Dave

Sep 19 2026

Three Recent Business-Focused Interviews on The Vandy Program

It’s been a lot of fun building and growing a podcast. While we’ve been fortunate to strike a chord with some YouTube viewers, I’ll be honest that the interviews that have taken off have done so because we’ve talked about some more controversial topics.

But sometimes we…want to talk about…business. And, when those interviews don’t catch fire, it might be because we haven’t promoted them as well as we should have.

SO…here goes. Three podcast episodes that you may have missed.

Jeannie Walters, Author and Experience Expert

The author of the book Experience is Everything, Jeannie joined me on The Vandy Program on May 26. We spent a little time throwing back to…well, the early days of the Internet and social media.

But we spent most of our time discussing the what and the why of customer experience. She knows her stuff, as you can see when you check out the video…

Tamsen Webster, Author and Messaging Strategist

Tamsen wrote a book, “Say What They Can’t Unhear,” and this was a really delightful conversation on June 1. We even talked a little about…medicine? Specifically, how it took the right messaging and the right delivery of that messaging to get doctors to routinely wash their hands.

Some more of what we chatted about:

Principles of influence and persuasion
The importance of shared beliefs and common ground
Strategies for effective communication of complex ideas

Sean McGinnis, The Manager Vault

Sean has spent his career building businesses. He’s been a “hired gun” who comes into ecommerce businesses and helps them connect with customers and sell more stuff.

He has partnered with Ashley Walton to create The Manager Vault, where the pair share what they’ve learned in their careers, and they do so in digestible chunks a couple times a week.

I invite you to check these and the other videos out…and, feel free to leave a comment on YouTube!

Sep 06 2026

Three Recent YouTube Interviews to Check Out

I have an interview show on YouTube called The Vandy Program and we had three interviews before the Labor Day Weekend Holiday that are worth your time.

Will Tanner: Rhodesia, South Africa, and…What Could Be Coming to America

This interview was an eye-opener for me, and it’s likely about a 9 on a 10-point controversy scale. Will Tanner is the publisher of The American Tribune and he has studied Africa, and specifically Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) and South Africa and the histories of those two countries, more than anyone I’ve bumped into.

Even if you’re not in agreement with the headline — it SOUNDS counter-intuitive, I know — it’s an illuminating discussion.

Jackie Chea: Right-Wing ‘Grifters’ like Candace Owens and Tucker Carlson, and a ‘Woke Right’ Definition

Jackie Chea is an Evangelical Christian and blogger at Fair and Biased. She and I spent an hour or so talking about the concept of the “Woke Right” — a term made popular by blogger and commentator James Lindsay — and the rise and fall of Right Wing “Grifters” like Candace Owens and Tucker Carlson.

This was probably less controversial than the Will Tanner discussion, but still might challenge a couple assumptions of folks that are either Left- or Left-of-Center politically.

Ginger (@HandyGingerGal): From Canada to Costa Rica

This might have been the most practical of the three: if you’re looking to relocate, here’s a woman named Ginger who, with her husband, moved to Costa Rica from their native Canada. They had to build — literally and figuratively — a new life in a new country.

More interviews are coming to the channel…which just went over the 50,000 Subscribers milestone!

Thanks for your support.

Aug 01 2026

A Quick July Recap

This is part accountability post and part thank you. We’ve done quite a bit in the month of July to grow a couple brands under the Area 224 umbrella. And yours truly has done his best to stay in shape. So here goes:

The Vandy Program: 5 Long-Form Interviews

Starting to find a groove and that’s fun; aiming to exceed that figure in August.

July 1: Congressional Candidate Angel Oakley

In response to the growth of Democratic Socialist candidates throughout the country, I sat down (for the second time this year) with Angel Oakley, who is a GOP candidate for U.S. Congress in the 3rd District of Illinois.

July 9: Sportswriter Matt Sieger Talks About the 78 San Francisco Giants (And the 2026 Giants’ Pride Hat Controversy)

This was the most-popular video of the month, with 43,000 views and counting. Really illuminating conversation with Matt Sieger on faith, sports, the intersection of the two, and tying to have reasonable conversations with those who may not agree with you.

July 21: Sean McGinnis from The Manager Vault

With his colleague Ashley Graham, Sean McGinnis has created The Manager Vault as a platform to share what he and Ashley have learned throughout their years as leaders of people.

July 24: Liam Gallegos Talks ‘MAHA’ and AI

He calls himself “The King of LinkedIn Live” and Liam Gallegos has devoted his time lately to both AI and spreading the word on healthy living.

July 28: Tom Shanahan On College Football’s Integration Titans

I learned a ton in this interview, and Tom Shanahan has written books about the subject of the 1960s and college football integration. (Duffy Daugherty was quite the hero.)

My thanks to the growing number of subscribers. We’re just getting started, eh?

The Saturday List: The Streak Continues!

We’ve now done 39 straight editions of The Saturday List, and it serves as both a recap and a look ahead at what I’m Watching, Reading, Listening to, and Rediscovering each week.

Plus we’ve added a kicker of sorts, “Finally,” as the last word from whatever category I please.

AND, Workout Statistics

In July, I managed to go to the gym for a workout on 25 of the 31 days.

Part of the mission for me is building good habits, and, as author James Clear tells us in his book Atomic Habits, one key is “don’t miss two straight days.” And, despite a couple minor injuries, I…didn’t miss two straight days. A tiny victory.

What’s Next?

August will bring, at the minimum:

6 long-form interviews on The Vandy Program.
5 Editions of The Saturday List (you can see the August 1 edition at the link).
And I won’t miss two straight days at the gym.

You can hold me to that. And thanks so much for your support!

Jun 09 2026

Is The Future of Work Less Social?

David Armano was my guest on a recent episode of The Vandy Program, and he pulled no punches when talking about where things are going.

Some highlights from our conversation:

Get Used to Working with Agents

Not talent agents, of course, but AI agents. This will make us more efficient, but also lonelier. You used to go into an office and have the advantage of “water cooler conversations,” but now you’re going to need to set up your own conversations with like-minded individuals — that may not be your coworkers — because your water cooler conversations will be with AI agents that you’ll be asking to work on several tasks for you.

Build Your Own Career Bunker

David’s concept of “Career Prepping” makes total sense: get rid of the excess stuff and stop chasing a higher social status; instead you should build the skills you need to survive in the workplace of the future.

“No one is coming to save you.” Wise advice, but will also mean…yes, a lonelier future.

Time to Find Your People

Conversations like this, I think, are great — and you don’t have to have them on a podcast like I do — because you learn something new, and you get to find out who your “people” are.

This is going to become much more important in the future: having a stable of folks that you can call and bounce ideas off of is really vital. (And one thing I’ve learned is how valuable the chat is when it continues AFTER the recording button gets turned off. Really really good stuff.)

IN any event…

Give the video a watch, and check out David’s work on his Substack.

Jun 04 2026

Baby Steps, Tiny Victories, And Staying Positive

It’s another “Month of Content” here for me, Dave, here on the blog, on my YouTube channel, and on my Substack. Do I have all the answers? No. Will I keep at it in a quest to find the answers? Yes. Here are a few thoughts…

The Baby Steps?

We’re all neophytes at SOMETHING. With the launch of just about anything these days — a new AI tool, a new social network, a platform that tries to replace another platform that you’ve known, loved, and now are taught to ignore — there will always be some who are first movers, and others who are later to the party, and still others who have to figure out how it works.

I was that way with Substack — which launched as a newsletter platform and still does that job BUT it seems to be veering into “social network” territory — and I look back to the baby steps I took on that platform and wonder…what the heck was I thinking?

So the baby steps were probably awfully wobbly, followed by a toddler sprint into a different direction and, finally, The Saturday List.

Now? Well, we’ve hit our stride when it comes to consistency. 30 straight weeks. Even though the growth of the channel isn’t where I want it to be just yet, I’m bullish on the power of newsletters and of the strength of owning an email audience and curating content for them.

The Tiny Victories?

I also have a YouTube Channel. A tiny victory came this week when the channel got to 1000 subscribers. Cause for celebration? Well, maybe…for about ten minutes or so.

But the real challenge here is the same one I bumped into when launching The Saturday List: consistency. We had a great interview on Monday with Tamsen Webster (link below) where we discussed getting your message across. We have also had some other cool interviews, and we discussed them on our last blog post.

And we have three more interviews scheduled for the next couple weeks. So stay tuned.

Another challenge? Staying in my lane. BUT I’ll counter with this: I need to zigzag around the pool a little before I find the right swim lane. So stay tuned.

And…Staying Positive?

If you look around, you might realize that everyone seems to be going through some stuff. You’re not alone in being anxious.

BUT there’s a reason for staying positive despite the craziness: we have things a heck of a lot better than any society in the history of the world.

Cue the “You’re sitting in a chair in the sky!” video. Here it is…14 years ago. From Louis CK.

Attitude Is What Will Win

Yes, things can be crazy. Yes, the stoplights will not always be green on your way to your appointment, especially if you’re running late.

But, maybe, just maybe, continuing to stay at it, consistently, and celebrating a little along the way…maybe that’s how you’re gonna win.