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Episode #121 - The Value Of Your Voice: An Interview With Michael Dugan
Episode 12612th June 2024 • Speaking From The Heart • Joshua D. Smith
00:00:00 00:57:26

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With any new endeavor comes reservations, fears, and uncertainty about the unknown. Finding our ability to persevere and fully embrace our passions, even if there is no model to turn to, can be quite challenging, and requires a level of commitment that takes time to cultivate the passion, the skillsets required to be successful, but more importantly, to contribute your "voice" in this ever-changing world. Continuing our episodes celebrating the individuals that made positive contributions to the podcast and to the business, Your Speaking Voice LLC, Michael Dugan, who has been featured since Episode 2 as our intro/outro voice of the show, joins us. Michael's contributions to not only this podcast, but to the overall world of giving awareness to mental health and daily challenges of chefs, explores the possibilities of getting started today with the support and encouragement of other strong mentors. By challenging yourself, the unknown can be turned into the "known" through positive contributions and enduring opportunities to be seen in this ever-changing world, even if it is with your voice.

Guest Bio

Michael holds degrees in Culinary Arts and Hotel & Restaurant Administration, which initially steered him towards a career in the hospitality industry in Seattle, WA, and Napa Valley, CA. However, in 1995, he transitioned to a successful career in technology while still maintaining his fervor for exceptional culinary experiences and admiration for the skilled chefs who guided him. In May 2021, he shifted gears from the kitchen to the studio and introduced The Voice4Chefs Podcast, aiming to bridge connections with pioneering chefs and imaginative culinary artists where listeners can tune in for an enjoyable, insightful, and flavorful podcast experience.

Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/voice4chefs

@voice4chefs on Instagram

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Voice4Chefs

Website: https://www.voice4chefs.com

  • Toastmasters International (https://www.toastmasters.org)- Toastmasters is an international organization that has allowed many of my guests to be on the show through personal and professional connection, combining all kinds of different types of communication and leadership development. Learn more about this organization at the link provided, plus check out the "Find A Club" option where you can locate an in-person or virtual club closest to you and your likings!
  • Melissa's TEDx Talk (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8XEF_X6GK8) - During today's episode, the TEDx talk Michael references is located at this link to watch & listen to.
  • Cooks Who Care Non-Profit Link (https://linktr.ee/CooksWhoCare?lt_utm_source=lt_share_link#306526359) - Towards the end of the interview, Michael shared about the Cooks Who Care Non-Profit, located in the Philadelphia area, that provides assistance in a variety of ways to those struggling in the restaurant industry. Check out this link and contribute to them to continue their enduring mission!

Visit Our Website: https://speaking-from-the-heart.captivate.fm/

Visit Our Business Website: https://www.yourspeakingvoice.biz

Support The Mission Of The Business! Donate Here: https://speaking-from-the-heart.captivate.fm/support

Intro/Outro By: Michael Dugan, Podcast Host: Voice4Chefs

Transcripts

Intro:

Welcome to the podcast where relationships, confidence, and

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determination all converge into

an amazing, heartfelt experience.

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This is Speaking From The Heart.

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Joshua: Welcome back to episode

number 121 of Speaking from the Heart.

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Today, you already have heard our guest

on many, many, many previous episodes.

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As a matter of fact, his voice has

been used since episode two to not

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only open our show, but to also close

our show with each and every episode.

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I'm so excited to have the

voice of opening and closing

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Speaking from the Heart, Mr.

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Michael Dugan, with us today.

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Michael holds degrees in culinary

arts and hotel and restaurant

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administration, which initially steered

him towards a career in the hospitality

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industry in Seattle, Washington.

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and Napa Valley, California.

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However, in 1995, he transitioned to

a successful career in technology,

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while still maintaining his

fervor for exceptional culinary

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experiences, and admiration for

the skilled chefs who guided him.

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In May of 2021, he shifted gears from

the kitchen to the studio, and introduced

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the Voice4Chefs podcast, aiming to

bridge connections with pioneering

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chefs and imaginative, culinary artists,

where listeners can tune in for an

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enjoyable, insightful, and flavorful

podcast experience, and I'm excited

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to have him featured in episode number

two of my episodes featured this month,

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showcasing individuals that have made

a positive contribution to not only

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Speaking From The Heart, but also my

business, Your Speaking Voice LLC.

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It isn't just about the voice that's

behind a microphone, sometimes, when

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you get to really know them deep down

inside of why they do what they do.

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It brings a whole other perspective to

the table, not only when it comes to

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understanding and learning how people do

what they do, but why they do it as well.

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I think you're going to find in our

interview today with Michael a lot

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of different things about why he's so

passionate about helping others, but

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at the same time helpful in ways in

which I would have never imagined, and

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even at the very end, him sharing with

me why it was so important to help me

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out starting out with this podcast,

really exemplifies the fact of Michael's

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character, but also, why it's so

important to mentor others, especially

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when they need the help the most.

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But with that, let's go to the episode.

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All right.

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We're here with Michael Dugan.

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Michael, thanks for sharing

your heart with us today.

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Michael: Honored to be here, Josh.

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Joshua: Well, I'm honored that

you're here, and people have been

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wondering since episode one; oh,

episode two, I should say, "Who is

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this guy that introduces your shows?"

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Well, here we are.

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I'm talking to him right now, ladies

and gentlemen, and I'm really pumped

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because Michael is one of these people

that really helped me get started in my

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podcast journey, and as I've mentioned

in the beginning of this episode, if

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it wasn't for people like him, I would

not be doing this, so Michael, thank

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you so much for taking some time to

talk with me today, because I want to

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dive into a lot of the things that you

do, and how your career has been so

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enriching and helping others, because

one of the things that I always put in my

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episode notes is that you are a podcast

host for chefs and you talk to chefs.

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Your podcast name is called

Voice4Chefs, so I want to start off

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with talking about that, and how

you got started with being a chef,

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because I understand that that was your

original intention setting out in life.

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Michael: Oh my God, Josh.

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You know, looking back, I work in

technology now, but if I think back and

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I take you back and everyone back, I was

probably in my twenties, and when I was

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in my twenties, I was floundering, and I

was trying to figure out what do I really

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want to do, so I started out thinking

I wanted to be a marine biologist, and

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that's a big stretch, but I think we

lived in New Jersey and I was going to

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community college, and I didn't do so well

in the chemistry class and I just kind

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of lost my footing, and then my family

moved to Washington state in Seattle, and

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I remember just floundering and trying

to just get a job, so I ended up working

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for McDonald's flipping burgers and it

was a very tough time because it's very

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monotonous job, you know, and I remember

getting a raise, and it was like a 10 cent

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raise, and I was insulted by the manager,

and I'd been there for six months or eight

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months or whatever, but a coworker told

me about this place called the Bear Creek

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Country Club in Redmond, Washington, and

it was opening up this amazing restaurant.

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It'd be equivalent of probably four

or five star restaurant, and they were

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going to have all these interesting

foods from Europe, so I went there, just

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on a whim, to do an interview for being

like a prep cook, and I knew nothing

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about cooking at the time; nothing.

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Zero.

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When I interviewed, I got the job,

and they brought us back to taste

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the menu, and to meet the staff, and

to experience like what it's like

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to be in a fine dining restaurant,

and I fell in love immediately.

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It was like, "This is my calling.

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This is what I really want to do.",

so eventually, I worked there for I

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think eight months, and Chef Michael

took me in the walk in, and he said,

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"I need to have a conversation.

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I got to tell you the good

news and the bad news.

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Well, the good news is that I want to

keep you, but the bad news is that I

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have to lay off half my staff.", and

he said, "I can't pay you, but I want

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you to become my apprentice and I will

teach you everything about the kitchen.",

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and this was a rare opportunity, but

I was struggling, financially, and I

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remember getting to know a lot of the

chefs there, right, and I befriended a

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Romanian baker who is a pastry chef and

he just created these incredible dishes.

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He would make peanut butter pie, and your

listeners probably know what pie is,

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but imagine that you make peanut butter

pie by grinding the peanuts into creating

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a peanut butter to make the pie, and

just learning these dishes and creations

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from scratch, it just, it sucked me in.

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It grabbed my soul.

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I was like, "I want to do this.", so I

was living at home, and I'm not proud

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of that, but I couldn't afford to live

anywhere and I was really struggling,

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and my parents were very supportive

and they saw this change in me.

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" Oh my God.

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There's something exciting

that's happening in his life.",

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cause I was really depressed.

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I'd left New Jersey, had a girlfriend,

and my life was kind of falling apart,

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but I picked it back up, and I got into

the kitchen and I got a purpose, and

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I don't know if you know what sauteing

is, but sauteing is the concept,

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right, is that you're flipping food in

a pan, and you might have pasta, you

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might have vegetables, you might have

something else, and you put it on a

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stove; on a gas stove, and you flip it.

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You don't use a utensil.

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Well, in order to learn how to saute,

the chef recommended that I go home and

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literally put a pan of frozen peas, just

take frozen peas in a pan, and flip them

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upside down, and just flip them, and I

did, and they went all over the floor.

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They went over the kitchen and I'm

telling you what a disaster, right?

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I talk about kitchen disasters, but

to me, once I learned how to do

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that and I learned that technique,

I took a full bag of oranges, right?

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I took it home, and I opened it,

and I peeled a whole bag of oranges

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to learn how to peel fruit, because

there's a way that you peel it.

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My wife calls it filleting the fruit.

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You literally take a really sharp

knife, and you got to curve it just

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right to get the skin off, and these

techniques I got so fascinated by,

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so eight months later, I came back

to the chef, and this time I took him

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into the and I said, "Chef Michael.

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I can't afford to do this anymore.", and

he looked at me and he nodded his head.

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He goes, "I understand."

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I go, "I'm living at home.

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I got to break out.

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I got to make a living."

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He goes, "Well, I want to introduce

you to a chef that works at the

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Courtyard in Woodinville, which

was, I don't know, 20 miles down the

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street, and he introduced me to him.

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He said, "You tell him that he

needs to hire you.", so he did.

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Then what happened was I literally

ended up being an apprentice at

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this French restaurant that was a

well known restaurant in Woodinville

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called the Courtyard, and I'd

learned how to fillet salmon.

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I learned how to debone duck.

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I learned how to make cheesecakes from

scratch, and let me tell you, Josh,

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I hated cheesecake as a kid, because

the only time I ever had cheesecake

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was frozen, but once I learned how you

make it from scratch, and the different

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ways that you can prepare it, and the

sauces that go with it, like fresh

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raspberry or fresh blueberry, oh my God.

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It's just incredible.

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It's the simple things about food,

right, but the techniques that I

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learned in the foundation, so then, I

was with a sous chef at the Courtyard

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named Darrell, and Darrell was all

excited because he was going to open

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a restaurant, and in Seattle, there's

a very famous restaurant called the

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Maltby Cafe, and it's like breakfast,

and lunch, and they have dinner, but

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they're very famous for breakfast.

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They have these giant cinnamon rolls.

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Well, he went to launch this restaurant

and one day, just out of the blue, I

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was driving home from the courtyard in

Woodinville and I passed the Maltby Cafe,

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and I stopped in to see how he was doing.

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Well, I came into the back of

the kitchen, right, and there

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was this huge butcher block.

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You stand at the butcher block,

and people were cutting potatoes,

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cutting vegetables, stuff like that.

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It's a giant cutting board, and

people can be gathered around it.

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Well, there were these kids, they were

like teenagers, joking around, and

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one of them was holding a knife, and

just literally talking, and almost

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stabbed his friend, you know, that

they were cutting these vegetables-

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Joshua: Wow.

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Michael: And I grabbed the knife from him.

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I said, " You need to learn how to use

a knife.", and I said, "You almost cut

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your finger off.", this one guy, and this

other guy; he almost stabbed the other

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guy, so I was teaching him, and Daryl

looked over and he just gives me this nod.

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He's like, "Cool, really cool.",

and so I worked with him that night.

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I was exhausted from my job, cause

I worked in the morning, I worked

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breakfast, and I ended up staying

with him through the evening.

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He goes, "I'm going to make you

whatever you want for dinner;

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lobster, whatever you want, cause

you were helping these guys out.

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Would you stay for a while?", so I stayed

with him, and then at like 10 o'clock

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at night, he tells me that they're

opening the next morning the Maltby Cafe.

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He said, "I know you got to go home,

but I just want to tell you I'm staying

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all night.", and I looked at him.

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I said, "Screw it.

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I'm going to stay with you.", so

I actually worked with him through

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the whole night to help open the

restaurant the next morning and fell

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in love with the industry, and that's

kind of my background around cooking.

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Joshua: Wow.

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From McDonald's-

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Michael: Yeah.

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Joshua: From McDonald's, to cooking with

a apprenticeship, and then learning to

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saute with peas, and peeling oranges, and

then going to the famous cafe in Seattle,

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and being able to help mentor others.

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It almost has come full circle

for you, Michael, because-

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Michael: Yeah.

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Joshua: For helping with other

people that have gone through

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a lot of different troubles,

especially nowadays, post pandemic.

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All I hear anymore is about restaurants

closing because of extreme overhead, and

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just not being able to have the same level

of business as they used to have, because

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of not only the ways in which employment

has been, the way that teleworking has

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kind of decimated some of the restaurant

industry too, because a lot of people

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were preparing their meals at home.

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I'm kind of curious, because you interview

other chefs on your show about the

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importance of a variety of different

topics, one of them being burnout, which

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I know I've caught a few episodes where

some chefs have just worked themselves

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to exhaustion because they're trying

to bring that level of perfection, or

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they're trying to get to that next level.

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I mean, have you felt that way when you

were doing that sort of work, when you

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were learning a lot, and if you had,

what were some of the reasons why you

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were able to navigate through that and

then maybe move on, because I noticed,

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too, that you did go into a technological

career, but I want to hold off on

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asking you anything with that, because-

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Michael: Sure.

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Joshua: I really am interested more

right now about what you've been able to

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do to help other chefs for that matter.

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Michael: Well, you know, working in

this business when I did, I spent about

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10 years in restaurant business, so I

believe that I'm not an expert, but I

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can definitely talk and speak to it.

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I studied to be a chef.

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I went to South Seattle Community

College for two years, got a culinary

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arts degree, and then I got a bachelor's

degree to become- what I wanted to

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do was own a restaurant, but, the

burnout rate is so high, because for

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one, restaurant workers are underpaid.

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They don't make barely above

a minimum wage or a decent

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living, and I ran into that.

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I kept saying, "No.

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No.

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I want to own a restaurant.

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I want to keep going and keep doing

this.", and I looked at people's

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lives specifically in the kitchen.

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Now in the dining room, it's a little

different because the wait staff,

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they have a little more flexibility.

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A lot of times they work part time,

and the industry may have changed

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recently, but it used to be they could

work, six hours, instead of eight

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hours, because they're working at the

busy times, and then they leave when you

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work in a kitchen, that isn't the case.

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You have to prep before the busy time.

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You have to clean up after the busy time.

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I used to work, sometimes, 15 hours a

day, and I knew a lot of people that

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did that, and they still do that.

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They could work six days a week, so

if you'd imagine that you're working

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six days a week, you get minimum

vacation, very shitty benefits,

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to be honest, I mean, it's sad in

that way, and it's gotten better.

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I've talked to a lot of chefs and I found

out that there really is a momentum and

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a movement to change that, and they're

doing that, but as a history, when I

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was doing it 20 years ago, oh my God!

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The benefits were horrible.

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I don't even think they had a 401k plan.

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Medical and dental were terrible;

very minimal vacation, so you burn

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out is what I'm really getting

to, to answer your question.

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It's like, you become exhausted,

and then mental health issues take

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over, and you just feel, I wouldn't

say worthless, but you feel devalued

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is probably a good choice of words.

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What it is, is that it's a craft.

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Cooking is a craft, but you

don't always feel appreciated.

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Now, that's not always the case, right?

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There are a lot of really

good restaurants out there.

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There are a lot of chefs that I've

interviewed that have had amazing careers,

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and they're the ones that I really love

to interview, because I want to inspire

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other people to say, "You know what?

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If you're doing this, maybe it's time

to make that change, and move to a

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different place, or a different area

in your career.", and I get excited

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when I have some of these chefs on,

and they tell their stories about

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their success, but there is this

deeper thing that it's a really strong

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commitment, and you don't take it

lightly, and some people have no choice.

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I made the choice.

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I literally wanted to go into the

restaurant business and learn to

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be a chef and own a restaurant,

but to wrap that up, I was in Napa

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Valley, and I'll never forget it.

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I was in a restaurant.

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I was an assistant manager, and I

remember this night where a waitress

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was in the back of the restaurant

and she was literally putting in

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an order, and she flipped her hair.

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She just flipped it, and I thought

it was like a bug in her hair or

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something, and five minutes later,

I start walking out to the dining

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room, and I see this panic of people.

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I mean, people were getting up and

running out of the restaurant, and.

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I turned to one of my waitstaff

and I said, "What's going on?",

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and they didn't say anything.

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They pointed at the back window.

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I went to look at the back window,

and there was a bullet hole that

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went through the back window.

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There was a drive by shooting that

we found out, because the cops came

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and I went home that night, freaked

out, because I was the one in charge.

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I couldn't panic.

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I couldn't cry.

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I couldn't do anything until I got

home, and literally, I just panicked.

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I mean, I just broke down and I'm like,

"I don't want to do this anymore."

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That was the catalyst for

me leaving the restaurant

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business, because I get low pay.

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I work long hours, and I don't feel

appreciated, and I have to deal with the

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drive by shooting, and I come in the next

morning to talk to my general manager and

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she's like, "What happened last night?"

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She was real supportive, but she

was also like, "What happened?

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You could have handled this

better, or done this better."

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I'm like, "Oh my God!

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I almost got killed.

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My waitress almost got killed.

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Somebody else could have got killed.",

and so there's that piece that really,

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it changed me, and that's how I

moved out of the restaurant business,

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but 20 years ago, but I miss it.

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I really miss the people.

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I miss the passion, and

telling these stories about the

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cooking and that piece of it.

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I really, really miss it, so I have

these inner struggles about it.

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That's why I podcast, so-

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Joshua: Yeah, and when you start

out with something that you love the

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most, and you grow into it, and you

want be able to stick with it, but

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you have stuff like that happen where

people, or things, or events happen

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where it changes your directory of

whether you want to stay in it or not.

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I can certainly understand, Michael, like

walking away from it, and I would be-

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Michael: It's tough.

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Joshua: Freaked out if we had some-

it's almost the equivalent of having an

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active shooter happen nowadays, which

unfortunately in the United States, that's

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happening more than ever before, and it's

happening at workplaces, so even with what

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you said about being underappreciated,

that would be my final straw too, but

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if you are then leaving the industry to

go into technology, and then coming back

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as a podcast host to talk to chefs, I

find that really interesting because-

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Michael: It is.

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Joshua: You're not- You're almost

channeling yourself through these chefs,

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and being able to do the same thing

that you did a number of years ago.

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Michael: You caught it.

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Joshua: Being mentored.

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Yeah.

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Michael: You caught it.

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Joshua: Is that really why you do

it is because you want to help these

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people just as much as they helped you?

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Michael: So, the real reason, you want

the real reason why I started the podcast?

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Joshua: Oh, here on Speaking From

the Heart, we always are here about

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authenticity, so I absolutely love

to hear why you started it, for sure.

318

:

Michael: All right, so

the door is about to open.

319

:

It was an amazing experience.

320

:

I mean, I can't even tell you.

321

:

I really broke down, because I was in Napa

Valley, right, and I was in California,

322

:

and I didn't have a place to live.

323

:

I didn't have a plan.

324

:

I just literally quit, and I moved back

home, to Seattle, and what happened was

325

:

my friend, Scott Edwards, reached out

to me, or I reached out to him, and he

326

:

was applying, or had started working

for this company that was helping with

327

:

the launch of Windows 95, the operating

system, and we were just going into a

328

:

place in the world where we were going

from a different style of computer where

329

:

people couldn't really interact with it,

to now graphics and visuals and a whole

330

:

new world of computers, and that was

Windows 95, and I ended up interviewing.

331

:

Oh my gosh, this is a great story.

332

:

Thanks for this because

you're bringing back memories.

333

:

I ended up interviewing for this job,

and it was to be basically a support

334

:

tech for the support and the launch

of Windows 95; huge project with this

335

:

contract company directly connected to

Microsoft, and when I interviewed, I

336

:

remember they walked me out and they

said, "Well, you failed the tech test."

337

:

Well, of course I failed the tech test.

338

:

I didn't have a lot of technical

experience, but I tried, but the other

339

:

parts of the interview, when I brought

hospitality, and the restaurant business,

340

:

and dealing with challenges, I blew them

away, and they said, "We want to hire you,

341

:

but you need to come back in two weeks

and pass this test.", so I studied with my

342

:

friend, and I really studied, and I really

learned, and I just absorbed everything

343

:

for two weeks, and I passed the test,

and the next thing you know, I was hired,

344

:

and I now just made this transition.

345

:

I forgot all about it, but I made this

transition from working in the restaurant

346

:

business to working in technology.

347

:

It was the ground floor of opportunity.

348

:

Now what happened later, after working

there for a couple months, I had a

349

:

tech lead named Steve, and he passed

away a few years back with cancer,

350

:

but he was my mentor, and he loved me.

351

:

I remember he took me aside

one day and he said, "Mike,

352

:

you're really good with people.

353

:

I don't know what it is, but you have

this way of connecting and disarming

354

:

people that call in, and just calming

them down, and get into the problem.

355

:

I think you need to be a lead.

356

:

I think you should stop being a tech,

and I think I want you to be a lead."

357

:

He goes, "I'm going to take your resume.

358

:

I'm going to walk it right to the hiring

manager.", and they had a whole bunch

359

:

of people coming in, interviewing for

this job, and I got the job, so I became

360

:

a tech lead of like, I don't know, six

technicians or something like that.

361

:

A couple of months later, I was now a tech

lead of 14 technicians, and eventually,

362

:

I really enjoyed it, because it was

all about building a team, motivating

363

:

people, giving back, just like what

we're talking about in the beginning.

364

:

It's all about giving back

and speaking from the heart.

365

:

It's all about that, and

relationships, and just understanding

366

:

how people are motivated.

367

:

I was fascinated by that because

I learned that in the restaurant

368

:

business, and I carried it forward.

369

:

My why is really bridging

hospitality and technology.

370

:

It took me a long time to realize

that, and it was probably during the

371

:

podcast that that "aha" moment happened,

but for me, it was all about people.

372

:

It was great to learn the technology,

and leverage the technology, but it was

373

:

all about connecting people, and building

a team and I loved it, and that's how

374

:

I started in technology and that's

how I bridged the gap between the two.

375

:

Joshua: I have to pause for myself,

because when I hear this, and I hear

376

:

that you have this compassion, you have

this willingness to learn, when you

377

:

are not exactly 100 percent equipped

with the needs of a certain job, but

378

:

yet you have all these other skills

that make up for all those things.

379

:

This is what I usually preach

to my coaching clients.

380

:

I have struggled for so long in my life

about having connection with people,

381

:

and wanting to learn and grow, and

foster not only the relationships,

382

:

not only the confidence, not only

the determination that I'm setting

383

:

for myself, but for others, and you

are setting for me what I feel like

384

:

is the main point of doing this.

385

:

I want people to realize that there's not

just about what we see on the surface.

386

:

It's not just about what we need to do,

to say, meet a job description, or meet

387

:

the requirements that are listed on a

piece of paper, or online for that matter,

388

:

of what we need to do to become better.

389

:

It's about evolving, and seeing that

there's unlimited possibilities to the

390

:

different modalities that we have in our

lives, whether it is the technological

391

:

aspects of it, whether it's learning

a life skill, which I've done plenty

392

:

of episodes, Michael, on talking about

life skills and why it's important to

393

:

be able to measure twice cut once, like

those sort of things, but you saying

394

:

this really exemplifies the fact that

why, first off, this comes full circle

395

:

for you, because you've been able to

use the technological side that you've

396

:

developed, which was something that you

didn't learn initially, but bridge the

397

:

gap was something that you did learn, and

now create this awesome medium, I would

398

:

say, to help others and that's incredible.

399

:

I mean, do you feel a sense of pride

knowing that you've been able to

400

:

wrap this all together, because I

feel pretty proud of hearing you say

401

:

that, and what you've been able to

accomplish, but I think a lot of people

402

:

think, "Oh, well, I just done this.

403

:

Oh, I just done that.

404

:

These don't add up to what you need

today.", and they don't think three

405

:

or fourth dimensionally when it comes

to how you can put these all together.

406

:

Michael: I think for me, the driving

force, it's kind of interesting, but when

407

:

I started as a podcaster, you know, I

think back 62 episodes, which isn't a lot

408

:

for a couple of years, but, for me, it's

a lot, because I have a full time job, and

409

:

my wife, and we have adopted dog; lots of

things going on, but for me, at first I

410

:

thought, "Oh, I got these starry eyes."

411

:

I'm like, "Oh, I want to have the

celebrity chef on.", right, and what

412

:

I realized is it's not about that.

413

:

It's about empowering the guest.

414

:

It's about bringing somebody else on,

and making them feel great, and helping

415

:

them navigate through the technology and

the struggles, and the speaking piece,

416

:

and that's what really charges me up, and

makes me feel proud, is when I produce an

417

:

episode that someone comes back and says,

"I can't believe that you just did that."

418

:

It's the guest, or it's somebody that

listened to it, or it's my family.

419

:

Oh my God.

420

:

I did not realize that my brother listens.

421

:

My sister listens.

422

:

My mom listens.

423

:

They never told me for months, and

I'm sitting there with imposter

424

:

syndrome thinking, "Oh my God.

425

:

They're going to hate this.

426

:

They're going to think it's ridiculous.

427

:

What the hell is he doing?",

right, but when they connected to

428

:

it, I just couldn't believe it.

429

:

I was like, "Wow.

430

:

This is a new way to

connect to my own family."

431

:

My mom listens to every episode.

432

:

My brother listens to every episode.

433

:

He did a sabbatical for school, right,

and he traveled to the Caribbean and

434

:

lived there for a year on a sailboat,

so now all of a sudden, I see the

435

:

Caribbean's listening to my podcast

and I pinged him and I'm like, "You're

436

:

listening, aren't you?", and he's like,

"Yeah, I am.", you know, and so that

437

:

brings me great joy and great pride.

438

:

It's not about, "I'm a podcaster.",

and you're the same, Josh.

439

:

I could tell immediately

when we connected.

440

:

You are the same.

441

:

You are true and honest, and authentic.

442

:

I mean, there's just no question, right,

but there are others that you hear about.

443

:

"It's this intimidating process."

444

:

I'm like, "That's bullshit."

445

:

I'm sorry, but it's really about

connecting, and I feel so proud because

446

:

I've made friends all over the world.

447

:

Our podcast is in 60 countries,

and I just couldn't believe it.

448

:

It's just going up, but the

relationships are in 60 countries.

449

:

You know what I'm saying?

450

:

It's not, "Oh.

451

:

I've got downloads and listeners."

452

:

No, it's the relationships.

453

:

It's when you meet a follower

that really gets it, right?

454

:

I mean, you know.

455

:

I have a friend in Indonesia, Chef

Gunawan, and oh my God, he's been

456

:

in Savoir magazine, which is this

incredible culinary arts magazine.

457

:

He's a judge for international pastry

competitions, and he's my friend,

458

:

and he wants to come on the podcast

again, and I told him you need to come

459

:

visit us in Seattle, and we have these

conversations and it's like, "Wow.

460

:

That's what it's all about for me."

461

:

Joshua: You are striking something that

I even said to you before we started,

462

:

is that what started for me, and you

remember this, we had this conversation

463

:

too, and my listeners might not even know

this, but this was supposed to be a 90

464

:

day experiment to see if I could improve

my business, and I said that to you too.

465

:

I said, "I was going to

do this for my business."

466

:

That's all I was really wanting to do.

467

:

I just wanted to get more exposure

for myself, but what turned into a 90

468

:

day experiment has turned into over

a year now of doing this and it's-

469

:

Michael: Surprise!

470

:

Joshua: Yeah, I know.

471

:

I know, and it's because of people

like you that I have met along the

472

:

way, which I haven't met everybody

that I've been able to encounter,

473

:

but many of my earlier episodes were

because of Toastmasters, which you and

474

:

I have that common connection, which

my audience hasn't heard in a while.

475

:

Yay, Toastmasters!

476

:

Michael: Oh, totally.

477

:

Joshua: Yeah.

478

:

If you're new to Toastmasters, my

fellow listeners, please check out

479

:

what I have in the episode notes.

480

:

You will not be disappointed, especially

since Toastmasters is celebrating

481

:

its centennial anniversary this year.

482

:

Michael: That's right.

483

:

Joshua: But with that said, I've only been

to like 20, 30 countries with what I have

484

:

as listeners, and these are just spots all

over the place, and I look at my numbers

485

:

and I think, "Man, I'm not in the top

0.1 percent of podcasts by not even close

486

:

a margin.", and I see these marketing

people that says, "Well, if you want to

487

:

get booked, you have to be on the top 1%.

488

:

Michael: There you go.

489

:

Joshua: "That's how you get

your exposure.", and I'm

490

:

like, "That's bullshit."

491

:

Michael: It is bullshit-

492

:

Joshua: This is what this is about is

that we can only get connections, Michael,

493

:

and that's why I'm so proud that, A,

I have had you on this show, and I've

494

:

finally been able to tell the story of

who you are, and be able to have other

495

:

people learn a little bit about you, and

maybe go check out your 60 some episodes,

496

:

because each of those are about quality,

not about quantity, sir, but you make a

497

:

difference, and that's what's so important

about this, and really, this is where

498

:

it gets to the crux of the question.

499

:

I want to really ask you is what

about doing this- now you wrap in the

500

:

technology career, you wrap in your

chef career, now you're doing this.

501

:

What is the proudest moment of being able

to do what you've been doing right now?

502

:

I'm really am curious.

503

:

It's been on my mind for a longest

time, ever since before episode one,

504

:

when I recorded it, because there was

a motivation even for you, about a year

505

:

ago that we were talking about, and I

really am curious what you have to say.

506

:

Michael: Josh, there are so many things.

507

:

I am truly honored that you asked me

to do the voiceover for your podcast.

508

:

I remember you putting it out there,

and my friend Linda said, "Reach out.

509

:

She told me about this and I was like,

"Wow.", and then you had a whole bunch

510

:

of people you were talking to, and you

came back to me and you said, "I really

511

:

want you to do this.", and I was like,

"Really?", He goes, "I like your voice.

512

:

It connects.", I'm like, "Okay, cool.",

but that's one for sure, but recently,

513

:

I will tell you there's a couple, and

I'll be really quick about this, but I

514

:

did an interview that was a referral.

515

:

You can get a lot of referrals.

516

:

I was interviewing a lavender farmer.

517

:

I loved her; Renee, oh my gosh, and

Renee, I said to her, "I'd love to

518

:

interview some of your people that you

connect with, and I'd love to tell one

519

:

of their stories.", and she goes, "You

need to talk to Kimberly Pearson.",

520

:

and Josh, if you haven't listened

to Kimberly Pearson, oh my gosh.

521

:

She was incredible, and here's why,

because first of all, I just connected

522

:

with her immediately, because my

aunt has celiac disease, and my aunt

523

:

Nancy, who I love so much, is like

one of my heroes in the world, because

524

:

she's always so positive about it.

525

:

She's always found a way to flip it

and say, "This is a good way to live

526

:

your life and you just have to think

differently.", and when I remembered that,

527

:

when I started the podcast, I reached out

to her and I said, "Do you know anyone

528

:

you would like me to interview around

celiac, and these tough, challenging

529

:

food challenges?", and she didn't

really know, and so I was like, "Okay."

530

:

I kept searching and searching while I

was going along for two years, right,

531

:

and then, I got introduced to Kimberly.

532

:

Well, Kimberly went to cooking

school, so she's a chef, right?

533

:

She started her own bakery called Rocks

and Dirt Bakery out of Camino Island,

534

:

which is also in Washington state,

and I just fell in love with her,

535

:

because her passion is a lot like mine.

536

:

It's very aligned, but she was

so nervous coming on the podcast,

537

:

and she goes, "Why are you picking

me?", and I was like, "Oh my God.

538

:

You have this incredible story!

539

:

It's just incredible.

540

:

It's like you are doing these incredible

things to heal people and inspiring them

541

:

to think differently, how to bake, how to

cook, how to change their life, where they

542

:

can eat in a better way, and enjoy the

food.", and she's a recipe developer, and

543

:

I think that would be one of my proudest

moments, because what happened was,

544

:

she blew up, and she didn't expect it.

545

:

I didn't expect it, but this other friend,

or somebody that she connected to, wanted

546

:

to post my podcast on their magazine

online, and they're a celiac magazine,

547

:

and I was like, "This is pretty cool.",

and she goes, "I just want to honor

548

:

you, and I want to honor Kimberly.", and

that's the same philosophy I have, right?

549

:

It's all about honoring.

550

:

There's no hidden agenda.

551

:

I don't really give a shit

if I grow that much anymore.

552

:

What I care about is the connection.

553

:

What I care about is that maybe something

I do inspire somebody else, right?

554

:

Maybe something I do with this podcast,

help somebody in their career, help some

555

:

connection from one chef to another.

556

:

I dream of that.

557

:

I love that.

558

:

Am I monetizing?

559

:

A little bit, but barely.

560

:

I put a lot of money into the podcast,

right, but my proudest moment to circle

561

:

back is Kimberly, because I connected

with her and we connected quite a

562

:

bit, and now, oh, I forgot about this.

563

:

Valerie, who I'll just give

a shout out to you, Valerie.

564

:

I love you, and you have supported me

for a long time, even though it was

565

:

indirect, but we reached out again

recently, and she's going to have

566

:

Kimberly in her celiac group, give a talk.

567

:

Joshua: Wow.

568

:

Michael: And she has a big Facebook

group, or some other support groups,

569

:

related to celiac and other types of

food challenges, and I might not have got

570

:

it specific, but Valerie is incredible.

571

:

She's been a Toastmaster for a long time.

572

:

I think she's retired now, and she's

just a life mentor for a lot of people,

573

:

but that whole circle of connections,

all because I dedicated that episode

574

:

to my aunt Nancy, and that was just a

random thing, and it just changed the

575

:

way I saw it all, and really, for me,

the mission of Voice4Chefs is to honor

576

:

the chef, the culinary artist, the person

that's connected to the chef, that in

577

:

some way, gives back to the community.

578

:

It's not about celebrity.

579

:

I mean, I've had a celebrity chef

on that gives back to the community.

580

:

It's amazing.

581

:

Chef Ed.

582

:

Oh my God.

583

:

He's so giving, but it's not about the

status, right, and my other proudest

584

:

moment, which I'm hoping is going to

happen because for over two years, I've

585

:

been really wanting to have this chef

on, and it's Melissa Miranda, and I'll

586

:

send you a clip, her YouTube TEDx talk.

587

:

It's brilliant.

588

:

I just watched it today before the

interview, because I was inspired,

589

:

but anyway, Melissa, she goes by Mel.

590

:

She runs a restaurant called Musang in

Seattle, and your listeners might've heard

591

:

of it, because she's very well known, and

what she did was really put Philippine

592

:

cuisine on the map in Seattle and

literally, I was dining at her restaurant,

593

:

cause my wife said, "Let's go to Musang."

594

:

She'd never been.

595

:

We're sitting at the bar,

because you can't get a table.

596

:

They have a small restaurant

is very community focused.

597

:

It's like a house, right,

cause she wanted it to be a

598

:

community, and not a restaurant.

599

:

It's all about the experience, and

connecting to culture, but, what was so

600

:

interesting is I have gone there several

times to try to meet her, and try to

601

:

connect with her, and it's really hard.

602

:

She's so busy and so popular, but I saw

her in the kitchen and I went, "Oh my God.

603

:

She's here."

604

:

Joshua: Wow.

605

:

Michael: And I was going to go walk

over to her, and she disappeared, and

606

:

we finished up her meal, and I said,

"Carrie, I need to see if I can find

607

:

her.", and I walked towards the kitchen,

and then it turned around, and I'm

608

:

like, "She's right behind my wife.",

at the bar, like right behind helping

609

:

a server, and I turned around and I

said, "Are you Melissa Miranda?", and

610

:

she looks at me, and she smiles, and

she goes, "What can I do for you?"

611

:

I said, "You're not going to believe

this.", and I told her a story about

612

:

Voice4Chefs, and she looks at me and

she smiles and she goes, "I'll do it."

613

:

Joshua: Wow.

614

:

Michael: And I went, "Wow."

615

:

Now, the rest of the story is that

her pipes just burst, because we had a

616

:

cold freeze, so they had to close the

restaurant down, but she looked at me,

617

:

she told me that and she said, "But, I

think I'm going to have some downtime, so

618

:

let's do it.", so I'm trying to get hold

of her now, and I'm not sure what's going

619

:

to happen, but really, that's my proudest

moment, cause I've been really wanting

620

:

to share her story, and not because she's

a celebrity, she is, but because she has

621

:

a truly amazing story, and she gave a

TEDx talk that will bring you to tears.

622

:

I guarantee it.

623

:

Absolutely guarantee it.

624

:

Joshua: For my listeners, I'll have

Michael send that to me, and it

625

:

will be in the episode notes so you

can take a listen to it, watch it,

626

:

and I will definitely watch it too.

627

:

I'll give you my feedback privately, of

course, but Michael, we're pretty much

628

:

at the end of time, but I want to give

you the last few minutes to pitch your

629

:

podcast of where people can access it.

630

:

Maybe people are interested in

learning a little bit about you too.

631

:

Maybe they want to reach out to you,

and have some conversation about your

632

:

career, and how you ended up doing

what you're doing, but I'll give you

633

:

the last few minutes, and then I have

some things I want to say before we

634

:

wrap up to you, directly, so go ahead.

635

:

Michael: Okay, great.

636

:

Well, the podcast started

,:

637

:

Governor Jay Inslee, in Seattle, like

many places around the world, shut

638

:

down all restaurants for over two

weeks, so people lost their jobs.

639

:

Chefs lost their careers, and I

woke up one day with the idea that

640

:

I wanted to give chefs a voice.

641

:

It took me several months to figure all

this out, and what happened was I came up

642

:

with the concept, with help from several

others, of Voice4Chefs, and so that name

643

:

stuck, and that became the podcast is

giving chefs a voice, and so the idea

644

:

was I was going to interview chefs.

645

:

I was going to review people around

or connected to chefs, and it

646

:

started out, if you can believe it,

I literally called restaurants in

647

:

Seattle and when I called them, I'm

like, "Can I speak with your manager?"

648

:

"Well, why?"

649

:

"Well, I'm starting this podcast.

650

:

I'd really love to interview your chef.",

and so what happened was, they would wait.

651

:

They get back to me in a week and it

would just drag on, and on, and on, and

652

:

on, but then one day, I went to this

amazing class and with a Toastmaster named

653

:

Nancy Judden, and Nancy is incredible.

654

:

She wrote a book called Bye Bye Boring

Bio, and it's all about guest podcasting,

655

:

and getting on shows, and marketing your

product, or your business, or your voice,

656

:

your message, and I was so inspired.

657

:

I did a week long seminar with her,

and then, I was on Clubhouse, and

658

:

Clubhouse is an audio only app.

659

:

It's been around for a few years.

660

:

When I got on Clubhouse, I

fell in love with the idea,

661

:

but I didn't want to speak up.

662

:

I didn't want to talk, because you

have conversations on clubhouse.

663

:

People invite you to speak.

664

:

It's like a mini podcast, so what

happened was I met this incredible chef

665

:

who's a Michelin trained chef named

Chef Mimi, and Chef Mimi introduced

666

:

me to Food As Religion, and Food

As Religion is a club on Clubhouse

667

:

that started with 5,200 members.

668

:

I became an officer and helped

grow it to 8,200 members within

669

:

a year and a half I think.

670

:

I was part of this group.

671

:

I won't take the credit for it.

672

:

I really believe Chef Mimi, the

co-founder, and many others, but it

673

:

helped me grow my podcast, so I went

from five countries, to 20 countries,

674

:

to 30 countries, to 40, to 50, to

60, and started gathering listeners

675

:

and connections around the world.

676

:

What was amazing about it though,

was that I met incredible chefs from

677

:

around the world, so instead of calling

Seattle, I'm now connecting to Australia.

678

:

I'm connecting to India, and places

all across the U.S, and so Voice4Chefs

679

:

is really now a global podcast with

incredible stories from really caring,

680

:

giving chefs that give back to the

community, and I just think that

681

:

that's something that I would love your

listeners to check out and listen to.

682

:

One person I want to give a shout

out to is Chef Maria Campbell,

683

:

who is a chef out of Philadelphia,

on your side of the country.

684

:

I'm in Seattle.

685

:

Joshua: Yep.

686

:

My side.

687

:

Yep.

688

:

Michael: Well, chef Maria Campbell runs

a nonprofit called Cooks Do Care, and

689

:

this really resonated with me, because

all the funding from her nonprofit goes

690

:

to support people with mental health

challenges in the hospitality industry,

691

:

and she created this incredible cookbook,

and fundraised over $25,000; I think

692

:

probably more at this point, but she

really inspired me, and her story is

693

:

there, and I have so many great stories.

694

:

I have entertaining stories,

heartwarming stories.

695

:

Chef Andy Larusso; he's a singing chef.

696

:

He sings and cooks Italian.

697

:

He's an epic recording artist and a

chef, and he's traveled all over the

698

:

world in big casinos doing huge dinner

presentations, and he's my friend and

699

:

he's my biggest follower, and then when I

interviewed him, he was a celebrity chef.

700

:

He was on the Donny and

Marie Show back in the day.

701

:

He was friends with them, and when I

interviewed him, he was my first celebrity

702

:

and I was nervous, right, but not anymore.

703

:

At the time, I didn't realize it, but

then we became really good friends.

704

:

He sung for my wife and her birthday

party, so those kinds of things are part

705

:

of the culture of voice for chefs, and to

find us, I'm on Instagram @Voice4Chefs.

706

:

Now, remember too, it's voice,

the number four, chefs, not

707

:

FOR, but the number four, chefs.

708

:

I have a website, just voice4chefs.com.

709

:

I have a private Facebook group that you

can belong to, but the most important

710

:

thing I want to share is reach out to me.

711

:

I'd love to have a conversation.

712

:

If this is something you're curious about.

713

:

If you know someone that would be a

great guest with a great story, I invite

714

:

them, but reach out and communicate,

but let me know who you are when

715

:

you do, and where you heard about

this, from Speaking From The Heart.

716

:

Joshua: Michael, I have to tell you,

as somebody that has a voice for chefs,

717

:

you also had a voice for a coach that

didn't know what the hell he was doing.

718

:

That's me, and you gave me a voice on

this world that I never thought I had,

719

:

because of some of the starting techniques

and points that if it wasn't for you, I

720

:

probably wouldn't have been figuring out

a whole community that I could belong to-

721

:

Michael: I love that.

722

:

Joshua: That some really silly

questions that probably made no sense

723

:

whatsoever to me, but made a lot of

sense to others that were struggling.

724

:

You helped me with getting the intro and

outro out with this podcast, which debuted

725

:

in episode two, and don't worry, folks,

I'm actually been talking with Michael.

726

:

We haven't really finalized it at this

point yet, about trying to get a new

727

:

intro/outro that would include Michael

again, because his voice is also part of

728

:

the reason why Speaking From The Heart

really exists, but with all those things,

729

:

what is really, truly important to me is

that you have this intentionality about

730

:

wanting to help others, and my goodness,

that heart that you have goes so deep,

731

:

and you don't ask for anything in return.

732

:

I remember having this conversation

like, "Let me pay you for this

733

:

and what you're doing for me.",

and you're like, "Absolutely not.

734

:

I don't want to have it.", and I'm like,

"No, I'm going to.", and I make that

735

:

promise to you that I will, and I put

that here on the record because, in one

736

:

way or another, I think that we all have

this wanting to give, and that's what

737

:

this is about, but I think that when

we are looking at the bigger picture

738

:

here, what you're doing isn't just about

looking at the chefs and helping them,

739

:

which there is such a pandemic when it

comes to mental health with chefs, and

740

:

I think that you're doing some important

work with that, and I encourage you to

741

:

continue doing that and keep growing

that, but more importantly, Michael.

742

:

It wasn't for you, there would

be no Speaking From The Heart.

743

:

I deeply mean that.

744

:

I think that-

745

:

Michael: Aw Josh.

746

:

Joshua: I think that.

747

:

I think that people would not be

inspired, and I will tell you, I've had

748

:

people reach out to me saying, "Who's

this guy that does your intro outro?

749

:

He sounds so good.", and at the same

time, I've had people say to me, "My gosh.

750

:

My life's been changed because of the

stories that you've had on the show.

751

:

I really appreciate that too.", and

I'm like, "Well, if it wasn't for my

752

:

friend, Michael, it also would have never

happened.", so for all those reasons,

753

:

you are the legitimate and pivotal

voice of this whole entire process.

754

:

For all those reasons, Michael, thanks for

being on Speaking From The Heart today.

755

:

It was not only just a privilege, but for

you to be part of this experience with me,

756

:

words will never be able to express that.

757

:

Michael: And we're Toastmasters.

758

:

Joshua: Yay, Toastmasters!

759

:

Michael: I mean, we're Toastmasters.

760

:

We should be able to express it in

words, but sometimes when it comes to

761

:

that kind of emotion, it's really tough.

762

:

Joshua: Absolutely, and I think that we

work on that technique, nevertheless, but

763

:

for all those reasons, thank you so much.

764

:

It was really a privilege

to have you on the show.

765

:

Michael: You're so welcome, and it's

such an honor, and it's so great

766

:

to see this show become successful.

767

:

Joshua: Again, I really want to thank

Michael so much for just being part

768

:

of this show, and always being part of

this show if you really look at it from

769

:

that perspective, and providing so much

information for me starting out, learning

770

:

about how to podcast, learning how to be

able to grow, and the guests that we'll

771

:

have even go above and beyond what I'm

even sharing with you today, and I'm

772

:

really excited to be sharing with all of

you what those remaining individuals are,

773

:

but at this time, I just want to thank

Michael for what he's been to me, to be

774

:

able to help out, to be able to learn

and grow in this industry, and although

775

:

I have a lot more work to do, and a lot

more people that I want to reach, I know

776

:

that he's been instrumental with his

voice to be able to have another voice on

777

:

Speaking From The Heart, but I will also

put a couple links into the episode notes

778

:

that he referenced today that will also

help you with some context that he shared.

779

:

The first thing is being Melissa's

TEDx talk which he talked

780

:

about Melissa during the show.

781

:

I'll leave a link in there

in which she did a TEDx talk

782

:

called, "Building Resilience and

Community In The Service Industry."

783

:

I'll leave that in the notes, and also

we'll put a link into a very meaningful

784

:

fundraising effort called Cook Who

Care, so if you're interested in taking

785

:

a look at either one of those, those

will be available as well, but let's

786

:

even dig into the fact that Michael

brings a perspective to the restaurant

787

:

industry that needs to be heard.

788

:

People that work in that industry

do thankless jobs, and I know that

789

:

there's plenty of opportunity, in viral

sensation videos, in which people are

790

:

tipping, and they are giving people that

recognition, but it's not simply enough.

791

:

Sure, there are people that are terrible,

and they do not do their service that

792

:

they should, and they, in themselves,

need to check out why they are not doing

793

:

the level of service that they should

be doing, but if you really think about

794

:

it, and we peel back all the onions,

all the oranges, and all the sautéing

795

:

of the peas, you start to realize that

there's bigger areas that we need to

796

:

focus on when it comes to the mental

health crisis that even affects cooks,

797

:

managers, and the associated individuals.

798

:

I love Michael's mission.

799

:

It's really to help give them that voice,

which speaks to even what I'm doing here,

800

:

to give people that voice, to be able

to help others achieve the best versions

801

:

of themselves, the ultimate mission as

to the reason why we started this in the

802

:

first place, but that age old question

about what is on your heart, going all

803

:

the way back to episode two, the very

debut of Michael himself, too, on this

804

:

show, really goes back to the fact that

we need to be able to learn and grow in

805

:

a variety of different perspectives, and

here's yet another perspective as to why

806

:

self development, business development,

all these tools that coaches provide,

807

:

are so important for the overall growth

and the furtherance of moving ourselves

808

:

forward, but the passion of cooking, it's

something that goes back ages and ages,

809

:

all the way back to human civilizations

first starting out, because if it wasn't

810

:

for cooking, if it wasn't for that

pastime, if it wasn't for the creativity

811

:

that we can have by using various

ingredients, various spices, various types

812

:

of sauteing methods, cooking methods for

that matter, it wouldn't be able to have

813

:

the effect, the industry wide trending,

that it has today, but burnout, just

814

:

like we've had in one of our most recent

episodes featuring Simon Rinne, certainly

815

:

exemplifies, yet again, they exist, and

not only in these areas, but in areas

816

:

in which we might often not think about.

817

:

Do you often feel that your life

comes full circle as a result?

818

:

To be able to have interactions

with people so that they don't

819

:

have to live in that area anymore?

820

:

Let's face it.

821

:

Michael took a big risk.

822

:

He stepped out of his comfort zone, and

he was able to help with a variety of

823

:

different areas, using his tech skills,

to be able to not only reinforce his

824

:

hard skills, but the soft skills that

come alongside of it, and yet, here we

825

:

are again, talking about Toastmasters.

826

:

It's the universal circle in my life

that keeps on coming back around,

827

:

and it should be a good indicator

for you of how you can keep moving

828

:

forward, because what motivates you?

829

:

In Michael's case, what motivates

you to connect with your audience?

830

:

To engage with them?

831

:

Who is really listening

to your own content?

832

:

What is really needed for that

content to be able to push forward

833

:

the agenda that you're trying to

have, because, there's a right agenda,

834

:

but also a wrong agenda as well.

835

:

Is it about reach?

836

:

Is it simply about doing a 90 day

experiment to see if it even works,

837

:

because let's face it, I know somebody

that did that for their podcast, and

838

:

if you're just joining us, it was me.

839

:

What turned into what was really a 90 day

experiment became so much more for me.

840

:

It became so much more for my guests.

841

:

It's become so much more for my

clients, which I refer to them these

842

:

episodes, but really, it's not about

the selfish aspect of being able to

843

:

do this, or even putting this out

there, that really counts the most.

844

:

It's about helping others, without

any sort of recognition, without

845

:

any sort of payback, because that's

not what I'm really looking for.

846

:

Of course it would be really great

to grab a client or two, or make

847

:

a quick dollar, but we all know

that that isn't what this is about.

848

:

It isn't about the money.

849

:

It isn't about the fame or the fortune.

850

:

It's about helping others, and flipping

the script, on what really is what

851

:

is on your heart, because if you can

relate to the engagement today of what

852

:

Michael and I had, which we have not

talked in person like this for quite

853

:

a long time, up until this interview.

854

:

If it shows you today that you can have

this kind of content development in your

855

:

life with somebody, without even knowing

them very well until just this very

856

:

moment, then maybe you need to re examine

who you're surrounding yourself with.

857

:

As a matter of fact,

let's ask this question.

858

:

Do you have a Kimberly, just as what

Michael even talked about today, that

859

:

just help you, even if you think that

they don't help in the first place?

860

:

Would you be excited for more of a 10 cent

raise, or even opening a chef position

861

:

at a resort, or being able to mentor some

of the most world class chefs because

862

:

of your knowledge skills and abilities?

863

:

I don't know about you, but the fame

and the fortune of a ten cent raise

864

:

doesn't seem to be really what I'm cut

out to be anymore, and probably for

865

:

you, not so much as well, but it's not

happening with the snap of the fingers.

866

:

It takes consistency.

867

:

It takes building a

network of relationships.

868

:

It means gaining confidence in your trade.

869

:

Connecting with things that you

might have never connected before,

870

:

in terms of the dots, but oh yes, as

you always have heard, it's about the

871

:

determination, just as what Michael

says every time he opens the show

872

:

for me that really counts the most.

873

:

You have to stay determined, especially

in this ever changing world, even for

874

:

the world of chefs, to be able to have

a voice, to be able to break out of just

875

:

peeling onions, being able to manage a

kitchen, being able to get your steak well

876

:

done, but more importantly, being served

a world class meal of epic proportions,

877

:

and that meal consists of opportunities

that you never thought of before.

878

:

I don't know where you are in

your life today, and whether this

879

:

episode goes full circle for you.

880

:

Maybe these are the things that you

needed to hear from Michael and I's

881

:

conversation, but the thing is, you

can have the skills, you can have the

882

:

motivation, you can have the ability to

have other people listen to your content,

883

:

even if you try it out for 90 days.

884

:

You have to just start somewhere today,

and Michael did that over thirty some

885

:

years ago, and look where he's at now.

886

:

He's gotten so far, and I know that

for you, my listeners, it's not

887

:

just following those footsteps.

888

:

It's not just about being

mentored by the right people.

889

:

It's not just about cooking the

right meal for somebody else.

890

:

It's about really helping others to

navigate, especially with the interests

891

:

that we have, to find the path in which

they can be unlocked, to not only see

892

:

their true potential, but to be able

to mentor somebody that will help you

893

:

follow their footsteps in the future.

894

:

That is the ultimate reward, and

the ultimate opportunity for you,

895

:

if you're willing to do it, and

I know you can, if you just try.

896

:

Again, I'm going turn it over to Michael

as we wrap up here at the end, as I

897

:

always do, but from the bottom of my

heart, Michael, as you listen to this

898

:

today, thank you for what you've given me.

899

:

You have no idea from the bottom of my

heart what it has meant for you to open

900

:

and end my show, but more importantly, the

friendships that I've gained through this

901

:

podcast, are ever enduring because of you.

902

:

Thanks for listening to episode

number 121 of Speaking From the

903

:

Heart, and I look forward to

hearing from your heart very soon.

904

:

Outro: Thanks for listening.

905

:

For more information about our podcast

and future shows, search for Speaking From

906

:

The Heart to subscribe and be notified

wherever you listen to your podcasts.

907

:

Visit us at www.yourspeakingvoice.biz

for more information about potential

908

:

services that can help you create

the best version of yourself.

909

:

See you next time.

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