September 15, 2025 • 36 mins
YouTube’s daredevil Michelle Khare is here to help you push through your fears. In her award-winning YouTube channel, Challenge Accepted, Michelle has put her body and mind through a wide range of challenges, from being tased during police academy to pirouetting with professional ballerinas and everything in between. However, her biggest challenge is learning how to push through her fears. Today, we discuss how she sets goals, measures success, overcomes fear, and inspires us to raise the bar on our lives.
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Speaker 1 (00:02):
Today, on the bright side, we're exploring what we gain
when we face our fears with YouTube creator Michelle care.
Speaker 2 (00:09):
I think that fear is always present, but you have
to develop a relationship with it to mitigate it. Like
there will never be a time when I or anyone
I believe truly has no fear, and I don't think
that's the objective.
Speaker 1 (00:23):
I'm simone voice and this is the bright side from
Hello Sunshine. My guest today has pulled off some wild
stunts in the name of facing her fears. We're talking
escaping chains underwater. She's gone through the Navy Seals fitness
test and even spent a day responding to nine to
one one calls. Uh, You're not gonna find me escaping
(00:44):
chains in an underwater tank. I'll tell you that right now.
Speaker 2 (00:47):
But we all have.
Speaker 1 (00:48):
Fears, fears that hold us back in various ways. And
because of Michelle, I was inspired to revisit a fear
of my own, and that is my fear of heights.
You guys, I am so tired of being afraid of heights.
I am so tired of hesitating at the top of
every escalator and clinging to the side of a mountain
(01:11):
to avoid exposed areas. It's something that just continues to
resurface for me, and that's why I want to revisit it.
So that's how I found myself at a local climbing
gym scaling a wall with my son Logan, here I go.
I am catching up, sweetee. I challenge my son to
go all the way to the top, and now I'm
(01:31):
regretting this.
Speaker 2 (01:33):
I love you too. I'm gonna go for it.
Speaker 1 (01:38):
I am super high and I'm shaking it getting to
the top of a rock wall. That's a big step
for me, but it's small potatoes for Michelle care On
her viral YouTube show Challenge Accepted, she takes on these
physical and emotional stunts that are not for the faint
(01:58):
of heart. Y'all. Michelle's career in media actually started at
BuzzFeed while she was also training and racing as a
professional cyclist, and then she took this huge leap. She
quit BuzzFeed and bet on herself. And if you've been
listening to our show, this is a theme that comes
up over and over again. She didn't have another job
(02:18):
lined up. Instead, she decided to bring her two passions together,
the physical challenges and digital videos. Well, fast forward almost
a decade later, and she has over five million followers,
with some of her videos reaching sixteen million views. She
really has endeavored to do it all, from sitting in
(02:39):
a snake pit, training as the Secret Service, or doing
squats like a Victoria's Secret Model. But Michelle's secret sauce
isn't that she takes on these huge tasks. She also
is so real about the failures. She still will air
the video even if she doesn't meet a challenge, and
that's what makes her videos so relatable, compelling, and thrilling
(03:01):
to watch the next barrier Michelle's trying to break through.
It's actually in Hollywood today. Michelle is laser focused on
winning an Emmy. It's an achievement that few YouTubers have accomplished.
With lofty goals like these, it may sound like Michelle
is fearless, but what I think you'll see in today's
conversation is that Michelle's relationship to fear is actually really nuanced.
(03:27):
We unpack how she tackles huge goals, measures success, and
still keeps raising the bar for herself because ultimately, what
scares her the most is not living her life to
the fullest. I made it. I'm proud of myself. That
was scary. All right, let's get into it with Michelle Carey.
(03:52):
Michelle Carey, Welcome to the bright Side.
Speaker 2 (03:54):
Oh my gosh, thank you for having me.
Speaker 1 (03:56):
Well, it's not every day that we have a guest
who has I don't know, jumped out of playing trained
with the Army.
Speaker 2 (04:02):
You've even escaped from a Houdini water tank. Yes, who
are you? Michelle? Like, how are you even real.
Speaker 1 (04:10):
I was watching that episode and I have to be
honest like it it made me tear up at the
end because you could see how intense it was for you.
I'll be honest, like, there was a moment when I
wasn't sure if you were going to be able to
pull it off. Did you feel that uncertainty as well?
Speaker 2 (04:27):
It was one of the most intense experiences of my life.
I mean, and this is included in the episode. And
it is true that the attempts I had in rehearsal
were all failures. I would get in there and have
to give a signal to the stunt team I'm not ready.
I need to get out. And there wasn't really a
(04:49):
smooth run through until the night of And thank goodness,
it went well and I felt completely safe with that team.
But my objective was to get through the entire performance,
and you know, fully make my way through the entire escape,
and I think that that has been a really special
part of Challenge accept It is getting to confront these
(05:12):
fears head on. And originally I started the show because
I wrote all my fears on a whiteboard and then
connected each fear to a different profession or circumstance where
I'd have to confront it head on.
Speaker 1 (05:23):
Wow, So that's where this started.
Speaker 2 (05:25):
Yes, that's where it started. But then over time it
has shifted into something that I couldn't have even imagined,
where at first it was my own personal motivation of
wanting to confront my fears, and now I feel so
much more indebted to and motivated by the people of
our community who find inspiration from the episode. So now
(05:48):
when I am, you know, struggling to learn how to
hold my breath for three and a half minutes, I
genuinely imagine and think of specific comments, specific people who
are a part of our community who have felt touched
by the episodes, because that, to me is a much
larger motivation and goal than just drawing upon myself, you know, would.
Speaker 1 (06:11):
You say that that's your Why is it to inspire
others to be able to tackle the same kinds of
challenges that you are?
Speaker 2 (06:19):
It is definitely. It's definitely the first thing I think
of when we're producing an episode. We never hit upload
on any piece of content unless we feel as a
team that it is educational, entertaining, and inspirational. And to
hit that component of inspiration requires vulnerability and struggle, and
(06:39):
I think that's what makes the episodes unique and interesting
but also difficult to produce.
Speaker 1 (06:46):
Well, the reason why I started this conversation with the
Houdini Tank is because to me, that one just really
epitomizes your secret sauce and what you do. It's in
the commitment, thank you, because these aren't just a lot
of people will do shows like this, but they do
it in a gimmicky way, or they don't do it seriously.
So can you describe the process from start to finish
(07:08):
of Michelle taking on a challenge? Yeah?
Speaker 2 (07:11):
Absolutely, I can use Whodini as an example for that project. First,
we had several months of brainstorming and iteration. We didn't
know it was going to be the episode that it
would be at the beginning, as I mentioned earlier, we
thought maybe we'll learn how to do card tricks and
do a magic show, and it evolved into that. Then
there were several months of interviewing a variety of magicians
(07:35):
and other people who have performed this stunt previously to
get their opinion and feedback an insight and find the
right group of people to bring together. And in fact,
I would say that casting is one of the most
important parts of this process for us, because we really
want to work with the best of the best casting
the coaches and experts that we're got to working with.
(07:56):
So we interview several people typically for an episode to
find you know, this is a person I'm going to
be spending every single day with for the next several months.
We need to make sure that we align on values
and that we gel together, and you know, even technical
things like they're well spoken on camera and can communicate
(08:17):
abstract concepts. Clearly, those are all important to me, and
we want to make sure they're a good person too,
that we're promoting great people on the show. And then
from there it becomes you know, I'm training for six
weeks to learn how to hold my breath. And we're
also working with a fabrication team to make a water
torture salt that's my size, that holds that volume of water.
(08:38):
There was a whole contraption to heat the tank because
temperature of water is really important. All these little details.
Then I ultimately perform the stunt, and then it's two
to three months of post production, sound mixing, color, everything
before it goes up. And that's just for one episode,
and not every episode takes that long or requires that much.
But I would say that our team is you know,
(09:00):
I'm grateful to work with a group of people that
have that understanding of finding the midpoint of a Venn
diagram of care, compassion, quality, and relevance.
Speaker 1 (09:11):
It's so clear that you care about quality and I
saw that even before our mic started rolling you. You
asked me, what's our objective? What are we trying to
do here today? And that's not something that a lot
of guests will do, but it just it really lets
you in on how thoughtful you are about how you
approach your work and how intentional you are. And I
(09:32):
answered you by saying, I just want to get to
know Michelle. I want to I want to know the
woman behind Challenge accepted. So I want to rewind a
bit and just get to know you more. I hear
that you have a twenty page document that you make
at the start of every new year. Is this true?
Speaker 2 (09:51):
This is looking at me like, I'm like, what my
page document we're talking about? So you make a twenty
page document at the start of a new year.
Speaker 1 (10:00):
And you analyze your goals by quarter? I do, and
are you still doing this? This is a practice that
you say, yeah, I.
Speaker 2 (10:06):
Just did the Q two review for twenty twenty five
a few weeks. This is so in the weeds. You
definitely got me. This is a sexy type a talk
right here. This is yeah, if you want to talk
Google calendar, you know, give me a sum function in
Google spreadsheet. That's my uh, that's my jam.
Speaker 1 (10:26):
So take me into that process, though, what do you
discover through that process of creating such an extensive roadmap
of your goals?
Speaker 2 (10:34):
I am a person, you know, with my background and athletics.
I operate best when there's a coach figure in my life,
and that's clear from Challenge accepted. I always want to find,
you know, who's the best expert that can teach me
how to do whatever we're trying to learn, and I
treat my business and personal and professional life the same.
So I work with a CEO coach, I, you know,
(10:57):
work with with another person who helps me with goal setting.
I got to this point where I realized, you know,
I love that coach to a mentor mentee relationship and
really taking tangible advice and accountability from someone who's further
along in their journey than I am. And so I
just started applying that to like everything in my life
(11:19):
and I love it. And maybe it's a little bit overboard,
but for someone like me, I believe in taking a
lofty goal and breaking it down. And you know, that's
what we do on Challenge Accepted. Like earlier this year,
when we asked the question, hey, it would be crazy
to recreate Tom Cruise's stunt from Rogue Nation where he's
(11:40):
hanging off the side of a military aircraft. You know,
we throw that out on a brainstorm. But then our
team actually asked the question, Okay, who would be our
first phone call? Okay, maybe we could talk to someone
at the Secret Service who we worked with, and maybe
they'll know someone at the Department of Defense. Oh, when
we collaborated with the FAA last year. Maybe they could
help us get an experiment contract to do something like
(12:01):
These are the kinds of conversations that our team is
really adept in, and so it would be remiss of
me as a leader to not apply that to my
own growth, mentorship and leadership qualities. So yes, I make
a giant table at the beginning of every year. It
is divided by lifestyle, business, personal relationships, spirituality, and in
(12:26):
one column, I have tangible goals that are within my control.
So rather than saying, you know, one of our goals
this year was like what it could have been. We
want to win an Emmy. That's outside of our control.
But what is within our control is doing the best
campaign we possibly can't and I'm grateful to our team
that I think we really did this year. So we have,
(12:47):
you know, tangible goals within our control and then measures
of how are we actually going to measure success for
the goal of the Emmy. It was Okay, I'm going
to take as many meetings as I possibly can with
people who have done this before and learn from them.
I am going to you know, find the best publicist
in the world. SHADOWT. Bailey and Emily to help me
(13:07):
learn how to navigate this. And even if we don't
hit the lofty goal of winning an award one day, man,
can we say that we did the best to try.
And that's really the journey. Another thing that I do
that as crazy is pretty much every minute of my
day is outlined in Google calendar, like even like fifteen
(13:29):
minute transition from this call to this call.
Speaker 1 (13:31):
Wow, And that's all built in.
Speaker 2 (13:32):
It's all built in because my book, if it's not
written down, it won't happen. That's how I approach goals.
I guess is if it's not written down, if it's
not put somewhere, then I'm going to just completely forget
and deprioritize it.
Speaker 1 (13:47):
Where does that sense of drive come from? You mentioned athletics.
Is that where it started?
Speaker 2 (13:52):
I think it really comes from you know, when I
really look inward and deeply at myself. My dad is
an immigrant from India and when he came to America,
he worked his ass off. I admire my dad so
much for that, and my mom also sacrificed a lot
for our family, and so something that I think about
often is the honoring of that sacrifice and to me,
(14:17):
in you know whether or not it's right that honoring
of sacrifice is to make every moment count in the
privilege that I now have as their descendant. But also
I find immense drive from our audience. Like I mentioned earlier,
and when people approach us in airports or at target,
(14:38):
it's really special to hear how the most unexpected things
have impacted other people. And so meeting the people from
our community in person is a massive motivator for me.
And why the attention to detail matters and why trying
and caring matters. For me, It's about what's the greater purpose?
(15:00):
How is this giving back? How is this impacting other people?
Because if it isn't, then what is the point.
Speaker 1 (15:05):
We've got to take a short break. But we'll be
right back with Michelle Care. And we're back with Michelle Care.
So when it comes to you being a daredevil, were
you always that way? Did you always have a penchant
for physicality and stunts? I know you were an athlete.
Speaker 2 (15:21):
I mean no, okay, And in many ways I consider
myself an overthinker, an anxious person, and to me, challenge
accepted was my way to work through that. Actually, my
love for sport and cycling before I had my channel
was also a way to work through that. So I
think that fear is always present, but you have to
(15:44):
develop a relationship with it to mitigate it. Like there
will never be a time when I or anyone I
believe truly has no fear, and I don't think that's
the objective. I think it's more about learning how to
know when to listen to it and when to have
a conversation with it.
Speaker 1 (16:02):
How would you describe your relationship with fear now?
Speaker 2 (16:05):
My relationship with fear now is still evolving, honestly. I mean, yeah,
when we did the tom Cruise plane stunt a few
weeks ago, I was definitely nervous before getting strapped to
the side of that thing. But also I rest comfortably
knowing I implicitly trust our team. We have the best
(16:27):
people in the world working on this stuff. So it's
a rationalization of I've done my homework, trust in the process.
And I think that's with anything, even like taking a
test in school. You can study all you want and
you have to trust, like, Okay, I've done the best
that I can. I hope it comes through on the exam.
I prefer that actually, because it is constantly evolving.
Speaker 1 (16:50):
I really like what you said about fear, that trying
to get to a point where fear doesn't exist is
it's not realistic and not an attainable goal. Yeah. I
think just acknowledging that fear is always going to be
there in the background has been helpful for me. And
I love my fear though, like I'm grateful for because
it pushes me to do things that I wouldn't only
(17:12):
do unless I were motivated by that desire to overcome
that fear.
Speaker 2 (17:16):
Yeah, and I think that negative emotions somepthing negative and
quotes fear, anxiety, jealousy, they are actually, you know, quantitative
indicators of things that matter to you, and they come
from a human place, so it's important to listen and
understand those. I have a question for you, what is
your biggest fear? Do you have one? You seem very relaxed.
Speaker 1 (17:41):
You seem very relaxed. You know, I'm going to take
that as a compliment because I'm so not relaxed, and
I'm relaxed with you, but I'm so not relaxing this
season of life. My biggest fear is what you hear
palliative nurses talk about when they are you know conversing
(18:03):
with patients who are at the end of their life,
and one of the most common fears that comes up
is living a life that wasn't really mine, that didn't
feel like it was for me, like I was living
for someone else. That's my biggest fear.
Speaker 2 (18:18):
So it's like an ownership of every decision you make.
Speaker 1 (18:21):
Yeah, and also not holding anything back, not leaving anything
on the table. Yeah, I want to go for it all.
I mean, it's just what you're doing with challenge accepted.
It's like challenging myself. I want to constantly be learning,
constantly be challenging myself. So you've been making YouTube videos
on your own channel for almost ten years now, are
(18:42):
you gracious with yourself when you look back at your
early videos?
Speaker 2 (18:46):
Oh my gosh, that's a tough one. I've heard this
saying a lot that if you aren't cringing at yourself
from last year, then you aren't growing. Yes, And I'm
going to subscribe to that because it a lot of
the emotions I feel looking at some of the early work.
But I have so much empathy and love for that
version of me who had no idea where it would go.
(19:09):
And I see all the things she was trying to
do to get better and to learn and to grow.
And honestly, I think that's been the biggest privilege of
creating content online is that there's no board of directors
or people in suits that will say, hey, your show
(19:31):
didn't get enough views, it's not going to get another season.
As long as you have the drive and intention and willingness,
you can keep going and creating stuff online no matter
how many people are watching. And I think that that
was the greatest privilege I had growing up in this
era of the Internet, was the privilege of not just
(19:52):
like waiting in line for my turn at a studio
and working my way up that way, but instead actually
working on the craft every single day. Yeah, of exactly
what I wanted to do.
Speaker 1 (20:03):
So vulnerable putting your content out online and hoping people
are going to see it and like it, and then
measuring yourself against other creators because it's such a visible format.
What if you learned about safeguarding yourself from some of
those traps?
Speaker 2 (20:23):
Ooh, like comparison, Yeah, is comparison?
Speaker 1 (20:29):
Is comparison something that you've ever struggled with on your
journey as a YouTube creator?
Speaker 2 (20:33):
Of course, of course, and I think it's especially pointed
in our industry because the data is public. You know
when something has or has not performed well on other
people's channels on your own, yeah, and you can see
when someone's community doesn't like the work that they're doing,
so that is very scary. And also just having access
(20:55):
to this data of like, oh, one month is we
grew a lot that month, and this want this you
know less, so more of a plateau that negative self
talk can be very difficult to work with. And I
think that what's been helpful to me is judging the
content based on did I have fun making it? And
(21:20):
did our audience like it? And did our crew enjoy
working on it? And oftentimes even if a video, let's say, underperforms,
but you know everybody loved making it, that can indicate okay, well,
how can we take the positives of this experience and
inch our way towards a better performing outcome, but maintain
(21:41):
what we loved about the project. I always think there's
something to learn and to apply, even in the quote failures.
Speaker 1 (21:49):
Well, I'm so glad that you brought that up, because
that's one of my favorite parts of your show. Are
these these lessons that you share at the end of
each episode, and also the honesty with which you reveal
the process to your audience because you are really open, Like,
if you didn't complete the challenge, You're going to show it.
If you if you struggled getting through a certain part
(22:12):
of the challenge, You're going to show that. What is
the challenge accepted setback that you just can't shake. Is
there one that you replay in your mind?
Speaker 2 (22:22):
Oh, like something a failure that happened on camera that
I think about, Yeah, my gosh, hmm, this is really interesting.
So yeah, as you mentioned, I think that failure is
an important part of the process. It makes for a
better story. And there are such interesting moments when the
(22:42):
Michelle on camera and the producer Michelle are at odds
with one another because sometimes I'm really having a tough
time with something or confronting a failure, and then the
producer version of me is like, keep going, like this
is part of the journey. Yeah, which is such an
interesting like by vacation of my brain. I think that
(23:02):
one of the most memorable failures that I think about
often in a positive way. I attempted to get a
black belt in taekwondo in only ninety days, and if
you're unfamiliar, that's a process that usually takes three to
five years, if not longer. And I got to work
with Simon Ree, who's one of the greatest taekwondo instructors
(23:23):
in the world, a grand master. And when we film
these episodes for ninety days, typically a camera crew will
come with me maybe once a week, so they're filming
pretty often, but they're not there every day. And what
happened is the day that they came for the week
(23:43):
happened to be a day where in the middle of training,
my period started. And when you are training any martial art,
you typically wear all white.
Speaker 1 (23:54):
Oh gosh, so.
Speaker 2 (23:57):
I and you know, I hadn't had a situation like this,
if you will, since like middle school, you know what
I mean. Like also traumatic, it's crazy. And at first
I thought, oh my god, like we need to stop filming.
I'm so embarrassed. I don't have a change of clothes.
(24:17):
What do we do? And what I thought was really
amazing was my instructor, Master Ree. He said, Oh, I'll
just go get you a change of clothes. He went,
he drove home, picked up a new set of clothes,
brought them, I changed clothes and we continued the lesson.
And I love that moment because it was a you know,
(24:41):
team of all men around me that day, and in fact,
when we went to edit the episode, our post team,
who you know, the lead editor on this was also
you know, it's two guys. They were both like, you've
got to keep this end. This is this is important.
And if you look at the comments of that video,
there are so many from young women saying that moment
(25:03):
really meant a lot to me, and it's actually the
most replayed scene of the entire piece, not the black
Belt final challenge, not any of those epic moments, but
that moment of vulnerability. And even though I cerebrallly I
could say, you know, failure is important and whatnot, I
am also I love that I am challenged by my
(25:23):
team to continue pushing in that direction. And it also
illuminated to me I think a lot of the preconceived
societal notions that I place on myself that everyone else
was comfortable and relaxed about this moment, and in fact,
my own embarrassment is what made it a bigger deal
than it really was. I'm really grateful that everyone encouraged
(25:45):
me to keep it in and that is the honest story,
and it's our job as reality documentarians to tell the
honest story.
Speaker 1 (25:53):
We've got to take a short break, but we'll be
right back with Michelle care. And we're back with Michelle Care.
You mentioned casting earlier and how thoughtful you are about
placing the right people in each episode. I'm a big
Tom Cruise fan, and you got to interact.
Speaker 2 (26:12):
Yeah, let's go. You got to interact with.
Speaker 1 (26:15):
Him recently when he showed up in disguise to his premiere.
Speaker 2 (26:20):
Yes.
Speaker 1 (26:21):
So Tom Cruise is known for being this mentor figure
to younger entertainers in Hollywood, and I'm curious did he
say anything to you any did he leave you with
any advice that you still think about?
Speaker 2 (26:36):
I mean, just standing in his orbit he absorbed so much.
But yes, I had the privilege of getting to interview Tom,
which was a wild journey because when we you know,
it kind of had two choices going to this premiere
of wear a nice dress and get and have a
nice time or try to make an impression. And so
(26:57):
I worked with a movement coach and a photorealistic mask
artist to design this disguise where I would walk the
carpet as a seventy five year old man, and at
the end when all the Getty photographers were taking pictures,
reveal myself and I'm so grateful that everyone was a
great sport about it and it was really really fun.
(27:20):
So when I finally got to interview Tom, I mean,
first of all, it's just lovely to hear him speak
about his passion about all of the various departments on set,
and that you can tell he's not just an actor.
I mean that in and out of itself is such
a big job, but he truly is a producer in
every sense of the word. He understands how all of
(27:41):
the pieces of film a film come together, and all
the departments work together. So that really stood out to me.
But then at the very end of our interaction, he
shook my hand and looked me straight in the eyes
and said, be competent, not careful, And I was very
he was taken aback by this comment in a positive way,
(28:05):
because I thought, that's just so wise that you can
approach a large and lofty goal with competence and understanding
every angle of how it works, and at the same
time don't let your fear or being over careful, get
in the way of what you want to do. And
I thought about that a lot, especially with all the
(28:25):
projects we filmed this summer. Was really wise words by him.
Speaker 1 (28:29):
Well, you're currently working towards your biggest challenge yet, winning
an Emmy.
Speaker 2 (28:34):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (28:36):
And the reason why that is such a lofty goal
is because the Emmys have traditionally been reserved for television performers.
But you are one of the creators that's leading the
charge to include new media YouTube creators like you. What
would winning an Emmy mean to you?
Speaker 2 (28:54):
Well, it's a goal that's outside of my control. So
I think the initial goal is to make a show
that is so good it is indistinguishable by quality and
storytelling from that of the studios that I look up to. Additionally,
there's a reason that traditional media cares so much about awards,
(29:19):
So my pursuit of this is from the industry side
of Being a part of these conversations attracts crew who
want to work on Emmy winning or Emmy nominated projects,
It attracts larger audience who may have never heard of
the project previously, and it also attracts advertisers who want
(29:39):
to support the show and be a part of the
show in an advertising capacity. All three of those things,
to me are a sign of a maturing industry and
one that I want to be a part of, and
so at its core, I want to make the best
show I possibly can. An award won't necessarily change that,
but I want every future generation creator to be able
(30:03):
to feel empowered that they can create the show of
their dreams themselves.
Speaker 1 (30:11):
I mentioned one of my favorite parts of your show,
which is the nuggets of wisdom that you share at
the end about what the experience was like and what
you took away from it. What is the one learning
that you keep coming back to, the one learning that
you developed throughout your time on challenge accepted.
Speaker 2 (30:31):
Oh my gosh, this is going to sound redundant and obvious,
but I continue coming back to confronting the fear over
and over and over again. And as I mentioned, it's
not one and done situation. There's not one thing you
(30:51):
can do that will make you fearless for the rest
of life. And accepting that and working on it like
a muscle, and that means, you know, sometimes working hard
on it, sometimes resting from it, and understanding fatigue and
recovery associated with confronting fear is a lesson I'm continually learning.
Speaker 1 (31:10):
Well, since you got your start at BuzzFeed, we are
going to end this conversation with a full circle throwback
to the Caste era. Our challenge for you, Michelle, is
to create a list for us here on the spot
that will help us all get out of our comfort zone.
Oh my god, So we're going to call it five
reasons why you should do things that scare you? Okay
from YouTube's og Daredevil. So what would you add to
(31:34):
that list? What would be on your list?
Speaker 2 (31:35):
So these are five reasons why you should step outside
your comfort zone?
Speaker 1 (31:39):
Yeah, and do things.
Speaker 2 (31:41):
Gosh, there are so many reasons why. Reason number one
would be you have no idea what you're capable of
until you push the limits of the comfort zone, and
I do believe you could surprise yourself with what you
are capable of. The second reason is it's actually good
(32:03):
for you to stretch and to grow and to learn.
There's a lot of science and psychology about confronting fear,
and even as simple as like exercising and challenging yourself
physically produces endorphins and adrenaline and makes you more willing
to try difficult things in other aspects of your life.
(32:26):
The third is it's just fun when you work through
something that's hard, that is exciting and satisfying and rewarding
in a way that comfort is not always. Number four
is I think life is just so interesting when you
(32:47):
are challenging yourself and really seeking those big milestone memory moments.
It makes life feel like it's longer. And reason number five,
I don't think you can fully intimately know who you
are as a holistic person unless you push those balances
(33:09):
in some capacity. I also think it's important to fail
and learn and grow. It makes you a better collaborator, partner, friend, coworker,
and people empathize and learn from others who are willing
to be vulnerable in that way.
Speaker 1 (33:29):
That was so well done. And we just threw you
in there.
Speaker 2 (33:32):
Put your eye, I thought, improvising.
Speaker 1 (33:35):
You asked me this earlier, and I want to know
your answer. Okay, what's your biggest fear?
Speaker 2 (33:40):
Oh? I think my biggest fear is not living the
most intentionally spent life I can. I am so aware
of the preciousness of every moment that we have the
privilege of living, and through my parents' sacrifice, I think that,
(34:06):
you know, I feel a responsibility to honor their sacrifice
by ensuring that I live life to the fullest as
I possibly can and give back as much as I can.
That's something that I think about a lot.
Speaker 1 (34:21):
All right, And finally, this is your moment to shine. Okay,
what are you celebrating right now?
Speaker 2 (34:28):
I'm celebrating and very proud of our team for completing
our recent episode. I tried tom cruise as Deadly a stunt.
This was a massive, massive effort and the biggest stunt
We've ever done with our team, where I'm hanging off
the side of a C one thirty military aircraft as
it's taking off. And obviously that's a cool accomplishment to
(34:49):
say that we did the stunt, But more than anything,
I'm exceptionally proud of our team. Like it was our
production team who managed all all of the staff, the airlines,
the insurance, the cinematography, learning how to rig the cameras
to the side of a plane without them flying off.
I think that that has been the greatest privileges our
(35:12):
team growing together. So I'm celebrating everyone else on our
production team who really brought that to life.
Speaker 1 (35:21):
Michelle, thank you so much for coming on the bright Side.
Speaker 2 (35:23):
You're having me I thank you everyone for listening and watching.
Speaker 1 (35:28):
Michelle care is a daredevil YouTube creator and an athlete.
You can watch our videos challenge accepted on her YouTube channel.
The bright Side is a production of Hello Sunshine and
iHeart Podcasts and is executive produced by Rhyese Witherspoon and
me Simone Boyce. Production is by a Cast Creative Studios.
Our producers are Taylor Williamson, Adrian Bain, Abby Delk, and
(35:52):
Darby Masters. Our production assistant is Joya putnoy Acasts. Executive
producers are Jenny Kaplan and Emily Rudder. Maureen Polo and
Rhyese Witherspoon are the executive producers for Hello Sunshine. Ali
Perry and Lauren Hansen are the executive producers for iHeart Podcasts.
Our theme song is by Anna Stunk and Hamilton Lighthouser.
Today, on the bright side, we're exploring what we gain
when we face our fears with YouTube creator Michelle care.
Speaker 2 (00:09):
I think that fear is always present, but you have
to develop a relationship with it to mitigate it. Like
there will never be a time when I or anyone
I believe truly has no fear, and I don't think
that's the objective.
Speaker 1 (00:23):
I'm simone voice and this is the bright side from
Hello Sunshine. My guest today has pulled off some wild
stunts in the name of facing her fears. We're talking
escaping chains underwater. She's gone through the Navy Seals fitness
test and even spent a day responding to nine to
one one calls. Uh, You're not gonna find me escaping
(00:44):
chains in an underwater tank. I'll tell you that right now.
Speaker 2 (00:47):
But we all have.
Speaker 1 (00:48):
Fears, fears that hold us back in various ways. And
because of Michelle, I was inspired to revisit a fear
of my own, and that is my fear of heights.
You guys, I am so tired of being afraid of heights.
I am so tired of hesitating at the top of
every escalator and clinging to the side of a mountain
(01:11):
to avoid exposed areas. It's something that just continues to
resurface for me, and that's why I want to revisit it.
So that's how I found myself at a local climbing
gym scaling a wall with my son Logan, here I go.
I am catching up, sweetee. I challenge my son to
go all the way to the top, and now I'm
(01:31):
regretting this.
Speaker 2 (01:33):
I love you too. I'm gonna go for it.
Speaker 1 (01:38):
I am super high and I'm shaking it getting to
the top of a rock wall. That's a big step
for me, but it's small potatoes for Michelle care On
her viral YouTube show Challenge Accepted, she takes on these
physical and emotional stunts that are not for the faint
(01:58):
of heart. Y'all. Michelle's career in media actually started at
BuzzFeed while she was also training and racing as a
professional cyclist, and then she took this huge leap. She
quit BuzzFeed and bet on herself. And if you've been
listening to our show, this is a theme that comes
up over and over again. She didn't have another job
(02:18):
lined up. Instead, she decided to bring her two passions together,
the physical challenges and digital videos. Well, fast forward almost
a decade later, and she has over five million followers,
with some of her videos reaching sixteen million views. She
really has endeavored to do it all, from sitting in
(02:39):
a snake pit, training as the Secret Service, or doing
squats like a Victoria's Secret Model. But Michelle's secret sauce
isn't that she takes on these huge tasks. She also
is so real about the failures. She still will air
the video even if she doesn't meet a challenge, and
that's what makes her videos so relatable, compelling, and thrilling
(03:01):
to watch the next barrier Michelle's trying to break through.
It's actually in Hollywood today. Michelle is laser focused on
winning an Emmy. It's an achievement that few YouTubers have accomplished.
With lofty goals like these, it may sound like Michelle
is fearless, but what I think you'll see in today's
conversation is that Michelle's relationship to fear is actually really nuanced.
(03:27):
We unpack how she tackles huge goals, measures success, and
still keeps raising the bar for herself because ultimately, what
scares her the most is not living her life to
the fullest. I made it. I'm proud of myself. That
was scary. All right, let's get into it with Michelle Carey.
(03:52):
Michelle Carey, Welcome to the bright Side.
Speaker 2 (03:54):
Oh my gosh, thank you for having me.
Speaker 1 (03:56):
Well, it's not every day that we have a guest
who has I don't know, jumped out of playing trained
with the Army.
Speaker 2 (04:02):
You've even escaped from a Houdini water tank. Yes, who
are you? Michelle? Like, how are you even real.
Speaker 1 (04:10):
I was watching that episode and I have to be
honest like it it made me tear up at the
end because you could see how intense it was for you.
I'll be honest, like, there was a moment when I
wasn't sure if you were going to be able to
pull it off. Did you feel that uncertainty as well?
Speaker 2 (04:27):
It was one of the most intense experiences of my life.
I mean, and this is included in the episode. And
it is true that the attempts I had in rehearsal
were all failures. I would get in there and have
to give a signal to the stunt team I'm not ready.
I need to get out. And there wasn't really a
(04:49):
smooth run through until the night of And thank goodness,
it went well and I felt completely safe with that team.
But my objective was to get through the entire performance,
and you know, fully make my way through the entire escape,
and I think that that has been a really special
part of Challenge accept It is getting to confront these
(05:12):
fears head on. And originally I started the show because
I wrote all my fears on a whiteboard and then
connected each fear to a different profession or circumstance where
I'd have to confront it head on.
Speaker 1 (05:23):
Wow, So that's where this started.
Speaker 2 (05:25):
Yes, that's where it started. But then over time it
has shifted into something that I couldn't have even imagined,
where at first it was my own personal motivation of
wanting to confront my fears, and now I feel so
much more indebted to and motivated by the people of
our community who find inspiration from the episode. So now
(05:48):
when I am, you know, struggling to learn how to
hold my breath for three and a half minutes, I
genuinely imagine and think of specific comments, specific people who
are a part of our community who have felt touched
by the episodes, because that, to me is a much
larger motivation and goal than just drawing upon myself, you know, would.
Speaker 1 (06:11):
You say that that's your Why is it to inspire
others to be able to tackle the same kinds of
challenges that you are?
Speaker 2 (06:19):
It is definitely. It's definitely the first thing I think
of when we're producing an episode. We never hit upload
on any piece of content unless we feel as a
team that it is educational, entertaining, and inspirational. And to
hit that component of inspiration requires vulnerability and struggle, and
(06:39):
I think that's what makes the episodes unique and interesting
but also difficult to produce.
Speaker 1 (06:46):
Well, the reason why I started this conversation with the
Houdini Tank is because to me, that one just really
epitomizes your secret sauce and what you do. It's in
the commitment, thank you, because these aren't just a lot
of people will do shows like this, but they do
it in a gimmicky way, or they don't do it seriously.
So can you describe the process from start to finish
(07:08):
of Michelle taking on a challenge? Yeah?
Speaker 2 (07:11):
Absolutely, I can use Whodini as an example for that project. First,
we had several months of brainstorming and iteration. We didn't
know it was going to be the episode that it
would be at the beginning, as I mentioned earlier, we
thought maybe we'll learn how to do card tricks and
do a magic show, and it evolved into that. Then
there were several months of interviewing a variety of magicians
(07:35):
and other people who have performed this stunt previously to
get their opinion and feedback an insight and find the
right group of people to bring together. And in fact,
I would say that casting is one of the most
important parts of this process for us, because we really
want to work with the best of the best casting
the coaches and experts that we're got to working with.
(07:56):
So we interview several people typically for an episode to
find you know, this is a person I'm going to
be spending every single day with for the next several months.
We need to make sure that we align on values
and that we gel together, and you know, even technical
things like they're well spoken on camera and can communicate
(08:17):
abstract concepts. Clearly, those are all important to me, and
we want to make sure they're a good person too,
that we're promoting great people on the show. And then
from there it becomes you know, I'm training for six
weeks to learn how to hold my breath. And we're
also working with a fabrication team to make a water
torture salt that's my size, that holds that volume of water.
(08:38):
There was a whole contraption to heat the tank because
temperature of water is really important. All these little details.
Then I ultimately perform the stunt, and then it's two
to three months of post production, sound mixing, color, everything
before it goes up. And that's just for one episode,
and not every episode takes that long or requires that much.
But I would say that our team is you know,
(09:00):
I'm grateful to work with a group of people that
have that understanding of finding the midpoint of a Venn
diagram of care, compassion, quality, and relevance.
Speaker 1 (09:11):
It's so clear that you care about quality and I
saw that even before our mic started rolling you. You
asked me, what's our objective? What are we trying to
do here today? And that's not something that a lot
of guests will do, but it just it really lets
you in on how thoughtful you are about how you
approach your work and how intentional you are. And I
(09:32):
answered you by saying, I just want to get to
know Michelle. I want to I want to know the
woman behind Challenge accepted. So I want to rewind a
bit and just get to know you more. I hear
that you have a twenty page document that you make
at the start of every new year. Is this true?
Speaker 2 (09:51):
This is looking at me like, I'm like, what my
page document we're talking about? So you make a twenty
page document at the start of a new year.
Speaker 1 (10:00):
And you analyze your goals by quarter? I do, and
are you still doing this? This is a practice that
you say, yeah, I.
Speaker 2 (10:06):
Just did the Q two review for twenty twenty five
a few weeks. This is so in the weeds. You
definitely got me. This is a sexy type a talk
right here. This is yeah, if you want to talk
Google calendar, you know, give me a sum function in
Google spreadsheet. That's my uh, that's my jam.
Speaker 1 (10:26):
So take me into that process, though, what do you
discover through that process of creating such an extensive roadmap
of your goals?
Speaker 2 (10:34):
I am a person, you know, with my background and athletics.
I operate best when there's a coach figure in my life,
and that's clear from Challenge accepted. I always want to find,
you know, who's the best expert that can teach me
how to do whatever we're trying to learn, and I
treat my business and personal and professional life the same.
So I work with a CEO coach, I, you know,
(10:57):
work with with another person who helps me with goal setting.
I got to this point where I realized, you know,
I love that coach to a mentor mentee relationship and
really taking tangible advice and accountability from someone who's further
along in their journey than I am. And so I
just started applying that to like everything in my life
(11:19):
and I love it. And maybe it's a little bit overboard,
but for someone like me, I believe in taking a
lofty goal and breaking it down. And you know, that's
what we do on Challenge Accepted. Like earlier this year,
when we asked the question, hey, it would be crazy
to recreate Tom Cruise's stunt from Rogue Nation where he's
(11:40):
hanging off the side of a military aircraft. You know,
we throw that out on a brainstorm. But then our
team actually asked the question, Okay, who would be our
first phone call? Okay, maybe we could talk to someone
at the Secret Service who we worked with, and maybe
they'll know someone at the Department of Defense. Oh, when
we collaborated with the FAA last year. Maybe they could
help us get an experiment contract to do something like
(12:01):
These are the kinds of conversations that our team is
really adept in, and so it would be remiss of
me as a leader to not apply that to my
own growth, mentorship and leadership qualities. So yes, I make
a giant table at the beginning of every year. It
is divided by lifestyle, business, personal relationships, spirituality, and in
(12:26):
one column, I have tangible goals that are within my control.
So rather than saying, you know, one of our goals
this year was like what it could have been. We
want to win an Emmy. That's outside of our control.
But what is within our control is doing the best
campaign we possibly can't and I'm grateful to our team
that I think we really did this year. So we have,
(12:47):
you know, tangible goals within our control and then measures
of how are we actually going to measure success for
the goal of the Emmy. It was Okay, I'm going
to take as many meetings as I possibly can with
people who have done this before and learn from them.
I am going to you know, find the best publicist
in the world. SHADOWT. Bailey and Emily to help me
(13:07):
learn how to navigate this. And even if we don't
hit the lofty goal of winning an award one day, man,
can we say that we did the best to try.
And that's really the journey. Another thing that I do
that as crazy is pretty much every minute of my
day is outlined in Google calendar, like even like fifteen
(13:29):
minute transition from this call to this call.
Speaker 1 (13:31):
Wow, And that's all built in.
Speaker 2 (13:32):
It's all built in because my book, if it's not
written down, it won't happen. That's how I approach goals.
I guess is if it's not written down, if it's
not put somewhere, then I'm going to just completely forget
and deprioritize it.
Speaker 1 (13:47):
Where does that sense of drive come from? You mentioned athletics.
Is that where it started?
Speaker 2 (13:52):
I think it really comes from you know, when I
really look inward and deeply at myself. My dad is
an immigrant from India and when he came to America,
he worked his ass off. I admire my dad so
much for that, and my mom also sacrificed a lot
for our family, and so something that I think about
often is the honoring of that sacrifice and to me,
(14:17):
in you know whether or not it's right that honoring
of sacrifice is to make every moment count in the
privilege that I now have as their descendant. But also
I find immense drive from our audience. Like I mentioned earlier,
and when people approach us in airports or at target,
(14:38):
it's really special to hear how the most unexpected things
have impacted other people. And so meeting the people from
our community in person is a massive motivator for me.
And why the attention to detail matters and why trying
and caring matters. For me, It's about what's the greater purpose?
(15:00):
How is this giving back? How is this impacting other people?
Because if it isn't, then what is the point.
Speaker 1 (15:05):
We've got to take a short break. But we'll be
right back with Michelle Care. And we're back with Michelle Care.
So when it comes to you being a daredevil, were
you always that way? Did you always have a penchant
for physicality and stunts? I know you were an athlete.
Speaker 2 (15:21):
I mean no, okay, And in many ways I consider
myself an overthinker, an anxious person, and to me, challenge
accepted was my way to work through that. Actually, my
love for sport and cycling before I had my channel
was also a way to work through that. So I
think that fear is always present, but you have to
(15:44):
develop a relationship with it to mitigate it. Like there
will never be a time when I or anyone I
believe truly has no fear, and I don't think that's
the objective. I think it's more about learning how to
know when to listen to it and when to have
a conversation with it.
Speaker 1 (16:02):
How would you describe your relationship with fear now?
Speaker 2 (16:05):
My relationship with fear now is still evolving, honestly. I mean, yeah,
when we did the tom Cruise plane stunt a few
weeks ago, I was definitely nervous before getting strapped to
the side of that thing. But also I rest comfortably
knowing I implicitly trust our team. We have the best
(16:27):
people in the world working on this stuff. So it's
a rationalization of I've done my homework, trust in the process.
And I think that's with anything, even like taking a
test in school. You can study all you want and
you have to trust, like, Okay, I've done the best
that I can. I hope it comes through on the exam.
I prefer that actually, because it is constantly evolving.
Speaker 1 (16:50):
I really like what you said about fear, that trying
to get to a point where fear doesn't exist is
it's not realistic and not an attainable goal. Yeah. I
think just acknowledging that fear is always going to be
there in the background has been helpful for me. And
I love my fear though, like I'm grateful for because
it pushes me to do things that I wouldn't only
(17:12):
do unless I were motivated by that desire to overcome
that fear.
Speaker 2 (17:16):
Yeah, and I think that negative emotions somepthing negative and
quotes fear, anxiety, jealousy, they are actually, you know, quantitative
indicators of things that matter to you, and they come
from a human place, so it's important to listen and
understand those. I have a question for you, what is
your biggest fear? Do you have one? You seem very relaxed.
Speaker 1 (17:41):
You seem very relaxed. You know, I'm going to take
that as a compliment because I'm so not relaxed, and
I'm relaxed with you, but I'm so not relaxing this
season of life. My biggest fear is what you hear
palliative nurses talk about when they are you know conversing
(18:03):
with patients who are at the end of their life,
and one of the most common fears that comes up
is living a life that wasn't really mine, that didn't
feel like it was for me, like I was living
for someone else. That's my biggest fear.
Speaker 2 (18:18):
So it's like an ownership of every decision you make.
Speaker 1 (18:21):
Yeah, and also not holding anything back, not leaving anything
on the table. Yeah, I want to go for it all.
I mean, it's just what you're doing with challenge accepted.
It's like challenging myself. I want to constantly be learning,
constantly be challenging myself. So you've been making YouTube videos
on your own channel for almost ten years now, are
(18:42):
you gracious with yourself when you look back at your
early videos?
Speaker 2 (18:46):
Oh my gosh, that's a tough one. I've heard this
saying a lot that if you aren't cringing at yourself
from last year, then you aren't growing. Yes, And I'm
going to subscribe to that because it a lot of
the emotions I feel looking at some of the early work.
But I have so much empathy and love for that
version of me who had no idea where it would go.
(19:09):
And I see all the things she was trying to
do to get better and to learn and to grow.
And honestly, I think that's been the biggest privilege of
creating content online is that there's no board of directors
or people in suits that will say, hey, your show
(19:31):
didn't get enough views, it's not going to get another season.
As long as you have the drive and intention and willingness,
you can keep going and creating stuff online no matter
how many people are watching. And I think that that
was the greatest privilege I had growing up in this
era of the Internet, was the privilege of not just
(19:52):
like waiting in line for my turn at a studio
and working my way up that way, but instead actually
working on the craft every single day. Yeah, of exactly
what I wanted to do.
Speaker 1 (20:03):
So vulnerable putting your content out online and hoping people
are going to see it and like it, and then
measuring yourself against other creators because it's such a visible format.
What if you learned about safeguarding yourself from some of
those traps?
Speaker 2 (20:23):
Ooh, like comparison, Yeah, is comparison?
Speaker 1 (20:29):
Is comparison something that you've ever struggled with on your
journey as a YouTube creator?
Speaker 2 (20:33):
Of course, of course, and I think it's especially pointed
in our industry because the data is public. You know
when something has or has not performed well on other
people's channels on your own, yeah, and you can see
when someone's community doesn't like the work that they're doing,
so that is very scary. And also just having access
(20:55):
to this data of like, oh, one month is we
grew a lot that month, and this want this you
know less, so more of a plateau that negative self
talk can be very difficult to work with. And I
think that what's been helpful to me is judging the
content based on did I have fun making it? And
(21:20):
did our audience like it? And did our crew enjoy
working on it? And oftentimes even if a video, let's say, underperforms,
but you know everybody loved making it, that can indicate okay, well,
how can we take the positives of this experience and
inch our way towards a better performing outcome, but maintain
(21:41):
what we loved about the project. I always think there's
something to learn and to apply, even in the quote failures.
Speaker 1 (21:49):
Well, I'm so glad that you brought that up, because
that's one of my favorite parts of your show. Are
these these lessons that you share at the end of
each episode, and also the honesty with which you reveal
the process to your audience because you are really open, Like,
if you didn't complete the challenge, You're going to show it.
If you if you struggled getting through a certain part
(22:12):
of the challenge, You're going to show that. What is
the challenge accepted setback that you just can't shake. Is
there one that you replay in your mind?
Speaker 2 (22:22):
Oh, like something a failure that happened on camera that
I think about, Yeah, my gosh, hmm, this is really interesting.
So yeah, as you mentioned, I think that failure is
an important part of the process. It makes for a
better story. And there are such interesting moments when the
(22:42):
Michelle on camera and the producer Michelle are at odds
with one another because sometimes I'm really having a tough
time with something or confronting a failure, and then the
producer version of me is like, keep going, like this
is part of the journey. Yeah, which is such an
interesting like by vacation of my brain. I think that
(23:02):
one of the most memorable failures that I think about
often in a positive way. I attempted to get a
black belt in taekwondo in only ninety days, and if
you're unfamiliar, that's a process that usually takes three to
five years, if not longer. And I got to work
with Simon Ree, who's one of the greatest taekwondo instructors
(23:23):
in the world, a grand master. And when we film
these episodes for ninety days, typically a camera crew will
come with me maybe once a week, so they're filming
pretty often, but they're not there every day. And what
happened is the day that they came for the week
(23:43):
happened to be a day where in the middle of training,
my period started. And when you are training any martial art,
you typically wear all white.
Speaker 1 (23:54):
Oh gosh, so.
Speaker 2 (23:57):
I and you know, I hadn't had a situation like this,
if you will, since like middle school, you know what
I mean. Like also traumatic, it's crazy. And at first
I thought, oh my god, like we need to stop filming.
I'm so embarrassed. I don't have a change of clothes.
(24:17):
What do we do? And what I thought was really
amazing was my instructor, Master Ree. He said, Oh, I'll
just go get you a change of clothes. He went,
he drove home, picked up a new set of clothes,
brought them, I changed clothes and we continued the lesson.
And I love that moment because it was a you know,
(24:41):
team of all men around me that day, and in fact,
when we went to edit the episode, our post team,
who you know, the lead editor on this was also
you know, it's two guys. They were both like, you've
got to keep this end. This is this is important.
And if you look at the comments of that video,
there are so many from young women saying that moment
(25:03):
really meant a lot to me, and it's actually the
most replayed scene of the entire piece, not the black
Belt final challenge, not any of those epic moments, but
that moment of vulnerability. And even though I cerebrallly I
could say, you know, failure is important and whatnot, I
am also I love that I am challenged by my
(25:23):
team to continue pushing in that direction. And it also
illuminated to me I think a lot of the preconceived
societal notions that I place on myself that everyone else
was comfortable and relaxed about this moment, and in fact,
my own embarrassment is what made it a bigger deal
than it really was. I'm really grateful that everyone encouraged
(25:45):
me to keep it in and that is the honest story,
and it's our job as reality documentarians to tell the
honest story.
Speaker 1 (25:53):
We've got to take a short break, but we'll be
right back with Michelle care. And we're back with Michelle Care.
You mentioned casting earlier and how thoughtful you are about
placing the right people in each episode. I'm a big
Tom Cruise fan, and you got to interact.
Speaker 2 (26:12):
Yeah, let's go. You got to interact with.
Speaker 1 (26:15):
Him recently when he showed up in disguise to his premiere.
Speaker 2 (26:20):
Yes.
Speaker 1 (26:21):
So Tom Cruise is known for being this mentor figure
to younger entertainers in Hollywood, and I'm curious did he
say anything to you any did he leave you with
any advice that you still think about?
Speaker 2 (26:36):
I mean, just standing in his orbit he absorbed so much.
But yes, I had the privilege of getting to interview Tom,
which was a wild journey because when we you know,
it kind of had two choices going to this premiere
of wear a nice dress and get and have a
nice time or try to make an impression. And so
(26:57):
I worked with a movement coach and a photorealistic mask
artist to design this disguise where I would walk the
carpet as a seventy five year old man, and at
the end when all the Getty photographers were taking pictures,
reveal myself and I'm so grateful that everyone was a
great sport about it and it was really really fun.
(27:20):
So when I finally got to interview Tom, I mean,
first of all, it's just lovely to hear him speak
about his passion about all of the various departments on set,
and that you can tell he's not just an actor.
I mean that in and out of itself is such
a big job, but he truly is a producer in
every sense of the word. He understands how all of
(27:41):
the pieces of film a film come together, and all
the departments work together. So that really stood out to me.
But then at the very end of our interaction, he
shook my hand and looked me straight in the eyes
and said, be competent, not careful, And I was very
he was taken aback by this comment in a positive way,
(28:05):
because I thought, that's just so wise that you can
approach a large and lofty goal with competence and understanding
every angle of how it works, and at the same
time don't let your fear or being over careful, get
in the way of what you want to do. And
I thought about that a lot, especially with all the
(28:25):
projects we filmed this summer. Was really wise words by him.
Speaker 1 (28:29):
Well, you're currently working towards your biggest challenge yet, winning
an Emmy.
Speaker 2 (28:34):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (28:36):
And the reason why that is such a lofty goal
is because the Emmys have traditionally been reserved for television performers.
But you are one of the creators that's leading the
charge to include new media YouTube creators like you. What
would winning an Emmy mean to you?
Speaker 2 (28:54):
Well, it's a goal that's outside of my control. So
I think the initial goal is to make a show
that is so good it is indistinguishable by quality and
storytelling from that of the studios that I look up to. Additionally,
there's a reason that traditional media cares so much about awards,
(29:19):
So my pursuit of this is from the industry side
of Being a part of these conversations attracts crew who
want to work on Emmy winning or Emmy nominated projects,
It attracts larger audience who may have never heard of
the project previously, and it also attracts advertisers who want
(29:39):
to support the show and be a part of the
show in an advertising capacity. All three of those things,
to me are a sign of a maturing industry and
one that I want to be a part of, and
so at its core, I want to make the best
show I possibly can. An award won't necessarily change that,
but I want every future generation creator to be able
(30:03):
to feel empowered that they can create the show of
their dreams themselves.
Speaker 1 (30:11):
I mentioned one of my favorite parts of your show,
which is the nuggets of wisdom that you share at
the end about what the experience was like and what
you took away from it. What is the one learning
that you keep coming back to, the one learning that
you developed throughout your time on challenge accepted.
Speaker 2 (30:31):
Oh my gosh, this is going to sound redundant and obvious,
but I continue coming back to confronting the fear over
and over and over again. And as I mentioned, it's
not one and done situation. There's not one thing you
(30:51):
can do that will make you fearless for the rest
of life. And accepting that and working on it like
a muscle, and that means, you know, sometimes working hard
on it, sometimes resting from it, and understanding fatigue and
recovery associated with confronting fear is a lesson I'm continually learning.
Speaker 1 (31:10):
Well, since you got your start at BuzzFeed, we are
going to end this conversation with a full circle throwback
to the Caste era. Our challenge for you, Michelle, is
to create a list for us here on the spot
that will help us all get out of our comfort zone.
Oh my god, So we're going to call it five
reasons why you should do things that scare you? Okay
from YouTube's og Daredevil. So what would you add to
(31:34):
that list? What would be on your list?
Speaker 2 (31:35):
So these are five reasons why you should step outside
your comfort zone?
Speaker 1 (31:39):
Yeah, and do things.
Speaker 2 (31:41):
Gosh, there are so many reasons why. Reason number one
would be you have no idea what you're capable of
until you push the limits of the comfort zone, and
I do believe you could surprise yourself with what you
are capable of. The second reason is it's actually good
(32:03):
for you to stretch and to grow and to learn.
There's a lot of science and psychology about confronting fear,
and even as simple as like exercising and challenging yourself
physically produces endorphins and adrenaline and makes you more willing
to try difficult things in other aspects of your life.
(32:26):
The third is it's just fun when you work through
something that's hard, that is exciting and satisfying and rewarding
in a way that comfort is not always. Number four
is I think life is just so interesting when you
(32:47):
are challenging yourself and really seeking those big milestone memory moments.
It makes life feel like it's longer. And reason number five,
I don't think you can fully intimately know who you
are as a holistic person unless you push those balances
(33:09):
in some capacity. I also think it's important to fail
and learn and grow. It makes you a better collaborator, partner, friend, coworker,
and people empathize and learn from others who are willing
to be vulnerable in that way.
Speaker 1 (33:29):
That was so well done. And we just threw you
in there.
Speaker 2 (33:32):
Put your eye, I thought, improvising.
Speaker 1 (33:35):
You asked me this earlier, and I want to know
your answer. Okay, what's your biggest fear?
Speaker 2 (33:40):
Oh? I think my biggest fear is not living the
most intentionally spent life I can. I am so aware
of the preciousness of every moment that we have the
privilege of living, and through my parents' sacrifice, I think that,
(34:06):
you know, I feel a responsibility to honor their sacrifice
by ensuring that I live life to the fullest as
I possibly can and give back as much as I can.
That's something that I think about a lot.
Speaker 1 (34:21):
All right, And finally, this is your moment to shine. Okay,
what are you celebrating right now?
Speaker 2 (34:28):
I'm celebrating and very proud of our team for completing
our recent episode. I tried tom cruise as Deadly a stunt.
This was a massive, massive effort and the biggest stunt
We've ever done with our team, where I'm hanging off
the side of a C one thirty military aircraft as
it's taking off. And obviously that's a cool accomplishment to
(34:49):
say that we did the stunt, But more than anything,
I'm exceptionally proud of our team. Like it was our
production team who managed all all of the staff, the airlines,
the insurance, the cinematography, learning how to rig the cameras
to the side of a plane without them flying off.
I think that that has been the greatest privileges our
(35:12):
team growing together. So I'm celebrating everyone else on our
production team who really brought that to life.
Speaker 1 (35:21):
Michelle, thank you so much for coming on the bright Side.
Speaker 2 (35:23):
You're having me I thank you everyone for listening and watching.
Speaker 1 (35:28):
Michelle care is a daredevil YouTube creator and an athlete.
You can watch our videos challenge accepted on her YouTube channel.
The bright Side is a production of Hello Sunshine and
iHeart Podcasts and is executive produced by Rhyese Witherspoon and
me Simone Boyce. Production is by a Cast Creative Studios.
Our producers are Taylor Williamson, Adrian Bain, Abby Delk, and
(35:52):
Darby Masters. Our production assistant is Joya putnoy Acasts. Executive
producers are Jenny Kaplan and Emily Rudder. Maureen Polo and
Rhyese Witherspoon are the executive producers for Hello Sunshine. Ali
Perry and Lauren Hansen are the executive producers for iHeart Podcasts.
Our theme song is by Anna Stunk and Hamilton Lighthouser.
Host
Simone Boyce
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