Prologue
Where the Stories Are
Last year, I started a project documenting the stories of America's long-haul truck drivers. Today, I'm at the Mid-America Trucking Show doing just that.
Stories are everywhere. I donated blood on Wednesday and met a phlebotomist whom I'm going to use as a source.
If you're living a great life and keep your ears open, you're going to have more stories that you can handle ...
But if you're looking for speed and quantity, you've got to go where your people are.
Steal This Idea
The Hungry Ghost Problem
The entertainment business if full of people who will not stop, even when it would be in their best interest to take a break. Media, especially social media, is also full of these people, because the algorithm rewards high frequency and volume.
Like driving a car, going fast on your content business can be fun, but it's not sustainable. And, like driving a car, sometimes you don't know that you've gone too fast until you crash.
You may have seen this story about Dave Grohl this week, where he talks about this.
“There were years where I was so overly ambitious with things, like a documentary series on HBO, writing a book, whatever. I think having grown up in suburban Virginia with a public-school teacher as a mother, any opportunity you got, you would take. But over time, you spread yourself so thin. And so I look back and I’m like, God, what was I trying to prove? There is such a thing as addiction to achievement, and it’s dangerous. You’ll set a goal for yourself and you put everything you have into it; the world disappears. Then you achieve that finish line, and it feels good for 24 fxxking hours, and that feeling immediately goes away. And there’s that hole again, there’s that emptiness, and you’re like, shxt, I need to fill it up with something else.”
Something to think about.
I don't have the answer for this. In many ways, I think it's something you have to go through and figure it out for yourself. Therapy can help, as can anything that helps you work through "what you want" and "what you come to the table with" in a healthy way.
But do look at it, even if it's just pulling up a blank Word doc and writing down your thoughts on the subject.
Need a good journaling app? Try Day One. On a Mac? I love Everlog.
Podcasting Tools
Make Your Mic Sound Better
Want your mic to sound better? A lot of people think the way to do this is via modifications like this one to increase low end.
It's an interesting subculture among recording engineers and musicians. Especially popular is taking a cheap mic and making it sound like a more expensive one.
If nothing else, looking into different options will give you ideas for what you can do to improve your sound, even using non-hardware options.
Podcast Humor
Yes, It Matters
If you want your podcast to matter, you need to care about listeners. A show that nobody hears can’t help anyone, no matter how good the ideas are.
Wanting people to find you, subscribe, and keep coming back isn’t shallow—it’s responsible.
Downloads aren’t about ego; they’re a signal that the message is reaching real humans who might benefit from it.
Thinking about growth, promotion, and reach is part of respecting your audience and the time you’re asking them to give you.
Need help? This is how to work with me.
The Business of Podcasting
YouTube Is Not the Podcast Savior You’re Looking For
Podcasting has changed a lot since coming on the scene in 2005.
And podcasters have gotten lazy ... We expect other people (and platforms) to promote us.
To be clear, the "Golden Age" of podcasting is now. There never been a better time to be a podcaster.
But as a podcaster in 2026, you will be better off taking the approach of 2005-era podcasters when it comes to promoting yourself. This means you go out into the world and get people to listen to you, not just throwing up an episode and expecting people to come to you.
Platforms come and go. Use them for what they are, but don't completely rely on them.
The Wrap Up
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