Ever wondered how a single podcast episode could trigger a career upheaval? Tune in as I recount the rollercoaster that was Season Two of the WDYM podcast. An unforeseen hiatus began with my unexpected termination from work over a podcast episode, leading to a two-month journey through corporate red tape. From the highs of our Hamilton-Badin football rivalry series to special guest appearances , the season had its share of memorable moments. Despite the challenges, the podcast has grown significantly, and I'm excited to share what's next as we transition into Season Three without missing a beat.
Sit with me through the recount of corporate bureaucracy and termination, where a helpful HR representative finally provided clarity after a month of confusion. Reflecting on past mistakes. Season Three promises new cover art, fresh content, and more engaging episodes. Thank you for your unwavering support; the best is yet to come as I move forward with renewed determination.
Be Apart of the Show!! Text and Talk!!
Get $10 off of Dr. Squatch soap right now! Use the code WDYM
www.drsquatch.com/WDYM
Email me! Thewdympodcast@gmail.com
Intro by Kobeofei via Fiverr Season 2 Artwork: Ishida1694 via Instagram
Ever wondered how a single podcast episode could trigger a career upheaval? Tune in as I recount the rollercoaster that was Season Two of the WDYM podcast. An unforeseen hiatus began with my unexpected termination from work over a podcast episode, leading to a two-month journey through corporate red tape. From the highs of our Hamilton-Badin football rivalry series to special guest appearances , the season had its share of memorable moments. Despite the challenges, the podcast has grown significantly, and I'm excited to share what's next as we transition into Season Three without missing a beat.
Sit with me through the recount of corporate bureaucracy and termination, where a helpful HR representative finally provided clarity after a month of confusion. Reflecting on past mistakes. Season Three promises new cover art, fresh content, and more engaging episodes. Thank you for your unwavering support; the best is yet to come as I move forward with renewed determination.
Be Apart of the Show!! Text and Talk!!
Get $10 off of Dr. Squatch soap right now! Use the code WDYM
www.drsquatch.com/WDYM
Email me! Thewdympodcast@gmail.com
Intro by Kobeofei via Fiverr Season 2 Artwork: Ishida1694 via Instagram
Speaker 1:
you're listening to the wdym, the what do you mean? Podcast. Now everyone gather around and listen to one of hamilton's best podcasts. No research to back this up. Your host, michael.
Speaker 2:
Gillespie, that's me, that's me, that's me, that's me. Hey, welcome to the WDYM podcast. I'm your host, michael Gillespie. This is the season finale of season two of the WDYM podcast. It's a good time to end the season Because I've been gone for almost two months and it's like where have you been, where have you been and why haven't you been here? And I'm going to get into that. I am going to get into the whole thing as to where have I been, because I've been gone for a long time, too long actually. So it's a perfect time to end season two, to start season three, and before we even get to season three, there will be no break. There will be no break because I had my self-induced break and it's time to start season three immediately.
Speaker 2:
Season two was absolutely phenomenal for me. I had my numbers go up so much, for mostly positive reasons, but there is one negative reason why the numbers went up and everything. I had such a wonderful time growing the channel and growing the podcast and I always feel like I'm always like 30%, 40% reaching my maximum. And I've grown since the last time like 30%, 40% reaching my maximum, and I've grown since the last time I've done the podcast and everything. But season two has been nothing but wonderful. Again, I had my wife do a couple episodes, I had my friend Crystal come in and do an episode and the numbers from those happening has been great. So I'm on the right path and I want to get better. And there's always room to grow. Always remember that there's always room to grow. So that's why I'm like cutting season two right down now get started with season three and keep it moving.
Speaker 2:
One of the highlights of season two has been the, the Hamilton-Bayton football series. It's been that is one of the main things, in my opinion, for for Hamilton. Just a quick recap on that that started back in 1980s, picked up in the 99-2000. Now we're era 2023-24. And I will recap the 2023, but I'm trying to work out getting the footage from that, so I'm working on that part. But that game is phenomenal for Hamilton and I love witnessing that every 20 years. And, uh, you know we're getting ready to start the 2024 hamilton baiting series. It's a great, great rivalry. That's. That's rarely touched. So I'm looking forward to 2024 hamilton versus baiting game. So that that's. That's. That's my highlight for season two and I'm looking forward to season three. I already got it planned New intro, new cover, new cover art. So I'm ready to rock. So, yes, let's get on to season three.
Speaker 2:
But let's talk about where have I been? Where have I been, michael? You've been gone for too long, two months. Where have I been? Where have I been, michael? You've been gone for too long, two months. Where have I been? To just flat out say it, I got terminated from my job. What, bro? What are you talking about? Man, bro, I'm out. Man, yes, I got terminated because of the podcast.
Speaker 2:
Now you would think that you know what you do outside of work does not reflect what you do at work. And lo and behold, it wasn't in our rule book, it was not in our handbook. So you know how was I supposed to know that I did something wrong? And it took. It took weeks, took weeks to get the actual answer from my former employee. But let's get into it. What exactly did I do on the podcast to cost me my job? Well, I did a podcast about somebody Right and again, I did not know I couldn't. I couldn't do that to a certain extent.
Speaker 2:
When I decided to do the podcast, I always felt like, if I told the truth, if I armed myself with the truth. You could not penetrate my shield because I'm telling the truth. One of my friends always says you a lie and the truth ain't in you. And I'm starting to believe that people live that way they lie and the truth ain't in them. They keep lying. I arm myself with the truth. I do that so I don't have to remember the lie. Do you know how exhausting it is to tell a lie and then remember that lie? And then someone come back to you hey man, you remember that one time you said you were there like nah and you got to remember what you said to cover that lie. That's exhausting to me and that's why I always tell the truth, because I don't have time for lies.
Speaker 2:
So I did this episode on somebody and that somebody got in trouble, trouble enough to no longer have a job. This happened In November of 2023. I didn't discuss it Till January 2024. The complaint came April 2024. So I'm like, okay. So I get a message saying, okay, you want to. You want to do a podcast about me and talk about Me Again. About me and talk about me Again. I could talk about anybody. I could talk about anybody I want. Right? I didn't think that what I said was wrong at the time. So she's like guess what? I'm going to make sure you burn in hell, you fucking bastard. Her words, not mine. And I'm not editing this one because I need to show you, I need to reflect the realness from these messages I got and again I'm on the fence, like you know, if I'm telling the truth I'm fine. She gives me that message and a couple of weeks go by, nothing happens. Like you know she's. She's still throwing messages at me like yeah, you blah, blah, blah Talking stuff, boo, boo, the Fool is on a mission.
Speaker 2:
She goes on to say on my mama, I'm going to get you terminated. I said good luck. I'm like, yo, I'm on myself with the truth, you know, at this time. So I'm like, if I'm telling the truth, how can I get penalized for telling the truth? So weeks go by and mid-April my boss comes around and you know, like I've talked about Nate before, nate's super nice, super nice guy. He's just.
Speaker 2:
I always think, like when we talk, like I can't see him telling bad news, like and being depressed about it. I always picture this like we're having a conversation and there's an asteroid coming to Earth and Nate calls me to tell me there's an asteroid coming to Earth. He'll be like well, mike, buddy, I just feel like the asteroid's coming to Earth and it's going to kill us all. And it's been nice knowing you, mike. You're like that's what I picture Nate would say. On the other hand, if that was me, it would be like panic, like oh my God, nate, this asteroid's coming, it's going to kill us all. Man, you know I would be panicked, but he would be so nice, like well, it like well, it's been nice ride, and I'll see you on the other side. That's how I picture that conversation. It's just too nice of a guy to to give bad news.
Speaker 2:
Um, so that day I'm doing, you know, doing my thing at my facility and he's like, hey, man, I need to talk to you. I'm like, all right, you know, weird, because you wouldn't be here. He's already at the building and he's not here to help me. Clearly, that never happens. Uh, it never happens. Um, so he comes to the building he's like, yeah, I need to talk to you. I'm like, all right, that's a little weird, but whatever, pulls me into the office and he starts reading, reading this line. He's like well, if you continue this action, the company can go after you financially. I'm like I'm like, wait a minute. I'm looking at him, like what are you talking about, bro? He's like yeah, um, well, um, the company has decided to terminate.
Speaker 1:
You like what did he say?
Speaker 2:
like I'm trying to figure out, like what exactly I did, because he said something that went in one ear and completely out the other. He said that I was terminated. I'm trying to figure out like what, like how, how can I get terminated? I don't know what I did. And I'm looking at him. He's like yeah, I'm going to need your badge and I'm going to need your credit card. I'm like okay, so at this juncture I'm numb. I'm numb to being fired because I I have never been fired. That is one of the the like former, like you know, boy scout badges you have on, like you know, works hard, goes over overtime, doesn't worry about you know, time and pay or anything like that, and never been fired. But guess what? That badge has now been ripped. And the point, the thing that like like bothers me in hindsight. Like he escorted me out, like I'm like I'm gonna do something like he's like yeah, well you wanna, um, you wanna walk to your car?
Speaker 2:
I'm like yeah, because how else am I going to go home. I'm like he's escorting me to my car, like I'm going to like close on an old person Like you, mrs Kennedy. Boom, knock your ass out. I'm fired. But I got your ass. You know he's escorting me out and I've never been escorted.
Speaker 2:
I've never been fired. I've never been escorted, I've never been fired, I've never been escorted out. And I'm escorted out. So we're sitting at my car and it's like he's talking to me and I'm not listening because it's starting to register that I've been fired and it's like he's saying something. I don't even remember exactly what he's saying something. I don't even remember exactly what he's saying. The only thing I do remember is that he's not happy about this and he's probably going to get super drunk tonight. And I'm like do you, dude? Whatever, I'm shell shocked. I'm shell shocked at the fact that I don't have a job. So I call my wife. I'm like guess, guess what? Babe? She said what I've been terminated and she goes dang Dang, that's crazy.
Speaker 2:
Absolutely crazy. I drive home and I'm still like shocked. I'm shocked and I'm like man, this is crazy. I'm trying to figure out what I did. You know, he did quote me for the line which is a 18, a 18 is the violation I did, a 18. You know it's like I had to. I had like I sent myself the handbook because he'd be like A18, michael, a18. Okay, I'm going to go home and read A18 to figure out what I did.
Speaker 2:
So I go home, I told my wife, you know, like hey, I've been fired. I'm sitting there I'm self-shocked and I'm just looking at her like I failed and like I've never, like you know, I left the military. I've never got fired from a job. I got fired from a job now and there's a certain sense of failure that I have. I don't know how to handle this. It's never happened before. So I go back, look at a18 and it said I, I released confidential business information.
Speaker 2:
I'm like me, like what, what? What I didn't sell? No, no, no, no. Tax secrets, no, uh, stock and bond, nothing like that. I'm like dude, I'm just a chef manager, director of dining services. I didn't talk about no patients. I'm like what did I do?
Speaker 2:
Then my phone goes off, ting, ting, ting, ting, I get a text. I get a text from Boo Boo the Fool. Boo Boo the Fool says ha, that's why you got fired bitch, ha, that's why you got fired bitch. And I'm like at first, at first I was heated. I was heated at the situation because I didn't think I did anything wrong. I didn't think I did anything wrong and I told the truth. Right, I would even tell the truth, you're going to be fine. So I get the message from her and I'm just sitting there getting full of venom. I'm getting full of it. It festers in me right For the moment, and that's why I took the sabbatical, because I have done this version of this podcast three different times.
Speaker 2:
That kept coming out, kept coming out, kept coming out. And I had to sit there and reflect on what exactly happened. What did I do, trying to get a reason. So, and things happen that don't go your way, you, I, I shell up, you know, I don't go out, I don't talk to people, you know, because it's embarrassing, Flat out embarrassing for me that this situation happened, because I let my family down and on top of that, I let my friends down that I work with.
Speaker 2:
And then I let my residents down at all three locations and I've been there long enough to see the growth that we've had there.
Speaker 2:
At one point, when I first started there, there was just two managers me and the other manager, rashawn, and we were in charge of all three locations being shorthanded and somehow making it work. To see the growth that we've had, where we have four managers and still short on people and making it work, it makes me feel like I was really doing my job and given that effort and seeing it finally bear, seeing it finally bear fruit. It does something. And then when you're pulled away from it, saying yeah, you can't do it, no more, the trash, you know the things that I'm thinking. It's like yo, that's crazy. So I'm like, okay, so I got a18 and I'm trying to figure out who, who can tell me what, what I did. So I would call the within a week. No, within a couple days, like two days after this happened, I called my hr like hey, what's going on? And like they're surprised that at the same time well, what's going on, mr gillespie? It shows that you're still employed.
Speaker 2:
I said oh really so, you know, I'm like it's weird. Well, he's like well, wait a minute now. Well, let's wait for for the papers to be filed To see if you still have a job. I said, bro, tell, trust me, I got A18. He's like oh, you got A18. What you do? I said I don't know. That's why I'm calling you. So he's like well, your papers ain't came in. We don't know what you did. So you know, sit back, call back In a couple days. I'm right, more time goes by and more time goes by and I call back again and I'm still getting the same uh, well, um, we don't know, we don't know.
Speaker 2:
This lasted for a whole month. Every time I call somebody, I would get somebody different and they'd be like well, did you file, uh, an objection? And you file to object, so a senior manager would see it, they would investigate and you know they would get back to you. I said I didn't know I could do that, so I did, didn't go through and it was. I filed the complaint and within it said 24 to 48 hours, 24 hours. Like, yeah, you're still fired. I said, okay, this is, this is crazy. So I'm like alright, I called HR. The senior manager said you know you're still fired. Well, you know, ain't nothing we can do? All right, fine, you know, whatever. So I'm still, I let it sit out for a week and I call back again and this young lady who finally got it, who finally explained to me what I did, shout out to Stephanie of HR whoever you are, thank you for explaining it to me.
Speaker 2:
Okay, so I'm sitting with HR and you know, and what I did? I recorded the conversation and this was you know how, when you call somebody, it's like we're recording this for training purposes, da-da-da-da. So I called her. I said yes, it's right, stephanie. I said Stephanie, once you know I'm recording this, ok, well, I'm recording it too. And when she said that it was funny, so I said, you know, explain to her. Hey, you know, I got terminated, I need it. I was like I don't know, I I needed. I was like I don't know, I don't know what happened. Well, she's like well, what happened? So I explained to her what happened.
Speaker 2:
It's like oh, you can't talk about someone being terminated. I said I can't. She said no, say. You said are you stupid? I said I don't think so. It's just like. But it's like it's not in the handbook. She said well, that is true, it's not in the handbook, but you can get fired for anything. I said, really, so even if they say, hey, you did this and you want to fight that? He said no, you can't fight it because it's free will. They can fire you for anything. I said, no, that's crazy. So therefore, thank you, stephanie, for explaining to me what I did. Now I know what I did and I will not do that going forward. How hard was that to find.
Speaker 2:
I mean, I had to wait four weeks to get that and then I finally got it. So now I understand what not to do going forward. That's not going to happen again. I have lost my job and, yes, I was upset about it, and now I've had time to get the out my system. So now I gotta go old school and find a job again.
Speaker 2:
That initially that does not sound fun at all. But you know, I can't sit at home. The thing that bothers me the most is like now I'm sitting at home with nothing to do right, like it's Tuesday. What are you doing? Uh, well, I normally I'd be at work, but now I'm not. So, um, that's the hard part. That's one of the hard parts.
Speaker 2:
And then the second part is the you know not getting the chance to say you know I'm out, peace, goodbye, I didn't get you know. That's the part that sucks. You don't get to say at least say you know I'm out, you know I'm sorry for things that happened. The only person I did get to say bye to was Haley, but I was doing that shell, that shell shock, that I was just looking at her like yo, they, they cut me out. It was never like, hey, good luck, blah, blah, blah, blah. So I don't get to do that. So that's why I'm going to use this airspace right now to say goodbye to everybody. I'm not going to do individuals, because it's just too many. There's too many people that you care about and you want to say goodbye to them, but you just don't. I'm just not going to do it individually. It's just that you know the growth that we've had the time I've been there to now, where they are functional and, um, you know growing and all that stuff, um, I'm, I'm.
Speaker 1:
I'm.
Speaker 2:
I'm proud of the work we did together to grow that location and everything, and the chefs that break their back there. Dude, it's. I wish you all nothing but the best. You know that I'm not going to call you all something else, but I've done everything. I've dropped off everything. You took my credit card and my badge, so now I'm just a normal person. But, um, you know, wish you guys nothing but the best and all your future endeavors and you know all that good stuff. But, um, you know, I'm proud of the work I did there and you know it is what it is.
Speaker 2:
Lastly, boo boo the fool. Um, she called it. She called it. She went as far as to say, oh, my mama, I will have your job, and she did. And you know, I now realize my mistake and, and that's it, I realized my mistake and, and that's it, I realize my mistake and I'm moving on from it. You got it, you got me and that's it. That is how I'm ending season 2, right then and there, with the mistakes that cost me my job. So now this will be a full time me, my job. So now this will be a full-time podcaster. Nah, not gonna happen. On the job search, that should be a good podcast episode coming up. But yeah, I'm your host, michael Gillespie of the WDYM. Thank you for tuning in to season two. Season 3 is right around the corner, like literally right there. I will see you next season, people, which is what you know. It's going to be right around the corner. I'm going to promise you that I'm out. Girl scout, boy scout, peace. Season 2 onward season 3. Season 2 Onward Season 3.