The Business of Joy

Meredith Sandland, CEO of Empower Delivery. Meredith has truly mastered the trifecta: tech, logistics, and joy! She shares her unlikely journey to the restaurant industry, her passion for solving complex problems, her unique perspective towards technology and its role in the restaurant experience, and so much more. Restaurants have always been one of my favorite topics, and Meredith is of the top...

Host Lisa W. Miller is joined by Emily Knight, President and CEO of the Texas Restaurant Association. In this episode, you'll hear how Emily's early experiences, from mucking stables to excelling in sports, shaped her into the fearless advocate she is today, giving her the grit and love of teamwork to make a real difference. Discover Emily's plans to continue fighting for the industry through key...

How discipline, focus, and commitment as D1 athlete set the stage to become the executive editor covering a trillion dollar industry… In this week's episode of "Bring More Joy to the Table," I sit down with my good friend, Alicia Kelso, Executive Editor of Nation's Restaurant News. We dive into Alicia's journey from lifeguard to leading journalist and the invaluable lessons she’s learned along the...

What can running a newsroom teach you about effective business leadership? Imagine this… A little 8 year-old girl pulling a wagon and delivering newspapers. Little did she know, she would grow up to be the Managing Editor of the Dallas Morning News! That’s how Amy Hollyfield got her start! In this episode, Lisa and Amy discuss mentorship, setting boundaries, finding joy amidst tragedy, and so much...

Host Lisa W. Miller is joined by Brad Williams, President of Dallas College El Centro Campus and Vice Chancellor of Operations. From his small-town roots to big-city impact, Brad emphasizes the importance of creating personalized experiences that empower students and foster lifetime connections. Rather than taking a one-size-fits-all approach, he emphasizes the need to truly listen to students and...

How do you retain creativity in a data-driven world? In this week’s episode, I spoke with Steve Smith, CEO of Firehouse Agency. We talk about the tension between top of funnel brand-building and bottom of funnel performance marketing, and how agency skills have had to evolve to keep up. What does it take to become AdAge's best small advertising agency to work at in the country? As Steve explains,...

What's it like to lead a company where every day is a joyful celebration? In this episode, host Lisa W. Miller speaks with David McKillips, CEO of Chuck E. Cheese and Peter Piper Pizza. You’ll get to hear about his inspiring journey from an hourly college worker at SeaWorld to leading the largest family entertainment brand in the world! In this conversation, we delve into his fearless navigation o...

Host Lisa W. Miller is joined by Cheryl Whiting-Kish, the President and Founder of Define Consulting! In this episode, Cheryl shares her journey: starting at Burger King at a young age, working her way up to the C-suite, and her tenure as Chief People Officer at HOA. We discuss into the valuable lessons learned from starting her own business, insights and perspectives on recent industry trends, an...

Host Lisa W. Miller is joined by Doug Willmarth, President of Mooyah. Doug has had an incredible and inspiring journey! After spending the first 10 years of his career as a Navy helicopter pilot, he transitioned into leadership roles at powerhouse brands like Kraft Foods, Pepsico/FritoLay, Pizza Hut, Wingstop, and more. In this episode, you’ll get to hear how his experience as a naval aviator mold...

Host Lisa W. Miller is joined by Carin Stutz, an industry legend who has experience in leadership roles at companies like Cosi, Brinker, Red Robin, McAlisters, Wendy's, Applebees and more. Carin shares both invaluable lessons learned about the industry and insights into what she believes the future may hold.

Host Lisa W. Miller is joined by Rose Kaur, marketing/brand story guru and managing partner of Jester & Genius. In this episode, Lisa and Rose discuss Rose's backstory growing up in India, how struggles can lead to unintended positive consequences, and how the ideas of "timeless" and "timely" work in conjunction to propel a brand.

Host Lisa W. Miller is joined by Anna Minto, founder of Transformational Change as well as You Are Possible, which provide customized coaching and executive advisory services, motivational workshops, and inspirational speaking for Fortune 500 companies and professional services firms. Her background includes a Harvard MBA, multiple International Coaching Federation certifications and 17 years with...

Host Lisa W. Miller is joined by Larry Lavine, founder of Chili's. In this episode, Lisa and Larry discuss the importance of culture in the early days of Chili’s, some of the things we are most excited about around the industry, dive into our passions and so much more.

Host Lisa W. Miller is joined by Mike Archer, CEO of Lou Malnati's. In this conversation, Lisa and Mike discuss differences between selling a product, a concept, and a brand, how relationships and culture can fuel lasting business growth, the benefits of controlling omni-channel and more.

Host Lisa W. Miller is joined by Ricky Richardson, CEO of Eggs Up Grill. In this conversation, Lisa and Ricky discuss Ricky’s pandemic-inspired mantra of survive, sustain, and grow and how it applies today, the value of finding your brand’s north star, the benefits of franchise-driven businesses, and so much more.

Host Lisa W. Miller is joined by John Cywinski, CEO of QDOBA and Modern Market Eatery. In this conversation, Lisa and John discuss some of the lessons learned from Covid, the growth of off premise vs. the value of dining rooms, and the unintended consequences the pandemic had on the youth in America.

Host Lisa W. Miller is joined by Starlette Johnson who offers a unique board perspective. In this conversation, Lisa and Starlette discuss the tension between traditional retention goals and the need for more freedom, the process of quantifying joy, and the risks of shrinking dining rooms.

Host Lisa W. Miller is joined by Barry McGowan, restaurant industry veteran and CEO of Fogo de Chão. In this conversation, Lisa and Barry discuss Barry’s upbringing in the restaurant industry, the importance of delivering joy, and how culinary knives are for more than just cutting.

Host Lisa W. Miller is joined by Jack Gibbons, the restaurant mastermind behind amazing chef-led restaurant concepts such as Ida Claire, Haywire, and Mexican Sugar. After starting his career at Pappas Restaurants as a waiter, Jack now serves as CEO of FB Society. In this conversation, Lisa and Jack discuss why dining rooms matter, the challenges of scaling, the perks of working in the restaurant i...

Host Lisa W. Miller is joined by CEO of Norton Creative, Robin Blanchette. In this episode, Robin shares her perspective on the creative challenges facing agencies today and a simple truth that is the core of her team’s success. Plus, you’ll hear why volunteering is foundational to who she is and what it was like starting her own company.

After much encouragement and some prodding, I finally decided to do a podcast! First up, I’m going to re-interview the CEOs and COOs from my book, The Business of Joy to see where they are now 4 years later. Then, I’ll be interviewing executives across other industries including retail, healthcare and even financial services! We all can bring more joy to the table, no matter what industry you are...