it to cover all co-hosted podcasts. Check out Marketing Over Coffee as a good example.

3. Ramble-Cast. A single-host podcast. Any podcast with one person sharing what's on their mind fits this category. Tune into DicksnJanes and Up In This Brain to get a taste of what I am talking about.

4. Round Table. These are podcasts featuring a host as the moderator and a panel of subject experts; a favorite is The BeanCast.

5. Magazine. A magazine podcast is a highly produced show. It features multiple stories (like a magazine), and can also be referred to as a narrative podcast. I love shows like 99% Invisible, RadioLab, This American Life (admittedly this is a radio program first), and StartUp. I also have a new favorite, Neighbors, which I learned about from the host, Jakob Lewis, during Craft Content.

The online broadcasting barriers have dropped.

While some of my favorite podcasts began as terrestrial radio programs, some favorites have gone the other way and become radio shows. Online broadcasting barriers have dropped with the advent of inexpensive production software (Audacity is free) and hardware like microphones, mixers, and headphones. Anyone can become a podcaster now. The point is to become a good one by telling and sharing stories your listeners will be interested in. 

What makes a great podcast story?

Each of the five types of podcasts has one thing in common: Storytelling. The interviewer knows when to remain quiet to listen to his guest's story. A couples cast will feature the hosts taking turns sharing and adding to their stories. A ramble cast features a single person telling stories about her day or from her past. A roundtable moderator will pass the mic to each panelist, he will ensure they stay on the same topic while each participant adds their own stories to the mix. Like a physical magazine, a magazine podcast includes narrative stories from guests and their hosts. All powerful podcasts include rich, vivid stories. 

Four keys to podcasting an exceptional story

In The Art of the Podcast, I shared four keys to use in a podcast to relay an exceptional story. These don't have to all be used in a single podcast episode, but strong stories include one or more of the following; ambiance (background sounds, music, sound effects), conflict and resolution, honesty, and humor. 

I included several clips during my presentation as examples. The sound bites came from 99% Invisible, RadioLab, DicksnJanes, and StartUp. I am truly passionate about podcasting. I hope my audience found my presentation helpful as they weave better stories into their shows. 

If you have a podcast, please leave a link in the comments. I would love to tune in to your show. You can hear me interviewed on podcasts here or listen to my show, The Nice Podcast.

The Art of the Podcast from Dave Delaney

Do you leave comments on blogs? This post was inspired by Mack Collier's BlogChat community. 

I enjoyed spending time in Mack Collier's BlogChat last night. Every Sunday night at 8 pm CST, bloggers take to Twitter to participate in Mack's chat about all things blogging. If you partake in Twitter chats, I recommend using TweetChat on desktop. It helps to handle the flow of incoming messages from the Twittersphere. 

I was curious how often everyone comments on other people's blogs. The answers were interesting. Most people claim they leave comments frequently while a few honestly answered that they need to do so more often. I also need to do this more often.

Bloggers (and podcasters) love to receive comments. Comments are from the humans (unless they are spam-bots) behind the analytical data. Comments are from the people who take the time to actually read your posts. I sincerely appreciate those who take the time to comment here. 

@davedelaney Yesterday. I comment regularly on the blogs I follow.

— Leigh Kramer (@hopefulleigh) January 11, 2016

@havertyj @davedelaney for sure, it's a great way to gain attention and reciprocation. Who doesn't love comments!? #blogchat

— Chris Rice (@ChrisRiceCo) January 11, 2016

@havertyj @davedelaney I agree I need to comment more. #blogchat

— Marc Miller (@CareerPivot) January 11, 2016

@havertyj @davedelaney I left a comment a few days ago - on our very own @MackCollier's #blog! #BlogChat

— Steve Case (@JoeBugBuster) January 11, 2016

@davedelaney I do not recall the last time I left comment. Need to change that if I want comments on my blog. #blogchat

— John Haverty (@havertyj) January 11, 2016

@davedelaney I am constantly commenting on blogs, I find it often inspires my writing to write to others. #blogchat

— Kyah Skavinski (@kyskav) January 11, 2016

@davedelaney tuesday

— Mike McAllen (@mmcallen) January 11, 2016

@davedelaney About 45 minutes ago. #blogchat

— Charles G Hill (@dustbury) January 11, 2016

I'd say it has been about a week. Anytime I read a blog, I try to leave a comment. #blogchat https://t.co/68VSF7PAHr

— Brandon (@therookiedad) January 11, 2016

@davedelaney Month back #blogchat

— Abhishek Deshpande (@Fitehal) January 11, 2016

5 Reasons to Leave Comments on Blogs

1. Relationships - by leaving a comment on a blog you get on the radar of the author, more so than simply using social media to share the posts. As I mentioned above, authors are always appreciative of thoughtful comments. 

2. Education - you can learn more if you ask questions about articles in the comments. You can also answer other questions from fellow commenters to help them.

3. Reciprocity - the author may come to your blog to see what you write about and leave comments too. 

4. Conversation - by leaving a comment you can stir conversation with the other readers and author. Perhaps you have something to add or a counter argument to the topic. 

5. Give Thanks - a comment is a simple way to say thank you to the author for writing the post. Favorite blogs die, so take a moment to let the author know you enjoy what she writes. 

I always encourage my clients to have their blog comments turned on. They are sometimes nervous that readers will come and bash their company, product or services. People will bash you online if they choose to anyway. Why not have them do it on your blog, where you can address their comments in the open?  

In order to make yourself leave comments more often, set a goal. For example, you can choose to leave three comments for every single blog post you publish. You could also plan to leave three comments each day of the week as a goal. 

Do you leave comments on blogs (your answer is "yes", if you answer this)?

Do you have a goal for yourself? What makes you stop to leave a comment?

When we think of airplane mode on an iPhone or iPad, we think of air travel. That glorious switch on our device shuts down all communication, which surely saves us from falling from the sky. Thank God for airplane mode! 

Down here on the ground, airplane mode can be used in ways to help us become less distracted and more productive. Here are five reasons airplane mode can help you get more done. I love the button on my phone and you should too.

1. No calls. It is seldom that I get an urgent call that can't wait. Since the inception of the cell phone, we carry our devices everywhere just in case. The truth is few of us ever receive an emergency call. Note how many emergency calls you get this week. Do you see what I mean?

2. No notifications. Admit it, you have promised yourself to review your notifications and adjust the settings countless times. Yet you are still interrupted by that annoying game your kid put on your phone. It pokes you with reminders to gain more coins, gems, or to feed your virtual kitten. Yes, you can turn off all of the notifications, but most people don’t because what if someone tags you on Facebook today?

3. No browsing. What’s the weather going to be like tomorrow? What’s the latest breaking news? Has anyone shared my latest blog post? It doesn’t matter which browser you use on your phone, Chrome, Safari, Atomic, iCab… each leads you right back online. You can’t access them without an internet connection. 

4. No Siri interruptions. I was once on a live webinar with hundreds of people, when suddenly Siri replied to me out of the blue. One second I was rocking my way through a presentation, the next I was looking at my phone exclaiming, “Not now, Siri!” Shut that woman (or Australian man if you are Heather) down while you are working.

5. No text messages. Both my kids got an iPod touch for Christmas. Both haven’t stopped texting me ever since. This is fine, I love to hear from my kids, but small talk can be distracting when you are working. Think of the time you are spending in airplane mode as time you are making money to help put your kids through college. They will thank you for ignoring them later. 

Two Bonus Airplane Mode Tips

Stop a text message from sending. Not quite a productivity tip but this one can help you. If you are sending a text message (especially a multi-media message), you can quickly switch your phone to airplane mode to stop the message from being sent. Once you switch it back off, the message will say it was undelivered. Thanks to Matt Elliott from CNET for saving us from potential embarrassment.  

View fullsize

Queue Instagram photos. I avoid oversharing on Instagram. If you share too many photos in a row you will annoy your followers. Instead, you should queue photos for Instagram using airplane mode. Just do everything as you normally would. When you are ready, switch the phone to airplane mode, and upload the photo to Instagram. It will give you a failed message. When you switch off airplane mode the photo will still be there waiting for you to try again. Hit the round, refresh arrow and your photo will be uploaded. This is handy if you are saving a photo for #throwbackthursday, but today is Monday. 

If you want to be productive this year be generous with how often you use airplane mode on your phone. It’s the next best thing to moving to Cuba.

Amber Case is a cyborg anthropologist, author and speaker. A few months ago, she spoke at Hubspot's Inbound Conference about Calm Technology. Calm is a term coined by Mark Weiser. The concept is for technology to improve our lives, but to step out of the way. 

Amber used electricity as an example of Calm. It exists all around us, but we only really notice it when it isn't working. It's time to think about Calm, since we live in an era of interruptive technology. You probably have received a few annoying notifications since you have been reading this post. 

50 Billion devices will be online by 2020. 

1. Technology shouldn't require all of our attention, just some of it, and only when necessary. She used a tea kettle as an example of this. 

2. Technology should empower the periphery. It should be around us, but not in our faces constantly competing for our attention. I loved her example of the Hue Light Bulb that changes color based on the weather. 

3. Technology should amplify the best of technology and the best of humanity. She adds that machines shouldn't act like humans, humans shouldn't act like machines. How many times have you repeated something for Siri to understand in your best robotic voice?

4. Technology can communicate, but it doesn't have to speak. I just added the LumoBack Smart Posture Sensor to my Christmas wish list. It gently vibrates to alert you to sit up. I need this right now. 

5. The right amount of technology is the minimum amount to solve the problem. Amber points out a simple toilet occupied sign as an example. 

Her presentation hit home to me. you can bet I need to avoid distractions (and to sit up straight). I encourage you to pick up her book, Calm Technology: Designing for Billions of Devices and the Internet of Things. 

How are you dealing with countless notifications? What are your thoughts on Calm Technology?