IAM408- Radio Personality and Mental Health Champion Supports Mental Health Causes

A 30+ year veteran of radio and creator of Canada's #1 website for radio jobs and industry news (MilkmanUnLimited.com) now running a successful on-line station (BlastTheRadio.com) as well as creating and producing podcasts for a variety of clients, including Jesse & Jenna (as heard on CEO Podcast).

Mielke is also a champion for mental health having been diagnosed with clinical depression and anxiety in 2012. A survivor of one suicide attempt and a very close second call, he raises money for various mental health causes and does speaking engagements on the subject as well.

Currently, a book about his triumphs over mental health challenges is being written!

• CEO Hack: (1) Talking to great leaders (2) Simon Sinek- Start With Why
• CEO Nugget: Be a better listener
• CEO Defined: Being a leader, making sacrifices for yourself and assuming risks

Website: https://www.blasttheradio.com/

Facebook.com/MMURadio
Facebook.com/BlastTheRadio

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Transcription

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Intro 0:02

Do you want to learn effective ways to build relationships, generate sales, and grow your business from successful entrepreneurs, startups, and CEOs without listening to a long, long, long interview? If so, you've come to the right place. Gresham Harkless values your time and is ready to share with you precisely the information you're in search of. This is the I AM CEO Podcast.

Gresham Harkless 0:29

Hello, hello. Hello, this is Gresh from me I am CEO podcast and I have a very special guest on the show today. I have John Mielke of Blast The Radio and Milkman Unlimited. John, it's awesome to have you on the show.

John Mielke 0:40

It's great to be here.

Gresham Harkless 0:41

No problem. Super excited to have you on and what I wanted to do was just read a little bit more about John so you can hear about all the awesome things that he's doing. He's a 30+ year veteran of radio and creator of Canada's #1 website for radio jobs and industry news (MilkmanUnLimited.com) now running a successful on-line station (BlastTheRadio.com) as well as creating and producing podcasts for a variety of clients, including Jesse & Jenna (as heard on CEO Podcast)., he also has a new project called podcastle.co.

Mielke is also a champion for mental health having been diagnosed with clinical depression and anxiety in 2012. A survivor of one suicide attempt and a very close second call, he raises money for various mental health causes and does speaking engagements on the subject as well. Currently, a book about his triumphs over mental health challenges is being written. And that is being written as we speak. John, are you ready to speak to the I AM CEO Community?

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John Mielke 1:37

Oh, man, I don't know if I can live up to all the hype. But yeah, let's do it.

Gresham Harkless 1:41

You're crushing the hype. So I wanted to kick everything over here a little bit more about what I call your CEO story. And what led you get started with your business?

John Mielke 1:49

Sure. I was a guy who just wanted to be in radio. That was it, there was never any intention for me to be a business owner. And to behold, I fell into it backward. I was very lucky in 1996. To have said, to a fellow broadcaster of mine, that anything I would ever need to do in radio, I'd be able to handle on a typewriter. And he was mortified by that. Long story short, he literally kidnapped me and took me to his house, where all old computers had gone to die on a shelf somewhere. And he hooked me up with my first computer, which got me onto the web. And in 1996, the Internet was still fairly new.

So I was looking for anything I could find about radio broadcasting, whether it was show prep ideas or comedy bits, and I just wasn't having any luck. I could find some stuff for American radio for radio in the UK. But Canada, by virtue of us being a much smaller country, population-wise, there just wasn't anything there. So anytime I could find something to do with Canadian radio, I create a bookmark. And then, hey, I want to be able to access this in the studio because now there are computers in the studio.

So we started creating a list of links, and it just sort of snowballed into a business that you mentioned, Milkmanunlimited.com. I call it unlimited because whenever I would see a business with such limits, I'd laugh. I think well why would you limit yourself and so that's why the Milkman Unlimited, but yeah, I've been very lucky to have it since 96. But it's the go-to website in Canada. For radio job postings and industry news.

Gresham Harkless 3:31

Nice. Well, I definitely appreciate that. Why would you call it a limited liability company when you can call it an unlimited liability company? So I appreciate that.

John Mielke 3:41

And it's a sole proprietorship now and if I ever make it a limited partnership. It'll be Milkman Unlimited Limited. That possibility still exists.

Gresham Harkless 3:50

There you go. I liked that. I definitely appreciate that. And so I know you touched on it a little bit. You have definitely a couple of projects that you're working on. You told us about Milkman Unlimited. Can you tell us a little bit more about Blast The Radio and also, of course, my favorite play on words, Podcastle.

John Mielke 4:08

Yeah. Okay, we'll tackle all those for you. So Milkman Unlimited was sort of a side project while I was still on the air. In my hometown. I've been very lucky to have a 23-year broadcast career here. And when the station I was at Flip Formats, about six years ago, it's gonna be six years this November. It was really all I had. My wife had actually lost her job nine days earlier, Shannon was with Sears in Canada, and Sears Canada, of course, is no more.

So it was kind of a double whammy. We went from a three-income household to one. Like I said, fortunately, that was there. But by virtue of that, I was able to connect with a good number of broadcast veterans who were able to sort of guide me very quickly to the idea of still doing my show, but from My Voiceover studio that I had built.

So within five weeks, I'd actually launched, it originally launched to spankyouradio.com Giving conventional radio a sound beating. Because whenever our listeners would call my show and make a request, I'd say spank you and they'd say, no spank you it was kind of just this little playful thing. But I didn't like the optics of it. On one hand, here, I am running a business asking the radio to support me and put job postings on. And then I'm going to start this radio station. That's basically literally a backhanded to hell with you.

Yeah. And I woke up at two o'clock in the morning, and I looked at my wife, and I can't call it that. She said, why I just can't. I was halfway down the stairs, and I remembered a sign my parents got into the cardboard sign that I hung up my bedroom door when I was a teenager after I bought, every kid has to have a stereo that's too big for their room. Yes, I bought that in high school. And they put a sign up on my door that said, warning blasting area, it looks like a little roadside.

So the idea of blasting the radio just sort of popped into my head and the domain ended up being available. So yeah, within five weeks of having lost my owner's job, we had the Christmas break in there. And by January 5, I was still doing my show, but online.

And initially, I thought, yeah, this would be a fun place to hang out until, somebody comes knocking. I fell in love with the freedom of it. And as we see cut back after cut back after cut back happening in conventional radio, I'm seeing growth, and I'm seeing an opportunity to actually offer a lifeline, if you will, to a lot of broadcasters who are in that same position. Now. What am I going to do with the station, I was at just flipped formats, or they've cut back. So we're bringing on a lot of very talented broadcasters. And that's how I came to know Jesse and Jenna. And we launched their messy podcast, the trade-off there being a podcast for them and content for me on blasttheradio.com.

Gresham Harkless 7:08

Right, that makes perfect sense. And actually during Jesse and Jenna has podcast, I remember they spoke about the aspect of how they had a lot more freedom. I don't know if that's the right word that they said. But it alluded to that by being able to do things online as opposed to the radio. You can use a lot more colorful language on the podcast and on internet streaming. On FM for sure.

John Mielke 7:29

Yeah, absolutely.

Gresham Harkless 7:30

Absolutely. So no, I definitely appreciate that. And so now I wanted to ask you for what I call your secret sauce. And this is for you or for your organization but what do you feel sets you apart and makes you unique?

John Mielke 7:42

My vision, hands down, I am an off-the-wall creative thinker. Actually, a listener of mine probably described me best. Because I get very frustrated when, why isn't this happening? Why are there no sponsors lined up? You know why, why, why, why, why? And she voted down very simply for me because I'm such a creative thinker. She said, John, you're in the endzone, celebrating a touchdown. Long before the rest of the team even has a chance to realize the ball has been snapped.

And I love that analogy because I'm a football fan. But it's so true. I do see things, 50-60 yards ahead of where they actually are, which I guess makes me a great leader. But with the mental health issues and the anxiety especially, it just eats at me that I need people to catch up. I've got that under much better control. Now. I think though, where I'm, I'm better able to recognize that. Okay, I'm in the endzone. Come on, guys. Come on. I'm dancing for you. And as soon as we're there where are we going? Another endzone?

Gresham Harkless 8:51

Exactly, exactly, I definitely enjoy it. I wanted to switch gears a little bit. And I want to ask you for what I call a CEO hack. This might be an app or book or a habit that you have, but what's something that makes you more effective and efficient?

John Mielke 9:05

Talking to great leaders. I want that little nugget of information, anybody that I can get access to who I know is successful. I mean, we all know the names, and whatever industry we're in, we know who the big movers and shakers are and how to find that person. And just get that one little nugget of information, whether it's a book and I'm big into Simon Sinek right now, who's got a great book. Have you read Simon Sinek?

Gresham Harkless 9:30

Yes, yes, usually eat last I believe.

John Mielke 9:34

It begins with why, and yeah, and I love the whole why it's just such a powerful thing. I was on a flight a few years ago, and the gentleman sitting behind me was an inventor. He actually invented a new way to do these gallery wraps, which is where you take a print and stretch it over a frame. Well, he grew up in his dad's framing shop with plants wood rose, well, he decided that he would just make for individual planks, pre-cut, lay it over that, and then flip the wood planks together. He sold it to Walmart for a bunch of million dollars and was on his way to the title.

But the way he spoke about business like I latched on to this guy because the plane landed, I turned around, you're somebody whose business card I need to have. Give me five minutes with someone like that. And I've been very lucky that people have reached out to me, it's amazing. When you do reach out to somebody in your complimentary. It's like, look, I don't want a lot of your time. But I'd love I get on a call with you for five or six minutes. How? It's amazing how many times that door will open for me. Sure. Okay, what can I help you with? I just want to sit in the room and be a fly on the wall. So yeah, the more you expose yourself to great leaders, I think the better leader you become.

Gresham Harkless 10:51

Absolutely, exactly. So now I wanted to ask you another question, which is a CEO, nugget. And this is a word of wisdom or piece of advice. Or if you could happen to be a time machine, what would you tell your younger business self, be a better listener.

John Mielke 11:07

And that's all-encompassing, whether it's an opportunity to listen to someone who has more experience than you. But also, I find some of my best ideas come from opportunities, I get to speak in front of college students, for example, They're young, they're not in the business yet. But they have great vision and great questions. And if you listen to those questions, you can really get a sense of where the business is going and where it's at. And I refuse to dismiss any of it. It's all valid, and I'm a very good talker. Listening is something I have to learn and always learn. But when I really allow myself to do that, boy, the successes that come from listening are unreal.

Gresham Harkless 11:58

Absolutely, and especially what you spoke to being in those college or university environments, especially because they're bubbling with ideas and different perspectives because they haven't been in a trencher.

John Mielke 12:12

And no fear of absolutely preconceived notions, it's almost like talking to how they say, children are so innocent. Someone at the college level, I'm not considering them a child, don't get me wrong, but they just haven't been in the industry for 25-30 years, like I have, they're not jaded, or other people of my tenure are, and they've got a genuine curiosity and tapping into that is a breath of fresh air.

Gresham Harkless 12:41

Yeah, I appreciate that perspective. And, now I want to ask you my absolute favorite question, which is a definition of what it means to be a CEO. And we're hoping to have different, quote, unquote, CEOs on this show. So John, what does being a CEO and CEO,

John Mielke 12:53

A CEO means you've got to be a leader. And that means you need to, sometimes assume all the risk, you need to be prepared to take the hits, and you need to be able to make sacrifices for yourself, in order to better the team around you. And when people who are around you see that you're willing to make those sacrifices for me, I've spent six years living off my savings and whatnot in order to build my blasttheradio.com and podcast, enterprise up and get myself back to where I was, but people see that I'm willing to take that hit myself, and make that sacrifice myself and they respond to it and the respect you get from that, when you're willing to bring yourself down to somebody else's level. That is a powerful, powerful thing.

Gresham Harkless 13:48

Well, I appreciate you, John, for paying it forward. Appreciate all the awesome things you're doing. I wanted to pass you the mic so to speak, just to see if there's anything additional you can let our readers and listeners through and then of course, how best they can get ahold of you.

John Mielke 14:04

So you can follow Milkmanunlimited.com If you're in Canada, you probably already know the website if you don't Hey, awesome, welcome aboard. If you are an American broadcaster, we would be equivalent to let's say an allaccess.com. But have a look. We certainly do have a good number of people from around the world who know radios are all sort of kicking tires and seeing what everybody else is doing regardless of geography. But the Blast The Radio model is something I would encourage people to take a look at and listen to. It's creative off wall wall-fun personality-driven radio, it's the kind of radio I grew up on. It's the kind of radio I will always want to deliver to my audience.

And the podcast which you and I didn't really touch on but it's really just sort of a branch off of blasttheradio.com was inspired by the fact that Jesse and Jenna were coming into my house, creating content for themselves. And from where I sit in my living room, we've actually converted my dining room into a podcast area, much to my wife's chagrin. But I've got the area surrounded by moving blankets. So when I don't have guests in, the blankets go up on the back of photography stands, and it often takes the shape of the entrance to a castle. You know, like sort of that circus tent entrance kind of thing. And so that I was sitting here one day, and I thought, That's my PodCastle, right there.

So that's the evolution of getting people to know how and the equipment and the tools to create a real quality podcast because sound is everything when it comes to podcasts, you want it to sound good in order to give yourself the best opportunity. So that's where they can find me on social media facebook.com/blast The Radio or slash the Milky Show, I'm at MMU radio, and at Blast The Radio. Milky show on Instagram and blast the radio on Instagram. And I'm on LinkedIn as John Mielke.

Gresham Harkless 16:06

Awesome, awesome, awesome. And I'll make sure to have those links in the show notes so that everybody can follow up with you. And stay connected to see all the awesome things you're doing. Take a trip to the castle so to speak. And, John, I appreciate you and I hope you have a phenomenal rest of the day.

John Mielke 16:20

It's my pleasure, man. Thank you so much for reaching out.

Outro 16:22

Thank you for listening to the I AM CEO Podcast powered by Blue 16 Media. Tune in next time and visit us at iamceo.co I AM CEO is not just a phrase, it's a community. Be sure to follow us on social media and subscribe to our podcast on iTunes Google Play and everywhere you listen to podcasts, SUBSCRIBE, and leave us a five-star rating grab CEO gear at www.ceogear.co. This has been the I AM CEO Podcast with Gresham Harkless. Thank you for listening.

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