David Thomas Tao

David Thomas Tao

Author: Jim McDonald September 3, 2025 Duration: 1:00:15
David Tao returns to the show to take us inside the world of theater production and spirits (not the BOO!) kind. Following up his role as the successful CEO of Barbend.com, David has taken on two new roles he’s passionate about: producing theater in New York, and writing about spirits – primarily whiskey and bourbon. He discusses the role of a producer and gives us an inside view of the process of selecting and developing a show for the stage. He also gives tips on how to find out spirits you enjoy, and how to develop a discerning palate (and have fun while doing it).

You can find David on Instagram @davidthomastao https://www.instagram.com/davidthomastao and on X @d-tao https://x.com/d_tao. Give him a follow. He's got great content every day. 

Join our Discord for free at goodcompanydiscord.com!

Check out our gym (Third Street Barbell) at ThirdStreetBarbell.com https://www.thirdstreetbarbell.com/!

50% Facts is a Spreaker Prime podcast on OCN – the Obscure Celebrity Network.

Check out our podcast website: 50percentfacts.com https://www.50percentfacts.com/

____   Hosted by Mike Farr (@silentmikke) https://www.instagram.com/silentmikke/ and Jim McDonald (@thejimmcd). https://www.instagram.com/thejimmcd/ Produced by Jim McDonald Production assistance by Sam McDonald and Sebastian Brambila. Theme by Aaron Moore. Show art by Joseph Manzo (@jmanzo523)



Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/50-facts--5538735/support.

Ever notice how a movie scene about training or a social media trend about nutrition can feel a bit off, like the reality got lost in translation? That’s the space where 50% Facts lives. Hosted by veteran podcaster and gym owner Jim McDonald, this series digs into the wide gap between how popular culture depicts our well-being and how things actually work. Each episode takes a closer look at the portrayals of health, fitness, mental health, and more in films, TV, and online media, questioning where the truth ends and the distortion begins. Jim brings his perspective from running Third Street Barbell in Sacramento to conversations with a diverse range of guests, from fitness experts and athletes to voices from entertainment. The discussions are grounded, often surprising, and focused on separating Hollywood flair from actionable knowledge. Tune in for a podcast that doesn’t just review media but investigates the stories we’re told about our own bodies and minds, all through Jim’s straightforward and experienced lens.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 500

50% Facts
Podcast Episodes
Why don’t lifters share a bar anymore? Guest: Jacob Ross [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:02:31
Jacob Ross joins Jim to take on the question, “Why do so many lifters resist training in groups in the current age of powerlifting?” We also cover Jacob’s time working with the South Sudanese Olympic Basketball team in P…
Josh Hajar: Staying positive, beating cancer, and losing over 100 lbs [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 56:13
Mike is out of town, so Jim brought in one of Third Street Barbell’s most consistent and inspirational members, Josh Hajar.Josh is an emergency department nurse who faced a harrowing fight with non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, an…
Netflix’s How to Change Your Mind (2022) | Review [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 50:40
Psychedelics in psychotherapy. That’s the theme of this four-part documentary from Netflix. Can psychedelics break damaging thought patterns and allow people to heal from depression and trauma? This doc series would like…
Netflix’s Untold: The Liver King | Review [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 57:21
Netflix’s Untold documentary series takes a look at the phenomenon of The Liver King. Purportedly already a multi-millionaire, Brian Johnson launched a muscular social media and YouTube presence as a “primal” influencer…
The Way Down rewind | Examining media about cults [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:01:44
We’ve been talking about cults and how they’re covered in the media. Back in 2021, we looked at the HBO documentary series “The Way Down: God, Greed and the Cult of Gwen Shamblin” on a couple of episodes. It is about a c…
Getting stiffed by knee sleeves : The politics of IPF approval [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 33:01
A couple of episodes ago, we talked about a dramatic change in leadership at the International Powerlifting Federation. The latest wrinkle is that the federation has recently notified the manufacturers of “stiff” knee sl…