Don’t Panic! with Adam W. Warner

Don’t Panic! is a podcast about Life, the Universe and Everything. Adam is a digital business owner and Dad trying to manage it all and keep everyone happy, including himself.

And yes, he realizes the significance of starting this podcast at age 42 and has the tattoos to prove it.

Why a Podcast?

Personal
I used to consider myself an artist. I used to write poetry, draw, paint and create things that didn’t previously exist. It was a way for me to express myself and “get it out of my head”, good or bad.

Looking back, I think it was also a way to relieve stress and simply be happy doing something other than what was expected of me by others.

Creating websites used to fill that void, but for the past couple of years it’s been less about building something new and more about just keeping the business running.

Business
Time will tell if this reason pans out to be true. I struggled with deciding the focus of this podcast. Should it be strictly business? Should it be strictly personal? Should I talk only about being an Entrepreneur Dad? How do I build the “Adam W. Warner” brand in the best way?

In the end, I made the decision to talk about whatever it is that was on my mind when I record an episode. After all, I think about building my business, and my kids, and my family, and my health, and my this and my that all the time. Why not use that as fodder for my content?

It just makes sense because I know me. I know that if I try to create content (or art) that I’m not passionate about, I’ll lose interest and move on to the next shiny object.

Time
I suffer from too many ideas, not enough time in the day syndrome. Add to this the responsibilities of having two young kids.

I can barely find enough free time to brush my teeth each day. Sound familiar?

How in the hell do I expect to find time to create more blog posts or shoot and edit video?
The answer is that I won’t, and more blog posts and a video podcast would fail.

Audio podcasting has a few main benefits…

I don’t have to look presentable like I would like to on video.
Parents, you know what I’m talking about.
Much less editing time.
Audio creation from anywhere.
I can sit at my desk, or record audio from my phone while at the playground, or at 2am while sitting on the toilet if I want. (not that I would;)
Why the Name?
This is also something that I went back and forth on for awhile, but thanks to my friends Matt, Kim, and Robin who helped me brainstorm and drill down to a name that is catchy enough to gain some interest, but also meaningful enough to cover my somewhat varied topics.

“Don’t Panic! with Adam W. Warner”

If you don’t understand the “Don’t Panic!” reference, it’s a direct quote from the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy book series by Douglas Adams.

I read this series of books in high school and for whatever reason, the story just really stuck with me. It’s a humorous adventure through Space and time with a great cast of characters, but also makes some great points about “Life, the Universe and Everything”.

The words “Don’t Panic!” also sum up what I’m currently focusing on and that’s to not get too stressed each day and be more calm. Running a business, keeping up with the household chores (like simply mowing the lawn), and managing the ever-changing schedule of wife and kids kind of threw me for a loop.

I’m a planner. In order to keep my mind focused, I like to know what’s coming two or three steps ahead. This has mostly gone out the window these days, so the words “Don’t Panic!” mean a lot and help me keep things in perspective.

I’m also 42 years old, and this number has special significance in the book series above (if …