One More Thing Before You Go

Michael R. Herst sits down with remarkable people and asks the question most interviews skip: What actually shaped you into who you are today? One More Thing Before You Go is a cinematic interview podcast built on unhurried conversations with global voices whose lived experiences illuminate culture, travel, food, and the shared human story. Each conversation strips away the polished narrative to reveal what’s underneath—the heritage, the struggles, and the moments that quietly changed everything.Inspired by the warmth of a Mediterranean table, the show moves beyond surface-level accomplishments to explore personal transformation, authentic humanity, and the stories that continue to shape who we are becoming—creating space for intentional storytelling in a loud world. New episodes release every Wednesday, Pull up a chair. You’re always invited to take a seat at the table.Find everything "One More Thing" here: https://taplink.cc/beforeyougopodcast This podcast uses the foll

One More Thing Before You Go is a society podcast hosted by Michael R Herst, with 572 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80.

Michael R Herst hosts One More Thing Before You Go, a society show with 572 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

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  Episode #582

  Traveling Solo to 30 Countries: How the World Changed Jessica McGann

  Sep 30, 20261h 12m

  In this episode Michael sits down with Jessica McGann, a world traveler whose journey took her solo through 30 countries over more than two years. Discover what it’s truly like to experience the world firsthand—and how those experiences shaped the person she became. Jessica’s journey eventually led her into the film and television industry, where she worked behind the scenes on popular productions including Big Brother Canada, Top Chef Canada, Blown Away, and All-Round Champion . But her story took another unexpected turn in 2020, when her mental health reached a breaking point. That difficult chapter became a turning point, leading Jessica to pursue a Diploma in Life Coaching and eventually share what she learned through one-on-one sessions, workshops, and her podcast, The Pivot Point . This is a conversation about travel, transformation, creativity, resilience, and the unexpected turns that shape a life. Before we return to a new conversation next week, we’re reaching back into the One More Thing Before You Go archives for a story worth experiencing again—or perhaps hearing for the first time. Sometimes the journey changes us in ways we never anticipated.And sometimes, the story is worth revisiting. This is In this One More Thing Before You Go , Find us on Apple, Spotify or your favorite listening platform; visit us on our YouTube channel Find everything "One More Thing" here: https://taplink.cc/beforeyougopodcast Want to be a guest on One More Thing Before You Go? Send Michael Herst a message on PodMatch, here: PODMATCH Proud member of the Podmatch Network of Top Rated- Podcasts This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podcorn - https://podcorn.com/privacy

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  Episode #581

  What happens when curiosity keeps opening doors you never planned to walk through?

  Sep 23, 20261h 5m

  What actually shapes you into who you are today? Is it where you grow up? The choices you make? The people you meet? Or the moments that seem insignificant at the time—but quietly change the direction of your life? For Clifford Brown, the path was anything but predictable. In this conversation, Michael sits down with Clifford Brown, a former Beverly Hills attorney who walked away from a successful legal career in 1987, giving up two-thirds of his income to join the U.S. Agency for International Development. What followed was nearly three decades working across Africa, Latin America, and Central Asia—including leadership roles in Guinea and Sierra Leone, Kyrgyzstan, and Colombia. But the story begins much earlier. Growing up along Washington State’s Columbia River, Clifford worked farms, canneries, tugboats, and railroads before joining an oceanographic research vessel that took him to Tahiti and Latin America. That journey planted an idea that would eventually change the course of his life: the world was bigger than the one he knew. A Thomas Watson Fellowship took him back to Latin America. Learning Spanish, as Clifford describes it, was “like growing another soul.” And years later, when an unexpected opportunity appeared, he followed that curiosity into a completely different life. Michael and Clifford explore the choices, encounters, risks, and unexpected turns that shaped that journey—and what happens when you stop trying to design your life and start paying attention to where it is leading you. At the heart of the conversation are three ideas: PRESENCE • CURIOSITY • STORY The three pillars of The Herst Method™—and a reminder that sometimes the most important chapters of our lives begin long before we realize we're writing them. Because the life that shapes us isn't always the life we planned. Sometimes, it begins with a road we didn't expect to take. Find us on Apple, Spotify or your favorite listening platform; visit us on our YouTube channel Find everything "One More Thing" here: https://taplink.cc/beforeyougopodcast Want to be a guest on One More Thing Before You Go? Send Michael Herst a message on PodMatch, here: PODMATCH Proud member of the Podmatch Network of Top Rated- Podcasts This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podcorn - https://podcorn.com/privacy

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  Episode #580

  The Places That Shape Us: From a Southern Mill Village to the World | Donald Williams

  Sep 16, 20261h 4m

  What if you could leave the place that shaped you… but never really leave it behind? The sounds, smells, stories, traditions, and struggles of our childhood can follow us farther than we ever realize. In this powerful conversation, Michael sits down with Donald Williams, co-author of Born of Nothing: From White Trash and Lintheads to Purpose Across Generations , to explore heritage, identity, belonging, travel, and the places that shape who we become. Donald grew up in a South Carolina cotton mill village surrounded by more than 80 first cousins and generations of family. He eventually became the first in his family to graduate from a major university, earned three degrees from Clemson University, and traveled and worked across the United States, South Korea, and Japan. But the farther Donald traveled, the more clearly he began to see where he came from. Michael and Donald explore what happens when we encounter cultures different from our own—and discover that beneath the differences in food, faith, family, and tradition, people often want the same things: connection, purpose, belonging, and a better life for the next generation. Through stories of the American South, family heritage, travel, agriculture, food, and generational memory, this conversation asks a deeper question: Can you reinvent yourself without losing the people and places that made you who you are? At the heart of the conversation are three ideas: PRESENCE • CURIOSITY • STORY™ Because sometimes you have to travel far from home… to finally understand where you came from. Find us on Apple, Spotify or your favorite listening platform; visit us on our YouTube channel Find everything "One More Thing" here: https://taplink.cc/beforeyougopodcast Want to be a guest on One More Thing Before You Go? Send Michael Herst a message on PodMatch, here: PODMATCH Proud member of the Podmatch Network of Top Rated- Podcasts This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podcorn - https://podcorn.com/privacy

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  Episode #579

  What Makes a Crime Story Unforgettable? The Power of Emotional Intelligence | Rhonda Parker Taylor

  Sep 9, 202659 min

  What makes a crime story stay with you long after you've turned the final page? Is it the mystery? The characters? Or is it the emotional truth hiding underneath the story? In this replay of one of Michael's favorite conversations, Michael sits down with writer, entrepreneur, and academic researcher Rhonda Parker Taylor to explore the powerful intersection of storytelling, emotional intelligence, and crime fiction . Rhonda's debut novel, Crossroads , is a suspenseful crime thriller—but beneath the mystery is something deeper: complex characters shaped by experience, emotion, difficult choices, and the consequences of the paths we take. Together, Michael and Rhonda explore how life experiences, relationships, law enforcement encounters, mentorship, and academic research can find their way into a writer's imagination—and how emotional intelligence can transform the way we understand both fictional characters and ourselves. This isn't simply a conversation about how to write a crime novel. It's about why we tell stories in the first place… and what those stories can reveal about who we are. PRESENCE • CURIOSITY • STORY The three pillars of The Herst Method™ —and the foundation of how Michael explores the stories behind the people he interviews.Three ideas at the heart of this memorable conversation—and at the heart of what makes great storytelling connect. Find us on Apple, Spotify or your favorite listening platform; visit us on our YouTube channel Find everything "One More Thing" here: https://taplink.cc/beforeyougopodcast Want to be a guest on One More Thing Before You Go? Send Michael Herst a message on PodMatch, here: PODMATCH Proud member of the Podmatch Network of Top Rated- Podcas This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podcorn - https://podcorn.com/privacy

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  Episode #578

  The Recipe That Changed His Life: Food, Heritage & Purpose | Chef Don Bowie

  Sep 2, 202658 min

  What if the most important recipe you ever learned had nothing to do with food? For Chef Don Bowie, it started in his grandmother’s kitchen—and became a lifelong journey through food, culture, entrepreneurship, and community. In this conversation, Michael sits down with celebrity chef and entrepreneur Don Bowie, founder of Taste Kitchen + Bar in Houston, to explore how one early influence can shape an entire life. With more than two decades in the culinary world, Don has built a career around a simple belief: food should nourish us, but it should also give us an experience worth remembering. From global flavors and Texas influences to the lessons passed down from his grandmother, Don reveals how cooking became more than a profession. It became a way to connect people, tell stories, create belonging, and give back. Michael and Don explore the intersection of food, heritage, creativity, and purpose—and why inspiring the next generation of chefs may be one of the most meaningful things a successful chef can leave behind. Because sometimes the recipe for a meaningful life isn't written on a menu. It's passed from one generation to the next. Find us on Apple, Spotify or your favorite listening platform; visit us on our YouTube channel Find everything "One More Thing" here: https://taplink.cc/beforeyougopodcast Want to be a guest on One More Thing Before You Go? Send Michael Herst a message on PodMatch, here: PODMATCH Proud member of the Podmatch Network of Top Rated- Podcasts This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podcorn - https://podcorn.com/privacy

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