Stir-fried donkey anyone? Our guest today would call that delicacy. Andrew Zimmern is a three-time James Beard Award-winning TV personality, chef, writer and teacher.

He’s one of the most well-known and knowledgeable personalities in the food world and the creator, executive producer and host of the Bizarre Foods franchise on the Travel Channel. Maybe you’ve caught it? Andrew daringly eats what few of us would EVER put in our mouths.

But his success arrives from a challenging past. While he knew from a young age that he wanted to be in the food industry, his drug and alcohol addictions made him crash and burn. He spiraled out of control, losing his apartment and living on the streets for a year. After his friend intervened, he attended the Hazelden Foundation in Minnesota. He began washing dishes at a restaurant as he worked through his sobriety. One day when a line cook didn’t show up for his shift, Andrew took over his station and within seven weeks was named Executive Chef. He was responsible for turning the restaurant, Un Deux Trois, into one of America’s first successful gastro-bistros.

In addition to Bizarre Foods Andrew has a new show debuting in August called Driven by Food, which he’ll tell us all about in the interview. In our conversationAndrew also speak openly and honestly about being addicted to WORK and possibly money.  And how to create a deeper personal motivation for working hard and being smart with money.