From selling lemonade as a child to overcoming a life-changing injury in 1994 that ended his military and athletic careers.... this conversation moved me!

Today’s episode is with John Register, a resilience architect and also a business man, Paralympic silver medalist in the long jump and keynote speaker. He shared his remarkable journey and for the first time he connected that his resilience started way before his injury.

Just a few of the incredible insights in this episode:


"In a new environment, we have to give our teams space and grace to grow, because there is no 'new normal' - it's a totally new landscape."

"Diversity of thought and skillsets on your team is crucial, like having both steady 'distance runners' and agile 'sprinters'."

"Resilience is not just about bouncing back, it's also about finding the silence embedded in resilience."

From the farm, and small-town roots, to big city success as a hospitality leader.

Wonder what it’s like being the youngest of 11 children and living on a working farm, then growing up to be Managing Director at the prestigious Omni Dallas?

For this week’s episode, I had the joy of talking with Carolyn Dent!

Here are some very cool stories that stood out to me….

🌱 Carolyn’s childhood “farm-to-table” life: way before it was a hip trend, Carolyn’s experience growing up on a working farm in Central Missouri as the youngest of 11 taught her early lessons about hospitality and the importance of family!

✨The magic and scale of the hotel industry: from culinary to security, the hotel industry has something for everyone. Even if you don’t know what you want to do now, it is a perfect launchpad for countless industries!

🏨 Inspiring the next generation: Carolyn talks about some of the partnerships the Omni has, including a mind-blowing project she did to transform a classroom to a simulated hotel!

Carolyn’s passion for people, giving back, and educating the next generation is obvious. She shares so many great perspectives and insights into leadership, work ethic, and hospitality.

We’ve all been watching the success of Chili’s lately - even during these crazy challenging times! Want to know Brinker President/CEO Kevin Hochman’s secret sauce? It’s pretty simple… literally!

“Ruthless simplification” is Kevin’s mantra that runs through all aspects of the business –

· Menu reduction (cutting the menu by 25% in the last 2 years)

· Training procedures (did they really need to be counting all the shrimp? - a great story)

· Communication (sharing the why’s of key decisions)

All while supporting each other and the guest… brilliant!

He shares countless back-to-basic stories that lead to a better Guest experience, and it all adds up to a business that’s on fire!