Podcast appearances and mentions of Daniel Powell

Welcome to Med Tech Gurus! Today, we have an exceptional guest with us—Daniel Powell, CEO and co-founder of Spark Biomedical. Spark Biomedical is pioneering wearable neurostimulation technology with a mission to provide drug-free, non-invasive solutions for challenging conditions such as opioid withdrawal and addiction recovery. With over 25 years of experience delivering innovative technical solutions across various industries, Daniel has led Spark Biomedical in developing the FDA-cleared Sparrow Ascent, a revolutionary device that helps patients manage opioid withdrawal symptoms effectively and comfortably. In this episode, Daniel shares the inspiring story behind Spark Biomedical, the science and innovation driving their breakthrough technology, and the challenges they overcame to bring it to market. He also offers valuable insights into securing funding, navigating regulatory hurdles, and the importance of storytelling in pitching to investors. Get ready to dive into a compelling conversation filled with innovation, perseverance, and impactful solutions for one of today's most pressing health crises.

With the Paris Paralympic Games just around the corner here on RNIB Connect Radio we are catching up with some of the Paralympics GB visually impaired athletes who will be competing out in Paris with the hope of winning some medals too. RNIB Connect Radio's Toby Davey was joined by Tokyo 2020 Paralympics GB Judo Gold medal champion Chris Skelley MBE to find out how he and the rest of the Paralympics GB visually impaired Judo athletes are feeling with the games just around the corner.  Due to changes within Para Judo in Paris Chris will be competing in the J2+90kg category along with fellow Paralympics GB VI Judo athletes Daniel Powell in the J1 -90kg category and making his Paralympics debut in Paris Evan Molloy in the J2 -90kg category. Chris also talks about how Judo had turned his life around and the benefits of sport for anyone who is visually impaired.  To find out more about the Paris Paralympic Games do visit the games website - https://olympics.com/en/paris-2024/paralympic-games Image shows Chris wearing dark glasses in front of a white background making a heart symbol with his thumbs and forefingers.

Pride month and lesbian arthouse films continues. For our second film in the themed month of the podcast, we take a look at a 2017 release called BECKS (2017).Rebecca (Lena Hall) is an aspiring folk singer. When her girlfriend has an affair, Rebecca, broke and apartmentless, heads back home to St. Louis to live with her widowed mother, Ann (Christine Lahti). Soon Rebecca gets a music gig at her old friend's bar where she meets Elyse (Mena Suvari), a married woman who comes to listen to music with her friends. Soon Elyse takes up guitar lessons from Rebecca. And as always, life doesn't follow the expected past.The movie stars Lena Hall, Mena Suvari, Christine Lahti, Dan Fogler, and Michael Zegen; a very impressive group of character actors and actresses. The film was co-directed by Daniel Powell and Elizabeth Rohrbaugh and made the festival circuit back in 2017 during its release. Your co-hosts take a look at the movie and give their thoughts about the film.

Misfits Makin' It is the podcast component of the misfit comedy shows produced by Lauren LoGiudice. Show dates and info at www.laurenlogiudice.com In this episode of Misfits Makin' It, Lauren interviews producer and director Daniel Powell about his journey from UCB to producing sketch comedy shows like Inside Amy Schumer, I Think You Should Leave, and That Damn Michael Che. He talks about the creative process, the importance of collaboration, and reflects on the successes and challenges. HOW TO SUPPORT THE PODCAST: Rate and review: Misfits trust other misfits to tell them what is good! Tell a friend: Work of mouth is the #1 way misfits like to learn about their next pod. Sponsor a podcast: Affordable for individuals and small businesses, also makes the perfect gift. Support this art directly with a podcast that's custom-tailored to you or your friends. Make it happen by reaching out to inthemidstprod@gmail.com CONNECT WITH DANIEL POWELL www.ironypoint.com CONNECT WITH LAUREN LOGIUDICE: Instagram: @laurenlogi Twitter/TikTok/Threads: @laurenlogi Website: www.laurenlogiudice.com

Daniel Powell is a comedian, philanthropist, Iron Man, and one of the most interesting people you've ever met. But at one point not too long ago, he didn't know whether he would live or die. His life resume includes raising over $2 million for charities, biking 2,448 miles from Chicago to San Diego in the middle of winter, completing 16 Iron Man triathlons, and recording a top 10 hit with Fleetwood Mac. This was his second appearance on The Dare to Dream Podcast and this episode is full of incredible advice from someone who has lived an extraordinary life. Expect to learn: Why the best parts of life don't make sense What you should be doing instead of praying How to see the world while staying healthy Why you should stop being so busy How to find your passion Why you should sing, dance, and celebrate often Why he's giving up alcohol And much more. This episode will leave energized and inspired to get out there and attempt the impossible. Show Notes Captain Challenge FB Page⁠ Instagram ⁠Comedyshow.biz⁠ ⁠Flash Mob⁠ ⁠Project H.O.O.D.

Happy Anniversary! The podcast is now 13 years old, so to celebrate, we feature two great interviews! It starts with Dave Baker from Mary Tyler Moorehawk and then wraps up with the creators from Invader Comics' Neurocron! Dave's Mary Tyler Moorehawk is described as “Jonny Quest meets Infinite Jest.” The book answers the question: Who is Mary Tyler Moorehawk? How did she save the world from a dimension-hopping megalomaniac? Why was her TV show canceled after only nine episodes? And what happened to the reclusive genius behind her creation? I have a great time discussing this book with Dave as we explore who the characters are, the book's mind-bending art style, and what Dave is up to in the months ahead! Tell your local comics shop you want it when it is released on February 13! Then everything wraps up with my interview with the creators of Neurocron from Invader Comics! I talk with scripters Daniel Powell and Erin Foley-Chan, and artist Dennis Calero! The book is described this way: “When a seemingly random murder turns up an illegal, biotech-enhanced corpse, FBI Agent Vera Morales pulls at the threads and becomes embroiled in a conspiracy that could very well change the course of human evolution.” We talk about how the book came to be, who the characters are, and what we can expect from this high-power team in the coming months! Be sure to support this here on Kickstarter before February 10 and let your local comics shop know you want this book, which will be released on February 28! Show your thanks to Major Spoilers for this episode by becoming a Major Spoilers Patreon member. It will help ensure Wayne's Comics Podcast continues far into the future!

On this edition of TMWS, I have Daniel Powell a.k.a Captain Challenge to give us an amazing update on Project HOOD and how you can support this community center/job training center effort in South Chicago.

On this edition of TMWS, I have Daniel Powell a.k.a Captain Challenge to give us an amazing update on Project HOOD and how you can support this community center/job training center effort in South Chicago.

On this edition of TMWS, I have Daniel Powell a.k.a Captain Challenge to give us an amazing update on Project HOOD and how you can support this community center/job training center effort in South Chicago.

Ch. 17: "The Apple PowerBook 5300ce." Novelized and narrated by Tony Zaret. Ch. 18: "President Maverick." Novelized by Daniel Powell, narrated by Michael Torpey. Interview: Hannah Pilkes. Tony Zaret is a New York-based stand-up and improvisational comedian. Michael Torpey is an actor, writer, and comedian known for his appearances on Veep, Orange is the New Black, Inside Amy Schumer, and Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. He currently hosts Paid Off on truTV. Daniel Powell is a writer and producer known for co-creating Inside Amy Schumer and producing I Think You Should Leave and That Damn Michael Che. Hannah Pilkes is an improvisational comedian who was a New Face at the 2023 Just For Laughs festival. Follow her on Instagram at @hannahpilkes. The Novelizers was created by Stephen Levinson, produced by Stephen, Chris Karwowski, Rob Kutner, and Suchetas Bokil. Editing, mixing, and mastering by Chris. Improv booking by Christine Bullen. Music by Cole Emoff. Art direction by Crystal Dennis with illustrations by Barry Crain. Intro narration by Robin Reed. Interviews by Kevin Carter. Special thanks to Luke Dennis and Peter Hayes at WYSO Public Radio in Yellow Springs, Ohio. Follow The Novelizers on Instagram and Twitter, or at thenovelizers.com. The Novelizers is a work of parody, unauthorized by 20th Century Studios, The Walt Disney Company, or Independence Day. © 2023 The Novelizers and respective authors.

In this episode of Medsider Radio, we had a fascinating discussion with Daniel Powel, CEO of Spark Biomedical, the company behind Sparrow Ascent, a drug-free wearable device to combat opioid withdrawal symptoms. It is also advancing neurostimulation technology to address Neonatal Opioid Withdrawal Syndrome. Daniel found his true passion in medical devices, specifically neurostimulation, in 2006 and has since launched multiple products in the space for companies like St. Jude Medical, LivaNova, and Getinge. He co-founded Spark Biomedical in 2018, which now has two FDA-cleared devices to treat opioid addiction.In this interview, Daniel shares key insights from his journey: the importance of testing ideas and creating a MVP, diversifying funding sources, and how to make informed regulatory decisions.Before we dive into the discussion, I wanted to mention a few things:First, if you're into learning from medical device and health technology founders and CEOs, and want to know when new interviews are live, head over to Medsider.com and sign up for our free newsletter.Second, if you want to peek behind the curtain of the world's most successful startups, you should consider a Medsider premium membership. You'll learn the strategies and tactics that founders and CEOs use to build and grow companies like Silk Road Medical, AliveCor, Shockwave Medical, and hundreds more!We recently introduced some fantastic additions exclusively for Medsider premium members, including playbooks, which are curated collections of our top Medsider interviews on key topics like capital fundraising and risk mitigation, and a curated investor database to help you discover your next medical device or health technology investor!In addition to the entire back catalog of Medsider interviews over the past decade, premium members also get a copy of every volume of Medsider Mentors at no additional cost, including the recently launched Medsider Mentors Volume IV. If you're interested, go to medsider.com/subscribe to learn more.Lastly, if you'd rather read than listen, here's a link to the full interview with Daniel Powell.

Daniel Powell has been around and in the media for long time, let's findout how he has got to where he is today...

Do you feel overwhelmed by all the tasks you need to accomplish and the mental baggage that holds you back? You're not alone. But once you develop mental toughness, anything is possible. Today, I talked with Daniel Powell, an endurance athlete with thousands of miles under his belt. Always up for an adventure, he set out on a daring bicycle ride in the dead of winter to raise funds for a community center. The challenge pushed him to the brink of physical and mental exhaustion. Would he be able to silence his inner critic and cross the finish line? Here's how Daniel did the thing to bike 2,446 miles and complete 12 triathlons, raising $400K for charity along the way. The story doesn't have to end here! Follow Daniel Edward Powell on Facebook or @captain.challenge on Instagram. 

Daniel Powell, a 20-year veteran in the medical device community, is the CEO and co-founder of Spark Biomedical and developer of the Sparrow Therapy System. In this episode, he shares about opioid addiction and how Spark's device helps alleviate withdrawal symptoms for those in recovery, his passion for deep brain stimulation, and how he almost gave up on entrepreneurship after his first small business venture ended.  Guest links: https://www.sparkbiomedical.com/  Charity supported: Threads of Love Interested in being a guest on the show or have feedback to share? Email us at podcast@velentium.com.  PRODUCTION CREDITS Host: Lindsey Dinneen Editor: Tim Oliphant Producer: Velentium   SHOW TRANSCRIPT Episode 003 - Daniel Powell Lindsey Dinneen: Hi, I'm Lindsey with Velentium and I'm talking with MedTech industry leaders on how they change lives for a better world. Diane Bouis: The inventions and technologies are fascinating and so are the people who work with them. Frank Jaskulke: There was a period of time where I realized, fundamentally, my job was to go hang out with really smart people that are saving lives and then do work that would help them save more lives. Diane Bouis: I got into the business to save lives and it is incredibly motivating to work with people who are in that same business, saving or improving lives. Duane Mancini: What better industry than where I get to wake up every day and just save people's lives. Lindsey Dinneen: These are extraordinary people doing extraordinary work, and this is The Leading Difference. Hello and welcome to the Leading Difference Podcast. I'm your host Lindsey, and I am excited to introduce you to my guest today, Daniel Powell. Daniel, a 20 year veteran in the medical device community, is the CEO and co-founder of Spark Biomedical, and developer of the Sparrow Therapy System, which is an FDA cleared medical device that delivers non-invasive neurostimulation to alleviate opioid withdrawal. Daniel, thank you so very much for being here today. I am so delighted to have you. Daniel Powell: Thank you, Lindsey. It's a pleasure to be here, too. Lindsey Dinneen: Awesome. Well, I was wondering if you don't mind starting with just a little bit about your background. What's your career path been like? How did you get into this space? Daniel Powell: That's a great question and I, I definitely do not have a typical path here. I took the scenic route, I would say, to MedTech. I graduated from Texas A&M with a business degree, and my first job was an accounts receivable at electronic data systems at Ross Perot's old company in Plano, Texas. I was very interested in technology and I kind of spent the first. 10 years of my career trying to figure out what career I wanted. So I bounced around. I had a great opportunity to be a consultant for KPMG. I did Y2K consulting, so we sat around telling everybody it was gonna be the end of the world and it wasn't. And then I got the crazy idea to start my own internet cafe for gamers because I really wanted to be self-employed and do my own thing. And I always say that was a fantastic way to lose a lot of money. And I swore I'd never be an entrepreneur again. I was like, I'm just gonna go to work, take a paycheck, keep my head down. And my next job was at St. Jude Medical in the neurostimulation business. And so I got a great opportunity to go into the the engineering side of all things. Even though I had a business background, I was pretty good with soft, actually, I was mediocre with software. But I got an opportunity to do requirements analysis, so, what does the product need to do to meet the user's needs? And I was really good at that and it really started a fantastic career and I really didn't get how excited I would be about the medtech industry cuz I, really was just looking for a job to not be losing money as a self-employed game store owner. And I remember going into training, they put me in sales training and they sat there and explained how putting electrical stimula on or near the spinal cord would alleviate pain in this world of neurostimulation. And I would say I fell in love with it immediately and could never get enough learning how the mechanism of action works, all the different modalities of this type of therapy. And it's set me now here for a 20 year run, where I'm just as in love with neurostimulation today as I was back then. Lindsey Dinneen: Oh my goodness. Wow. Well, I love your story and I love the fact that you come at this from a very interesting background and, oh my goodness, your swearing off entrepreneurial endeavors and then of course-- "never say never," I guess. Right? Daniel Powell: Well, when Spark came about, I'd actually gone to work for a startup that failed where I met my co-founders and I hadn't been paid in nine months. But I got along with my co-founder so well, and it was the worst time in the world to start a business. So you can imagine the conversation with my wife was like, "I know I haven't brought home a paycheck in nine months and I'm coming out of a failed startup. But what if we started our own company?" But we've never regretted it. It's just been an amazing four and a half years. Lindsey Dinneen: Oh my gosh. That's amazing. Well, I would love, if you don't mind sharing about what you're up to now and this amazing new venture that you're on, and how has that all come about? I mean, obviously you must have had some highs and lows even there, so I'd love to hear the story of Spark. Daniel Powell: Yeah. It's been quite a journey. So what was interesting is my two co-founders, Navid and Alejandro, were exploring how to do auricular nerve stim, so stimulating the cranial nerves around the ear. And we had a wide selection of different things we could go after. Navid's PhD work was in vagus nerves stim for stroke recovery, and we know vagus nerves stim works for depression and epilepsy and a wide range of disease states. But what really set us in motion as we saw another product, just by happenstance, a friend of mine was selling trans magnetic stim to a psychiatrist who had used acupuncture needles to alleviate withdrawal-- an an electrified acupuncture needle. So they were kind of creating a way of delivering electrical stim to the nervous system. And they showed me a video of a young lady going through withdrawal and a time lapse over 30 to 60 minutes and this young lady went from clearly uncomfortable, snot running down her face, squirming in her chair. You can tell when someone's in absolute misery and she was an opioid withdrawal. And then 60 minutes later there's this beautiful young lady sitting in the chair laughing and having a conversation and there's a twinkle in her eye. And I was sold. I was like,, this is what we're gonna go after cuz our product doesn't use needles. I think we could build a better mouse trap. And then also kind of the concept was we know there's an FDA path and we know there's a clinical path and we know the technical path. So the big three pillars of building a medical device company were relatively low risk. And so we talked about it and then we formed the company and we spent the next three months trying to kill it. " Does this make sense? Do we really want to do this?" And just every time we turn around, another door opened. Another opportunity presented itself. A clinical partner came online, somebody came to us and we just were continually encouraged to keep persevering. And we developed our first generation device, put it in clinical trials in Austin, Texas at Recovery Unplugged. Everything from building the quality management system to building the product-- everything we were doing for the first time. But you know we persevered through that. Everything took twice as much money and twice as long as we expected. All along the way, everything continues to take twice as long and twice as much money, at least. And then when we finished, we took the product to the FDA. And then that's when the real challenges began. We did a pre-submission. So you go to the FDA ahead of time and you go, "we think this is all the things we should do, and if we do 'em, you'll approve the product." And the FDA then gives you feedback and you take that feedback and then you go execute. And when we showed back up at the FDA, they said no, "we changed our mind." And we're, just like we're outta money we're, betting on this working. We did everything right. We followed the directions. So we started throwing money at consultants and onboarding people, and we onboarded somebody who, as a consultant, had just come out of the neuro division to help us fight, and finally got the product approved six months later than it should have. But that was an exciting day. Well, it wasn't a day, it was a night. The FDA has a clock and they have to deliver all their documents and their decisions and everything before the timer runs out. And the timer ran out Saturday night at 11 o'clock, January the 2nd. So a holiday weekend, and we got the approval about 30 minutes before the clock ran out, which means on a holiday weekend, in the evening, people at the FDA were having to route this thing around and, and sign off on documents. I was like, "thanks, guys." Lindsey Dinneen: Oh my word. But what a brilliant way to start the new year? Daniel Powell: Yes, it was, and that was two years ago. And we spent the first year really trying to test different business models. Well, really spent both the first and second year just figuring out the business model. And all of us, our entire careers we'd sold into doctors and neurologists and neurosurgeons and hospital systems. And selling into addiction rehabilitation is a very different animal. It's funny cuz I would have a neurosurgeon when I was doing deep brain stimulation with St. Jude Medical, " where's all your clinical evidence? I wanna see four or five, six papers" and "where's your proof?" And then we went into addiction, everybody was like, "yeah, I totally believe you, this works." We're like, "okay, well we do have clinical proof also," but they would hit the "I believe" button really quick. But integrating it into the practice has been a real challenge. And it didn't help that we started selling right in the middle of Covid, so we couldn't get appointments. But importantly, what we saw in rehab was, rehab is a tough business and doesn't pay great. They run on rough margins, and in the middle of Covid, a nurse could work at a rehab facility or get a job at a hospital and make four or five times the hourly rate. So that they had staff turnover. So it's, it was a real tough time to launch a product into the rehabilitation space. Our journey has brought us to now where we have our second generation product about to be approved by the FDA. Really just took all the lessons on usability, accessibility. Everything we saw with the first gen, and we really did have like kind of an MVP, a minimally viable product. So we took all of our lessons to really make a very much more consumer focused, industrial design on the case and everything, and then get our costs of the goods way down as we get ready to ramp. And we're really focused on bringing this to telehealth and so our journey from here, at the time of recording this with you, is Covid changed everything. If I had a business model in 2019 that said "I'm going to deliver at-home detox services with telehealth support," it would've been ridiculous. And then two years later, it's "of course that's the way you're gonna do it." It's changed all the laws, changed reimbursement, changed acceptance. It really is a great opportunity to meet people where they want to detox. Nobody really wants to go into a center and be away from their family and the comforts of life and their dog and the pet and the kids for seven days. And for some people that's the best thing for them to do. But for a lot of other people, they want to get well-- and we can dig into the opioid epidemic and the realities of it as opposed to maybe what a lot of people's preconceptions are-- but most people really want to get off their dependence or addiction to opioids. But going through the detox process is the giant barrier. You're gonna go through seven days of absolute hell. And so being able to let people stay at home through that process, we think, is really the way to go for the future here. So we're betting a lot on it. Lindsey Dinneen: Yeah. Well, there's a lot to unpack in that story. That is such a great story. Thank you for sharing that. So one thing that stands out, for sure, is you were saying that there is quite a bit of stigma around addiction and treatment. How do we get past that? How are you and Spark and the different products, how can that help alleviate some of the challenges with getting healthy again and overcoming that addiction? Daniel Powell: Yeah, we definitely as a company want to actually not just alleviate withdrawal-- that's a minor piece-- but really be a solution for battling the opioid epidemic. So, the first step is to remove the stigma, stigmatization about it. At the RX Summit-- which is a big summit that has a lot of political leaders and industry leaders and pharmaceutical companies and everything that come together every year-- they put doctor's notes of patients with diabetes and then patients who had an assumed opioid overdose incident. And while the notes side by side were factually accurate, the tone of dismissal was just evident, you know, one was a bad patient and one was as patient you could have sympathy for. And it was really shocking to see that bias. I've heard the stories where the paramedics will use an extra large gauge needle to administer IV fluids on an overdose patient just so they hurt in the morning, just so that arm really hurts. And it's just, oh my gosh, you kind of back up and you go, "how inhumane? How inhumane is that?" And so best I could do is I'll get on a podcasts like this and talk about it openly, but you know, in my own family, my nephew was addicted to heroin, this is my brother's kid. And I have permission to talk about it. In fact, now that he is in recovery, he talks about it all the time. So he said, absolutely I could reference him. And we didn't talk about it and he went to prison and I didn't ask about him and it was shameful, and my brother didn't want to talk about it and his wife didn't want to talk about it, because there's this failing of one of their children. And when I started this company, I actually called my brother one day and I said, how much had treatment cost him. Cause I was trying to get an idea of what to price this product at and would he buy it, and he had spent well over six figures. And you realize families trying to save their loved ones were spending huge amounts of money and we just started talking and really formed a much closer bond and got really honest about everything. And it has brought us so much closer because there's no judgment. We're just really supportive of each other. And so from what I saw in my family is talking about it, hitting it head on, being honest and not throwing the person away is so important. And an opioid addiction-- we'll just talk about opioids-- opioids hijack the reward system in the brain so powerfully that you are not just being a bad actor, misbehaving, or just getting high. In my nephew's own words were, after six months or so, he never got high from heroin again. He was just running from withdrawal every four to six hours. And then withdrawal is a complete fight or flight state of mind where you think you literally believe you're gonna die. And if I put you in a state of absolute fear and terror, and you believe your life is imminently gonna end, at the core of your being deep in the neurochemical structure of your brain, what are you gonna do? "I'm gonna have more willpower and I'm not gonna take these opioids." No, you're gonna do whatever it takes to make that go away and we're wired like that. So the more I've started to understand the neurochemical aspect of opioid addiction, and this translates to other addictions, but I specify this cuz this is what we have clearance for with the FDA. You go, "well, how important it is to remove that giant scary fight or flight, deep in the lizard brain part of our body, that primordial fear, to get somebody on a road to recovery." It's huge. It is the most important way to get them out of addiction. And so it's been really cool learning about this and really seeing how important this is to the journey of recovery. Lindsey Dinneen: Absolutely. And is there any one story in particular-- I'm sure there are many-- but during these clinical trials, have certain stories emerged that are really particularly compelling to you as to how this device is making a difference in someone's life? Daniel Powell: Yeah, there's a bunch. We always share stories of patients and all on our company chat. And I think someone always says, "I'm not crying. You're crying." So, I think that should be our company motto. We're adapting this for newborn babies too, so you wanna get everybody choked up, just go down that path. But I have two. One was, just a gentleman who has PTSD-- and we're not on label for PTSD, but PTSD was one of our secondary outcomes-- but PTSD is a constant state of fight or flight, which is what we're neuro modulating in the brain. But, he said, "I slept for the first time last night. I've never felt this peaceful in 10 years." So that, that was one, but the other one was in our initial clinical trial and a young lady named Eliza had really fought addiction for years, had been in and out of rehab and came in, her dad made her go back in, I think she's 21, 22. And in her words, she was mad. She didn't wanna be there. She was gonna detox and then get the hell out of there and never come back like she was done. She didn't wanna get better. She just wanted to get through detox, which just meant she would've relapsed two days later after getting out. And about two, three days into the process to the five day process of her detoxing, she recognized she was clearheaded, feeling like her old self cuz she wasn't on any meds. She wasn't on meds to taper off the opioid. She was on our system and she made a life altering decision right there to continue therapy, which she vocally swore she wasn't gonna do. They put her in a 30 day program post detox. Then she went on and I've heard back from her and the family. A year later she went into a sober living facility and had reached over a year sober. And her video and her story's on our website and you can watch it and I dare you not to tear up at the end. So the facility called us during the clinical trial and said, "this girl wants to do a testimonial." And so we piled in the camera equipment and drove from Houston to Austin as fast as possible and found a little room in the rehab facility, got some lighting up and just shot it on the spot. So it's not produced, it's just raw, and you just see the way she's beaming at how happy she was where she was in her life. And that was just on day five or six, that's before she went into long-term recovery. And we get those stories all the time. It's really exciting. Lindsey Dinneen: That is amazing. The impact that makes on not just the individual who, of course, their life is dramatically changed as a result, but all of the people who love them. Oh my goodness. I am sure that it's extremely hard on the family and loved ones as well because they're watching somebody in a difficult place. And so, oh my gosh, just the ripple effects of what y'all do is really amazing. Daniel Powell: Well, thank you, it's funny you said that. I was talking to somebody else yesterday and he goes, "have you thought of the legacy you're leaving?" He goes, "you're creating a legacy. They think of the families they're affecting and then the children that's gonna pass onto." And it, it got real humbling, real quick. I'm just fighting the FDA today for a second gen product and making sure our third party logistics is shipping. Stop and pull back and remember that we have a great culture here at Spark. Everybody knows they're part of something really important and come to work with that passion to make a difference in people's lives. Lindsey Dinneen: Yeah, absolutely. Well, I know that you've had experience with other companies and then of course with your own, but is there any particular moment that stands out to you because it kind of clearly confirmed that the medtech industry was the right one for you? Daniel Powell: Yeah, for sure. When I was at St. Jude Medical doing spinal cord stim and I got to go on a field ride and then talk to, I remember this old man had spinal cord stim, and he was in a follow-up visit and I was getting to do a ride along with the sales rep. And the man said, " a year ago, I I couldn't even get out of the chair without assistance and today I climbed a ladder" cuz of the pain relief he had from spinal cord stim. And just hearing those stories and this person telling you "this product made a difference in my life." But it then got really profound for me when I went to deep brain stimulation. And so I had the privilege of being on the launch team for St. Jude's deep brain stimulation platform in Europe. And with deep brain stimulation, the patient is put under kind of twilight anesthesia, holes drilled in the head, wires put in the brain, but then you wake them back up and have them do motor tests cuz you're taking this little wire and you're pushing it into a 3D space. The brain's like a bowl of jello. So imagine you're pushing a wire into Jello shooting for 3D space that you can't see, the size of a pea. And so to make sure you're on target, you wake the patient up and have them like draw a circle or sign their name. And that whole experience when you're working with the physicians to actively use the product and being a subject matter expert during the surgeries in the early days. It was the most amazing thing to be in the brain surgery,. And then having the patient cry cuz they, their hands have been shaking so much, they haven't been able to sign their name in a decade and here they are able to sign their name while their brain's exposed and their skull's open. It's just, it was just such I, I look around, I'm like, "how did I get here? This is a amazing." So I have a special place in my heart for anything deep brain stimulation. That, that was truly just an amazing part of my career. Lindsey Dinneen: Oh my goodness. So now you've come from a business background and so has that really helped your entrepreneurial journey and is that something that you felt like it did help prepare you for this particular company or is this a lot of learning on the way as well? Daniel Powell: Yeah, no, that business background didn't do anything for me with the game store. So, clear, clearly, clearly, no. So what happened after the game stores and I went to work for St. Jude and then onto Cyberonics down in Houston, which is now LivaNova that does vagus nerve stim in the neck for epilepsy and depression is, I actually learned the business. We went through a warning letter, so I learned all about quality. We went through FDA submissions that I was part of the meetings and audits. And I spent the next 15 years actually learning a skillset in an industry versus meandering my way so that when the opportunity came to start my own company, I kind of looked around. I was like, "oh, I know what to do." And what it was is respecting everything besides the business portion. So respecting that a quality system's important and you need a quality manager. And respecting that you need IP and respecting the engineering process has to happen and it's takes longer and it's messy. You're respecting that the legal stuff needs to be made, respecting and appreciating all that goes into running a clinical trial. And I say all that because I've been part of a company where the CEO just yelled at everybody to "get it done," but didn't really know what it took to get it done. And so I think that's what prepared me more was understanding and respecting all the various parts of the business. I don't have to totally understand it, but I have to be aware of its level of difficulty and the talent it takes to execute it properly. And I think that's really served to be successful. The other opportunity that presented Spark uniquely is my two co-founders with me. Alejandro has his PhD in neuroengineering and he's our CTO and he is an absolute expert in that domain. And so we got the technicals covered by him. We got the business covered by me. And then Navid Khodaparast has his PhD in neurophysiology and is our chief science officer. And so when it comes to the clinical studies and the science and everything, while there's some overlap with him and Alejandro, he comprehensively covers the science. So we got engineering covered and patents, science and grants covered with Navid. And then the business side and sales and marketing covered with me. And it created a wonderful balance where we didn't have three scientists or three engineers, or three business guys stepping on each other, but three very complementary skill sets that we all brought to the table. And if somebody's starting a company, I would say " find partners that fill out other skill sets you're never gonna be able to master." Lindsey Dinneen: Yeah. That's great advice. Surround yourself with good people that are complementary in their abilities and their knowledge. How do you personally prioritize your continued growth and learning as a leader? Daniel Powell: Hmm, that's an interesting question. Ooh, I'll look back to the first time I was a manager and I've come a long ways. I, I think a couple things have affected that is there was a point in time where you realized that supporting your team and enabling their success versus controlling them. And I don't know where I've started seeing that. I remember specifically as a, a director at Cyberonics and we could get in front of the board room and I started reading books more on being a manager. There's something that tripped the realization that I needed to enhance that skillset. There's like a book, like the first 90 days or something like that when you're a new manager and you outline a plan, and so I, I embarked upon that. And I was moving down to Houston, joining this department. And I just really got real serious about not just meandering down and doing it, but really having a very specific plan. And so I started to educate myself more and more, read books on leadership and think about it. And I made this change from needing to be seen and get the kudos. And it just dawned on me: if the people working for me, if I just said" it was because of them," I got all the credit, but then they got all the credit too. And you had a loyal team and they felt appreciated. So you could see a manager, a director gets into the boardroom and gets to present and shows everybody what he did when reality is his team did it behind him as opposed to a director or VP or that they'd have an opportunity to present to upper management. And when they go, "well, that's really good," you say, "ah, that was John. I couldn't have done it without him. This was all his research." "Oh, that was, Jane. She pulled this together, amazing talent on my team." And once you flip over and start understanding that managing gets really easy. You start to be able to cultivate loyal teams. I had a manager tell me, he sent me an article. The article was, "Is Your Manager for You, for Themselves, or Against You?" And it said, "you know, managers look at their employees three ways." One is the majority of 'em are for themselves. Look, "I'll throw you under the bus if I have to to move my career forward. But otherwise I have no Ill intent towards you, but you know, this is about me." That's the majority of managers. On a rare occasion you get managers who are for you, they're like, "I want to make you succeed. I'm confident in where I am. If you move in front of me, it won't even hurt my feelings, but I'm invested in you." I had a manager at St. Jude like that, and he was fantastic and really was that example. On the rare occasion you get somebody who's against you and they want you to fail. I also got that manager at a later point in time. And in the article and the wisdom said, "you run, leave the company. There is no surviving that and it's toxic and I'll tear you down." So I try to really be for my people's success. And then I think moving into the CEO role and starting the company really put the pressure on me. And then life had changed from books to this thing called YouTube. I could watch and so I just gobbled up videos by Simon Sinek and real thought leaders on, on how to lead and all these great voices that are out there. And we really try to adopt those styles of management and those philosophies into Spark. We spent a lot of time talking about culture and how we were gonna build a really good company that, that was great to work at in the early days. Lindsey Dinneen: Yeah. That's great. And then that's great advice too in general for a leader or an aspiring leader. Appreciate your people, support your people, and it changes everything. As an employee, you feel appreciated and feel valued and feel like your contribution makes a difference, so, that's great advice. I like it. Well, on a lighter note, perhaps, imagine someone were to offer you a million dollars to teach a masterclass on anything you want, does not have to be in your industry. What would you choose to teach and why? Daniel Powell: I like mentoring. I would love to teach, end to end, how do you bring a medical device to market. And, I think what I've done over the last four years, personally, my personal growth everywhere from raising money and the management of all these different processes. I love sharing that. I love being a resource to other, younger entrepreneurs on this journey, on that kind of stuff. So it would still be in this industry, I think, and I think it would reflect what I've learned and experienced and then been successful doing over the last four years. Lindsey Dinneen: Excellent. Well, we definitely need a masterclass on that. That would be a great topic. Daniel Powell: But I don't have the discipline to put a curriculum together. I'm telling you now. The question hurt, cuz in my mind I was like, "I don't have energy for that." Lindsey Dinneen: That is fair, but also you are currently a little busy with your own company. So maybe this could be your retirement gig or something just for fun. Daniel Powell: I'm a procrastinator and I wing stuff and I wouldn't prepare ahead of time. I would just say, I would just wing it. Lindsey Dinneen: Ok. Ok. Daniel Powell: It's horrible to say. I know. Lindsey Dinneen: Okay. Well, we touched on legacy earlier, but I am curious, what is the one thing that you would wish to be remembered for after you leave this world? Daniel Powell: I really hope what we're doing here, just two things. I hope the people I work with have good lives and got to go to work and not felt like somebody was against them. You see you're in these companies and the layoffs come and people get treated like numbers and we have had to have a layoff and there were people who were like, "this is not working for the business." But we try to be as humane and caring as possible when we're making tough decisions. So I'd like for the people who work for Spark, I hope this is an enriching part of their life, and that it allowed them to have a better family life. I mean, I just remember the stress of working for a company that's going through layoff after layoff, and you see bad managers treating people poorly and you sometimes get trapped there and you got nowhere to go. So I hope on one note for internally that I've made everybody who's part of this journey, their life better. And then I hope that we've really are gonna put some products into the world that, that had a legacy effect that saved families and brought 'em together. It's cool getting to work in medtech, right? We're not just making a widget, but this widget has real effects on lives. I'm lucky I get to work in this industry. It's really cool. Lindsey Dinneen: Yeah, absolutely agree. Yeah. Well, and my final question is what is one thing that makes you smile every time you see or think about it? Daniel Powell: I think our work in the neonatal space is just the most rewarding thing in the world. So these newborn babies born physically dependent on opioids. And that gets me up early every single day and keeps me motivated. We're not on market with the baby product yet, but we're in our big clinical trial and it's just cool. I always smile when I just even think the serendipity of how this happened. So I was on a flight to San Francisco to go to the Neurotech Reports conference, and I was putting my first investor PowerPoint together. And so I've got internet connection and I'm looking up, " how many people die of opioids and how many Americans are addicted" and putting all the numbers together. And I come across neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome and I start to read about it and how these babies are born and they just go through a horrible, excruciating first month of life. And, They had this like unnatural scream or cry and they don't feed, and I was like," oh my gosh. We have to do something about this." And so I sent an email to Navid and Alejandro and I'm like, "look at this article. We are gonna do this too, even if we don't make money." And by the time I landed, they both had replied, "we're all in." Like on that day we started the neonatal program and started researching. The next day I went to the first session and the first panel was New Science Discoveries. And about the second presenter was Dr. Bashar Badran out of MUSC. And he was presenting his auricular vagus nerve stimulation results on newborn babies for stroke recovery for feeding. So in front of me was the only person in the world who had ever stimulated a baby's ear and had brand new breaking results. And I mean, I was " what are the chances 24 hours after we see this?" So he, he finished speech and got off the stage and I ran up like a crazy man and I'm like, "we're gonna work together" and he was like, like, "wow." I was just, it was just I and I-- Lindsey Dinneen: Wow. Daniel Powell: My, my wife said several times "the universe conspires to make us successful." I think what we're doing is good and is noble. And things like that, I mean, and so it took him over two or three years to get his IRB approval to run his first baby study. We piggybacked on their IRB approval and had approval in 60 days. So I mean like probably shaved two years off getting this product to market. It's really amazing. So that makes all, that makes me smile every time. Lindsey Dinneen: Oh yeah. And that's a fantastic story. Oh my goodness. Thank you for sharing that. Well, thank you, Daniel, so, so very much for joining me today. Thank you for all of your insights and your stories. I'm so inspired by what your company is doing, how it's helping-- just again, the ripple effects. I keep thinking about that and that's just that's really amazing. So, so thank you for what you all are doing to help change lives. And we are honored to be making a donation on your behalf as a thank you for your time today to Threads of Love, which through the effort and support of many participants and chapters across the country, provides clothing, blankets, and other handmade articles for tiny, premature and sick infants. And I just think, Daniel, that works so well with exactly what you were just talking about and your heart for others. So thank you for choosing that organization to support. Thank you again for your time. I just wish you continued success as you work to change lives for a better world. Daniel Powell: Thank you so much. I appreciate the chance to tell the story. Lindsey Dinneen: Yeah, absolutely. And thank you also to our listeners for tuning in and if you are feeling as inspired as I am right now, I would love if you would share this episode with a colleague or two and we will catch you next time.  The Leading Difference podcast is brought to you by Velentium. Velentium is a contract design and manufacturing firm specializing in the development, production and post-market support of diagnostic and therapeutic active medical devices, including implantables and wearables for neuromodulation and other class three indications. Velentium's core competencies include electrical design, mechanical design, embedded software, mobile apps, contract manufacturing, embedded cybersecurity, OT cybersecurity, systems engineering, human factors and usability, and automated test systems. Velentium works with clients worldwide from startups seeking seed funding to established Fortune 100 companies. Visit velentium.com to explore your next step in medical device development.

Do you feel overwhelmed by all the tasks you need to accomplish and the mental baggage that holds you back? You're not alone. But once you develop mental toughness, anything is possible. Today, I talked with Daniel Powell, an endurance athlete with thousands of miles under his belt. Always up for an adventure, he set out on a daring bicycle ride in the dead of winter to raise funds for a community center. The challenge pushed him to the brink of physical and mental exhaustion. Would he be able to silence his inner critic and cross the finish line? Here's how Daniel did the thing to bike 2,446 miles and complete 12 triathlons, raising $400K for charity along the way. The story doesn't have to end here! Follow Daniel Edward Powell on Facebook or @captain.challenge on Instagram.

The Peabody and Emmy winning production company has signed a multi-year production commitment overall deal with Netflix, with a first-look component for projects developed by Irony Point, encompassing stand-up comedy, sketch, variety, alternative formats and more. Alex and Daniel will serve as executive producers on all projects.   In this interview, Alex and Daniel discuss their projects like Inside Amy Schumer, I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson, Ugly Americans, and That Damn Michael Che, among others. Subscribe for video interviews on YouTube: www.youtube.com/c/CreativePrinciples?sub_confirmation=1 If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts? It only takes about 60-seconds and it really helps convince some of the hard-to-get guests to sit down and have a chat (simply scroll to the bottom on your iTunes Podcast app and click “Write Review"). Enjoy the show!

On this episode of WHAT THE TRUCK?!? Dooner and The Dude are live from day 2 at the biggest party in freight, F3. They're joined by Frank Mabry at Torc Robotics; Daniel Powell at Optimal Dynamics; Mario Duckett at Transflo; TriumphPay's Haley Evens; Justin Hall at Primo; Rob Bussey of BWS Logistics. Visit our sponsorWatch on YouTubeSubscribe to the WTT newsletterApple PodcastsSpotifyMore FreightWaves PodcastsDiscover an easier way of doing business with the J.B. Hunt 360°® platform. Manage the entire shipping process from start to finish, all in one place. See what the power of the J.B. Hunt 360 platform can do for you at jbhunt.com/power.

On this episode of WHAT THE TRUCK?!?  Dooner and The Dude are live from day 2 at the biggest party in freight, F3. They're joined by Frank Mabry at Torc Robotics; Daniel Powell at Optimal Dynamics; Mario Duckett at Transflo; TriumphPay's Haley Evens; Justin Hall at Primo; Rob Bussey of BWS Logistics. Visit our sponsorWatch on YouTubeSubscribe to the WTT newsletterApple PodcastsSpotifyMore FreightWaves Podcasts

In this episode, Host, Christine Dobbyn interviews medical device industry experts, Daniel Powell, CEO of Spark Biomedical &  Bruce Lichorowic, CEO of Galen Robotics. In this episode, they discuss their companies, experience in the medical device field, as well as the Startup Symposium in Houston, Texas at TMCi.Daniel PowellDaniel Powell co-founded and serves as CEO of Spark Biomedical, the developer of the FDA cleared Sparrow Therapy System; a novel, wearable neurostimulation solution to address opioid withdrawal and addiction for adults. Under Mr. Powell's leadership, Spark continues to advance the science of wearable neurostimulation and is developing a solution for Neonatal Opioid Withdrawal Syndrome - addressing the most vulnerable victims of the opioid epidemic, newborn babies.Bruce LichorowicBruce Lichorowic is President is CEO of Galen Robotics and has made a career of applying technology solutions to existing problems. Where technology crosses over into multiple market segments, creating point of convergence and opening up opportunities to drive substantial change and improving lives. He has pioneered the commercial use of adaptive agents for simplifying data analytics of real-time data and artificial intelligent applications. His unique combination of high tech and medical backgrounds provide; innovation, leadership and vision to develop critical improvements in the next generation of surgical robotics.

Author Daniel Powell discusses his short story collection, Fo(u)nd Memories. The stories are inspired by old photographs he began collecting after visiting an antique shop and seeing a few photographs that were so intriguing he couldn't leave them behind. They weren't artistic photos. They were simply snapshots of other people's lives, taken in everyday situations, and Daniel began to wonder at the stories behind them. Being the writer that he is, he made up stories to fit the photos, and the result is Fo(u)nd Memories.

In this episode, our host Giovanni Lauricella and our guest Daniel Powell discuss the most investable skill set an entrepreneur can have, his background in the medical device space, what they are working on a Spark Biomedical, where they currently are and where they are going, not being selfish on the terms, why he gave voting rights to the early investors, the ups and downs of his first round, where he raised money from, the different groups he raised from, and so much more. Daniel Powell LinedIn Spark Biomedical Website Project Medtech Website Giovanni Lauricella LinkedIn Project Medtech LinkedIn

Like a broken clock or Scott reading how powers work... once in a while, we're right!  This episode... is actually kinda great!So many highlights, the summer of Scott rolls on as does the Fall of House Bolin.

Showrunner Rebecca Sonnenshine's ambitious adaptation of a horror audio drama has been cancelled after just one season, but what was she able to accomplish in the time she had? In episode 224, Luke & James finish out Marc Sollinger and Daniel Powell's source material, debate the role of withholding knowledge in storytelling of all genres, define what's meant by the term “soft horror,” and finally cast their votes on which was the better version: the podcast or the show! TV talk begins: 20:17 Podcast episodes covered: S1: eps 6-10. Show episodes covered: S1: eps 5-8 Ink to Film Become a Patron for hours of exclusive content & more: www.patreon.com/inktofilm Buy any of the other source novels at Ink to Film's bookshop: www.bookshop.org/shop/inktofilm Ink to Film's Twitter, Facebook, Instagram (@inktofilm) Home Base: inktofilm.com Intro Music: “Sanity Unravels” by Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0uLka-O5LgE Luke Elliott Website: www.lukeelliottauthor.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/luminousluke James Bailey Twitter: https://twitter.com/Jame_Bail References Archive 81 podcast: http://www.archive81.com/

Who is this guy, Zach White? Umm… that's me. Have you ever wondered why The Happy Engineer Podcast was started, and what convinced me to become a CEO and Lifestyle Engineering Coach?   Now is your chance to get the inside story, and ask the questions!   In this episode, the tables are turned and I'm on the other side of the microphone as your guest! I did not know where this conversation would go, because it's not a solo show.   I'm being interviewed by behind-the-scenes man of the hour, Daniel Powell.   We dig into my own rock bottom moments with burnout and divorce.   We go back to my engineering origins and what I've learned that changed my life forever.   And we answer one of the most common questions I get from engineering leaders every week, “Why did you quit a super successful career to start OACO?”   PLUS, we introduce our new Q&A opportunity where you can participate in The Happy Engineer Podcast, by submitting your questions for me to answer in future episodes.   So press play and let's chat… because now it's your turn to ask the questions!   ==========================   Ready for the next level in your career?   Book your FREE Coaching Session for podcast listeners at www.CareerClarityCall.com   ==========================   Rate, Review, and Follow   “I love Zach and The Happy Engineer Podcast.” If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This helps me support more engineers -- just like you -- take the next step toward the career and life that they desire. On Apple Podcasts, click our show, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then be sure to let me know what you loved most about the episode!   Remember, we only spread our message when you share this knowledge with others that need it. So if you enjoy this episode, please SHARE it on your social media and tag @TheHappyEngineerPodcast so I can say hi and thank you.    Also, if you haven't done so already, subscribe to the podcast. I'll be releasing a lot of new content including bonus episodes to the feed and, if you're not subscribed, there's a good chance you'll miss out. Subscribe now!   For more information and links from this episode, or to submit a question for host Zach White in a future Q&A, go to:   www.thehappyengineerpodcast.com

For the first time in Ink to Film history Luke & James tackle another podcast—an audio drama—and its impressive adaptation! In episode 223, they tackle the first half of season 1 of both show and pod. Luke rants about Netflix's strategic error and foolish cancellation of the show, and how they could have better set Archive 81 up for success. Plus, what made the audio drama take off, the story behind the creators Daniel Powell and Marc Sollinger, Mamoudou Athie and Dina Shihabi's standout performances, and the power of letting the supernatural stay unexplained. Podcast episodes covered: S1: eps 1-5. Show episodes covered: S1: eps 1-4 Ink to Film Become a Patron for hours of exclusive content & more: www.patreon.com/inktofilm Buy any of the other source novels at Ink to Film's bookshop: www.bookshop.org/shop/inktofilm Ink to Film's Twitter, Facebook, Instagram (@inktofilm) Home Base: inktofilm.com Intro Music: “Sanity Unravels” by Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0uLka-O5LgE Luke Elliott Website: www.lukeelliottauthor.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/luminousluke James Bailey Twitter: https://twitter.com/Jame_Bail References Archive 81: http://www.archive81.com/ The Caretaker “Everywhere At the End of Time”: https://youtu.be/wJWksPWDKOc

Black Bear expert Daniel Powell talks about his life long experience studying the Alabama Black Bears. I reach back in my radio archives and replay an interview we did in May of 2015 with Daniel about his Black Bear experiences including the story of the Pot Licker Bear. https://www.alabamawildlife.org/ To report a Black Bear Sighting please go to this link: https://game.dcnr.alabama.gov/BlackBear On this weeks TCUB Huntin' & Fishin' Report, Kevin is back and gives us the details on his big win in the first ever Lake Millers Ferry Juggin' Jackpot. We also let you know what to expect if you are planning a trip to hunt or fish around the Lake Millers Ferry area this weekend. It is gonna be a cold and windy weekend!! Details in the CNB weekend weather forecast

Daniel Powell is a San Diego local legend. You might find him suited up as his alter-ego Captain Challenge while leading a flash mob dance party; spreading joy through his stand-up comedy; finishing a marathon in Antarctica with a sprained ankle and then doing an Iron Man a few days later (true story); or spending 10 days living on the most dangerous street corner in Chicago to contribute to the non-profit organization, Project H.O.O.D. which he'll be doing a week from now. Yes, Daniel Powell is an ordinary man leading an extraordinary life. But if you asked him, he'd probably just tell you he's having fun, cherishing another day on planet Earth. As someone who beat cancer, he knows what it means to savor every second and to laugh his way through the darkest times. We could all benefit from this mentality right about now. Daniel's stories of adventure are wildly entertaining and his personal endeavors are beyond inspiring — this conversation will undoubtedly brighten your day and reignite your passion for life. Show Notes Captain Challenge FB Page Comedyshow.biz Flash Mob Project H.O.O.D.

I may be just one guy from Alabama, but when I said I wanted to make a difference everywhere, I meant it. Love for people everywhere allows me the opportunity to make their challenges my challenge. Yesterday, my friend, Daniel Powell a.k.a. Captain Challenge texted me and said he was going to do the biggest thing he's ever done in his life for Project HOOD and he meant it! If we can make a difference in Chicago, I'm all in. You can also subscribe to TMWS via TuneIn Radio, Apple iTunes, SoundCloud, Audioboom, YouTube, Spotify, Stitcher, Blubrry, Google Podcasts, & iHeart Radio. All shows are archived at TheMarkWhiteShow.com.

On this first episode of 2022, we are joined by Daniel Powell, Clare Parish, Scott Tanfield and Owen Smith, as we discuss the 7-0 demolition of Reading, the Friends of Fulham Man of the Match, Manchester City in the Cup, Cyrus Christie departing, the January transfer window, Bristol City, and Bristol City predictions. Thanks once again for listening, make sure you subscribe to catch any future shows.

CEO and CSO from the Spark Biomedical Team talk about their ground breaking product, Sparrow Therapy System. What is it? “The Sparrow Therapy System delivers personally tailored mild electrical signals through the skin on and around the ear — known as transcutaneous auricular neurostimulation or tAN™. The electrical signals target specific nerves that activate areas of the brain that release endorphins. These endorphins then fill the empty opioid receptors. This satisfies the receptors and helps to aid in the reduction and prevention of withdrawal symptoms.” Don't miss this amazing conversation about a powerful and much needed innovation. https://www.sparkbiomedical.com

Author Daniel Powell discusses his debut middle grade novel, Paper Birds and Other Flying Objects. This delightful story is about a ten-year-old girl named Ellie who loves books, origami and adventures. Unfortunately for Ellie, everyone thinks she's weird, and Ellie believes they may be right when she discovers she has magical powers. Paper Birds and Other Flying Objects is a story about being an outsider, which is a theme that Daniel has been writing about since he was a kid.

Q&A with co-presidents of Irony Point, Daniel Powell and Alex Bach. Moderated by Mara Webster, In Creative Company.

Pharmaceutical opioids and the flood of Chinese fentanyl infiltrating our southern border have created a crisis that's killing hundreds of thousands of Americans every year and leaving millions more in the downward spiral of addiction. Until recently, our only way of dealing with the problem has been prison, rehab, methadone, or some combination of the three. Daniel Powell joins us to look at how we got here, the new medical innovations in combating America's worst epidemic, and the regulatory reforms we need to keep moving forward. Daniel Powell has over 20 years in developing and selling technology-based products. He has served in multiple leadership roles including software engineering, program management, marketing & business development. Over his career, Mr. Powell launched over 18 medical device products including those for Deep Brain Stimulation for movement disorders and Vagus Nerve Stimulation for Epilepsy. Most recently he co-founded and serves as CEO of Spark Biomedical, developing a novel, wearable neurostimulation solution to address opioid withdrawal and addiction.

In our first episode of Channels of Health we sit down with Daniel Powell, President & CEO of Spark Biomedical. Spark Biomedical has recently received FDA approval on a wearable neurostimulation solution to address opioid withdrawal and addiction. For more episodes of Channels of Health please visit us at www.channelsofhealth.com

Daniel Powell and Navid Khodaparast are getting on peoples' nerves. No, really. They're disrupting everything you know, or think you know, about opioid use disorders and tackling the hardest part of helping people break free of the vice grip of addiction - acute withdrawal.Spark Biomedical has developed two systems to help alleviate the worst symptoms of withdrawal. Using transcutaneous auricular neurostimulation, their wearable devices are changing lives. Check out the story behind the story in this episode of Skraps. 

Daniel Powell is the CEO of Spark Biomedical, a startup company that developed, and as in the process of launching, a neurostimulation device to provide patients relief during opioid withdrawal. Daniel and his team have developed a solution, based on a proven technology. Daniel discusses Spark and some of the challenges they faced including product and technology, reimbursement, business model, clinical, and regulatory. We also discuss the product development process, specifically customer discovery. Daniel shares how in the past 25 years, in two separate industries, he has been involved in customer discovery in large and small companies and how his philosophy was shaped based on different systems he was taught, but modified, based on his hard-earned experience.Links from this episode:Daniel PowellSpark BiomedicalKano ModelMastering Medical Device:WebsitePat Kothe LinkedIn

In this weeks Review and Recommend show, we are getting strange. Archive 81 is a Dead Signals production written by Marc Sollinger and Daniel Powell. It is a found(footage) audio style horror drama that revolves around the adventures of its main character Daniel, or just Dan. Dan is employed to listen to and archive hundreds of old tapes for a 'building preservation society'. But Daniel quickly realises there is more to this job than he counted on. He enters a world of ritual magic and strange creatures that are governed and manipulated by sound. It's not for the faint-hearted, but the payoff is a beautifully constructed story that has music and sound at its core. Just what you want from and serial audio drama. Its only 3 seasons, but is vast in its scope. If you're a fan of shows like 'Welcome to Nightvale', then you will probably appreciate Archive 81. Enjoy!  Darren. ARCHIVE 81 LINKS: Email->archive81podcast@gmail.com Website-> Facebook-> Twitter-> Reddit-> Patreon-> MGLP LINKS: Email: myguestlistpod@gmail.com Website->  Facebook-> Instagram-> Twitter-> Facebook group: MGLP-VIP Lounge Support: Buy the show a coffee-> Patreon  Rate & Review: Rate and Review Here-> MyPodcastReviews.com-> Music: Intro- 'X Ray Vision-Slynk'-youtube.com/audiolibrary Outro-'We Could Reach'-Freedom Trail Studio-youtube.com/audiolibrary

Jon finally becomes an Election Profit Maker. Election Profit Makers is a Radio Point production with Executive Producers Alex Bach, Rich Korson, and Daniel Powell. Support us on Patreon at patreon.com/electionprofitmakers and follow us on Twitter. Send questions about how to live life as a newly rich person to contact@electionprofitmakers.com. If you want, you can probably still use our referral code for PredictIt.org! Go to www.PredictIt.org/promo/EPM20 and receive $20.00 in matching funds. Subscribe to Numlock News for free! Visit numlocknews.com! Visit ExpressVPN.com/profit and get an extra three months free on a one year package! Since you're so rich now, buy merchandise at: bit.ly/helicoptertony Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Morning Zoo Crew is stuck in traffic. Election Profit Makers is a Radio Point production with Executive Producers Alex Bach, Rich Korson, and Daniel Powell. Support us on Patreon at patreon.com/electionprofitmakers and follow us on Twitter. Do not send questions to contact@electionprofitmakers.com. If you want, you can probably still use our referral code for PredictIt.org! Go to www.PredictIt.org/promo/EPM20 and receive $20.00 in matching funds. Subscribe to Numlock News for free! Visit numlocknews.com! Visit ExpressVPN.com/profit and get an extra three months free on a one year package! EPM merch found here: bit.ly/helicoptertony Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Something to listen to while you wait in line to vote. If you have already voted, you can listen to this, too. If you haven't, you MUST be in the process of voting to listen to this episode. (Remember to drop off your ballot if you haven't mailed it in). Election Profit Makers is a Radio Point production with Executive Producers Alex Bach, Rich Korson, and Daniel Powell. Support us on Patreon at patreon.com/electionprofitmakers and follow us on Twitter. No reason to message anyone at contact@electionprofitmakers.com anymore because everyone is banned. Use our referral code for PredictIt.org! Go to www.PredictIt.org/promo/EPM20 and receive $20.00 in matching funds. Subscribe to Numlock News for free! Visit numlocknews.com! If you've been banned from wearing 2016 EPM merch, you may buy replacement 2020 commemorative merch now. Visit :bit.ly/epmcool OR bit.ly/epmbanned Special thanks to Left Handed Radio for breathing life into Helicopter Tony - Follow @lefthandedradio. Or don't. See if they care. We love you. Bye! (Unless Trump loses then we'll have a recap.) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, Jordan interviews Daniel Powell, CEO & co-founder of Spark Biomedical. Jordan & Daniel take a deep dive into the current opioid crisis and how opioid addiction is treated. Daniel details how the withdrawal process affects a person, what the traditional methods of treatment are, and how his company's new wearable device has the potential to dramatically decrease the effects of withdrawal.

Jon makes the final touches on his $10,000 investment. Just do us a favor and go VOTE. (If you haven't mailed in your ballot, drop it off. If you're voting in person, make a plan, bring snacks.) Election Profit Makers is a Radio Point production with Executive Producers Alex Bach, Rich Korson, and Daniel Powell. Support us on Patreon at patreon.com/electionprofitmakers and follow us on Twitter. Contact@electionprofitmakers.com with hot career leads for the EPM crew. Use our referral code for PredictIt.org! Go to www.PredictIt.org/promo/EPM20 and receive $20.00 in matching funds. Subscribe to Numlock News for free! Visit numlocknews.com! And don't forget to keep warm with EPM merch: Visit: bit.ly/helicoptertony Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Huge if true. Use our referral code for PredictIt.org! Go to www.PredictIt.org/promo/EPM20 and receive $20.00 in matching funds. Subscribe to Numlock News for free! Visit numlocknews.com! Looking for stylish EPM merch? Visit: bit.ly/helicoptertony Check out Dicktown. It's better than whatever Jeff Goldblum is up to. All episodes available now on Hulu. Election Profit Makers is a Radio Point production with Executive Producers Alex Bach, Rich Korson, and Daniel Powell. Support us on Patreon at patreon.com/electionprofitmakers and follow us on Twitter. Should we start a dating service? Tell us at contact@electionprofitmakers.com. Reminder, you only have until midnight on Wednesday (local time) to send in your CONCISE bans. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jon and David admit to their mistakes; Starlee games the Electoral College. Get your EPM merch at bit.ly/epmfashion. Election Profit Makers is a Radio Point production with Executive Producers Alex Bach, Rich Korson, and Daniel Powell. Support us on Patreon at patreon.com/electionprofitmakers and follow us on Twitter. Send your election prediction questions AND donation receipts for banning purposes to contact@electionprofitmakers.com. Use our referral code for PredictIt.org! Go to www.PredictIt.org/promo/EPM20 and receive $20.00 in matching funds. Subscribe to Numlock News for free! Visit numlocknews.com! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You must listen to this episode to find out if you’ve been banned. Get your EPM merch at bit.ly/epmfashion. Even if you are banned from listening to EPM, you can still watch Going Deep with David Rees or Dicktown or Search Party. Election Profit Makers is a Radio Point production with Executive Producers Alex Bach, Rich Korson, and Daniel Powell. Support us on Patreon at patreon.com/electionprofitmakers and follow us on Twitter. Send your election prediction questions AND donation receipts for banning purposes to contact@electionprofitmakers.com. Use our referral code for PredictIt.org! Go to www.PredictIt.org/promo/EPM20 and receive $20.00 in matching funds. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Within the medical device industry, there's a right way and a wrong way to address quality and compliance. Today, our guest is Daniel Powell, CEO of Spark Biomedical, a startup building non-invasive neurostimulation systems. Daniel's been working in the medical device industry for almost 20 years and shares stories that led him to shift his mindset and focus more on quality. Some of the highlights of the show include: - From FDA warning letters to lots of changes, companies face challenges when trying to fix their quality management system (QMS). - From such experiences, Daniel developed a higher quality IQ on what can go wrong and how critical thinking skills put a QMS back on the right track. - Believe that it will happen someday. FDA does an inspection and gives you a warning letter, which is disruptive, stops everything, and takes years to resolve. - You may get a 483 observation; you're one-and-only chance to prevent a warning letter. Take it seriously, provide a response, and learn from it. - There's a difference between being compliance vs. true quality focused. Don't use your own terminology and reduce engineers' cognitive load. - FDA submission, audit, complaint, and other items always come back to risk. Implement a risk management system that works. - Trying to manage risk can get out of control. Embrace spirit and definition of 14971, and understand the patient perspective to use it as your guiding force. - You have a responsibility to improve quality of life. Do the right thing as you design and develop. Also, learn from others and refresh your knowledge.

Welcome to Episode 31 – Daniel Powell – Redline Media Daniel Powell – Redline Media Who is Daniel? Owner of Redline Media Avid Speedway fan Journalist This show you'll learn: What services Redline Media offer Importance of branding Speedway industry If you would like to connect with Redline Media: ▶ Website: redlinemedia.com.au ▶ Facebook: http://facebook.com/redlinemedia1 ▶ Instagram: http://instagram.com/redlinemedia1 ▶ Twitter: http://twitter.com/redlinemedia_1 Reviews: Have some feedback on the show? I would love to hear it! Please leave a review on itunes or stitcher and I will read them out on next week's show, good or bad! Every review will go in the draw to win a prize. Follow MotiV8 Training & Management: Facebook: @motiv8t Twitter: @motiv8pt Instagram: @motiv8_t Youtube: @motiv8_t Recommend a guest: Is there someone you would love to hear from? Is their a story inspiring to you? If so, please let us know who, so we can try and get them onboard! Email win@motiv8training.com.au Thank you again for taking the time to listen to the podcast!

Your podcast description is one of the first things people see when they come across your podcast online or in a podcast app. This is your chance to catch their attention and sell them on your show. It's your opportunity to convince them to listen. The ideal podcast description answers two questions for your potential listener: Is this show for me? What am I going to get out of listening to this? When a potential audience member comes across your podcast and starts reading your description, they're wondering, “What's in it for me?” This is your chance to tell them why they should care about your show. Otherwise, they won't. Key Takeaways: Your podcast description is your chance to tell people what's in it for them. Refine the goal of your podcast down to a single sentence. Write your description in a way that brings agreement from your intended audience. Don't make your description all about you, make it about your listener. People will only care about you once you've proven you care about them. Your description is there to let people know you have what they're looking for. Write in a simple way that's tangible and clear for your audience. Try to deliver complex ideas simply. Your social media bio is a chance to communicate to people what they'll get if they follow you. I'm joined this week by Cory Miller. Cory is the co-host of the Invisible Details podcast and loves all things design and branding. Aaron: In this world where there's millions of pieces of content competing for our attention, your audience is looking to see if your content solves a specific need they have. You have to put thought not just into your podcast description, but into each of your episode descriptions as well. When a potential listener comes across your podcast for the first time, they're reading the description and wondering, “What's in this for me?” Your podcast description is your chance to tell people what's in it for them. You have to tell them why they should care about your show, otherwise they're not going to. What Should My Show Description Say? Aaron: When writing a description for your podcast or podcast episode, here are some questions to think about: What is your goal with this show? What are you going to teach or share with your listeners? Are you going to interview people? Are you going to bring people from that community in to share what they've learned, or is your show strictly about entertainment? The last two weeks I interviewed two guys who run a company called Dead Signals and produce two radio drama style podcasts (Related: e064 Creating a Radio Drama Podcast Part 1 (With Writer Marc Sollinger) & e065 Creating a Radio Drama Podcast Part 2 (With Producer/Engineer Dan Powell)). Their podcasts are very much just entertaining stories. They're not business related and they're not trying to change the world with their podcasts, they just want to tell stories in the audio medium and entertain people. The way I write a description for my podcast is going to be way different from the way they write theirs. They thought about that and asked, “What are people who would be interested in our show looking for?” They're trying to write a description that would catch the attention of someone looking for an entertaining story. I love the description for their Archive 81 show: “Three months ago Daniel Powell vanished. These are the tapes he sent to me. If you know anything, please contact me at archive81podcast@gmail.com.” They don't even tell you who the guy is, all you need to know is this guy vanished after he sent a friend some tapes. Try to Describe the Goal of Your Podcast in a Single Sentence Cory: Write your description in a way that brings agreement from your intended audience. Write it in a way that, while they're reading the description, they're thinking, “Oh yeah. Yes! This! Exactly that! Yes! I need to listen to this.” That's the reaction you're looking for. You want to write your description in a way that brings agreement from your intended audience. When they look at that description from Archive 81, people are like, “Whoa. That's creepy. I feel like I need to listen to this because I'm intrigued.” You're bringing intrigue and agreement. Whatever it is you write, you want it to resonate with your intended audience. The second thing is to write it in a way that if they're sitting with their phone on a bus heading to work and someone looks over and says, “I see you're listening to a podcast, what's that all about?” they can respond without looking up the description. That's what you're aiming for: you want something they can quickly tell their friend about without looking at the description. It's about clarity. It's not all about you, it's about what they're getting. If they said, “I'm listening to this show where this guy wants to help make me a better podcaster,” that's huge. Or, “I'm listening to this show where they teach me how to build a better brand.” That's very simplistic, but you can build off that and you can craft a description where people can pass that on. That's rooted in telling people what the mission of your company, your brand, or your life is. Being able to distill it in a way that allows people to be able to pass it back and forth is very powerful. Don't Make It All About You Share and talk about the experience you have and why you're qualified to teach on a certain subject. I can say, “I've been helping people make great podcasts for five years. I've worked for 5by5, the founder of Dribbble, Sean McCabe, and the Shop Talk show.” That shows authority and expertise, but if someone asks a listener about my show, they're not going to say, “Aaron Dowd is this great podcast editor and he's worked for all these people and he knows all this stuff about audio engineering.” The person asking about my show doesn't care about me, they only care about what the show will do for them if they listen to it. The words I should use instead could be, “If you want to learn how to make a great podcast, this is the show you should be listening to.” Cory: There's aspects of that you can include in your description. Instead of saying, “Hey, these are all of my accomplishments,” you can change that to something like, “Get knowledge from a guy who has years of experience in podcast editing.” You're putting the emphasis back on the listener and what they'll get from the show. You can do fill-in-the-blank stuff, like: “Learn how to (fill in the blank).” “Get knowledge from 10 years of experience in (fill in the blank).” “If you're an X, Y, or Z, you'll get tangible insights on (fill in the blank).” These are actionable steps. Your description should resonate with the listener, tell them what the benefit is for them, and give them a glimpse of the person they're going to become after listening. If you want, you can slide a little bit of your credentials in there. For instance, Aaron's podcast description says, “Professional podcast editor and producer shares everything he's learned about making great podcasts.” In the moment someone reads “professional podcast editor,” they're going to think, “This show is going to teach me how to become a professional podcast editor,” or, “I can learn something from this person who has this experience.” Ultimately, you have to remember that people will only care about you once you've proven you care about them. In regards to a value-exchange like this, you have to prove that you care about this person before they're going to start caring about you. If I find a new show, and look at it's podcast description, I don't know this person, I have no connection with them, I have no background on them, so I'm looking to see if this is worth my time. Once I listen to it, I can create a connection. That's exactly how it happened with seanwes. I started listening to the seanwes podcast out of the blue and I didn't know who Sean and Ben were, but after listening to so many of their shows, I started really connecting with these guys. That's why I joined the Community in the beginning, because they were talking about all these conversations people were having and I had total FOMO. I wanted to be in on the inside jokes because I felt connected to the podcast hosts. The connectedness happens after you've proven that you're here to deliver value. You deliver value first and the connectedness is all about, in a sense, selling yourself, your knowledge, and the benefit to the listener, and then they can continue to connect with you. Aaron: Make your podcast description about your listener. If you don't know who you're creating a podcast for, that's a problem. If you're just creating a show because you want it to be out there, you might get a few people listening, but you need to think about who you're making your show for. Podcast Description Review Aaron: One of my listeners (Stan) reached out to me, and I wanted to do a review for him to give him some practical steps to help him write a better podcast description. I feel like I can't pick apart his podcast description without looking at my own podcast description first, so let's pick apart my podcast description, then we'll do Cory's show (Invisible Details), then Stan's show. I feel like I need to rewrite my description anywys, so I'm hoping the things we talk about in this section will be helpful to someone else who has been listening who might want to rewrite theirs. Breakdown of The Podcast Dude's Podcast Description Here's the (current) description for The Podcast Dude: “Professional podcast editor and producer Aaron Dowd shares everything he's learned about making great podcasts. If you're interested in starting a podcast, growing your audience, and increasing your influence, this is the show for you. Get answers to all your questions about podcasting: gear, recording, content, editing, interviewing, mixing, mastering, and more. To stand out from thousands of other podcasts, you'll need to produce a high quality show. The Podcast Dude will help you get there. Don't just make a podcast—make an awesome podcast.” I don't know if I like that first sentence. It's making a claim that I'm a professional podcast editor and producer, but I don't have any evidence to back that up. I'm not saying, “Professional podcast editor and producer for these people.” I do have evidence to back that up, and the people that know me know I've worked with some fairly well-known podcasters, especially in the design realm, but I'm not backing it up with evidence. Also it puts me first—the first thing you see is my name, then I say I'm going to share everything I've learned. Another mistake I think I'm making there is talking about myself in the third person. I want to speak to a single person and I'm not speaking to a single person until the second line. Cutting out the first and the last sentences would be a good place to start, because that puts the focus back on the listener. "What do you want? Do you want to start a podcast? Do you want to grow an audience? This is the show for you." The next part, “Get answers to all your questions about podcasting: gear, recording, content, editing, interviewing, mixing, mastering, and more,” explains the kind of stuff I talk about. This is what I'm going to teach you. That's good, so I'll leave that as it is. Finally, I give my mission statement, “To stand out from thousands of other podcasts, you'll need to produce a high quality show. The Podcast Dude will help you get there.” Cory: I think you should remove the first sentence and the last sentence. I thought the last sentence was a mistake, honestly. I think you can add your name in the new last sentence, like, “To stand out from thousands of other podcasts, you'll need to produce a high quality show. The Podcast Dude, Aaron Dowd, will help you get there.” Aaron: I would say, “To stand out from thousands of other podcasts, you'll need to produce a high quality show. My name is Aaron Dowd and I want to help you make an awesome podcast.” Cory: “Make an awesome podcast,” is the last thing people will read and it's the last thing that's going to be on their mind. They'll read, “If you're interested in starting a podcast…” and they'll think, “Yes, I'm interested in starting a podcast.” Breakdown of the Invisible Details Podcast Description Cory: Invisible Details's description says, “A weekly show about building a successful brand through story and authenticity. A brand is so much more than a logo or what is visible on the surface. It's the heartbeat of a company. A brand is about values and the story you're telling. Join Cory Miller and Kyle Adams every Saturday for clear and practical advice on how to define your brand from the inside out. Connect with your audience and stand out from the competition.” I like it, but I think I could rework a little bit. There are a couple of things I'm trying to do with this. First, I'm setting expectations with “a weekly show.” There's no confusion about when it comes out, like bi-monthly, or a seasonal thing. It's a weekly show. Next, the description talks about building a successful brand. Most of the people I encounter who are starting this journey of building a better brand think branding is a out the visuals, logos, and all the things you see, but a brand is all about perception. It's all about how people think and feel about you and what they say about you when you're not in the room. I could rework that second sentence, but I also want it to be introductory, because the people we're trying to reach are people who have new and growing brands. They're just getting that first taste of redefining what brand means, and that's what that second sentence is for. Aaron: You have a solid first sentence and a solid last sentence. Let's say we cut all that stuff out in the middle; it would still be a good description—“A weekly show about building a successful brand through story and authenticity. Connect with your audience and stand out from the competition.” It explains what the show is about and what the listener will get out of it. Cory: It's very action-centered. I'm a very simplistic kind of person when it comes to design and writing. I adhere to this idea of, “How much can I remove but still have there be quality? Can we do less, but better?” That's my whole philosophy. I know people who write out their whole about pages in their description and no one will read that or remember it. You need to create something that is short and memorable. If someone asks if there's a podcast about podcasting I'd recommend, I'd say, “If you want to make a podcast, the Podcast Dude is all about helping you make an awesome podcast.” That's how I would describe it. Those are the ideas and key words you want to plant into people's heads through the description in a very simple way that's tangible and memorable. Aaron: You can't ask people to remember four paragraphs about you and what you do, because they're not going to. If you can't explain the point of your show in one or two sentences, you're going to have a bad time. Cory: People already know what they're looking for. You need to demonstrate that you have what they're looking for. People already know what they're looking for. Your description is there to let them know you have what they're looking for. Breakdown of Stan's Podcast Description Aaron: I didn't get Stan's permission to share the name of his podcast, but I do want to give him some direct feedback. Here's what's on his website when you first visit it, “I'm passionate about coaching leaders to help them reach maximum impact wherever they are currently leading.” “My heart beats faster when someone I spend time with takes a next step towards being more closely aligned with God's will for their life, enabling them to make an even greater impact. My goal is to provide leadership resources that are practical and can help anyone develop as a leader, including moms, dads, teachers, administrators, managers, volunteers, campus pastors, and lead pastors. Everyone leads someone.” The description for his podcast is, “This podcast focuses on ministry leaders to reach maximum impact where they currently lead. We also focus on brainstorming and idea creation for leaders.” Cory, what's your first reaction where you hear that? Cory: It sounds like something I would read in an about page, not a home page. On a home page, you need to speak to the pain of the person who's problem you're solving and it needs to speak with a benefit. I see his goals, but I don't see the benefit for myself. I want to know what I'm going to get out of going to this website. Condense that down to a single sentence—that's what people need to see on the home page. There's a lot of things there and I'm sure Stan is awesome. In fact, I'd love to talk with him about some of this stuff. The problem is I don't know Stan yet and all he's doing is introducing himself. If I'm a leader and I want to have maximum impact wherever I'm currently leading, I want to know that you're here to benefit me. That's ultimately what people are trying to figure out when they first go to your site. You can bring in yourself a little bit later. For the podcast description, I think that's a good start, but I would love to see more actionable sentences. Like, “Learn how to make a maximum impact in the industry you're currently leading.” Aaron: Stan, what do you mean by “maximum impact”? I think that's important, because those aren't very specific words. If you want people to make a change, what kind of change are you trying to get people to make? Go a little deeper on what those words mean. Also, what specifically about brainstorming and ideas? What's missing is a clear description of the problems you're trying to solve for people. Cory: The other aspect with that second sentence is, I see, “We focus on brainstorming and idea creation for leaders.” Does that mean you'll brainstorm for me and give me ideas? Or are you trying to teach me how to brainstorm? Are you trying to give me the tools to have better idea creation? Are you trying to make me into the kind of leader that is able to lead a team, brainstorm, create ideas, have successful meetings, make an impact in our community? Those are the things I want to see and hear about. You can expand on it without being too wordy with it. If I looked at this and someone asked me what the podcast is about, based on the description I'd say, “If you're a leader, they want to make you a better leader.” Another thing you can do is if you've had a podcast for a while, you can go look at the reviews and see what people are saying in your reviews. From there, you can rewrite and clarify your description based on what other people are saying. If you're a new podcast, you may not have that yet, but I would recommend talking with someone. Share everything about what your podcast is about and what your mission is and have them repeat it back to you in a sentence or two. That will give you some good ideas that you can include in your description. Have clarity in your podcast description. If you don't have clarity, you have nothing. Aaron: Talk to a couple of people you trust, or if you have an engaged online community, reach out to them and ask, “What do you think my podcast is about?” and see what people say. If you don't have a podcast, try it for yourself instead. Ask some of your friends, “How would you describe me to someone else? What do you think I'm about?” You'll get a lot of insight out of the answers to those questions. Cory: Stan, I hope this doesn't discourage you at all. The fact that you've shown up and have a grip on your mission and you know how you want to help people, that's good! That's more than a lot of people will ever have, but you just need to focus on clarity. Clarify some of the words and clarify who your target audience is based on this list you wrote. This is a great list, but try to condense it in a way that's repeatable for someone you've just shared it with. You have to write for stupid people. Is that a terrible thing to say? Aaron: It's not just stupid people. People are in a hurry, in a rush, people don't want to think. Cory: Let me rephrase: You have to write in a simple way that's tangible and clear for people. I often see people use inside slang, jargon, and terms that average people wouldn't understand. Don't give me the marketed, straight-from-a-thesaurus words. I don't care about that. If I'm your intended audience, I need it explained in a simple way. You can deliver complex ideas simply with clarity. Communicate in a simple but clear way. Aaron: Candice said, “A well-known author I know said he writes his books at a fifth grade level so that anyone can understand it.” Cory: I didn't mean that people are stupid. You just have to write in a clear way that anyone in your intended audience can understand. That's the most important thing. How to Write Better Social Media Descriptions Aaron: Jonathan asked, “Is there a formula or best structure for writing an effective bio for your social media descriptions?” Cory: First, what is the goal of your social media account? I don't know that there's necessarily a formula, but I know that a lot of social media descriptions have a cap, so you can't write past a certain amount of characters. Write something that's succinct and will help push you toward your goals. Especially now, try to make something that's memorable beyond “Father. Coffee lover. Hiker. Mountaineer.” Everyone is doing that, so if you're doing anything different, you're in good shape. Aaron: The formula I use for my Twitter bio is what I do and what I want to do for you, the person reading. My Twitter bio is simply, “Audio engineer/podcast editor for the seanwes network. I want to help you make an awesome podcast.” Cory: Mine is, “Director of Member Success at seanwes. Podcast host of Invisible Details. Author of Nice-to-Have, currently writing.” It depends on what your goals are. I want my Twitter to be a place where people can get access to me and the content is not in the description, the content is in the timeline. That's where I want people's eyes to look. I don't want to be clever, I want a bullet point credential. That's how I'm using it. Figure out what your goal is, what the goal of your social media account is, and what the goal of your description is. Then, condense that in a way that provides you some kind of credibility and people will continue going down the timeline. No one is going to care on Twitter unless they've gotten some kind of value on your timeline, whether it's entertainment, practical, etc. They're going to go to your timeline first and then they'll want to know about you. I use my bio as a tiny about page related to what it is I'm posting. Aaron: You'll get more followers if you include what you want to do for other people in your bio. Cory: Kyle Adams has a great one, “Icon designer intent on communicating in profound ways and helping others do the same.” Aaron: Jeremy Mura has a good one too, “Designer and illustrator. Teaching others what I know and helping people design a life of greatness.” When I look at someone's bio, I'm wondering, “Why should I follow this person?” Your bio is your chance to convince me to follow you. If I'm not already convinced, I don't know you, and you don't already have a huge audience advocating for you, and you don't tell me what you want to do for me, I probably won't follow you. Your bio is a chance to convince people they'll get something out of following you. Huge thanks to Cory Miller for joining me today. Follow him on Twitter and check out his show, Invisible Details. Links: How to Write Great Show Notes (free show notes template included) Podcast: https://podcastingwithaaron.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/aaronpodcasting Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/aarondowd Blog: https://www.aarondowd.com Recommended Gear: https://kit.co/PodcastingwithAaron

My guest this week is Marc Sollinger. Marc is one half of Dead Signals, a podcast production company that produces the modern radio drama podcasts Archive 81 and Deep Vault. In this episode, we're going to take a deep dive into what it takes to plan, write, and produce a modern radio drama. This is part one of a two part series: Next week I'll be interviewing Dan Powell, who handles a lot of the editing, sound design, and music for Dead Signals. Key Takeaways: The most important part of the writing process is collaboration. Audio storytelling is a powerful medium. Work with people you trust and ask them for their feedback. The hardest part of creating a modern radio drama is making time for all the work required. If you're into podcasting, create stories that can only be told through sound. Aaron: Marc Sollinger: Thanks for joining me. Tell me what you do at Dead Signals. My understanding from our brief conversation previously is that you work more on the writing side of things? Marc: Both Dan and I write and contribute to the creative process equally, so both of our roles are really creative. We're both the “idea person.” Aaron: You do a lot of the writing and he does a lot of the editing, but you both contribute equally to the writing process, yeah? Marc: Yeah, and we're both audio professionals. He's an engineer and works at a sound effects library, I work in public radio for Innovation Hub. We both work with sound for our day jobs. It's really fun. The Most Important Part of the Writing Process: Collaboration Aaron: I brought you on because you and Dan recently launched a modern radio drama podcast called The Deep Vault. I like the description you guys wrote: “The Deep Vault is a serialized, seven-episode audio drama set in in the almost-post-apocalyptic United States. “The story follows a group of longtime friends as they journey from the uninhabitable surface world into a mysterious underground bunker in search of safety, shelter, and answers to their past. Robotic servants, tooth-filled monsters, and terrible computers collide within the claustrophobic, steel-reinforced walls of The Deep Vault, a modern day homage to the golden age of sci-fi radio drama.” I want to hear about your background and how you got into audio and radio. Before we get into that, I have to say that the Audible ad read at the end of the first episode of The Deep Vault is one of the most genius things I've ever heard. Good job on that, whoever had that idea. Marc: Listen to the second episode, because it gets crazier. With podcasts that are more host-driven and not fiction, it's usually the hosts talking about how much they love Blue Apron or Squarespace. For us, it felt a little weird to break the world and say, “Hey, it's Marc Sollinger and Daniel Powell, and we'd love you to try out Audible or Blue Apron,” so we came up with the idea of a robot that's not a character in the show. It's just a random robot that's gradually gaining sentience and is really pissed off at his masters. It's fun and hopefully people will enjoy listening to it. The main thing is we wanted it to be fun. Aaron: Mission accomplished. So when did you get started with audio? Marc: I fell in love with audio in high school when I was driving around in my car and I heard a This American Life episode. It was one of those proverbial driveway moments, where I stayed in my car for 30 minutes because the story was so good. (Audio storytelling is a powerful medium.) I feel in love with it and I adore the power of audio documentary and public radio. That's my day job now, but I started listening to older radio dramas like Orson Welles' The Mercury Theatre on the Air. That's really good; start with War of the Worlds. If you're looking for other great audio drama podcasts, AV Club has a good list of creepy radio dramas from the 40s, 50s, and 60s you can check out. Aaron: So you were listening to those and you thought, “I have to figure out how to do this for myself?” Marc: Yeah, I noticed when podcasts were getting big in 2007 that there weren't a lot of audio dramas. There were a couple and there were a lot of audio books released as podcasts, but I didn't feel like there were a lot of podcast audio dramas that were at the same level as stuff from the 40s and 50s. For my college thesis, I made a 10-episode audio drama that I released as a podcast. This was before Dan and I started collaborating, but he was featured as the main actor, playing a nebbish anthropologist who crash lands on an alien world and has to discover a bunch of secret stuff. It's called Transmission and it's still something I'm proud of, but I didn't do any promotion. I fell into the trap of thinking, “This is really good, obviously it'll get big,” which is not a good mindset to be in. It's a Patreon reward for our Patreon page now. Aaron: So you dove in and made a 10-episode podcast series. What kind of experience did you have with audio at that point? Marc: I interned for a summer at Chicago Public Radio's Youth Vocalo, and I studied radio, television, and film in college. I did some work for Nick van der Kolk of Love + Radio. I interned for my local NPR station and I learned a lot about sound from the incomparable Douglass Quinn of Syracuse University. I fell in love with audio by listening to This American Life and old radio serials, but I became someone who could do audio through learning from Douglass Quinn. That shows the importance of having a really good mentor. Aaron: When does Dan come into the picture? Marc: We met in college (Douglas Quinn was his mentor too). Quinn kind of forced our heads together and it turns out we really liked each other. After college, we went our separate ways; I worked for the PBS News Hour and then I moved to Boston to work for Innovation Hub and Dan went to Brooklyn to work for a sound effects library. He came to Boston to visit and we talked about projects we had been thinking about. Then I went to New York to visit him and he was talking about wanting to do an audio drama, something where he would be listening alone to a bunch of weird, freaky tapes. It was a really good idea so I said we should do it together. We brainstormed and came up with an outline. I wrote it, he edited it, but it was a very collaborative process. There's a bunch of really dumb ideas that would have gone into it if he hadn't told me to take them out. Work with people you trust and ask them for their feedback. Aaron: You've got to have someone you can trust to curate and edit what you come up with. Marc: It's a matter of trust. If I really like something and Dan isn't sure about it, even if I don't understand why he doesn't like it, I trust him enough to know that there's something wrong, something that needs to be fixed. Archive 81: Writing, Editing, & Casting Aaron: This podcast you're talking about–where Dan listens to freaky tapes–is called Archive 81. The description for this show is, “Three months ago Daniel Powell vanished. These are the tapes he sent me.” How long did it take you to get all these episodes written, recorded, and edited? What was the preparation process like for Archive 81? Marc: For the writing process, I can write about two episodes a week. Aaron: Part-time on nights and weekends? Marc: Yeah, and I've been a hermit. It's a lot of work. After the episodes are written, we have a two or three week period where we heavily revise it. We script everything out and we usually do a table read over Google voice and we pause and re-write when anything sounds weird. Aaron: Once you've got the script for the episode in a good place and you feel good about it, what happens after that? Studio time? Marc: We recorded all 10 episodes at the same time. I'm glad we did that instead of writing an episode and then recording it, writing an episode, and then recording it. That saved us a lot of time and money. For Archive 81, we got our cast together and then one of our friends let us record in her bedroom. For The Deep Vault, we went to an actual studio. With Archive 81, since it's tape-based, it's a lot of two people talking to each other, so the bedroom worked fine for that. With The Deep Vault, it's more action, adventure-y and there were going to be five people in a room at the same time. You need an actual studio if you have five people in there at the same time. Aaron: So you recorded all 10 episodes of Archive 81 in a bedroom. Were all the voice actors friends of yours? Marc: A mix—some friends, some Craigslist, some family. We pay all our actors, which is something we think is really important. We didn't pay them as much as we would have liked to but we did pay them. Aaron: I noticed that the guy that plays Dan's boss has the same last name as Dan. Is that his father or one of his brothers? Marc: His father. It has a bunch of creepier overtones when you realize it's Dan's actual dad, who turns out to be a really really good actor. The Hardest Part of Creating a Modern Radio Drama: Making Time Aaron: Were there any struggles or hurdles you overcame that stick out to you during producing or recording either one of those shows? Marc: The biggest one is how busy Dan and I are. We're both working full-time jobs or more than full-time jobs. We started Archive 81—writing it, promotion for it, and releasing it—and then as soon as we began to release the episodes, we started to develop The Deep Vault, so there would be no pause between shows. Episode 10 of Archive 81 was released at the same time as the teaser for Deep Vault, then episode one of Deep Vault went out the next week. It's just a lot of work, managing time and pulling through it. We're working on Archive 81 season two now while Dan is still finishing edits for the Deep Vault. We're doing promotion, starting an LLC, working with advertisers, and responding to fans on Twitter. It's just a lot for two people to do. For the most part, we're been really lucky and blessed to work with wonderful actors, and Dan is a wonderful partner. The studio we worked in for the Deep Vault was really great. It comes down to time management and knowing when to say yes to stuff and when to say no to stuff. Aaron: Is one of your goals to take Dead Signals and make it a full-time job? Marc: Maybe. I really enjoy my full-time job, but if the audience was there…The trouble is that it's very difficult to do it unless you're Welcome to Night Veil or you have the backing of Panoply or Giblet. It's something we've discussed, but right now we're not at a point where we could do that. What Would You Do If You Had a Million Dollars in the Bank? Aaron: I was talking to my friend Sean the other day, and discuessed a question: “If we had a million dollars in the bank, what would we do?” Let's say you and Dan had a million dollars in the bank. Would you want to spend most of your time on podcasting, or do you think you'd be happy keeping your day job and working on podcasts on nights and weekends? Marc: If money was no object, I think most people would say, “Let's go to Belize and surf!” For me, it's all about weird creative projects. If we had a million dollars, we'd probably work on creating more interesting things. We'd be able to rent out more time at studios. We'd be able to do a weekly thing instead of a bi-weekly thing (I hate bi-weekly). Aaron: Weekly is great, but with all the work you guys have to do for each episode, I understand why you do bi-weekly. I have a hard time keeping up with my podcast and it's not anywhere close to the kind of work that your shows are. Marc: Maybe if we were doing it full-time we could do it weekly. If I had a million dollars it would be nice to work with other writers and sound designers to do more weird stuff. What's Next for Dead Signals Productions? Aaron: I had a related question, which was, “What are your plans for the future?” but it sounds like you're just going to keep pushing forward. You're working on season two of Archive 81. Are there plans for a season two of Deep Vault? Marc: It depends on how it's received. Deep Vault definitely has an ending. It leaves open the possibility for a season two, but we're very happy with leaving it as a mini series. If everyone is crying out for a season two and gives us a million dollars, we'll make season two. We also have other projects in the pipeline that we're thinking about doing after season two of Archive 81. We're probably going to do something new before we do a season three of Archive 81, if we do a season three. We really like doing new things. One of the reasons why we didn't just plan for four seasons of Archive 81, or even do things in the same universe, we want to broaden the possibilities of audio drama and do interesting new things. We want to make stories that can only be told through sound. Q&A: Michal Wdowiak asks: “When recording the actors separately (even remotely) for a dialogue scene, how do you manage to keep the flow of the scene so it sounds like a real conversation? Do you ever record dialog scenes separately (remotely)?” Marc: No, we don't. If it's supposed to be a conversation, they've got to be in the same room. That's one of our big priorities for our actors, they have to be in New York. You can splice stuff in, but I really don't think you get the same performance when two people are not talking to each other. The actor's performances feed off each other and having them in the same room is really important. Virginia Houser asked: “How much effort and planning do you put into creating your own sound effects for your stories, if at all? Is it worth the time to create or add sound effects? If the go-to is using pre-recorded effects from online, what resources do you use to find those sound bites?” Marc: We do a mix between creating our own sound effects and using effects from sound libraries. Dan is a manager at an online sound effects library called Soundsnap, which is helpful. He can get whatever he needs there, but we do prefer making our own sound effects so we can get the exact sound we want. Before we wrap up, I want to say that it's a really interesting time for audio drama and podcasts. I think we're on the cusp of something. Welcome to Night Veil, The Black Tapes, Lime town, The Message, and The Truth were all the first mainstream audio dramas to be released as podcasts, and it's a really good time to start one yourself. If you want to start an audio drama, don't just do it because you want to start a TV show and you don't want to spend a lot of money. If you're really passionate about it, get started now; companies are starting to invest money in these podcasts. It's a lot of work, though, so be prepared to put some time into it if you want to succeed. You can head over to their Patreon page to learn more about Marc and Dan and their podcasts. Stay tuned, next week I'll be talking audio production and sound design with Marc's podcasting partner, Dan Powell. Links: Dead Signals Productions Archive 81 Deep Vault Podcast: https://podcastingwithaaron.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/aaronpodcasting Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/aarondowd Blog: https://www.aarondowd.com Recommended Gear: https://kit.co/podcastingwithaaron