Real Talk with Benny T

Ameet Patel (@aapatel27) is an entrepreneur, a hustler, a hotelier, the guy that brought Crumbl Cookies to Lexington, and he’s the co-founder of Thoroughbred Hospitality Group.

More importantly, he’s a brother to me, someone whose work ethic I admire a lot, and he’s also the very first person I ever attended a music festival with! Thanks for jumpstarting this lifestyle, my friend 😎

After graduating from the University of Kentucky and spending a stint at one of the Top 10 accounting firms in the country, Ameet realized that his passions and talents were not being utilized to their full potential.

As the son of first-generation immigrants who came to America and built their careers in the hotel business, Ameet felt that he was uniquely positioned to not only continue building upon the foundation his parents had laid, but to carry on that legacy to new levels 📈

In this episode, you’ll hear him share what that transition of power has been like between parent and child, from working ~in~ the business to working ~on~ the business, and moving from employee to employer (1:05:50) 🚀

Hear how he’s taken the humble roadside hotel that began as a gateway for him and so many others in his family to building THG’s portfolio around the handfuls of hotels throughout Kentucky and now Tennessee he manages, as well as his foray into the food and beverage space with the launch of Lexington’s Crumbl Cookies location (47:30) 🍪

We dive deep into that leap he and his business partner made when they first started their business, what he’s drawn inspiration from throughout this journey (45:15), how they weathered the storm during the COVID-19 pandemic, what he believes to be the most important attributes any entrepreneur should have (1:18:00), and the one thing he encourages every single college student to do before they graduate (1:29:56) 🎓

But before we dive into any of that, Ameet teaches me about Desi Weddings (23:16) and the traditions and pageantry involved in this rite of passage in the Indian culture, including how some of these customs are changing with every new generation.

And finally, we wrap things up reminiscing on that fateful festival in London where we both met up and partied as Ex-Pats abroad on July 4th weekend with Drake, Avicii, Kendrick Lamar, Travis Scott, Major Lazer, and many more legends (1:25:06) ⁶𓅓

I can’t stress enough how lifechanging that experience was for me, and to hear him share the magnitude of the impact it also had on him? Man. What a full-circle moment.

If you vibe with this episode, please let us know by dropping a quick rating and review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or by sharing it with someone else you know would dig this, as well! One love ✊

Credit Statement: Intro music is Outside by Ikson. Outro music is As It Sets by Ikson. Check out his other tracks here ➡️ https://www.iksonmusic.com

Kaleb Leach (@kleach34) is an entrepreneur, a hustler, a leader, a traveler, a man of faith, an area scout in Europe for the NFL’s International Pathway Program, part owner of Europe’s Elite (@europes_elite), and most importantly of all, he’s an incredible human being and one of my best friends in the world 🥳

Kaleb came through the studio recently to dap me up and fill me in on all of the things he’s been up to living as an Ex-Pat, the leaps he’s taken in his journey to be where he is now, what’s he’s learned about himself as an entrepreneur, and all of the growth he’s experienced in doing all of that 💗

Our conversation kicks off with Kaleb breaking some personal news that he’s moving back to the United States (10:42), so we spend some time discussing the challenges that kind of a transition presents, what it can feel like returning to a place that’s so familiar after having been away, living abroad, and constantly seeking growth and new experiences, as well as his shift from being a professional athlete to an entrepreneur and the struggle that athletes face in finding their identity after they stop playing ball 🏈

Then comes one of my favorite parts of the interview (26:50), when he describes what his “mixtape days” were like living in Austria, how he forced himself to find comfort in those trenches, and how hard he’s had to fight to keep his dreams alive… truly inspiring 💥💥💥

After that, Kaleb reveals some key insights he’s learned about himself as an entrepreneur (44:38), which leads to another great story that demonstrates his ability to adapt, pivot, and how to overcome failure when things don’t work out (56:08) 😳

The real talk keeps flowing and things get deep when Kaleb shares his experiences of being a Black entrepreneur and some of the challenges/perceptions Black people face in the business world (1:00:38), as well as the challenges/perceptions he’s faced as an American immigrant/Ex-Pat living and working in Europe, and why finding a way to connect with people despite your differences is one of the greatest skills a human being can have 💯

One of the other most powerful parts of this episode comes later (1:10:10) when we spend some time discussing representation, the weight you carry as an American on foreign soil, but also, the weight that people of color carry in business and abroad, and how despite this being considered as a burden by some, Kaleb sees it as a power and a privilege to represent these things and as opportunities to create new perceptions 🤝

Major shoutout to my guy Kaleb for coming on and sharing all that he does, for living a life that’s dedicated to growth and to helping others in their journey, for all of the incredible things he’s accomplished to this point, and for all that’s still yet to come… we’re here for it and we love to see it 🥳

If you vibe with this episode, please let us know by dropping a quick rating and review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or by sharing it with someone else you know would dig this, as well! One love ✊

Credit Statement: Intro music is Outside by Ikson. Outro music is As It Sets by Ikson. Check out his other tracks here ➡️ https://www.iksonmusic.com

Happy New Year, my friends 🥳

I’m manifesting a lot in this episode, starting with my vision for this show moving forward and how this concept has continued to evolve over time, as well as what you can expect from me this year.

Beyond that, I set and share lots of my goals for this year, including podcast goals (19:23), professional goals (34:01), personal goals (39:58), fitness goals (56:01), and financial goals (1:00:45) ♻️

And then wrapping up this masterpiece, I spend the last bit of the episode sharing where I’m currently at, what’s led to a major shift in my mindset, I touch on some things that are in the pipeline, and ultimately where I’m hoping to be later this year (1:09:28) 📈

Wanna help me contribute to these listener goals? You have that power to do exactly that! It’s really simple… all you gotta do is share this episode with a friend, family member, or colleague you think would vibe with this show. That’s it. Full send. Thanks a billion 🙏🏼

Also, please take 60 seconds if you haven’t done so already and drop me a quick rating and a review on Apple Podcasts AND the brand new Spotify rating feature! Exciting times, my friends.

Enjoy, let’s crush it this year, and I’ll be back next week 🥳

For the first time ever, I received a Spotify Wrapped.

The numbers didn’t tell my story as a listener… the numbers tell a spectacular story for my podcast 🥳

And seeing as all trends are pointing up and this is the final episode of the year, I thought this would be as good a time as any to combine that data with some of the other raw numbers from 2021, tell that story, and reflect upon some of the goals I set for myself a year ago on this show.

So that’s what today’s episode is… going deep and revisiting some of those personal, professional, podcasting and travel goals I set last year (21:12), the Spotify Wrapped report (51:17), other things that I’m very proud of from my 2021 (1:10:50), some of the challenges we overcame (1:22:57), and celebrating the growth of this year.

2021… issa wrap 🎁

Credit Statement: Intro music is Outside by Ikson. Outro music is As It Sets by Ikson. Check out his other tracks here ➡️ https://www.iksonmusic.com

Christen Garland is a web/graphic designer, a brand specialist, a solopreneur, and a nurturer of all things growth.

We first connected back in 2015 at the University of Kentucky: two students both just trying to figure out their paths. Through social media, we’ve been able to stay connected, and in the time since graduation, I’ve admired her hustle from afar as she’s leaned into her gifts, her passions, and her pursuit of personal growth 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

It’s led her from her home in Northern VA allllll the way across the country to Seattle as she’s not only achieved her dream of living in the Pacific Northwest, but also starting her own business 👩🏻‍💻

In this episode, you’ll hear Christen share what’s inspired her to take this leap of faith, how she used her time during the quarantine to reflect, game plan and gain clarity in her life (35:53), why launching CMGDigitalMedia.com has been therapeutic for her, and how it’s helped her in her own personal healing and growth process (23:27) 🌱

After that (36:29), Christen gets pretty deep when she opens up about her identity and the challenges she’s had to overcome going from being a straight-A student and how having the “gifted and talented” designation she carried in school has been reinforced to shape both internal and external expectations of herself, to how she’s battled these conflicts, raised her visibility, and grown more confident in herself as a solopreneur and human being 💪🏼

Later on, we spend some time talking about the types of clients she’s interested in working with (43:04), what she’s learned and realized about herself since her official launch, plus moving to the Pacific Northwest (1:08:08) and plugging her passion project, @KindToTheRoot (1:18:34) 🪴

If you enjoyed this episode, please let us know by dropping a quick rating and a review on Apple Podcasts, share it with someone you know would love as well, and if you need some help telling your story digitally, connect with Christen through her website (CMGDigitalMedia.com) or on IG (@cmg_digital + @christen_marieg) so that she may assist you in nurturing and growing your business 🥳

Credit Statement: Intro music is Outside by Ikson. Outro music is As It Sets by Ikson. Check out his other tracks here ➡️ https://www.iksonmusic.com

Mayfield, Kentucky was recently hit by a historic E5 tornado that left in its wake a path of devastation and destruction in western parts of the state. It was one of five that touched down during the storms last weekend.

At least 92 people have been confirmed dead across multiple states after more than 40 tornadoes pummeled a wide area on Dec. 10 and 11.

My heart goes out to all of the families and the communities across Kentucky, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois and Tennessee that have been affected by this, and especially so close to Christmas… it’s just heartbreaking.

I am extremely blessed to have not been personally affected by this, but if the wind had blown a different way, who knows what could have happened to a group of unaware hunters that included my brother, two of my cousins, and another one of our friends.

They were at our farm just 20 miles from Mayfield and well within an area that could have very easily been just as impacted as anywhere else had the tornado veered a different route.

Matty T (@datdudemattyt) joined me in the studio to describe what it was like tracking the tornado watch, the moment at which he realized they might be in some serious danger, the sounds, the funnel cloud that passed over their heads, and what it was like being so close to the most destructive tornado event in Kentucky’s history.

Many good people have lost everything overnight, are seriously hurting and many may never bounce back from this. If you’d like to help out, please consider donating to any of the following relief funds below, or to any others that are available. Every little bit helps. To my real ones that follow through with it, thank you so much 🙏🏼

📲 KY.gov Relief Fund: https://secure.kentucky.gov/formservices/Finance/WKYRelief

📲 American Red Cross Tornado Response Fund: https://www.redcross.org/local/kentucky/get-help/tornado-red-cross-response.html

📲 Salvation Army Disaster Relief Fund: https://give.helpsalvationarmy.org/give/166081/#!/donation/checkout?utm_source=google_lerma&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=disaster&utm_content=text&utm_campaign=edonation_national_brand&gclid=Cj0KCQiA8ICOBhDmARIsAEGI6o2cpSItDo79mhhK2GLcXooCyETPIo-3gY4vETeb-nx7HOFy8kQdI9MaAiMSEALw_wcB&pid=cpc:edonation_national_brand::google_lerma:::::southern_southern:disaster:disaster

If you are in need of assistance: go to disasterassistance.gov, download the FEMA app or call 1-800-621-3362.

Tim O’Neil (@tim_oneil) is a business executive and a senior seller that’s spent nearly two decades building products and processes, selling in the mobile gaming space, developing businesses, solving problems, maximizing value, and above all else, being a real one 💯

He currently works for a company called Appsflyer, which is a company that offers measurement software to businesses to better understand what’s driving their user acquisition and how they can maximize their return on mobile advertising 📈

He’s also someone that I’ve looked up to as a mentor since we initially connected around 2013, and someone who’s had a real impact on me both personally and professionally, which is why I think it’s so cool that after all these years later, here’s my guy chopping it up and sharing his time, wisdom, and story with me 🥰

In this episode, Tim and I take a deep dive into the path that’s led him to where he is now – from his first move into the corporate world grinding away on leads in a call center (16:16), to leveling up as a soldier at Oracle and how his time spent there helped him figure out his style (17:31), to eventually dipping his sneakers into virtual currency monetization and becoming the human Swiss army knife and sales/business development assassin he is today 🪖

Tim shares with me how sometimes, being thrown into situations before you’re ready can be a good thing… like that time he was asked to go on Bloomberg for an interview with almost no notice!! (28:32) 🎥

Check out how smooth he is in this clip: (https://www.bloomberg.com/news/videos/2015-05-18/take-two-is-well-positioned-in-gaming-tune-s-o-neil) 🔗

After spending some time chatting about the Bay Area and how growing up in that culture shaped his ultimate career trajectory, Tim delivers 🔥 STRAIGHT HEAT 🔥 when he shares how he’s learned to detach himself from the outcome and deal with the inevitable rejection that comes with “playing the game” when it comes to sales (38:17) 🃏

We also bounce around topics such as sales best practices, from prospecting and building a pipeline, to how to set realistic goals, to getting creative in drumming up new business, the difference between closed vs. not closed, how to ask for feedback when things fall apart, the nuances of networking, what DOESN’T work in sales, and a deep dive through all of these things through the lens of mobile gaming and mobile advertising 📲

Please drop a quick rating and a review on Apple Podcasts if you enjoyed this episode, share it with someone else you know would love it, connect with Tim on Twitter (@tim_oneil) or his personal IG (@timoneil), and if you’re interested in wanting to know more about the gaming ecosystem, take him up on the offer he makes in the episode 👀

Credit Statement: Intro music is Outside by Ikson. Outro music is As It Sets by Ikson. Check out his other tracks here ➡️ https://www.iksonmusic.com

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. — Charles Dickens” — Ben Tompkins

This is a heavy one, but this is my story, and I have a right to tell it. So, here we go. Welcome to the Thanksgiving Special, my friends 🥳

I introduce this therapy session with two pieces of wisdom from Anne Lamott and Dax Shepherd that continue to give me the power, strength, and courage to come on and be so open, honest, and vulnerable in these episodes and in and sharing these stories and reflections (3:26).

After setting up some brief framework of my family structure and family history (13:12), things really begin to take off with the official christening of the Thanksgiving Special.

So, Gather ‘round my friends… it’s story time 📖

The best of times: I’ve got stories about a banger of pool parties I hosted (32:08), beer pong tournaments (47:49), playing Uno in the club and ripping Kanye West’s Gold Digger at The After, Pueblo Bonito’s nightclub/karaoke bar (1:26:03), solo trips to waterfalls, meeting lifelong friends and audio from TikToks, and getting to vibe with allll the animals (1:33:14) 🥰

The worst of times: dealing with the first person I met and the first exchange I had leaving Louisville’s SDF airport (that I’ve grown used to now) and why my response to the situation had this grown man absolutely shook (19:03), getting stranded for hours while no one was allowed to use one of the TWO rental cards to pick me up from the pool after a good ‘ole fashioned Mexican standoff w/ my mom (37:45), a few days later, spending 6 hours in a Mexican emergency room dealing with a very scary situation where my alcohol my mom consumed left her incapacitated and how this larger pattern of behavior continues to deeply hurt me (1:03:42)… I even have a story about a woman (1:44:44) that threatened to have her child piss in my lap on our final flight back home, I shit you not! 🤣

So I’ve got all of that, PLUS:

My rankings for the Top 3 Thanksgiving movies of all time (27:56), some real-life examples of things I did to overcome my anxiety when things could have very easily gone off the rails for me personally (58:08), but most importantly, throughout this entire episode, lots of reflection, honesty, and real talk 💯

I hope you enjoy this episode, my friends, and if you do, please take two seconds and drop me a quick rating x review on Apple Podcasts, share this episode with someone you think will connect with it, or follow along on social media @bennytomp18 or @realtalkwbennyt ✌🏼

Credit statement: Intro music is Outside by Ikson. Outro music is As It Sets by Ikson. Check out his other tracks here ➡️ https://www.iksonmusic.com

Benny T (@bennytomp18) and Maddie Miyahara (@maddie.miyahara) go live from Ashland, Oregon after a week of traveling/camping/visiting National Parks to recap the trip, the challenges/obstacles of podcasting on the road, plus offer a break down of the itinerary and a recap of time spent at the Grand Canyon for Maddie’s end of the year Halloween Party 🎃

Then, the trip begins in true form with takeaways from Joshua Tree National Park, Palm Springs, Tame Impala at the Hollywood Bowl, Death Valley National Park, Sequoia National Park, Kings Canyon National Park, Yosemite National Park, Lassen Volcanic National Park, Lake Tahoe, Ashland (OR), and Redwoods National Park.

If you enjoy this episode and wanna help grow the show, please let us know by leaving a rating and a review on Apple Podcasts 🥳

Benny T (@bennytomp18) and Maddie Miyahara (@maddie.miyahara) check back in from El Capitan State Beach in Santa Barbara, California after a very special handful of days spent in the Bay Area, which included a trip up to Santa Rosa to visit the Charles M. Schulz museum, fine Italian dining in SF with friends, meeting Maddie’s Aunt Kim, Uncle Mike, and their two boys, hitting alllll of Ben’s favorite spots in the North and South Bay, plus Ben shares his two biggest takeaways from the Bay and reflects on a moment of crisis.

After the Bay days, our friends recap Big Sur, San Luis Obispo, Pinnacles National Park, and tease out where they’re headed next.

If you’ve enjoyed these CA National Parks episodes and wanna help grow the show, please let us know by leaving a rating and a review on Apple Podcasts 🥳