Frying Your Inner Chickens — Phil Barth on Turning Fear into Fuel and Fun on Stage

Summary

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Episode Overview

Title: Frying Your Inner Chickens — Phil Barth on Turning Fear into Fuel and Fun on Stage
Host: Mitch Carson
Guest: Phil Barth, International Keynote Speaker & Author
Date: November 3, 2025

In this lively episode, Mitch Carson interviews Phil Barth, a keynote speaker famous for using rubber chickens as an unforgettable metaphor for confronting fear, self-doubt, and regret. Phil unpacks how he transformed a technical background into a thriving speaking career, why “frying your inner chickens” is more than a gimmick, and how injecting playfulness (and props) can supercharge both impact and income as an authority figure.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

The “Chicken” Metaphor—Naming Your Fears

[00:30 - 02:05]

• Phil explains that fears, self-doubt, and imposter syndrome are the "little chickens" inside us that hold us back from achievement.
  • Quote:

    “These little chickens inside of you...these are the things you have to fry. Is those little chickens inside of you that are holding you back from what you were meant to do...just take them and fry them.” – Phil Barth [01:16]

• By giving fear a voice and a “shape” (a rubber chicken), Phil encourages people to deal with and “fry” their internal resistance.

From IT Manager to Full-Time Keynote Authority

[02:55 - 04:41]

• Phil’s journey began in IT as a business analyst, but his real joy came from communicating with people, not just technology.
• Speaking invitations led him to discover his passion for presenting.
  • Quote:

    “I really enjoyed that conversation...which then led to, within the company and outside of the company, some presentation and speaking opportunities. And...I found I was really in my element...” – Phil Barth [03:00]

• Demand for his unique take and fun approach (rubber chickens included) skyrocketed in 2023, eventually prompting his retirement from corporate life to pursue speaking full-time.

No Regrets (Except Not Starting Sooner)

[04:44 - 06:44]

• Phil regrets only not following his passion earlier, echoing how few people at the end of their lives wish they'd played it even safer.
  • Quote:

    “I wish I would have done it before...not that I didn’t love what I was doing, but this was the path I was meant to be on.” – Phil Barth [05:28]

• Discusses acceptance of past choices while focusing on being “where you’re meant to be.”

Navigating Uncertainty (The Pandemic Effect)

[06:44 - 07:53]

• During COVID, Phil was still employed in IT but shifted to virtual events.
• He notes that virtual presentations can still work—even with props—if they’re conversational and audience-focused rather than presentational.
  • Quote:

    “...if I’m doing a virtual event, it’s just like you and I are having a conversation, once only there is, you know, 300 of you, but it’s structured as a one-on-one conversation.” – Phil Barth [07:50]

The Red Rooster of Regret

[10:13 - 11:55]

• Of all psychological “chickens,” Phil warns there's only one really scary one—the “Red Rooster of Regret.”
• He uses a loud, rubber chicken in presentations as a metaphor for how terrible the feeling of regret can be compared to temporary fear or embarrassment.
  • Quote:

    “That sound was terrible. But that sound was nothing compared to not chasing your dream, not going for your big, bold, brilliant idea and living with the regret.” – Phil Barth [11:43]

• Story of a woman who, inspired by Phil, acted on her big idea after a previous keynote.

Passion & Giving Value (Even for Free)

[12:00 - 14:58]

• Phil would still speak for free (and occasionally does) because his mission is connecting, inspiring, and making a difference.
  • Quote:

    “Would you do this if you weren’t paid?”
    “Yes.”
    – [12:07]

• Giving out labeled rubber chickens with QR codes creates a fun, memorable follow-up for audiences and prospective clients.

Selling Without Selling

[13:25 - 14:58]

• Phil positions every talk as “selling”—not products but ideas, transformation, himself, and future work.
• Success story: a free symposium in Boston led to dozens of paid events in the U.S. and Europe, highlighting the power of generosity and delivering value first.

The Power of Props & Playfulness

[16:01 - 21:30]

• Both Mitch and Phil share personal stories about using rubber chickens to break stage anxiety and engage audiences—even in high-pressure TV settings.
  • Memorable Moment: Mitch tells of helping a frozen guest “thaw out” with the chicken (“If you cannot talk after squeezing my chicken, I have failed you.” – Mitch Carson [19:02])
• Props, metaphors, and music (Phil’s “heavy metal chicken dance,” composed by his son) can disrupt monotony, anchor learning, and foster audience kinship.
  • Quote:

    “If you’ve got a group and you want everybody to stand up and do a chicken dance, the heavy metal chicken dance, I’m your guy. If you don’t like that, that’s okay.” – Phil Barth [16:02]

Ideal Audiences & Where to Find Phil

[21:32 - 22:28]

• Most suitable audiences: business analyst conferences, tech events, corporate functions—any group wanting fun, lower stress, and inspiration.
  • Quote:

    “...the ideal client is somebody who would love to play with rubber chickens, do the chicken dance, and just have one hell of a good time.” – Phil Barth [22:19]

• Where to watch:
  • YouTube: PhilBarthSpeaks ([16:44], [20:13])
  • Website: PhilBarth.com ([20:47])

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “You name that chicken. Okay, this is an imposter syndrome chicken...then you reframe it...and then you take action. It’s not that easy. Right. But it’s that simple.” – Phil Barth [02:14]
• “There is only one chicken that you really need to be afraid of. And I call him the Red Rooster of regret.” – Phil Barth [10:14]
• [On passion]
  “Would you do this if you weren’t paid?” – Mitch Carson
  “Yes.” – Phil Barth [12:07]
• “Every time I’m there speaking, I’m selling. I’m just selling...the concept that this is what will make your life better. This is what will lower your stress.” – Phil Barth [13:25]
• “Props disrupt monotony, anchor learning, and foster audience kinship.” – Paraphrased theme from both Mitch and Phil [16:01–20:13]

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Timestamps for Key Segments

| Timestamp | Segment | |-------------|--------------------------------------------------| | 00:30-02:05 | Chicken as a metaphor for limiting beliefs | | 02:55-04:41 | Phil’s switching from IT career to speaking | | 04:44-06:44 | Regrets and following passion | | 06:44-07:53 | Speaking through the pandemic (virtual events) | | 10:13-11:55 | The Red Rooster of Regret anecdote | | 13:25-14:58 | Selling from the stage and success loop | | 16:01-21:30 | Props in action; chicken dance and heavy metal | | 21:32-22:28 | Ideal audiences and where to contact Phil |

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Tone and Style

The episode is upbeat, humorous, and full of vivid imagery (rubber chickens, dances, prop stories). Both host and guest share a spirit of generosity, seriousness of purpose, and a love for bringing fun into professional life.

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Summary Takeaways

• Name, reframe, and act on your fears—turn your inner "chickens" into fried fuel.
• Props and playful engagement can dramatically increase your impact and memorability on stage.
• Real authority comes from following your passion—even if that means giving things away at first.
• The loudest, most haunting "chicken" is the regret of not chasing your dream.
• Phil Barth’s approach is ideal for groups seeking genuine transformation, lowered stress, and a healthy dose of laughter.

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Find Phil Barth:

• PhilBarthSpeaks on YouTube
• PhilBarth.com

Contact Mitch Carson:

• MitchCarson.com

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Transcript

[A]

Welcome to the Amazing Authorities podcast, where game changers, visionaries and category leaders share how they built their brands, platforms and global influence. Your host is Mitch Carson, international speaker, media strategist, and creator of the Instant Authority system. If you're ready to learn from those who've done it and want to become the go to expert in your space, you're in the right place.

[B]

Phil, you're a kindred spirit. Not because I'm a baseball fan and you're a baseball span, we can mention that, but you are a man who has more chickens than I do. I'm. I'm minimized this. I'm outside of my home country. I'm in, in the US right now, but I live in Asia, but I always travel with my chicken. This is my travel chicken. It's a small chicken. I hand these out at events and I've never met anybody and I've been on the platform for 41 years. Who's got multiple colored chickens and uses these? How do you use them effectively in what you do as a keynote speaker? International keynote speaker.

[C]

Well, I talk about achieving your big, bold, brilliant ideas. And what holds us back and what holds us back is those a lot of times it's the fear, negativity, self doubt imposter syndrome, call it what you will, that are inside of us saying, you're not good enough, you're not whatever enough. And what I did was I just started giving that a voice and calling it a chicken. So these little chickens inside of you, and so I toss them out to the audience, I say, these are the things you have to fry. Is those little chickens inside of you that are holding you back from what you were meant to do. And you know it's small, right? It's cute, but it represents how little sometimes those voices in our head that are holding us back can be. So, you know, just take them and fry them.

[B]

Okay. And let's see your book because you are a man of congruency.

[C]

Yes, I am.

[B]

Your chickens.

[C]

So yeah, that's the name of the keynote and that's also the book is. A lot of the stories from the keynote are in the book, along with exercises and things you can do. And basically you have to name it, reframe it, and act. So you name that chicken. Okay, this is an imposter syndrome chicken. This is one I call Look Back Lean. That's always saying, remember when you failed, Remember when you should have done that? And then you reframe it and say, well, yes, that time, but now I'm different. And Then you take action. And it's just that it's not that easy. Right. But it's that simple of a concept that you have to shut those chickens down and take action.

[B]

And you come from a technical background. Tell us about that.

[C]

So I was an. Well, I went through the IT career path, eventually becoming a program manager, business analyst manager, or business information manager for an. For international paper, I don't think they mind me saying. And I enjoyed what I was doing, but what I found early on was I didn't like the technical stuff so much. I liked the getting out and talking with the business, finding out what they wanted, translating that into geek speak. And I can say that because I'm a tech geek and making it happen. And so I really enjoyed that conversation and that part, which then led to, within the company and outside of the company, some presentation and speaking opportunities. And. And I found I was really in my element, so I started speaking. Oh, goodness. 2011, I started doing some speaking and then started doing paid events a few years later. And in 2023, I just had all kinds of demand. People love the rubber chickens and the fry your chickens idea. The other thing I talk about is stress management.

[B]

And.

[C]

I had enough time with international paperwork, six weeks of vacation, and by the end of the year, because of all the speaking events, I didn't have any vacation left for Christmas. And I said, okay, this is a sign. It's time to retire. And I told my boss, I said, I love the company. I love the people I work with. It's not the calling. The calling is to retire from here and. And get out there and do as much keynote speaking and writing books that I possibly can.

[B]

You pursued your passion.

[C]

I did, absolutely.

[B]

Any regrets?

[C]

Yes. That I didn't do it earlier. Okay. All right.

[B]

Well, and. And it's interesting because most people who are in their last days, let's say people that are in hospice, which. That's time. It's. It's curtains. It's coming up. You surrendered this. The inevitable. We're all finite human beings. Yep. I have yet to hear a story about anybody who's in hospice who says, I wish I had worked harder.

[C]

Right.

[B]

I wish I hadn't pursued my dreams.

[C]

Right.

[B]

Hadn't pursued. I hadn't taken action. Hadn't found my chicken to fry. Right.

[C]

No, that doesn't happen. And like I said. And a co worker said, you're probably gonna regret you didn't do this earlier. And I smiled. Yeah, maybe she was right. Absolutely right. I wish I would have done it before not that I didn't love what I was doing, but this was the path I was meant to be on.

[B]

It's so true. There are a lot of I coulda, shoulda, wouldas, I, I'm, I'm a senior citizen today, so I could have, should have, would have done things, but I don't have regrets. And I'll not a. But I'll substitute that word out. I won't but myself and I will say it's led me exactly where I'm supposed to be today based on my choices. Do you agree?

[C]

Oh, 100%. And, and I say I regret I didn't do it earlier, but I really have no regrets. I am where I'm supposed to be right, right here, right now. And I think if you can say that you're going to shut down the chickens. The, the should have done this. Shouldn't have done this. If you can say, look, I, right here, right now, this is where I was meant to be. In this spot, in this time, you're going to be, you won't have the regrets.

[B]

How did you navigate or manage the pandemic as a professional speaker?

[C]

Well, see, I was still working at that point, so the retirement was after the pandemic because I know a lot of professional speakers had issues because all of a sudden the in person went away. If. Now let's talk about. So, so I was still working for International Paper at that point and I was fortunate enough that I could work from this very office for International Paper. I did do some speaking online and I think if the, if there was Pandemic two tomorrow I am set up and some of the events I'm going to be doing in the third and fourth quarter are virtual events. And you know, when virtual first came out, I'm saying, you know, I'm out there throwing rubber chickens and, and I'm not sure about this whole virtual thing. You can make it work. It's just if I'm doing a virtual event, it's just like you and I are having a conversation once only there is, you know, 300 of you, but it's structured as a one on one conversation. Not I'm going to go all around the audience and that sort of thing.

[B]

Yeah, it's, it's an interview on the stage.

[C]

Right.

[B]

Sitting, interviewing each other essentially. Because an interview is two ways, it's a two way communication.

[C]

Yep.

[B]

And that's what it is. I shared the stage with Sir Richard Branson some years ago. I don't know, it was probably 12 years ago in London. He is not a keynote speaker. He's paid a fee to come and communicate with an audience. He, however, requires a person to interview him. A host interviews him. He sits, crosses his legs, and has a conversation. Does he field questions from the audience? Possibly. There. They're already prearranged. And the interviewer asks him these questions. So it's no different than what a podcast is. But that's what happens in his environment. He does not keynote speak. And that is the case with some very successful people. I don't know if Elon Musk would be interesting if he came out in keynote presented. He's better being interviewed because he turns the table so effectively on the interviewers, like Dave Lemon or Don Lemon, and has interviewed him. And he gets his butt whooped by Elon all the time because he asked some stupid things about the forcing of the pronouns. And Elon says, I'm not changing my vocabulary for someone's feelings. This is incorrect vocabulary. And I don't need to change my English knowledge to accommodate the feelings of people that I don't acknowledge or relate to. Yeah, it's nice to be in that position.

[C]

Right?

[B]

The wealthiest person in. In the free world. I'll say. There are probably some Saudi princes that have money that we just don't even know about. Well, yeah, and other people. But that's. That's interesting. What do people take away from your keynote presentations, Phil?

[C]

They take away that. The idea that you have a big, bold, brilliant idea and you were meant to achieve it.

[B]

Okay.

[C]

And there are little chickens that are inside your head. Fears, negativity, self doubt, you name it, they're trying to hold you back. But there is only one chicken that you really need to be afraid of. And I call him the Red Rooster of regret.

[B]

Oh, I love it.

[C]

This. This. This rooster has been overseas several times. He's always in my. My checked luggage. And I have just. Just in case something ever goes wrong. I do have a picture of me holding him up that can be put up if necessary. But what he does is he's really loud, and I think. I think I have the. I have the mute inside of him right now, which I put that in when I travel because I really don't need any additional TSA questions. Right? But. But so I bring somebody up from the audience, and I get a volunteer, and they squeeze the chicken, and he goes loud and crazy, and everybody's laughing about it because it can go as long as 45 seconds. And I have people squeeze it enough to get 30 seconds, and so everybody's laughing afterwards, I said, that sound was terrible. But that sound was nothing compared to not chasing your dream, not going for your big, bold, brilliant idea and living with the regret. And so that sinks in really well. I don't want to have regrets. I want to take that first step and subsequent steps toward achieving my big, bold, brilliant idea. The coolest thing that happened last year was I was speaking in Vancouver and a young lady came up to me and she said, I heard you last year in Albuquerque and I just wanted to tell you I had a big, bold, brilliant idea. And because of you, I went out and I achieved it.

[B]

Bravo.

[C]

I was like, wow. You know, that's why you do this.

[B]

Well, you and. Let's talk about passion. Would you do this if you weren't paid?

[C]

Yes.

[B]

All right, There you go. This is your life path.

[C]

Yes.

[B]

Obviously you worked in corporate America for X number of years. I presume you laughed with some comfort and a cushion in order to jump into doing what you're paid to do now. I mean, I keynoted for a while for free also as my speaker path been doing this a long time and I'm a different type of speaker. And I want to talk about what you do versus what I ended up becoming. And I'm an events producer today. But my track was first I went the route of not a keynote. I keynoted. Later I immediately jumped into selling from the stage, selling courses, selling my services to an audience, and then splitting, let's just say the.

[C]

The.

[B]

The profits with the events producer before I be eventually evolved into becoming an events producer. How comfortable would you be selling from the stage versus leaving people with chickens and. Or your contact information, which you brilliantly. I love how you do that. You hand this fun toy out. They associate this fun and chicken that's inside our heads with you. And you put your QR code on there.

[C]

I do. I don't have any right now. I think I used them up in my last event. But yeah, I. I have a label maker and I just print bunches of labels and my son and wife and I just work and stick the labels on. It's the easiest way. I found you could get a rubber chicken with a QR code on it, but it won't go like that. So I make them. The original question was how comfortable would I be from selling. Selling from the stage. I mean, I think every time I'm there speaking, I'm selling. I'm just selling. Yes, you are. For the next keynote or for event. And I tell the story of one of the first events I had in 2022 actually was one of the last events in 2022. I spoke for free at a symposium in Boston. 32 events from that one. Now it's like children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. Right. But, you know, so that led to one in Orlando where somebody heard me and brought me in for a virtual event, which led to. And then another one led to. It's been three trips to Europe now for events. So every time I'm. I'm selling. I'm selling the concept that this is what will make your life better. This is what will lower your stress. I am kind of showing the pain of not. Of not chasing your. Your big, bold, brilliant idea, building a little pain. This is how we solve it. And so people go back to their company, they say, you know what? There's somebody we need to bring in.

[B]

He was fun. He was engaging, entertaining, unassuming.

[C]

He taught me about how to fry my chickens. He taught me about my big, bold, brilliant idea. We need him in our. In our office, in our event.

[B]

I love it. I love it. And when you went from unpaid to paid, what was your first fee?

[C]

Oh, goodness, that was a while ago.

[B]

You sure? But it's interesting to talk about. I mean, you show me yours, I'll show you mine.

[C]

Oh, I honestly, I had a couple that were like, 75 worth of gift cards.

[B]

Okay. That's compensation. Yeah, that's compensation, Phil.

[C]

And. And you asked the question, would I still do it for free? Sometimes I do. Sometimes a friend will say, could you come and speak at our event? And I do, because what am I doing there? I'm making connections, and I'm selling because that free event can be the next one. Although I will confess, when I said, yes, I would do this for free, I'm like, boy, I hope people are not on my website saying, hey, I heard you come for free.

[B]

Oh, got it.

[C]

No, I'm just. I'm kidding. I'm kidding. Because, you know, I have the freedom to do it for a fee or for free. And basically, I'm looking for groups that really want, number one, to have fun. If you've got a group and you want everybody to stand up and do a chick, a chicken dance, the heavy metal chicken dance, I'm your guy. If. If you don't like that, that's okay.

[B]

So you have a dance. I'll have. Are your speeches or any of your keynotes online?

[C]

Yes. Yeah.

[B]

Where would they discover Those?

[C]

On my YouTube channel. Can I. We put links in the show notes?

[B]

Sure.

[C]

But just. What?

[B]

Yeah. Is it you?

[C]

I'm sorry? Phil barth speaks on YouTube.

[B]

Okay, so Phil Bar speaks. That's where they can find you on YouTube. And see that, right? I'm gonna watch it. I'm interested because, like I said, I've written this book about how to use props in. In the world of speaking, and it's not finished completely. I got to go back and edit it. All the content has been written. I'm including you in. I'm going to watch it personally because I have a. I have an enormous interest in props because I teach a whole half day on the use of props and get people in my speaking training up on stage, using props, tying it to a metaphor and communicating exactly what you're doing. You are speaking my language.

[C]

I love it.

[B]

And the only person I know, I've. I don't travel without my chicken. I'm in Las Vegas right now working because I'm a TV show host on NBC Channel 3 here in Vegas. And I use this. It's my travel chicken. I have a big one, but this goes in my. In my carry on. It never leaves my side in case I get lonely.

[C]

I. I need. I'm gonna have to get your address afterwards and send you one with. I'm gonna send you a glow in the dark one, and I'm gonna put my QR code on it.

[B]

So I will give you my address.

[C]

You need a souvenir chicken.

[B]

I do. And I need to include you in my book and talk just about this. This is fantastic because I've never met a kindred spirit using the chicken so effectively. And I've used it, and you'll appreciate this. I was getting people on a TV show in Manila. I also live in Asia, and I'm back and forth to the U.S. and I had a group of Singaporean people. And this fellow had. Was able to speak, except when we went to tv, he froze. His voice went like this. He couldn't. He couldn't talk. His mouth was dry. Everything. And I said to this person, it's on my YouTube channel, this particular interview. I said, now it's time. I pulled out my chicken. I said, if you cannot talk after squeezing my chicken, I have failed you.

[C]

But.

[B]

But do you trust me? I said, this is my chicken. It's a special chicken. You're going to squeeze him right now. And he gave it a squeeze. There was the beginning of a smile. Squeeze it again. I dare you to squeeze my chicken again in front of all these fine people with these cameras right here. I said, now let's Go to your interview. He did it about three times. I said, squeeze it slower. Get very comfortable with your chicken inside. And boom, it worked. It was magical. And it just came to me. I didn't have a script for it. I didn't have a script for it. So I haven't met anybody. This was 10 years ago. It was way before the pandemic. And it's been with me with the props and using that to tie in the audience. Bill Gates used props in his famous TED Talk using mosquitoes. You ought to look. I don't know if you've seen it. You got to look at it. He's a boring communicator. He's boring as all get out. The use of the props was brilliant. Brilliant.

[C]

Whatever it takes.

[B]

Whatever it takes. So you have a YouTube channel. Phil Burr speaks.

[C]

Phil Bar speaks. I know there is a full keynote out there which does feature the chicken dance at one point. I also know that there's shorts of chicken dances at different spots and you want to check out at least one of the chicken dances. And I'm not gonna. I'm not gonna say. I'm not going to ruin the surprise. I will just say that it's a lot of fun. And you know the chicken dance and it's the heavy metal chicken dance because. Because my oldest son composed a heavy metal version of the chicken dance, which is what plays while we're doing the chicken dance.

[B]

I love it. I am going to watch this at Phil Bar Speaks and on the YouTube channel. And if they were to get in touch with you, it's right here in the interview. Phil Barth.com they want to book you as a keynote presenter in the United States. That's great. I. You're now going to be in my short Rolodex of people that I could recommend.

[C]

I love it. Yeah.

[B]

And I have friends who are producers. I produce. Just got off an event. Well, it was in Thailand, a little far, but it just got off of an event. This would have gone over well. The topic was AI and oh, my gosh. What about an interrupter? What a perfect interrupter is to have someone to take them through the chicken dance and using this as a bit of fun.

[C]

Yeah, yeah, absolutely.

[B]

So what clients are most suitable for you, Phil?

[C]

I have spoken at conferences. I have the IT background, so I tend to do a lot of business in business analyst conferences and project management conferences. I have done various company events. So had a really fun one last year. It was this group's Christmas party and they wanted to bring somebody in to talk about frying their chickens. And we had a great time and we did the chicken dance and we just, we had a blast. So anybody you know, you want to hone in on who your ideal customer is? Well, I want to lower stress. I want people to laugh and I want people to achieve their big, bold, brilliant idea. That's a pretty wide open space, but it's the ideal client is somebody who would love to play with rubber chickens, do the chicken dance, and just have one hell of a good time.

[B]

Phil, you've been a great guest today. I'm going to refer people to you. I want you in my book. So we'll talk a little bit about that offline. You've been a fantastic guest and I will have you back again where we're going to exchange chickens to enlighten and get people engaged. Phil Barth, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you so much.

[A]

Thanks for tuning in to the Amazing Authorities podcast. If today's episode inspired you, take a moment to subscribe, rate and leave a review. It helps more experts like you rise to the top for behind the scenes access and free resources to boost your authority. Head to MitchCarson.com until next time, stay amazing.