Chef Andre Rush: Cooking, Combat, and Cause- A Passion for Helping Veterans and Youth

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Speaker 3 And so instead of saying survivor's remorse, it's survivors thrive.

Speaker 3 You know, it's a remembrance of to remind everyone that life is short. You never know.
Check on each other, be with each other, never take it for granted.

Speaker 4 welcome to mick unplugged the number one podcast for self-improvement leadership and relentless growth no fluff no filters just hard-hitting truths unstoppable strategies and the mindset shifts that separate the best from the rest ready to break limits let's go

Speaker 2 Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to another exciting episode of Mick Unplugged.

Speaker 2 And today, not only is a bucket list moment, but we're about to have a conversation with the guy that really sparked me into understanding mental health awareness and how I can contribute to make sure that mental health awareness stays on the forefront of everyone.

Speaker 2 We're talking about the White House chef who turned into a viral sensation. He was a U.S.
Army combat veteran and a mental health advocate with biceps as big as his heart.

Speaker 2 From the battlefield to the kitchen, from discipline to inspiration, he is fearless, he is passionate, he is unstoppable, and he is someone that I call a mentor.

Speaker 2 We're talking to none other than Chef Andre Rush. Chef, how are you doing today, brother?

Speaker 3 Brother, I'm doing absolutely blessed. And thank you so much for that amazing introductory.
I'll say the same thing right back at you. You're inspiration to me.

Speaker 3 And thank you, things for everything that you do and being here.

Speaker 2 Man, Chef, you know, I was telling you before,

Speaker 2 huge fan of yours, but where I became a fan, man, was when you were talking and promoting 22 push-ups a day, what that meant to veterans and the suicide rate. And it really touched me, man.

Speaker 2 Like I wasn't someone who served, but I have a lot of friends and family who did. And I understand

Speaker 2 everything that you were saying in those messages. And that truly inspired me, man.
Like, you don't have to be the person going through it to help.

Speaker 2 You can be the person that can check in on your friends. As I like to say, doing a checkup from the head up, right? Like just asking people how they're doing, just talking goes such a long way.

Speaker 2 But I didn't get that until you, bro. So I just wanted to tell you, thank you for that and what that means to me and the people that I'm in connection with as well.

Speaker 3 No, thank you. Thank you for that.
And you know,

Speaker 3 it's crazy because

Speaker 3 I didn't know how much I needed it. You know,

Speaker 3 what I do in giving back is helping me even more.

Speaker 3 So when people say thank you, chef, and I say thank you back, they have no idea idea how much and heart how heartfelt when i say it back to them because they're actually literally helping me you know and uh it's funny because a lot of people started the 22 you know i was doing it the 22 uh a day and then i started doing the 222 and i started doing it 2222 as a logistician strategically because i wanted that number to mean something you know say 22 a day like okay you kind of blow it off but even when i was started doing those high numbers people would always say wow and they're like what was the is the significance for it, behind it?

Speaker 3 You know,

Speaker 3 that's the hook, line, and sinker. And then you bring somebody into your world.
And then you realize that you're both sharing the same world already, and they didn't even know it.

Speaker 3 And so, when they started doing it, you know,

Speaker 3 I've had so many people that come and just said, you know, from, you know, from neck up, head up,

Speaker 3 how not only did it change their lives in a physical aspect, in a mental aspect, in a health aspect, in a social aspect as well. Yeah.

Speaker 2 Man, like you inspire so many.

Speaker 2 I guess I got to get mine up to 2,222 a day so I can one day look like you.

Speaker 2 But speaking of looking like you, man, like there's so many places I want to go. A lot of people don't know this.

Speaker 2 Looking at you, you would think, oh, Chef was a linebacker or whatever in football, but you had some sweet feet back in the day in high school, huh?

Speaker 3 Mr. Running back, Chef.
I was, you know, I did a couple of things, track star, running back. Football was my passion.
you know, art.

Speaker 3 I wanted to try to be as whimsical, but I worked my butt off and had a few scholarships, but I chose the military route, even the Olympics.

Speaker 3 I had the trials for that. I actually decided to go to the military and skip it all, you know, because I wanted to do something.
At the time, as a young kid, you know, that wasn't important to me.

Speaker 3 My dad kind of from the south was like, you know, the men go to work, the girls go to school, you know, so my mindset was service to servitude what can i do how can i help my family so forth even not myself you know so i was like i sacrificed myself meaning that i didn't do any of that school stuff but i did it later on in my career and it's crazy because every rank i ever put on i put it on myself every degree i never walk it was just a check for me because i had so many more things to do and even now from getting so many accolades which i'm humbled by they're all still in their boxes because i'm not done yet you know from the key to the city of Mississippi to, you know, recognitions from California for suicide awareness to this, to that.

Speaker 3 It doesn't, it means everything to me. But right now, matter of fact, I'm here ready to get inducted to Veterans Hall of Fame coming up.
You know, that's important to me. It shows things.

Speaker 3 But at the same time is I'll never become complacent. And that's what I tell people all the time.
Never become complacent. Yeah.

Speaker 2 I love it, man. Like,

Speaker 2 I always tell people you're different, right? Like in a good way, right? Like, like you're a role model. Again, I know you're humble.

Speaker 2 You're not going to, you're not going to see it, but you're a role model. You're an inspiration and you're different.
And you allow others to say, hey, it's okay to forge my path.

Speaker 2 Because how many of you in high school would have taken the college scholarship?

Speaker 2 How many of you in high school or, you know, in your early 20s would have said, I want the glory of the Olympics, right? Like you were never a look at me kind of individual.

Speaker 2 You always had that spirit of what can I do to help others, man? Like, you just talked about your dad a little bit. Is that where it started?

Speaker 2 Was that that mentorship and leadership and guidance from your dad?

Speaker 3 Well,

Speaker 3 it's true. My dad was that person.
He was tough as nails and

Speaker 3 he taught me the value of hard work. You know, he told me two things in my life is

Speaker 3 as a young age, and I didn't understand at the time. He said, always be the hardest worker in the room.
And no matter where you go, someone wants you to fail.

Speaker 3 Doesn't matter who it is, they're going to want you to fail, you know, because people are going to see you go through your paths. They can look at you and be intimidated.

Speaker 3 They can look at you, just once it could be any monetary clothes, whatever it is, they want you to fail.

Speaker 3 It could be family members, it'd be somebody as you step up in the ladders and go through success or your failures. And believe me, I have many, many failures, you know, and I still go through those.

Speaker 3 And, you know, it's talking about the Olympics and all that. People say, what if you know you had taken that path? I didn't.
So there's no what if. There's only right now.
I go forward.

Speaker 3 I don't go backwards, right? Those things that happened back then, I can't even imagine it because it never happened.

Speaker 3 I think about what I'm doing because even if I had done that, I wouldn't be here helping millions. You wouldn't be here talking to me.
We wouldn't be talking together.

Speaker 3 I wouldn't get to meet my brother, you know? So those are the things you think about when you say, what if? It's what should I be doing right now?

Speaker 2 I love it, man. I love it.

Speaker 2 So talking about the right now, you know, I love to ask people about their because, that thing that's deeper than your why, like that passion, that personal mission that you have. So for you today,

Speaker 2 the giver that you are, the leader that you are, the inspiration that you are, what's your because?

Speaker 3 What's your purpose today?

Speaker 3 Well,

Speaker 3 you know, as soon as you said that word, something popped in my head.

Speaker 3 You know, you go through trials and tribulations in your life. And

Speaker 3 the one thing, I'm a faith-based person, and I've been open about that, and I always will be. I will never, and I tell people, don't waver on who you are and what you believe in.

Speaker 3 That's your right, your privilege on any part,

Speaker 3 race, color, monetary, anything what you say, believe always, don't ever, especially with the kids, don't ever, kids, especially don't get stigmatized, say you think because you believe in something.

Speaker 3 Um, I believe in something, and

Speaker 3 um, and that's him above, but uh,

Speaker 3 it's been times in my life, lots of them, where

Speaker 3 I thought that

Speaker 3 I thought, okay, this is going to settle down. You know, I've had some really bad things happen.
I've lost a lot of people.

Speaker 3 And I think you know about my daughter and about her brother and her two brothers. And,

Speaker 3 you know, I lost my mother and my father. I lost my best friend.
And it was all along the same route. And after my daughter, which was just two years ago on the anniversary,

Speaker 3 it was at the highlight of my career. I was going to New York City with Gordon Ramsey with my TV show, everything going when I got that phone call at four o'clock in the morning.
And

Speaker 3 I was just like, I've done all this work constantly. I've given back.
I've given back. I've done everything you asked me to do and so forth and so on.
And it just hit me.

Speaker 3 And I'm like, you know, because I almost gave up when my mother went away and my father went away right back to back. And I'm just like, I can't keep doing that.

Speaker 3 But she reminded me, you know, from above that this is what I was meant to do.

Speaker 3 And then that happened. And I had to catch myself because I said,

Speaker 3 he makes no mistakes.

Speaker 3 He makes no mistakes. You know, you can get tested and whatever.

Speaker 3 And

Speaker 3 you said, because,

Speaker 3 because I have no choice.

Speaker 3 There's no there's no choice. I have no choice, brother.
I I have to do this. Everything I do is for this.
It's for a recall. It's for the kids, for the veterans.
It's for all the people that I know

Speaker 3 that can take my place. The ones who can't believe, do believe, want to believe, the ones that need it as much as I need it.
So because is

Speaker 3 because I have no choice.

Speaker 2 Man, I'm sitting here trying not to get emotional, bro, because

Speaker 2 you have a story and I resonate with it. And, you know, I kind of told you why I connected with you, but one of the things, I don't live life in regret, right? Like ever, because I live in the moment.

Speaker 2 Like we're all here for a purpose, for a reason.

Speaker 2 But I do have one, you know, like my best friend from high school,

Speaker 2 years after high school, I got a call that he

Speaker 2 had committed suicide.

Speaker 2 Literally five days before that,

Speaker 2 I had reached out to his uncle to ask how he was doing.

Speaker 2 I could have called him directly. And I always wonder if I would have called him instead of calling his uncle to ask how he was doing.

Speaker 2 Could, would,

Speaker 2 if anything. And I don't know the answer.
I never really try to go back there, but I never know the answer. But

Speaker 2 part of why I do what I do is because you always reminded me of him and of the things that I could do. So,

Speaker 3 bro, like

Speaker 2 you just mean so much to me. I just want you to know that.

Speaker 3 Brother,

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Speaker 3 You know,

Speaker 3 we do this all the time. Like we talk all the time.
And I talk to so many. And it's not everyone I can talk to where the energy is extremely perfectly aligned and alike.

Speaker 3 And, you know, as you say things, I'm living through you like you live through me. And when you said that, and it's crazy because my first one years ago was Sergeant Durden, he called me

Speaker 3 and I was helping a bunch of soldiers and I talked to him every day. And that one day I said, I'll call him back.
I'm with the guys. And that day turned to night.

Speaker 3 That night turned to three in the morning. And I got a phone call.
And it was someone, one of my soldiers from Iraq, and saying, hey, it's about Sergeant Durden.

Speaker 3 I'm like, yeah, I'll call him back today. And he was like, he's gone.
I'm like, what are you talking about? You know, and that same question that you asked,

Speaker 3 this is crazy because the same thing you said is back then, I was like, what if, what if, why, what, what, you know, this, this kid, he's, you know, 25 years old and, you know, has a wife and two kids.

Speaker 3 And, you know, he was smiles. And I don't get it.
I don't understand. What if I had picked up that phone, you know?

Speaker 3 And then

Speaker 3 all these years later,

Speaker 3 he became part of the story and the reason.

Speaker 3 You get it? He became part of my cause. And so instead of saying survivor's remorse, it's survivors strive.

Speaker 3 You know, it's a remembrance of to remind everyone that life is short. You never know.

Speaker 3 Check on each other, be with each other, never take for granted, never come complacent and grateful, all those things that we kind of do in the U.S.

Speaker 3 that we become so humanized to, but we have to take a moment back and step. And that's why I have so many calls and people say, Chef, you do so many different things.
Why?

Speaker 3 Because

Speaker 3 I have no choice. Because if it's important to someone, even if it's one person, it's important to me because there's a reason why.

Speaker 3 So if I'm going from suicide awareness to mental health to the military, the veteran, the sexual assault, sexual trafficking, Alzheimer's, this, this cancer society, which I'm speaking next month.

Speaker 3 Everything's a reason. Everything's a choice.

Speaker 3 And you have to be that person person that has that empathy and compassion to understand that everybody's human because you want them to treat you exactly like you want to treat them.

Speaker 2 Yes, sir. Yes, sir.
Again, man, just such an inspiration, such a big brother figure. You know, I want to go back to a moment for you.

Speaker 2 September 11th. We all remember the day, right? It all touches all of us, but for you, it was much different, right? Like you were at the Pentagon, you were working out in the gym, right?

Speaker 2 And then you made a decision. Again, going back to that person that you are, right? It's almost like when you talk about your because you have no choice.
You don't even think, right?

Speaker 2 You're just like, I have no choice. I'm going to step up and do what I do.
Take us back to that moment, brother.

Speaker 3 It's honestly, it's reflex.

Speaker 3 You know, it's like, you know, and I have to say, you know, the military embedded installed so many different tenures in me that I never knew I had, especially leadership tenure at a very young age, and which

Speaker 3 fortunately for my mom and my dad, because I got up every morning and helped and was on the farm and did this and, you know, had jobs. And I didn't have a normal childhood.

Speaker 3 And at one point in time, I used to think,

Speaker 3 man, this sucks. I don't have a normal childhood.
And now I think, man,

Speaker 3 I had the best childhood I could ever possibly have. It taught me everything that's doing.

Speaker 3 There's nobody that can outwork me, outbeat me, outrun me out task me nothing of the sort and when that day happened i'll be honest with you um

Speaker 3 um

Speaker 3 i i said when that day happened

Speaker 3 but it's when that day happens it happens every day in my head

Speaker 3 As soon as you say it, it resonates right away. It's flashbacks.
Those were triggers and things that come back where people don't understand when they say, I have triggers. No,

Speaker 3 we have triggers, they're all different, but they're all meaningful for each person. But for me, when that happened,

Speaker 3 I didn't know what was happening. All I know is that people needed help, and we need some guidance, whatever, no matter who I am or where I am, and to put myself in a situation where

Speaker 3 I hurt myself, which I did.

Speaker 3 And then also in another situation where it was part of

Speaker 3 behind the scenes where I want to do more and do sweeps and find out how I can help? And that was the part I think after the fact when

Speaker 3 I'm a young kid. I'm young, you know? Yeah.
I'm a driver, but all my guys, I lost some guys that I worked out in the gym.

Speaker 3 It was the DOD guys, the Pentagon, the cops, the squats, all those, those are my big brothers, you know. And it was crazy because I didn't know what was going on.
You know, back then,

Speaker 3 PTSD

Speaker 3 was kind of stigmatized.

Speaker 3 Even though they say it wasn't, it was very stigmatized. You know, it was one of those, hey, don't talk about this.
You know, that normacy was not there.

Speaker 3 And when some of my guys who are much older said to me, because I was there with them, they said, hey, chef, we're going to go get some help. They have somebody here.

Speaker 3 And they actually said, we have some people here you can talk to. They didn't say who the people were, but we have people that you can talk to if you feel in a certain way.

Speaker 3 That's to kind of dumb it down, you know what I mean? I don't say we have therapists here on site just because you may have trauma or this and that, it's just people to talk to.

Speaker 3 And they said this to me, and I went back to my chain and I said, Hey, I think I may want to talk to someone. And they said,

Speaker 3 Do you like your job?

Speaker 3 That's English to me. I understand.

Speaker 3 And for the next 20 years, there was as soon as I think, no, I don't think, as soon as that happened, it was

Speaker 3 a timer.

Speaker 3 It's a ticking timer. It's a time bomb.
I was that time bomb. I had no idea how I would internalize that, how I would deal with that, how

Speaker 3 volatile,

Speaker 3 how dangerous. I had no idea what was happening or what could happen.

Speaker 3 You know, you think you're, especially men, I just go out to all my men, you know, big, strong, you know, I can lift four, five, six hundred pounds and do all the run forever.

Speaker 3 And us being our mind is nothing can touch us. Nothing can touch us.
And that's a lie. We get touched even quicker than anybody else

Speaker 3 because we try to criminalize and say

Speaker 3 that

Speaker 3 I'm invisible.

Speaker 3 You know, and I was one of those guys that were partly like that, and to the point where

Speaker 3 I started snapping. And I was a big guy, and I did a lot of stuff.
And it was one of my general who actually called me out because he saw it. And I got really upset.

Speaker 3 And that was the first time I had to go to therapy when I walked out of his office, slammed out his office, got a call. So he's going to therapy.
And the end is right here was,

Speaker 3 you know, he works in so many ways. I was at West Point because I was coming from back from Iraq the last trip.

Speaker 3 And I went there to see the therapist. And it's on this West Point over the castle and going through it's the top floor.
And that's the only building,

Speaker 3 the only office there. So if you go there, everybody knows you're going there.

Speaker 3 And I go there, I hear he talks to me, and I just...

Speaker 3 nothing one in there one ear not the other and i'm walking out i'm like i get out get out of here and i'm walking to the elevator which is down probably like uh uh 25 30 meters

Speaker 3 about 40 meters or so.

Speaker 3 And this green hat comes out and

Speaker 3 passes each other. And I kind of glance over and kind of put my head down a little bit, don't look at him.
And he did the same. He got to the desk.
I'm pushing the elevator button.

Speaker 3 And all of a sudden, he runs back down to me and he sees me and he looks at me. And we just stopped.
And he said, Brother, if you're here, I know I need to be here.

Speaker 3 And then we embraced, and it just gave me, even just it still gives me chill bumps because that said everything i needed to know yeah that said everything i need to know and from there there was there no ever looking down there was only determination and let's move forward

Speaker 3 man

Speaker 2 like i got goosebumps from from that man like that that's so inspiring and that's a part of who you are you know like one of One of my mentors is Les Brown and we talk about the power to keep going, right?

Speaker 2 Like that. And when I think of you, that's what I think of, right? Like, no matter what, keep going, like one foot in front of the other, right?

Speaker 2 Like, I'm going to say this for you. This is how I feel your mentality is.
If your heart is beating, you have more to give.

Speaker 3 You have more to do.

Speaker 2 And so talk to the viewers and listeners about that, man. Just like that mentality that you have that no matter what, just keep going.

Speaker 3 Keep moving. Keep doing something.

Speaker 3 It's right here. Keep going.
Never give up. You can do anything.
That's the first three words.

Speaker 3 Keep going, never give up, you can do anything. Keep going, never give up, you can do anything.
I'll say it to myself, and I tell everybody to say it to your kids. Say it to your kids.

Speaker 3 Keep going, never give up, you can do anything. I'm telling you, it's reinforcement.

Speaker 3 It's an internal thought. You know, if you say something long enough, they will know it to be true.

Speaker 3 But if you say somebody, you're not worth anything, you're garbage, then they think that way.

Speaker 3 My part of it was with my family, even living in the projects with not a lot of money or anything to have, we had each other. And believe me, I wore the same shoes every day, all the time.

Speaker 3 People laughed at the kids, laughed at me. I didn't have a normal lifestyle.
And trust me, that was perfectly fine with me. My dad, my mom, everybody worked hard.

Speaker 3 Everything happens for a reason. on this part.
So this for this very day, the same part of it is

Speaker 3 I stay the same way I was back then. This is the reason why I do everything I can do.
I can have 3,000 people in a room, 3,000 want to take a picture.

Speaker 3 The first one I take a picture with, and the last one I take a picture with, they get the exact same treatment each and every time. I want them to know they're worth it, right?

Speaker 3 I'm not going to wait or say, oh my god, this is long, whatever, so forth, so on. And you think about what you're doing and what's your reason why.
You know, everybody needs a reason.

Speaker 3 You know, people say, oh, those are your workouts. No, push-ups are not my workout.

Speaker 3 They're my cause. There's a reason.
You know, I tell people, when people ask about workout, or when people ask about food, I said it needs to be associated with a reason, a cause.

Speaker 3 Don't just say, I need to do it. I need to do it.
Do it for something that's detrimental. Your kids.
It's the reason why I want to breathe. The reason why I want to live.

Speaker 3 You know, you are what you eat. You know, you have to have that mindset.
So it is.

Speaker 3 You know, doing this for the last X amount of years. And I did a million miles last year.
I've done 150,000 miles this year.

Speaker 3 I've been home in LA 15 days out of this year so far

Speaker 3 and I've talked to so many different people. I've been so privileged to talk to so many kids.

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Speaker 3 A lot of from HBs to hire to food banks. And I'm so surprised that because they know my platform,

Speaker 3 they all talk to me, but they ask the right questions.

Speaker 3 They ask the right questions because they know who I am and what I stand for. They see my funny content, but they know my serious side.
They know that, okay, I can relate him to the funny part.

Speaker 3 And they've all said, thank you for your service, Chef. Young kids, you know, thank you you for your service.
They associate me with that part of it first, and then they'll go into the conversation.

Speaker 3 Instead of just, oh man, you're a great rapper, you're a great singer, you're a great this, you're a great that. Oh, I love this, you know, they connect it with something.

Speaker 3 So I tell people like Carrie to connect your kids, your family, and even other people. You'll be amazed what just a simple smile or a hello or greeting could do for someone.

Speaker 3 They could be having the worst day of their lives. So don't look at a person and just say, okay, they're just a negative person.
They're just a nasty person.

Speaker 3 You have to try to at least try yeah yeah love it brother love it so let's get to this chefing part of your life man so got the shirt on call me chef damn it yeah my mom is a preacher mama i can say damn it to chefs okay it's okay disclosed the book so

Speaker 2 so

Speaker 3 when

Speaker 2 how why

Speaker 2 Was that your next calling?

Speaker 3 Great question. Had no idea it was a calling.

Speaker 3 It was not something I said, I want to be a chef when I grow up. Nothing whatsoever.
Nothing, not even close.

Speaker 3 I was, my mom is my reason for this one.

Speaker 3 Like I told you, my dad, he believed boys go to work. Boys also don't cook.

Speaker 3 Men don't cook. That's in the south.
Ladies, the girls cook, and they go to school. They do all this part of it.
So I used to actually sneak with my mom and cook, right?

Speaker 3 And it was the best feeling in the world. That's when I became a complete, I was already a mama's boy, but that time I became a complete mama's boy.
And

Speaker 3 what I did join the military and decided to

Speaker 3 went from one direction. Then I wound up switching over because of my mother with the cooking part.
Now, when I did that in the military, in the army, it was not the same.

Speaker 3 It was hard and terrible. This was mass cooking.
It wasn't even family environment. It wasn't a hospitality.
It was like, I'm like, what did I get myself into?

Speaker 3 This is like, people were like, what are you doing here being in this food service? You do big. You do this.

Speaker 3 I'm like, I like cooking.

Speaker 3 And again, he took care of me at a very young age.

Speaker 3 For some reason, I'm

Speaker 3 private. And this

Speaker 3 command sergeant major saw me, and they had this culinary show that they were doing. And he, you had to trial for it.
I didn't trial for it, of course, because I'm at the bottom of the totem pole.

Speaker 3 And I don't even know what culinary was. I had no idea.
And he brought me in. He told them, he said, I want this guy.
Who is he? He's like, oh, that's special. I'm sorry, Private Rush.

Speaker 3 And he was like, I wanted, like, why? He was like, I don't know. I just want him.
I just want him. It's something about him.
I don't know. I just want him.
I have no idea what he saw, but

Speaker 3 went there and I'm like, wow, I just, I just fell in love with it. I was like, this is cooking.
You can make cakes and this.

Speaker 3 so i became a pastry shelf and i became you know a chocolate tier i became i just was i was on overload only problem was is that was back then there wasn't any google there wasn't any

Speaker 3 you can go tutorials you know that stuff the books are expensive um and um but we did it one time a year every year and i got hooked i mean really hooked on it and i practiced and i spent all my money i failed a million times and the one thing about culinary part is that

Speaker 3 it's not learning

Speaker 3 by seeing, it's learning by doing, right? So you got to have hands-on where somebody's actually an instructor. So looking at a book, it's just like, it didn't make any sense.

Speaker 3 So I had to wait every year to go to a show to practice. So every time I went to compete, I would compete in like 20 events.

Speaker 3 When a normal person would compete in three or two or one, I would do 20 just so I can fail in all 20 just on the experience just so I can get that time and tension so I can just feel the grind of it and people they you know the so I made like chef he said you know you know you're gonna you know you're not gonna do any you know and I had no mentors on that part to find out how to do it because I was doing things I never knew about and long story short was

Speaker 3 I used to have a psych myself out and I would tell everybody that I competed against, I said, you ready to lose? And they'll look at me like, kid, what are you talking about? And when I did loss,

Speaker 3 when I did lose I had a loss I would say to them I told you you were gonna lose and they look at me like he's crazy and I'm like they didn't lose I won I also won I got that experience and from then I kind of turned into my own and I'll be honest with you I was in come at arms so they didn't appreciate that part of the world they'll take the accolades for it but once it was back to the field get rid of it back to the field back to the field and someone, but I was always a helper, so I used to help people when I learned to do stuff.

Speaker 3 And people found out I started doing things on my own. And I taught myself taught in the beginning.
And someone saw me and asked me if I wanted to come over to the

Speaker 3 trial for the culinary at the Pentagon in D.C. I'm like, for what? What is over in Culinary Wood Pentagon? What is that about? Like,

Speaker 3 you want me to be a special agent or something?

Speaker 3 No, no, we want you to come over. And I'm like, what is this?

Speaker 3 And I said, why not? And I went and I tried. And long story short was that I had four days and it was three other people

Speaker 3 competing for the same position, but they were there for 30 days. I had four.
They had 30. And I did it and I worked my butt off, went back to Fort Campbell.
And I'm like, oh, that's that.

Speaker 3 I forgot about it. It wasn't a big deal.

Speaker 3 How can I compete against? three people that's there for 30 days.

Speaker 3 And long story short was about a month so later, they called me back up and said, Hey, you ready to come? And I remember this because my commander was really upset. He didn't want me to leave.

Speaker 3 And he said, Forget about that part of the world. This is nothing.
You need to be on here. And I, and long story short, was he gave me a reprimand.

Speaker 3 And I was like,

Speaker 3 he gave me a reprimand. And I'll be honest with you, at this point in time, I was

Speaker 3 an E4

Speaker 3 and I was just kind very hardcore.

Speaker 3 And I remember sitting off with him and the first sergeant, and he gave me this rubber man because he hated that I was leaving because he wanted me to stay.

Speaker 3 And then I said to him, when he gave it to me, I said, Hey,

Speaker 3 sir, do you want me to tear this up now or later?

Speaker 3 Because once I leave the office, it's avoided. So it was just a stroke his own ego.

Speaker 3 At first, I'm like, Private Rush. I'm like, okay, I'll wait till later.

Speaker 3 So I left. And

Speaker 3 the funny thing was the general, I'm sorry, the colonel that was there who gave orders to let me go, I met him,

Speaker 3 oh my God,

Speaker 3 15 years later, he was a general

Speaker 3 three or four, four star, three star. And he remembered me and Bagby, General Bagby.
And

Speaker 3 he was like,

Speaker 2 Chef,

Speaker 3 I'm so proud of you. So proud of you.
And I said to him,

Speaker 3 Why did you let me go all those years ago? He said, because I needed you to go out and do something that a lot of people can't do. And he said, I knew you would.

Speaker 3 And it was crazy because if you knew the whole story, just how it kind of transformed. And

Speaker 3 I was very humbled and grateful for it. And

Speaker 3 he said, you're doing us proud. And I appreciated that.

Speaker 3 And I continue to do him and everybody else that gave me an opportunity or or gave me a little slive of an opportunity to do anything, just like with you, sir.

Speaker 3 You know, we take a little crack and we just open it up into a mountain.

Speaker 2 Yes, sir. Yes, sir.
You know, Chef Rush, I don't know a lot about the White House,

Speaker 2 but I do know everybody doesn't get to be a chef in the White House. And I also know that if you're not good, you probably don't get to do it multiple times.

Speaker 2 What is that? What was that experience like? What is that experience like cooking?

Speaker 2 I'm going to say it's got to be for us U.S. residents, right? Like it's got to be like the pinnacle when that's your profession and you get to do it for that seat.

Speaker 2 What is that like, brother?

Speaker 3 Mind-blowing. I mean, humbling.
I mean, it's something.

Speaker 3 You know, I'll be honest with you that when I first went in there, you know,

Speaker 3 I kind of went in a mindset of failure. Not meaning failure that I'm going to fail.
I went in there as though somebody's not going to want me there.

Speaker 3 And that was kind of like my mindset about everything I did.

Speaker 3 So I had to overly achieve and overly prove each and everything that I did because I found out through my tenure, throughout my whole military career, that everywhere I did go, it happened a lot.

Speaker 3 Right? For no reason.

Speaker 3 Being the hardest worker in the room, the reason why I'm saying call me chef then is because my mentor, mentor who i love now to death never called me that he didn't want me there you know even when i went to the white house i mean when i went to the pentagon he was the one that said don't bring him here and it was actually a navy person that brought me there because he said this guy's amazing but later on he you know apologized and said hey i was intimidated i didn't want you to you know you came in new fresh and i'm like it's a story of my life but a long story short is that when you go inside a place like that it's a different mind it's a different part of it where everybody has to be on the the same key on the same music when you work with a like people that has no intentions no egos no attitudes and we're all there for one common denominator and you have to do your best of the best all the time

Speaker 3 that was one point where you say how the stars align they align perfectly because everything has to be perfect perfect you don't have to have any alibis you don't get to blame anybody but yourself you're accountable for yourself so for me it was a perfect world You know, for me, it was a perfect world saying, okay, here is what it is.

Speaker 3 But, you know, even now, I can attribute that to my mindset in business and life and also in progress with my TV shows, with my businesses, with speaking engagement. Everything has to be aligned.

Speaker 3 I am accountable for my own actions. So going inside there, it showed me the best of the best and who, especially working for the top tier of anywhere.

Speaker 3 You know, you're talking about the president of the United States of America.

Speaker 3 You know, you're talking about, you know, anybody and everybody that comes through there, but also you got to think about the part that a lot of people don't think about is the mechanics behind it.

Speaker 3 Yeah. That is the beauty of it.
The mechanics, not the actual being a chef there, it's the mechanics of how it actually works.

Speaker 3 Because you say, well, how this happens or why this happens, or I don't understand. And it's a lot of things people don't will never understand.

Speaker 3 That's kind of like the brilliancy behind it, along with the crew, the people, the team, and just making everything happen.

Speaker 2 All right, let's go to Call Me Chef, damn it.

Speaker 2 We've teased it a little bit. Some of the questions I've been asking purposely have been around some of the principles that I know are in the book.

Speaker 2 What was the thought process? When did you know you were going to write it?

Speaker 2 And then

Speaker 2 who was the book for?

Speaker 3 I didn't know I was going to write it.

Speaker 3 I was supposed to be my cookbook. My cookbook is coming out next.
This is my memoir.

Speaker 3 The memoir was actually from the publisher.

Speaker 3 I wanted to do something before I did the cookbook that I didn't want to just have a cookbook saying, hey, I'm the greatest chef and here's all my recipes and so forth.

Speaker 3 I wanted to have a reason behind why I do what I do. I wanted to have a community base and understanding where, okay, I'm a chef, but here's how I became a chef.

Speaker 3 And here's a reason the things I went through to become a chef. I want to tell you everything.

Speaker 3 I want to tell you everything how I fail.

Speaker 3 I want to talk about my failures a lot. And I talk about a lot of theories in there, but at the same time,

Speaker 3 it was, it happens. Don't make an excuse to keep failing.
Don't make an excuse to blame everyone besides yourself. You have to have accountability.
You didn't have opportunity, so what? Right?

Speaker 3 Now you do. Make it happen on that part of it.
And even what I said with Call Me Chef Dem, it was because it was titled that because

Speaker 3 my mentor, who I said, who I'd love to deaf, still with great friends, loving the deaf, but he didn't want me to be there because I came in for that interview and he immediately said, no, he looked at me because I've always been a big kid.

Speaker 3 You know, I've always been like, I'm not intimidating, you know, like you, you know, you, you like this guy right here. But I was always had, you know, just, I'm ready to work.

Speaker 3 What do I need to do? You know, it wasn't, oh my God, who are you? No,

Speaker 3 I'm just, that's not my nature. I didn't take pictures of everyone.
I didn't go went behind them. I never did all this stuff.
I just did my job. I did it perfectly.
I did it diligently.

Speaker 3 I did it hard, right? And better than anybody else. But at the same time, some people want you to give them extra attention to let you know, say, you should be happy that you're here.

Speaker 3 You should be appreciated that you're here. I'm like, I am happy.
I am appreciative. Just let me be that, but let me also work.

Speaker 3 So that one day with this called being called me chef, damn it, was

Speaker 3 he called everybody chef except for me. And one day, I'm a kid.
Like I said, remember, I'm a kid. I'm young.
Right.

Speaker 3 He didn't call me that. And he said something else, even though I was working my butt off.
And I kind of grabbed him and picked him up and said, call me Chef.

Speaker 3 He said, yes, Chef. And from there, we were golden.
That's all it took. Just a little recognition.
But truthfully is,

Speaker 3 I joke about it, but I was very honored and humbled to be under there, under him, to even go through that situation just so I can have the knowledge base of it. It happens that way.

Speaker 3 I put the book out talking about everything from 9-11 to, you know, the Pentagon to the suicide awareness, which the book got accolades for,

Speaker 3 number one, for dealing with suicide, grief, leadership.

Speaker 3 So I wanted all those things to kind of be encompassed in the book and kind of go on. It wasn't your traditional...

Speaker 3 memoir it was a storytelling book about how to get through life and how you deal with life and then you carry on from it but also a tribute to the women also my mother in this world to remind people everyone, that it started with the females.

Speaker 3 The women are our body and soul. I don't care who you are, where you are.
They are our strength and our power. And that's what I have on here, this big strong arm right here.
That's not my arm.

Speaker 3 That bicep. That's for women because they are the strongest of us.
And so I pay homage to them all the time on their part, along with the kids.

Speaker 3 And so the book just has a collaboration of things that I literally believe in. And it puts anecdotes with my cooking skill sets inside of it to lead up into

Speaker 3 the cookbook.

Speaker 2 Love it. I love it.
I'm going to make sure I get

Speaker 2 all of the connections to the book. So I'll have links in the show notes so everyone can go get this book because it is life-changing.

Speaker 2 It's insightful. Some things I didn't know about you, I thought I knew almost everything about you, right? But some things are in there.
What do you have coming up next?

Speaker 2 So we talked about the cookbook, right? Like, I'm going to need some help because, you know, like you said, it

Speaker 2 men, like, in where how we grew up, Chef, right?

Speaker 3 Like, we were on the grill, right? That's true. But we were not in the kitchen.

Speaker 3 That is true. It's a grill.
You switch your butt off.

Speaker 3 Right.

Speaker 2 We're on the grill. But I will tell you, man, like, one of the things, again, that I admire about you is that you've taught me patience in the kitchen because, you know, I didn't.

Speaker 2 I just don't have it, bro.

Speaker 2 Like, like, naturally, I'm not a patient person, but I realize, and my wife appreciates it because she knows, oh, you got that from Chef Rush because she knows I'm taking my time.

Speaker 2 Like, if she sees me in the kitchen for an hour or so, she knows I'm cooking up one of your recipes, man.

Speaker 3 But I love that.

Speaker 2 Tell us a little bit about what we can expect in the cookbook.

Speaker 3 The cookbook, Patience is a virtue. You know, you just,

Speaker 3 the cookbook is going to just kind of go, it's going to be a storytelling cookbook. I'm going to put a bunch of things in there from my times in the White House.

Speaker 3 What I've noticed with my community base, I'm getting a lot of people now, young people, who are talking about diabetes. Chef, what do I do with all diabetes?

Speaker 3 So I want to put a lot of feel-good stuff as far as how you use food as it should be used in the beginning, as medication, as love, as holistic, all those parts where we got away from.

Speaker 3 Now, everybody wants to go to the five-star, Michelin star creams and butters and this and this and so forth. I'm also going to give you a bunch of remedies for quick cooking, quick tips, things.

Speaker 3 I'm getting ready to do some stuff with Ono Schwarzenegger for his pump club.

Speaker 3 I also have a spice line that's coming out that's going to be out in August, which is going to be a very special spice line that is going to give you your natural essential vitamins and superfoods throughout your day.

Speaker 3 And also taste flavorful. So taste is my first principle with that.
But the cookbook I'm excited about just because I get to do an expression of myself.

Speaker 3 Not with an ego. I'm not going to be fancy.
I don't want to be irreparable. So I'll give a little bit to everybody and also something that's meant to be done with your kids.

Speaker 3 I want your kids to get involved. Now, when I go around, all the kids start saying they're cooking because of me.
I love that part of it. That this, and a lot of boys, a lot of little boys.

Speaker 3 So, I love that the little guys are getting inside of that and they're doing the cooking part. So,

Speaker 3 the book is going to be a pretty, pretty fun book. Okay.
All right.

Speaker 2 Well, Chef, you've been gracious with your time, man. I want to do a quick, rapid fire.
Of course, four questions off the dome. So,

Speaker 2 you're buff. I know you're in the gym.

Speaker 2 You're a chef, your culinary guru. If you got a cheat meal, what's your cheat meal?

Speaker 3 Sushi. Lots of it.
A whole boatload of it. I eat sushi all the time.

Speaker 3 I'm talking about the big one for like six people or so.

Speaker 2 I know it. I do it.

Speaker 3 I love sushi.

Speaker 3 I mean, I can consider it have, have cheat meal because of the carbs in the sushi, but

Speaker 3 I do that. If I had to have it, I'd have a whole piece beside it.
All right.

Speaker 2 So now let's go your culinary skills. In your opinion, the best dish that you make?

Speaker 3 Every dish. Every dish is always going to be the best dish.

Speaker 2 I knew you were going to say that.

Speaker 3 You knew that, right? I knew you were going to know that.

Speaker 3 You can't have a favorite in this game. Everything has to be perfect on that part of it.
I can never have just one and say, that's my go-to dish. Everybody asked me, what's your go-to?

Speaker 3 I said, every dish is going to be. I don't care if it's a bologna sandwich.
It's going to be the best bologna sandwich you ever had. There you go.
There you go.

Speaker 2 What's your go-to routine in the gym? What's one workout you're definitely getting, aside from push-ups, what's one workout you're definitely getting in?

Speaker 3 You know what?

Speaker 3 I got to get these arms in. They're 24-inch for a reason.
You know,

Speaker 3 buys and tries. I like it.
You know what they say.

Speaker 3 You spot them all away. They get your attention right off the top of it.
I do everything, but that's bread and butter. Getting it.
All right.

Speaker 2 This one I know is going to be personal.

Speaker 2 It's you. It's Madison Square Garden.
Or no, we'll go crypto because you're in LA. Crypto, 19,000 people.
You got a microphone. What song are you going to to perform?

Speaker 3 I got a microphone.

Speaker 2 You're on stage. You're the performer.

Speaker 3 What are you singing? What are you rapping?

Speaker 2 Where are you going to?

Speaker 3 You know what? I'm going to probably say, Welcome to the jungle. Okay.

Speaker 3 I don't know.

Speaker 3 Welcome to the jungle. I don't know.
It's like, it's L.A.

Speaker 3 LA is the jungle. I think about It's crazy out here sometimes.

Speaker 2 Yes, sir. Yes, sir.
Chef, brother, I appreciate you. Like I said, more than you know,

Speaker 2 you're a mentor to me. You're someone who has changed my life.
You're someone who's helped me inspire.

Speaker 2 And as Pasha and Robert Irvine will tell you, you've helped me focus on making impact, not just being present. And so I have to thank you for that, bro.

Speaker 3 Thank you, brother. I'll say the same thing to you.
I appreciate all you do.

Speaker 3 Please keep it up you're inspiring so many millions uh to include myself even more so just so you'll know i'll always be here for you i have a signbook coming for you by the way just so you'll know in that part of it you do owe me a little bit more than 22 push-ups though just for that part of it or you owe your wife an amazing meal from me with patience right

Speaker 3 with patience with patience but honestly brother i just want to say bless you keep doing what you're doing uh it's been an honor and privilege greeting with you here today that means the world to me brother that means means the world to me.

Speaker 2 For the viewers and listeners, remember, your because

Speaker 2 is your superpower. Go unleash it.

Speaker 4 Thanks for tuning in to this episode of Mick Unplugged. If today hits you hard, then imagine what's next.
Be sure to subscribe, rate, and share this with someone who needs it.

Speaker 4 And most of all, make a plan and take action because the next level is already waiting for you. Have a question or insight to share? Send us an email to hello at mickunplugged.com.

Speaker 4 Until next time, ask yourself how you can step up.