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PODCAST

It"s Personal Stories, A Hospitality Podcast

David Kong, Dorothy Dowling, Rachel Humphrey, Lan Elliott

At It’s Personal Stories, A Hospitality Podcast, we believe that leadership is shaped as much by setbacks and self-doubt as by achievements and accolades. That’s why we go beyond titles and résumés to uncover the personal journeys of hospitality leaders—the moments of vulnerability, resilience, and courage that define true success.Since 2022, our mission has been to empower the next generation of leaders by sharing unfiltered stories of growth from across the industry. With more than 250 interviews

education self-improvement

All Episodes

31:59

Dean Kate Walsh, Cornell University Nolan School of...

It"s Personal Stories, A Hospitality Podcast ·

2025/01/13

Dr. Walsh shares her amazing journey from CPA to corporate trainer to her current role. We discuss how challenges are often opportunities in disguise, and her research on leadership and career development as well as strategic human capital investment. She offers advice on coalescing diversity, overcoming imposter syndrome and self-empowerment. Don’t miss her thoughts on using the latest innovation with hospitality as its ethos.

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30:50

Mark Keiser, President, Development, Viceroy Hotel...

It"s Personal Stories, A Hospitality Podcast ·

2024/12/23

Mark explains how his openness to trying different careers within hospitality and help from mentors helped him discover the area of the industry where he has thrived. He also shares the tool that allows him to deepen his connection with the many contacts he’s developed over the course of his career, and how listening to his team helps him build higher-performing teams.

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39:56

Kimberly Wilson, Senior Vice President, Global Sales,...

It"s Personal Stories, A Hospitality Podcast ·

2024/12/18

Join me on this learning journey with Kimberly Wilson, a brilliant sales leader at Preferred Hotels & Resorts, as we explore how fostering teamwork and mutual support—within teams and across departments—empowers sales leaders to better support customers, deliver on their needs, and drive meaningful customer success.

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39:45

Stacey Barber, VP of Travel, AAA National interviewed...

It"s Personal Stories, A Hospitality Podcast ·

2024/12/12

Join me for an insightful interview with Stacey Barber, AAA National’s VP of Travel, as she shares valuable guidance on fostering stakeholder engagement, ensuring every voice is heard, and empowering collaborative decision-making. Don't miss this inspiring conversation!

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34:43

David McCaslin, Partner, CapStar Advisors,...

It"s Personal Stories, A Hospitality Podcast ·

2024/12/06

Dave discusses the importance of delegating and continuous learning as one progress to larger roles. He shares how he acquired the New York Palace with a 3-person team – and why he hires people who have experienced failure. He explains how to navigate industry receptions, the right way to ask for something you want, and how to be prepared when opportunity knocks.

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33:23

Dr. Kelly McGuire, Managing Principal Hospitality at...

It"s Personal Stories, A Hospitality Podcast ·

2024/11/20

Join me on It’s Personal: Journeys and Wisdom in Hospitality with Dr. Kelly McGuire. From academia to early SaaS revenue management innovation, pioneering revenue strategy in casinos, and consulting in commercial strategy, Kelly shares her journey of embracing change, learning, and self-advocacy. An inspiring career story you won’t want to miss!

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32:12

Bashar Wali, Founder and CEO, This Assembly and...

It"s Personal Stories, A Hospitality Podcast ·

2024/11/19

Bashar discusses the many ways his passion and love for hospitality fuel his career journey. He talks about public speaking, how self-care means something different to everyone, and how he took every opportunity to learn through doing. Bashar shares what he's curious about, how his patience has both gotten better and worse over time, and taking risks.

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28:53

David Eisen, VP and Editor-in-Chief, HOTELS Magazine,...

It"s Personal Stories, A Hospitality Podcast ·

2024/11/12

David shares his strategies for effective panel moderating, how he uses LinkedIn to share his take on industry news, and what he's curious about right now. He discusses overcoming self doubt and developing new skills. He talks about why reading is important and his thoughts on formal education versus hands on experience to begin a career in hospitality.

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27:14

Hoda Tahoun, Practice Leader, Global Leisure &...

It"s Personal Stories, A Hospitality Podcast ·

2024/11/01

Hoda shares the tool she uses to create more authentic, human connections. She discusses current trends in executive recruiting and what hiring managers and top talent are looking for when interviewing. She describes the key attributes needed for the top jobs, the science and art of building high performing teams, and she explains why agility is so importance for success.

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32:40

Naureen Ahmed, Founder, Inspiring Women in...

It"s Personal Stories, A Hospitality Podcast ·

2024/10/29

Naureen discusses the Pie Theory, which says 60% of career development comes from exposure, which can come in the form of public speaking and developing one’s network internally and externally. She shares the 3 things she focused on to develop her public speaking skills, and the power of using pauses for impact. Plus, she discusses the importance of flexing one’s leadership style.

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30:08

Dina Belon, President, Staypineapple Interviewed by...

It"s Personal Stories, A Hospitality Podcast ·

2024/10/21

Dina discusses how her interest in sustainability and deep dive into it ended up being a pivotal moment in her career journey. She talks about advocating for yourself, having confidence, and seeking out mentors and allies who believe in you. Dina shares her strategies for public speaking, her personal mantra, her advice to her younger self, and why you should lead like a girl.

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36:52

Hannah Greenberg, Chief Executive Officer, Eleven...

It"s Personal Stories, A Hospitality Podcast ·

2024/10/21

Hannah she shares her intentional career journey, from childhood entrepreneurship and Cornell Hotel School, to consulting and private equity, and her transformative time at Berkeley Business School. Now CEO of a SaaS tech company, she reflects on leadership, learning, and mentorship.

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30:44

Dr. Michael Cheng, Dean and Professor, Chaplin School...

It"s Personal Stories, A Hospitality Podcast ·

2024/10/19

Dean Cheng shares his career journey and the important lessons he learned that enabled his success. We discuss the important qualities of a visionary leader, navigating a political environment and his general approach to challenges. Dean Cheng also offers advice to students, his younger self and personal empowerment.

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31:58

Amit Sripathi, Chief Development Officer, Wyndham...

It"s Personal Stories, A Hospitality Podcast ·

2024/10/18

Amit discusses his path from engineer to CDO of Wyndham with the pivotal reset and opportunities in between. He shares his leadership evolution and the skills he's focused on developing in his own leadership style. Amit also discusses the role of mentors, his style of relationship building, and why the hustle and the grind are so important in career development.

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30:18

Zack Gharib, President, Red Roof Interviewed by...

It"s Personal Stories, A Hospitality Podcast ·

2024/09/20

Zack discusses his journey from growing up in Lebanon to being the new President of Red Roof with various stops in between. He shares his personal mantra of 'people first' and his advice to his younger self to "trust in your path." Zack also talks about taking risks, curiosity, leadership, and the importance of attending industry conferences.

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29:07

Brian Barker, Executive Director, Alliance for...

It"s Personal Stories, A Hospitality Podcast ·

2024/09/10

Brian shares advice on finding mentors, cultivating champions, and what it takes to nurture those relationships. He explains how leading with kindness is a key factor in his success and how it can help young people distinguish themselves. Brian also shares what he wishes he had learned earlier, and the advice he would give his younger self.

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34:38

Susan Barry, President & Queen Bee, Hive Marketing,...

It"s Personal Stories, A Hospitality Podcast ·

2024/09/04

An entrepreneur by nature, Susan delves into how she approaches risk and why her tolerance for risk is getting higher. She shares the story of how she became an expert networker at a young age, and how she creates real connections. Susan explains why problem solving is key to distinguishing oneself, and why we can’t outperform our way to equity.

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28:50

Jim Burba_ Co-Founder_ Burba Hayes LLC _ Burba Hotel...

It"s Personal Stories, A Hospitality Podcast ·

2024/08/21

Jim Burba, well known co-founder of Burba Hotel Network (BHN) and producer of ALIS, HICAP and other industry investment shows shares his career journey and credits mentors such as Tony Marshall, Bob Hazzard and his partner Bob Hayes for their inspiration and encouragement for co-founding BHN and Burba Hayes. He offers tips from his book ‘Smart Partners’ on relationships and speaks to how his failures led to his success. Don’t miss his quote from Olivia Newton John on self-empowerment at the end.

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30:47

Zach Demuth_ Global Head of Hotels Research_ JLL...

It"s Personal Stories, A Hospitality Podcast ·

2024/08/19

Zach shares his experiences with imposter syndrome and find out whether he's a risk taker or risk averse. He discusses his strategies for public speaking, how his curiosity drives him, and how he tries to combine his career and personal life in ways that provide him balance. Zach talks about his mentors, his mentoring, and his advice to his younger self.

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35:04

Heather Balsley, Chief Commercial & Marketing...

It"s Personal Stories, A Hospitality Podcast ·

2024/08/09

Heather shares how her love for solving big, complex problems has led her to spearhead transformative initiatives within IHG, and she describes how she navigates cross-functional, multi-year challenges. She explains why having champions is critical the more senior you become, why public speaking is important, and how she crafts presentations that are both impactful and memorable.

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267 results

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