We recently connected with Dan McArdle and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Dan thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. If you could go back in time do you wish you had started your creative career sooner or later?

I would have loved to have started this creative journey several years ago. But looking back, I think the timing was exactly as it needed to be. The idea for launching a podcast began to creep into my thinking about 7 years ago. I enjoyed listening to various shows; I finally understood the “escape” of a great podcast. Up until that point, I had largely ignored the medium.

Then, about 3-4 years ago, I began closing in on the original concept – initially planning for a host/co-host format with different discussion topics. I had a co-host in mind and we discussed some ideas. For another couple years, however, the concept remained in limbo. I was overcommitted with personal and professional responsibilities. I also had doubts that I could successfully pair up with someone who bought into the same vision with the same excitement – and who would be able to deliver a consistent product on schedule.

Early last summer, it became clear to me that I should launch an interview format show, featuring unique and different guests on a weekly basis. That is what I really wanted to do – it just took me some time (some Dan Time?) to figure it out. The only thing I needed was a name, a concept, artwork, music – and guests. One morning, I woke up – and before I stepped out of bed, I knew what the title and concept would be. I was excited to get it started.

I believe that things happen when they’re supposed to happen. Had I tried to push forward with this concept 5 years ago, 7 years ago, it probably would have gotten off the ground. But would it have crash landed? Would I have been able to deliver on a promise to myself and to listeners? As I reflect back, I’m happy with the timeline. As with many things in life, it was supposed to take time.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am a sales professional from the Pensacola, FL area with a background in journalism and communications. I launched an interview podcast called “Dan Time” in August 2023. Dan Time features interviews with various “Dan’s” in sports, music, entertainment & more. The show promotes friendship, networking and finding common threads with other people. I also interview Danny’s, Danielle’s and many other interesting guests.

This show stands apart in that I do not feature my likeness on the logo; it is not about me (although the title might lead you to believe otherwise!); I ask serious & thoughtful questions, but I also ask some rather silly questions that you never hear on any other podcasts. The idea is to celebrate other people and their achievements, share a laugh with others and be curious about the people and the broader world around you.

I am most proud of the feedback I have received from several guests – namely songwriters – when they have thanked me for doing my homework. It’s not easy to land certain guests on the show – but it would be easy to for me to ask vague questions, not listen to their music beforehand or not conduct proper research. It is important for me to understand a subject’s career, highlights and personal story. With singer-songwriters, I spend time listening to the songs, the lyrics and I try to familiarize myself with the various instruments being played on the record and the names of other collaborators.

On Dan Time, you’re going to learn something. You’re not going to hear me interrupt a guest midway through a story. You’re going to get a great music recommendation that Spotify would not have given you. You’re going to learn about an athlete’s career and some “inside baseball” information. You’ll hear from other moms or dads and the challenges that they experience – and the things that bring them joy. It’s a fun ride – a great listen whether you are exercising, cleaning the house or just need to tune out for a while. Get on Dan Time!

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The most rewarding aspect to me is creating something that brings other people joy, lifts them up for an hour, a day or a week – and hopefully inspires people to assert themselves, make changes or take action. Think of everything that gives you a boost during your day. A favorite song or artist who’s music helped you through a difficult time? A painting that changed the way you looked at people or things around you? The goal for me is to put my best energy into this product to help other people have fun, try something new and enjoy life.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

New episodes on my podcast are published every week without fail. As anyone might imagine, with a solo endeavor such as this one, there can be challenges to meeting or abiding by self-imposed deadlines. No one but me is holding me to it. There are listeners, but no large stakeholders or advertisers. It would be easy some weeks to tell myself – I’ll skip a week. I’m tired. I’ll publish it tomorrow. As a father, I have demands at home. As a sales professional, there are hours that I am unable to dedicate to the podcast. But I stick to these deadlines and have done so without fail for the past year.

Other podcasts fall into a pattern of haphazard release dates. You see it on shows that have excellent guests, exciting topics, great hosts. I won’t allow myself to do that.

I spend a considerable amount of time editing the audio recordings prior to publication. I do this so that it is a consistently crisp and fluid conversation for my audience. I want my guests’ audio to sound as good as it possibly can. Most listeners probably do not notice that so many “ums” and “ahhs” have been cut from the conversation. Or drift-away chatter or off-topic rambling is not there.

However, I don’t overdo it and I do subscribe to the mantra that “done is better than perfect.” But I do want to create some separation between my show and others that do not go to these lengths.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://rss.com/podcasts/dantime/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dantimepod/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dantimepodcast
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danmcardle/
• Twitter: https://x.com/DanTimePod
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@DanTimePod