Mick Unplugged

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

What if the problem is not your content, your reach, or the algorithm? What if the real problem is that you are trying to be social instead of becoming unmistakably yourself? In this Mick Unplugged re-release, Mick Hunt sits down with Gary Vaynerchuk, known worldwide as Gary Vee, for a direct conversation about interest media, authentic personal branding, accountability, gratitude, and the discipline required to build something that lasts. Gary explains why intent matters more than tactics, why audiences can sense when a creator is only trying to sell, and why the only niche no one else can copy is you. He also shares how staying close to culture helps him see shifts before they become obvious, why blaming other people keeps us stuck, and why winning should make us more compassionate, not more bitter. This is not a conversation about shortcuts. It is a reminder to get back in the trenches, live within your values, protect your energy, and take responsibility for the life and work you want to build. Note: This episode contains explicit language. In this episode, you will learn: - Why social platforms are increasingly organized around interests instead of existing social connections - Why genuine intent can matter more than a perfect content strategy - How staying close to culture helps Gary form original points of view - Why the only truly defensible personal-brand niche is being fully yourself - How accountability changes your relationship with money, work, and opportunity - Why limiting negative inputs can help you rebuild your energy - How to respond when people close to you struggle with your success - Why Gary believes collecting and live social shopping will keep growing Chapters 00:00 Interest media and the conversation ahead 00:30 Gary Vee joins Mick 02:52 Gary's deeper purpose and the power of gratitude 05:36 Consistency through cultural and political change 08:32 Why intent matters more than the transaction 10:56 Measuring 45 times before cutting once 14:29 The more you become yourself, the more you win 16:19 Personal brand, garage sales, and serving people at every level 18:21 From social media to interest media 23:05 Remote work, entitlement, and changing expectations 27:09 Money choices, humility, and personal accountability 28:56 When you need to move your feet 29:19 Protecting your energy from negative inputs 33:07 Compassion for the people who boo your success 34:46 Gary's vision for VeeFriends and collectibles 38:16 The VeeFriends quiz and closing challenge Connect & Discover Gary Vee: Instagram: @garyvee YouTube: @GaryVee TikTok: @garyvee Facebook: @gary X: @garyvee LinkedIn: @garyvaynerchuk Website: garyvaynerchul.com FOLLOW MICK ON: Spotify: MickUnplugged Instagram: @mickunplugged Facebook: @mickunpluggedYouTube: @MickUnpluggedPodcast LinkedIn: @mickhunt Website: MickHuntOfficial.com Website: howtobeagoodleader.com Website: Leadloudseries.com Apple: MickUnplugged