Director of Operations at Focus on Health

A mentor once told me, “You can’t take care of others if you’re not taking care of yourself,” which I come back to constantly. In hospitality, we’re so used to putting others first, but at the end of the day, we can’t pour from an empty cup.

I feel these skills are important for this industry: (1) Adaptability is super important — things change so quickly in hospitality, and being able to pivot is key. (2) Leading with empathy is another big one. Listening to people and trying to understand them and connect with them truly makes all the difference. (3) Another one is curiosity —being open to learning and growing keeps things fresh and exciting.

I find a lot of inspiration in my peers. Seeing other bartenders and hospitality professionals create change and push boundaries motivates me to keep going. I also get a ton of inspiration from organizations working to make our industry more sustainable and supportive, like Another Round Another Rally.

I like listening to the podcast, "No Proof" by Josh Gandee. It offers real, relatable conversations about sobriety and the hospitality industry. Josh brings on guests from all corners of the industry to share their experiences with sobriety, mental health, and finding balance in a field that can be pretty intense. I also like "The Daily" by the New York Times, which I started listening to a couple of years ago on my journey to be more clued into the world's happenings through a trustworthy news source.