BTS: What it was like interviewing Dr. John Delony
Lights, camera, action! Why was I so nervous about this one? I’ve done over 175 episodes in the last four years and this was the first time I felt my body respond to the reality of interviewing someone as prolific as John Delony. How did we book John
How did we get a doctor and radio host from the Ramsey Network who just last month had over 53 million YouTube views to accept our invite? I simply DM’d him. Twice. He got back to me and said, “Let’s do it Zach!” and then proceeded to send me his assistant’s email to book him.
I emailed her last year in October and she suggested I reach back out after the holidays as his schedule was full. I was bummed and felt like it was a kind way of saying “no.” Either way, I put the date January 8th on my calendar and a reminder to reach out. The alarm went off and I said, "Why not!?”
I reached back out and BOOM!!! She sent me back four options for dates and I chose the first one I saw on the list April 4th! I was hype!
How I got connected to John
I got invited to be a guest on the “Running through My Vanes Podcast”. I never heard of this show so when I investigated it I saw Dr. John Delony was a recent guest and I quickly answered the invite with an “ABSOLUTELY!”
John was someone I saw often on social media and as I told John in our convo, I was NOT a fan of his content at first. It was convicting. I wasn’t ready to face the fires of emotional trauma, grief, and childhood wounds. So I unfollowed him for a season and then came back to his page when I was ready to face the music. His content impacted me and as soon as we booked him his team sent me his new book “Building a Non-Anxious Life”.
I began reading it to prepare for my interview and boy were my socks rocked with deep truths and solutions to some of the struggles I’ve been battling for seasons on end.
What it was like interviewing John
We were scheduled for 1 pm central time. My friend and producer Taylor Perkey set up everything super pristine. For this episode, he added a teleprompter to the studio set which allowed me to look at John in the eye while talking to him via Zoom. It was a game-changer and made the episode look super clean. 1:02 hit on my watch and we were sitting there anxiously waiting for him to join the chat waiting room. Taylor played Blink-182's “I miss you” and the lyrics, “WHERE ARE YOU?” blasted through the speakers right when John joined the call. 🫣
It was quite hilarious, especially considering John is such a big punk-rock music fan.
We had a pre-interview convo which was super special, especially considering he gave me permission to throw out all the notes and just talk to him. I spent hours planning questions from his book, not to be impressive but because ya boy was curious to learn more about the truths and revelations.
We dove straight in and I asked two questions instead of one and quickly realized that’s not the best move when it comes to breaking the ice. After a few minutes, we got in a nice rhythm and my nerves began to fade as I realized he’s just a guys guy like me. We talked about anxiety being an alarm system to your body signaling something is wrong. I asked him some questions about his faith in Christ. We unpacked the reality of our society being sick, lonely, and starving for genuine connection. I then got vulnerable with him.
Mini Version of the John Delony Show
Vulnerability is what has been the foundation of I Like Birds from the beginning of time (May 2020). It’s the one thing that has been the most consistent aspect of our show. Both from me and my lovely guests. During the last 15 minutes of our convo, I decided to open up to John about some parenting struggles I was having with my two boys at home. I shared the truth about the triggers that go off in me whenever my four year old has an emotional breakdown. I can’t handle my children’s emotions and I respond like a toddler myself by either shouting at them or spanking them. Spanking is usually my last resort but in the scenario I laid out, it was my first response. John gave me a mini version of his show and instead of people calling in, I was the one seeking his help live on air. He broke down some truths I needed to hear and reminded me I’m not powerless in the emotional storms my children experience. I’m their safe place and I’m the one who can fix it. Eye-opening moment as a dad and this show became bigger than I thought because of the impact it made on my heart as a decade-long dad who’s trying to relearn how to parent.
Closing Remarks
The conversation blew me away and as soon as we stopped recording me and Taylor celebrated what an awesome moment that was for us both! We are both big fans of The John Delony Show and being able to host him on our podcast was something that only the Lord could make happen! We give God all the glory for uniting two brothers in Christ to better help people. John gave great perspectives on Jesus and I believe God is using him for a purpose bigger than we can imagine. I believe John is naturally pointing people towards Christ even if he doesn’t flat out say it on every episode of his show. There is undeniable fruit on his life. I’m grateful we got to chop it up and give people value during the perilous times we are experiencing in the post-modern world. God is doing incredible things through I Like Birds Ministry and I’m thankful to have your love and support as we grow in our faith.