Play loose look tight - documenting the process of life after Daniel MacQueen

I’m proud to bring you episode 007 of my podcast. Similar to the delays faced by the release of the new James Bond movie, this one is, well, delayed!

I apologize. I’m spinning lots of plates ahead of my move back to Vancouver in September after more than a decade overseas.

In this episode, we dive into the perspective of one of my best friends,  Andrew Rogers, who talks about my life before, during, and after the brain injury.

Before the injury — we talk about our adventures surfing up the east coast of Australia. During — we chat about his experience visiting me in the London hospital in the fall of 2014. After  – we chat about conversations we’ve shared and the continual progress he sees in me.

This is a long-form podcast to honour the conversation and to provide context. That’s why I’ve broken this into two episodes. I’m hoping this episode has a real ‘feel’ to it. What do you think? Tag me @playllt across the socials.

The expression on this episode is rooted in my move back to Vancouver “I need to see a man about a horse.”

The hack on this episode is something I swear by. In an effort to be better than yesterday, I always aim ‘to finish as I would like to begin.’ I think this will set you up for success if you take it on board.

Shout out to this episode's highlighted review, from Horsewithnoname my friend Nick Roberts!



I've been through the desert

On a horse with no name

It felt good to be out of the rain

In the desert, you can remember your name

'Cause there ain't no one for to give you no pain



I hope you enjoy the podcast and thanks for listening.



Photo by Gia Oris on Unsplash


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This is my third Captain’s log. There are a lot of ideas packed into this episode.

We’ve got new intro music. It’s starting to sound like an actual podcast! Thank you to my friend, Joshua Surtees, for navigating the export process.

We dive into Ego and why it is the enemy. I have stolen this line from Ryan Holiday; he helped me unpack this concept. Why this is dangerous → arrogance is not where you want to end up. How a better than feeling has slipped into my mindset at times. I speak to why that’s happened.

Next, we dive into steering this podcast toward different, not better. I am not trying to be 10% better than Tim Ferriss, Chase Jarvis, or Gary Vaynerchuk. I want to die on my sword, meaning I want to put forward my ideas and ride or die on those. Different, not better here!

I revisit the WHY for my podcast. It’s crucial when I listen to a podcast that I understand the host’s why. I want to make sure you know why I am doing this project!

Gratitude - I’m grateful for the army of medical professionals who kept me alive and rebuilt me. Therapists helped me walk, talk and smile again!

Empathy - I have empathy for people trying to rebuild after a knock. I want to share what I’ve learned to help them get back after it.

Perspective -  My brain hemorrhage and recovery shifted how I see the world.

I’m introducing a new segment on this episode: “Better than yesterday” We will investigate the last episode and talk about ways I am looking to make it better.

I talk about the subject of trust and what this means to me. How I play it, the bandwidth I grant people, and how that allows me to move forward faster and stronger. 

I acknowledge that some arrogance has slipped into my way to be. No one has told me this, but I know I have felt this, so I’m sure it has been perceived by some. I explain the goal is to maximize ego, without slipping into arrogance. Imagine Ego is 90 degrees, anything over is arrogance and taking away from you.

I speak about failure and how I view and respond to that. Team sports allowed me to build a tough skin. I love to lose and you’re damn right, I’m coming back at you with lessons learned, these will help me beat you in the end! We are playing chess, not checkers eh!

The expression on this episode is tied to playing sports growing up “ Whoever wins, WINS!” I do not need anything external as a prize, beating you is more than enough for me.

The hack on this episode is Respect and how important that is to build relationships. This is something I’ve learned the hard way and will never take for granted again.

It's all about feelings man! That sounds a bit Who hoo, let me tell you, this is the game, the actual game!

All of this is to set up the next episode which will feature interviews with friends about my life Before/During and After my brain hemorrhage.

See you in June!

Danny Mac


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This episode is a conversation about optimism with the lovely Jara Weinkauf, who was born with half a working heart (Tricuspid Valve Atresia).  There is a ton of value in her point of view and approach to life. Optimism shines through! It’s not tied to rainbows or butterflies but means reframing things in a positive light.

The hack in this episode ties into her perspective of constructive optimism. We’ll see how that helped me learn to walk again at St. George’s Hospital in Tooting Broadway after my brain injury. It transformed it from the worst place to learn how to walk, to the best place.

Two themes that cut through this episode are the power of optimism and the power of proving people wrong. These are not mutually exclusive, let me show you why.

The expressions in this episode, “Two for the road” and “jog on” are tied to motivation and proving people wrong.

I think this episode will help you be better than yesterday.

Thank you Sofia Eiworth for your glowing review on Apple Podcast! Please drop a review on the Apple Podcast App for your chance to be featured in the next episode.

Please note, this episode has some language.

For more on Jara please see below:

Blog: OPTIMISTIC HEART

Instagram: optimisticheartblog



Cover art created by Prudence Ip




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This is our second Captain’s log, this one with the lovely Joel G. Because it’s a Captain’s Log, the conversation is fast and loose, more of a chat, really. You get to be a fly on the wall to better understand the name of the podcast. What the hell does this actually mean? And why is it the name of a podcast that deals with adversity?

We start off with a conversation with Joel, and the philosophy he lives by: 'Live loose Look tight'.

I loved it, but how could I get in on this racket? Well, by tossing in the word Play of course!

Now, Play seems like a simple swap; but some serious thought went into that. Play is greater > than Live for a variety of reasons. It signifies the need to have fun and not take yourself too seriously. Play signifies an approach to life, one that can permeate all you do. And a light approach often helps when you are dealing with tough things.

Next, we dive into the hack MOMENTUM. This takes the form of Swallow the Hairy Frog and Building Blocks. Check out the episode, if you care to understand the difference here.

Finally, we have an expression. This one is lifted from my favourite character from Modern Family Phil Dunphey. Have a listen.

That’s a wrap on this casual, yet hopefully informative, episode of Play Loose Look Tight - documenting the process of life after.

You’ll notice a new Call to Action. Please drop a review on the Apple Podcast App for your chance to be featured in the next episode! Thanks, RJ Hunt, for your continued support with this project.

Stay well,


Daniel MacQueen



Cover art created by Prudence Ip




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Please join me for this latest episode. If you like the podcast, please rate, review, and share. In episode 003, of Play Loose, Look Tight, we meet my friend Brendan and hear what he learned while staring down the barrel of his Dad's cancer diagnosis. We walk through his experience as he reflects on life and the lessons learned as he shares his father's final days. It all sounds rather heavy but this is a celebration of life. It’s moving and profound. Grab a cuppa and have a listen You'll be better for it. As Brendan says, "we can all learn from each other.” And there's much to learn in this uplifting conversation.

This episode’s hack looks at how you can make the phone work for you.
And always, my friends, be better than yesterday!


Stay well,

Dan


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Hey there, it’s Dan again, with episode 002 of Play loose look tight - documenting the process of life after

We’ll explore how surviving a traumatic brain injury gave me three valuable tools to handle the current pandemic. They are acceptance, perspective, and the controllable(s).

We all handle stress differently, this pandemic is no exception. COVID 19 is messing with a lot of heads. Well, a hemorrhage messed with mine—an unfortunate, but valuable, bit of pandemic preparation. I share some lessons here that helped me confront and handle the global strife, both inside my head and in the larger world.

This episode is styled after a 'Captain's log' from Star Trek; but more on that in the episode.

I walk through the mindsets needed to address uncertainty and chance. What to do, (acceptance is key here!) I leave to you, 'the how'. You need to focus on what is controllable. I speak about holding your nerve and trusting the process, using the example of the Chinese bamboo.

I share one of my favourite Northern Expressions from my friend James Medd (Jimmy!). We follow along with my hack for this episode, my morning routine, which compiles a lot of hacks into one!

Now, I don’t mean to come across as making light of the situation but I can say from experience a dark sense of humour served me well and may help you ease the pain. I know this is stressful, there is unrest, but help me, help you. Listen to this episode and find some strategies to handle stress. Be better than yesterday!

Cheers,

Dan


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