Austin, TX Is The Future
A love letter to my new favorite city
In The DM is a newsletter that I send out five days per week on growing my podcast from 25,000 plays per month to 1,000,000 plays per month. I cover podcasts, creators, entrepreneurship, ideas, and the future. By signing up for the free newsletter, you will gain access to the four free posts per week. If you want to support the podcast and the newsletter, sign up for a paid membership below and get an extra post for free every week.
Sometimes the time and the place intersect perfectly for the human being.
And Austin, TX in October 2022 is a place built for me - in my current form.
Austin is currently the podcasting hub of the world (at least for the people I want to speak to). The people who are creating, thinking, and building the future. The people who are interested in ideas.
In Austin, they care about how happy you are.
In Austin, they care about fitness.
In Austin, people will look you in the eye in the sauna and say hello. (When I looked at a note in my phone of the names of the people I’ve met in Austin… 8 of the 14 of them refer to the sauna. )
In Austin, people are paradoxes. Some people are both farmers and into tech. Some are into fitness and philosophy. Some are into electronic music and EDM.
It’s the hub of the things that are about to happen worldwide. Psychedelics, podcasts, consciousness, learning, recovery, and growing.
Austin is a Democratic city in a Republican state, which creates a sense of equanimity and peace amongst the population.
In Austin, I surprisingly listened to a lot fewer podcasts. And that was the result of either a) spending time with friends or b) creating podcasts myself. I had many deep conversations about philosophy, creators, the future, and technology. We didn’t always record it, but we did always have a phenomenal time.
In Austin, it felt like I had space to think and create. (Btw, I recently released a conversation with Joshua Becker (a minimalist for 14 years). He noted that when starts to work with people on minimalism, they often have space to create. )
In New York, it feels like I’m overwhelmed with stuff. Advertisements, people, and things. Which leads me to do the urgent before the important.
While I don’t think every podcast (or life) is built for Austin, I know that mine is.
I care about the deep questions in life. I care about making the most out of our brief time in space. I care about creating. I care about seeking answers to difficult questions related to our own inner psychology and building a better future.
So I’m excited to move there.
Actionable Tip For Growing Podcast
I know a lot of people joined this newsletter because they want actionable tips to grow your podcast (since the stated byline is “to document my progress from 25,000 plays per month to 1,000,000 plays per month.”). So because of that, I’m going to include a brief but actionable tip you can use to grow your own podcast.
Have three phone conversations with people who listen to your podcast.
What do they like about it? What do they not? If you can’t get them on the phone, just DM them. Just learning about how the show lands on people will help you grow your own.
New Podcast with Codie Sanchez
Speaking of Austin, I recorded an episode with Codie Sanchez that I released today. She is a brilliant thinker and businesswoman, and at times, it felt like a free coaching call to grow my podcast and income. If you’re interested in Internet creators, building audience, curiosity, writing, burnout, monetization strategies, or storytelling… you’re going to enjoy this one.
Check it out on Anchor (for podcasts) or YouTube (for watching).
I hope you enjoy it!
To your success,
Danny
Moving there? Congrats!