HOW DO YOU MANAGE THE PHYSICAL DEMANDS & STRESS OF THE JOB?

Exercise. I can’t stress it enough, but not only for obvious physical reasons. If there is one thing that keeps me grounded, focused, and as stress-free as possible is having the gift of an hour to myself, with my headphones, not thinking. Wherever I am, the first thing I do is find a gym close by to have this ME time. You mentioned the real me: this is it, just me with myself. I need it to function, to enjoy the rest of the day, my work, and every single other activity in the day. I also have my coach Rebeca who is in charge of my nutrition. She completely understands my lifestyle! I watch what I eat but in a very relaxed way, I have an ideal “plate bluesheet” that I can adapt to every meal.

What are the steps helping you to bring them together and find the balance?

As I said, these di erences are all part of who I am, and accepting that they are both me helps me bring them together. People often don’t realise how hard it is to pretend that everything is fine when they're going through a hard time Before becoming who I am professionally I had a hard time accepting every part of me. Accepting and coping with every phase of my life. Not only are hospitality jobs stressful but if life outside our work’s doors is di icult too, it’s hard to smile and look after people and keep your head up. I used to try and hide what was wrong and drank to cope because I thought I’d only be able to have that balance if I was somehow under « anaesthetic ». The problem with excessive consumption of all sorts in this industry is that we often normalise it and see it as « just another night out » if we see someone having a little too much. We never interpret it as that person being in pain or trying to cope. To find that balance I knew that what was right for me was decreasing until I just stopped.

One of the many incredibly valuable lessons I took from a previous relationship that helps me balance all these di erent facets is to always ask myself: what would the real me do? what does the core me want? because that way I know that if I’m being honest right at the core then I’ll be honest as both Jesus and the Ambassador and if I’m good, the rest is good.

What would define as the 'traps' of working in the industry that leads to an unhealthy way of living?

There are so many! But I think the worst thing for me was unhealthy and excessive alcohol consumption. This is what we work with, our literal work tool and we are also constantly searching for inspiration from others, going to support each other by drinking each other’s delicious creations. We also tend to let o steam at the end of a big shift by rewarding ourselves with alcohol. It’s a never-ending cycle because we create that psychological link: we associate alcohol with stress relief. Our world revolves around it. After lockdown, having stayed sober for it’s entirety, my body just started resenting it so much and the hangovers got incredibly intense. I needed to remove alcohol almost entirely from my life to stay sharper. I ADORE flavour, in food and in drinks and I have to try cocktails a lot, but my little secret is this: trying doesn't mean finishing, and we can try with our nose and palate. We don't always have to swallow to have all the flavours and we most certainly don’t need to finish the drink!

Do you manage to have a social life outside of the industry?

I have learned to manage it a lot more. I think because I have been in this industry for many years, a lot of my closest friends are industry professionals but we tend to get together and do things not necessarily related. It’s food and beverage so we have to eat and drink but we have home-cooked meals. I am incredibly lucky to have some friends that cook extremely well though, I know! When I’m not working I try and stay away from bars and restaurants and do things unrelated, so if you’re taking me on a date, it’ll have to be the cinema or theatre . Take me to see Beyoncé.

With your experience, what actions do you take to preserve yourself?

I tend to stay in a lot more and enjoy my own company. My job is literally to go out and socialise. Some hospo people are like my family and I love it so much, but I tend to stay by myself to balance it out . Alone is such a villainised adjective but because most of us are uncomfortable being left to our own thoughts. Lockdown helped me learn to enjoy and cherish being by myself. Alone is beautiful too! I try to be alone fifty percent of my time and then surrounded by gorgeous people the other half!

PUT. YOURSELF. FIRST. ALWAYS.

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Do you think there’s a need for partners to support more the industry, through programs, education, and resources?

We need to start focusing on other things that are equally important for us to function in our job without it being work-related. I think anything that is not hospitality- related but more well-being-related within our group would be great, for example, all getting together for sports or other activities. To form friendships outside of drinking. Something that is crucial for us to perform well is to be well inside and out, brain, you know, (the most important part of our body), included. Psychological counseling would be something incredible as well.

What are tips and advice to the community and newcomers on how to maintain their well-being and work-life balance?

I think hospitality people need to take extra care of themselves because, to some extent, taking care of others, is OUR JOB. We ourselves need to master taking care! You cannot put someone’s oxygen mask before yours to save them, you can’t teach someone to drive a car if you don’t know how to do it yourself. It sounds like so « self-help » book but you need to be kind to yourself. Yes, go out, yes enjoy every second as time is precious but you only get one body, one vessel that will carry you for §the rest of your life, and one beautiful soul you’ll hang out with every second of it. Nurture them, listen to your body. PUT. YOURSELF. FIRST. ALWAYS. No job, no CAREER no passion can be carried out well if we are unwell. This also means listening to your body. Moderation is key: if you’re 'dying' after a night out this probably means 'don’t go die' again tonight. And something that my therapist taught me as well is that if you are going to go wild, make sure you always know the di erence between doing it for fun and doing it for avoidance.