#027 - Christin Marvin - Failure, Fortitude & Freedom

Guest: Christin Marvin - Hospitality Coach, Author, Speaker and Founder of Columbine Hospitality, Denver, Colorado, USA

Host: Phil Street

In this episode, Phil heads across the Atlantic (Sort of) to Denver, Colorado, for a wonderfully candid conversation with hospitality leader, coach, author and speaker Christin Marvin.

Christin’s career began at 15, cooking in her family’s favourite Mexican restaurant, before taking her through high volume restaurants, luxury hospitality, leadership roles and no fewer than 13 restaurant openings. Along the way came success, failure, rapid growth, burnout and eventually the realisation that something needed to change.

Christin shares openly what those experiences taught her, why young leaders shouldn’t be in such a hurry to reach the next job title, and how stepping away from operations ultimately led her towards coaching, writing and helping other hospitality leaders build businesses that can run without them.

In this episode, you’ll hear about:

• Christin’s first taste of hospitality at just 15.
• Going from a shy small town kid to discovering confidence, community and competition through restaurants.
• Being promoted too quickly and falling flat on her face.
• Why taking a step backwards can sometimes be the smartest career move you make.
• The thrill, strategy and chaos of opening restaurants.
• Growing a restaurant business from six to 48 locations.
• The burnout that eventually forced Christin to rethink her relationship with hospitality.
• Why slowing down and reflecting became such an important part of her development.
• How vulnerability transformed the way she thought about leadership.
• The emotional process behind writing her first book.
• Christin’s People, Process and Profit framework and her mission to help operators build restaurants that run without them.

Listen now for:

• Why ambition without experience can sometimes work against you.
• How failure can provide the foundations for future success.
• Why great leaders need to be comfortable saying, “I don’t know, but I’ll find out”
• The importance of holding the mirror up to yourself.
• Why hospitality’s challenges and its opportunities look remarkably similar on both sides of the Atlantic.

Memorable Quotes:

“You can’t have success without failure” - Christin Marvin

“I’d much rather clean a flat top than pierce babies’ ears at a jewellery store in the mall” - Christin Marvin

“I don’t know, but I’ll find out” - Christin Marvin

“I woke up and looked at myself in the mirror and I was like, I don’t recognise who I am anymore” - Christin Marvin

This episode is for:

• Hospitality leaders navigating growth and responsibility.
• Operators who feel their business has become too dependent on them.
• Anyone who has experienced burnout or questioned what comes next.
• Emerging leaders impatient to make the next career move.
• Anyone who believes our failures can be every bit as valuable as our successes.

Links & Resources:

Phil Street (Host): LinkedIn & Instagram @hospitalitymeets

Christin Marvin: Hospitality coach, author and speaker

Christin’s Books:

• Hospitality Leaders Roadmap
• Multi-Unit Mastery

The Craft Guild of Chefs Website: https://craftguildofchefs.org/

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