Hospitality from Within

Hosted by Kim Lerner

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Jun 2025

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June 11, 202551 min

Ep 55 - Humans solve human problems with Mei Ratz

Ep 55 - Humans solve human problems with Mei Ratz   About Mei Mei Ratz is driven by a deep commitment to nurturing human potential and fostering equitable opportunities for all. As a devoted mother, partner, daughter, and sister, she brings a blend of empathy, insight, and strategic thinking to her endeavors. Mei's diverse professional background spans executive coaching, DEIJ (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice) program design and facilitation, question engineering, brand creation, art direction, group coaching, and community development.Grounded in a foundation of communication design education and sharp question forming skill, Mei approaches her work with a keen eye for innovation with a focus on how to support people and communities in their goals of sustainability and care. She believes in empowering individuals to unlock their full capabilities and advocates for leadership that prioritizes equity and authenticity.In all her endeavors, Mei is guided by a profound sense of compassion, humor, and a relentless pursuit of excellence. She strives to create spaces where individuals can rest, communities can flourish, and everyone has the opportunity to be heard and valued.

May 28, 202542 min

Ep 54 - The greatest storytellers are tour guides with Angelo Carotenuto

Ep 54 - The greatest storytellers are tour guides with Angelo Carotenuto Listening to Angelo connect his dots backwards on how he founded LivTours leaves us with no surprise that his path led him to create business to curate unique experiences through tours. This collaborative conversation feels like a story every step of the way! About Angelo Angelo Carotenuto, founder of LivTours, has been transforming travel since 2009 by creating intimate, unforgettable experiences across Europe. Starting as a tour guide and performer in his hometown of Rome, Angelo saw the demand for authentic, small-group and private tours and launched LivTours (formerly LivItaly Tours). A hands-on leader, he forges partnerships, trains expert guides, and supports a global team dedicated to delivering top-rated, hand-crafted travel moments. Thanks for tuning in to today’s episode. If you’re ready to dive deeper into leadership and clear the sticky energy that can hold teams back, head over to The School of Hospitality from Within. You’ll find powerful resources designed to help you lead with clarity, confidence, and connection. As a valued member of our podcast community, you can use the code COMMUNITY20 at checkout to receive 20% off the Lead with Confidence Membership. This gives you full access to leadership courses, videos, worksheets, guidebooks, and so much more to support your growth. Until next time, lead confidently and keep it only yummy, always. 

May 14, 202530 min

Ep 53 - Having a beginner mindset with Anna Gordon

Ep 53 Having a beginner mindset with Anna Gordon Anna’s journey is far from traditional and it is rooted in the love of connecting with the community and sharing the roots of her partnership. Anna founded The Good Batch over 15 years ago and every day since has continued to be curious, create and define what leadership means to her. In this collaborative conversation, Anna shares, without sugar coating ** pun intended **, her path back towards herself and how it has had such an impact on her team culture and business.  About Anna Anna Gordon is the chef and founder of famed cookie bakery The Good Batch. Anna’s popular Brooklyn-based bakery first garnered NYC interest when she launched at the Brooklyn Flea / Smorgasburg in 2010 - she was met with lines down the block and quickly sold out each weekend.  Her bakery in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn opened in 2014, and has become a national destination as well as a neighborhood staple. The Good Batch is known for hearty, innovative, flavor-forward cookies, ice cream sandwiches, and beautiful layer cakes. The company has a robust wholesale program, distributing their baked goods to the finest coffee shops and cafes around NYC. Anna runs the bustling business with her husband, Steve Hartong, and among many other accolades over the years, she is a member of the James Beard Foundation's WEL (Women’s Entrepreneurial Leadership) program.    Thanks for tuning in to today’s episode. If you’re ready to dive deeper into leadership and clear the sticky energy that can hold teams back, head over to The School of Hospitality from Within. You’ll find powerful resources designed to help you lead with clarity, confidence, and connection. As a valued member of our podcast community, you can use the code COMMUNITY20 at checkout to receive 20% off the Lead with Confidence Membership. This gives you full access to leadership courses, videos, worksheets, guidebooks, and so much more to support your growth. Until next time, lead confidently and keep it only yummy, always. 

April 30, 202514 min

Ep 52 - shining light on all the literal leaders out there

What I have learnt about myself through understanding how literal I am is that I need to communicate very directly with people that I believe everything they say at face value, unless I can read in their body language or voice that they are joking or being dishonest. It feels so vulnerable to share this off the bat and I have to. I’ve been hurt many times because when someone may be joking or being sarcastic about something, I take it seriously and to heart. Which means I’ve wasted time on assignments or projects before because I listened and then acted on it. This never felt good. Understanding your and others’ language is crucial to establishing communication bridges and trust within a team. Assumptions that we all understand when one is kidding around is hurtful and unkind. It creates that sticky and prickly energy that is so hard to recover from. If you feel seen by reading this - you’re not alone - there are many of us are walk this path of taking everything literally. For a full article and tools on supporting yourself or a colleague who is literal - subscribe to Hospitality from Within here. 

March 21, 202513 min

EP 51 - Falling in love with yourself with Kim Lerner

Ep 51 - Falling in love with yourself with Kim Lerner   In this solo episode, Kim shares the impact and discomfort of allowing yourself to fall in love with you. She shares a bit on her personal journey and what she has learnt along the way.  Falling in love with yourself roots you in everything you are, allows you to navigate all of the storms and sunny moments in life, and takes you away from chasing and people pleasing. It supports your confidence and encourages others to trust your leadership in a big way.  Ready to climb? Grab your seat and join me in The School of Hospitality from Within where you’ll build your toolkit at your own pace and get group support in the community circle with a live monthly call me with. For more resources on leadership and eliminating the sticky energy from team culture, visit The School of Hospitality from Within. As a part of the community, use the discount code : COMMUNITY20 for 20% off the Lead with Confidence Membership that unlocks access to leadership courses, videos, worksheets, guidebooks and more!

February 26, 202544 min

Ep 50 What energizes you and makes you happy is what you should be doing with your life with Matt Hunnel

Ep 50 What energizes you and makes you happy is what you should be doing with your life with Matt Hunnel Matt’s energy and care for the people he gets the opportunity to work with is unique and unlike most leaders you may cross paths with. His dedication and commitment to himself and the teams he works with is powerful and obvious. Matt shares his path that was always paved with the desire to learn more, be more respectful to his peers, and advance his career forward. He is now an owner / operator of TRUCE in Chicago - almost one year to celebrate with so much to recognize and what he is most proud of is the team he gets to work with and the leader and human he has evolved into today.  About Matt Matt Hunnel is a Chicago-based bar owner and hospitality veteran. His roots in this industry stem from Lincoln, Nebraska, beginning a lifelong career of infusing midwestern hospitality and a selfless sense of community in each shake, stir, and pre-shift led. In the past ten years, Matt has led cocktail programs at iconic Chicago catalysts like 2-Michelin starred restaurant, L2O, and Jimmy at the James Hotel, as well as been a hospitality leader in larger-than-life staples like Cindy's Rooftop and RH, having the opportunity to lead hundreds of emerging hospitality professionals in service, wine, and the art of opening new businesses. Over the past two years, Matt has been working alongside his business partners at Good Company Hospitality Group to open TRUCE, one of Chicago's top new bars, offering coffee and cocktails, and that deeply intentional midwestern hospitality that started it all. In his rare-but-free time, Matt can be found doing leg workouts at the gym, watching reruns of Rupaul's Drag Race with his fiancé David, or daydreaming about what the next hospitality space he and his team will open next. For more resources on leadership and eliminating the sticky energy from team culture, visit The School of Hospitality from Within. As a part of the community, use the discount code : COMMUNITY20 for 20% off the Lead with Confidence Membership that unlocks access to leadership courses, videos, worksheets, guidebooks and more!

February 19, 202534 min

Ep 49 - It’s ok to go in and out of working for yourself with Daisy Zeijlon

Ep 49 - It’s ok to go in and out of working for yourself with Daisy Zeijlon Daisy is an inspiration to anyone that crosses her path. She is on a mission to open the communication lines and visibility into what it means to be a woman solopreneur and to help us all level the playing field. In this conversation she shares her journey and how passionate she is about educating all so all boats rise together. She’s all about transparency and also self-reflection to understand when it’s time for her to pivot both as a business owner and as a mother and partner. We have so much to learn from Daisy’s story!   About Daisy She’s a brand and communications consultant and founder of In The Wings based in Copenhagen. She holds 10+ years of experience working with leading companies across industries, including celebrity chefs, global restaurant groups and consumer products. She holds a postgraduate degree in Food Studies from New York University, where her research explored the intersections of food and gender. Her earliest foray into hospitality took place in 2000 when she hosted a themed dinner party for a handful of close friends and family.  I was 8.   For more resources on leadership and eliminating the sticky energy from team culture, visit The School of Hospitality from Within. As a part of the community, use discount code : COMMUNITY20 for 20% off the Lead with Confidence Membership that unlocks access to leadership courses, videos, worksheets, guidebooks and more! If you sign up before the end of this month, you will get a free 1:1 hour coaching session with Kim Lerner for you to schedule before the end of the year. 

February 5, 20251 hr 1 min

Ep 48 Being back in a learning role with Darcy Spence

Ep 48 Being back in a learning role with Darcy Spence This conversation is the definition of leading oneself and trusting intuition. Darcy’s journey is far from linear and each corner that she was curious to explore led her to her next chapter. Darcy shares everything she learnt each part of the way. It wasn’t always full of joy and she found herself burn out more than she would’ve hoped but even those moments brought her to her next opportunity. More importantly, her last burn out taught her how to lead herself, how to put on her own oxygen mask first and to be brave and set boundaries. This is a very raw and vulnerable conversation with so many impactful lessons that we can all benefit from! And thank you Darcy for giving a shout out to all of your mentors and collaborators who were a part of your journey! About Darcy Darcy grew up as a picky eater with a sweet tooth in Massachusetts. While studying architecture at UC Berkeley, she fell in love with California produce. Through meals with friends and many many books, she began to explore ingredients (especially fruit) and cooking. After graduating college in 2016, Darcy moved to New York City, where she landed her first kitchen job between architecture internships. She got swept up into cooking professionally, mostly on the pastry side, and contributed to menus at places including Superiority Burger, Yellow Rose, Leo, Saraghina, and numerous popups. In spring of 2024 she moved to Martha’s Vineyard to help open the new Beetlebung Farm bakery and to try out life a little closer to the beach. Darcy has a Substack called BUSTUB where she shares her favorite recipes and adaptations, as well as the ingredients, tools, books, and people that have shaped her as a cook.   For more resources on leadership and eliminating the sticky energy from team culture, visit The School of Hospitality from Within. As a part of the community, use discount code : COMMUNITY20 for 20% off the Lead with Confidence Membership that unlocks access to leadership courses, videos, worksheets, guidebooks and more! 

January 22, 202526 min

Ep 47 - Done is better than perfect with Natalie Black

Ep 47 - Done is better than perfect with Natalie Black Natalie took a leap and followed her gut that has led her to be one of the most trusted photography and videographers for chefs and restauranteurs in NYC. Her story is not linear and she shares it with us so openly. Natalie shares how she partners with her clients and how important it is to her to listen to them and create the space where they feel safe to be seen and build their brand identity with her support. She’s carved out a niche spot for herself in the hospitality community and we are so glad she’s here!   About Natalie With 12+ years of experience as a photographer and digital media professional, Natalie sets herself apart by using data to create high-performing content and to position new brands competitively. She's managed brand strategy for 20th Century FOX, Fandango, The CW, and more recently led the visual creative direction and digital media footprint for the Michelin star restaurants, Crown Shy and SAGA, and the World’s 50 Best Bar #34, Overstory. Currently she supports restaurants and chefs around New York City offering short form storytelling through video, and digital media services.  Her work has been featured in The New York Times, Eater, New York Magazine, Michelin Guide, 50 Best, New Yorker, Grub Street, Vogue, Time Out, and The Today Show. For more resources on leadership and eliminating the sticky energy from team culture, visit The School of Hospitality from Within. As a part of the community, use discount code : COMMUNITY20 for 20% off the Lead with Confidence Membership that unlocks access to leadership courses, videos, worksheets, guidebooks and more!

January 8, 202534 min

Ep 46 - Moving with integrity with D Rooney

Ep 46 Moving with integrity with D Rooney D speaks honestly and openly about her journey of being a co-founder of Rock Steady Farm. Intuition, activism and community are all at the core of who D is and how they lead themselves each day. This conversation is a look inside how passionate, caring and compassionate the farming community is. D prides themselves in being a steward of the land and that’s how they teach others to think about the soil and all of those that came before us.    About D Since 2012, D (all pronouns) has dedicated their life, spirit, and energy to the radical dreams and actions of being in collaboration with many to create spaces of belonging and upliftment as a farmer, teacher, and organizer within food systems work. At that time, D became a student and member of the Farm School NYC community and credits it with providing them with the lens to see a world that requires collective change and the conditions and opportunities to discover their own power and voice. Since then, D has gone on to be a co-founder, worker-owner, and Director of Farm Operations at Rock Steady Farm, where for the last nine years D has worked incredibly hard to create a project that demonstrates strong values and commitment to their rich communities. D’s work pursues the cultivation of collective liberation through acts of empowerment, growing nourishing food for many with a reverence for nature and with deep relational care of each other and all of our ecosystems.For more resources on leadership and eliminating the sticky energy from team culture, visit The School of Hospitality from Within. As a part of the community, use discount code : COMMUNITY20 for 20% off the Lead with Confidence Membership that unlocks access to leadership courses, videos, worksheets, guidebooks and more!