Behind-the-Scenes of 'Retell Pharmacy' Podcast | Mitch Lee, PharmD

This transcript was generated automatically. Its accuracy may vary.

[00:00:12] Mike Koelzer, Host: Well, hello, Mitch. Thanks for joining the program, Mike. Thanks for 

[00:00:15] Mitch Lee, PharmD: having me, buddy 

[00:00:16] Mike Koelzer, Host: Mitch, for those that haven't come across your stuff online, tell our listeners who you are. And I guess while you're on the show, how do we, how did we end up together here 

[00:00:30] Mitch Lee, PharmD: today? That's a wonderful question. Yeah, I'm a pharmacist.

I'm a retail pharmacist and I have a podcast, uh, it's called re telepharmacy, uh, spelled R E T E L L pharmacy. Um, and it's been going about a year and a half now, but not an episode a week. And it's basically just, uh, Everyone who works in retail or doesn't. I mean, most of the listeners work in retail, but people who are working in retail and, you know, just think that this is stressful and that sometimes it can like suck and it can be rough.

And the whole idea for this show is just to kind of let you know, you're not alone. Like we're all going through this together. Um, there are some great positive points to the podcast things, Hey, we can do this better. We can do this better. But a lot of it is, um, you know, we, uh, we have patients that are really rude to us and we have to smile and just take it.

And so, um, I'm sure we'll get into the whole idea about, I mean, how I got started with it and everything, but, um, yeah, that's, um, I'm just doing the podcast and, uh, also trying to do, um, some, uh, online presence, students, uh, Facebook and Twitter, and trying to be as active on there as I can, uh, with the podcast.

[00:01:40] Mike Koelzer, Host: Mitch. You're a hard guy to track down though, on LinkedIn, are you on LinkedIn or do you have, or, or, or do you have a stage name because of all of the things that you get to talk about retail, that you're afraid that the, uh, retail mafia is going to come and hunt you down. 

[00:02:01] Mitch Lee, PharmD: Mm, the retail mafia that's, uh, that's actually good.

I want to speak to that point. You just said, I'll answer the question about the Risa mafia. That was, uh, uh, a very, um, that was a struggle for me upfront because I was like, should I use my name? Should I not? Uh, should I say who I work for? Which I don't. That's the one thing I don't do is disclose my actual company, but, um, you know, I thought in the end, like I was just trying to help, uh, us people in the field and in pharmacy.

And so I'm just kinda like, well, you know, if my employer finds it and they don't like how I'm talking about patients can be annoying sometimes then, you know, it is what it is. Um, but no, LinkedIn, I, uh, Mike, I am not on LinkedIn. There's a lot of things that I don't think of. Oh, good for you. If you, you know, um, LinkedIn is one, but as Mitch Lee, 

[00:02:52] Mike Koelzer, Host: your real name, or is it your stage 

[00:02:55] Mitch Lee, PharmD: name?

No, Mitch Lee is a fish. My official birth name. Lee 

[00:02:58] Mike Koelzer, Host: could be like a great middle name. It's like all the radio guys, last names or Allen or something. It's like, come on. And they're not all. 

[00:03:04] Mitch Lee, PharmD: And you guys, now that we're talking about it, I mean, I could've come up with a better stage name.

I'll start from here now there'll be something, but no, it does. It runs with pharm D. It kind of rolls off the tongue, which Lee farms. That's how I started out. And so it runs, but yeah, that's, that's it. And, uh, you know, LinkedIn is not something I've actually talked to, uh, some other people that are doing the podcasting thing or who have done podcasting, pharmacists and stuff.

And they've all been like, well, where's your LinkedIn profile? And. I'm like, well, I haven't really, the thing is, I got started. I've been doing retail for like 15 years. So I just haven't really thought of networking. 

[00:03:39] Mike Koelzer, Host: LinkedIn has come a long way in the last few years. Once Microsoft bought it, it truly was more of a place for not content and not cool stuff, because I'm jealous of your stuff.

When I look at the interaction that you have with your listeners, which I think that Facebook and Twitter do, uh, in Instagram, whatever, do a much better job of that interaction. LinkedIn people are, it's getting more content driven. I'm sure a lot of people hate seeing them. You know, you don't want to start seeing cats and stuff on there, but I think your stuff has a lot more interaction on Facebook and Twitter, and I can see exactly why that would be a strong suit for you.

Yeah. 

[00:04:26] Mitch Lee, PharmD: Yeah. And, um, it is, it has fit really well. You know, especially Twitter, I'm a lot more active on Twitter. Um, with Facebook, it's still just as well. A lot of the podcasts are having people send in, um, what I call patients of the week or topics or things they want to discuss. Uh, interacting with the listeners is a huge driving point for each of my episodes.

Um, because I think it's great for the listeners to kind of help them vent. And um, by me kind of just reading what someone else is going through, kind of like everyone else knows they're not alone and let's be honest. People love hearing their name on the recording on a vodcast. You know, you say their name and give him a little shout out and people enjoy that.

Yeah, connecting with the listeners is something that I've, I've really, really enjoyed from the beginning. It's 

[00:05:15] Mike Koelzer, Host: a really cool show. What Mitchell does is he'll come on. And the first thing you do, I think is really cool is break the third wall, I guess they see in the movie business or the fourth wall, maybe, which isn't the fourth wall.

Do you know what I'm talking about? Like how the cards did that where he speaks to the audience. 

[00:05:31] Mitch Lee, PharmD: Yeah, I think it's, I think it's the fourth, but I could be wrong. It must be the fourth 

[00:05:35] Mike Koelzer, Host: wall. It must be the fourth wall. Yeah. But Mitchell, come on and he'll really be just like a friend saying, Hey, how'd your week go?

You know, it's Friday. How'd things go. And, uh, usually kind of some crazy things that have happened in the retail world. And, um, you're kind of decompressing. Friends that people need. Maybe you've saved a lot of marriages by people being able to kind of listen and talk to you on the way home from their job, instead of taking it out on their dog or something, that's a 

[00:06:06] Mitch Lee, PharmD: huge compliment.

It's great. You know, I appreciate that. I thought, um, what I wanted to do with this podcast in the beginning, I had the idea and then I was like, all right, well, let me listen to some pharmacy podcasts out there and see whatever else is doing. The couple of ones that I listened to a year and a half ago, when I, when I first checked out what was out there was really kind of stiff and, and you know, all about like professionalism and like, you know, this is, you know, we're in pharmacy and, and, you know, here's the new medications that are coming out and, you know, and even in pharmacy school where we're just hammered with being, uh, with professionalism and being empathetic and to the patients and all that stuff, and don't get me wrong.

There's, I mean, that defines our profession and, and I'd like to think my staff may say otherwise, I'd like to think I'm keeping that professionalism and empathy towards patients. Uh, at work, but with the podcast, I wanted to break that wall that we're talking about and be like, look, you know, the board of pharmacy, pharmacy schools, your employer, everyone's saying to, you know, here, we we're going to be for pharmacists.

This is our profession. We'll be super professional. And if someone yells at you, you're just gonna smile and, and all that stuff. And I'm like, you know, someone needs to say it like jobs in retail can suck really bad and you know, and like, and do it in a way where, yeah, you, you kind of joke about it.

Like you laugh about it. And like, I need to be just myself and be real and, and try not take myself too seriously. That's the whole point of the podcast is not taking. Uh, super seriously. Do 

[00:07:35] Mike Koelzer, Host: you really record those on 

[00:07:36] Mitch Lee, PharmD: Friday? Uh, no. So I record on, I used to record on Mondays. My schedule changed up, so I, uh, any given week I'll have at least one day off, whether it be Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday.

So I'll have a court record. One of those days 

[00:07:49] Mike Koelzer, Host: you publish on Friday and you bring it to your audience as it's Friday, we're not doing live radio here, but, but you do a real good job of, you know, closing up the week. I usually bring mine out on Monday and I suppose I could do a similar thing of, you know, pumping people up and so on.

But 

[00:08:05] Mitch Lee, PharmD: yeah, I think there's, uh, there's good things for both. Like for you starting on Monday, like it's a good thing because people can, they have a whole week ahead of them going into work or leaving work. I think Fridays are also great in the sense that most people are in good moods on Fridays. So it's good to connect with them.

And the it's the weekend, you know, I feel like if I don't catch the, if I don't drop the episode early enough on Friday though, it, uh, that can be a little bit of a hit just because the people don't catch it before, like on the way to work in the morning, it might drop off for the weekend or something like that.

But 

[00:08:35] Mike Koelzer, Host: yeah. Yeah. I brought mine on Monday just to kind of think like, well, it's the business of pharmacy and people think the week starts on Monday and so on. And yours, yours is perfectly positioned on, um, on Friday with people winding down and, and things like 

[00:08:50] Mitch Lee, PharmD: that. Yeah, it feels good. It's a good way to start just because I often hit my applause.

Just from the simple fact of like, Hey, guess what? Like we made it another week, everybody, like we did it. You know what I mean, Mitch? 

[00:09:02] Mike Koelzer, Host: I, I was tentative to reach out to you because I thought, oh man, this guy's got Kevin Lee and Hoda. And then you got people beating down your door to talk to you, but you signed your first, but you said I'm your first, uh, I'm your first inter 

[00:09:18] Mitch Lee, PharmD: yes.

Yeah, this is my. First guest spot on a podcast. Um, and so it's a little weird beyond the set of the mic, but it's, it's, it's good. It's really good. 

[00:09:27] Mike Koelzer, Host: Another thing I thought was remarkable and I guess my show is kind of like that in a way too. It's like, besides the quality of the audio on my show, my first show is a lot like my 30th show here.

And I listened to your first show. It's very close in your personality. It's a little, you're a little bit looser, a little bit looser onwards, but it's both high quality. And one of the reasons is I think when I was listening to you, you said you had waited for like a year and a half after you got your idea to do this.

Is that right? And, and, and why did you wait so long? 

[00:10:04] Mitch Lee, PharmD: That's a good question. I appreciate you talking about quality things. I've always been kind of self-conscious of the quality of the podcast, especially the audio. I'm always trying to improve that and stuff. Um, so that's good to hear. Yeah, I waited so long, a couple of reasons.

Um, So I was in retail pharmacy and I was like, you know, I'm just creative. My creativity was just stuffed, man. I was like, you know, going to work and checking prescriptions and leaving. And there just wasn't a lot happening creativity wise. And I feel like I'm, I'm somewhat of a creative person.

So I had this idea and, you know, I'm molded around a little while. And then I, I was part of this at the time this was back in 2017. I was part of a mastermind group. Do you know what that is? Have you heard of it? Yeah, so I was a part of a mastermind group. Um, it lasted like, uh, a year, I think, last a year.

And, and so it was for those listening, if you don't know, the mastermind group is, uh, it was me and a couple of guys would get together like once a month or twice a month and just talk about business and life and whatever. And so it was really, really helpful. And so I brought this up to them. 

[00:11:07] Mike Koelzer, Host: I want to figure this out.

Is mastermind a generic term or Ozette a nationwide structure and things like that. I 

[00:11:15] Mitch Lee, PharmD: think. Uh, I think it's an, uh, it's not like a generic term. Like I think if you're in a mastermind group at all, like means the same thing. Cause I heard a Ted talk on, it 

[00:11:25] Mike Koelzer, Host: means the same thing. Do you have like literature that says mastermind on 

[00:11:28] Mitch Lee, PharmD: the bottom?

Oh yeah. I don't think so. I think it's just an idea. It's an 

[00:11:32] Mike Koelzer, Host: idea that everybody knows the same idea. It's like when people play chess, they all have the same rules. 

[00:11:37] Mitch Lee, PharmD: Yes, exactly. And it's probably very, very different from group to group. So, um, in fact, uh, one of the guys, Alex Barker that I had on my show, he was, I think he did like a pharmacy mastermind group.

And so I was in this group and I was, it was the perfect group to like to bring the idea to be like, guys, what do you think? And I had this one guy say something to me now at this point I had been mulling the idea around for maybe like six months. And uh, I was listening to podcasts. I love podcasts and I'm.

He, and I were talking about it and he's, and I was like, you know, I want to, I had this idea and I don't want it to be about all, about the downloads, but I need to have engagement for this to work from listeners. And I just don't know if I'm going to have enough listeners. I don't know if I'm, you know, I was kind of being down on myself in the beginning and he was like, man, he said, my dad is in, is a locksmith I think is I think it was his dad.

And he was like, he has a, he, he has a buddy who has a podcast about different locks and keys that like to fit together. And he's like, if that, if, if you can have a podcast about that, like you could do a podcast about this. And I was like, all right, you know, so I'm going to do it. So I committed, I committed to, uh, to 10 episodes just to see how it went.

I knew they're going to be small at the very beginning. I think my first episodes were like 14, 15 minutes long. Um, now they're about 30, 35 minutes. Um, usually about the 35 minute mark, I started to wrap it up. But, um, and so I get, I gave myself 10 episodes and, you know, I had some, some, uh, people reach out and they were, they were kind of engaged and I was like, this is great.

And so it's growing. And I think the number of downloads is 10 times more than I ever could have thought it could be. I think a lot of people love to hear they're not alone. Um, but, uh, it's just, it's been a wild ride. It's been a lot of fun, uh, so far, but the engagement is everything. And once it, it kind of starts snowballing, it just started working.

It was, it's been a lot of fun. 

[00:13:33] Mike Koelzer, Host: Yeah. That engagement once you get that going and that's, that's 

[00:13:36] Mitch Lee, PharmD: really cool. Oh, I should say to, to, to further answer your question. I think I continued to wait once I knew that I was going to do it, I wanted to start off on the right foot, like tech wise and make sure I got good equipment.

Um, and not seem too much like a beginner. So I, I kind of pieced together things and actually had. Of, uh, 30, uh, 30 titles of, of episodes that I could do. I didn't, they actually didn't all turn into episodes, but just like ideas of podcasts that subsidy. 

[00:14:06] Mike Koelzer, Host: And I think people forget too. It's like you forget how quickly technology is moving to be able to do things that didn't seem like a possibility even six months ago.

Like sometimes I'll say, well, why didn't I do the podcast? Why didn't I start this a year ago? Well, the price has come down 10 times on something or this program you and I are talking about right now, Mitch was not there at the time. And so we would've had to do some other thing. And so things changed so quickly.

Like I'm always amazed when I think of Amazon, I was like, yo yeah, Amazon has been in my life forever. And I looked back at my buying habit and said, I don't know, six or eight years ago. I was like, I bought three things a year from Amazon or something like that. You 

[00:14:50] Mitch Lee, PharmD: know, it's true, man. I'm tracking with that's so true.

I think, especially with me, I'm actually not that tech-y of a person at all. I mean, um, as you can tell, before we even started recording, I was fumbling around and trying to get things together. And, and so you're right. Things have come along and I think everything just came around, like everything happened at the right time, because I didn't have this idea necessarily back when it was a lot tougher to get a podcast together.

And now, like you said, with this, this program we're on and the things that come out now and the board that I'm using, I mean, they make things very, very easy. Like, if you have an idea, it's not as overwhelming as it seems. I mean, I think when I, when I decided to do the episode, I had the idea for like a year and a half, but when I was like, all right, this is happening.

I had my first episode recorded, like pretty, pretty 

[00:15:37] Mike Koelzer, Host: quickly. All right. So, Mitch, what was your, what would you say your reason was for doing this? And I won't load that up. What was your reason for, for doing the podcast? 

[00:15:54] Mitch Lee, PharmD: Oh, man. I would say if I had to say the number one reason would be to let people in our profession know that it's okay to.

Say that you don't like your job or it's okay to say that, you know, Hey, I'm getting, I'm getting paid like six figures in retail, or heck even if you're a tech, you're not even making near that much. I mean, technicians are some of my best to people that reach out because they're not even getting compensated as well.

But like people who are, people are getting paid, like pharmacists, they are getting paid so well. So a lot of times they don't feel like they can, um, complain or speak up or say anything and yeah, you can get out. We can all get out. I mean, Alex Barker talked about that. I had him on my show and I like to talk about ways.

Like I had a guy named Nick Ornella a couple of weeks ago. Listen to some of that. Yeah. So he was talking about, you know, taking a year. And just coming back. And so those things are possible. And we, we talk about that. Um, but for most people who are in retail, it's not possible. If you've got three kids, a mortgage and student loans, you're paying back, it's possible, but it's just not going to happen for them.

And so to have this, uh, I guess you can call it an outlet. I mean, you, you listened, but I really encourage you to, to send in topics patients of the week, things that you need to get off your chest, even if you want to remain anonymous. If you're afraid of that mafia that we talked about coming after you tell me you want to be anonymous.

I mean, it still works. It still makes you feel better to get it off your chest. And just to say like, you know what I have, I have this listener, I had a listener write in. She's a pharmacist in Ireland. She was dealing with the same stuff in Ireland. It's like, we deal with this stuff everywhere across the us.

Doesn't matter your company. And we go through a lot of crap. I mean, for lack of a better word, like we go through a lot of stuff that's really, really. Letting you know that you're not alone, I think, is really powerful. Um, and on a slightly more selfish, uh, note 

[00:17:50] Mike Koelzer, Host: sounds like mother Teresa so far. So let's get down, let's get down to the dirt.

Come on. 

[00:17:56] Mitch Lee, PharmD: That was the, uh, that was the rehearsed answer. Mike. That was my, I know, I know. Yeah, come on. Right. 

[00:18:02] Mike Koelzer, Host: So Mitch, get down to the, get down to the 

[00:18:06] Mitch Lee, PharmD: dirt. Um, as true as that was, it was definitely a, uh, it feels good to say that cause it's a mother Teresa answers. He said now, yes. A more, very, very selfless, more person, reason to get more creative.

But also like when I'm in retail, pharmacy, I'm working retail and I'm, uh, I'm on a shift. I got a guy to come up and he wants to get a controlled medication filled early and I'm not gonna, you know, we can't do it. If the doctor doesn't approve it or if he's, he's a head of history of getting stuff early and he wants to get it like, like 10 days early, I'm like, I'm sorry.

So we can't fill this early. Well, I get cussed out and he calls me. Um, all kinds of things and walks off and here I am just having to like take it and with a smile on my face and before it was like, I would, I mean, if I'm being honest with you, like I would leave and be like, I don't know how much more I can do that.

Like, I can't do this much more, but now I have that same guy coming up and I'm like, well, you're going to be on my podcast. So 

[00:19:01] Mike Koelzer, Host: you're my 

[00:19:02] Mitch Lee, PharmD: material. Like, that's my content. Thank you so much. So before it was like, wow, you're a jerk, but now it's like, thank you so much. 

[00:19:09] Mike Koelzer, Host: Yeah, truly, 

[00:19:10] Mitch Lee, PharmD: truly. That's the more selfish 

[00:19:13] Mike Koelzer, Host: That's not very selfish.

That's not very selfish. You see that in a new light, you realize it's not directed at you. You can make something good of this by talking about that guy. It'll even be more valuable when maybe instead of the podcast we go to vodcasts and you can show a video of it.

[00:19:37] Mitch Lee, PharmD: I do like some sort of reenactments or like, yeah. And I, I, you know, I should say too, like that is, that is a reason why I do it and it's, it's funny and it's helpful and actually helps me get to the day and stuff, you know, on the podcast. Like us, we do obviously complain a lot about retail and we, if I'm being honest, we do make fun of patients because they ask really dumb questions sometimes.

But, um, you know, there is a redeeming quality to it. I think if I'm being honest, like, I didn't want this to be a, and even the guys in the mastermind group were like, you don't need this to be all negative. Like there is the redeeming quality of life, alright, Like just the other day I was talking about this lady, this lady had sent in a patient of the week and the mother had called and said, well, you guys gave me the wrong medication, gave my child the wrong medication.

And it turns out the reason she thought that is because her doctor told her, her, uh, babies and moxa Ceylan was going to be pink in the pharmacy, and gave them a dye-free white version. And so she got all mad and called the pharmacist, all these words and all that stuff. And so, you know, I take a second and be like, wow, that's, that's awful.

She shouldn't have done that. But you know, if I'm the mom and the doctor tells me that, like, I can kind of see what she did. So there are, you know, we do make fun of people and patients and stuff, but it's all in fun. It's all satire. It's, you know, we, we try to keep it positive and be like, look, sometimes we are wrong.

Sometimes we do things bad or sometimes like, this is why I understand where patients are coming from. So it's, it is, uh, making fun of people. But at the same time, it's like, how can I? Even think better about our jobs, about our patients. Yeah. 

I liked the 

one 

that I listened to. I'm not sure what episode it was, but one of your listeners had sent in that the lady said she skipped taking her water pill that day because she had gone swimming and was asking and was asking if, 

if, if 

she could skip it that day.

Oh, 

no, dude, there are times when I'm like, I'll read these patients the week when they're set in and that's my reaction. I'll just crack up laughing because like I have to read these before I record, so I won't just lose it. 

air 

[00:21:42] Mike Koelzer, Host: Okay. Now when those come in, you kind of collect them and then pick the funny ones out 

[00:21:45] Mitch Lee, PharmD: and so on.

Yeah. So I have a system now. I didn't at the beginning cause I wasn't expecting this many people to send them, but now I have a system where as soon as they send it in, I put their name on. If I'm going to use it, if I'm going to use their patient in the week, I put their name. In this, uh, on my phone and this folder.

So I can remember to go back to it because it was my brain. I'll just, I'll respond back. Oh, this is so great. And I'll use it and I'll just completely forget. We got you 

[00:22:09] Mike Koelzer, Host: off mother Teresa, and now we got you down to a basic human that says people have needs for discussion and sharing and things like that.

What else do you have up your sleeve? Is this anything that you, you gotta be kind of happy when the different, when the, when the numbers come in and, and, and you see things growing, do you have thoughts of monetization or do you have thoughts of a book or, or, or some other things, or are you like the more people that can share the better and that's where you are?

Yeah, 

[00:22:42] Mitch Lee, PharmD: That's a good question. I definitely, um, think about that a lot, you know, it's funny as a pharmacist, uh, everyone who's listening works in. Most of the people listen to podcasts, work in retail, so they know kind of what your salary is. So I've always had this. Um, slight aversion to doing this, what do they call it?

The Patrion, you know, where you, yeah. Uh, it's always been an idea of mine. Um, and I'm still kind of mulling it over and trying to decide some like bonus content I can provide if we do like a, if I do like a Patrion and it would just be something small, it started off like a dollar, $2 a month if I were to go down that road.

But, um, yeah, I don't know that going down that road. Yeah. I've thought about it, and that's a tough time for me to pull the trigger on. Um, I think once the, uh, the listener base grows just a little more, I can possibly go into some advertising, um, getting, I've got to learn about the media decks. I don't know if you've dealt with media decks before these advertisers want you to give them information about your podcast in, in, in this certain way.

And so. Learn, uh, I'm kind of learning as I go, I guess, as my boy with all this stuff. And so yeah, the advertising I've definitely thought about monetizing it, especially because the listener base is growing and I've been doing it for a while. And even though it's a wonderful hobby and I thoroughly enjoy it, um, I don't think there's any reason to, to not maybe try and do some sort of monetization.

Um, I do, uh, I can see that. Yeah. I'm thinking right now that the episodes are wonderful and having so much fun. It's such a blast, but I am kind of ready for the next thing. Like us, you know, I'm ready to take it up a notch, so to speak and go to the next level. And right, right now, uh, for me, that's going to be a lot more interviews.

Um, kinda like we're doing right now. I've only done it. Um, I just released episode 66 and I've only done three interviews and two of them were with Alex Barker. So, uh, I definitely want to. Go down that road more. I think shutting my mouth and letting someone else speak is going to be a lot better. It's tough to eat.

Exactly. Exactly. It's a lot, as you know, it's a lot easier to, um, to interview, I think, than to just hit record and, and you just have to speak for, you know, 30, 40 minutes. That's why it's so great to have, oh, that'd be tough. Do patients send in stuff? That's why I say it's the, it's the driving force behind every episode.

Cause there's, there's no way I would have lasted 66 episodes. Just me running my mouth about my pharmacy. So I think interviews are going to be huge. I do. It's funny. You mentioned the, um, the video aspect. I got to figure out how to incorporate a video, uh, with, with, uh, keeping HIPAA intact. Um, I definitely want to get into some video, uh, in some form or another, whether that be just recording my, uh, my episodes or doing some sort of, um, you know, I've thought about the idea of like.

At work, uh, doing some sort of quick video about, you know, The skit between me and a tech about how a patient can be really funny and ask someone, whatever. Yeah. So those are just some ideas of what to do in the future, I suppose. And if you look 

[00:25:57] Mike Koelzer, Host: at someone like Joe Rogan or something like that, like I know the program that we're on now, we'll probably eventually go to a, um, a video and then, you know, will I, will I do that on YouTube?

Like right now I put my audio on YouTube, which has some, some people don't suggest it, but it's more exposure. It's more exposure. And if that part would, would be the, you know, the, the faces and things like that, you know, the part about the monetization. One thought that I have is it's kind of like a scoring system in a way.

I was able to do something. So valuable that people pay for it. And I haven't, and I don't have any near plans to do it, but it seems like that would be a reason why I would like to do it someday. Just to, I dunno, maybe put a stamp of approval on it in my mind somehow 

[00:26:47] Mitch Lee, PharmD: or something. Yeah. That makes sense. I haven't, I haven't actually thought about it that way.

I think, as we're talking about it and thinking, I'm thinking about it more. I mean, there is, if I'm being honest, like an aspect where I'm like, I don't know if I'm. Like if it's good enough to, you know, like, I don't know if I'm my, like, how do I say if, if I start getting a Patrion, uh, or even if I get some sponsorship I'm going to have to really man, every episode is going to have to be just the best it can be.

And now I just kind of hit records and I'm more relaxed and have fun. And I'm wondering, come on, it's free. Like, what are you going to complain about? Turn it off. Um, so yeah, there's a, there's a, uh, aspect of it. Like I don't, I don't know if it's good enough. And then even if I get it, I'm going to have to just be on even more than I am and be more stiff and stuff, which probably won't be the case, but that does, I guess, go through my mind.

I see 

[00:27:41] Mike Koelzer, Host: what you're saying. I think I'd want to give them something with a lot of quality and not necessarily information or something they can use, even just quality. Relaxation or entertainment or something, but I guess when it comes to advertisers, they don't care. They just want numbers of ears probably, you know?

[00:28:01] Mitch Lee, PharmD: Yeah. They just want you to, to S you know, say what you have to say about their product as long as people are listening. Yeah. Yeah. And I think, you know, I was getting, when I was getting ready for starting the whole episode, I started the whole podcast. I listened to a podcast on how to podcasts and he threw out some rough numbers about how many downloads you need to potentially get sponsorship.

Although it varies wildly. I'm flirting with that number now. And I'm like, uh, yeah, I may, you know, maybe I will, and I will feel more. I think I'll feel better about that than patriotic. Even the patron is something I feel like I could do now to do monetization, but I'm with you. Like I would want to provide.

I think for patriotism, the first thing that comes to mind would be videos like my Patrion, uh, listeners. So like I could, I could do like a, uh, you know, a two, two or three minute video of me recording the podcast and send it to him or something like that. I don't know, there definitely needs to be some bonus content.

Um, but I think monetization is in the future for right now. It's, um, it's just fun doing it for free, you know, as you know, it's just fun kind of fun and you don't really have anything to worry about. And on that 

[00:29:14] Mike Koelzer, Host: front, yes, exactly. I think of myself as really like a talk show. Oh, it's like a late night talk show host.

You know, when you read a book, like let's say you're good, whatever, I'll just pick golf. I'm not a golfer. Let's see. You're a good golfer. You know, the people that buy golf books are probably the good golfers. You kind of just like to read them and see if you're kind of in the right ballpark. It's kind of fun to listen to people talk and stuff like that.

Probably I'm just guessing that's who they're going after and not to the person who's never golfed before. And I think that's the same with my show. It's like, I dunno, there's some information there, but I think it's just entertaining or kind of a comradery. Just kind of just kind of hearing about business in and checking things off and seeing, yeah, I, I do that too, and I'm on the right path and so on.

I think your thing too, it's like, people want to know that there's comradery and. Kind of on the right path and it maybe makes them feel if they're having the same feelings of being tired or burnout once in a while or something like that. It's like, yeah, you're not so foreign because other people are doing 

it 

[00:30:25] Mitch Lee, PharmD: too.

Yeah. That's, that's very true. I'm tracking with you on that big time. I mean, and I think for me, that plays into my approach to recording each episode before a record, you know, it's not, um, I think when my first few episodes, uh, I, like you said, I, I was a little more stiff for sure. I mean, I remember going back and listening to it, listening to the episodes, the first like five or 10.

And I was super nervous and trying to like, maybe try too hard to be funny, but like, as it's gone on and as I've gotten the feedback for the show and everything, and I think this is probably the same for you. It resonates more with people when you have that comradery. I mean, yeah, there's information.

I mean, your podcast has infinitely more information on it. But like, I would venture to guess that even yours, once you, if you have that comradery and just that like really relaxed, laid back, like honest, um, approach to recording, and you're not just like stiff and like, all right, I'm going to have to make sure this is perfect and edit this down to perfection.

That gets the best response from listeners and people. Really. They really identify with that. I think they identify with it. Yeah. There's a lot of podcasts out there and they're great. And they're, they're very well-produced and they have, you know, even like scripts and, and things like that. And that's all well and good.

But the conversational aspect of, I think podcasting is what I've heard from your show, which is great. And what I try and do as well is like, just get on their level. And if I screw up, I mean, I'll, I'll edit out like a big cough or something, but yeah, if I like mess up or something like that, you know, you kinda, I just kind of leave that in and just let that speak for itself and just be like, Hey, I'm not perfect.

Like none of us. And our jobs aren't perfect either. And so we're all kind of one big mess, but we're one big mess together. Yeah. Right, 

[00:32:17] Mike Koelzer, Host: right. What would you be doing if podcasting did not exist now that you know what a, what a release it is and the comradery it is. And so on, let's say that podcasting did not exist.

Maybe we won't go as far as to say that social media wouldn't exist, but how might you have released this creativity or whatever let's say, I don't know, 20 years ago or something. Can you think of anything you would have done or, or, or would things just not have been as 

[00:32:49] Mitch Lee, PharmD: releasing for you? Yeah. Yeah. Um, probably not as much.

Uh, but I would've given it. I would've given it a shot. Like I think that, like we said, the timing is right right now where I had the idea I'm older than. Um, everything kind of came together and then here's podcasting and it worked. And so I think I'm pretty sure, like if all of that, all those things happened in the same sequence, except for the fact that podcasts, like, weren't a thing.

Yeah. Social media would be a huge way. I think it would be some sort of, um, how do you say like blog or something? Like I like to write, so I would probably like to get into writing some more, but the thing about writing is just, you know, people, you read like four or five sentences and these people would just drop off and they, they want to, you know, their attention span John's much.

So that's another great thing about podcasts and you do it while you drive or whatever. So, uh, yeah, maybe, maybe some writings, uh, social media for sure. I don't know, I, there would be, there'd have to be some way to get, to get the steam out, to, to let everybody know, like maybe just meet, see, you'd be like, Hey, I'm I kinda think that this job sucks sometimes as anybody else feel that way and like kind of wanting to get that feedback.

So PR probably writing and Twitter, I would say would be the, I have so much fun on Twitter. I will say this. I will say with Twitter, um, it's if you are a farmer, if you aren't any medical, if you're in the medical field period, you can go on to Twitter and find a host of people that are doing your exact same thing and are tweeting, like hilarious stuff about it.

And pharmacies, pharmacies, no exception. There are people out there that are wonderful followers on Twitter that are pharmacists that are technicians that just. Are like, they're basically doing what I'm doing with the podcast. They're just like sending out tweets like, Hey, I just, this guy came in and did this today.

And you're like, oh my gosh. And of course they use most of the time like a stage name. Is it as ingenious 

[00:34:36] Mike Koelzer, Host: Mitch Lee? 

[00:34:39] Mitch Lee, PharmD: I mean, you know, but maybe not as much, but now 

[00:34:42] Mike Koelzer, Host: What is your middle name by the way? Uh, Ryan, 

[00:34:45] Mitch Lee, PharmD: Ryan, that would have been a good one too. Yeah, because then Ryan Lee was like a little bit of, you know, trying to miss the mafia a little bit, but you know, with, uh, going back to Twitter, I guess, like it, it's so much fun.

Um, the thing with Twitter, you have to be careful about is that the people that are doing your job, um, that help, you know, you're not alone and have funny stuff about they'll even, there's even people that do it about podcasting or, you know, pharmacy, if your doctors are really funny could be out there, but it can get pretty dark.

Like I think there's, um, there, there is an opportunity for my podcast to go down a pretty dark road and. You know, vulgar. I had this one guy send in one time. He was like, oh no, he left the, um, he left a review on apple on a, on an apple podcast. And he's like, you know, I love the podcast. It's great. I wish he'd use profanity and use the F word.

Like more often.

I was like, okay, thanks for the feedback, I guess. Um, so, you know, and that's, for me, kind of where the professional comes in. And like, that's kind of trying not to go down that dark road where I'm like, look, we all want to use profanity. When we, when we have jobs we don't like, and patients that yell at us and stuff, and, you know, there are people on Twitter that get pretty intense and get pretty dark.

And so you have to take that with a grain of salt and roll with it and, and there's some positive people in there. Overall, it's pretty fun. Um, and it's, it can also be a great way to know you're not alone. 

[00:36:12] Mike Koelzer, Host: Well, and I think the thing is too much. It's kinda like, um, I stopped reading back in the day. I stopped reading letters to the editors in some of the pharmacy magazines, because it just got to be like, bitch, bitch, bitch, all the time.

And what I liked, what I liked about listening to your show is that there's a difference between bitching about your job and like bitching about your kids, you know, because, because it's like, I love my kids, but I'll tell my wife. You know, and will complain about something, but ultimately you're not bouncing on like, should we sell them or not?

Or should we, you know, 

[00:36:55] Mitch Lee, PharmD: these 

[00:36:56] Mike Koelzer, Host: kids, what can you get for them? You know what I mean? It's like, there's love there. And it's like, yeah, we're complaining. But at the, at the end, it's like a nice little sick comment wraps up and you say all, we all love each other. And I think that what I've got out of your show, the difference between a bitch Fest and, and your show would be, this is good.

It's all good. We're, we're doing this, but it's to let off steam so we can do better. And that 

[00:37:21] Mitch Lee, PharmD: kind of thing, Mike, you hit the nail on the head. I mean. And I, I really appreciate that just because I feel like that's my goal with this podcast. And it feels like just from what you said, and from other others feedback that it's.

Translating is coming through because you know, at the end of every episode, I say, you know, keep fighting, we'll see you next time. Like keep fighting, like, keep, keep going back, keep doing it. I mean, you know, it's not very, but if you feel like you don't want to do it anymore, then that's fine and you can, you know, you can move on.

And, but for those of us who moving on either isn't an option or we don't feel like it's an option or we, yeah, like you said, like we don't like a lot of our job most days, but you know, we, we still like it overall and we keep doing it for those people. Yeah. Like keep, keep at it, man. Keep doing it. Um, it may not get better.

It does get better for some, um, some days are great some days aren't, but the point is. Yeah. You had that patient come in and yell at you because the orange flavor Benadryl wasn't in stock. Yeah, we did. I did the same thing last week, 

[00:38:18] Mike Koelzer, Host: you know? Exactly. So Mitch, how long have you been in community pharmacy?

I 

[00:38:23] Mitch Lee, PharmD: graduated pharmacy school in 2010. Um, but I was a, uh, I was a pharmacy cashier back in 2004 and stayed with my company, uh, uh, since then. So I've been at the same company in retail pharmacy for almost 16 years. Uh it's funny. Because I was a cashier. Uh, technician. And then I got into pharmacy school as an intern and then a pharmacist.

And so, uh, sometimes, uh, when I was floating I would go to stores and they would just ask like, oh, how long have you been doing this? And I'm like, well, I started as a cashier. And actually, if you, if you didn't know with this company, you can actually start as a cashier. If you stay with the company long enough, they'll approach you as pharmacists.

And I remember one girl in particular was like, really? I'm like, yeah, totally. And I let her believe for like an hour. And that was not true. 

[00:39:13] Mike Koelzer, Host: Attitudes change. If, if at all from 10 years ago, till now with the retail workforce, has it been. You know, one answer would be, it's been, it's been the same stress, different problems, but we would have got these same things, you know, a hundred years ago, they'd have been complaining about this and this.

So it's just human nature, et cetera. Or have you seen a dramatic change in, let's say 10 years of the community pharmacists attitude? Let's say 

[00:39:45] Mitch Lee, PharmD: That's a great question. Um, I would say overall, probably the same and the only reason I say that is when I was, uh, I remember a very specific time. Um, when I was a technician, am I, uh, early on in technician, probably 20 2005, 2006, there was a, a patient who came up and I don't remember the interaction, but I remember for some reason, very clearly when they walked away, my, the technician who waited on her, turned around and she's like, that's why I have to drink beer when I get home.

You know? So she was so, and I'm sure it's, you know, it's different from company to company and person to person. Yeah. Uh, I think overall it's, it's probably been the same, like with everyone, like in a very general sense. I think with me, I'm just being honest with you. I think it's probably gotten, uh, my attitude is, has actually gotten worse until probably the beginning of the podcast has actually helped a tremendous amount.

Um, I remember being, getting into pharmacy, being so gung ho about it, and then it was so funny because there was a time in my life where things just didn't get to me at all. I was just like, it was right off. I'd be like, no big deal, you know, it's whatever, like, this is great. This is still what I want to do.

And I'll have interns come in that have that same mentality and I just kind of laugh. I'm like, oh, you know, give it time. You'll see. But yeah, I mean, everyone, obviously not everyone, but you know, as time has gone on, I don't know what it is, Mike, if it's just like. The wear down of working with the public or what, but it's, for me, I just feel like the idea before the podcast, the idea for me was like, I don't know how much I can take from this.

And in fact, I would always tell people I'm not going to retire, retire from retail. I'm not, I'm just not going to do it. I can't handle it. I can't do it. And since the podcast, and I'm not saying the podcast is just like the one that fixed everything and all of a sudden, I just completely love my job. Now, if you listen to the show, you know, that's not true, but, uh, it's changed a lot.

Um, it, I think there's kind of in this, like renewing myself, like feeling better about my job and being okay with, yeah. I may not still retire from retail, but I'm not out there actively searching to get out of retail at this point. So, um, there, I guess I started out feeling great and there was like this low point and I don't really know what caused it.

It was just years and years of dealing with the same stuff. And then now it's getting a little better and maybe that's me maturing. Um, but, or the podcast or what have you, but it's, it's getting better now. I think things are changing, like, um, the landscape of pharmacy and retail is drastically changing.

And so that's going to come with its host of, uh, problems. And right now that people are kind of freaked out, but kind of scared, I think right now for their jobs. And, um, but I think that it's. Then, I don't know if that's going to change so much of everyone's attitudes towards retail. I think it's in my personal opinion, I think it's kind of stayed the same and it will probably continue at least for the foreseeable future.

[00:42:46] Mike Koelzer, Host: I ain't no therapist with that said when I think of what the show has done for you is, and I ain't no thespian either. When I look at you, I'm looking at William Shakespeare and. Before this show, you were part of these dramas and the tragedies, you were part of it. And now as you have this podcast, you realize that you're not one of the characters, you're William Shakespeare.

You're able to look at it as one object in one part, but it's not who you are. You're a part of the authorship. 

[00:43:31] Mitch Lee, PharmD: I liked that. I liked that. Mike, I appreciate that. There actually, I will say that. Yeah, there, there is an element to the podcast of being able to, to step outside of everything that's happening and take a look at it from a, I think that, yeah, I think that comes like from when I, when I hit record or when I'm getting ready for the show and I hit record, like talking about the week and talking about everybody else's week, it's a, it's a huge way to step back and hopefully listening, you can do this too.

If you, if you're listening. Uh, taking a step back and looking at it and being like, man, that was, that was tragic. Or that it was a comedy, or that it was funny, that happened or whatever. Um, but we're still here and, you know, we're, we're going to do it again next week. And, uh, but it's not, it's not like something that we have to carry on our shoulders and get mad at the dog.

And all that stuff. Yeah. It doesn't define us. It's what we do. It's crazy. It's insane. It's ridiculous. It's what we do, but, uh, we're we all do it together and, and, uh, yeah, it's, it can be a lot of, it's a, it's a perspective shift. That's been very 

[00:44:34] Mike Koelzer, Host: helpful. If you could dream really big on this, I mean, really big on the show and you're podcasting or whatever, what could you envision.

Or what would be like the really coolest thing to happen. And then would you quit your job and do I'll just say something like this full time, you know, would you be writing, would you be traveling and meeting and doing this, but in your wildest dreams, how would something like this take off and what would you enjoy?

[00:45:14] Mitch Lee, PharmD: Oh man, I like this question. First of all, my first goal with this would be for the monetization side to take off to this point where I could work retail part-time and do podcasts part-time. Cause I feel like if I were to completely get out of retail, then it would be difficult to continue with the podcast because a lot of the content comes just from knowing, you know, staying up to date on what's going on in retail and going into.

And coming home and things like that, plus you 

[00:45:49] Mike Koelzer, Host: lose, you're like, well, we made it. It's like, well, make it, you're sitting on your ass in the, in your, in your home. You might've made it three years ago. 

[00:46:00] Mitch Lee, PharmD: It's like speaking for yourself, man. Yeah. But now 

[00:46:02] Mike Koelzer, Host: here is living off the foibles of, of the yes. Crowds 

[00:46:06] Mitch Lee, PharmD: misery.

Yeah. Yeah. That's a great point. So I think if I were to continue the podcast, I'd have to at least do a shift or two per week, at least something to, to be like, Hey, I just got through with this shift and this crazy thing happened. It's taken that yet. Stay connected with the listeners. I think for sure. I guess what my dream for this podcast would be like, I'll say this and this is going to sound so over the top, cheesy and mother Teresa.

And if you edit this out, I totally understand. Like 

[00:46:32] Mike Koelzer, Host: they don't know, I'm keeping it in 

[00:46:35] Mitch Lee, PharmD: The idea of the podcast is to let you know, you're not alone. Like I'll have people send in patients the week and that's great, but people will often send it in. And they'll say, man, thanks for doing what you're doing.

Like, I really thought that I hated my job and I was like alone or like I thought I was going through this and like, it feels good to know that I'm not alone and that that's the stuff I'm like, man, hell yeah. Like that's, that's freaking great. That's why I'm doing this. And so I think for me, the next big step would be, uh, just growing the listener base and having, and being able to, to reach out to more people which w which would in turn, I think, lead to the monetization and, and doing that, you know, most, mostly full-time in a pharmacy part-time, but, um, you know, I think with people sending in their, their stuff, that's going on in their pharmacy, um, there is, you know, if I'm dreaming my biggest dreams here, I think there's a, a world that could be where I maybe I'm not in work in a pharmacy bench, but I'm, I'm identifying with people that other people are sitting in their stuff so much that it's driving every episode.

I'm probably able to do it. Full-time maybe a couple of shifts on the side, uh, retail pharmacies, just to keep my head in the game, but, uh, having, uh, possibly doing it full time. And, you know, there are some podcasts that are successful enough to have live shows like they'll travel and do like a, like a live recording at places.

And that, to me, Mike, to sounds like the man, if I get to a point where I'm, I'm doing like even a small like tour, and I'm like talking to pharmacists and technicians or like recording a podcast that way, and, uh, man, 

[00:48:19] Mike Koelzer, Host: or you go to like university of such and such and you're on there, it's even better when you're doing a live show in front of their class or Collins 

[00:48:27] Mitch Lee, PharmD: or something.

It actually makes more sense to go to pharmacy schools or to go to different ones. Uh, establish like that. I think, man, that would be great. And then also, um, keep, you know, really ramping up the interview side. I mean, I've, I've got so much to learn with interviews, not, not only with the tech side, but being an interviewer and, and, and that back and forth.

I've got a lot to learn. Um, and so I would love to ramp that side up and, and maybe somehow, I guess, do that touring full-time slash LA. Interviews, both in person and abroad, I think would be the, the ultimate ultimate goal, 

[00:49:02] Mike Koelzer, Host: their love of podcasting. Is there a love of being behind the mic than being, let's say in front of a camera, let's say that this goes to video casting and you find out that you're able to do more by being video in a studio or something like that.

Is there a love of the, of the microphone in the podcast and kind of the anonymity or the, or do it in your pajamas kind of thing? Or would you take either of 

[00:49:31] Mitch Lee, PharmD: those Mikes? How did you know that? Do my podcasts in my pajamas. Well, 

[00:49:35] Mike Koelzer, Host: I'm being generous. Let's put it that way. You don't know that I've got a movable 

[00:49:39] Mitch Lee, PharmD: camera?

I, oh my gosh. Yes. Uh, there is an aspect to that that I love. I am. Yeah. I think when their time comes to do some sort of video, uh, the content I'll be ready to jump in. I'm fully excited about the idea of video. I think podcasting was really, it was actually just really easy to acquire, to do the research, to acquire the microphone and just hit record and go.

Right. Um, and with me with this podcast, Mike, it's all about ease, man. It's all about like, if things start getting to. Like if banks are getting too techie and like, oh, you gotta, you know, what kind of like, you know, what kind of board using all this stuff? I'm like, ah, dude, I don't know, man. I'm just like, I just need to get my voice out there.

So I think, um, the ease of it makes podcasting so alluring and is how much it's taken off and how much fun it is. But yeah, if it turns to video, I think it would be as equally. Uh, fun. Uh, I think, uh, from both sides, I believe 

[00:50:41] Mike Koelzer, Host: if you had to increase your audience, would you argue and say, well, I better talk to all pharmacists about their crazy day, or would you say, no, this is I'm going to get more listeners because of this niche.

And I would argue that the second point is probably the truth. And I think that's what you think. And I think that's what the podcasting world 

[00:51:04] Mitch Lee, PharmD: is thinking of. If I were to have a potential sponsor and they were gonna be like, okay, well we can, we can do it, but we just needed an extra a thousand, 2000 downloads a month.

And, you know, I was like, they're like, well, you could always try this. Or, you know, if I was part of a podcasting network and then like, we'll get to, you have to branch out, you have to do this. Uh, um, I, I honestly don't think I could do it with, uh, I don't think I would do it. I mean, I think the idea of this being so specific and me being passionate about helping.

Other podcasts and technicians in our field, um, is the only way this is working. And it's the only way it's making me come alive when I record. And so my goal would be to just be like, well, if I'm going to grow my listener base, I've just got to get more. Um, I guess to get my name out there more too, I dunno if that's advertising more.

I mean, if I, if I put it this way, like if I send out a tweet and it gets some attention, and then that turns into followers, those followers are, if they're in the pharmacy world at all, they'll turn into listeners. So yeah, it's like, it's like, as, as people hear about not just my podcast, but podcasts in general, as they hear about it more and more, that that turns into download.

So I think like just somehow getting the retail pharmacy, R E T E L L pharmacy, the retail pharmacy. Like names out there more would be the only way that I would be interested. I think the only way I would like grow the base and I think it would be successful in that way because, uh, you know, going back to pharmacy, being so stiff and everything, when, when, when someone hits play on one of my episodes and the first thing they hear is, um, me laughing.

Cause I hit the wrong sound effect button. Like I think that can, uh, that can go a long way. Number one, it 

[00:52:54] Mike Koelzer, Host: has to do with what you want to do, uh, where your, where your joy is. But I had the same question, you know, with mine. It's like, I could say, well, I'm going to go, I'll go business in general. It's like, well, what is there already?

Oh a million. I mean, look, you know, the vineyard competing against the, the Gary V's and all these people, but the one thing I can offer that they can offer as the niche of a hundred percent of the pharmacy business, and same with you, there's a lot of crazy jobs stories, 

[00:53:24] Mitch Lee, PharmD: that kind of stuff, a hundred percent.

And I think that's kind of worked in my favor is funny because before I started the podcast, I was nervous about looking at retail or looking at pharmacy podcast and wondering if someone had already like, took my idea and, uh, I didn't really see anything like it, which gave me more reason to do it. And so I think it being so unique and so specific to retail pharmacy does, um, it does, it does help.

I think again, I think you can have the talent to go into the light in different directions. Um, I don't know. I mean, that seems pretty overwhelming. I think the niche thing goes a long way with both me producing it and the listeners, I 

[00:54:01] Mike Koelzer, Host: believe if you want to mess with that, you know, we're all set up to do another niche, I suppose.

If we wanted to, since you're incognito. All right. So, Mitch, what would you do if, what would you be doing right now? If you weren't in pharmacy. Okay. And podcasting did not 

[00:54:21] Mitch Lee, PharmD: exist. It'd be at right a hundred percent. I love writing. Um, I've loved, uh, I, I, I feel like I've always been pretty good at writing. Um, I, the thing is, I don't know what I'd write about necessarily.

That's fair. Yeah. I will say just like in school and stuff, like anytime we did write papers, like I was, I never dreaded that. I always loved it. And then, um, in any kind of writing that I've done outside of work, um, it's just always really fun. Uh, very, it's a really good way, a creative outlet for me. Um, and, and, you know, I've, I've thought about that.

You know, you get asked the question, like, w w what would you do, uh, if you quit pharmacy and like, why be a writer? Well, okay. What kind of writer? Well, I don't know. I mean, I love, um, I love fantasy football. I love NFL football. So maybe that'd be a sports writer. Maybe I'd love it. I mean, I'd write fiction.

Maybe I would, you know, the sky's the limit, I guess. Um, so I don't really know. That's the thing I keep coming back to, uh, for, you know, my, where my brain would go. If this wasn't like a thing, what would 

[00:55:21] Mike Koelzer, Host: you do right now? If somebody said you're done tomorrow, I want to dig a little bit. You're done tomorrow.

Now I'm going to go one more deeper and say no writing, nothing similar to what you're doing and nothing similar to what you're doing. No pharmacy, no podcasts, no writing. We want you to take a year sabbatical and do something and then you're going to come back. What would that, 

[00:55:44] Mitch Lee, PharmD: so it isn't in this scenario.

Am I, um, am I also away from. Like social media and YouTube. Yeah. None of that. The answer is simple for me. I am very much into fitness. I love running. I love, um, uh, breaking a sweat, getting out there anytime I need to clear my head, uh, going for a run before courting is the best thing that I can ever do for my listeners and my episodes.

Really? Yes. A hundred percent clears the mind, it's relaxing. Um, and so I would a hundred percent do something. I mean, it will be tough because especially here in Nashville, there are just so many, all these new bootcamps coming out and all these new things like that. So I don't know what it would be necessarily, but it would be a longer line of some sort of fitness, some sort of like, and not so much like getting bulky lifting weights, but like really endurance running, um, things like that.

Anything that makes you sweat helps you get your heart rate up? Uh, that's always been a side passion of mine. It's helped kind of bleed into. To not only podcasting, but pharmacy in general. Cause I'll go for a run before work and I'm like, bring it on man. Bring on anything. Like I can take it on. 

[00:56:52] Mike Koelzer, Host: You've got that thing that they call the runner's high that I've always said.

I've always said the runner's high is just not having a guilty fat conscience. Like, you know, you're like, like, you know, you're supposed to do it. You hate it. It's not high. If life is at like 50, when you start thinking about needing to exercise. Both to exercise. It goes down to like 20, and then you're feeling more guilt and it goes down to 10.

So your run, and then you come back up to 50 and that's your high, but I'm thinking you might even be above 50 somewhere. 

[00:57:32] Mitch Lee, PharmD: Oh yeah. It's um, you know, I started, I started doing it. My mom, my mom was really into it and she got me into it when I was in high school. And I've kind of never stopped then. It's just been, um, yeah, I think you're right.

I think when I get through, uh, it's a feeling that I'm just like, man, everything's clear my brain everything's everything's okay. Everything's okay. I guess the point is that when I get through a tough day, it's really hard to run after work. I usually run before. But like, it's really funny cause I'm on a, I'm on vacation right now, Mike, actually I know 

[00:58:03] Mike Koelzer, Host: You are that for two weeks.

You got, I heard that on your 

[00:58:05] Mitch Lee, PharmD: chest. Yeah. So I'm in the middle of vacation. So, um, thank you 

[00:58:08] Mike Koelzer, Host: for letting us in your world during vacations. 

[00:58:12] Mitch Lee, PharmD: Please come on. This is so much fun for me. And uh, I think the main point about me being on vacation is that I also decided to wear pants for this interview. So even though my vacation, I don't 

[00:58:23] Mike Koelzer, Host: know, I don't know, kind of like going back to Shakespeare, wasn't the Shakespeare that said dust thou protest too much or something like that.

I don't know my Shakespeare, but it sounds like something you would say, but every time you bring that up, it's just, it just I'm 

[00:58:39] Mitch Lee, PharmD: it's about the state phase. Yeah. Um, yeah. So, uh, I'm glad you brought that up about what I would do without, uh, not doing pharmacy cause fitness is a really big part of my life.

And um, if it's just real. Maybe it's a runner's high. Maybe it's just a way I think, uh, I was, I was talking to someone who was saying, there's, there's a thing called bipedal simulation, where, when you're running the left side of your left side of your brain, I'm going to butcher this can, can more accurately communicate with the right side of your brain.

So if you have ideas that you've got going on, um, if you like running or exercising in some way, can kind of bridge that gap and kind of help you bring it into reality. I know it sounds weird and I've completely butchered that, but it, the, the idea is just, it helps process things. It helps all of the things.

At least for me personally, all the stuff that's going wrong in my life just kind of turns. I mean, they're still there when I get through running. It just turns the volume down a little bit. Yeah. 

[00:59:36] Mike Koelzer, Host: W when you say we made it through the week, I think people can relate to that. 

[00:59:42] Mitch Lee, PharmD: Yeah. I appreciate that, man.

Yeah, I do. Um, that, that really means a lot. I think that kind of feedback is really, really helpful for me. Just because from time to time I can start to get down and be like, oh no, one's Reno interested anymore or whatever, but it's, um, it, it, it was super easy for me to feel conversational. And the, the key to the podcast I think is, is being conversational, is being on a level where you're, when you're listening to it.

You're, you're not listening to some highly produced person talking about pharmacy. You're listening to someone who just got through with a really crappy day. And you probably 

[01:00:19] Mike Koelzer, Host: did too, as pharmacists. The reason why that conversation Elysium really sticks out is because I think by the nature of pharmacists, that the average pharmacist is quite analytical.

And, you know, we have to be often, you know, black and white and things are right or wrong and so on. And I think that sometimes we can fall into this. Well, I'll say it this way. Like I often will contact the news in town, you know, the PR stuff and so on. And it's really easy. Things for me to do, because one, by the nature of being able to do it and not having to go through a corporate ladder to do it, but also I like to do it.

And I stick out because I like to do it. Where if I was in a profession of, let's say marketers or real estate agents, it would be more of a battle to stick out. So I think that your conversations, Mitch, with your style, it just really sticks out. I think you're doing a great job, man. 

[01:01:24] Mitch Lee, PharmD: I appreciate it.

Uh, Mike, I do. It's all about, for me. It is all about connecting and the people that are sending stuff in it. I mean, there are, I've said on this show before , my favorite episodes of my podcasts are just, we're not going to hit record and read everyone's patient of the week and stuff they're going through and then say, keep fighting with the next time and that's it.

And it's, it's just so great because people hear their name and they're to get a shout out and then, but everybody, yeah. Um, like for example, I just had an episode where a lady, a girl sent in and she was like, Hey, I need some help. Or, you know, has any of this happened to anybody before? Like, has this happened to anybody else before a patient asked me out and now it's really awkward when they come back or whatever.

And so I talked about that on the show and I've had, since that episode, I've had several people reach out and be like, oh my gosh, that totally happened to me. And so when I record tomorrow or the next day, I'll bring that up and be like, Hey, last week we had this lady say this, it turns out she wasn't alone.

Because it happened to everybody else. So I guess it just goes all back to. Yeah, it's, it's great to be super conversational and stuff. And it's just, it's so driven just by everyone else writing and saying, yeah, patients can be awful and stuff, but we're all gonna keep doing it. Um, here's some positivity behind it and we're not alone.

[01:02:41] Mike Koelzer, Host: That was a sucky way to end the show. Now I realize that I haven't been asked out and now I, now I think I've 

[01:02:47] Mitch Lee, PharmD: been doing something, it's coming. It's kind of selling all the time. Actually. I was asked 

[01:02:51] Mike Koelzer, Host: how before you were in the pharmacy. Yeah. Yeah. It was someone who had just come in from getting their eyes tested.

I think they can only see about, oh my goodness. I think they can only see about one foot in front of them. Oh my God. Hey Mitch. Great talking to you. Yeah, 

[01:03:09] Mitch Lee, PharmD: Mike, thanks so much for having me on man. I had a blast, so great. It's so 

[01:03:12] Mike Koelzer, Host: fun too. Talk to people and then listen in on their podcast or different writings or things they've done and know, you know them.

And, uh, and you just kind of hear things from a different angle. So this is quite 

[01:03:25] Mitch Lee, PharmD: a pleasure for me. Oh man. Mike, I really appreciate it. I've had such a good time and keep doing what you're doing, man. I actually listened to a couple of podcasts in preparation for the interview and it's dude. It's awesome.

Like keep it up. 

[01:03:36] Mike Koelzer, Host: Well, thank you. It's um, yeah, like I say, as long as I stay away from any drug names, I'm good. You'll meet people. Reach out retail 

[01:03:45] Mitch Lee, PharmD: pharmacy. Yes. It's an R E T E L L pharmacy. Uh, Facebook, uh, Twitter. Both of those are great places to reach out. Um, and D uh, DMS, um, are the best way to, uh, to let me know like, uh, a patient you want to talk about, but also, you know, comments on the page.

Anything like. And of course subscribing to the podcast. It's on Apple, iTunes on Google Play and Spotify. 

[01:04:08] Mike Koelzer, Host: Yeah. There's a great shot of, uh, of you Mitch, been through the wash a little bit with your band-aids on your head and you've, you've seen it all 

[01:04:17] Mitch Lee, PharmD: as a little fight club version of retail pharmacy. All right, Mitch, we'll talk to you soon, Mike.

Thanks again, buddy. I appreciate it.