I Got My Voice Back. Now I Want to Use It.

Four years ago, I was losing my voice to throat cancer.

For someone who had spent most of his career as a voice artist, broadcaster, producer and podcaster, that hit particularly hard.

My voice was more than how I made a living. It was part of my identity. It was how I supported my family. And suddenly, I didn't know if I was going to get it back.

So I held onto hope.

Coming Out the Other Side

I went through 33 radiation treatments.

There were no podcasts. No voice sessions. For a while, there wasn't even much of a voice.

I remember trying to add to fast moving conversation at a party once, and nobody heard me. So I just sat back and listened more. Which had rewards of its own. But it was frustrating to feel like my identity was slipping away.

But I got through it.

Today, I'm three and a half years cancer-free. My voice is back. I'm recording again, creating again, and doing the work I love.

Life is good.

And the experience changed the way I think about what I want to do with the voice I got back.

I want to have conversations that might actually help people.

Conversations about hope, resilience, purpose, reinvention, and how people find their way through the difficult chapters of their lives.

Which brings me to something pretty exciting.

I'm Competing for Top Host 2026

I've entered the Top Host competition, presented by Ryan Seacrest with iHeartRadio.

The winner gets the opportunity to host a six-episode podcast with iHeartRadio, a one-on-one on-air interview with Ryan Seacrest, and $25,000.

For someone who once wondered whether he'd ever podcast again, you can probably understand why this opportunity seems like a great opportunity of a leap of faith.

Here’s a video about my cancer journey and how I got my voice back… Dave’s Story

We're Off to a Pretty Amazing Start

Voting is now open, and thanks to an incredible response from friends, family, colleagues and people who've shared my story, I'm currently in first place in my group.

That is encouraging.

But this looks like it's going to be a long race, and I'm going to need some help staying there.

The good news is that you can vote again every 24 hours.

Here's Where You Come In

If you'd like to help me turn this idea into something real, I'd be incredibly grateful for your vote.

[VOTE FOR DAVID J. MACNEIL FOR TOP HOST]

And if you've already voted, thank you. You receive a free vote every day, so vote again when you have a free minute. I would be happy for the support.

If you're willing to share the video or this post with someone else, that helps enormously too.

Four years ago, I was hoping I'd get my voice back.

I did.

Now I'd like to use it to create conversations that might give someone else a little hope when they need it most.

Let's see where this goes.