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This is our 63rd episode of The Community Conversation and here to talk about the upcoming Holiday Party is Dan McCarthy! You won’t want to miss this episode as it’s a good one!
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Mike Collette 0:02
All right, Dan, we’re live. This is like a special edition, I guess of the Community Conversation because it’s gonna be a full conversation and this is the only time we’ve had a repeat guest on the Community Conversation. So I’m super fired up about that having Dan McCarthy on here. We do these community conversation on a weekly basis. We also have a nutrition episode that Sam and Coach Jon do as well. But what we’re like discussing today is our annual community member holiday party. So last year, obviously, with COVID, we pivoted and moved everything to a virtual model. We like a virtual party, it was fun, everyone dressed up and we had a bunch of people on Zoom, we did awards and all that stuff. So this year, it’s great because we’re going to be bringing everyone back in and having that celebration in person. So Saturday, January 29, if you’re listening to this right now you’re the first ones to hear the day, we just started planning last week, and Dan and I are just going to literally spit ball back and forth, like some ideas and what we have. And then the last thing that I want to say is, you know, over the last like several events, we’ve been really leaning into this whole concept and idea of member led initiatives here at Prototype. And it’s been really interesting. And it’s, I guess, kind of experimental, we have the 24 heroes in 24 hours, which Mark Dirienzo kind of took the lead on. And it was by far our best, our best 24 heroes in 24 hours. And Dan, you were a huge part of that too kind of come in cooking for people and just being the man that you are.
Dan McCarthy 1:49
I just wanted to be around everybody. I could have done that for fucking 36 hours. I couldn’t make the first sorry, I swear too much. I couldn’t make the first bit because I was doing a tree climbing class. I was teaching guys how to climb trees. Anyway, I could have done that. That was easy for me. I mean, I didn’t do one workout, but I loved it. Oh my god, I love it.
Mike Collette 2:08
Well, do you remember what I said you about that tree climbing class you shared yours made a YouTube video on how to climb the trees and then you sent it over to the guys and told me them you were gonna workout the rest of the day. But you know, didn’t take me up on advice maybe maybe next maybe next year. But um, so we we kind of tinkered around a little bit with the 24 heroes in 24 hours. Um, you know, recently actually, as of this week, you know, Jean Hanks, she kind of took the lead on doing this really cool kind of coach appreciation thing, which was really cool. I actually just got my my gift bags actually right here. I haven’t looked at anything yet. But she made little gift bags for every single one of the coaches. And you know, members had the opportunity to write little special notes for every coach, and that was on Tuesday. So that was really cool. So I haven’t read mine yet, so I’m not gonna read them now because they normally, I’ll tear up and stuff. I’m a sucker like that. Now leaning into our, our holiday party, like, we’re gonna collaborate and kind of talk a little bit about like, what are our thoughts on what we want to do? And if you guys are listening to this, we’d love your feedback. Any other thoughts you have? Dan, what is your vision of the productive holiday party if you like, do whatever you want to do. And by that I’m just putting this out there. This does not mean that this is what we’re doing, but Dan, what would you want to do?
Dan McCarthy 3:21
Oh my god. Alright, so sidenote, the best part of planning a party just throwing shit out there and see, you know, like, best case scenario, could we do this so Alright, so what kind of party? So could we do ask like, dress up like black tie? Dress up like that? Like, do we give out a wall like envelopes have like members come up and present you know, like they do at the Oscars were like, you know, like people that are releasing a movie. And they’re like, anyway, they they have stupid banter and they say and now whatever. What do you think of that?
Mike Collette 4:17
I’m all in on that. That sounds awesome. I like black tie member present the awards, but like so before we get like, tactical, like I want you to… you can’t really call me back we’re on record here. So we’re doing live. Dan is in his car. I’m in my office at the gym. Dan’s driving fast, very reckless. I think the if you’re not watching this, right now his his phone is like behind the steering wheel. So you can see his face I don’t even know he must be sitting like setting it like in front of his odometer so you can’t even see how fast he’s going. Dan like paint the picture like what would be like your ideal party like the ideal prototype party like the feeling leather the tactical like the feeling like, what would you envision it being like?
Dan McCarthy 5:14
Oh my god, all right, ideal past hors d’oeuvres if we’re gonna eat something hire a kid and they could walk around, we can socialize. Are we doing it the gym? like best case?
Mike Collette 5:30
I think we’re losing Dan. I can hear you now. We might have to take two on this. I’m just saying but uh, but but you got cut out but this is not. This is not live but you’re getting recorded right now.
Dan McCarthy 6:07
So where we cut out gotta be music. Bo’s food. Dance floors must. Kids? No kids?
Mike Collette 6:24
So again, like, paint the picture for me. Into the mind of Dan McCarthy.
Dan McCarthy 6:32
Yikes. So all right, let’s do this. Let’s have it at the gym. We’re having it at the gym. So like now I got to think about like, do people want to be inside outside? Do we have like a beer gardeny thing? Like set up lights happy if it’s like in January 29. And have like fire pits out in the parking lot. Having like hot toddies and like cold weather drinks. Where people can hang out outside. They’re like kind of COVID ish. Like cold a bit freaky. Like they can stay out there and they can see the party inside. Yes. Music out there, music inside.
Mike Collette 7:18
I love where your head goes. You go black tie. Past hors d’oeuvres. Then you go beer garden fire pit outside. Like, in my mind two completely different like vibes. But you’re trying mingling and then you got dance floor? I love it.
Dan McCarthy 7:33
Yes. So I’m thinking like black tight, like old style. You know, like the little mufflers where the chicks put their their hands in the things and they’d be all dressed in their, like, their long coats and their ear muffs outside like skating with like the finger skates. And, yeah, like, what do you think of that? We could do like, if it’s at night, and it’s in the winter we can have like ice sculptures. Snowman. Totally.
Mike Collette 8:09
I got the ice sculptures I like that. We used to do ice luges. We can’t do that though.
Dan McCarthy 8:25
like the attempt. I was gonna have ice luges because Brennan wanted the ice luges at the party that he didn’t come to, and I was ready to go. But then I thought you know, when you put your mouth. It’s like, there’s a lot of COVID issues.
Mike Collette 8:49
But I like the idea that I sculptures to the outside vibe we got the inside vibe. You know, we got the dance floor, buy more. So we’re gonna have a DJ. We already hired. We hired a bartender. And we got a popcorn machine.
Dan McCarthy 9:09
Love it. It’ll really give the movie award vibe.
Mike Collette 9:15
Yeah. The intention was that thought was we always we wouldn’t have we don’t necessarily have to do the popcorn thing. But the idea would be to have a movie night for the kids in the back while the parents are being able to like hang out, right? And we’ll have like the older kids kind of like, you know, chaperone or kind of like watch the kids in the back and then we have like stuff going on. But you know, I don’t know the timing on that. How long the kids stay out for parents bring them home. Like, all that sort of stuff. What are your thoughts on that?
Dan McCarthy 9:50
I mean, I love our kids, like I love our kids, but they can kind of be an anchor to work because I don’t want to lose any attendees because they gotta like you know punch the clock and become you know parent again and I gotta bring my kid home. I really think save the date. Line your babysitter up to carry cuties this is your turn. This is gonna be all about you guys.
Mike Collette 10:16
All adults.
Dan McCarthy 10:18
I think so. Because the thing is if there was a movie, if there’s been a movie being played, and the kids are kind of plugged in, that’s cool. But like, again, I like music, music music, like we’re socializing, mingling, there’s, there should be two plays, there should be two playlists, the dance floor playlist, and the mingling playlist. But music is imperative.
Mike Collette 10:45
The date, so we got the we got the DJ, we have the DJ.
Dan McCarthy 10:47
We right so he would like, like, like, yeah, having like a background soundtrack to people hanging out, I think is kind of kind of key. So if I had my way I would adults only are like members only, like if the kids if they’re like, yeah,
Mike Collette 11:09
So we want to make it inclusive. So we want members, their their family, like their spouses, like the idea is to bring like kids for the idea like everyone integrated in here, but you’re thinking that might not work. So we’ll think on that a little bit.
Dan McCarthy 11:26
Yeah, cuz some some cuz some parents have like really young kids, and that they’re definitely gonna have to like punch the clock and be like, it’s their bedtime. We gotta go. And I don’t want to lose. Like I don’t want to lose shot. I don’t want to lose Jerry. I don’t want them to like have to leave.
Mike Collette 11:42
Yeah, true. No, it’s good thoughts. What else Dan? We could do whatever you want an unlimited budget, do whatever you want.
Dan McCarthy 12:13
Like a foam party. I have a giant foam sheet party. I don’t know. Like that’s. Yeah. Can we make this a rave? I know there’s so many people that don’t really dig that kind of music. But, yeah. Yeah. What else? Um, so food food. Like what makes the party? Oh, like, could be like, really get into and like get costume. Not like, like, period like period ish. Like, like old style Hollywood. Like if we’re going to embrace the the mufflers in the cold and the, like the hanging out outside and the classic, you know, that could be like, dress up. Alright, it’s like prohibition, could you make it game? Oh, I love games, of games, at parties. What kind of, um, anything that, like, is inclusive. It spurs conversation it spurs like, because it’s like, everybody comes in and they will always gravitate towards their clique. And that’s nothing wrong, right or wrong or anything, but it’s just the fact that’s just the way it is. But it’s something to like facilitate discussion and like this one. Like mystery game, but that’s that takes a lot of coordination. That’s a lot. That’s like yeah, you ever done that? Like an escape room type of thing?
Mike Collette 14:05
No, never.
Dan McCarthy 14:07
No, like, escape rooms are fun. But it’s not like, you know, like a murder mystery type of thing. But then now we’re going away from the whole, like, why are we there? We’re there. We are there to celebrate the members. We’re there to celebrate the year because it’s like a year in review. So like, we got to do a slideshow.
Mike Collette 14:44
This is raw uncut. This is like what a meeting of the minds is like with Dan McCarthy is sitting there going back and forth feedback just all over the all over the place. Like it doesn’t matter. But I like the slideshow.
Dan McCarthy 15:44
Yeah. Can I reveal that I finished the slideshow?
Mike Collette 15:49
I think you’ve already revealed it.
Dan McCarthy 15:53
Can I reveal that I’ve seen the slideshow? Like 50 times? Like, yeah.
Mike Collette 16:02
I like when you ask for permission, if you can reveal something. And it’s like, it’s all live and raw and recorded. So you don’t have to ask permission but you did it. So but yes. 100%. So if you’re listening still, after all this. Like Dan, already made, like the idea is to do a slideshow, he’s already made the slideshow. It’s awesome. And if you know Dan it’s synced with music, and it’s got all these fun things. And I think everyone in the community is included in the slideshow. So.
Dan McCarthy 16:39
Now we got to pump the brakes on that, because we don’t want to we don’t want to hype it up too much. Because then they’re gonna be like, I’ve seen all the pictures or whatever. But yeah, no, okay, cool. So we got to do that. So what else? How else can you commemorate the year? How else can you commemorate the year?
Mike Collette 16:58
We got to go decorations all over.
Dan McCarthy 17:04
So I’m thinking like drapes, I’m thinking drapes, like curtains like, like a theater, you know, like, they pull the curtain back through that. But the thing is, we can’t put that across Windows because the the beer garden people outside with their mufflers in front of the fire pits are not going to see in so that that’s a.
Mike Collette 17:27
It might be tough, we might have to make a decision to do one or the other in that event. But you know, it’s not the end of the world. You still make it work. All right, we might have lost Dan for just a minute. Again, he’s in his car. And he’s got his all over the place. So I don’t know if he’s got bad reception or not. But basically. And now it’s just me, we’ll see if Dan comes back in. But basically, this party is going to be awesome, we’re gonna have a lot of fun. We always do our member awards at the party is like Dan mentioned, this whole idea is this idea of our members presenting the awards, just like they do with the Golden Globes, other people kind of come up and present and give the awards to someone else. Maybe it’s the person the last winner. I don’t know, we’ll figure all that stuff out. But basically, only done I know, Dan’s even going to get back in on this call. So I’ll kind of keep it quick here. But basically the party the holiday party is Saturday, January 29. Here’s Danny’s back, January 29. Saturday, January 29, is when the party’s gonna be, it’s gonna be awesome. Make sure you throw it in your calendar. This is, like I said raw, uncut. I don’t care that it’s raw, uncut and not filtered. I think too many podcasts and stuff like this has to like, boiled down so you all know what a real conversation sounds like. This is a real conversation. But Danny, I was just, I was gonna I was gonna wrap it up because I know you’re gonna come back and I see you. But I was just letting everyone know reminding them January 29. Saturday, January 29th. 6pm’s when the party’s gonna start.
Dan McCarthy 19:12
I had such good ideas when’d I drop out.
Mike Collette 19:17
Last thing we were talking about was the slideshow.
Dan McCarthy 19:21
Yeah, I’ve got so many good ideas. So we drapes, curtains. Around the beer garden. Yeah, you saw that right?
Mike Collette 19:33
Yeah, those are those are good.
Dan McCarthy 19:35
Props. Red Velvet Rope.
Mike Collette 19:40
Well, we got to get the paparazzi there so you got your route to contact the local newspaper you know the community advocate shout out the community advocate the Westboro patch, you know the local the local Westboro TV, shout out to all those locals.
Dan McCarthy 19:53
Can we do that? They’ll do it. They don’t got nothing to do.
Mike Collette 19:56
I guess we can but we got all the raw stuff here. I got a lot of notes. So what we’re gonna have to do is start to, like, start breaking down what we’re going to actually do and then make those decisions. But we definitely need help, we’re gonna have to kind of get a committee so if you guys are listening, I’m sure that Dan’s gonna help recruit but we’re gonna get like a vision is like a little member committee all kind of getting together and putting this party on. Food. You know, we can get our door or yours is options for like potluck style, it will bring your whatever you want to do bring food, we will have a bartender food, drinks, all that sort of stuff you want, but if you want to bring stuff and be able to bring stuff, but you know, it’s it’s like, it’s like a community, and people like bringing stuff. But now what are your thoughts? No, what are your thoughts?
Dan McCarthy 20:39
Personally, I would save money on the bartender have booze because like, no one’s gonna be stealing, stealing. It says like, serve your art, like what do you like? Like boom, like no, like, I don’t need a mixologist to form. You know, I would save money on the bartender and put it towards the budget for the food.
Mike Collette 20:57
The bartender is interesting, though, because it’s local bartender. It’s Debbie Huang’s dad, David Wong, who’s like, the famous bartender in town here makes the world famous myties. And, you know, you know what? The Asians haven’t been 100% made so we can still iterate?
Dan McCarthy 21:17
Yeah, yeah. All right. Here’s the nuts and bolts it’s my luck and it’s not catered who’s gonna be like, Man, I don’t want to work there. I’ll think this thing up but
Mike Collette 21:31
You don’t need to work the food we can bring get food, bring out throw it on tables, people can go around starve themselves thinking our dinner, drinks kind of hang out, you know, all
Dan McCarthy 21:40
for the party. The party that you go off at my place. We hired like two high school chicks that like, you know, restock the booze restock like the way if the ice was empty or whatever. Insanely helpful. Super cheap money. Like, yeah,
Mike Collette 22:01
Dan, we got to use your network.
Dan McCarthy 22:03
I’m Angela Brown. Like I’m I’m in it.
Mike Collette 22:06
Alright. I mean, we got some Rob planning down here. We got to make some make some decisions. Monday. Monday is typically our strategy day, so maybe we’ll revisit this on Monday and we’ll get the committee together. But uh, but yeah.
Dan McCarthy 22:19
Am I too intense right now? I’m sorry.
Mike Collette 22:20
No, you’re never too intense. Only when you’re listening to above and beyond.
Dan McCarthy 22:27
Oh, no way to do it. Three weeks? No, it’s four weeks. December 27. In Boston, they’re gonna be here.
Mike Collette 22:33
What are you talking about? I’ll come December. I’ll go with you. I got nothing. Mondays are tough. But if Erin, here’s my thing, Erin is like, let’s go. Then I’m there with you. And if I don’t go, I expect a FaceTime call from you. Show me what it’s all about.
Dan McCarthy 23:01
I’ll totally do that.
Mike Collette 23:02
I assume you’ll totally stream it live in the face Facebook group too.
Dan McCarthy 23:06
I don’t know what the the the general consensus of Yeah, I kinda like I’m on it too much. I like I feel. There’s Dam again, turn that fucking thing off already.
Mike Collette 23:24
Danyou got to realize our house is your house, you can do whatever you want. Just don’t just don’t you know, the only rule is don’t be an asshole. So you can go in the group, whatever, however much you want. You want to do live videos, you want to come in here and yell at people you want to find- I don’t care. Just have fun. It’s all about community. It’s the idea of like our family, one community. That’s what it’s all about. So all right, this is cool. You guys are listening. If you’re still listening, this is the these are the conversations that Dan and I have about stuff. And they go exactly like this every single time. So I’m glad that you guys got to got to listen in on our our little our mind mapping session. But again, the party is on Saturday, January 29. It’s gonna start probably around six ish PM, the details aren’t confirmed yet. But we do have our member awards. So you guys will be seeing some nomination stuff for that coming out soon. We also have our committee Club Award, which is like, so you know, all the folks that do more than 15 workouts in a month, you know, we highlight them on like social media. So at the end of the year, we pick randomly from a hat like the person like no, so again, if you have you around the committed, you know, the committed club for all 12 months, you would have 12 nominations in the right. So the more you’re committed, the higher probability that you’re gonna get picked, right? If you’re only in there, have a chance but you have a very less likely chance to have you know, the folks that have like, generate sure at the end of the day A year, we pick a committed club winner and they this will be our first committed club winner ever. So it’s gonna be pretty special. And
Dan McCarthy 25:10
You gonna make like a trophy cup?
Mike Collette 25:13
It’ll be pretty special. And they’ll be the first of the year and it’s a one year it’s basically it should be the the greatest award of the night because it’s it’s not sourced by the community. It’s sourced by your effort, you know, you being, you know, just committed person like in the community and everyone who’s in the committed club, even if you have to go anywhere there once has the opportunity to to win, it’s all at random drops.
Dan McCarthy 25:47
Wait a minute, right? If I only got one month of committedness, my one entry could not compare to Lisa’s 12 entries that she will have. There’s no way I’m more committed than Lisa. And I’m just using her as an example.
Mike Collette 26:06
There is an equal opportunity, though. It’s not so equal.
Dan McCarthy 26:11
So it’s like it is the greatest award but like
Mike Collette 26:16
The greatest award of chance. Maybe we’ll do a different. Now you got me thinking after I just said it’s the greatest award.
Dan McCarthy 26:31
It’s the greatest achievement. So I’m thinking also like, if you had a cup and then every year and like a new a new name is added, and they get to bring it home and eat cereal out of it. But then they have to bring it back to the gym.
Mike Collette 26:49
Why is it always cereal why isn’t it like pasta, or like macaroni and cheese. Drink beer. You know. Lobster ravioli. You know, you got me thinking what do you think you got you got me thinking about this, how we’re going to pick the the committed club winner, I think I think I’m gonna eat my own words for saying this live on there that we might be, we might change and it just got me thinking about stuff. So this is this is the power right? of collaboration. And yes, ideas and like feedback idea you like us right idea. Anyway, you know, feedbacks important, that’s why we do our feedback stuff for the gym, and for classes, that sort of stuff. So if you’re still yet mental mapping, if you’re listening to this still, and you ever come in any of our classes, you can give all of our coaches or any of our coaches feedback on the classes, it helps us improve. So be candid, give your honest opinion gives us more information and data to help you guys get better. And that’s just like a little plug there. I didn’t plan on going there. But I think this was a that actually just brought up a good point just to this conversation. But But Danny, I think at this point, we got a lot of good stuff. I mean, any any closing thoughts?
Dan McCarthy 28:10
Oh, yeah, no, I need help. We need help. Like,
Mike Collette 28:14
We need help. We need a committee and I think we’ll I think we’ll get a committee going. For sure. I think we got some fine folks. Throw some folks out there that you want on the committee. I think I think Jean Hanks would be a good one on the committee.
Dan McCarthy 28:33
Traci Lake. Oh my god. Yeah. Like she’s a party girl.
Mike Collette 28:38
She’s a party girl. She knows how to throw a party. I’ve been to her St. Patty’s Day party. They don’t have them anymore. They used to throw an epic one.
Dan McCarthy 28:46
I’ve ever heard of their St. Patrick’s Day party.
Mike Collette 28:48
I think they stopped doing it in like 2015 or 2016 or something like that. But it was the Oh, so I got invited. There’s Collin and Tracy there have the parties. And that’s how I kind of met Marty and Lillian and Tim Furbish. And so at that one drunken night, I was able to corral those folks into the gym. They even gave me their phone numbers. I’m sure me to text them on Sunday morning saying you know you’re committed now. So we got Tracy late we got we got Jean any other people you’d like to throw into?
Dan McCarthy 29:31
I mean, I don’t want to force anybody into it. But I just want to say that, like, yes, yeah, I am, like, totally inclusive, and like helping or getting like receiving people’s help, like 100%. And the more people involved, the the better it’ll be and easier. It’ll be throwing a party because it’s all about the details.
Mike Collette 30:07
Awesome. Well Dan, I appreciate the conversation this is a fun Community Conversation because it was just all over the place. Drive safe. I know you’re still driving right now.
Dan McCarthy 30:21
I’m not reckless just fast.
Mike Collette 30:23
Have a good rest of your day and I will be talking to you. You guys that are on still, thank you so much for tuning in to this week’s communication. You guys are the best we appreciate all you we love all you.
Dan McCarthy 30:32
Can we can we say like a secret code word. Just to like make sure that the people that were watching know the secret word. White Rabbit.
Mike Collette 30:49
The matrix. There we go. I gotcha.
Dan McCarthy 30:55
It’s a rabbit hole. We just fell down. A rabbit hole. Yeah. All right. Cool.
Mike Collette 31:02
Well, again, I appreciate it. Everyone listening. Thank you so much for tuning in to this week’s Community Conversation and we will talk to you all next week. Thank you guys.
Dan McCarthy 31:09
Peace out. Bye, see you guys.
Transcribed by https://otter.ai