Thirty Minute Mentors Podcast Transcript: Brooke Burke

I recently interviewed Brooke Burke on my podcast, Thirty Minute Mentors. Here is a transcript of our interview:

Adam: Our guest today is a TV host turned fitness entrepreneur reporter who spent eight seasons as co-host of the TV show, Dancing with the Stars, and is the founder and CEO of Brooke Burke Body. Brooke, thank you for joining us.

Brooke: Thanks for having me. How are you today?

Adam: I'm great. How are you?

Brooke: I'm really good. Thank you.

Adam: Brooke, you grew up in Arizona and studied Broadcast Journalism at UCLA before breaking into the world of modeling and then the world of television. How did your communication skills evolve, from your time as a student at UCLA, to your time hosting a major network TV show?

Brooke: Well, my journey in entertainment and career took a real pivot. And it was quite different than what I imagined. As a young girl. I always loved school, and studied business advertising, and then broadcast journalism at the UCLA Extension program. And I thought that was going to be my past, I thought I was gonna be a journalist, and maybe go into news. And then I had the opportunity to audition for my first on-television host. And I tell this story delicately because so many people in the entertainment business want to know what the break was and what the path was, but I auditioned and then I got most of my education on the road. I did my first show in Spain, I signed a deal after that trial show. So everything that I was studying in school, I think, gave me a bit of background and some confidence. But I got my education in the entertainment business onset and on the road and had a great co-host that sort of guided me in the beginning. And then I just took a pivot and surrounded myself with, you know, people that were better at it than I was and had no ego and were open to learning and asked a lot of questions. And I think I always love to talk. But I think reading the paper or watching the news, reading as much as I possibly can to help develop those communication skills, and paying attention and asking, you know, being a sponge absorbing, absorbing content and information, and asking lots of questions

Adam: Great tips. What can anyone listening to this podcast, listening to this conversation do to become a better communicator?

Brooke: I think, you know, learning how to pause, learning how to listen passionately, being interested in the people that you're speaking to, being curious. And paying attention, you know, I can't tell you how many interviews I've done, talk Shows, I've done them all, where, you know, there's an agenda sometimes, you know, when someone's on to the next question when they're not really listening. And it's always been a frustration for me because I don't know how you feel about, you know, the type of work that you do, but I've always been one of those people that's, you know, deeply engaged in the conversation, for real, and interested in the content and happy to pick it when it feels right and happy to take a left turn and happy to be spontaneous as both a journalist and a guest, you know, an interviewee and being on the other side. So it's just real talk. And I think the audience, you know, feels that and, and relates to that. What do you think?

Adam: I could not agree with you more and something that listeners of this podcast have heard me say over and over again; great leaders are great listeners. So the skill of listening is vital when it comes to being a great communicator, when it comes to being a great leader, when it comes to being a great negotiator. It's a skill that is critically important in just about everything you do in life.

Brooke: I couldn't agree more, you know, I apply that same philosophy in business. And, you know, even being a CEO and having to make a lot of decisions. I really listened to my team, I really value their opinion. You know, I empower them to come with me with creative ideas, whether we move forward on them or not, you know, really is a collective decision. But I think that's super important to listen and to open your mind to the opinions of other respected people on your team. So yeah, I totally agree with you.

Adam: You're not going to learn by talking, you're going to learn by listening, you're going to learn by surrounding yourself with great people, empowering those people to express their views and taking the time to listen to them and then ideally, taking the best of what they have to offer and acting on it.

Brooke: Yeah, I totally agree. And I've always said, you know, surround yourself with people that are more knowledgeable than yourself without an ego, that's how we learn. That's how we become better. And there's a lot of people who think their way is the only way. They think their way is the right way. And I've made great changes and great decisions by really respecting and considering, you know, those collective opinions. So yeah, no ego, no ego in the process, I think it benefits everyone.

Adam: Brooke, I love it. And we're going to talk a lot more about your endeavors as an entrepreneur. We're going to talk a lot more about your thoughts on leadership. But before we do, I want to ask you about your early days in television. You broke into the world of TV as the host of Wild On! You mentioned your experience on that show. It's a show that probably every guy my age in America remembers. What are your best lessons learned from your time breaking into the world of television?

Brooke: It was one of the greatest gigs I've ever had to this day. I think I'll always be sort of that Wild On! girl in that I can never outlive that. It's been bittersweet for me because I do so many other things. But you know, having an opportunity to travel the world with an open mind, connect with locals, to travel as a local rather than a tourist was one of the greatest traveling lessons I learned and advice that I could give to anyone, especially as an American. We're so spoiled, we're so used to the conveniences in our culture, to really dive into someone else's space, with respect and to experience a new land as a local taught me so many things. And by that, I mean try new things, taste new things, develop your palate, get rid of your agenda, and meet someone that's going to give you five suggestions and make the best of the destination. I had so much fun doing that. I also was very lucky to work with a young crew that had a zest for life and a hunger and spontaneous freedom that is really hard to find in the entertainment world. So we were sort of a reality show before reality television if you will. You know, we were guerrilla. I did my own hair. I did my own makeup. I had one sound man, one cameraman, it was super ghetto. We had a small budget, and we just were so excited to travel the world and experience the best of each destination that we were able to just bring that out to every place that we went. So I think I got my best education traveling. And I really preached that because I think you have to see the world and understand different cultures and walks of life. And it was so much fun. It was crazy. To be honest, we did things that would never fly. There were no liability waivers back then. A few. I mean, I flew rockets, I jumped out of planes. I did open water shark dives, I ate the most disgusting things you could ever imagine. I sailed, I jumped, I dove, I did things today that I would think once, twice, three times about and probably back out because you just you know, I was wild and free and an adrenaline junkie.

Adam: Brooke, not everyone listening to this conversation is wild, is free, is as much of an adrenaline junkie, as you were as you are. What advice do you have on how anyone can push their comfort zone?

Brooke: Oh, I love the way you phrase that. It's really important to me and I've always been one to step out of my comfort zone. Now in my business, in the wellness philosophies that I teach, guiding people to take chances, and to do that. I think it's the only way we grow. I think you know, being brave is not easy for a lot of people. But I've always said, I don't want to wonder, I don't want to ask myself later in life, what if I want to experience so many things? That's how I know today what I want to do, where I want to revisit, where I don't like, what I don't like, how I define my boundaries are very different as a woman than they were as a young woman. But I just think it's about taking chances and pushing yourself and trying things and facing your fears. I think fear guides you a little bit in what to do. It also prevents you from doing a lot of things. It's also a very toxic emotion. But I love being out of my comfort zone in life, love, and fitness, and wellness. I've done some crazy things that I would never do again, but I also had the time of my life. Living that way and stepping out of your comfort zone allows you to explore and experiment in business and life and love and so many different areas.

Adam: What's that first step? How can anyone take that first step? What do people need to do to push themselves to go in that direction?

Brooke: In very simple terms, just not being afraid to get it wrong, not being afraid to fail. If you allow yourself that grace, because so what? So something goes wrong. So you tried something new and it didn't work out. So you don't know how to cook and you tackle the recipe and you end up throwing it away. You'll get it right next time. You just have to give yourself that room to fail. And I think those are your learning moments in life, in your learning opportunities. It's such a big lesson. And I raised my kids that way as well. You know, and then you create some confidence to try things. That's the only way you get to explore I think,

Adam: Can you share with listeners failure in your life, in your career, that you were able to navigate, that you were able to learn from, that you were able to grow through, and the lessons that you were able to take away from it?

Brooke: Yeah, this is a big one. It was a bad one. There's been many. By the way, I have blended families, I divorced a couple times, you know, I won't go down that road. But I won't bring you to the semifinals of Dancing with the Stars. You know, me competing on Dancing with the Stars was a very deliberate choice. I wanted to dance before I wanted to host the show so that people could see the real meat, so I could get raw and do something super scary and let my audience, you know, in America see me in a different way, uncensored. Without an entourage, it's just sort of you and you out there against the world. That's why athletes do so well because they know how to train. So the semi-finals. My partner Derek Coffee had never won the mirrorball trophy. He's one of the most amazing choreographers on the planet. Sorry, but we got the worst scores of all time, history of the show during the semi-finals. He choreographed a jive that was an incredible dance. I literally forgot the routine on live television, almost 20 million people watching. I just forgot. It was just that fear. And I had visualized forgetting my routine, I had put so much energy into the fear that what if I go out there and I don't know if I'm starting left or starting, right? What if I just forget? What if, what if, and sure enough, I visualized that and it happened. And it was so bad that I couldn't get myself back into the dance. It was like crickets as if the record just went and stopped. And all I could do was down there. I'm telling you, my mom was in the front row, my kids, my husband, my friend, I was so humiliated. And it might sound like no big deal, but when you're out there and you're in the semifinals, and you're on your way to possibly win a show, it's national television, there are millions of people watching and you're not a dancer, and you're already scared shitless. It was awful. And we got the worst scores ever in history. It was a complete fail, my fault. And we had one more dance to do that night. And I remember being backstage saying I just don't know if I can get back out there. I just don't ever want to get back out there. Like I don't even know if I can pull it together and have faith in my body to get back out there and do one more dance, because I didn't feel confident. And Derek and I had a moment backstage, and failing wasn't an option, failing at a dance. It happened. Quitting wasn't an option for me as a person. And he said, you know, what really defines a champion is what happens now and you got to pull it together. And you got to take a deep breath, and you got to get back out there and we're gonna go kick ass. And we're gonna dance this, you know, this salsa like never before. And it's okay. And I'm so scared. And we went back out there on a whim and a prayer. I think I prayed a lot. And we got a perfect score of 10. And America voted for us hard that night. And I want to say this, in my own opinion. I think America voted for us because I failed. Because I really screwed up that first dance. And we went on to win the championship. And it was a real moment. It was a real human moment. So you know, I tell that story. And I wrote about it in my book, I tell it with no shame because sometimes you have to fail. And sometimes you gotta face your fear and it goes right back to the question about getting uncomfortable. You have to push through those moments because what if I was like, I can't do it. I had an injury. I could have quit. I could have done a gazillion things in that moment. And it would have really changed the course. I never would have hosted the show. I never would have won the mirrorball trophy, and never would have been able to tell the story with conviction that it's okay to be scared. It's okay to be so scared that you can't breathe. So yeah. I'm living proof.

Adam: Brooke there's so many great lessons in that and I want to share a few; the importance of demonstrating vulnerability. It's okay to screw up, it's okay to fail. Some of what you shared is applicable in my view, to what it takes to be a great leader, being comfortable in your own skin, having the self-confidence to know who you are, to know that if you make a mistake, and you own your mistake, you're going to be all the better for it. And along those lines, I wanted to ask you, in your view, what do you believe are the key characteristics of a great leader? And what can anyone listening to this podcast do to become a better leader?

Brooke: That’s such a great question. Let me start a little bit with vulnerability because I wasn't always vulnerable as a younger woman. And it wasn't until I really leaned into that and understood the power of vulnerability, that I became a more well-rounded person, more present, more connected to myself, and able to meet challenges with honesty. So, you know, leadership vulnerability can seem weak at moments, especially as a leader. So I want to say that I find vulnerability to be an incredibly strong characteristic. And in my intimate team, see, oh, you know, the higher up positions in my baby body company, I'm able to be honest, I'm able to be vulnerable to a point of the admittance of, hey, I'm not going to be great at this, let's hire a new person to guide us through this area. This isn't my strength, I need somebody else to take over this role. I'm not sure I did that really well, let's have a redo. Let's regroup. Let's redesign this. Those are honest moments that command respect in a team. So I think honesty, a great leader has to be honest. That's how you command and demand and maintain respect and accompany I think, and I'll repeat what we said before surrounding yourself with competent, experienced people, knowledgeable people, maybe even more so than yourself as a leader will only make you better listening, which we already talked about, super important, respecting the people on your team, giving them credit, sharing that space, that's how I run my business. And community is a big part of my wellness app, my wellness business. So I take a lot of cues from the community, and I'm able to connect with them and incorporate their ideas, so that they feel that they are helping design and build the business to a certain point, you know, that's kind of a new thing, right? A new thing and digital businesses in space. And I really believe in teamwork. And you know, fitness is so rarely an isolated journey, you know, that's the nucleus of my wellness business. So I really believe in working together as a team.

Adam: Brooke, you shared so many valuable insights and I want to highlight a few. I'm a big believer that we're all bad at most things in life. And if I had to list everything that I'm bad at wouldn't be Thirty Minute Mentors that would take 30 hours. And we're all good at a few things. And we all have that one thing that we're great at, that we're special at, that makes us unique, that makes us different. And the more quickly you could figure out what it is that makes you special, what it is that makes you unique, the more successful you'll be in life, the more successful you'll be in business, the more successful you'll be as a leader. And a couple of other points you shared; the importance of being honest. Not only does it help you build respect, it helps you build trust, which is essential to leadership. Finally, the importance of community. Empowering everyone around you is essential to effective leadership. And you've led in a number of different avenues over the course of your life. You've launched several different businesses over the years. You had a company that sold products to pregnant women, an online community for moms, a workout DVD series, and most recently your fitness app. What sparked your passion for entrepreneurship and what advice do you have for anyone thinking about launching a new venture?

Brooke: I always wanted to be a businesswoman, I always had that vision. It goes back to a very silly, you know, some silly imagery. I can remember watching really cheesy soap operas as a little girl, and seeing that woman behind the desk, building a brand. And it sounds funny, but I remember that vision. I think, though, part of my path, and my journey was taking advantage of the right opportunities, experimenting, trying new things, wanting to maximize the platform, you know, I'm a mad multitasker. Maybe it's because I have four children. They've allowed me to listen to a lot of different things at the same time to do different things, manage different things simultaneously. If I was just a host in the entertainment business, I would be a victim of waiting for someone to hire me for the next gig. So I have learned how to use television as my platform and create endorsement opportunities, create the knowledge and the experience from working with those brilliant teams to developing my own products. I got really curious during my first pregnancy, about belly binding and belly wrapping and I looked for a product to help my body recover post-pregnancy, couldn't find a product that I loved, found a niche, a need. And then I decided to develop a product myself with no knowledge. And then just hire the right team, the right team members to help me execute that vision. My mom was my right hand, she was a customer service dream. Never find another one like her. She was hopelessly devoted to every single woman that called, a very unique opportunity. And then just, you know, folded that into developing that business. And then, you know, started a mommy website called Modern Mom way back when and folded the ecommerce into that and then went on to develop some other fitness products. And I was sort of the girl in the entertainment business that was usually hired to represent other products and brands. And now I'm out of space were developing and building that myself, but bringing a lot of knowledge and experience from projects that failed and projects that succeeded. And I was always that person that just wanted to understand not only my role, but the full execution from the advertising and the marketing and the product development to the storytelling. And, you know, I think of myself as a storyteller and with my on-camera role, you know, I'm really lucky to still be working in this space. But I also love what happens behind the scenes and behind the camera which is really interesting, because this might sound really strange, but because I'm the CEO of Brooke Burke Body, but I'm also the talent. I have to remove myself from myself sometimes. And I have to put on my CEO hat and take off my Brooke Burke hat. And there are times where I joke around with my team. I'm like, I'm so sick of looking at my photos, and editing this footage. I'm so sick of myself, but I have to do it. Because I play so many roles. And it's kind of funny, but it's weird. It's weird to be talent, and be an executive of the same business. It's quite weird. To explain it, if that makes any sense.

Adam: It makes perfect sense. And the interesting thing is, in some ways, we are all our own managers, we are all our own bosses. In your case, you're literally your own boss. And it is weird, but it's interesting.

Brooke: I want to go back to something you said too because I just wrote down a note because it's such a great conversation. And I love your thoughtful questions. But when we were talking about leadership and running a business, I think the culture is really important as well. I don't mean the culture of our world right now, sort of the culture and temperature of your workspace. And how you relate really creates what the feeling is, what the vibe is. And that's really important to me. And also kind of, you know, we call it TNT. And I heard this from- I wish I could remember because I'm stealing someone's writing. But tone and timing is so important in love in life and in business; how you approach things, the style in which you set them up, the tone that you use. I know that as a mother, I know that as a businesswoman, tone and timing, when, how, why, style, like all of those things are so important to how someone receives feedback, constructive criticism, messaging, positive, reinforce all of it, all of it, all of it. So I appreciate that as a human, and I give my people that same respect.

Adam: I love it. And I want to ask you a question that revolves around your core product for your business which is you. So you've somehow managed to stay in unbelievable shape throughout your 30’s, your 40s, and now at 50. You've defied age. What do you do personally, to stay so fit?

Brooke: Well, thank you for saying that. I love fitness (most people don't) because I've made a business out of it, it keeps me honest. I'm going to give you some real talk, you know, I teach classes, I choreograph my content on my app, and I lead them. It is me, it is me working everybody out. So I probably work out harder, stronger, and longer than most people have to because I'm creating content. That being said, I also really understand the value and the benefits of pushing through days where you just don't have it in you. So I work out for my mind as much as my booty and my abs. I also, you know, my business responsibilities don't allow me to stray. But I've learned through experience, how to feed my body, how to fuel my body, how to work out, and how to do it efficiently. You know, our motto is sweat, smart. And that means timing, it means how you're doing everything and how to get the kind of results that you want. And it's, you know, it's a journey. I work out differently than I did in my 20s. I spend less time doing that now and I get better results because I have a better understanding of the female body. And then there's all the other stuff that comes into play; hormones, and you know, TMI for this conversation, but really understanding your body, understanding what you need to create energy to balance stress, longevity, building your immune system, and how to feel good. So my whole philosophy in fitness is mindfulness. I could teach people how to get in shape all day long. It's not that it's how to feel good; it's how to reset yourself, renew, recharge- all of those things. And there's lots of little things that I do beyond the fitness world. I mean, you should see what my garage looks like. It looks like a biohacking science experiment.

Adam: Can you share some of those?

Brooke: I get sent so many things to use and evaluate and experiment with. So I believe in being a body of evidence, you know, the proof is in the pudding. I do so many things. I've been using something called Beamer for years. And I also work with them, but it basically improves circulation and speeds up recovery time. It's a simple pad, you program it, you lay down on it, it's eight minutes, I take that eight minutes, one step further to check out in my world, to come down, to turn my phone off. People don't realize the value of stillness. I'm also a Breathwork. Coach. So I teach mindfulness from that standpoint, slow down, learn how to breathe, learn how to listen to the language of your own soul, those things only happen in stillness. So Beamer is something that's great for that. I also use it for spot recovery. I just had ACL surgery six months ago. So I really believe in the value of circulation and maximizing recovery time. I do red light therapy. What else do I do? I believe in infrared sauna. I believe in what you put into your body. I try to eat colorful and healthy and crunchy and put good fats into my body. I intermittently fast. My list goes on and on. I take a supplement called True nitrogen. That's about increasing your NAD levels. We’re born with NAD. When you turn 40, you produce half as much, 50, half of that, 60 half of that. It's very complicated stuff. But there is a supplement that helps increase those levels. Energy recovery, I sleep better. I take that supplement every single day, I've been taking it for about five years, I feel great. It affects your cellular metabolism. The science is all there behind it. That's called True nitrogen. I take collagen and make a really healthy shake every day so I spend less time in the kitchen. I make homemade soups and bone broth, like my list goes on and on. But I enjoy this healthy lifestyle. I get my Z's. I sleep well. I sleep well also because I do all these other things. And when I work out, I break a sweat. And sometimes I work out for 20 minutes, which sounds silly. I have eight-minute programs on my app. I have five-minute app programs on my app that really work and I used to be the one that laughed at that kind of stuff. You know, it's about you figuring out how much time you have to spend. Nobody else knows you better than you. Making a commitment, feeling good, creating energy, having a sense of accomplishment, being a completionist- that's my word of the season right now. You know, making a commitment to yourself, setting some goals and knocking them out. And then all the other little things that we could do along the way that really helped us and I believe in that. I believe in that whole process, you know?

Adam: And staying fit, staying committed to wellness requires a mindset, it requires commitment. In your case, you're committed to a number of different things. You're committed, not only to your health and wellness, but you're committed to your career, you're committed to your family. You mentioned your four kids. I couldn't imagine managing four kids, I don't have any so even the thought of one seems daunting. What advice do you have on the topic of balance? How can anyone, whether they have four kids, or no kids, single, married- what can anyone do to maintain balance in their life?

Brooke: I really struggle with the word balance. And I want people to find some freedom in this. It's a question that comes up a lot. And I don't really strive for perfect balance. I have learned how to manage the chaos in my life. And my life is not balanced. There's always one child that is struggling with something, there's always something that's going to go wrong, there's always somebody else out there doing it better than we're doing it, especially as a mom. So I like to inspire people to find freedom when it's just a hot mess. And you learn how to manage it. And you learn how to carve out time for yourself to succeed. Me-time, personal commitments. You learn how to give to yourself as much as you give to everyone else, you know, raising a family running a business. I tried to treat myself as well as I treat my children. And by that, I mean I make myself a priority. I strive to get close by learning how to say no to a lot of things so I have more me-time. Having less personal commitments so that I can enjoy more family time. Social life- I don't overschedule my life anymore. I think the pandemic taught us that slowing down and giving yourself grace, you know, balance is tough. And giving yourself grace, when things don't go just right, and learning how to manage it. Learning how to be okay with certain things- that goes back to failure, right? It goes back to everything that we've talked about in this interview. So I treat myself with a lot of compassion. And I'm okay when things don't go just right. And I carve out time to recover.

Adam: Brooke, thank you for all the great advice and thank you for being a part of Thirty Minute Mentors.

Brooke: My pleasure.


Adam Mendler is the CEO of The Veloz Group, where he co-founded and oversees ventures across a wide variety of industries. Adam is also the creator and host of the business and leadership podcast Thirty Minute Mentors, where he goes one on one with America's most successful people - Fortune 500 CEOs, founders of household name companies, Hall of Fame and Olympic gold medal winning athletes, political and military leaders - for intimate half-hour conversations each week. Adam has written extensively on leadership, management, entrepreneurship, marketing and sales, having authored over 70 articles published in major media outlets including Forbes, Inc. and HuffPost, and has conducted more than 500 one on one interviews with America’s top leaders through his collective media projects. A top leadership speaker, Adam draws upon his insights building and leading businesses and interviewing hundreds of America's top leaders as a top keynote speaker to businesses, universities and non-profit organizations.

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