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Hospitality Mavericks Podcast Show

Hospitality Mavericks Podcast Show

Michael Tingsager 382 Episodes Jun 25, 2026

Hospitality Mavericks Podcast Show features interviews with over 200 leaders, thinkers, and experts who challenge conventional business norms. The podcast focuses on building businesses that make a positive impact on people, community, and the planet. It is a network for those seeking a different path in leadership and entrepreneurship.

Episodes

#326 Tom James Managing Director at Bill's - Putting Guest Happiness at the Center Jun 25, 2026 52:00 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 int
#325 Stephen Logue Consultant at Hospitality Blueprints - Why Cleanliness and Service Can Beat Food Jun 11, 2026 57:06 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 (including
#324 Sam Jett Executive Chef at Audrey - Appalachian Cuisine, Local Sourcing, and Circular Restaurant Systems May 28, 2026 51:26 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, Sam
#323 Alexander Kjerulf Chief Happiness Officer at  Woohoo Inc. - Stop Putting the Customer First May 14, 2026 01:05:02 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 r
#322 Graziano Cocco Performance Mental Coach - Lessons from Elite Sport for Hospitality Leaders Apr 30, 2026 59:21 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, while
#321 Anthony Collins Founder at Work Better Studio - Lean Thinking in Hospitality: Fix the System, Not the People Apr 16, 2026 01:05:54 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 compani
#320 Gregers Knudsen Co-founder and CEO at Monotree - Powering Frontline Culture in Hospitality Apr 2, 2026 01:10:51 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
#319 Bjarke Just Nielsen Founder at Norrlyst Koncernen - Scaling Restaurant Quality with Tech and Culture Mar 19, 2026 01:08:32 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
#318 Lars Kure Juul Founder at GNTL - Gentle Giants and Purpose-Driven Leadership Mar 5, 2026 01:07:33 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,
#317 Nicole Antonio-Gadsdon Founder at Banana Pepper HR - Hiring for Human Magic and Hospitality Alchemists Feb 19, 2026 01:14:42 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
#316 Jack Stack CEO at SRC and The Great Game of Business - Unlocking Business Success with Open Book Management Feb 5, 2026 01:03:41 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 financia
#315 Ally Gordon Coach | Confidant | Mentor - Embracing Change and the Power of the Nervous System Jan 22, 2026 01:05:02 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

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