David McClam is a podcast host and a survivor of domestic abuse both from a parent and a partner. He is also a podcast startup coach sharing with people the proper way to start a podcast. David speaks on a whole host of topics and thinks his story of surviving abuse starting as a young child is a story that should be told. Many people that go through domestic abuse feel alone and also it is rarely shared that it does happen to men!

David has been podcasting for almost 5 years. He had a podcast called ‘A Day With Crime' that lasted 4 years.

Listen & Subscribe on: iTunes / Stitcher / Podbean / Overcast / Spotify Contact Info

Website: www.truecrimeandauthors.com
Podcast: True Crime & Authors

Most Influential Person

His mother.

Effect on Emotions

Not to be so hot-tempered so quickly and to actually think before I act, which is something that I didn't do before my earlier age. If it's somebody who's annoying you or they're trying to get you because there are a lot of people when they know this, they ask. He tried to get a reaction. And I know that sounds crazy, but it's true. You have to be the bigger person. Definitely breathe, take a step back, and watch what I do before I react.

Thoughts on Breathing

So if it gets that way, I just step back, breathe, sit there and just think and bring myself back to the center where I am at that point. My Apple watch helps because it seems to sense when it is that time to breathe.
So there is a pop-up that says, Hey, take a minute to breathe, and there's a whole app for that. You hit the button, you start to breathe in, and it calms you down. So it's just a reminder every day, like I said, the beginning to be mindful of where you are, center yourself, and bring you back. You realize that the situation you're in is not as bad as it seems.

Suggested Resources

App: Breathe
App: Ten Percent Happier

Bullying Story

When I was younger, I did have a kid who rode my bus and found it fun to antagonize me every day. So he would actually ride the bus with me to get off all my stops, just to run me down and snatch all my books out of my hand and tackle me on the ground.
I was probably in the sixth grade, and mindfulness was nowhere near me. And so one day, I finally got tired of it, and in the middle of the field, I laid him out. I sprung my hand for six months. That's how hard I hit him.
So mindfulness at that point probably would have helped me calm down, and I probably would have found a different way to handle that. And I wouldn't have hit him. But the thing I always tell everybody is when you do certain things to somebody for so long, the reaction that you get is not going to be the one that you want. So I think then, yes, violence is never the answer of any kind. But it certainly would have helped if I had had mindfulness in life.

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