Zero Blog Thirty Final Episode - Mission Complete

Let's get one thing out of the way at the top here - no one died and no one is sick. Ok? 

A couple of years ago I had a passing thought about Zero Blog Thirty. "What does the future look like for the show?" It wasn't so much that I was thinking about the direction of the show or what themes we should focus on so much as I was just curious about how long it would last. Honestly, part of me thought it would go so long as Barstool was in existence because building a lasting brand is no small feat. 

ZBT started in September of 2016, lasted for 8.5 years, and as of this morning, 644 episodes. That qualifies for the top 2% in podcasts worldwide in terms of longevity and third longest at Barstool. In that time, countless podcasts have come and gone. Some much bigger than ZBT and some that never got out of the blocks. I suppose because we endured through all the changes at Barstool and remained together I thought we would just keep talking each week until Dave shut the lights off in the joint. 

Some things outside the walls of Barstool are out of our control though. Namely, the rest of the world. We discuss in the episode the reasons for ending and they are fair. Sometimes, it is important to know when to walk away and even though I'm a fairly emotional guy, I think I wasn't overly emotional because I knew this iteration of ZBT had run its course. Doesn't mean I'm not sad (I am) or that it's even sunken in yet. 

Growing up and being an Irish Catholic, I have the innate ability to bury many emotions deep inside myself where I think they can only torture me. Throughout the run on ZBT, that ability evaporated and I wore my heart on my sleeve every which way a man can do so. I enjoyed hearty laughs countless times. I reached a level of emotion and sadness that I never would've thought to share in public, much less on a show that would be listened and watched by hundreds of thousands. I'm talking ugly cry to the point where you stare at yourself in the mirror like that old Dane Cook bit. 

So as it stands today, it was the last episode of Zero Blog Thirty with myself, Chaps, and Kate. However, I'm not leaving. 

Much to the dismay of a few, I'm not leaving Barstool and I'm certainly not going to stop covering the military and our Veterans. There are still too many Veterans that need help. There will be no shortage of stories in the coming years in this space so I can't walk away. I never quit a single thing in my life and I'm not going to start now.

What will that look like? A podcast with a new host? Maybe. Short form content? Probably. Blogging? For sure. From there, I will figure it out and it will be different for sure. I will miss Chaps and Kate immensely. Chemistry is not easy to come by so this will all take time to get my feet under me but I'll still grind. 

I say my Thank Yous in the episode  but to all the folks who listened over the years, thank you. I can't begin to describe they joy and fulfillment you provided us over the years. 

To all the producers who helped us - Bren, Kyle, Nicky the Good - thank you. Lord knows we couldn't have done this without you. 

To my wife who never listened or reads any of my blogs - I still say thank you because you put up with me and would throw countless jabs when you overheard me talking. But I know it was out of love. 

To Kate - you helped me develop more patience with how often you were late and asked us to change the schedule. Jokes aside, thank you for being a strong voice for our women Veterans and your unique view on the world. We don't rise to the heights we did without that female voice. 

To Chaps - thank you for taking the chance on putting up with an officer even though I know that was the last thing you probably wanted to do. I know you probably cursed me in private but always stuck up for me in public - the mark of a true NCO. Look at what your idea became. Unreal. 

To Dave - thanks for giving me something to read in Iraq in 2008 and creating a place for us to make something special. I'm proud to be here. 

I know I'm rambling but I'm not keen on how to wrap up nearly 20 years (10 military/8.5 podcast) of my life succinctly. I guess I'm proud of what we did. I'm proud that I have a massive chunk of my life, thoughts, and opinions documented for my daughter to hopefully listen to one day. I'm proud that we made a difference and a mark on the Veteran community more than anything. Few are given the opportunity we had (have) so I'm immensely grateful for that gift. 

Thank you.

P.S. About 30 episodes into the show, someone suggested we call it "Zero Pod Thirty" and that would've been so much better and even Chaps says so.