Fry Your Chickens!

What do magic, mentalism, motivation, and human connection have in common? Daniel C. Schaffer. In this episode of Fry Your Chickens , I talk with award-winning magician, mentalist, and speaker Daniel Schaffer about the deeper message behind the magic. Daniel shares how he uses what he calls “Trojan horse motivation” — entertaining audiences first, then sneaking in powerful lessons about leadership...

What if the key to better performance isn't technology, but radical adaptability? That's the question I discuss today with Tyler Norman. We discussed AI, adaptability, Scholastic books and a whole lot more. It was great fun - give it a listen! THE PROMPT FOR THE BIG QUESITON SONG: For the music: Suno - An epic song of huge importance, hardbass, memorable (Phil written lyrics were provided)...

What happens when a father and daughter team up to tackle life’s biggest questions? In this fun, thoughtful, and occasionally ridiculous conversation, Erik and Maddie Larson discuss the philosophy behind their book Be. Do. Give. Love. and explore how the order in which we approach life can dramatically impact our happiness, success, and fulfillment. Along the way, the conversation takes plenty of...

Vivian Cobb helps people have one of their most conversations - the money conversation. After Vivian suddenly lost her husband she found herself broke. She regretted not having the crucial conversations around money (and things like passwords and more) and she vowed to help others not go through the same thing. Vivian is a wonderful person - and she gave one fo the best answers to the chicken / be...

Jenilee Taylor is an international director for Toastmasters, a world-traveling employee of BWH, a connoisseur of Jungle Jim's and an awesome friend. We covered a lot of ground in this episode, including red eye flights, serial killers, moose, Toastmasters, spouses who know us better, and moose (just to make this description feel like a Monty Python episode). We also had one of the best answer...

Lisa Ryan joined me for a conversation that hits right where it should. AI is making everything faster… but what if it’s quietly making us worse? After 200+ interviews with manufacturing leaders, Lisa is seeing a pattern: efficiency goes up, but human judgment starts to slip. And like being a Cleveland Browns fan… You don’t always realize something’s broken until it really matters. (Like 10 minute...

Melissa Powers Opasic is insightful, high-energy, and the real deal when it comes to helping people navigate change—and not only that, she wrote one hell of an intro for this podcast. Here’s how she described it: “Because vulnerability has a funny way of opening doors we don’t expect. Huge thank you to Phil Barth—speaker and host of Fry Your Chickens! —for having me on to talk about it. And let me...

What if you could get the benefits of meditation just bywatching Hogan’s Heroes? What if your next diet included watching Big Bang Theory? My conversation with Neurohumorist / Hall of Fame Speaker Karyn Buxman covers that and a lot more. Karyn has spent years studying humor and its impact on our health—and one stat stood out: nine of the top ten causes of death in the U.S. are tied to lifestyle ch...

Dave Caperton is a hilarious guy. Don't believe me? Listen to the podcast! A former teacher, Dave now helps organizations and individuals find joy. In this episode we talk about finding joy, stubbing toes, dogs, chickens, artwork and more. Loads of laughs and lots of wisdom (from Dave anyway). NOTE: If you are in listen only mode - we discuss the painting Le Coq Rouge (The Red Rooster) - and show...

Blackwell Smith is on a mission to improve the flavor of your food with really great (and really fresh spices). AND he's on a mission to help people learn how to cook with his YouTube channel. Better yet - he does a great Jackie Gleason (Buford T. Justice) impression! In this podcast he shares his expertise. And we laugh. A lot. You might want to listen just before lunch or dinner, because you're...

Jamie Knight is President of The Knight Team - a real estate agency in Port Clinton / Marblehead / Catawba. He is a great guy and a great real estate agent. In this episode we sat down and discussed his philosophies of leadership, real estate and of course... rubber chickens. Quote from the episode (Phil couldn't remember): "When I left the dining room after sitting next to Mr. Gladstone, I though...

Here's what I love about husband and wife Rob Hunter and Amy Yackowski. The conversation effortlessly flows from Rob and his team being chased out of Mexico by a Crown Vic to Super Hero powers to teams, to rubber chickens, to... yep... sea lion farts. This conversation really has it all. Links: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wuxing_(Chinese_philosophy) Onthepaintedporch.com Robhunter.substack.c...

I have spoken at Amy Ruddell's events throughout the US and Canada. And every time I've had a blast. Amy is an incredible conference organizer and an incredible human. She makes sure everyone has a great time (well we do talk about an exception... but it wasn't her fault). And that's why people keep coming back. We talk about work, Bridgerton, Game of Thrones, the Toronto Zoo Monor...

Dale Irvin is a speaker who sawan opportunity to leverage his quick wit into a great career.   In this episode we talk about he landed his dream career. And we laugh a lot. And we talk about his hilarious podcast "Another Day Above Ground".   And we talk about chickens.   It's fun and learning. You can't beat it!   Dale's linked in profile:   https://www.linkedin.com/in/dalei...

Ed Rigsbee is a CSP (Certified Speaking Professional) and CAE (Certified Association Executive), He's the author of multiple books. He knows his stuff. He's also a lot of fun to talk with. Our conversation covers a lot of ground, including - The fantastic places he’s spoken. - His bourbon and cigar podcast. - Cigar PEG – a philanthropic group that helps charities and speakers around the wo...

When I invited Jenn and Tom Bedell back for a second episode I had one rule. We couldn't do anything that wasn't completely silly. For the most part we stuck with that rule. We talked about geese (the sons of bitches of the animal kingdom), rules for dry January, and why a clipboard carrying duck is trustworthy. We heard from Darcy (but we had to censor her language). We discussed whether...

Veronica Sterling is a national park lover and keynote speaker. She is known for helping audiences navigate change with clarity, capacity, and courage. Her message is shaped by more than twenty years of executive leadership, including her role as CEO of Hospice of Southwest Ohio. Her work informs her approach to purpose, resilience, and alignment. Also she is a lot of fun to interview on a podcast...

Erica Woods is the Director, Talent Experience & Social Impact for Apex Systems. She is also a great chicken fryer and a lot of fun to interview! On this podcast we talked about low cost (frequently free) ways to do team building. (One idea was a typing speed test, so we tested it out live on the podcast). And we talked about National Parks - Phil adds one to his bucket list! It's a great...

In this episode, I sit down with Darren LaCroix —stand-up comedian turned Las Vegas keynoter, 2001 Toastmasters World Championship of Public Speaking winner, and coach to speakers around the world. We talk about Darren’s first stand-up performance, the bomb that taught him the most, and how stage time—real stage time—shaped everything that followed. From comedy clubs to a world championship to bui...

Cybersecurity expert Bryce Austin returns to Fry Your Chickens for his second appearance — and yes, we have a little fun with the fact that being a multi-time guest is clearly a big deal. But the laughs come with a serious purpose. In this episode, Bryce breaks down what’s really happening at the intersection of cybersecurity and AI. We talk about where AI is making organizations safer, where it’s...

Anytime you've heard "I'm a sage on the stage", "I'm the guide by their side" and "You can't who up and throw up" within the first THREE MINUTES of a podcast you know it's going to be good. My conversation with Patrick Donadio was very good. Lots of great points and lots of laughs. You don't want to miss this one! Patrick Donadio, MBA ,  is a c...

Welcome to season two of Fry Your Chickens! In this episode, I’m joined by AJ Hawley — keynote speaker, consultant, and a good friend. We talk about imposter syndrome (the kind that still shows up even when things are going well), keynote speaking and more. Along the way, the conversation takes a few very detours into dogs, zombies, Halloween creativity, and — naturally — rubber chickens. There’s...

In this episode, I sit down with Claire Edwards —a true morning routine ninja (my words, not hers). Claire has completed a morning routine 2,000 days in a row , and the results have been incredible . As always, we mixed practical insights with the usual nonsense, including deep philosophical questions like “Would you rather fight one bear-sized chicken or 100 chicken-sized bears?” (Science was inc...

In this episode, I sit down with leadership coach and keynote speaker Kamilla Pinel for a conversation that blends emotional intelligence, AI, and real-world leadership in a refreshingly human way. Kamilla shares her DREAM™ framework and how AI can help make us better humans. Oh and she also talks about the human side of coaching. I learned a lot! Inspired by Kamilla’s spontaneity and coaching sty...

In this episode, I sit down with keynote speaker, LinkedIn Learning instructor, and all around great guy Vince Mirabelli to unpack a topic most people avoid — organizational politics . Vince argues that politics, when done right, can actually be a force for good, helping teams navigate influence, alignment, and change. We dive into: Why every organization has politics (and how we can make that a g...