Behind the Scenes

Michelle Bernier
  • 5.0 (1)
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Daily

We go inside your favorite companies and ask the questions no one else does. How do they actually operate? What systems keep it running when no one's watching? The unsexy, behind-the-scenes stuff — the processes, the decisions, the near-disasters. If they built it, you can too. No matter how hard it looks.

Episodes

  1. 5d ago

    How to Make Hard Calls in Leadership with Rob Roeder from Hopdoddy

    This episode of Behind the Scenes visits Hopdoddy, a burger restaurant founded in Austin in 2010 and praised by Business Insider, now operating 48 restaurants and opening five to seven new locations per year. Regional Director of Operations Rob Roeder explains that Hopdoddy’s growth is driven less by food and more by culture, hiring for attitude and energy, and consistently investing in training. He describes navigating the pandemic with rapid daily changes, to-go food and alcohol, quick recovery in Texas, and a focus on taking care of employees and bringing furloughed staff back. Roeder outlines fundamentals like clean restaurants, smiling teams, organization, and communication. He emphasizes adapting management styles to different personalities, building relationships before making changes, and trusting your gut when making decisions. 00:00 America’s Best Burger 01:07 Meet the Operator 02:12 What Makes Hopdoddy 04:08 Culture and Core Values 05:27 Leading Through Covid 07:41 Back to Fundamentals 08:35 Hiring and Training 10:14 TM to GM Pipeline 12:59 New GM Mistakes 14:35 Consistency at Scale 16:10 Managing Personalities 19:21 Trust Your Gut 20:05 The Culture Superpower 21:30 Healthy Options Menu 22:27 Wrap Up and Thanks  Follow the Host Michelle Bernier:  https://www.instagram.com/soymichellebernier/  Follow us: Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7-mAde6xcJGTt5nMbUmOTw  Substack: https://substack.com/@behindthescenespod Linkedln: https://www.linkedin.com/company/behind-the-scenes-pod/about/  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/behindscenespod/ X: https://x.com/Behindscenespod  TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@behindscenespod?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc

  2. Oct 24

    The “Win Five” Model: How Studio Movie Grill Built a Company for Everyone

    Brian Schultz, founder of Studio Movie Grill and an innovator of the dine-in movie concept, describes how the company grew from a one-screen idea in 1993 to 14 million guests and 7,000 employees, then dropped from a $450 million business to zero in a day when COVID shut theaters down. He shares his “Win Five” stakeholder model (team, guests, community, vendors, investors), examples of aligning incentives through community events, and his mindset of treating setbacks as continuous “plan, do, check, adjust” learning rather than failure, including limiting “pity parties” to five minutes. Schultz discusses post-COVID habit changes, repositioning theaters as community gathering spaces with higher-quality experiences and diverse uses, and using AI (EasyBotChat now Onkey) to quickly support frontline employees without replacing them. 00:00 Company To Zero 00:54 Award And Leadership 02:13 Win Five Framework 03:48 Community Win Wins 06:54 Fail Faster Mindset 09:42 Covid Shutdown Fallout 11:44 Reinventing The Theater 13:22 AI For Frontline Teams 17:46 Building 100 Year Legacy 19:54 Closing Thoughts  Follow the Host Michelle Bernier:  https://www.instagram.com/soymichellebernier/  Follow us: Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7-mAde6xcJGTt5nMbUmOTw  Substack: https://substack.com/@behindthescenespod Linkedln: https://www.linkedin.com/company/behind-the-scenes-pod/about/  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/behindscenespod/ X: https://x.com/Behindscenespod  TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@behindscenespod?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc

  3. Oct 22

    Inside the World’s First De-Extinction Company | Ben Lamm on Dire Wolves & Colossal

    Description: In this Behind the Scenes episode, host visits Colossal Biosciences with co-founder and CEO Ben Lamm, a serial entrepreneur who has founded and sold five companies, to see how Colossal is building a de-extinction and species preservation pipeline. Lamm explains how the company develops synthetic biology technologies (open-sourced for conservation) while pursuing industrial and medical applications and supporting conservation through the $100M Colossal Foundation. He describes early investor skepticism, the challenge of aligning 260+ scientists across disciplines, and the milestone of producing dire wolf pups—Romulus, Remus, and Khaleesi—using an end-to-end platform that started with a 73,000-year-old skull. Colossal has announced six targets: woolly mammoth, Tasmanian tiger, dodo, moa, dire wolf, and blue buck. Lamm says the biggest hurdle for scaling de-extinction is artificial womb technology and stresses animal welfare, ending with a message of hope and innovation amid a biodiversity crisis. 00:00 De-Extinction Breakthrough 00:49 Lab Tour and Dire Wolves 03:03 Which Species Come Back 03:52 What Colossal Actually Does 06:09 Why Ben Bet on It 09:05 Winning Over Investors 10:58 Building the Dream Team 14:25 Dire Wolf Birth Story 20:19 Mammoth Roadblocks 22:41 Hope and Closing Thoughts Follow the Host Michelle Bernier:  https://www.instagram.com/soymichellebernier/  Follow us: Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7-mAde6xcJGTt5nMbUmOTw  Substack: https://substack.com/@behindthescenespod Linkedln: https://www.linkedin.com/company/behind-the-scenes-pod/about/  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/behindscenespod/ X: https://x.com/Behindscenespod  TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@behindscenespod?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc

  4. Oct 22

    How to Build the Place You’d Want your Mom to Work | Behind the Scenes at The Original Pancake House DFW

    In this episode of Behind the Scenes, filmed in Dallas, Mark Bailey (President and CEO of The Original Pancake House DFW) and his longtime partner Jonathan Seyoum share how they built a seven-location operation with about 240 employees by focusing on service, trust, and long-term quality. They discuss why they chose and stayed in the restaurant industry, what makes their 30-year partnership work (shared values, communication, mutual care, and support even when they disagree), and how they manage scale through clear structure, empowered decision-making, and consistent, structured communication. Mark explains why their “made from scratch” approach matters, including a multi-day sour-starter batter process with no shortcuts, to protect consistency across locations. They also outline lessons for building a company that lasts: stay true to founding principles, innovate to remain relevant, and lean on core values during hard times, including cost pressures. 00:00 Meet Mark and Jonathan 00:47 Why Restaurants 02:04 Jonathan’s Origin Story 04:22 Mark’s Path to Ownership 07:41 Trusting a Business Partner 09:04 Making Partnership Work 12:27 Running Seven Locations 17:00 Communication at Scale 19:14 Five Day Pancake Process 21:15 No Shortcuts Long Game 23:34 Proud Place to Work 26:50 Great Place to Work Proof 31:17 Building a 100 Year Company 38:00 Closing Thanks and Takeaways  Follow Michelle Bernier:  https://www.instagram.com/soymichellebernier/  Follow us: Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7-mAde6xcJGTt5nMbUmOTw  Substack: https://substack.com/@behindthescenespod Linkedln: https://www.linkedin.com/company/behind-the-scenes-pod/about/  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/behindscenespod/ X: https://x.com/Behindscenespod  TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@behindscenespod?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc

  5. Sep 26

    Behind the Scenes of Chick-fil-A: A Leadership Company Disguised as a Restaurant

    In this episode of Behind the Scenes, Dan T. Cathy—former CEO of Chick-fil-A and founder of Trilith—shares how his family built Chick-fil-A from the tiny Dwarf House into the third-largest U.S. restaurant company while staying purpose-driven, including closing every Sunday worldwide. He explains how trust is earned through genuine hospitality, rigorous standards, and consistent systems, plus a long-term purpose statement focused on stewardship and positive influence. Cathy describes learning from other organizations, evolving with external change, and making values-based decisions in airports, stadiums, and even airline service. He also details how an unexpected visit to Pinewood Studios led to building Trilith Studios and a walkable town designed to enrich story makers. The conversation covers leadership, succession to his son Andrew, retention, excellence, and solving new problems by staying fast, focused, flexible, friendly, and fun. 00:00 Meet Dan T. Cathy and Trillith 01:43 Cathy Family Origins 03:39 From Dwarf House to Growth 05:17 Trust and Hospitality Culture 06:59 Building Systems and Standards 11:36 Purpose and Sunday Closure 14:12 Values Tested in New Venues 17:07 Retention and Pursuing Excellence 19:15 Trilith Purpose and Inspiration 20:27 Purpose Beyond Profit 21:18 Olympics to Pinewood Deal 23:06 Building Trillith Ecosystem 25:01 Walkable Town Design 27:00 Sprinting to Finish Well 28:30 Passing Knowledge to Next Gen 30:49 Kindness Faith and Leadership 34:31 Health Discipline and Guardrails 36:09 Succession to Next CEO 37:29 100 Year Company Mindset Follow the Host Michelle Bernier:  https://www.instagram.com/soymichellebernier/  Follow us: Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7-mAde6xcJGTt5nMbUmOTw  Substack: https://substack.com/@behindthescenespod Linkedln: https://www.linkedin.com/company/behind-the-scenes-pod/about/  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/behindscenespod/ X: https://x.com/Behindscenespod  TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@behindscenespod?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc

  6. Sep 12

    Chris Voss: 24 Years Negotiating With Kidnappers—and His #1 Rule for Reading People

    On Behind the Scenes with Michelle Bernier, Chris Voss — former FBI lead hostage negotiator and bestselling author of Never Split the Difference — breaks down the method behind a 24-year career negotiating with bank robbers and kidnappers. He explains "tactical empathy" through the idea that there are "three sides to every story: your side, my side, and the truth," and shares the single phrase — "seems like you got a reason for saying that" — he says can end up to half of all arguments. Voss admits his approach was "never widely accepted," even inside the FBI, and uses the war in Ukraine to explain why arguing rarely changes anyone's mind. He also unpacks his book's most misunderstood idea, arguing that "splitting the difference" is a recipe for mediocrity, and explains why he believes autonomy — not survival — is what people actually want most in any negotiation. 01:37 Why Chris Joined FBI 03:55 First Hostage Case 04:57 Tactical Empathy Basics 07:52 Getting People to Open Up 09:54 When People Escalate 11:07 Kidnapping in Venezuela 14:50 Learning From Mistakes 16:02 Influencers and Black Swans 17:57 Crisis Skills in Business 20:48 Never Split the Difference 23:05 Building a 100 Year Company 26:12 Where to Learn More 26:55 Practice and Closing About the Guest: Chris Voss is a former FBI lead kidnapping negotiator, betselling author of Never Split The Difference, and founder and CEO of The Black Swan Group; a negotiation, training, coaching, and consulting organization that teaches people how to achieve better outcomes in high-stakes conversations. Recognized globally as a leading authority on negotiation, Chris developed his approach through decades of experience in crisis negotiation. Today, he and The Black Swan Group apply those principles to business, sales, leadership, difficult conversations, and high-stakes communication through The Black Swan Method® and Tactical Empathy®. Never Split The Difference has introduced millions of readers around the world to Chris's negotiation methodology. Through The Black Swan Group, Chris and his team help people go beyond understanding the concepts in the book and develop negotiation as a practical, repeatable performance skill through training, coaching, practice, and live experiences. The Black Swan Group offers in-person negotiation training, live and self-paced online negotiation training, coaching, keynote speaking, and advanced negotiation experiences for business owners, leaders, sales professionals, and other professionals who want to become more effective dealmakers. Learn from Chris Voss and The Black Swan Group: Negotiation training and resources: https://www.blackswanltd.com/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=behindthescenespodcast In-person and live training: https://www.blackswanltd.com/live-events?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=behindthescenespodcast Online negotiation training: https://www.blackswanltd.com/online-negotiation-classes?utm_source=youtube&utm=social&utm_campaign=behindthescenespodcast Follow the Host Michelle Bernier:  https://www.instagram.com/soymichellebernier/  Follow us: Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7-mAde6xcJGTt5nMbUmOTw  Substack: https://substack.com/@behindthescenespod Linkedln: https://www.linkedin.com/company/behind-the-scenes-pod/about/  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/behindscenespod/ X: https://x.com/Behindscenespod  TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@behindscenespod?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc

  7. Sep 2

    How to Turn a Vocal Community Into Your Biggest Asset | Hugh Forrest on 36 Years at SXSW

    In this episode of Behind the Scenes, host Michelle Bernier interviews Hugh Forrest, former co-president and chief programming officer of South by Southwest, who joined in 1989 as its first paid employee and helped grow the festival from a regional music event into a multi-track experience spanning film, technology, and culture. Forrest explains that building community has “no secret,” requiring patience, persistence, attention to details, long-term incremental improvement, and learning from mistakes. He shares event-leadership principles like staying calm under pressure (“don’t let the audience see you sweat”), delegating to trusted teams and volunteers, and being transparent with a vocal community when errors happen. He warns that size and scale can be the enemy of community and emphasizes quality over numbers, human creativity, and in-person connection—especially in an AI-driven world. After leaving SXSW in April, he launched Gather and Grow Experiences to consult organizations on building experiences and avoiding common mistakes. 00:00 Meet Hugh Forrest 00:59 Show Intro and Stakes 02:35 Early Days at SXSW 05:10 Community Over Organizers 06:14 Scaling Staff and Volunteers 09:18 No Secret Sauce 11:58 Handling Crises Calmly 16:40 Bottom Up Programming 18:03 Leadership and Principles 23:29 What Must Never Change 26:40 Building Community From Zero 29:35 Next Chapter Gather and Grow 32:49 How to Reach Hugh 34:04 Final Takeaways and Outro Follow Michelle Bernier:  https://www.instagram.com/soymichellebernier/  Follow us: Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7-mAde6xcJGTt5nMbUmOTw  Substack: https://substack.com/@behindthescenespod Linkedln: https://www.linkedin.com/company/behind-the-scenes-pod/about/  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/behindscenespod/ X: https://x.com/Behindscenespod  TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@behindscenespod?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc

  8. Sep 2

    Why You Shouldn’t Be Afraid of Failure | Kelsey Grammer on Luck, Faith, and Never Quitting

    On Behind the Scenes with Michelle Bernier, Kelsey Grammer reflects on how “what looks easy is easy,” but it takes years to get there, and shares the mindset that sustained his decades-long career. He describes an early break—saying “yes” to an audition that led to his first theater job for $65 a week—and emphasizes tenacity, making your own luck through hard work, and “never quitting.” Grammer discusses facing criticism and “judgment without knowledge,” learning to “keep them guessing” to avoid being typecast, and his belief that God is a partner in using the gifts you’re given. He also talks about entrepreneurship, including successes and major failures like a small windmill investment and a clothing company, and explains why he keeps getting back up. Grammer outlines his “American Revelation” project, aimed at restoring foundational American history and ideals in education.00:00 Success Looks Easy00:59 Meet Kelsey Grammer02:00 Faith Luck and Purpose02:51 Gregory Peck’s Influence04:38 Gifts and Tenacity06:19 First Break Old Globe07:41 Never Quit Mindset08:46 Handling Criticism10:49 God and True Notes11:17 Grief and Healing13:00 Keep Them Guessing13:18 Stay Unpredictable13:56 Beer With a Purpose15:22 Dreams Need Action15:53 Music Roots to Acting17:03 Risking It All17:53 Failure and Resilience18:46 Why America Works21:14 American Revelation Project23:54 Hollywood Pushback24:46 Build Something Lasting Follow Michelle Bernier:  https://www.instagram.com/soymichellebernier/  Follow us: Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7-mAde6xcJGTt5nMbUmOTw  Substack: https://substack.com/@behindthescenespod Linkedln: https://www.linkedin.com/company/behind-the-scenes-pod/about/  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/behindscenespod/ X: https://x.com/Behindscenespod  TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@behindscenespod?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc

  9. Aug 19

    Behind the Scenes: Creative Blinds: How to Build a Family Legacy

    Today, the Chief of Sales & Marketing at a 50-year-old family business is taking you inside the unglamorous machinery that actually keeps a company alive for half a century. Erika Mandel spent 20 years actively avoiding the family business — building a corporate career at places like News Corporation and KPMG, and running startups of her own — because she grew up thinking the blinds business was boring. Then her father asked her to come in and consult. She never left. Erika now runs Sales & Marketing at Creative Blinds, the Houston window-treatment company her father founded in 1976. But what makes this conversation so powerful is not just the story of coming home. It's Erika's argument that everything people assume about "legacy" businesses — that they run on nostalgia, tradition, and cozy sentimentality — is exactly backwards. The businesses that survive fifty years survive because underneath the legacy surface, they quietly become operational machines: systems, dashboards, SOPs, and a culture built to outlast any one person, including her. In this episode, you'll learn: Why she saw the family business as boring for 20 years — and what changed her mindHow "unsexy" tools like systems, dashboards, and SOPs are what actually let a company scaleWhy she believes 50-year-old businesses aren't cozy legacies — they're operational machinesHow Creative Blinds uses automation and AI on the back end without losing the human, high-touch experience up frontWhy 75% of their clients are repeats or referrals — and what that says about trustHow she pivoted the entire business to virtual consults, sample drop-offs, and scheduled showroom visits during COVID — without laying off a single employeeWhat it actually takes to manage change inside a family businessThe four core values that hold the company together: solution the problem, teach to learn, master the details, and "give a shit"Why the boring, operational parts of a business are often the most important ones00:00 A Blind Store Legacy00:57 Meet the Podcast Host01:47 Erica Joins the Family Business03:12 Systems That Scale04:33 The Reality of Legacy06:01 People First Principles08:04 AI Without Losing Touch09:38 Trust and Repeat Clients10:57 COVID Pivot Playbook13:45 Managing Change in Family15:09 Future Proof Core Values18:33 Where to Find Creative Blinds Follow Michelle Bernier: https://www.instagram.com/soymichellebernier/ Follow us:YoutubeSubstackLinkedlnInstagramTwitterTik Tok

  • 9 Episodes

About

We go inside your favorite companies and ask the questions no one else does. How do they actually operate? What systems keep it running when no one's watching? The unsexy, behind-the-scenes stuff — the processes, the decisions, the near-disasters. If they built it, you can too. No matter how hard it looks.

Information

  • Creator
    Michelle Bernier
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    9
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Michelle Bernier
  • Show Website
    Behind the Scenes