Mick Unplugged

What if one of the most important ingredients in a healthy life isn’t actually on your plate?

In this episode of Mick Unplugged, Mick Hunt sits down with Emmy Award-winning chef, bestselling author, restaurateur, and Giadzy founder Giada De Laurentiis for a joyful conversation about food, family, entrepreneurship, community, and la dolce vita.

Giada shares how a shy young chef learned to tell stories to millions of viewers, why audience feedback transformed her into a stronger teacher, and how her desire to cut through the noise of the food industry became the foundation for Giadzy. She explains what makes high-quality Italian ingredients different, why Giadzy’s gluten-free pasta surprised even her, and how small Italian producers helped inspire a growing lifestyle marketplace.

The conversation goes beyond cooking. Giada explains why the people at your table can affect how you experience and digest a meal, why joy and connection belong in the conversation about longevity, and how she is bringing her businesses together through her new Chicagoland restaurant, Sorella by Giada.

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

• How Giada overcame shyness and learned to teach through storytelling

• Why repetition and audience feedback are essential to becoming a great teacher

• How Giadzy grew from a blog into a marketplace for Italian pantry products

• What makes bronze-cut, slow-dried Italian pasta different

• Why Giadzy’s gluten-free pasta became an unexpected breakthrough product

• How stress, connection, and the people at your table shape the experience of food

• Why la dolce vita is more than indulgence—it is part of health and longevity

• How Giada is connecting her media, product, and restaurant businesses

LISTENER OFFER / FEATURED PROMOTION

ACTIVE LISTENER OFFER 1 — The next 20 people who DM “GIADZY” to @mickunplugged on Instagram receive a $100 Giadzy gift card.

ACTIVE LISTENER OFFER 2 — The first 20 people who DM “SUPER ITALIAN” to @mickunplugged on Instagram receive a copy of Giada’s Super-Italian cookbook.

CHAPTERS

00:00 — Giada’s impact on Mick and learning to tell stories on television

03:37 — What’s your because?

08:49 — The Unplugged Truth: how Giada changed Mick’s relationship with pasta

12:58 — Building Giadzy from audience feedback

15:28 — The unexpected success of gluten-free pasta

20:59 — Hot Takes: cauliflower rice, coconut, and food trends

23:46 — The secret ingredient: joy, connection, and la dolce vita

26:16 — Sorella by Giada and bringing the businesses together

28:51 — The Unplugged Five

31:23 — Super-Italian, Mick’s cookbook offer, and the send-off

Connect & Discover Giada:

Website: giadadelaurentiis.com

Website: giadzy.com

Instagram: @giadadelaurentiis

Facebook: @giada

X: @GDeLaurentiis

TikTok: @giadadelaurentiis

YouTube: @gdelaurentiis

Cookbook: Super-Italian

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 exhaustion you feel isn’t burnout at all?

Success coach, keynote speaker, and Dream Think Do host Mitch Matthews joins Mick Hunt for a conversation about purpose, clarity,
action, and the hidden problem affecting many high achievers: being “bored out.”

Mitch shares how a bad-fit corporate promotion began extinguishing his fire, how his wife helped him recognize the work he was born to do, and how he built a coaching and speaking business that surpassed his
income in just five months. He also explains why a small injection of novelty can restore energy, why dreaming bigger must be paired with experimentation, and how to move from comparison and fear toward learning and love.

In this episode:

• Mitch’s “Because”: loving God, loving his family, and encouraging encouragers

• The clues that revealed his calling

• Why action separates great from exceptional

• Building an “authority bridge” without blowing up your life

• The difference between burnout and being bored out

• How 15 minutes of novelty can reignite your fire

• Why successful people struggle to name their own dreams

• Giving yourself permission to experiment

• Reframing imposter syndrome as “winner’s syndrome”

• The five-word prayer that changed how Mitch entered important rooms

LISTENER OFFER / FEATURED PROMOTION

FREE TRAINING — Make Time for Your Next Chapter

Visit: https://www.mitchmatthews.com/time

Use code: MICK

CHAPTERS

00:00 - Meet Mitch Matthews

01:39 - Mitch’s “Because” and encouraging encouragers

08:39 - The bad-fit job that extinguished his fire

14:31 - Building an authority bridge without blowing up your life

16:34 -Burnout vs. “bored out”

23:13 - Dream bigger and act on it

27:08 - Clarity, permission, and experimentation

34:27 - The room that transformed comparison into learning

40:54 - The Unplugged Five

45:50 - Generosity, legacy, and Mitch’s free gift

Connect & Discover Mitch Matthews:

Website: mitchmatthews.com

Free Training: mitchmatthews.com/time. Use Code MICK

LinkedIn: @mitchmatthews

Instagram: @mitch.matthews

Facebook: @mitch.matthews.104

Podcast: Dream Think Do

FOLLOW MICK ON:

Spotify: MickUnplugged

Instagram: @mickunplugged

Facebook: @mickunplugged

YouTube: @MickUnpluggedPodcast

LinkedIn: @mickhunt

Website: MickHuntOfficial.com

Website: howtobeagoodleader.com

Website: Leadloudseries.com

Apple: MickUnplugged

What happens when the uniform comes off but the mission is far from over?

In this episode of Mick Unplugged, Mick Hunt sits down with Marine Raider veteran, entrepreneur, author, and leadership strategist Nicholas Koumalatsos for a direct conversation about purpose, identity, leadership, confidence, fatherhood, and building businesses that create real impact.

Nicholas shares how childhood scarcity shaped his “because,” why military leadership does not automatically translate to every part of civilian life, and what it took to rebuild his identity after service. He also explains the formula he lives by, commitment plus courage creates confidence and challenges the online leadership industry to show its receipts.

The conversation moves from the hard truths of veteran transition to the origin and extraordinary growth of Johnny Slicks, Nicholas’s work through The Agoge, and the ideas behind Excommunicated Warrior and Reclaiming the Man Within.

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

• Why confidence is the result, not the prerequisite of taking action

• How commitment creates the courage required to move forward

• Why leadership must be adapted to the person, environment, and mission

• What veterans often lose when the uniform and built-in mission disappear

• How Nicholas turned an unexpected moment into the foundation of Johnny Slicks

• Why defining “done” and reverse-engineering phase lines improves execution

• How presence, fatherhood, and legacy reshape the meaning of success

CHAPTERS

00:00 - Introduction

01:13 - Nicholas’s “because” and the roots of his mission

04:44 - Learning leadership in the Marine Corps

05:24 - Why military leadership can be one-dimensional

10:22 - The Unplugged Truth: the uniform is gone, but the mission isn’t over

11:29 - The biggest myth about leadership

18:16 - Hot Takes

19:12 - Why confidence comes last

21:50 - Commitment + courage = confidence

22:32 - AI, online gurus, and showing the receipts

25:08 - Partnership, family, and building a legacy

28:50 - Who are you uniquely qualified to help?

30:32 - The Room: the moment that launched Johnny Slicks

33:42 - Scaling from no structure to eight figures

36:01 - Johnny Slicks

36:31 - Excommunicated Warrior

39:43 - What if your next chapter is your best chapter?

42:35 - Reclaiming the Man Within

44:09 - The Unplugged Five

44:55 - Define “done” and reverse-engineer the mission

45:47 - Fatherhood and being present

47:56 - The one-word legacy answer

49:05 - Closing

Connect & Discover Nick:

Website: nickkoumalatsos.com

Facebook: @NickKoumalatsos82

Instagram: @nickkoumalatsos

LinkedIn: @nick-koumalatsos

X: @NickKoumalatsos

YouTube: @NickKoumalatsos82

Website: johnnyslicks.com

Book: Excommunicated Warrior: The 7 Stages of Transition

Book: Reclaiming the Man Within



FOLLOW MICK ON:

Spotify: MickUnplugged

Instagram: @mickunplugged

Facebook: @mickunplugged

YouTube: @MickUnpluggedPodcast

LinkedIn: @mickhunt

Website: MickHuntOfficial.com

Website: howtobeagoodleader.com

Website: Leadloudseries.com

Apple: MickUnplugged

André Holland has built an acclaimed career through performances in Moonlight, Selma, The Knick, High
Flying Bird, and more—but his deepest calling reaches far beyond the screen.
In this conversation with Mick Hunt, André shares how his parents and his Bessemer, Alabama
community taught him to move with integrity, care for his gifts, and stay shoulder to shoulder with the
people who helped him flourish. He opens up about the teacher who made him feel truly seen, the
responsibility he feels to create opportunities for emerging voices, and why commitment is the word he
hopes will define his life.

André also discusses They Fight, his preparation as a character actor, Harper Road, and the Holland
Project’s restoration of Bessemer’s historic Lincoln Theatre.
This is a conversation about calling, craft, second chances, community, and planting trees whose fruit
may belong to the next generation.

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN
• Why André describes storytelling and service as a calling
• How his parents and Alabama roots shaped his civic responsibility
• Why opportunity—not a lack of talent—often separates people from their potential
• The NYU classroom moment that changed André’s view of his own stories
• How he approaches character work with research, vulnerability, and faith
• Why They Fight resonated with him as a story of mentorship and second chances
• How the Holland Project and Harper Road are creating room for new voices
• Why “committed” is the word André wants attached to his legacy

LISTENER OFFER / FEATURED PROMOTION
Watch They Fight on Hulu: https://www.hulu.com/movie/they-fight-a1bba82e-2550-4ffc-81df-
b973b9c85339
Discover the Holland Project and Lincoln Theatre restoration:
https://www.birminghamtimes.com/2024/10/renovating-bessemers-lincoln-theatre-andre-hollands-next-
act/

CHAPTERS
Timing is grounded in the supplied transcript. Reconfirm against the final uploaded master after
correcting the intro-name issue.
• 00:00 — Welcome to Mick Unplugged
• 01:44 — André’s Because: answering the call
• 04:25 — Family, faith, and growing up in Alabama
• 06:19 — Bessemer, opportunity, and giving back
• 07:44 — The Unplugged Truth: becoming a symbol of hope
• 12:58 — They Fight, second chances, and the craft of acting
• 18:48 — The Room: the teacher who truly saw André
• 23:11 — Creating rooms through the Holland Project and Harper Road
• 29:18 — The Unplugged Five
• 32:20 — Supporting André’s work and closing thoughts

Connect & Discover André Holland:
Instagram: @andreholland
X: @AndreHolland_
The Holland Project — Historic Lincoln Theatre: alabamalincoln.com
Lincoln Theatre on Instagram: @bamalincoln
Support the Restoration (Donate): Give to the Lincoln Theatre
Watch They Fight on Hulu: hulu.com/movie/they-fight

FOLLOW MICK ON:
Spotify: MickUnplugged
Instagram: @mickunplugged
Facebook: @mickunplugged
YouTube: @MickUnpluggedPodcast
LinkedIn: @mickhunt
Website: MickHuntOfficial.com
Website: howtobeagoodleader.com
Website: Leadloudseries.com
Apple: MickUnplugged

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Don't apologize for who you are... because you were made that way for a reason.

Comedian Leslie Jones, renowned for her groundbreaking work on Saturday Night Live, shares how embracing her authentic self propelled her career. This episode delivers valuable insights on personal branding and navigating the entertainment industry with conviction.

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN
- 3 key mindsets for creative success
- Why Hollywood resilience is essential
- 5 strategies for maintaining authenticity
- How comedy connects 2 different worlds
- Building a personal brand foundation

QUOTES THAT HIT
"You have to stay true to who you are, because that’s what makes you unique." - Leslie Jones
"The biggest lesson SNL taught me was how to trust my own voice." - Leslie Jones
"Failure isn't the end, it's just a different way to get where you need to be." - Leslie Jones

CHAPTERS
00:00 Leslie Jones' Path to SNL
07:15 The Art of Stand-Up Comedy
15:30 Authenticity in Entertainment
22:45 Navigating Hollywood Challenges
30:00 Leslie's Creative Process
38:10 The FCKRY Podcast Journey
45:00 Future Vision for Black Women
52:00 Leslie Shares Closing Thoughts

QUESTIONS THIS EPISODE ANSWERS
Q: How does Leslie Jones maintain authenticity in her career?
A: Leslie Jones emphasizes staying true to herself by not apologizing for her unique perspective and embracing the qualities that set her apart, believing this authenticity is what resonates with audiences.

Q: What key lesson did Leslie Jones learn from Saturday Night Live?
A: She learned the importance of trusting her own voice and comedic instincts, which allowed her to develop and deliver material that truly reflected her personality and experiences.

Q: Why is resilience crucial for success in the entertainment industry?
A: Leslie Jones explains that resilience is vital because the industry involves numerous rejections and setbacks, and the ability to persist through these challenges is what ultimately leads to breakthroughs and sustained success.

Connect & Discover Leslie Jones:
Facebook: @Lesdoggg
Instagram: @lesdogggg
Website: justleslie.com
X: @Lesdoggg
YouTube: @lesdogggg
TikTok: @lesdoggggg
Book: Leslie F*cking Jones

FOLLOW MICK ON:
Spotify: MickUnplugged
Instagram: @mickunplugged
Facebook: @mickunplugged
YouTube: @MickUnpluggedPodcast
LinkedIn: @mickhunt
Website: MickHuntOfficial.com
Website: howtobeagoodleader.com
Website: Leadloudseries.com
Apple: MickUnplugged

#MickUnplugged #Leadership #Podcast #LeslieJones

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.