Episode Summary

In this very special episode of Hospitality Meets, I sit down with the incredible Maya Gilbert, hospitality lifer, dog lover, and now… coastal legend!

Maya recently completed a jaw dropping walk around the entire English coastline, that’s over 2,700 miles, to raise funds and awareness for Hospitality Action. With a £10 a day budget, a dodgy tent, and a heart full of purpose, she set off from Liverpool armed with nothing but determination, humour, and (possibly) too much stuff in her backpack.

What follows is a funny, moving, and downright inspiring conversation about resilience, community, and the power of doing something “big and stupid” for all the right reasons.

Expect laughter, blisters, fake IDs, beagles, and life lessons by the bucketload.

Key Takeaways

• From Fake IDs to Front of House: Maya’s hospitality story starts with fake ID and evolves into a thriving management career
• Bin Area Epiphany: Sometimes career clarity arrives mid meltdown behind a pub.
• Dogs, Pasta, and Pandemic Pivots: From dog walking to a food truck business, Maya’s career has more twists than a Netflix drama
• Naïve Brilliance: She planned her 2,700-mile charity walk with roughly zero logistical planning and some rose tinted glasses... and that might have been the secret to finishing it
• The Kindness of Strangers: From pub gardens to spare rooms, the hospitality of Britain literally carried her around the coast
• Redefining Hospitality: It’s not just restaurants and hotels - it’s everywhere people show kindness
• From Anxiety to Adventure: Turning 30 meant closing one chapter and opening another on foot.

Memorable Quotes

“Tell me you’ve got ADHD without telling me you’ve got ADHD: I started a dog walking business”

“Everyone said, ‘That’s stupid.’ And I thought… yeah, but is it?”

“Hospitality doesn’t end when you leave a bar or a restaurant — it’s everywhere. Every day, someone showed me kindness”

“Sometimes you just need to do something big and stupid to remind yourself what you’re capable of”

Connect with Us

If you love stories of courage, chaos, and community, this one’s for you.

Support Maya and Hospitality Action - Maya Gilbert is fundraising for Hospitality Action

Learn about Hospitality Action here - https://www.hospitalityaction.org.uk/

And to sign up and support the walk for wellbeing, click here

Final Thoughts

Maya’s story is more than an epic walk — it’s a love letter to hospitality, human kindness, and the messy, beautiful art of saying “why not?” instead of “what if?”

Whether you’re in hospitality, need a reminder that good people are everywhere, or just fancy a laugh about fake IDs and too-heavy backpacks and soooo much more — this episode is the very definition of joy

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