Mick Unplugged

D.L. Hughley wanted one more conversation with his father. He put it into Charlie's Boy.

In this episode of Mick Unplugged, D.L. joins me to talk about his new memoir, the man who raised him and the parts of fatherhood he understands differently now.

We get into duty, family silence and why providing for your children can become so consuming that being present gets pushed aside. D.L. shares what he learned about Charlie after his death and why he makes a deliberate effort to let his own children know him.

I also tell D.L. how his backstage mentorship changed the way I approached my podcast and my business. We talk about knowing the rules, owning your decisions and understanding why people keep listening.

You'll hear:

- The conversation behind Charlie's Boy

- What showing up does for a father-child relationship

- The pressure to keep working, even when it costs you time at home

- Why finding his way into comedy also brought survivor's guilt

- A reunion 25 years after an act of kindness

- D.L.'s take on freedom of speech, consequences and protecting your peace

I'm giving a copy of Charlie's Boy to the first 100 people who DM "Charlie's Boy" to @mickunplugged on Instagram.

https://www.instagram.com/mickunplugged/

CHAPTERS

00:00 The conversation D.L. never had with his father

00:11 Meet D.L. Hughley

00:55 The Because: Faith, hope and connection

04:12 The Unplugged Truth: The father behind Charlie's Boy

07:12 Duty, love and the words fathers do not say

10:36 Why D.L. wrote Charlie's Boy

11:45 Hot Takes: Hurt, offense and growth

14:30 Free speech and consequences

16:22 Fatherhood and the trust built by showing up

21:56 What D.L. learned about Charlie's work life

26:03 The Room: Finding a way forward through comedy

28:02 Survivor's guilt and appreciating your life

29:05 An act of kindness comes back 25 years later

32:06 The backstage advice that changed Mick's approach to media

34:11 Mick's 100-book offer

35:22 The Unplugged Five: What makes D.L. laugh

36:37 The conversation America avoids

37:45 Human connection and why people keep listening

41:34 D.L.'s go-to drinks

42:35 Other people's opinions and protecting your attention

44:27 Closing conversation

CONNECT & DISCOVER D.L. HUGHLEY

Book: Charlie's Boy: A Memoir

https://a.co/d/0bV9x1UZ

Instagram: @realdlhughley

https://www.instagram.com/realdlhughley/

Facebook: @RealDLHughley

https://www.facebook.com/RealDLHughley/

YouTube: DL Hughley

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6B_HuuSaR-IDsKuJVK0LEw

FOLLOW MICK

Instagram: @mickunplugged

https://www.instagram.com/mickunplugged/

Facebook: @mickunplugged

YouTube: @MickUnpluggedPodcast

https://www.youtube.com/@MickUnpluggedPodcast

LinkedIn: @mickhunt

https://www.linkedin.com/in/mickhunt/

Website: https://mickhuntofficial.com/

Book: How to Be a Good Leader When You've Never Had One

https://howtobeagoodleader.com/

Apple Podcasts: Mick Unplugged

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mick-unplugged/id1731755953

Spotify: Mick Unplugged

https://open.spotify.com/show/2cUp7JRzkVqunYmD2ENe4g

Content note: Explicit language and discussion of grief and family relationships.

What makes a bottle worth remembering? For Dixon Dedman, the answer starts with the people who share it.

The master blender behind 2XO joins Mick Hunt for a conversation about bourbon, hospitality, creative conviction, and the legacy he hopes to leave his children. Dixon explains how his family's hospitality roots shaped his purpose, why blending requires more than mixing percentages, and how he approaches mouthfeel, maturation, and secondary oak exposure.

Mick also tastes Rapper's Delight during the conversation, and Dixon shares the story of a father and son celebrating a new generation with a bottle of Kentucky Owl. That moment brings the conversation back to his because: making something that becomes part of another person's meaningful experience.

In this episode:

How hospitality shaped Dixon's purpose and approach to bourbon

The challenge of reproducing a small sample blend at barrel scale

Why creative conviction matters when developing a whiskey

His focus on mouthfeel, viscosity, and the overall drinking experience

The personal connections that matter beyond awards and ratings

His hope that the next generation will carry the family legacy forward

Listen for the lesson that travels beyond bourbon: exceeding expectations can turn a product or service into a moment someone remembers.

Chapters

00:00 A moment beyond selling bottles

00:40 Meet Dixon Dedman

03:06 What is your because?

07:30 Moments, memories, and personal connection

10:07 Unplugged Truth: the craft of blending

15:20 Putting a personal mark on whiskey

19:27 Hot Takes: tasting Rapper's Delight

22:01 Mouthfeel and the drinking experience

35:00 The Room: a toast to three generations

39:29 2XO and the recorded plans discussed

42:20 Unplugged 5

46:08 The legacy Dixon hopes to leave

48:08 Closing reflections

Follow Mick Unplugged for more conversations about purpose, leadership, and the because behind the work.

Connect & Discover Dixon Dedman:

Instagram: @dixon_dedman

LinkedIn: @dixon_dedman

X: @dixon_dedman

Website: 2xowhiskey.com



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 #DixonDedman #2XOWhiskey

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