Never Let a Gracious Impulse Pass: A Leadership Lesson from Unreasonable Hospitality
Most leadership opportunities don't look like leadership opportunities.
They look like a compliment you almost gave, a thank-you note you meant to send, or a moment when you could have made someone feel seen.
In this episode of Badass Softie, Dr. J.J. Peterson sits down with bestselling author Will Guidara to explore the leadership philosophy behind Unreasonable Hospitality and why the moments people remember most are often the ones we almost let pass.
Listen in as they discuss affirmation, hospitality, generosity, and the surprising power of acting on the impulse to care.
Prefer to listen? Press play below.
One of the first things Will Guidara said during our conversation was also one of the simplest:
"Everybody appreciates affirmation."
Not some people.
Not people who are struggling.
Not people who are early in their careers.
Everybody.
To make his point, Will shared a story about approaching an actor whose work he admired. Most of us would assume that someone at that level of success has heard every compliment imaginable. We convince ourselves they don't need to hear it from us. We think the kind thing but never say it.
Will said it.
The actor appreciated it.
It's such a small story, but it points to something bigger. We spend a lot of time assuming people already know how we feel. We assume they know we appreciate them. We assume they know their work matters. We assume they know the impact they've had on us.
Sometimes they do.
But that doesn't mean hearing it isn't valuable.
The conversation started there, but it didn't stay there. Because for Will, affirmation is really part of a much larger philosophy.
Every Business Is in the Hospitality Business
Most people hear the word hospitality and think about restaurants, hotels, and customer service.
Will thinks about people.
At one point, he described hospitality as making people feel seen. That definition immediately expands the idea beyond any particular industry. Hospitality stops being something that belongs exclusively to restaurants and becomes something available to anyone who interacts with another human being.
That's why he argues that every business is in the hospitality business.
Not because every company serves food.
Because every company serves people.
Every interaction leaves someone feeling something. Every meeting, every email, every customer experience, every conversation creates an impression. The question isn't whether we're creating experiences. The question is whether we're intentional about the experiences we're creating.
When hospitality is viewed through that lens, it becomes much more than customer service.
It becomes leadership.
Creating More Magic in the World
One of my favorite parts of the conversation was listening to Will talk about magic.
The kind of magic that makes people smile, laugh, remember, and tell stories.
Throughout the conversation, Will shared examples of creating unexpected moments for people. Some happened in restaurants. Some happened at home. Some were elaborate. Others were surprisingly simple.
What connected all of them was attention.
Someone noticed an opportunity to create joy and decided to act on it.
Most of us have those opportunities every day. We get ideas. We notice possibilities. We think about doing something thoughtful, generous, or unexpected.
Then we move on.
Will seems to move in the opposite direction. He sees those moments as invitations.
Not interruptions.
Invitations to create something memorable.
Why Some Things Matter More Than Money
One of the more interesting turns in the conversation came when we started talking about ideas that don't immediately make financial sense.
In business, we're often taught to evaluate everything through the lens of return on investment. We want to know what works, what scales, and what produces measurable results.
Will offered a different perspective.
Many of the ideas that create the most value don't begin as efficient decisions. They begin as creative ones.
Some of the moments people remember most aren't profitable in the short term. Some acts of generosity can't be measured. Some investments pay dividends in ways that never show up on a spreadsheet.
That doesn't make them less valuable.
In many cases, it makes them more valuable.
Because the goal isn't simply to make money.
The goal is to create something worth remembering.
Joy Shouldn't Be Reserved for Special Occasions
At one point, Will shared a philosophy that stopped me in my tracks:
"We make money so that we can have fun as a company."
Most organizations treat joy as something that comes after success. Work hard enough, achieve enough, grow enough, and eventually you'll earn the right to enjoy the experience.
Will flips that idea around.
Joy isn't the reward.
Joy is part of the work.
That doesn't mean every day is easy. It doesn't mean every challenge disappears. But it does mean that creating memorable experiences, celebrating people, and finding opportunities for delight aren't distractions from meaningful work.
They're part of meaningful work.
The more we talked, the more I found myself wondering how often we reserve joy for major milestones while overlooking opportunities to create it in ordinary moments.
Not every meaningful experience has to wait for a birthday, a promotion, or a special occasion.
Sometimes a Tuesday is enough.
Never Let a Gracious Impulse Pass
Near the end of the conversation, Will shared a phrase that seemed to capture everything we had been discussing:
"Never let a gracious impulse pass."
It's difficult to think of a better summary of his philosophy.
The compliment you should give.
The text you should send.
The person you should thank.
The moment you could make special.
The encouragement you could offer.
The opportunity to create a little magic.
Most of us recognize those moments when they appear.
The difference is what happens next.
Throughout our conversation, Will shared story after story of choosing to act. Not because he had to. Not because it was required. Not because it would necessarily generate a return.
Because he believed the moment mattered.
That's what struck me most about our conversation.
Hospitality isn't really about restaurants.
Magic isn't really about surprises.
Leadership isn't really about authority.
At the heart of all of it is a simple choice.
Pay attention.
Notice people.
And when the opportunity presents itself, don't let the gracious impulse pass.
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[00:00:00] The Book That Changed J.J.'s Life
Will Guidara: Listen, I don't care how much you like your job, sometimes work sucks. And if you don't know you're making a difference, it's impossible to bring your most fully realized self. So anyone that worked for me for any measure of time could repeat what I'm about to say verbatim because they heard it from me at least 100 times.
I'd say there's
Dr. J.J. Peterson: Welcome to Badass Softie, a podcast for leaders who are unapologetically ambitious and want to lead with heart because you're allowed to chase big goals without losing what makes you human. I'm your host, Dr. JJ Peterson, and today is a very special day for me because I get to talk with one of my heroes who I believe will be one of yours, Will Guidara.
Um, oddly enough, I first heard of Will while watching a reality competition where he was a judge called The Big Brunch, and that's where I learned that he had been the co-owner of Eleven Madison Park, which was named the number one restaurant in the world, and that he'd become known as an innovator of hospitality.
B- plus, on the show, I just, I just liked him. I liked his personality. That's where I first heard of him, but then later I found out that he had written a New York Times bestselling book called Unreasonable Hospitality, and that's when I really became a fan. And you hear it in this conversation, but that book genuinely changed my life.
Because the book is technically about hospitality and maybe even his experience in restaurants, but it's not really about restaurants at all. It's about people. It's about what happens when we decide to go beyond what's expected and create moments that make other people feel seen, valued, and cared for.
It's about bringing a little bit more magic into the world, which we all just need more of. And as leaders, and entrepreneurs, and businesses, and parents, and friends, and, and human beings, we all have the opportunity every single day to create those moments. The question is whether we're paying enough attention to see them, and that's what this conversation is all about.
Will and I talk about hospitality, of course, but really we talk about leadership, being a good human, generosity, and why some of the most meaningful things we can do for another person are often really simple and because we take the time to pay attention. Honestly, I walked away from this conversation wanting to be a better human, and I think you will too.
So that's why I am so excited for you to hear my conversation today with Will Guidara. Will, I could not be more excited that you are here. When I started this podcast, I made a list of the people who I was like, "Who are the people that I look to that are badass softies in this world?" Mm-hmm. And you were at the top of the list, and I, I, I want everybody to know why you're here today for that reason, is that we got to work on a project together.
And well, first of all, when I read Unreasonable Hospitality, I would say besides StoryBrand, it is the single book that has changed my trajectory and how I do business. Oh. So the most influential book besides StoryBrand. Also, when we got to work together, I got to see firsthand the excellence that you pour into projects and the kindness that you do it with with everybody around you, and I watched the way you carried both of these things about seeing people, being kind to people, raising their, the expectation in themselves of what they're capable of doing.
So- Mm-hmm ... raising the excellence of everybody around you while also being kind and direct and doing it with joy. And so Will, I, uh, without any hesitation wanna say that you are one of the most badass softies that I've ever been around- ... and I am so honored that you would be here today.
Will Guidara: Man, thank you for those words.
[00:04:06] Why People Need to Feel Seen
Will Guidara: I, I gotta tell you Well, first, I don't take them for granted. Second, they are unbelievably honoring. And third, how you just made me feel is a testament to the power of affirmation. I, I think sometimes we, we convince ourselves that when people get to a certain point in their lives, that we no longer have permission to, to praise them, and yet everyone craves it.
I crave it. And I'm saying that for two reasons. One, to underline my gratitude for the words, and two, to encourage anyone listening, be generous with praise because whoever you direct it towards, I guarantee you it will be appreciated.
Dr. J.J. Peterson: Yeah. It's one of those things that, uh, I think it's, uh, it, it's something that I've just tried very recently to be more intentional about, and some of it very honestly is, and, and that this isn't blowing smoke.
It comes from an experience, a very specific experience that I had with you. Uh, we were on set. We were filming a course. We were s- filming a certification course, and there were some caterers who were there, who are some of my favorite caterers. I love... Like, they make amazing food. They're wonderful people.
They're so kind. I adore them. I'm getting a little teary thinking about it. And they, of course, knew who you were. And at lunch, they made an incredible lunch, and you walked over to them and very kindly, without, like, going over the top, praised them for their work, got to know them a little bit, and thanked them for the job.
Mm. Now, you would think that somebody at, at your caliber would... might, like, walk over and just go, "Hey, thanks everybody," you know, just be kind. But you actually were so intentional about the way that you walked over to them and engaged in conversation and honored them. It wa- it was more than just a thanks.
It was an honor that you gave them, and you spoke words of affirmation over them, and I've seen them since, and they still talk about it. Oh, that's incredible. And it was a moment for them because of who you were, but also just the words and the moment that you took. And I took that away as well and said that I want to be somebody who s- does...
is no longer afraid to tell people what I feel about them. Like- Yeah ... if I love them, I'm gonna tell them I love them, in my family, in my friendship. And if I see something good in them, I wanna call that good out in them, and not in a way that's over the top, but is direct and personal. And I saw you do that, and I've seen you do that so many times, and that's been such a model for me of how I want to lead and live.
Will Guidara: But, you know, like, tha- thank you for, for that. That's, that's cool to hear. A- and also I don't think you need to be significant to the person in order to praise them. The, uh, the story I have to, to affirm that is, I was at an event, and Jason Sudeikis was there. Jason Sudeikis as in Ted Lasso and-
Dr. J.J. Peterson: The very one.
Will Guidara: I am not significant to Jason Sudeikis, right? Like, he doesn't care who I am. And I think I'd had, like, one or two glasses of wine- ... and I'm, like, feeling courageous. And, uh, I, I mean, I love Ted Lasso. I think it's one of the greatest shows ever made, and it's so in line with what I believe the world wants to be.
And I just walked up to him, I said, "Hey, man, you don't know me. My name is Will. I love your show, and these are the three reas- reasons why I loved it so much and why it meant so much to me." And I think a lot of people, with someone like that, they feel like it's gauche or intrusive to, to affirm them or praise them.
And dude, he was so appreciative. Like... And that's my point. That, that's the real meta point I'm trying to make, which is don't talk yourself out of affirming another, no matter who they are and no matter who you are. It, it... If you're feeling the desire to praise, praise.
Dr. J.J. Peterson: Yeah. And I think that comes from a lot of your philosophy on...
[00:08:14] Every Business Is in the Hospitality Business
Dr. J.J. Peterson: well, I'll put these words in your mouth, but this is what I see, is that I see that that comes from a overall philosophy that you have of seeing people where they are, helping them be f- seen, understood, known. Mm. That's really a foundation for a lot of what drives your hospitality side of things, right?
Like, so you do this in- when you were in the restaurant industry. You did this with your team. Is that really what... You know, and even this, like, when you say, like, praise, it's not a separate thing from the hospitality side. It's really foundational to being, people being seen, understood, known. Talk to me a little bit about that, about kind of the foundation behind why, what drives hospitality for you.
What really drives that motive and, and what are your kind of some of your guiding lights for that?
Will Guidara: I mean, y- y- everything you just said is hospitality. Making people feel seen, making them feel known, giving them that sense of belonging, making them feel welcomed. That is hospitality. I mean, just some background for a- anyone listening who does not know who I am.
I, I am a restauranteur. My entire life was spent in restaurants until just before COVID when I sold my restaurants and wrote the book Unreasonable Hospitality. The restaurant I'm most known for is called Eleven Madison Park, where we had some of the best food out there, and amazingly technical d- service, and one of the most beautiful dining rooms.
But we became the number one restaurant in the world through our relentless pursuit of people, through hospitality, through being creative and intentional in pursuit of people, both those that I worked with and all of those that we collectively served. For a very, very long time, I've talked about my profession as I am in the hospitality business, and it just so happened to be food that I was selling.
Because I don't think it matters what you do for a living, you can make the choice to be in the hospitality industry. We are all in the business of serving other people, and if you make the choice to be as invested in how you make people feel as invariably you already are in pursuit of whatever product you are selling, that's when you join my industry.
And, uh, I gotta tell you, not only do I think it gives you an unbelievable competitive advantage when you make that choice, but it also makes the work so much more fulfilling and also, in many ways, fun.
Dr. J.J. Peterson: Yes.
Will Guidara: I mean, hospitality for me, like, if we're, we're defining it, I can sell you a widget. That's not that fun.
It's not that creative. I'm gonna do the same thing over and over and over again. If I join the hospitality industry now, I'm like, "Okay, how am I selling this to JJ in a way that makes him feel, like, a genuine sense of connection to me and my widget brand," right? And suddenly widgets sound pretty freaking cool.
Um, and so hospitality for me is caring enough to, to listen to the person in front of you and then doing something with what you heard, and it doesn't always need to be big, over-the-top things. Yeah, you're talking about praise. That is a part of hospitality. It's leaning in, seeing someone for who they are, recognizing how much goodness there is in everyone around us, affirming those, those attributes, and in doing so, making it clear to them and everyone around them what right looks like such that they're more inspired and motivated to, to continue bringing that part of themselves to life.
Hospitality means, I don't know, being at a party and seeing the person in the corner that is clearly a bit of an introvert and doesn't know how to engage and enter into a conversation, and so going over and grabbing them and bringing them to join the conversation you're in. Hospitality is I don't know, just getting excited about the gift you are going to give someone and enjoying the process of giving just as much, if not more, than the process of receiving.
I, I could go on for an hour i- in this way, but, like, just to level set my view of hospitality, I think it is the coolest and most noble thing in the entire world, and I think everyone should start giving more of themselves in pursuit of it. 100%.
Dr. J.J. Peterson: And I thought about some of the things I wanted to talk to you about today and kind of, of what I wanted to learn from you a little bit more.
And, uh, one angle could have been this whole idea of, like, let's just talk practicality of, like, what are some things we can do. All of that are in Will's two books that he has, in Unreasonable Hospitality and the newly released Field Guide, and I really believe everybody listening should go get those and begin to think practically about how to implement unreasonable hospitality for your company and for your clients and all of that.
So get those books. There's a lot of practical things in there, amazing stories that will blow your mind that you can use. But what I really wanted to talk a little bit about today was what you... Something you just mentioned was the fun part.
[00:13:30] Creating More Magic in the World
Will Guidara: Hmm.
Dr. J.J. Peterson: One of the things I want to ask you about, just kind of invite people into your world a little bit is I know that you and your co-conspirator, uh, Brian Candless, and your team are working right now on a magic trick.
And I want you to share a little bit with me about this magic trick and why, when you're working with, like, Delta Airlines and NASA about hospitality, are you taking time to develop a magic trick?
Will Guidara: I love that you know that. Um, and it's a testament to the fact that you've been hanging out with Brian Candless, which is also such a gift because I think he's one of the best in the world.
Uh, not just at what he does professionally, obviously, but he's one of my best friends. Just he's like a warm bath on a cold day- ... in terms of people that you wanna spend time with. So okay, I love magic. I've always loved magic. Magic has been a part of my professional life for a very long time. Um, that quote that you just used i- was one I would say to my team over and over and over again for years.
I, I think it's important to name for yourself why your work matters, and then once you have, like, really articulated the impact of the work, say it over and over and over again to the people around you. Because listen, I don't care how much you like your job, sometimes work sucks, and if you don't know you're making a difference, it's impossible to bring your most fully realized self.
And so anyone that worked for me for any measure of time- Could repeat what I'm about to say verbatim because they heard it from me at least 100 times. I would say there's nobility in what we do. We may not be saving people's lives, but we can help them celebrate the most important moments or give them the grace to forget about the hard ones.
We give others things to look forward to, or we can make the world a slightly nicer place just by being really nice to everyone that walks through our doors and standing back and watching as they go out and pay it forward. And I'd always finish with that line: We have an opportunity, perhaps even a responsibility, to create our own little magical world in a world that needs more magic I would say that all of the time because I do believe hospitality is magic, and magic is a form of hospitality.
And one day I was like, "Gosh, I wonder if we actually just added magic to the menu." And so I worked with this company called Theory 11, and we literally turned one of the dessert courses into a magic trick. And the people on my team thought I'd lost my mind 'cause I literally had to train all the servers to become magicians for this card trick that we designed a specific deck of cards where every card was an ingredient, and it's a whole long story.
But the first time we did it, I remember standing in the corner of the dining room to, like, watch what was gonna happen with the table we were doing it for, and it was the best moment 'cause one of the guys at the table was like, "Are you fucking kidding me?" And I was like, "There we go. This works." But that, by the way, is hospitality.
We gave this person a memory.
Dr. J.J. Peterson: Yeah.
Will Guidara: And I don't know, I never talked to that person afterwards, but I could go so far as to guarantee that they probably don't remember anything they ate that night, but they will never forget how we made them feel when we did that trick. We went further than that. We did a magic show at the NoMad, which was my hotel a few blocks up, and magic has always been a big part of, of what we do.
And so we had our summit. We do an event here in Nashville, the Unreasonable Hospitality Summit. We had it a f- a, a couple months ago, and we had a magician come in, and his name was Ben Seidman, and Ben was amazing. Um, there's a quote that I love that comes from Teller of Penn & Teller. It's, "Sometimes magic is just being willing to invest more energy into an idea than anyone else would deem reasonable."
I love that quote because it affirms the thing I believe, which is hospitality is not hard, but it does require that you try harder. And so, uh, when we were planning the show with him, I asked him if there was any way he could, like, just try to explain to the audience one of his tricks. Show them the moment of wonder he was able to create, and then show how much work went into it in an effort to inspire them to work a little bit harder for these single moments of wonder.
And he did. He was amazing. And afterwards, Brian and, and Ben and I were together, and we just started saying, "Hey, we love working together. Let's do something fun." And that led to the magic trick, and I'll, I'll go into that a bit more because we're in early stages.
[00:18:10] Why Some Things Matter More Than Money
Will Guidara: But why did we have that conversation and why are we investing time into doing it?
A, I just love collaborating with like-minded people who do different things than I do. Every time I collaborate with someone who is awesome from a different world, I come out of the experience a better version of myself. B, it's just fun. And C, it's-- I mean, listen, are we gonna make much money from a magic trick?
No, I can say that with confidence. Absolutely not. Will it require an outsized and asymmetrical amount of time when compared to the amount of money that we are gonna make? Yes. Um, but I still think it's worth doing. A-anyone who knows anything about farming knows about crop rotation, right? You need to, like, grow different things in the soil to ensure that the nutrients are there to deliver your best work.
Like, every time I do something like that, it re-energizes me to go be better in consulting on a baseball stadium or helping to design a new in-flight experience. I need both to keep my gas tank filled But the question is, anytime you're doing something, even if it seems random at first, there needs to be connective tissue to your core principles.
So okay, we could do a magic trick because I talk about magic all the time, but that's not enough. Like, what is the approach to a magic trick that actually makes it feel genuinely authentic to who we are? Magic tricks, anyone who doesn't even know what we're talking about, you can go online and buy magic tricks, and it's a way to learn how to be a magician.
They're almost always designed one person doing a trick for another person, one-on-one. And I think the best memories happen in community. And so the only thing we've figured out so far, 'cause we're in very early stages, is that we want a magic trick that is done by and for an entire group. This is the cool thing about creativity and how it pertains to magicians.
When we were designing the trick at Eleven Madison Park, um, the magician I was working with said, "Hey, what if we do this?" And I was like, "Oh my God, that's incredible. How do you do that?" And he says, "I have no idea, but if that's the desired outcome, we're gonna figure it out." And so I've just given you the desired outcome, and I have no idea yet how we're gonna figure it out, but that's the fun part.
Dr. J.J. Peterson: Oh, there's so many things in those sentences that made me so happy. And also just, I, I think so many like profound pieces of wisdom that I think I'm taking away and other people can take away of when it comes to hospitality, it's not always about the bottom line. That like obviously it has to remain connected, it has to move the mission forward, and it has to be a part of what you're doing.
But I think a lot of times we're looking at these n- like bottom line numbers, and we go, "Well, that is not worth it in the dollar for dollar exchange." And one of the things you talk about is you're not gonna make a lot of money off of this magic trick, but there's other value intrinsically built- Yeah
into it, in your own creativity, in your own collaboration, and then ultimately, who knows what it's going to create down the line, but it keeps you moving forward. And there's something I, uh, I've decided to do. Actually, this is gonna be the first time I've said this on here, is that this fall I've decided I'm going to do an event that is called, uh, right now it's tentatively called The Sounds and Tastes of Fall.
Mm. And I'm going to get a location and kind of do a big... Like, it's gonna be produced, and I'm gonna invite a bunch of people to bring either a, a treat that they wanna share with this community or a sound, a song, or a poem, or a story or something that they're going to bring to this event. A- and I want that to be magical.
I want to ha- I have a few surprises planned for everybody who's coming that nobody's gonna know about, and I'm going to be putting a lot of money and effort into this event that will not make me a dime. But it's- Mm-hmm ... for the purpose of, it will continue to further the mission of Badasssofte and everything I'm doing, but it also, it's more about community and magic.
It- that is really what I want to walk out of there with. And there's a part of me that even as I'm saying this, like, as I've been thinking about it, 'cause I haven't told anybody, because part of me is like, "Should I do that? Is that really where I should be spending my time and money right now?" Well, now
Will Guidara: you just made the decision to, to, to do it.
Dr. J.J. Peterson: I really did, and- And
Will Guidara: now you're locked
Dr. J.J. Peterson: into it ... 100%. And because just this was such a good reminder for me about that magic.
Will Guidara: I wanna say a couple things based on everything you said. So, uh, uh, first of all, and as it pertains to the event you're talking about or magic trick that we're, we're gonna do and a, a bunch of other random stuff that we do that, that, that make, like, zero money, uh, uh, at best, right?
Some of the things we do cost us a bunch of money. I mean, there's an entire hidden game in the field guide which only so many people will ever even find, and we spent an enormous amount of time and energy and money on it. It, it was for the love of it, right? Like, I don't have a company so that we can make money.
We make money so that we can have fun as a company Like, that's the point. And, and by the way, when you, when you approach it in that way, you end up making a lot of money. Like, it just, uh, generally the profits follow. But to the point of magic in the everyday, I think we approach joy and magic just societally incorrect and, and in two ways.
[00:23:55] Joy Shouldn't Be Reserved for Special Occasions
Will Guidara: One, to your point, we do invest more time and energy into, like, creating magic for children, although even there we're not that good. Like, December is a magical time of year, and then it gets, like, much less magical for 11 months. I think people reserve their efforts in making things magical for a handful of moments every year, when in reality you can do it whenever you want, and we should do it much more often.
My wife is incredible with this. My wife's company is Milk Bar. She's, like, one of the great pastry chefs in the world, and she's famous for her birthday cake. And her thing is, like, birthday cake is not just for birthdays, and we need to stop only lighting candles on cakes for a single day a year. Like, a random Wednesday is a reason to, to have birthday cake because the cake itself turns an ordinary day into one worthy of celebration.
My mother-in-law does this as well. Everyone has the good china, right? Like, that they break out on, like, Christmas or maybe an anniversary. It'll be, like, a random Thursday, and my mother-in-law will be like, "All right. We're using the good plates tonight." And now Thursday feels significant. There's this quote I heard from a guy after I did a talk.
He was in the meet and greet, and he said, "Hey, your talk made me think of, um, this quote we say all the time in, in my family. It's, 'Never let a gracious impulse pass.'"
Dr. J.J. Peterson: Mm.
Will Guidara: For me, that means two things. One, like so often we think about doing something for someone else, and plenty of people come up with awesome ideas on how to be gracious, and then they're like, "All right, I'm too busy. Mm, I can't do it." The great among us are those that when they have that idea, they always commit to bringing that idea to life.
But that's not just about gestures for an individual, it's also about, um, just making something more fun, more connective. This morning, I, I got in late last night. Christina was in New York. I walk up to my bedroom, and my three-year-old son is in my bed, and I was so excited. I was like, "All right, we're having a slumber party tonight."
And I always know when that's about to happen, that I'm gonna get woken up too early. And so I get woken up really early from my three-year-old right next to me, and I was like, "All right, bud, come on in. Let's watch, let's watch some morning TV," which is not something we do very often, so it made it, like, already a special morning.
And we were watching a show called Tumble Leaf. It's this really cool kids show, and the characters had put on tinfoil hats because they were pretending to go to the moon. And this morning I was like, "Gosh, I should go downstairs and get tinfoil, and we should watch the rest of this episode with tinfoil hats on."
And I almost said, "I'm exhausted. I'm gonna stay in bed." And I was like, "Nope, never let a gracious impulse pass." And I went downstairs and got the roll of tinfoil, and my son or... and I are in bed with no shirts on, wearing tinfoil hats, watching this show. And as of 9:00 AM when I came to work, he was still wearing that tinfoil hat.
Like, his morning became magical. Mm-hmm. For the cost of two feet of tinfoil. And that's my call to action for anyone listening. Like, next time you have a fun idea of something that seems magical, promise yourself now that the next time you have it, you're just gonna do it.
Dr. J.J. Peterson: I'm in. I'm in. I take that. I hold that.
I take those words. And I, I really do, 'cause I think everybody can take that as a commission to do this. Because it's, it's... It feels overwhelming. And yes, like you said, i- in the book and in the field guide, there are some really practical ways that you can implement this with your team and with your customers.
[00:27:39] Never Let a Gracious Impulse Pass
Dr. J.J. Peterson: But A- and that takes time to sit down and work through. But the idea of, like, never let this, let a gracious impulse pass, I think... I, I, I'm, like, putting my hands like this 'cause I wanna hold that. I wanna hold the weight of that- Yes ... those words, and think about that, and become the kind of person who leans into that even more.
Because again, I do believe that's what the world needs. I cannot thank you enough. I mean, I- Mm ... like, I know your schedule, so I know that you flew in late last night. I'm betting you're getting on a flight within 48 hours again. And that fact that you would take time to be on the podcast and to share your wisdom and your heart with everybody that I get to l- be with all the time, it just...
I, I, it's just an honor. And, uh, you, you make me a better person, and I am so grateful for you and the way that you share yourself i- with the world. And you truly are an inspiration for me, and you truly are a badass softie, so thank you for being here today.
Will Guidara: Hey, man, I appreciate you so much. Thank you.
Dr. J.J. Peterson: Will is so incredibly inspiring to me.
I mean, come on. That guy, like, I teared up so many times during that conversation. He... I just wanted to do a whole lot of, "Hell yes, amen," you know, like, while we were going because everything he was saying just resonates so deeply within me. And the thing that I am taking away, which I talked about at the end there, is really this idea of lever- never letting a gracious impulse pass.
I think about doing things for people all the time, and I know that in those moments I often just walk on by and let it pass. But what if I became the kind of person who leaned into those moments, and what if you did, too? I think we could genuinely make the world a better place, and I think we could have a lot more fun doing it.
So before we go, let me leave you with this. May you never let a gracious impulse pass. May you be generous with your praise, not because people need flattery, but because people need reminders that they matter. And may you remember that you have an opportunity, maybe even a responsibility, to bring a little bit more magic into the world.
Not grand magic, not movie magic, the everyday kind. And may you never underestimate how much a small act of kindness can change someone's day or even make their life better. Because we believe you can be both ambitious and kind, fun and driven, powerful and deeply human. Your leadership can inspire, your success can have soul, and your ambition can make space for everyone.
That's why you're a badass softie. We'll see you next week. Thanks for listening. Follow and subscribe so you don't miss an episode. Badasssoftie.com is crafted by Fruitful Design and Strategy.