
#146 Dan Boerman: Donât Die Wondering: A Comedian's Hilarious Guide to a Weird Life
11/12/2025 | 51 mins.
Dan Boerman is a Comedian and TV Personality on Jimmy Carr's Am I The A**hole. He is also a good friend.Iâve wanted to record this conversation for a long time.Dan Boerman is a New Zealand comedian who left a steady job, moved to the other side of the world, and has been relentlessly chasing stand-up ever since â from sleeping in a kidâs dinosaur bed outside Edinburgh to getting a thousand people to watch him fold a fitted sheet on a hill.In this episode, we get into:Growing up in small-town rural New Zealand and dropping out of schoolYears on benefits, smoking tiny âRussian dollâ cigarettes in the kitchenBarbering as accidental crowd work â and the now infamous Jimmy Carr Am I the A**hole? storyLeaving security behind to move to Edinburgh for comedyWhy London feels like kindling for opportunityThe viral sheet stunt that turned into awards, brand deals and a new lifeâDonât die wonderingâ and what it really means to bet on yourselfWhy some people live and die never hearing the sound of their own voiceThis is an episode about chasing the weird, specific thing you canât stop thinking about â and refusing to let your life pass in quiet comfort.If you enjoyed this one, send it to someone whoâs been talking about âone dayâ for too long.Follow Dan: @danboermancomedyFollow me / Origin Story: @davidmcnintoshjr

#145 Formula 1: The Reality of Working in F1 - Scott Duncan
23/11/2025 | 52 mins.
In this episode of Origin Story, I sit down with a Red Bull F1 tyre technician to unpack how he went from watching races in pubs to travelling the world with Max Verstappenâs team - Vegas, Brazil, Mexico and beyond. We get into the pressure of sub-2 second pit stops, the chaos of race weekends, and what life really looks like inside the worldâs most famous F1 team.In this episode we cover:Growing up in working-class Scotland and discovering F1Why engineering wasnât the first plan â and how he found his way into the sportThe moment Red Bull came callingWhat a race week actually looks like from the insideVegas, Brazil, Mexico and the wildest travel stories from the F1 calendarThe pressure of being âthe tyre guyâ in a world champion teamWhat F1 has taught him about teamwork, discipline and courageAdvice for anyone who thinks âpeople like me donât get jobs like thatââ± Chapters:00:00 â Intro03:12 â Growing up in Scotland & first F1 memories10:45 â From uni & early jobs to Red Bull Racing19:30 â Inside the tyre bay: what his job actually is27:05 â Race week routines, stress & team culture36:20 â Vegas, Brazil, Mexico & F1 travel stories47:10 â Pressure, mistakes & how you bounce back56:40 â Life outside the paddock & relationships1:05:00 â Advice for young people chasing unlikely careersð Stay in the Origin Story universe:Instagram: www.instagram.com/davidmcintoshjrð Follow the guest:Instagram: http://instagram.com/sc0ttduncan/SPONSORS:ð§ This episode is sponsored by VYBEYBig thank you to Vybey for supporting Origin Story.If youâre like me â long recording days, travel, runs, gym, not enough sleep â plain water doesnât always cut it. Vybeyâs electrolyte powders make it stupidly easy to stay on top of your hydration:Quick to mix, actually tastes goodHelps you stay sharp and energised through busy daysPerfect for before/after workouts or long days on the roadð§ Try Vybey here (code DMAC): UK & Europe: https://vybey.co.uk/?shpxid=d48f4c7e-7953-44bb-a9d8-8a8dff0a49dbAus: http://vybey.au/Merch (Shop Origin Story): originstoryclub.co.ukPlease remember to hit subscribe!

#144 Fin Taylor (Fin vs History) - Did the Internet Wreck Culture?
25/10/2025 | 1h 5 mins.
Fin Taylor is a standup comedian and podcaster. He is the creator of Fin Vs History and Fin vs The Internet.Comedian Fin Taylor joins Origin Story to unpack how a Glasgow kid who relocated to a Oxford girlsâ boarding house (7â13) got âcancelledâ at 14, started stand-up at 18, and went from £500/month gigs to sold-out tours and a cult podcast. We get into why TV exposure â audience, how to actually build jokes that work anywhere, the Riyadh debate, and the monoculture flashpoint of Bonnie Blue.In this episode:âPrivate school without the money: damage at both endsâThe headmaster who told him off⊠then apologised (context collapse 101)âComedy = craft: word choice, rhythm, ending on the funniest wordâTV vs Internet: why clips and podcasts move ticketsâParasocial fans & designing theatre shows that donât feel contrivedâGetting punched on stage and handling chaos in real timeâBuilding Bumble Risky: owning the edit, scaling a teamâThe Riyadh question, Bonnie Blue, and the âdeath of tasteââIf starting today: the 90-day playbookChapters00:00 Cold open â âCancelled at 14â02:18 Glasgow roots & Hutchie debate05:12 Living in a girlsâ boarding house (7â13)12:30 Headmaster apology & early confidence17:40 Starting stand-up at 18; debate team as proto-comedy24:10 £500/month vs £380 rent â taking the leap30:22 Why TV didnât move tickets36:05 Parasocial fans & theatre design43:22 Riyadh debate & brand fit51:03 Punched on stage â what you do next58:00 Building Bumble Risky & the core team1:04:10 Next horizon: a British South Park1:09:40 If starting now: people, reps, own the edit

#143 Moroccan Locals Teach Me About Happiness, Money and Love
22/10/2025 | 31 mins.
I travelled from Scotland to Morocco on holiday. As soon as I arrived I knew I needed to interview the locals. They were the most philosophical people I had met.Taghazout is a fascinating surf village perched on Moroccoâs Atlantic coast - sun-soaked, salt-stained, and full of surprises. We spent 2 days exploring this strange-and-beautiful place, and found way more than perfect waves: unexpected kindness, late-night tea rituals, and stories you wonât hear in a guidebookâŠSupport the showEarly access & bonus episodes: https://www.patreon.com/c/davidmcintoshjrFollow Me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/davidmcintoshjrBuy Merch: originstoryclub.co.uk

#142 Oliver Burkeman - How to Live A Life That Feels Good (without a to-do list)
06/10/2025 | 1h 10 mins.
Oliver Burkeman is a British writer and former Guardian columnist best known for Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals, exploring how accepting lifeâs limits beats chasing productivity hacks.We recorded this right before Oliverâs show, crammed into his dressing room at the Assembly Rooms. Itâs intimate, honest, and very Origin Story: where did these ideas come from, and how do they shape a life youâre proud of? Oliver (author of 4,000 Weeks) takes us past productivity hacks to acceptance, attention, and the power of choosing enough.In this episodeThe efficiency trap: why getting faster just attracts more workâLife taskâ: finding your next right thing with the resources you actually havePlanning that breathes (navigation, not micromanagement)Daily-ish over streaksâthe kinder path to consistencyHobbies done for their own sake (the case for atelic joy)Attention over productivity: designing a week that actually feels goodAI, inboxes, and why âcaught upâ is a myth--Tell me in the comments: what would you cut this week if you truly accepted youâll never be on top of everything?Support the showEarly access & bonus episodes: https://www.patreon.com/c/davidmcintoshjrFollow Me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/davidmcintoshjr



Origin Story with David McIntosh Jr