Mick Unplugged

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

Darryl Strawberry's story is bigger than baseball.

In this deeply personal episode of Mick Unplugged, Darryl opens up about the mother who raised five children alone, the pain of an absent and abusive father, the cost of success without healing, and the freedom he found through forgiveness.

Darryl shares why talent and fame could not repair what was broken inside him. He reflects on addiction, consequences, discipline, ministry, marriage, and the moment he finally forgave his father at his bedside. Mick also shares how Darryl's book, Another Life, helped him process his own relationship with his late father and begin thinking differently about forgiveness and self-forgiveness.

The conversation moves from baseball to faith, but the central lesson is universal: your past does not disqualify your purpose, and the way you start does not have to determine the way you finish.

IN THIS EPISODE

• Why Darryl's mother became the foundation of his resilience

• How proving his father wrong fueled his early ambition

• Why success exposes who you are

• The consequences Darryl could not outrun

• How forgiving his father gave him freedom

• Why Tracy's boundaries helped redirect his life

• The difference between talent, identity, and purpose

• What Another Life reveals about healing and faith

• Why Darryl believes it is not how you start, but how you finish

• The legacy he wants to leave for his children

MICK'S BOOK OFFER

Mick is purchasing 50 copies of Darryl Strawberry's new book, Another Life, for members of the Mick Unplugged community.

To request a copy, message Mick the words "another life" on LinkedIn or Instagram. The offer is limited to the first 50 eligible responses and is available while supplies last.

BOOK

Another Life: Discovering the Healing Power of Purpose on My Long Journey from Player to Preacher

Darryl Strawberry

https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Another-Life/Darryl-Strawberry/9781637748848

CHAPTERS

00:00 Introduction

02:16 The Because

02:54 Darryl's purpose and the mother who never quit

07:15 Success exposes who you are

10:07 The Unplugged Truth

11:39 Forgiving his father

17:38 Hot Takes

21:11 Discipline, faith, and ministry

24:23 The Room

27:15 Another Life

29:54 Mick's 50-book giveaway

31:34 The Unplugged Five

32:46 The legacy Darryl wants to leave

33:17 Closing

Connect & Discover Darryl:

Instagram: @darrylstrawberry18

Website: darrylstrawberry18.com

Facebook: @therealdarrystrawberry

Threads: @darrylstrawberry18

Book: Another Life: Discovering the Healing Power of Purpose on My Long Journey from Player to Preacher

Strawberry Ministries: @livingrestored

FOLLOW MICK ON:

Spotify: MickUnplugged

Instagram: @mickunplugged

Facebook: @mickunpluggedYouTube: @MickUnpluggedPodcast

LinkedIn: @mickhunt

Website: MickHuntOfficial.com

Website: howtobeagoodleader.com

Website: Leadloudseries.com

Apple: MickUnplugged

#MickUnplugged #Leadership #Podcast #darrylstrawberry

The most powerful move in business is not always saying yes. Sometimes it is knowing when to walk away.

Daymond John joins Mick Hunt for a candid conversation about the decisions that shape a business and a life. The FUBU founder and Shark Tank investor explains why his deeper purpose is “because I should,” how mentors can save us from painful mistakes and why growing too quickly can quietly destroy what an entrepreneur worked to build.

Daymond also opens up about his health journey after cancer and the discipline of making gradual, sustainable change. He shares how he thinks about investing through his “My Money, Homie” framework, why he supports artists without asking for anything in return and how a five-to-seven-person filter helps him decide what belongs on social media.

This episode is a sharp, funny and personal masterclass in protecting your time, choosing the right people and refusing opportunities that no longer respect your value. Daymond’s message is clear: get narrow, go deep and keep the power to walk away.

IN THIS EPISODE

• Why Daymond’s deeper purpose is “because I should”

• How dyslexia, business and cancer shaped his perspective

• Why mentors and mistakes are the two great teachers

• How scaling too fast can weaken a business

• The difference between purpose-driven and return-driven investments

• Why Daymond supports artists without asking for anything back

• The five-to-seven-person filter behind his social media decisions

• Why too many opportunities can become a liability

• How walking away protects your value

• Why a small, trusted inner circle can outperform a massive network

CHAPTERS

00:00 Mentors or mistakes

01:38 Meet Daymond John

03:38 “Because I should”

06:04 What Daymond had to overcome

08:13 Fasting, discipline and gradual change

12:09 Cancer and the decision to study health

16:44 Why mentors matter

20:15 Don’t scale too fast

23:50 “My Money, Homie” and smarter investing

28:47 Supporting artists with no strings attached

33:16 The two-year-old turkey leg debate

35:29 Daymond’s five-to-seven-person filter

39:34 Drowning in opportunity

41:15 The power to walk away

41:30 Quick Five

43:39 Go narrow and deep

43:53 Leadership and what Daymond is building

46:22 Closing

Connect with Daymond John:

Website: daymondjohn.com

Instagram: @thesharkdaymond

LinkedIn: @daymondjohn

YouTube: @TheSharkDaymond

Facebook: @TheSharkDaymond

FOLLOW MICK ON:

Spotify: MickUnplugged

Instagram: @mickunplugged

Facebook: @mickunpluggedYouTube: @MickUnpluggedPodcast

LinkedIn: @mickhunt

Website: MickHuntOfficial.com

Website: howtobeagoodleader.com

Website: Leadloudseries.com

Apple: MickUnplugged

#MickUnplugged #Leadership #Podcast #daymondjohn

Mick sits down with licensed therapist, mental health advocate and author Kier Gaines for a direct conversation about emotional honesty, uncomfortable truths and the courage to begin.

Kier explains why saying "you hurt my feelings" can be an act of strength, especially for men who have been conditioned to hide emotion. He and Mick unpack avoidance, awareness, curiosity, boundaries, professional value and why credentials still matter in a culture that often rewards visibility over expertise.

Kier also shares the barber shop conversation that helped him recognize his mind as a valuable tool for change. He explains why his book, It All Starts When You Do, rejects shallow positivity and invites readers into the real work of self-healing.

This conversation is honest, practical and deeply human. It is about telling the truth, protecting what matters and taking the first step before you feel completely ready.

IN THIS EPISODE

• Why emotional honesty is a form of authority, not weakness

• How to move beyond surface-level wellness

• Why awareness and curiosity are the first two steps toward change

• The connection between boundaries, business and self-respect

• Why credentials create accountability, safety and protection

• How attention and notoriety can weaken integrity

• The barber shop conversation that changed Kier's view of his work

• Why "walking away from what does not serve you" can become avoidance

• The meaning of an authentic and consistent legacy

MICK'S BOOK OFFER

As discussed in the episode, the first 20 people who message Mick with the words "I'm starting" will receive a copy of It All Starts When You Do, purchased by Mick. Available while the offer remains open and supplies last.

CHAPTERS

00:00 The Attention Economy and Integrity

00:24 Meet Kier Gaines

01:00 Saying "You Hurt My Feelings"

04:46 The Because: Because Why Not?

07:01 Why Surface-Level Wellness Is Not Enough

10:14 It All Starts When You Do

14:12 Two Ways to Start Healing

18:15 Boundaries, Business and the Cost of Free

23:53 Hot Takes: Credentials, Safety and Anti-Intellectualism

34:13 The Room: A Barber Shop Conversation That Changed Everything

37:43 The Book, the Podcast and Mick's Offer

40:15 The Unplugged Five

44:03 Legacy, Authenticity and Kept Promises

46:00 Closing

Connect & Discover Kier:

Instagram: @kiergaines

Instagram: @learnedthehardwaypod

LinkedIn: @kiergaines

Podcast: Learned the Hard Way with Kier Gaines

Facebook: @kiergaines

TikTok: @kiergaines

Book: It All Starts When You Do

Threads: @kiergaines

FOLLOW MICK ON:

Spotify: MickUnplugged

Instagram: @mickunplugged

Facebook: @mickunpluggedYouTube: @MickUnpluggedPodcast

LinkedIn: @mickhunt

Website: MickHuntOfficial.com

Website: howtobeagoodleader.com

Website: Leadloudseries.com

Apple: MickUnplugged