My obsession with podcasts began years ago. April 2014 to be exact.

Sunlight poured over the windowsill as the sizzling smells of spinach eggs filled the kitchen. I was a devout follower of Tim Ferriss’ blog, a start-up and self-help guru, and mid-cooking had just been given the news of his newest endeavor—Tim was starting a podcast.

What’s a podcast? I wondered.

Shortly after downloading the necessary application, the first episode of the Tim Ferriss Show played atop the dining room table. Long after the eggs were devoured, the show continued to play. I was hooked. Tim had now seeded me with 1) the desire to quit my job and 2) a love for podcasts (Thanks, Tim!).

The result was wanting more. For hours, I feasted my ears on episodes of Freakonomics, Radiolab, and more recently, the life-altering interviews from The Joe Rogan Experience.

Since I had listened to so many podcasts, I wrote a blog post last May listing my favorite podcast episodes, an article that ended up ranking on the first page of Google’s search results for some time. It was around this same time that someone first told me I should start a podcast. “No way,” I thought. “There’s already way too many of them.”

But if I was being honest, the real reason I discounted his suggestion was that I didn’t think I was deserving. I was scared. What would people think? I might look dumb. I might fail!

What a trap these thoughts were. Why did I even think I was guaranteed to have a later? Why do any of us accept this as a given? Surely there may come a day when we can’t so easily guarantee tomorrow.

“Only put off till tomorrow what you are willing to die having left undone” — Pablo Picasso

It’s a shame. Who knows how many episodes I could have recorded since that time.

Three months ago, after many discussions with friends and once again being told that I should consider starting a podcast, the desire grew stronger, and on a whim I bought the necessary gear: two mics, two stands and various chords from Amazon plus a banged-up audio box from eBay. The gear sat in my bedroom unused for two months. I’ll do it later. It’s not time yet. Again, I wonder what conversations I’ve missed out on during this time.

It was a just a few weeks ago that I guest appeared on a good friend’s upcoming podcast. The episode isn’t out yet, but I loved the experience. It’s time to start…not yet, but soon.

Finally, two weeks ago, I turned in a draft of a book I’ve been writing to my editor and subsequently had no idea what to do with my newfound time. Seeking new stimulus, I set up the podcast equipment and scheduled my first two episodes. I guess anxious boredom is the mother of invention.

I’ve been told on occasion that I’m a good listener. I’m not sure about that but I do try hard to listen to what others have to say. Sometimes I may even come across as slow. I think that’s because I’m trying to really comprehend what the other person is saying.

One thing I know for sure is that I’m very curious and my interests are wide-ranging. Having thru-hiked the PCT, I love the outdoors. Having attended multiple meditation retreats, I’m fascinated with the mind and happiness. I also can’t help but think about the future, society, and how to live a full and balanced life. These topics will be the foundation of the podcast.

My name’s David Smart (@stay.in.alive), I’m a curious homo sapien and your new podcast host. Here’s the introductory episode where I discuss why I started this podcast and what you can expect moving forward.

Cheers, and hope you enjoy!

-David

Episode #1 – David Smart, Introduction

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Also worth mentioning… this episode is brought to you by me. 🙂 If you enjoyed it, please consider supporting the podcast on Patreon to access content that’s otherwise unavailable on the blog. If you don’t want to give, that’s okay too! I’m grateful to share this experiment with you free of charge. I’d love to be able to release more episodes per month, but my current hosting plan limits the amount of data I can upload each month. If I’m able to collect $50/month, I’d be able to scale the podcast to a more frequent release schedule.

Since this is the very first episode, I’d love to hear your thoughts about what topics you’d like covered in the future or who you’d like to hear from. Please leave comments and let me know how the show can improve. The first interview/conversation episode will be released this week on Wednesday, 3/21/18. Stay tuned for the first three episodes:

1. David Smart — Introduction (3/18)
2. Bradley Lovell — Psychedelics, Meditation & One Meal a Day (3/21)
3. Callum Shallenburger — God, Downloads & Living into Authenticity (3/28)

Show Notes:

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