Mick Unplugged

Your next difficult conversation may not need a stronger argument. It may need a better question. In this episode of Mick Unplugged, Mick sits down with his coach, Derek Gaunt, for a personal conversation about the communication skills that changed how Mick leads, negotiates, and approaches conflict. Derek draws on his law-enforcement and hostage-negotiation experience to explain tactical empathy: recognizing another person's perspective without having to agree with it. He breaks down why explaining too early creates resistance, how tone affects a conversation, and why an objection can point to a concern that has not yet been spoken aloud. Mick shares how asking what success looked like to a client uncovered a need he had missed. Derek also discusses the practical ideas behind Fight Less, Win More, the role of curiosity, and why difficult conversations often deserve a phone call instead of another long email. The conversation closes with lessons on coachability, silence, trust, and staying grounded under pressure. In this episode Why acknowledging a perspective is different from agreeing with it. How listening helps uncover the information missing from your assumptions. Why you should ask what success looks like before deciding what someone needs. What a hostage-negotiation training exercise reveals about tone and pressure. How unaddressed concerns can resurface after an agreement. Why Derek encourages live conversation for sensitive back-and-forth discussions. What coachability looks like when someone is already successful. How silence creates space to learn. Takeaways Before your next difficult conversation, replace one assumption with a question. Listen to the answer before preparing your response. Follow Mick Unplugged for more conversations about the because behind how we live, lead, and grow. Chapters 00:00 Meet Derek Gaunt, Mick's coach 03:29 The Because: sharing the gift of communication 05:25 Derek's journey in law enforcement 11:33 The Unplugged Truth: see their perspective 16:44 What does success look like? 19:41 The warning signs you should not ignore 21:45 Hot Takes: tone and pressure in negotiation 28:09 Find the concern beneath the objection 31:05 Why the conversation needs a phone call 35:05 Fight Less, Win More 39:08 The Room: a conversation that changed Derek's path 41:30 What Derek looks for in someone he coaches 45:05 When the skills change your personal life 48:12 The Unplugged Five 53:00 Silence as a negotiation tool 54:17 Trust, training, and final lessons 56:43 Closing Connect & Discover: Instagram: @derekmgaunt LinkedIn: @derek-gaunt-2943a824 Website: The Black Swan Group Book: Fight Less, Win More: How Master Negotiators Influence Hearts, Minds and Deals Clip: 60 Seconds or She Dies FOLLOW MICK ON: Spotify: MickUnplugged Instagram: @mickunplugged Facebook: @mickunpluggedYouTube: @MickUnpluggedPodcast LinkedIn: @mickhunt Website: MickHuntOfficial.com Website: howtobeagoodleader.com Website: Leadloudseries.com Apple: MickUnplugged Book: How to be A Good Leader When You’ve Never Had One #MickUnplugged #Leadership #Podcast #DerekGaunt #Negotiation

This Monday on Mick Unplugged, we’re revisiting Mick Hunt’s conversation with David Pollack about standards, faith, leadership, and the work behind personal growth. David shares how mentorship and his experiences in football shaped the way he approaches challenges, leads others, and keeps growing. Mick and David explore the “50-40-10” principle, why preparation and consistent effort matter, and what it means to hold your standards when your feelings pull you in another direction. Whether you’re hearing this conversation for the first time or returning for another listen, consider where you can put one of these lessons into practice this week. This is a re-release of a previously recorded episode. In this conversation: Choosing standards over feelings. The role of preparation and effort in the “50-40-10” philosophy. Leadership built on care, influence, and understanding the people you lead. How an invitation and a mentor helped shape David’s faith journey. Adapting through challenges and learning from setbacks. Reflection: Where are you letting a temporary feeling make a decision that should be guided by a lasting standard? Follow Mick Unplugged for more conversations about purpose, leadership, and your because. Share this episode with someone who could use it this week. Connect & Discover David Pollack: Instagram: @davidpollack47 Facebook: @PollackFF X: @davidpollack47 YouTube: @DavidPollackCFB Website: davidpollack.com Podcast: See Ball Get Ball with David Pollack FOLLOW MICK ON: Spotify: MickUnplugged Instagram: @mickunplugged Facebook: @mickunpluggedYouTube: @MickUnpluggedPodcast LinkedIn: @mickhunt Website: MickHuntOfficial.com Website: howtobeagoodleader.com Website: Leadloudseries.com Apple: MickUnplugged Book: How to be A Good Leader When You’ve Never Had One #MickUnplugged #Leadership #Podcast

What happens when you get the house, the car and the things you thought would make you happy, then realize your real dream was already at home? Ms. Pat joins Mick Hunt for a funny, candid conversation about family, authenticity and defining success for yourself. Discussing her memoir, Ms. American Dream, she explains why happiness has no price tag, how she prepared for Hollywood when she did not know the language, and why she thinks of fame as a job rather than an identity. They also explore the money lessons she wants younger generations to learn, the podcast appearances that helped open doors, and the legacy she hopes to leave: keep going and never let someone else tell you who you are. Explicit language. Discussion includes personal experiences with debt and credit, not individualized financial advice. Ms. Pat's purpose is bigger than getting a laugh. She wants people to know that their hardest experiences do not have to hold them down forever. In this episode: The Because: laughter, survival and moving forward after difficult experiences. The Unplugged Truth: why material success did not define her American dream. What home, family and being Patricia mean to her. Preparing for a table read through practice instead of pretending she already knew everything. Why treating people well matters more to her than acting famous. Hot Takes: the credit, interest-rate and saving lessons she shares with family and friends. The Room: trusting her instincts about podcasts before Hollywood called. The Unplugged Five: food, Atlanta, comedy and the legacy of never giving up. Connect & Discover Ms Pat: Instagram: @comediannemspat Facebook: @mspatcomedy TikTok: @comediannemspat YouTube: @MsPat X: @MsPat Website: mspatcomedy.com Book: Ms. American Dream: A Memoir of Making It No Matter What FOLLOW MICK ON: Spotify: MickUnplugged Instagram: @mickunplugged Facebook: @mickunpluggedYouTube: @MickUnpluggedPodcast LinkedIn: @mickhunt Website: MickHuntOfficial.com Website: howtobeagoodleader.com Website: Leadloudseries.com Apple: MickUnplugged

Normal gets normal results. What would happen if you stopped copying your industry and started creating an experience people could not stop talking about? In this Mick Unplugged re-release, Mick Hunt sits down with Jesse Cole for a practical conversation about building a fans-first business. Jesse shares how joy, memorable moments, and a willingness to try what others will not can change the way customers and employees experience your brand. The conversation goes beyond the show on the field. Jesse explains how his team looks for customer friction, why values matter most when they cost you something, and how storytelling keeps a growing organization aligned. He recounts a ticket-email mistake and the decision to make it right, even at what he describes as a $6 million cost to the company. You will also hear why failure can be treated as discovery, how gratitude helps create fans, and why great leaders keep teaching, repeating, and getting their reps in. If you lead a team, serve customers, or are building something of your own, this conversation will challenge you to stop settling for ordinary. This is a re-release of an archival conversation. References to team counts, tours, ticket demand, and projects reflect the time of recording. The big idea Being different is not the goal by itself. Creating an experience people remember, talk about, and want to share is the goal. Jesse Cole explains how he uses that distinction to lead, generate ideas, and build a fans-first culture. In this episode - Jesse's deeper purpose: bringing people together through joy. - Why copying the normal practices of an industry tends to produce normal results. - How to identify friction in everyday customer interactions, from invoices to the live experience. - The "you wouldn't believe" test for a memorable moment. - Why a company's values need to show up in decisions, not just on the wall. - Jesse's account of an email mistake and a costly ticket commitment. - How repeated stories and team recognition reinforce culture. - Why watching customer behavior can reveal more than asking for opinions. - The setbacks behind ambitious ideas and the discipline of continuing to improve. - Gratitude as a daily practice for leaders, employees, and customers. - Why great leaders teach, repeat, and practice communicating. Put it into practice Choose one ordinary interaction in your business. Find the friction. Write down three ways to make the experience more useful, surprising, or memorable. Then thank one person who has helped you build what you have. Chapters 00:00 Why this conversation is a business masterclass 00:40 Welcome to Mick Unplugged 01:39 Jesse's because: bringing people together with joy 03:38 Bring the energy and make moments matter 04:23 Why normal gets normal results 07:51 Find the friction and create memorable experiences 09:50 Making fans-first values real 10:13 The ticket mistake and the cost of doing right 13:13 Storytelling and a culture that scales 15:26 Reinvention without losing your direction 16:19 Build the best experience and watch your fans 18:53 The setbacks behind the show 21:17 Inspiration, energy, and doing hard things 22:41 Gratitude and creating fans 24:28 Great leaders teach and get their reps in 26:53 Creativity, speaking, and sharing the journey 29:36 Quick questions: yellow tuxes, big moments, and lessons 31:21 The daily creativity routine 31:51 Jesse's message about legacy 33:13 Your because is your superpower Connect & Discover Jesse Cole: Instagram: @yellowtuxjesse LinkedIn: @yellowtuxjesse Facebook: @jesse.cole.129 TikTok: @yellowtuxjesse YouTube: @yellowtuxjesse Website: findyouryellowtux.com Savannah Bananas: thesavannahbananas.com Non-Profit: bananasfoster.org Books: Fans First Banana Ball Find Your Yellow Tux FOLLOW MICK ON: Spotify: MickUnplugged Instagram: @mickunplugged Facebook: @mickunpluggedYouTube: @MickUnpluggedPodcast LinkedIn: @mickhunt Website: MickHuntOfficial.com Website: howtobeagoodleader.com Website: Leadloudseries.com Apple: MickUnplugged #mickunplugged #jessecole #thesavannahbananas #fansfirst #leadership

In this episode of Mick Unplugged, Justin, The Real Food Stalker, sits down with Mick Hunt and unpacks the unglamorous work behind a following that grew without a single negative review. He started Food Stalker in 2010 with nothing but photos and a habit of asking waiters what the next table ordered. He did not eat on camera until 2021, when his kids told him he made food look too good not to. He paid for every meal himself long before a brand ever called. Mick opens up about his own start, too. When he was still a LinkedIn-only guy two and a half years ago, Justin was the first account he followed on Instagram, and watching Justin be unapologetically himself is what convinced Mick he did not have to perform to show up online. The conversation runs from microwave burgers to a lost footrace to a sister who brought home teriyaki wings and accidentally created a food critic. But the through line is simple and it applies far past food: you do not have to be the most talented person in the room. You have to be the one who keeps showing up. IN THIS EPISODE Why Justin never posts food he does not like How Food Stalker started in 2010 and became a camera habit in 2021 Why consistency beats talent in every arena The phone-and-CapCut workflow behind every video The three thousand dollar camera he never used How the AJC writing opportunity changed the way he describes food Why honesty and negativity are not the same thing The sister whose leftovers built his palate What brands get wrong when they buy three videos instead of a partner Why he says he has people, not fans or followers CHAPTERS 00:00 Introduction 00:55 How Justin got Mick on Instagram 03:10 The Because 03:50 Why he only shows food he likes 05:20 From 2010 photos to eating on camera 06:49 The Unplugged Truth 07:21 Consistency is everything 09:48 Fans, followers, or your people 09:51 The gear: phones, CapCut and one take 13:07 Writing for the AJC 17:40 Hot Takes 17:57 The microwave burger debate 21:42 The race he lost to his nephew 27:02 The Room 27:26 The sister who changed his taste buds 29:55 Vegan mac and cheese 33:03 How Mick Unplugged started 36:48 The Unplugged Five 43:29 What Justin wants the world to know 46:36 Where to follow Justin 48:05 Closing Connect & Discover Justin Brown: Instagram: @therealfoodstalker Facebook: @The-Real-Food-Stalker TikTok: @therealfoodstalker YouTube: @therealfoodstalker LinkedIn: @justintherealfoodstalker FOLLOW MICK ON: Spotify: MickUnplugged Instagram: @mickunplugged Facebook: @mickunpluggedYouTube: @MickUnpluggedPodcast LinkedIn: @mickhunt Website: MickHuntOfficial.com Website: howtobeagoodleader.com Website: Leadloudseries.com Apple: MickUnplugged