Origin Story with David McIntosh Jr

Jason “Wee Man” Acuña is one of the most recognisable faces from Jackass, the MTV show and movie franchise that changed comedy, skateboarding, stunts and chaos forever.But before Jackass, before the movies, before people were shouting “Wee Man’s here!” in the streets of Japan, Jason was a skater from California who found his name, his confidence and his community through skateboarding.In this episode of Origin Story, Wee Man sits down with David McIntosh to talk about the real story behind Jackass.We talk about how he got the name Wee Man, growing up with dwarfism, becoming pa...

John McCalla-Leacy is a former KPMG global executive, coach, speaker, former international canoeist, martial arts champion and one of the most extraordinary origin stories ever told on this podcast.In this episode of Origin Story, John sits down with David McIntosh Jr for a deeply inspiring and almost unbelievable conversation abouzt homelessness, resilience, reinvention, race, social mobility, financial freedom, grief, leadership, faith in people, and what it really means to build a life that no one could have predicted.From growing up in South London as the son of Jamaican parents from the Windrush generation, to experiencing homelessness, competing...

Michael Smoak (HigherUpWellness) is a coach, creator, podcaster and online voice known for helping people turn pain into purpose through faith, fitness, discipline and brutally honest conversations about grief, masculinity and healing.

In this episode of Origin Story, Michael Smoak sits down with David McIntosh Jr in Long Beach, California for a deeply honest and surprisingly life-affirming conversation about grief, faith, heartbreak, masculinity, death, purpose, family, emotional expression, and what it really means to become a man.

From caring for his dying father, to processing young parental grief, to rebuilding his life through faith and...

Michael Smoak (HigherUpWellness) is a coach, creator, podcaster and online voice known for helping people turn pain into purpose through faith, fitness, discipline and brutally honest conversations about grief, masculinity and healing.

In this episode of Origin Story, Michael Smoak sits down with David McIntosh Jr in Long Beach, California for a deeply honest and surprisingly life-affirming conversation about grief, faith, heartbreak, masculinity, death, purpose, family, emotional expression, and what it really means to become a man.

From caring for his dying father, to processing young parental grief, to rebuilding his life through faith and...

Andy Macdonald is a skateboarding legend, Team GB Olympian, 23-time X Games medallist and officially the oldest Olympic skateboarder in history.

In this episode of Origin Story, Andy Macdonald sits down with David McIntosh Jr for a funny, thoughtful and surprisingly inspiring conversation about Scottish roots, skateboarding culture, vert skating, Team GB, the Olympics, X Games, fatherhood, risk, discipline, Livingston Skatepark, making money as a pro skater, and how on earth he is still flying around ramps at 51 years old.

From growing up skating in New England and Boston, to discovering his family connection to...

Rufus Rice is a comedian, podcaster, musician and viral TikTok creator known for his posh-boy persona, chaotic storytelling, sharp class commentary and cult online catchphrases like “Hello shaggers.”

In this episode of Origin Story, Rufus Rice sits down with David McIntosh Jr at Spotify HQ for a hilarious and surprisingly revealing conversation about class, private school, boarding school, TikTok fame, comedy, music, going viral, social mobility, the “posh” hierarchy, Scottish schemes, Patreon, the manosphere, Big John, Maltesers, and why he refuses to take sync claps seriously.

From growing up in Singapore and going to boarding school...

Carol Kane is the co-founder of Boohoo, the brand Boohoo - she built from a £1,500 website in 2006 into a £1.5 billion publicly listed group. She served as co-CEO and Executive Director of Boohoo Group, overseeing its IPO in 2014 and the acquisition of brands including Debenhams, PrettyLittleThing, Nasty Gal, Dorothy Perkins and Karen Millen. She is a pioneer of influencer and celebrity marketing in British fashion.

In this episode of Origin Story, Carol sits down to share the full journey from growing up as the youngest of four in a three-bedroom house in Jarrow, Northeast England, to building a pu...

Daniel Sloss is a comedian, author, and father. From a 17-year-old at Edinburgh's Stand Comedy Club to causing 100,000 breakups worldwide, Daniel Sloss shares the moments that nearly broke him, and ultimately transformed him, on his journey to becoming one of comedy's most authentic voices.In this episode, Daniel takes us inside the make-or-break moments behind his career, including the night his Netflix specials dropped and he sat reading 3,000 DMs on ecstasy, the devastating spiral of drinking 3/4 bottle of whiskey on stage every night during his global tour, and the moment his wife told him to go back on the...

Ben Barlow is the lead vocalist of Neck Deep — the Welsh pop-punk band formed in Wrexham in 2012 that’s become one of Britain’s biggest modern rock exports. Neck Deep are one of my favourite bands

In this episode of Origin Story, we do it properly: in a skatepark — because skate culture and pop-punk aren’t aesthetics… they’re a philosophy. Ben talks about growing up in skateparks, why “living on your own terms” became his whole life assignment, and how the band went from posting “What Did You Expect?” online to global tours, viral hits, and over a billion streams...

Jimmy Carr is back. Jimmy Carr is one of the most recognisable comedians on the planet: world-touring stand-up, TV host, and author - famous for brutal roasts and surgical one-liners.

But in this episode, you get the sharper edge and the deeper thinking: why 2026 is going to feel like a turning point and how young men can get control back.

Jimmy is one of the most respected comedians in the world: a world-touring stand-up, TV host, and author known for brutal one-liners and zero mercy…

but in this episode you get the full ra...

Benny Higgins is a Scottish Banker and Former CEO of RBS, Bank of Scotland and Tesco Bank. He is also the chairman of a portfolio of companies. He's a lover of Art and Poetry. He is also my good friend.

Benny Higgins grew up in Toryglen tower blocks, captained Celtic’s youth team, and became a defining force in modern Scottish business — from CEO of RBS during the NatWest takeover, to building Tesco Bank from the ground up. But what makes Benny different is the paradox: a numbers man with a lifelong devotion to poet...

Dan Boerman is a Comedian and TV Personality on Jimmy Carr's Am I The A**hole. He is also a good friend.

I’ve 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 – from sleeping in a kid’s dinosaur bed outside Edinburgh to getting a thousand people to watch him fold a fitted sheet on a hill.

I...

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 Verstappen’s 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 world’s most famous F1 team.In this episode we cover:Growing up in working-class Scotland and discovering F1Why engineering wasn’t the first plan – and how he found his way into the sportThe moment R...

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 girls’ boarding house (7–13) got “cancelled” 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 ≠ audience, how to actually build jokes that work anywhere, the Riyadh debate, and the monoculture flashpoint of Bonnie Blue.

In this episode:

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 Morocco’s 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 won’t hear in a guidebook…Support the showEarly access & bonus episodes: https://www.patreon.com/c/davidmcintoshjrFollow Me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/davidmcintoshjrBuy Merch: originstoryclub.co.uk<

Oliver Burkeman is a British writer and former Guardian columnist best known for Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals, exploring how accepting life’s limits beats chasing productivity hacks.

We recorded this right before Oliver’s show, crammed into his dressing room at the Assembly Rooms. It’s intimate, honest, and very Origin Story: where did these ideas come from, and how do they shape a life you’re proud of? Oliver (author of 4,000 Weeks) takes us past productivity hacks to acceptance, attention, and the power of choosing enough.

In this episode

The effi...

Writer, rapper and social commentator Darren McGarvey joins Origin Story to unpack the “trauma economy,” working-class rage, AI warping our narratives, and the safeguards every storyteller needs.

Content note: This episode includes discussion of addiction, withdrawal, violence, and mental health.

00:00 Welcome, why Poverty Safari mattered to me

01:02 Pollok in the 80s, safety, and the two-minds dichotomy

04:00 Structural poverty, jobs disappearing, trust collapsing

10:34 Working-class anger, different tribes, same material pain

12:17 Social mobility loneliness, West End vs Pollok

12:51 Hip-hop as agency, finding a community

16:23 Brokenness, come...

Chris “The Problem” Duncan is a UFC fighter with one of the most powerful and painful stories you’ll ever hear.The day before his very first fight, his mum was murdered. Instead of walking away, Chris fought — and won. From that moment on, he carried pain into every battle, turning trauma into purpose.In this episode, Chris opens up about:The moment with Michael Bisping that went viral.Training with Dustin Poirier & Jorge Masvidal at American Top Team.Cutting weight, surviving fear, and fighting teammates.Why pain forged his mindset and legacy.This is not just a story about fi...

Ruby Lola is a Podcaster and Host of The Personal Best Podcast.

What does personal best really mean? And why do men and women get such different messages about how to achieve it?

In this episode of Origin Story, I sit down with Ruby Lola — host of Personal Best — to unpack the surprising truth about ambition, gender, and the pressure to “be enough.”

Ruby opens up about:

Growing up with an alcoholic parent and losing her dad in her early 20s

The hidden cost of chasing your “be...

In this episode of Origin Story, I sit down with someone truly one of a kind—Dylan Lombard. Dylan is one of only 15 people in the world with MDP Syndrome (Mandibular Dysplasia with Deafness and Progeroid Features), a condition that affects physical appearance, fat distribution, and hearing. But Dylan isn’t defined by a diagnosis—he’s a force of creativity, kindness, and visibility.

We talk about what it’s like growing up with a visible difference, why media representation matters, and how Dylan has used photography, poetry, and dance to connect with the world—and...

In this raw, wide-ranging interview, Ukrainian stand-up comic Iryna Gil tells the story of how her rising comedy career collided with Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine just 11 days after she filmed her first special — and how she’s using comedy to challenge war fatigue, weaponised headlines, and Western apathy.

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

Kyiv under fire: A first-hand account of air-raid sirens, evacuations, and working through missile strikes

The Soviet shadow: How post-Soviet distrust fuels Ukraine’s self-organising spirit, entrepreneurial drive, and digital-first approach to governance.

<...

I am joined by Sir Tom Hunter – Scotland’s first home-grown billionaire, serial entrepreneur turned venture philanthropist. He, along with his wife Lady Hunter, founded The Hunter Foundation. And previously, had built Sports Division from a £10 K loan, sold for £290 M, now invests in education & poverty relief.Step inside Blair Estate with me for a truly special episode—one that’s personal and full circle. I’m joined by my first role model, Sir Tom Hunter: the grocer’s son from New Cumnock who became Scotland’s first home-grown billionaire. Guided by the belief that “a man who dies rich dies disgrace...

Will Storr is an award-winning author, journalist, and former photographer whose work explores the deep psychology of human behavior and storytelling. He’s the author of several critically acclaimed books including The Science of Storytelling, Selfie, The Status Game, and The Heretics. His writing has appeared in The Guardian, The New Yorker, and The Sunday Times, and he’s lectured on narrative science all over the world.

His storytelling frameworks have been adopted by elite creatives—from Hollywood screenwriters to comedians like Jimmy Carr and Andrew Schulz—to craft more powerful, resonant narratives.

Stories mould who we a...

Rory Sutherland is back and he's as hilariously unconventional as ever. I genuinely think this might be the best we've ever gotten him. As the Vice Chairman of Ogilvy UK and a pioneer in behavioral science, Rory has spent decades unraveling the quirks of human behavior and the illogical decisions that drive us.In this episode, we dive into everything from the economics of nicotine to the psychology behind airport lounges, and even the unexpected lessons gleaned from serial killer investigations. It's a whirlwind tour through the irrationalities that shape our world, all delivered with Rory's signature wit, humor...

Krish Ramineni is the co-founder and CEO of Fireflies.ai, an AI-powered meeting assistant used by over 200,000 organizations. A University of Pennsylvania alumnus, he previously served as one of Microsoft's youngest product managers. Krish has been recognized on Forbes' 30 Under 30 list.

In this conversation, I wanted to explore more than just how Fireflies became one of the most powerful AI tools. I wanted to understand what it means when machines start writing our stories, mimicking our voices, and sitting in on our most human conversations.

Can AI ever truly...

The origin story of Brennan Reece, a renowned comedian and actor known for his roles in 'Skins' and 'Hollyoaks', and his award-winning stand-up comedy career as the English Comedian of the Year in 2015.

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Get in touch in the comments below or head to...

Instagram: www.instagram.com/davidmcintoshjr

Email: david@davidmcintoshjr.com

Things have changed around here.

Graeme Carling is an Entrepreneur and Scotland's largest private landlord. He is the Chairman of The Carling Group.Graeme shares his humble beginnings as a joiner in Dundee and the transformation of mind and knowledge he has been on. He dispels the need for financial literacy, breaks down investing in the property market in plain english and his opinion on developing side-hustles.He also shares his learning from his time befriending billionaire and millionaires Dan Pena, John Cauldwell and Duncan Bannatyne.Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/davidmcintoshjr/Write to me - david@developmentbydavid.co.uk

This week my guest is Michael Smoak. He is a Coach and Content Creator. He shares practical fitness, habit and mindset advice to his 1 million+ following.

In this episode, we're diving into actionable steps to help you stick to your New Year's resolutions and improve your mind and body in 2025.

We discuss the powerful connection between physical health and professional performance, sharing actionable insights and habits for busy lives.

Michael shares the achievable small, consistent changes that lead to significant results, as well as the critical role of identity, mindset...

My guest is Braulio Estima, a 3 x ADCC renowned BJJ champion and Hall of Fame Athlete.He discusses his journey from humble beginnings in Brazil, the rise of BJJ, and its unique aspects. He shares insights on competitiveness, personal growth, and the therapeutic benefits of combat sports, drawing from his experiences and notable fights.Braulio reflects on training with Georges St-Pierre, his comeback after paralysis, and his thoughts on the current BJJ generation. He offers advice on pursuing passions and applying a champion mindset to life, highlighting the importance of martial arts in personal growth and development.Sponsor:Fuel...

In this episode, I sit down with Stuart Trevor, the founder of AllSaints and his new label, STUART TREVOR.

We explore his Scottish upbringing and how the values instilled by the Mormon church shaped his fashion journey. Stuart shares insights on the importance of sustainability in today’s industry, the evolving perception of vintage clothing, and how he navigated challenges throughout his career.

Learn about what it takes to build a global brand, what it is like dressing Guns N Roses and how to know when to cash out of...

In this week's upload, I am taking you behind-the-scenes of a Day in the Life of a podcaster. I work full time at a multi-billion pound consultancy firm and I spend weekends trying to make this podcast happen at the biggest and best level I can. There are many moving parts - routines, workouts, setup - and many people that make it happen including Andres the Videographer who joins me to discuss some of our favourite moments working on the pod. I wanted to share this encourage you all to start the side hustle by giving you an insight...

My guest is David Millar -a Men’s Work Coach, the Owner of Mantra Menswork and a Dad.

We delve into the evolving landscape of fatherhood, addressing what it truly means to be a dad today.

David discusses key responsibilities that define successful fathers and examines how these roles have changed across generations.

David shares personal challenges he faced when becoming a father and reflects on how this journey transformed his relationship with his own dad.

The conversation also touches on media portrayals of fathers and their impact on boys' perceptions of...

This week guest is BBC Scotland's Act of the Year Bemz. Bemz. Bemz is a hip-artist, performer and a old friend.

In this candid conversation, Bemz shares insights on:

To celebrate hitting another year, I've gathered questions from across social media platforms to bring you an extended Q&A session.

I'll be tackling a wide range of topics, from personal insights to my podcasting journey, and everything in between.

Expect to learn about my relationship with alcohol, my dreams for the podcast, and what success means to me.

I'll share some behind-the-scenes stories from my recent Gymshark speaking gig and hanging out with Example.

You'll also hear my thoughts on work-life balance, my biggest...

Nick Yarris is a speaker, writer and ex-death row inmate.

I had the privilege of sitting down with Nick Yarris in London. Nick spent 22 years on death row for a murder he didn't commit.

Nick is an author, motivational speaker, and the subject of the documentary film "Fear of 13," available on Netflix. He's also the inspiration for a play currently running in London, starring Adrien Brody.

At 21, after enduring a violent childhood, Nick found himself in a situation that led to his wrongful conviction...

In this episode, I am joined by Dr. Anna Machin, an evolutionary anthropologist at the University of Oxford and expert on the science of love.

Love - that mysterious, powerful force that has inspired countless works of art, literature, and music. But what exactly is love from a scientific perspective? Dr. Machin will help us unravel the evolutionary purpose of love and explain why it's critical to our survival as a species.We'll dive deep into the neurochemistry of love, exploring the roles of oxytocin, dopamine, and other hormones in forming and maintaining romantic...

Albert-László Barabási is a renowned Physicist and Scientist, Professor at Northeastern University in Boston, TED Speaker, Author and is known for his scientific discovery of Network Science, Scale-free networks and the Barabasi-Albert model.

His book The Formula: The Universal Laws of Success is my favourite book of all time.

Why do some people succeed and others don’t? Whats the difference between performance and success? Why does a small percentage of artists receive disproportionate amounts of reward? How does one piece of art make exhibition walls and other the recycle bin? Why does the l...

George is a advocate for men & boys, a blogger, a podcaster and a writer.

Men and boy’s are suffering in silence and statistically the biggest threat to men’s health is us.

But what are the often-overlooked issues facing men today and whose problem is it to fix them?

In this episode, we discuss the alarming statistics, including high suicide rates and the stigmas that often prevent men from seeking help.

George emphasises the importance of redefining masculinity, advo...

Janey Godley is a renowned Scottish stand-up comedian, actress, and writer. I met her in a cafe in Glasgow and we recorded this impromptu podcast!

Growing up in a challenging environment in Shettleston Glasgow, she left school at 16 and began her comedy career in 1994.

Godley has gained acclaim for her unique humor and storytelling, winning multiple awards, including the "Best Show Concept" at the New Zealand International Comedy Festival.

She is also known for her viral social media presence and her poignant voice-overs of ex-first minister Nicola Sturgeon.

Her autobiography, Handstands...