Menu
Sign In Search Podcasts Charts People & Topics Add Podcast API Blog Pricing
Podcast Image

Digital Social Hour

I Dropped Out… And It Changed Everything | Warren Smith | DSH #1913

12 Apr 2026

Transcription

Chapter 1: How did Warren Smith transition from teaching to content creation?

0.031 - 6.217 Sean Kelly

Do you ever think about the risk you didn't take? Buying Bitcoin early, investing after 2008, loading up on Nvidia?

0

6.477 - 13.123 Unknown

AI's changing jobs, markets are all over the place, nothing feels guaranteed, and at some point you realize no one's coming to save you.

0

13.143 - 16.686 Sean Kelly

We're kind of the FOMO generation, but here's one thing you don't want to miss.

0

Chapter 2: What drives the conflict in American politics and media?

16.766 - 19.849 Sean Kelly

Protecting your future. If you're new to life insurance, you're not alone.

0

Chapter 3: What is Warren's perspective on the Iran War?

19.969 - 28.637 Sean Kelly

Thankfully, I found SelectQuote. For over 40 years, they've helped more than 2 million Americans understand their options and secure over $700 billion in coverage.

0

Chapter 4: Is the political right fracturing in America?

28.617 - 39.411 Sean Kelly

As a broker, their mission is simple, to find you the right insurance policy at the best price. And they work for you for free. You can even get same-day coverage up to $2 million with no medical exam required.

0

Chapter 5: How do tariffs and taxes impact the American economy?

39.551 - 52.127 Sean Kelly

And even if you have pre-existing conditions, they work with companies that can help. Life insurance is never cheaper than it is today. Get the right life insurance for you for less and save more than 50% at selectquote.com.

0

Chapter 6: Why is the higher education system considered broken?

52.107 - 60.556 Sean Kelly

Save more than 50% on term life insurance at selectquote.com slash DSH today to get started at selectquote.com slash DSH.

0

60.837 - 78.216 Warren Smith

It's crazy. I pay 30% of my income. I don't even want to know what the number is, but yeah, as soon as you get above like a certain threshold, it gets to kicks into 30%. It's crazy to think about what the economy looked like prior to 1916. It was unconstitutional to have direct taxes.

0

84.085 - 111.797 Sean Kelly

okay guys here with warren smith today the man just got shouted out by president trump caught catching him at a good time what's up warren hey how are you thanks for having me congrats on that shout out by trump was that pretty unexpected for you it was unexpected yeah i saw your reaction video to the state of the union address and uh it's crazy to see that get to his desk do you know how that happened i have no idea it was probably when it was just his staff i doubt he saw it

0

Chapter 7: What role does Hollywood play in shaping modern culture?

111.862 - 127.583 Sean Kelly

Yeah, that's nuts. Well, congrats. I know you've been doing a lot of content lately. This is your full-time thing now. I saw your appearance on Crowder as well and thought it was a really good episode. So it's cool to see you blowing up, man. Did you expect taking off on social media like this? No, did not.

0
0

129.125 - 131.489 Sean Kelly

Seems like a whole different world than your previous life, right?

0

132.87 - 135.574 Unknown

Yes, it is very different.

0

136.853 - 142.51 Sean Kelly

Did you have a methodical plan? Like, was this all planned out after you left your job, your teaching job or got fired?

143.57 - 157.705 Warren Smith

No, it was an opportunity presented itself. And I was already really interested in content. My background was in filmmaking and producing. And so I had always been doing that.

Chapter 8: How can critical thinking be fostered through debate and experience?

159.327 - 181.529 Warren Smith

And then suddenly there was some fuel to it. This door kind of opens. And it would have been foolish to not at least just see where it would take me. And that's kind of what inevitably snowballed and caused them, I think, to get rid of me. And then it was like, well, I'm going to do my best.

0

181.609 - 195.563 Warren Smith

And it was scary for a while because I was like, at that point I had like 50,000, less than 50,000 subscribers. So that was not financially viable. So it was definitely for like six months, it was very nerve wracking.

0

196.244 - 199.767 Sean Kelly

Wow. So for six months, you didn't know if it would work basically. Yeah.

0

200.827 - 224.539 Warren Smith

No, no. It was looking back on it. I don't know. It's crazy to look back on. Like, what was I going to do financially? I mean, I was just trying to try to make what I was as a teacher, which was very low already. I was getting paid like after deductions and health insurance and all that was it was three about three thousand dollars a month.

0

224.519 - 244.03 Warren Smith

Like you're supposed to be, I was, your paycheck says, oh, you're going to get 50,000 around a little bit less, but it's what's in your bank account is actually like 3000 a month. So I was like, if I can just make 3000 a month, I'll be doing what I was doing. So I shouldn't panic. But even that was like, I don't know how I'm going to make 3000 a month.

244.972 - 256.945 Sean Kelly

I mean, that's tough on social media, to be honest. I think my first six months of the podcast, I lost like a hundred grand. I wasn't making three grand a month. It's, it's really hard to get to that, that level for some reason, you know?

258.286 - 260.569 Warren Smith

Yeah, it is very difficult to grow.

261.51 - 266.235 Sean Kelly

So you were living off 3k a month. Like, was that even covering your mortgage, your food, all your expenses?

266.976 - 286.715 Warren Smith

I mean, it was covering it, but at the end of the year, you don't really have much in the bank. You're not saving anything. It's, So I was always kind of like, I've got to, I can't do this my whole life. You know, it's a great job. And one of the perks of that job teaching is that it allows you, I mean, you're out of school at like two or three.

Comments

There are no comments yet.

Please log in to write the first comment.