Chef Andre Rush: Cooking, Combat, and Cause- A Passion for Helping Veterans and Youth

**Andre Rush** (0:00)
And so, instead of saying survivors remorse, it's survivor's strife. You know, it's a remembrance of, to remind everyone that life is short, you never know, check on each other, be with each other, never take it for granted.

**SPEAKER_2** (0:18)
Welcome to Mick Unplugged, the number one podcast for self-improvement, leadership and relentless growth. No fluff, no filters, just heart-hitting truths, unstoppable strategies, and the mindset shifts that separate the best from the rest. Ready to break limits? Let's go.

**Mick** (0:41)
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to another exciting episode of Mick Unplugged. And today, not only is a bucket list moment, but we're about to have a conversation with a guy that really sparked me into understanding mental health awareness and how I can contribute to make sure that mental health awareness stays on the forefront of everyone. We're talking about the White House chef who turned into a viral sensation. He was a US. Army combat veteran and mental health advocate with biceps as big as his heart. From the battlefield to the kitchen, from discipline to inspiration, he is fearless, he is passionate, he is unstoppable, and he is someone that I call a mentor. We're talking to none other than Chef Andre Rush. Chef, how are you doing today, brother?

**Andre Rush** (1:29)
Brother, I'm doing absolutely blessed, and thank you so much for that amazing introductory. I will say the same thing right back at you, your inspiration to me, and thank you for everything that you do in being here.

**Mick** (1:40)
Man, Chef, you know, I was telling you before, huge fan of yours, but where I became a fan, man, was when you were talking and promoting 22 pushups a day, what that meant to veterans and the suicide rate, and it really touched me, man. Like, I wasn't someone who served, but I have a lot of friends and family who did. And I understand everything that you were saying in those messages. And that truly inspired me, man. Like, you don't have to be the person going through it to help. You can be the person that can check in on your friends, as I like to say, doing a checkup from the head up, right? Like, just asking people how they're doing, just talking goes such a long way. But I didn't get that until you, bro. So, I just wanted to tell you thank you for that and what that means to me and the people that I'm in connection with, as well.

**Andre Rush** (2:34)
No, thank you. Thank you for that. And you know, it's crazy because I didn't know how much I needed, you know. My, what I do in giving back is helping me even more so. When people say, thank you, chef, and I say, thank you, they have no idea how much and how heartfelt when I say it back to them, because they're actually literally helping me, you know. And it's funny because a lot of people started to 22, you know, I was doing the 22 a day, and then I started doing the 222, and I started doing the 2222 as a logistician, strategically, because I wanted that number to mean something. You know, you say 22 a day, like, okay, you kind of blew it off. But even when I was started doing those high numbers, people would always say, wow, and they're like, what's the significance for it, behind it? You know what? You know, that's the hook line and sinker, and then bring some money into your world. And then you realize that you're both sharing the same world already, and they didn't even know it. And so when they started doing it, you know, I've had so many people to come and just said, you know, from the neck up, head up, how not only did it change their lives, in a physical aspect, in a mental aspect, in a health aspect, in a social aspect as well.

**Mick** (3:47)
Yeah. Man, like you inspire so many. I guess I got to get mine up to 2,222 a day, so I can one day look like you. But speaking of looking like you, man, like there's so many places I want to go. A lot of people don't know this. Looking at you, you would think, oh, Shelf was a linebacker or whatever in football, but you had some sweet feedback in the day in high school, huh?

**Andre Rush** (4:11)
It was the running back, Shelf. I did a couple of things, track star, running back. Football was my passion.
I went to the Tri-Pete's Women's Circle, but I worked my butt off and had a few scholarships. But I chose the military route, even the Olympics. I had the trials for that. I actually decided to go to the military and skip it all because I wanted to do something. At the time, as a young kid, that wasn't important to me. My dad, from the South, was like, the men go to work, the girls go to school. So my mindset was service to, what can I do? How can I help my family? So forth, even not myself. So I was like, I sacrificed myself, meaning that I didn't do any of that school stuff, but I did it later on in my career. And it's crazy because every rank I ever put on, I put it on myself. Every degree, I never walked. It was just a check for me because I had so many more things to do. And even now from getting so many accolades which I'm humbled by, they're all still in their boxes because I'm not done yet. From the Keys to the City of Mississippi to recognitions from California for suicide awareness to this, to that, it doesn't, it means everything to me, but right now, as a matter of fact, I'm getting ready to get inducted to Veterans Hall of Fame coming up. That's important to me. It shows things, but at the same time, the problem is I will never become complacent. And that's why I tell people all the time, never become complacent.