Happy Birthday to The Invested Life Podcast
One year. Unbelievable.
Welcome back to The Invested Life podcast, hosted by Dan Cantillana — the show where we learn how to provide, protect, and promote as leaders. This week we’re flipping the format and celebrating something pretty special: our one-year anniversary.
Today’s episode is a little different. Instead of the usual deep dive, I reached out to a handful of listeners and asked one simple question: What kind of impact has the podcast had on you? Their answers — combined with a few thank-yous I owe — are what this whole episode is about.
Because the truth is, this journey is better together.
The Genesis Story: How This Podcast Almost Didn’t Happen
The Invested Life podcast did not start out the way you hear it now. Originally, this was going to be a real estate investment podcast. I own a private money fund that invests in off-market properties, and the plan was to break down deals every week.
It didn’t take long to realize: I can’t talk about real estate only, for years and years. So the idea morphed. What started as investing in real estate became investing in people. Surprise — you actually get to do both.
And honestly? I have fallen in love with creating content.
The People Who Made Year One Possible
This show wasn’t built by me. It was built by community.
- Caleb — my middle son, who is full of empathy and grace. I had casually mentioned a couple years ago that I wanted to start a podcast. I bought a microphone. I bought the equipment. Then fear of the unknown set in and I shelved it. Caleb wouldn’t let it go. “Dad, how’s the podcast going?” Week after week, until I finally said, “Lord, you’re getting my attention. You’re using my son to push me into this.”
- Jay Conner — the gentleman who taught me how to raise private money. I was a guest on his show for the second time and asked, “Should I have a podcast?” He said yes. Then introduced me to his producer.
- Scott, the friendly Canadian podcast producer — who, along with his team, brought structure, direction, and the back-end expertise I didn’t have. If you’re starting something new, find someone who’s been there and done that.
- Jeff — a young man at our church who helped on the tech side and pushed the camera quality up. He’s the reason this content studio exists at all. (If you’re watching on YouTube, the studio looks great. What you don’t see: a furnace to my right, a data board behind me, and a restroom that doesn’t work. Welcome to startup mode.)
- Alyssa — my executive assistant of 12+ years and team lead at one of our companies. She has the rare gift of knowing what I need before I do. Bailed me out more times than I can count. Pray you have someone like Alyssa on your team.
To all of you — thank you.
Listener Spotlight #1: Owen on “Readers Lead and Leaders Read”
The first listener I want to highlight is a young man named Owen Price. I’ve known Owen since he was six years old.
I met Owen through his dad, Phil. Phil and I played pickup basketball Monday-Wednesday-Friday at noon when I was the rugby coach at the University of Puget Sound. We called ourselves the NBA — the Noon Basketball Association. One day I mentioned I was starting a baseball team. Phil, gracious as always, said, “I’d love for my son to play, but only if there’s room.” There was always room.
I’ll never forget the day I met Owen on the baseball field. Six or seven years old, playing third base. I hit him a grounder, and his glove-to-throw transition was unbelievable. He threw a dart to first base. I looked at this kid and said: that is an athlete.
(Quick side memory: Owen was also a shooter on our YMCA basketball team. We were up 26-2. He kept hitting threes. Parents kept giving me that look. My son Isaiah would grab every rebound and feed it right back to him. I probably should have asked Owen to slow down. It was too fun. I let it happen.)
Owen is now playing D1 golf at Creighton University. When I asked him what the podcast has meant to him, he sent back this:
“Readers lead and leaders read.”
That warmed my heart. I have a coffee cup that literally says “Read, then do.” That’s the beauty of life — you jump into a book, you absorb the wisdom of someone who’s been there, and it catapults you to your next level. About every fourth or fifth episode of this podcast is a book review for exactly that reason. We’ve even had authors on as guests.
One more note for anyone taking notes at home: the genesis of my friendship with Owen came from his dad introducing me to him. Relationships compound across generations. Don’t underestimate the introductions you make.
Listener Spotlight #2: Corey on Systems Over Goals
The second listener I want to highlight is a gentleman named Corey. When I was building out my private money investment company, I needed a website. A friend introduced me to Corey, who built us a fantastic site. We became friends — and Corey is gifted: digital, SEO, pay-per-click, and increasingly fluent in AI.
I host free referral luncheons at our country club from time to time. Corey shows up faithfully. He brings value on the economic side and the spiritual side, and the people I’ve referred to him are now referring him in their own businesses. That’s how community is supposed to work.
When I asked Corey what the podcast has meant to him, he sent this — a quote from James Clear’s Atomic Habits:
“If you don’t have a system, that’s why you’re failing.”
And the line from Atomic Habits I want you to write down today:
“Goals are for people who want to win once. Systems are for people who want to win repeatedly.”
That’s leadership. That’s life.
People feel secure when they know what to expect from you — when your mission is clear, your system is repeatable, and your standards don’t shift with the wind. The marketplace has plenty of ambiguity and gray area. You can absolutely play in that arena, but only if your underlying system is rock-solid.
What This Podcast Has Meant to Me
The Bible says “out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks.” That’s good news and bad news — sometimes in the same conversation. But for me, this podcast has been a chance to voice what’s in my heart for community and for the marketplace.
I’m a marketplace minister. I have a master’s degree in Christian Leadership from Faith International Seminary, and although I’ve never been a vocational minister, that has always felt like my calling. It can be frustrating not having a weekly platform to share what the Lord is doing in your life. The Invested Life podcast has given me that platform — and the joy of hearing from listeners at church, at work, and out and about has been one of the great gifts of year one.
My favorite part? When we have guests on. Hearing the genesis of someone’s faith. Hearing what they’re called to. Their valleys and their victories. Year one brought us dynamic real estate agents, best-selling authors, marketing professionals, ministers, and young college athletes. Each one sacrificed their time to share their story. I’m so grateful.
Two Things I Hope You Hear in Every Episode: Love and Hope
I talk about real estate. I talk about leadership. I talk about how to build a lead machine — because lead generation is the lifeblood of every small business. But underneath all of that, my real goal is two things: love and hope.
Love — because John 13:35 says, “They will know that you are my disciples by the love that you have for one another.” I hope you feel that love when you listen.
Hope — because Romans 5:5 says, “Hope does not disappoint.” As believers, we can’t be victims of our circumstances. Circumstances get hard — I know that. But our hope is not in this world; it’s in the one to come. And that hope is meant to carry us, and the people around us, through.
Whether you’re a construction worker, a data analyst, a salesperson, a teacher, or in healthcare — you carry the good news inside of you. Today, you can have positive impact simply by loving someone and giving them hope.
Year One by the Numbers (and Year Two Ahead)
A few stats from year one:
- ~300–330 downloads per month
- ~300,000 total views on YouTube
I’m hoping for bigger and better things in year two — but if it stays exactly where it is, I’ll be pleased. Because we are growing together, and we are in community together.
Thank you for listening. Thank you for sharing. Thank you for being here.
When we come back next episode, I’m going to tie it all together.
Connect with Dan Can
- Website: dancantillana.com
- Investor info: investwithdancan.com
- Email: dan@dancantillana.com
Go out there. Provide. Protect. Promote.
