Hospitality Mavericks Podcast Show

In this episode, Gina discusses her nearly two-decade hospitality journey from starting in hotels at 15 to leading people and culture at Flat Iron, explaining how operational experience translated into learning, recruitment, HR, and culture leadership. She defines culture as what a business tolerates, walks past, celebrates, and rewards, emphasizing a strong feedback culture and the importance of...

Michael interviews Klaus Thomsen of The Coffee Collective about building a Denmark-based coffee company rooted in direct trade, transparency, and barista craftsmanship. After Thomsen won the 2006 World Barista Championship, he and co-founders Casper and Peter started the company in 2007 to address unfair farmer compensation by cutting middlemen, contracting directly with producers, and sharing cos...

Michael hosts Christian to discuss how voice AI can solve a persistent restaurant operations problem: missed phone calls that cost revenue and damage guest experience. Christian shares his early experience working front-of-house in a busy Southern California restaurant where calls were often ignored, then explains how a 2024 voice AI demo led him and his cofounder to build Loman, now used by 1,500...

Michael interviews Australian dentist Michael Filosi about applying counterintuitive, hospitality-centered ideas to dentistry to break industry norms. Filosi bought a rundown dental practice and, after realizing he couldn’t be the best clinician, pivoted—drawing on Good to Great’s hedgehog concept—toward building the best dental practice by focusing on business ownership, high standards, and patie...

Michael and Brandon discuss the intersection of AI and culture in hospitality, arguing AI can strengthen culture by removing routine work so teams can focus on human guest experiences. Brandon shares his career path from line-level resort roles to leading Fathom’s hotel management arm within a Maine-based real estate development firm focused on adaptive reuse and “sense of place” upscale soft-bran...

Michael and Pete Hurley discuss how hospitality organizations may shift away from large full-time head offices toward fractional and project-based senior talent to improve flexibility, innovation, and profitability amid tight margins and job insecurity. Hurley shares his career from launching a hospitality tech startup in 2004 that evolved into a cultural-venue operator business he ran for nearly...

In this episode, Michael introduces Ruth Jacobs, a registered mental health nurse and founder of Certified Minds, to discuss where mental health efforts in industry have landed and how to create behavioral, cultural, and systems change that builds resilience. Ruth shares her background in CAMHS and eating disorder inpatient care, her experience managing during COVID lockdowns, and how gaps in pedi...

In this episdode, Michael welcomes his longtime friend Yazz Abdulla, previously a guest during the pandemic to discuss food delivery and dark kitchens. They reflect on Copenhagen Street Food’s grassroots style, then focus on founder-led hospitality businesses: founders often stay emotionally attached, operate like self-employed workers, lack systems (ops, HR, marketing, supply chain), misunderstan...

Michael welcomes Tom James, to discuss winning in a hyper-competitive hospitality market through counterintuitive strategy and team buy-in. Tom shares his 30-year hospitality journey, joining Bill’s five years ago as operations director before becoming managing director, and describes the shift from an ops-only lens to leading cross-functionally with a two-year plan. Bill’s distilled 257 actions i...

Michael interviews Stephen Logue, an economist and former FMCG marketer who became marketing director at Berni Inns, founded a research-led consultancy, and later owned restaurants. Logue explains how market research identified five consistent drivers of restaurant success—cleanliness, service, atmosphere, food quality, and value for money—and how redesigning and standardizing Berni Inns (includin...

In this episode, Michael speaks with chef Sam Jett about building restaurants that serve communities, people, and the planet. Sam shares how he shifted from a planned healthcare path into cooking, credits McDonald’s for teaching standards and systems, and recounts formative time in Copenhagen kitchens including Relæ and Noma. After years as Sean Brock’s right-hand leader across multiple brands, Sa...

In this episode, Michael interviews Alexander Kjerulf, a former tech entrepreneur who founded a company in 2003 focused on happiness at work and has delivered talks and workshops in over 50 countries for clients including Microsoft, IKEA, IBM, Hilton, and Shell. They discuss research linking workplace happiness to higher productivity, creativity, retention, lower absenteeism, and stronger company...

Michael interviews performance mental coach Graziano Cocco about what separates thriving “maverick” leaders from those merely surviving and how to build high-performance teams. Graziano shares his journey from London hospitality roles (including Head of People) to founding Inside Up, coaching football for 10 years and working at Crystal Palace plus athletes in sports such as tennis and rugby, whil...

Michael interviews Anthony Collins, founder of Work Better Studio, about applying lean thinking and the service-profit chain in hospitality and service businesses by focusing on processes and resources rather than blaming people. Collins shares his path from graphic design to founding DirectSki.com, acquiring Ski Beat, and becoming group CEO of Topflight Travel Group, then leaving to advise compan...

In a Copenhagen podcast, Michael interviews Gregers Knudsen, co-founder of Monotree, about creating a platform that unifies frontline communication, onboarding/learning, checklists, and events on top of workforce management systems to replace fragmented tools like Facebook, WhatsApp, and overpowered enterprise software. Gregers traces his path from hospitality into tech (via Planday), where he saw...

Michael interviews Bjarke Just Nielsen, founder of Norrlyst Koncernen in Copenhagen, about building a fast-growing restaurant ecosystem and related tech companies. Nielsen left corporate roles at Novo Nordisk and TDC, opened his first restaurant about five and a half years ago, then pivoted during COVID—without government support—by keeping staff and launching a deli that succeeded, accelerating h...

Michael welcomes returning guest Lars Kure Juul, author of The Happiness Sweet Spot and his new book Compassion in Action, to discuss why leaders gravitated most to the compassion chapter and how it led to deeper work on self-compassion and implementation. Lars argues compassion is active (beyond empathy): interest in others’ difficulties plus a desire to act, building trust, psychological safety,...

Michael welcomes Nicole back to discuss her new book, "Help Wanted," focused on finding “human magic” in hiring—going beyond technical skills and surface-level values fit to build teams and cultures that can withstand challenges. Nicole, a culture architect and founder of Banana Pepper HR, argues hospitality is at risk of becoming transactional and has an opportunity to re-center belonging and hum...

In this episode, Michael engages in a fascinating conversation with Jack Stack, a pioneer of open book management and the author of 'The Great Game of Business.' Jack shares his journey from working for a Fortune 500 company to turning around a factory on the brink of closure through employee buy-in and financial transparency. He discusses the importance of teaching employees to understand financi...

In this insightful episode, Michael and Ally discuss their annual meetings focused on self-improvement and navigating life transitions. They reflect on the last year's theme of managing transitions, driven largely by personal changes such as moving countries and taking on new projects. The conversation delves into understanding change versus transition, with an emphasis on the significance of the...

In episode three, host Michael and special guests Mark Felix and Joel Robinson dive into the intricacies of pricing strategy, drawing valuable lessons from the retail and hospitality sectors. Joel, founder of Openr, shares insights from his extensive experience in both grocery and hospitality, emphasizing the transformative potential of sophisticated pricing management. Mark Felix, with a rich bac...

In this episode, we dive deep into the world of hospitality with Cassie Davison, the author of 'Standout Hospitality.' Cassie brings over 30 years of experience in the hospitality industry and shares insights from her journey, including owning and operating award-winning venues, consulting, and building a community for independent operators. We explore the five pillars of wisdom outlined in her bo...

In this episode, Michael talks with Greg from 'Only A Pavement Away,' a charity co-founded by Greg and his wife, Jill, to help disadvantaged individuals secure employment in the hospitality sector. Greg shares the story behind the charity's inception and its significant impact, having placed over 800 people into jobs and added £32 million to the economy since its launch in 2018. The discussion cov...

In this episode, Michael welcomes Henry from Apron to discuss the financial pain points faced by hospitality operators. They delve into how Apron, founded in 2022, helps streamline business payments with consumer-grade simplicity. Henry explains how Apron addresses challenges like managing supplier payments, payroll, and employee expenses from a single platform, drastically saving time for busines...

In this episode, Michael, Joel and Stephen discuss the significant lag in technological advancements within the hospitality industry, particularly in back-office systems and data processing. Despite recent efforts made due to the pandemic to digitize front-of-house operations, the conversation highlights the need to improve operational aspects to enhance customer experiences. Issues such as repeti...