Episode #121 - The Value Of Your Voice: An Interview With Michael Dugan

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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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: 00:18:03

I really miss the people.

290

: 00:18:05

I miss the passion, and

telling these stories about the

291

: 00:18:09

cooking and that piece of it.

292

: 00:18:10

I really, really miss it, so I have

these inner struggles about it.

293

: 00:18:16

That's why I podcast, so-

294

: 00:18:18

Joshua: Yeah, and when you start

out with something that you love the

295

: 00:18:22

most, and you grow into it, and you

want be able to stick with it, but

296

: 00:18:27

you have stuff like that happen where

people, or things, or events happen

297

: 00:18:32

where it changes your directory of

whether you want to stay in it or not.

298

: 00:18:36

I can certainly understand, Michael, like

walking away from it, and I would be-

299

: 00:18:41

Michael: It's tough.

300

: 00:18:42

Joshua: Freaked out if we had some-

it's almost the equivalent of having an

301

: 00:18:45

active shooter happen nowadays, which

unfortunately in the United States, that's

302

: 00:18:49

happening more than ever before, and it's

happening at workplaces, so even with what

303

: 00:18:54

you said about being underappreciated,

that would be my final straw too, but

304

: 00:19:00

if you are then leaving the industry to

go into technology, and then coming back

305

: 00:19:05

as a podcast host to talk to chefs, I

find that really interesting because-

306

: 00:19:10

Michael: It is.

307

: 00:19:10

Joshua: You're not- You're almost

channeling yourself through these chefs,

308

: 00:19:14

and being able to do the same thing

that you did a number of years ago.

309

: 00:19:17

Michael: You caught it.

310

: 00:19:17

Joshua: Being mentored.

311

: 00:19:18

Yeah.

312

: 00:19:19

Michael: You caught it.

313

: 00:19:20

Joshua: Is that really why you do

it is because you want to help these

314

: 00:19:23

people just as much as they helped you?

315

: 00:19:25

Michael: So, the real reason, you want

the real reason why I started the podcast?

316

: 00:19:30

Joshua: Oh, here on Speaking From

the Heart, we always are here about

317

: 00:19:33

authenticity, so I absolutely love

to hear why you started it, for sure.

318

: 00:19:37

Michael: All right, so

the door is about to open.

319

: 00:19:39

It was an amazing experience.

320

: 00:19:41

I mean, I can't even tell you.

321

: 00:19:43

I really broke down, because I was in Napa

Valley, right, and I was in California,

322

: 00:19:48

and I didn't have a place to live.

323

: 00:19:52

I didn't have a plan.

324

: 00:19:53

I just literally quit, and I moved back

home, to Seattle, and what happened was

325

: 00:20:00

my friend, Scott Edwards, reached out

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

326

: 00:20:08

was applying, or had started working

for this company that was helping with

327

: 00:20:14

the launch of Windows 95, the operating

system, and we were just going into a

328

: 00:20:19

place in the world where we were going

from a different style of computer where

329

: 00:20:25

people couldn't really interact with it,

to now graphics and visuals and a whole

330

: 00:20:31

new world of computers, and that was

Windows 95, and I ended up interviewing.

331

: 00:20:40

Oh my gosh, this is a great story.

332

: 00:20:42

Thanks for this because

you're bringing back memories.

333

: 00:20:45

I ended up interviewing for this job,

and it was to be basically a support

334

: 00:20:50

tech for the support and the launch

of Windows 95; huge project with this

335

: 00:20:56

contract company directly connected to

Microsoft, and when I interviewed, I

336

: 00:21:02

remember they walked me out and they

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

337

: 00:21:07

Well, of course I failed the tech test.

338

: 00:21:09

I didn't have a lot of technical

experience, but I tried, but the other

339

: 00:21:13

parts of the interview, when I brought

hospitality, and the restaurant business,

340

: 00:21:18

and dealing with challenges, I blew them

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

341

: 00:21:24

but you need to come back in two weeks

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

342

: 00:21:30

friend, and I really studied, and I really

learned, and I just absorbed everything

343

: 00:21:36

for two weeks, and I passed the test,

and the next thing you know, I was hired,

344

: 00:21:41

and I now just made this transition.

345

: 00:21:43

I forgot all about it, but I made this

transition from working in the restaurant

346

: 00:21:47

business to working in technology.

347

: 00:21:49

It was the ground floor of opportunity.

348

: 00:21:53

Now what happened later, after working

there for a couple months, I had a

349

: 00:21:58

tech lead named Steve, and he passed

away a few years back with cancer,

350

: 00:22:02

but he was my mentor, and he loved me.

351

: 00:22:07

I remember he took me aside

one day and he said, "Mike,

352

: 00:22:10

you're really good with people.

353

: 00:22:11

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

this way of connecting and disarming

354

: 00:22:16

people that call in, and just calming

them down, and get into the problem.

355

: 00:22:21

I think you need to be a lead.

356

: 00:22:23

I think you should stop being a tech,

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

357

: 00:22:27

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

358

: 00:22:28

I'm going to walk it right to the hiring

manager.", and they had a whole bunch

359

: 00:22:32

of people coming in, interviewing for

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

360

: 00:22:37

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

technicians or something like that.

361

: 00:22:41

A couple of months later, I was now a tech

lead of 14 technicians, and eventually,

362

: 00:22:48

I really enjoyed it, because it was

all about building a team, motivating

363

: 00:22:51

people, giving back, just like what

we're talking about in the beginning.

364

: 00:22:54

It's all about giving back

and speaking from the heart.

365

: 00:22:56

It's all about that, and

relationships, and just understanding

366

: 00:23:02

how people are motivated.

367

: 00:23:03

I was fascinated by that because

I learned that in the restaurant

368

: 00:23:07

business, and I carried it forward.

369

: 00:23:09

My why is really bridging

hospitality and technology.

370

: 00:23:14

It took me a long time to realize

that, and it was probably during the

371

: 00:23:17

podcast that that "aha" moment happened,

but for me, it was all about people.

372

: 00:23:23

It was great to learn the technology,

and leverage the technology, but it was

373

: 00:23:27

all about connecting people, and building

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

374

: 00:23:33

I started in technology and that's

how I bridged the gap between the two.

375

: 00:23:41

Joshua: I have to pause for myself,

because when I hear this, and I hear

376

: 00:23:46

that you have this compassion, you have

this willingness to learn, when you

377

: 00:23:51

are not exactly 100 percent equipped

with the needs of a certain job, but

378

: 00:23:58

yet you have all these other skills

that make up for all those things.

379

: 00:24:01

This is what I usually preach

to my coaching clients.

380

: 00:24:05

I have struggled for so long in my life

about having connection with people,

381

: 00:24:10

and wanting to learn and grow, and

foster not only the relationships,

382

: 00:24:16

not only the confidence, not only

the determination that I'm setting

383

: 00:24:19

for myself, but for others, and you

are setting for me what I feel like

384

: 00:24:24

is the main point of doing this.

385

: 00:24:27

I want people to realize that there's not

just about what we see on the surface.

386

: 00:24:31

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

to say, meet a job description, or meet

387

: 00:24:36

the requirements that are listed on a

piece of paper, or online for that matter,

388

: 00:24:40

of what we need to do to become better.

389

: 00:24:43

It's about evolving, and seeing that

there's unlimited possibilities to the

390

: 00:24:48

different modalities that we have in our

lives, whether it is the technological

391

: 00:24:53

aspects of it, whether it's learning

a life skill, which I've done plenty

392

: 00:24:56

of episodes, Michael, on talking about

life skills and why it's important to

393

: 00:25:00

be able to measure twice cut once, like

those sort of things, but you saying

394

: 00:25:06

this really exemplifies the fact that

why, first off, this comes full circle

395

: 00:25:11

for you, because you've been able to

use the technological side that you've

396

: 00:25:15

developed, which was something that you

didn't learn initially, but bridge the

397

: 00:25:18

gap was something that you did learn, and

now create this awesome medium, I would

398

: 00:25:24

say, to help others and that's incredible.

399

: 00:25:26

I mean, do you feel a sense of pride

knowing that you've been able to

400

: 00:25:30

wrap this all together, because I

feel pretty proud of hearing you say

401

: 00:25:34

that, and what you've been able to

accomplish, but I think a lot of people

402

: 00:25:37

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

403

: 00:25:39

Oh, I just done that.

404

: 00:25:40

These don't add up to what you need

today.", and they don't think three

405

: 00:25:44

or fourth dimensionally when it comes

to how you can put these all together.

406

: 00:25:49

Michael: I think for me, the driving

force, it's kind of interesting, but when

407

: 00:25:52

I started as a podcaster, you know, I

think back 62 episodes, which isn't a lot

408

: 00:25:58

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

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

409

: 00:26:02

my wife, and we have adopted dog; lots of

things going on, but for me, at first I

410

: 00:26:07

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

411

: 00:26:09

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

celebrity chef on.", right, and what

412

: 00:26:13

I realized is it's not about that.

413

: 00:26:15

It's about empowering the guest.

414

: 00:26:18

It's about bringing somebody else on,

and making them feel great, and helping

415

: 00:26:23

them navigate through the technology and

the struggles, and the speaking piece,

416

: 00:26:27

and that's what really charges me up, and

makes me feel proud, is when I produce an

417

: 00:26:33

episode that someone comes back and says,

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

418

: 00:26:38

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

listened to it, or it's my family.

419

: 00:26:42

Oh my God.

420

: 00:26:43

I did not realize that my brother listens.

421

: 00:26:45

My sister listens.

422

: 00:26:46

My mom listens.

423

: 00:26:47

They never told me for months, and

I'm sitting there with imposter

424

: 00:26:51

syndrome thinking, "Oh my God.

425

: 00:26:52

They're going to hate this.

426

: 00:26:53

They're going to think it's ridiculous.

427

: 00:26:55

What the hell is he doing?",

right, but when they connected to

428

: 00:26:59

it, I just couldn't believe it.

429

: 00:27:01

I was like, "Wow.

430

: 00:27:03

This is a new way to

connect to my own family."

431

: 00:27:06

My mom listens to every episode.

432

: 00:27:08

My brother listens to every episode.

433

: 00:27:10

He did a sabbatical for school, right,

and he traveled to the Caribbean and

434

: 00:27:17

lived there for a year on a sailboat,

so now all of a sudden, I see the

435

: 00:27:21

Caribbean's listening to my podcast

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

436

: 00:27:24

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

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

437

: 00:27:30

brings me great joy and great pride.

438

: 00:27:32

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

and you're the same, Josh.

439

: 00:27:35

I could tell immediately

when we connected.

440

: 00:27:37

You are the same.

441

: 00:27:38

You are true and honest, and authentic.

442

: 00:27:41

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

but there are others that you hear about.

443

: 00:27:46

"It's this intimidating process."

444

: 00:27:48

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

445

: 00:27:49

I'm sorry, but it's really about

connecting, and I feel so proud because

446

: 00:27:55

I've made friends all over the world.

447

: 00:27:57

Our podcast is in 60 countries,

and I just couldn't believe it.

448

: 00:28:01

It's just going up, but the

relationships are in 60 countries.

449

: 00:28:06

You know what I'm saying?

450

: 00:28:07

It's not, "Oh.

451

: 00:28:08

I've got downloads and listeners."

452

: 00:28:09

No, it's the relationships.

453

: 00:28:12

It's when you meet a follower

that really gets it, right?

454

: 00:28:17

I mean, you know.

455

: 00:28:18

I have a friend in Indonesia, Chef

Gunawan, and oh my God, he's been

456

: 00:28:24

in Savoir magazine, which is this

incredible culinary arts magazine.

457

: 00:28:28

He's a judge for international pastry

competitions, and he's my friend,

458

: 00:28:32

and he wants to come on the podcast

again, and I told him you need to come

459

: 00:28:35

visit us in Seattle, and we have these

conversations and it's like, "Wow.

460

: 00:28:41

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

461

: 00:28:43

Joshua: You are striking something that

I even said to you before we started,

462

: 00:28:48

is that what started for me, and you

remember this, we had this conversation

463

: 00:28:52

too, and my listeners might not even know

this, but this was supposed to be a 90

464

: 00:28:57

day experiment to see if I could improve

my business, and I said that to you too.

465

: 00:29:02

I said, "I was going to

do this for my business."

466

: 00:29:04

That's all I was really wanting to do.

467

: 00:29:05

I just wanted to get more exposure

for myself, but what turned into a 90

468

: 00:29:09

day experiment has turned into over

a year now of doing this and it's-

469

: 00:29:14

Michael: Surprise!

470

: 00:29:15

Joshua: Yeah, I know.

471

: 00:29:15

I know, and it's because of people

like you that I have met along the

472

: 00:29:19

way, which I haven't met everybody

that I've been able to encounter,

473

: 00:29:24

but many of my earlier episodes were

because of Toastmasters, which you and

474

: 00:29:28

I have that common connection, which

my audience hasn't heard in a while.

475

: 00:29:30

Yay, Toastmasters!

476

: 00:29:32

Michael: Oh, totally.

477

: 00:29:33

Joshua: Yeah.

478

: 00:29:33

If you're new to Toastmasters, my

fellow listeners, please check out

479

: 00:29:36

what I have in the episode notes.

480

: 00:29:38

You will not be disappointed, especially

since Toastmasters is celebrating

481

: 00:29:41

its centennial anniversary this year.

482

: 00:29:44

Michael: That's right.

483

: 00:29:45

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

to like 20, 30 countries with what I have

484

: 00:29:50

as listeners, and these are just spots all

over the place, and I look at my numbers

485

: 00:29:54

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

0.1 percent of podcasts by not even close

486

: 00:30:00

a margin.", and I see these marketing

people that says, "Well, if you want to

487

: 00:30:04

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

488

: 00:30:06

Michael: There you go.

489

: 00:30:07

Joshua: "That's how you get

your exposure.", and I'm

490

: 00:30:08

like, "That's bullshit."

491

: 00:30:09

Michael: It is bullshit-

492

: 00:30:10

Joshua: This is what this is about is

that we can only get connections, Michael,

493

: 00:30:13

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

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

494

: 00:30:18

finally been able to tell the story of

who you are, and be able to have other

495

: 00:30:23

people learn a little bit about you, and

maybe go check out your 60 some episodes,

496

: 00:30:27

because each of those are about quality,

not about quantity, sir, but you make a

497

: 00:30:33

difference, and that's what's so important

about this, and really, this is where

498

: 00:30:37

it gets to the crux of the question.

499

: 00:30:38

I want to really ask you is what

about doing this- now you wrap in the

500

: 00:30:43

technology career, you wrap in your

chef career, now you're doing this.

501

: 00:30:48

What is the proudest moment of being able

to do what you've been doing right now?

502

: 00:30:53

I'm really am curious.

503

: 00:30:54

It's been on my mind for a longest

time, ever since before episode one,

504

: 00:30:58

when I recorded it, because there was

a motivation even for you, about a year

505

: 00:31:02

ago that we were talking about, and I

really am curious what you have to say.

506

: 00:31:08

Michael: Josh, there are so many things.

507

: 00:31:10

I am truly honored that you asked me

to do the voiceover for your podcast.

508

: 00:31:14

I remember you putting it out there,

and my friend Linda said, "Reach out.

509

: 00:31:18

She told me about this and I was like,

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

510

: 00:31:23

of people you were talking to, and you

came back to me and you said, "I really

511

: 00:31:25

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

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

512

: 00:31:29

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

but that's one for sure, but recently,

513

: 00:31:35

I will tell you there's a couple, and

I'll be really quick about this, but I

514

: 00:31:39

did an interview that was a referral.

515

: 00:31:42

You can get a lot of referrals.

516

: 00:31:43

I was interviewing a lavender farmer.

517

: 00:31:45

I loved her; Renee, oh my gosh, and

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

518

: 00:31:51

interview some of your people that you

connect with, and I'd love to tell one

519

: 00:31:55

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

need to talk to Kimberly Pearson.",

520

: 00:31:59

and Josh, if you haven't listened

to Kimberly Pearson, oh my gosh.

521

: 00:32:02

She was incredible, and here's why,

because first of all, I just connected

522

: 00:32:07

with her immediately, because my

aunt has celiac disease, and my aunt

523

: 00:32:11

Nancy, who I love so much, is like

one of my heroes in the world, because

524

: 00:32:16

she's always so positive about it.

525

: 00:32:17

She's always found a way to flip it

and say, "This is a good way to live

526

: 00:32:22

your life and you just have to think

differently.", and when I remembered that,

527

: 00:32:27

when I started the podcast, I reached out

to her and I said, "Do you know anyone

528

: 00:32:31

you would like me to interview around

celiac, and these tough, challenging

529

: 00:32:36

food challenges?", and she didn't

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

530

: 00:32:40

I kept searching and searching while I

was going along for two years, right,

531

: 00:32:44

and then, I got introduced to Kimberly.

532

: 00:32:46

Well, Kimberly went to cooking

school, so she's a chef, right?

533

: 00:32:50

She started her own bakery called Rocks

and Dirt Bakery out of Camino Island,

534

: 00:32:55

which is also in Washington state,

and I just fell in love with her,

535

: 00:33:00

because her passion is a lot like mine.

536

: 00:33:02

It's very aligned, but she was

so nervous coming on the podcast,

537

: 00:33:06

and she goes, "Why are you picking

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

538

: 00:33:10

You have this incredible story!

539

: 00:33:13

It's just incredible.

540

: 00:33:14

It's like you are doing these incredible

things to heal people and inspiring them

541

: 00:33:18

to think differently, how to bake, how to

cook, how to change their life, where they

542

: 00:33:23

can eat in a better way, and enjoy the

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

543

: 00:33:29

I think that would be one of my proudest

moments, because what happened was,

544

: 00:33:34

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

545

: 00:33:37

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

or somebody that she connected to, wanted

546

: 00:33:43

to post my podcast on their magazine

online, and they're a celiac magazine,

547

: 00:33:50

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

and she goes, "I just want to honor

548

: 00:33:54

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

that's the same philosophy I have, right?

549

: 00:33:58

It's all about honoring.

550

: 00:33:59

There's no hidden agenda.

551

: 00:34:02

I don't really give a shit

if I grow that much anymore.

552

: 00:34:06

What I care about is the connection.

553

: 00:34:08

What I care about is that maybe something

I do inspire somebody else, right?

554

: 00:34:14

Maybe something I do with this podcast,

help somebody in their career, help some

555

: 00:34:20

connection from one chef to another.

556

: 00:34:22

I dream of that.

557

: 00:34:23

I love that.

558

: 00:34:25

Am I monetizing?

559

: 00:34:26

A little bit, but barely.

560

: 00:34:28

I put a lot of money into the podcast,

right, but my proudest moment to circle

561

: 00:34:32

back is Kimberly, because I connected

with her and we connected quite a

562

: 00:34:37

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

563

: 00:34:41

Valerie, who I'll just give

a shout out to you, Valerie.

564

: 00:34:44

I love you, and you have supported me

for a long time, even though it was

565

: 00:34:48

indirect, but we reached out again

recently, and she's going to have

566

: 00:34:53

Kimberly in her celiac group, give a talk.

567

: 00:34:56

Joshua: Wow.

568

: 00:34:57

Michael: And she has a big Facebook

group, or some other support groups,

569

: 00:34:59

related to celiac and other types of

food challenges, and I might not have got

570

: 00:35:04

it specific, but Valerie is incredible.

571

: 00:35:06

She's been a Toastmaster for a long time.

572

: 00:35:08

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

just a life mentor for a lot of people,

573

: 00:35:14

but that whole circle of connections,

all because I dedicated that episode

574

: 00:35:19

to my aunt Nancy, and that was just a

random thing, and it just changed the

575

: 00:35:24

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

the mission of Voice4Chefs is to honor

576

: 00:35:31

the chef, the culinary artist, the person

that's connected to the chef, that in

577

: 00:35:36

some way, gives back to the community.

578

: 00:35:39

It's not about celebrity.

579

: 00:35:41

I mean, I've had a celebrity chef

on that gives back to the community.

580

: 00:35:44

It's amazing.

581

: 00:35:44

Chef Ed.

582

: 00:35:45

Oh my God.

583

: 00:35:46

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

status, right, and my other proudest

584

: 00:35:53

moment, which I'm hoping is going to

happen because for over two years, I've

585

: 00:35:58

been really wanting to have this chef

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

586

: 00:36:04

send you a clip, her YouTube TEDx talk.

587

: 00:36:06

It's brilliant.

588

: 00:36:07

I just watched it today before the

interview, because I was inspired,

589

: 00:36:10

but anyway, Melissa, she goes by Mel.

590

: 00:36:13

She runs a restaurant called Musang in

Seattle, and your listeners might've heard

591

: 00:36:19

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

what she did was really put Philippine

592

: 00:36:24

cuisine on the map in Seattle and

literally, I was dining at her restaurant,

593

: 00:36:30

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

594

: 00:36:31

She'd never been.

595

: 00:36:33

We're sitting at the bar,

because you can't get a table.

596

: 00:36:36

They have a small restaurant

is very community focused.

597

: 00:36:38

It's like a house, right,

cause she wanted it to be a

598

: 00:36:41

community, and not a restaurant.

599

: 00:36:42

It's all about the experience, and

connecting to culture, but, what was so

600

: 00:36:48

interesting is I have gone there several

times to try to meet her, and try to

601

: 00:36:52

connect with her, and it's really hard.

602

: 00:36:54

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

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

603

: 00:37:01

She's here."

604

: 00:37:02

Joshua: Wow.

605

: 00:37:02

Michael: And I was going to go walk

over to her, and she disappeared, and

606

: 00:37:06

we finished up her meal, and I said,

"Carrie, I need to see if I can find

607

: 00:37:10

her.", and I walked towards the kitchen,

and then it turned around, and I'm

608

: 00:37:14

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

at the bar, like right behind helping

609

: 00:37:21

a server, and I turned around and I

said, "Are you Melissa Miranda?", and

610

: 00:37:25

she looks at me, and she smiles, and

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

611

: 00:37:27

I said, "You're not going to believe

this.", and I told her a story about

612

: 00:37:30

Voice4Chefs, and she looks at me and

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

613

: 00:37:35

Joshua: Wow.

614

: 00:37:36

Michael: And I went, "Wow."

615

: 00:37:37

Now, the rest of the story is that

her pipes just burst, because we had a

616

: 00:37:43

cold freeze, so they had to close the

restaurant down, but she looked at me,

617

: 00:37:47

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

think I'm going to have some downtime, so

618

: 00:37:51

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

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

619

: 00:37:55

to happen, but really, that's my proudest

moment, cause I've been really wanting

620

: 00:38:00

to share her story, and not because she's

a celebrity, she is, but because she has

621

: 00:38:07

a truly amazing story, and she gave a

TEDx talk that will bring you to tears.

622

: 00:38:12

I guarantee it.

623

: 00:38:13

Absolutely guarantee it.

624

: 00:38:15

Joshua: For my listeners, I'll have

Michael send that to me, and it

625

: 00:38:18

will be in the episode notes so you

can take a listen to it, watch it,

626

: 00:38:22

and I will definitely watch it too.

627

: 00:38:23

I'll give you my feedback privately, of

course, but Michael, we're pretty much

628

: 00:38:27

at the end of time, but I want to give

you the last few minutes to pitch your

629

: 00:38:32

podcast of where people can access it.

630

: 00:38:34

Maybe people are interested in

learning a little bit about you too.

631

: 00:38:37

Maybe they want to reach out to you,

and have some conversation about your

632

: 00:38:40

career, and how you ended up doing

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

633

: 00:38:44

the last few minutes, and then I have

some things I want to say before we

634

: 00:38:46

wrap up to you, directly, so go ahead.

635

: 00:38:49

Michael: Okay, great.

636

: 00:38:51

Well, the podcast started

,: 2020

637

: 00:38:56

Governor Jay Inslee, in Seattle, like

many places around the world, shut

638

: 00:39:00

down all restaurants for over two

weeks, so people lost their jobs.

639

: 00:39:06

Chefs lost their careers, and I

woke up one day with the idea that

640

: 00:39:12

I wanted to give chefs a voice.

641

: 00:39:15

It took me several months to figure all

this out, and what happened was I came up

642

: 00:39:21

with the concept, with help from several

others, of Voice4Chefs, and so that name

643

: 00:39:28

stuck, and that became the podcast is

giving chefs a voice, and so the idea

644

: 00:39:35

was I was going to interview chefs.

645

: 00:39:38

I was going to review people around

or connected to chefs, and it

646

: 00:39:42

started out, if you can believe it,

I literally called restaurants in

647

: 00:39:47

Seattle and when I called them, I'm

like, "Can I speak with your manager?"

648

: 00:39:53

"Well, why?"

649

: 00:39:53

"Well, I'm starting this podcast.

650

: 00:39:55

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

and so what happened was, they would wait.

651

: 00:40:02

They get back to me in a week and it

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

652

: 00:40:05

on, but then one day, I went to this

amazing class and with a Toastmaster named

653

: 00:40:11

Nancy Judden, and Nancy is incredible.

654

: 00:40:15

She wrote a book called Bye Bye Boring

Bio, and it's all about guest podcasting,

655

: 00:40:21

and getting on shows, and marketing your

product, or your business, or your voice,

656

: 00:40:26

your message, and I was so inspired.

657

: 00:40:29

I did a week long seminar with her,

and then, I was on Clubhouse, and

658

: 00:40:35

Clubhouse is an audio only app.

659

: 00:40:37

It's been around for a few years.

660

: 00:40:39

When I got on Clubhouse, I

fell in love with the idea,

661

: 00:40:44

but I didn't want to speak up.

662

: 00:40:45

I didn't want to talk, because you

have conversations on clubhouse.

663

: 00:40:48

People invite you to speak.

664

: 00:40:50

It's like a mini podcast, so what

happened was I met this incredible chef

665

: 00:40:54

who's a Michelin trained chef named

Chef Mimi, and Chef Mimi introduced

666

: 00:40:59

me to Food As Religion, and Food

As Religion is a club on Clubhouse

667

: 00:41:04

that started with 5,200 members.

668

: 00:41:06

I became an officer and helped

grow it to 8,200 members within

669

: 00:41:10

a year and a half I think.

670

: 00:41:12

I was part of this group.

671

: 00:41:14

I won't take the credit for it.

672

: 00:41:15

I really believe Chef Mimi, the

co-founder, and many others, but it

673

: 00:41:20

helped me grow my podcast, so I went

from five countries, to 20 countries,

674

: 00:41:24

to 30 countries, to 40, to 50, to

60, and started gathering listeners

675

: 00:41:30

and connections around the world.

676

: 00:41:32

What was amazing about it though,

was that I met incredible chefs from

677

: 00:41:36

around the world, so instead of calling

Seattle, I'm now connecting to Australia.

678

: 00:41:41

I'm connecting to India, and places

all across the U.S, and so Voice4Chefs

679

: 00:41:48

is really now a global podcast with

incredible stories from really caring,

680

: 00:41:55

giving chefs that give back to the

community, and I just think that

681

: 00:42:00

that's something that I would love your

listeners to check out and listen to.

682

: 00:42:05

One person I want to give a shout

out to is Chef Maria Campbell,

683

: 00:42:08

who is a chef out of Philadelphia,

on your side of the country.

684

: 00:42:13

I'm in Seattle.

685

: 00:42:14

Joshua: Yep.

686

: 00:42:15

My side.

687

: 00:42:15

Yep.

688

: 00:42:16

Michael: Well, chef Maria Campbell runs

a nonprofit called Cooks Do Care, and

689

: 00:42:21

this really resonated with me, because

all the funding from her nonprofit goes

690

: 00:42:26

to support people with mental health

challenges in the hospitality industry,

691

: 00:42:30

and she created this incredible cookbook,

and fundraised over $25,000; I think

692

: 00:42:37

probably more at this point, but she

really inspired me, and her story is

693

: 00:42:43

there, and I have so many great stories.

694

: 00:42:45

I have entertaining stories,

heartwarming stories.

695

: 00:42:50

Chef Andy Larusso; he's a singing chef.

696

: 00:42:53

He sings and cooks Italian.

697

: 00:42:55

He's an epic recording artist and a

chef, and he's traveled all over the

698

: 00:42:59

world in big casinos doing huge dinner

presentations, and he's my friend and

699

: 00:43:06

he's my biggest follower, and then when I

interviewed him, he was a celebrity chef.

700

: 00:43:11

He was on the Donny and

Marie Show back in the day.

701

: 00:43:14

He was friends with them, and when I

interviewed him, he was my first celebrity

702

: 00:43:17

and I was nervous, right, but not anymore.

703

: 00:43:20

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

then we became really good friends.

704

: 00:43:25

He sung for my wife and her birthday

party, so those kinds of things are part

705

: 00:43:31

of the culture of voice for chefs, and to

find us, I'm on Instagram @Voice4Chefs.

706

: 00:43:39

Now, remember too, it's voice,

the number four, chefs, not

707

: 00:43:43

FOR, but the number four, chefs.

708

: 00:43:46

I have a website, just voice4chefs.com.

709

: 00:43:49

I have a private Facebook group that you

can belong to, but the most important

710

: 00:43:54

thing I want to share is reach out to me.

711

: 00:43:57

I'd love to have a conversation.

712

: 00:43:59

If this is something you're curious about.

713

: 00:44:01

If you know someone that would be a

great guest with a great story, I invite

714

: 00:44:06

them, but reach out and communicate,

but let me know who you are when

715

: 00:44:11

you do, and where you heard about

this, from Speaking From The Heart.

716

: 00:44:17

Joshua: Michael, I have to tell you,

as somebody that has a voice for chefs,

717

: 00:44:22

you also had a voice for a coach that

didn't know what the hell he was doing.

718

: 00:44:26

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

this world that I never thought I had,

719

: 00:44:33

because of some of the starting techniques

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

720

: 00:44:38

probably wouldn't have been figuring out

a whole community that I could belong to-

721

: 00:44:43

Michael: I love that.

722

: 00:44:43

Joshua: That some really silly

questions that probably made no sense

723

: 00:44:47

whatsoever to me, but made a lot of

sense to others that were struggling.

724

: 00:44:50

You helped me with getting the intro and

outro out with this podcast, which debuted

725

: 00:44:56

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

I'm actually been talking with Michael.

726

: 00:45:01

We haven't really finalized it at this

point yet, about trying to get a new

727

: 00:45:04

intro/outro that would include Michael

again, because his voice is also part of

728

: 00:45:10

the reason why Speaking From The Heart

really exists, but with all those things,

729

: 00:45:15

what is really, truly important to me is

that you have this intentionality about

730

: 00:45:20

wanting to help others, and my goodness,

that heart that you have goes so deep,

731

: 00:45:25

and you don't ask for anything in return.

732

: 00:45:28

I remember having this conversation

like, "Let me pay you for this

733

: 00:45:31

and what you're doing for me.",

and you're like, "Absolutely not.

734

: 00:45:33

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

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

735

: 00:45:37

promise to you that I will, and I put

that here on the record because, in one

736

: 00:45:41

way or another, I think that we all have

this wanting to give, and that's what

737

: 00:45:46

this is about, but I think that when

we are looking at the bigger picture

738

: 00:45:51

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

looking at the chefs and helping them,

739

: 00:45:56

which there is such a pandemic when it

comes to mental health with chefs, and

740

: 00:46:00

I think that you're doing some important

work with that, and I encourage you to

741

: 00:46:04

continue doing that and keep growing

that, but more importantly, Michael.

742

: 00:46:09

It wasn't for you, there would

be no Speaking From The Heart.

743

: 00:46:12

I deeply mean that.

744

: 00:46:14

I think that-

745

: 00:46:14

Michael: Aw Josh.

746

: 00:46:15

Joshua: I think that.

747

: 00:46:15

I think that people would not be

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

748

: 00:46:19

people reach out to me saying, "Who's

this guy that does your intro outro?

749

: 00:46:24

He sounds so good.", and at the same

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

750

: 00:46:29

My life's been changed because of the

stories that you've had on the show.

751

: 00:46:33

I really appreciate that too.", and

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

752

: 00:46:37

friend, Michael, it also would have never

happened.", so for all those reasons,

753

: 00:46:41

you are the legitimate and pivotal

voice of this whole entire process.

754

: 00:46:46

For all those reasons, Michael, thanks for

being on Speaking From The Heart today.

755

: 00:46:49

It was not only just a privilege, but for

you to be part of this experience with me,

756

: 00:46:56

words will never be able to express that.

757

: 00:46:59

Michael: And we're Toastmasters.

758

: 00:47:01

Joshua: Yay, Toastmasters!

759

: 00:47:02

Michael: I mean, we're Toastmasters.

760

: 00:47:05

We should be able to express it in

words, but sometimes when it comes to

761

: 00:47:09

that kind of emotion, it's really tough.

762

: 00:47:12

Joshua: Absolutely, and I think that we

work on that technique, nevertheless, but

763

: 00:47:16

for all those reasons, thank you so much.

764

: 00:47:18

It was really a privilege

to have you on the show.

765

: 00:47:21

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

such an honor, and it's so great

766

: 00:47:24

to see this show become successful.

767

: 00:47:28

Joshua: Again, I really want to thank

Michael so much for just being part

768

: 00:47:32

of this show, and always being part of

this show if you really look at it from

769

: 00:47:36

that perspective, and providing so much

information for me starting out, learning

770

: 00:47:41

about how to podcast, learning how to be

able to grow, and the guests that we'll

771

: 00:47:45

have even go above and beyond what I'm

even sharing with you today, and I'm

772

: 00:47:50

really excited to be sharing with all of

you what those remaining individuals are,

773

: 00:47:54

but at this time, I just want to thank

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

774

: 00:47:59

able to help out, to be able to learn

and grow in this industry, and although

775

: 00:48:04

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

more people that I want to reach, I know

776

: 00:48:08

that he's been instrumental with his

voice to be able to have another voice on

777

: 00:48:12

Speaking From The Heart, but I will also

put a couple links into the episode notes

778

: 00:48:18

that he referenced today that will also

help you with some context that he shared.

779

: 00:48:23

The first thing is being Melissa's

TEDx talk which he talked

780

: 00:48:26

about Melissa during the show.

781

: 00:48:28

I'll leave a link in there

in which she did a TEDx talk

782

: 00:48:30

called, "Building Resilience and

Community In The Service Industry."

783

: 00:48:34

I'll leave that in the notes, and also

we'll put a link into a very meaningful

784

: 00:48:39

fundraising effort called Cook Who

Care, so if you're interested in taking

785

: 00:48:43

a look at either one of those, those

will be available as well, but let's

786

: 00:48:47

even dig into the fact that Michael

brings a perspective to the restaurant

787

: 00:48:51

industry that needs to be heard.

788

: 00:48:54

People that work in that industry

do thankless jobs, and I know that

789

: 00:48:58

there's plenty of opportunity, in viral

sensation videos, in which people are

790

: 00:49:03

tipping, and they are giving people that

recognition, but it's not simply enough.

791

: 00:49:08

Sure, there are people that are terrible,

and they do not do their service that

792

: 00:49:12

they should, and they, in themselves,

need to check out why they are not doing

793

: 00:49:18

the level of service that they should

be doing, but if you really think about

794

: 00:49:22

it, and we peel back all the onions,

all the oranges, and all the sautéing

795

: 00:49:27

of the peas, you start to realize that

there's bigger areas that we need to

796

: 00:49:31

focus on when it comes to the mental

health crisis that even affects cooks,

797

: 00:49:36

managers, and the associated individuals.

798

: 00:49:40

I love Michael's mission.

799

: 00:49:41

It's really to help give them that voice,

which speaks to even what I'm doing here,

800

: 00:49:47

to give people that voice, to be able

to help others achieve the best versions

801

: 00:49:52

of themselves, the ultimate mission as

to the reason why we started this in the

802

: 00:49:56

first place, but that age old question

about what is on your heart, going all

803

: 00:50:02

the way back to episode two, the very

debut of Michael himself, too, on this

804

: 00:50:06

show, really goes back to the fact that

we need to be able to learn and grow in

805

: 00:50:11

a variety of different perspectives, and

here's yet another perspective as to why

806

: 00:50:15

self development, business development,

all these tools that coaches provide,

807

: 00:50:20

are so important for the overall growth

and the furtherance of moving ourselves

808

: 00:50:25

forward, but the passion of cooking, it's

something that goes back ages and ages,

809

: 00:50:32

all the way back to human civilizations

first starting out, because if it wasn't

810

: 00:50:37

for cooking, if it wasn't for that

pastime, if it wasn't for the creativity

811

: 00:50:41

that we can have by using various

ingredients, various spices, various types

812

: 00:50:47

of sauteing methods, cooking methods for

that matter, it wouldn't be able to have

813

: 00:50:52

the effect, the industry wide trending,

that it has today, but burnout, just

814

: 00:50:59

like we've had in one of our most recent

episodes featuring Simon Rinne, certainly

815

: 00:51:04

exemplifies, yet again, they exist, and

not only in these areas, but in areas

816

: 00:51:09

in which we might often not think about.

817

: 00:51:13

Do you often feel that your life

comes full circle as a result?

818

: 00:51:17

To be able to have interactions

with people so that they don't

819

: 00:51:20

have to live in that area anymore?

820

: 00:51:22

Let's face it.

821

: 00:51:24

Michael took a big risk.

822

: 00:51:25

He stepped out of his comfort zone, and

he was able to help with a variety of

823

: 00:51:29

different areas, using his tech skills,

to be able to not only reinforce his

824

: 00:51:33

hard skills, but the soft skills that

come alongside of it, and yet, here we

825

: 00:51:37

are again, talking about Toastmasters.

826

: 00:51:40

It's the universal circle in my life

that keeps on coming back around,

827

: 00:51:44

and it should be a good indicator

for you of how you can keep moving

828

: 00:51:48

forward, because what motivates you?

829

: 00:51:52

In Michael's case, what motivates

you to connect with your audience?

830

: 00:51:55

To engage with them?

831

: 00:51:57

Who is really listening

to your own content?

832

: 00:52:01

What is really needed for that

content to be able to push forward

833

: 00:52:05

the agenda that you're trying to

have, because, there's a right agenda,

834

: 00:52:10

but also a wrong agenda as well.

835

: 00:52:14

Is it about reach?

836

: 00:52:15

Is it simply about doing a 90 day

experiment to see if it even works,

837

: 00:52:20

because let's face it, I know somebody

that did that for their podcast, and

838

: 00:52:25

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

839

: 00:52:29

What turned into what was really a 90 day

experiment became so much more for me.

840

: 00:52:34

It became so much more for my guests.

841

: 00:52:36

It's become so much more for my

clients, which I refer to them these

842

: 00:52:39

episodes, but really, it's not about

the selfish aspect of being able to

843

: 00:52:44

do this, or even putting this out

there, that really counts the most.

844

: 00:52:49

It's about helping others, without

any sort of recognition, without

845

: 00:52:53

any sort of payback, because that's

not what I'm really looking for.

846

: 00:52:58

Of course it would be really great

to grab a client or two, or make

847

: 00:53:01

a quick dollar, but we all know

that that isn't what this is about.

848

: 00:53:06

It isn't about the money.

849

: 00:53:08

It isn't about the fame or the fortune.

850

: 00:53:10

It's about helping others, and flipping

the script, on what really is what

851

: 00:53:15

is on your heart, because if you can

relate to the engagement today of what

852

: 00:53:20

Michael and I had, which we have not

talked in person like this for quite

853

: 00:53:25

a long time, up until this interview.

854

: 00:53:27

If it shows you today that you can have

this kind of content development in your

855

: 00:53:32

life with somebody, without even knowing

them very well until just this very

856

: 00:53:36

moment, then maybe you need to re examine

who you're surrounding yourself with.

857

: 00:53:43

As a matter of fact,

let's ask this question.

858

: 00:53:47

Do you have a Kimberly, just as what

Michael even talked about today, that

859

: 00:53:51

just help you, even if you think that

they don't help in the first place?

860

: 00:53:56

Would you be excited for more of a 10 cent

raise, or even opening a chef position

861

: 00:54:02

at a resort, or being able to mentor some

of the most world class chefs because

862

: 00:54:08

of your knowledge skills and abilities?

863

: 00:54:11

I don't know about you, but the fame

and the fortune of a ten cent raise

864

: 00:54:15

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

out to be anymore, and probably for

865

: 00:54:19

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

happening with the snap of the fingers.

866

: 00:54:24

It takes consistency.

867

: 00:54:26

It takes building a

network of relationships.

868

: 00:54:29

It means gaining confidence in your trade.

869

: 00:54:32

Connecting with things that you

might have never connected before,

870

: 00:54:35

in terms of the dots, but oh yes, as

you always have heard, it's about the

871

: 00:54:41

determination, just as what Michael

says every time he opens the show

872

: 00:54:45

for me that really counts the most.

873

: 00:54:49

You have to stay determined, especially

in this ever changing world, even for

874

: 00:54:53

the world of chefs, to be able to have

a voice, to be able to break out of just

875

: 00:54:59

peeling onions, being able to manage a

kitchen, being able to get your steak well

876

: 00:55:04

done, but more importantly, being served

a world class meal of epic proportions,

877

: 00:55:11

and that meal consists of opportunities

that you never thought of before.

878

: 00:55:17

I don't know where you are in

your life today, and whether this

879

: 00:55:20

episode goes full circle for you.

880

: 00:55:22

Maybe these are the things that you

needed to hear from Michael and I's

881

: 00:55:25

conversation, but the thing is, you

can have the skills, you can have the

882

: 00:55:31

motivation, you can have the ability to

have other people listen to your content,

883

: 00:55:35

even if you try it out for 90 days.

884

: 00:55:39

You have to just start somewhere today,

and Michael did that over thirty some

885

: 00:55:43

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

886

: 00:55:45

He's gotten so far, and I know that

for you, my listeners, it's not

887

: 00:55:51

just following those footsteps.

888

: 00:55:53

It's not just about being

mentored by the right people.

889

: 00:55:57

It's not just about cooking the

right meal for somebody else.

890

: 00:56:01

It's about really helping others to

navigate, especially with the interests

891

: 00:56:05

that we have, to find the path in which

they can be unlocked, to not only see

892

: 00:56:10

their true potential, but to be able

to mentor somebody that will help you

893

: 00:56:16

follow their footsteps in the future.

894

: 00:56:19

That is the ultimate reward, and

the ultimate opportunity for you,

895

: 00:56:25

if you're willing to do it, and

I know you can, if you just try.

896

: 00:56:30

Again, I'm going turn it over to Michael

as we wrap up here at the end, as I

897

: 00:56:34

always do, but from the bottom of my

heart, Michael, as you listen to this

898

: 00:56:38

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

899

: 00:56:41

You have no idea from the bottom of my

heart what it has meant for you to open

900

: 00:56:46

and end my show, but more importantly, the

friendships that I've gained through this

901

: 00:56:51

podcast, are ever enduring because of you.

902

: 00:56:55

Thanks for listening to episode

number 121 of Speaking From the

903

: 00:56:59

Heart, and I look forward to

hearing from your heart very soon.

904

: 00:57:04

Outro: Thanks for listening.

905

: 00:57:05

For more information about our podcast

and future shows, search for Speaking From

906

: 00:57:10

The Heart to subscribe and be notified

wherever you listen to your podcasts.

907

: 00:57:14

Visit us at www.yourspeakingvoice.biz

for more information about potential

908

: 00:57:21

services that can help you create

the best version of yourself.

909

: 00:57:25

See you next time.