Serves You Right

Today’s guest is Matthew Justice : a rare breed of software engineer, educator, and retro game creator who has seen the machine from the inside out.

He spent years debugging the Windows kernel at Microsoft, helping fix bugs in one of the most complex and used systems on the planet. He’s the author of "How Computers Really Work", a book that breaks down the myth of tech as magic and shows you the logic and beauty underneath it all, whether you’re a beginner or an engineer deep in the stack.

He’s also the creator of Jane Austen’s 8-Bit Adventure, a full-blown NES video game he built from scratch...including the audio engine...using the same techniques developers used in the 1980s. It’s an insane project that’s part tribute, part time machine, and part love letter to curiosity.

Expect to learn:

• Why computers are not magic — and how understanding them is a superpower
• What most programmers get wrong about how software really works
• The hidden tradeoffs of abstraction, and how going deep can unlock creativity
• What it’s like working at Microsoft with access to the most protected code on Earth
• The truth about AI — what’s hype, what’s real, and what’s still unknown
  

Whether you’re just getting into tech or you’ve been building for years, this conversation will change how you think about the tools we use every day — and maybe inspire you to build your own.

Links:

• What a Kernel is.
• How Computers Really Work

• Jane Austin’s 8-bit adventure

Service starts now.

I talk mostly to people in and around the service industry space. I'm looking to hear from the people I wish I could have talked to when I was coming up in restaurants. Said another way: I am trying to make sense of this wild, beautiful mess of a life, and help others that are feeling similarly confused and/or lost. You can find more of my work at⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠my blog⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and all my social links are at the bottom of that page.

Classic Episodes You May Like:

-#3:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠My 1st and Most Powerful Conversation with Shane Alexander⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

-#10:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Nat Harry, cocktail expert!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

-#14: ⁠Dr. Shalini Bahl, mindful marketing⁠

As always, I’m just here taking notes, trying to figure out what it all means.

Cheers

In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Henry Roediger: professor, cognitive psychologist, and co-author of the book that changed how the world learns: Make It Stick.

This conversation is a deep dive into the science of memory, why struggling is the secret ingredient to retention, and how decades of research are finally being used to transform schools, businesses, and individual lives.

Whether you're memorizing a wine list, studying anatomy, or just trying to stop forgetting everything you read—this episode will change how you learn, forever.

Expect to Learn:

Links: ⁠⁠

Make It Stick⁠⁠

⁠⁠More on Dr. Roediger’s research⁠⁠ ⁠⁠

The James S. McDonnell Foundation⁠⁠

Service starts now.

I talk to people in and around the service industry space, and people that I wish I could have heard from when I was coming up in restaurants. Altogether I am trying to make sense of this wild, beautiful mess of a life, and help others that are feeling similarly confused and/or lost. You can find more of my work at⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠my blog⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and all my social links are at the bottom of that page.

Classic Episodes You May Like:

-#3:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠My 1st and Most Powerful Conversation with Shane Alexander⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

-#10:⁠⁠⁠⁠Nat Harry, cocktail expert!⁠⁠⁠⁠

-#14: Dr. Shalini Bahl, mindful marketing

As always, I’m just here taking notes, trying to figure out what it all means.

Cheers

In this powerful and unfiltered conversation, I sit down with Mark Johnson: a hospitality veteran, sommelier, educator, and now national sales director for a cold-pressed juice company.

Mark’s journey is a masterclass in transformation. From a music student waiting tables to managing top restaurants in Nashville and Santa Fe, studying under legends like Doug Frost, and mentoring future wine professionals. You'll hear how one man dedicated his life to service in the deepest sense.

We explore the hidden philosophy of hospitality, the brutal beauty of the sommelier exams, and what it really means to be of use in the world.

Whether you're in restaurants, obsessed with wine, or just someone searching for meaning in your work—this episode is for you.

Expect to Learn:

• Why Mark taught a free wine class that changed lives
• The behind-the-scenes truth about the Court of Master Sommeliers
• What it's really like to serve a $1,400 bottle to Doug Frost
• Why great service is a form of spiritual practice
• Life after restaurants: cold-pressed juice, national sales, and fresh starts
• How perfectionism and humility coexist in wine culture
• Music, midlife reinvention, and starting a band called “Second Chance”
• Why some of the best lessons come from failure and recovery

Links:

• Check out his band Second Chance (link to his facebook, best place to find the band)!
• Verde Food
• Court of Master Sommeliers
• Mark's Youtube
• Life is Beautiful

Service starts now.

I talk to people in and around the service industry space, and people that I wish I could have heard from when I was coming up in restaurants. Altogether I am trying to make sense of this wild, beautiful mess of a life, and help others that are feeling similarly confused and/or lost. You can find more of my work at⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠my blog⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and all my social links are at the bottom of that page.

Classic Episodes You May Like:

-#3:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠My 1st and Most Powerful Conversation with Shane Alexander⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

-#10:⁠⁠⁠Nat Harry, cocktail expert!⁠⁠⁠

As always, I’m just here taking notes, trying to figure out what it all means.

Cheers

What if the thing you always wanted—the ownership, the freedom, the legacy—ended up being the thing that taught you just how much you didn’t know?

This week’s guest is Max Scott, a former bartender turned restaurant owner, artist, and now construction entrepreneur. He helped transform one of Santa Fe’s most iconic bars—not just with sweat equity, but literal rewiring, plumbing, and vision. We talk about how it all came together, what it cost, and why walking away might’ve been the best thing he ever did.

But this isn’t just a story about restaurant ownership. It’s about knowing your worth, building something real, and figuring out who you are when the job title falls away.

🧠 Expect to learn:

• What it really takes to go from server to owner

• Why sweat equity is often undervalued—and how to protect yourself in business deals

• How to survive the pressure of being the one everyone’s watching

• What construction taught him that the service industry never could

• How art, hospitality, and building homes all come from the same place

• Why knowing your strengths might be more important than fixing your weaknesses

If you've ever felt like you're meant for more—but aren’t sure what that looks like yet—this conversation is a compass.

Links:

El Farol

Service starts now.

I talk to people in and around the service industry space, and people that I wish I could have heard from when I was coming up in restaurants. Altogether I am trying to make sense of this wild, beautiful mess of a life, and help others that are feeling similarly confused and/or lost. You can find more of my work at⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠my blog⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and all my social links are at the bottom of that page.

Classic Episodes You May Like:

-#3:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠My 1st and Most Powerful Conversation with Shane Alexander⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

-#10:⁠⁠Nat Harry, cocktail expert!⁠⁠

As always, I’m just here taking notes, trying to figure out what it all means.

Cheers

You’re not burned out. You’re disconnected.

This episode cuts through the noise of trendy “mindfulness hacks” and dives deep into something far more useful: how to actually wake up in your life, your job, and your head.

Dr. Shalini Bahl is a former marketing professor with a PhD, a top-tier publication record, and the courage to walk away from it all. What made her trade career accolades for meditation cushions? It wasn’t a TED Talk or a productivity book. It was pain, disillusionment, and a shamanic journey that rewired her identity from the inside out.

But this isn’t just a self-help story. It’s a roadmap.

We unpack:

• Why most people are living on autopilot (and how to stop)

• The real cost of ignoring your emotions—and how to build a daily practice that doesn’t feel like fluff

• How to deal with your inner critic, even when it sounds like your mom, your boss, or your high school rival

• How to bring presence into high-pressure environments (yes, even a 200-cover steakhouse)

• The science behind ego depletion and why willpower isn’t your problem

• What to do when you feel shame about the work you do (and why your job doesn’t define your worth)
  

If you’ve ever felt stuck—like you’re performing your life instead of living it—this conversation is your invitation to stop outsourcing your peace.

You don’t need to go to Costa Rica or get a certification. You just need to pay attention.

Link to her website HERE.

Service starts now.

I talk to people in and around the service industry space, and people that I wish I could have heard from when I was coming up in restaurants. Altogether I am trying to make sense of this wild, beautiful mess of a life, and help others that are feeling similarly confused and/or lost. You can find more of my work at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠my blog⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and all my social links are at the bottom of that page.

Classic Episodes You May Like:

-#3:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠My 1st and Most Powerful Conversation with Shane Alexander⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

-#10:⁠Nat Harry, cocktail expert!⁠

As always, I’m just here taking notes, trying to figure out what it all means.

Cheers

What if the best wine class you ever took wasn’t about wine at all? What if it was really about friendship, redemption, and whether you can really come back from rock bottom?

This week’s guest is my old friend Brian, someone I studied wine with, worked late nights alongside, and haven’t seen in over a decade. In this episode, we reconnect to trace the wild paths we’ve both taken since Santa Fe: from sommelier certifications and fine dining highs to addiction, collapse, and the quiet work of rebuilding a life.

We talk about what it’s like to fall out of love with the industry, find your way back, and what hospitality really means when you’re not drinking the product anymore.

This one’s raw, funny, honest—and filled with moments I didn’t see coming.

🧠 Expect to Learn:

• How a wine class in Santa Fe kickstarted two careers (and saved one life)

• What addiction in the service industry really looks like—and why it's more common than you think

• Why some of the best bartenders burn out, and how some make it back

• The real cost of being the “most sought-after” person in town

• How catering gigs and spirituality can help rebuild a life

• Why mentorship matters—and what separates a good bartender from a great one

• How to tell if the party’s still fun… or if the party’s running you

• Why Santa Fe might be one of the best (and most dangerous) places to learn this craft

• Whether you can still love the industry when you're not drinking

Links:

-Carlos Castaneda

Service starts now.

I talk to people in and around the service industry space, and people that I wish I could have heard from when I was coming up in restaurants. Altogether I am trying to make sense of this wild, beautiful mess of a life, and help others that are feeling similarly confused and/or lost. You can find more of my work at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠my blog⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and all my social links are at the bottom of that page.

Classic Episodes You May Like:

-#3:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠My 1st and Most Powerful Conversation with Shane Alexander⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

-#10:Nat Harry, cocktail expert!

As always, I’m just here taking notes, trying to figure out what it all means.

Cheers

What do pharmacy school, cookbooks, and Polynesian pop culture have in common?

Today’s guest, Tiki Lindy, connects those dots and a dozen more. From her early days bartending in the South to becoming one of the leading voices in the modern Tiki scene, Lindy has carved out a space all her own: equal parts chef, scholar, and cocktail alchemist.

We talk Tiki, not the Instagram hashtag, but the messy, misunderstood, intoxicating cultural wave that blends anthropology, rum, escapism, and spice. She's a cookbook author, rum nerd, science geek, and a deep thinker.

Expect to learn:

• Why "Tiki" drinks aren't what you think they are, they’re so much more

• How those Dan Dan noodles helped inspire a cookbook

• The right way to introduce whiskey drinkers to rum

• Whether or not a hot dog is a sandwich (yes, seriously)

  
  

  Some Links Mentioned in the episode:

  • Saturn Cocktail. Try not to have too many!
  • Trader Vic's
  • Navy Strength
  • Nutcracker Old Fashioned
  • Arizona Tiki Oasis
  • Agiorgitiko Wine
  • Link to her website, where you can find all her books.

  
  

And yes, we talk about that delicious looking Old Fashioned, and why she keeps her best recipes close to the chest…

This episode is a deep dive for anyone who’s ever poured a drink, geeked out on ingredients, or just wanted to know how the Tiki world actually works.

Service starts now.

I talk to people in and around the service industry space, and people that I wish I could have heard from when I was coming up in restaurants. Altogether I am trying to make sense of this wild, beautiful mess of a life, and help others that are feeling similarly confused and/or lost. You can find more of my work at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠my blog⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and all my social links are at the bottom of that page.

Classic Episodes You May Like:

-#3:⁠⁠⁠⁠My 1st and Most Powerful Conversation with Shane Alexander⁠⁠⁠⁠

As always, I’m just here taking notes, trying to figure out what it all means.

Cheers

What if the difference between $100 in tips and $1,000 wasn’t your wine list—but your mindset?

This week’s guest, Julio of Waiter, There’s More,

joins us from Sweden to share his mission: training the next generation of hospitality pros not just to serve, but to elevate. From starting as a coffee boy to building a service training empire online, Julio has seen it all—and filmed a lot of it, too.

Expect to learn the art of invisible service, the myth of perfection, and why most waiters never make it past “good enough.” We dig into his online course (40+ hours of waiter self-development, filmed live on the job), the dirty truths behind viral hospitality videos, and the real difference between knowing your stuff and connecting with a guest.

Oh, and the course name? My inner marketer is super jealous, no doubt about it…

🧠 Expect to Hear:

• Why 95% of restaurant staff stay stuck—and how to break out

• The power of anticipatory service (and the pear juice test)

• Going viral for the wrong reasons

• Why hospitality is part psychology, part magic trick

• How to get paid while getting better

Whether you’re new to the floor or leading the team, this episode will sharpen your edge.

Service starts now.

I talk to people in and around the service industry space, and people that I wish I could have heard from when I was coming up in restaurants. Altogether I am trying to make sense of this wild, beautiful mess of a life, and help others that are feeling similarly confused and/or lost. You can find more of my work at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠my blog⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and all my social links are at the bottom of that page.

Classic Episodes You May Like:

-#3:⁠⁠⁠My 1st and Most Powerful Conversation with Shane Alexander⁠⁠⁠

As always, I’m just here taking notes, trying to figure out what it all means.

Cheers

Picture this: thirty‑year agave plants hauled by burro through Oaxacan dust, corn fields reborn as gold in your glass, and a mango eau‑de‑vie so juicy it will drive you mad. That wild collision of flavor and story is exactly what today’s guest, Nat Harry, lives for. Nat’s a former bartender turned spirits buyer, San Francisco World Spirits Competition judge, and newly minted author helps guide us towards what is truly important in the world of fine spirits.

Expect to learn just how big of a geek I can be over spirits. Expect to hear us geek out on mezcal sustainability (“distilling coral‑reef liquor,” as one master sommelier quipped) , debunk “older is better” whiskey myths, and learn why the word “smooth” drives pros crazy....unless you ask the right follow‑up question.

If you pour for a living or just pour over bottle labels for fun, stick around: this conversation is fun, fiery, and guaranteed to leave your tasting glass (and your notebook) overflowing.

Service starts now.

Links:

-Nat's Instagram

-Nat's Website

-Cask

-Omnivore Books

-New York Kitchen and Letters

-Leopold Bros

-Kilchoman scotch

-Rey Campero Mezcal

-Mezcal Vago

-Real Minero

-Rhine Hall (Mango Eau de Vie)

I talk to people in and around the service industry space, trying to make sense of this wild, beautiful mess of a life. You can find more of my work at ⁠⁠⁠⁠my blog⁠⁠⁠⁠, and all my social links are at the bottom of that page.

Classic Episodes You May Like:

-#3:⁠My 1st and Most Powerful Conversation with Shane Alexander⁠

As always, I’m just here taking notes, trying to figure out what it all means.

Cheers

What if everything you knew about wine and food pairing was wrong?

This week’s guest, Tim Hanni, Master of Wine, drops bomb after bomb on the wine world’s biggest myths: from the nonsense of “red wine with red meat” to why sweet wine drinkers may actually have more taste buds.

We also get deeply personal. Tim shares his journey from drinking three bottles a day to getting sober, while still working in the wine industry. We talk perceptual science, umami, ADHD, and why true hospitality means adapting to each individual guest, not showing off your wine vocabulary. And that's just for starters (he may even include his actual cell number in the convo).

🔍 Expect to Learn:

• Why wine language is broken

• The science of perception and taste

• Umami, steak, and red wine pairing myths

• The real reason sweet wine gets a bad rap

• Tim’s story of addiction, recovery, and reinvention

Mentioned in our conversation:

• Jeremiah Tower
• Tim's Website
• Tim's Book
• Contact Tim

I talk to people in and around the service industry space, trying to make sense of this wild, beautiful mess of a life. You can find more of my work at ⁠⁠⁠my blog⁠⁠⁠, and all my social links are at the bottom of that page.

Classic Episodes You May Like:

-#3:My 1st and Most Powerful Conversation with Shane Alexander

As always, I’m just here taking notes, trying to figure out what it all means.

Cheers