The Shifting People Podcast

Sobriety, Mental Health & Leadership in Restaurants with Jeffrey Boland Sr. of Postino WineCafe

In this Shifting People Podcast episode, co-hosts Derek Williamson and Kathleen McDonough welcome back Jeffrey Boland Sr., Area Director of Operations at Postino WineCafe and “The Culture Coach,” for a conversation on sobriety and mental health in hospitality. Jeffrey shares how addiction derailed his early career, how he entered restaurants at Chili’s in Charlotte in 2005, and how sobriety in 2008 enabled his growth into leadership. He discusses restaurant-specific triggers such as cash, late nights, alcohol access, and especially the pull of after-work community, emphasizing the importance of speaking up and finding support like AA, Ben’s Friends, CHOW, and the Burnt Chef Project, plus therapy to build communication and self-awareness. Jeffrey previews his book, “A Drug Addict’s Guide to Leadership and Life,” tying recovery principles to leadership, accountability, and supporting teams under intense shift stress.

Jeffrey's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffrey-boland-sr-18960a166/

Sobriety + Mental Health Resources:

Ben’s Friends: https://www.bensfriendshope.com/

CHOW - culinary hospitality outreach + wellness: https://chowco.org/

AA: https://www.aa.org/

Burnt Chef Project: https://www.theburntchefproject.com/

00:00 Podcast Welcome

00:31 Meet Jeffrey Boland

01:27 Accidental Hospitality Start

04:15 Career Growth and Sobriety

06:40 Fatherhood and Identity Shift

08:41 Returning to Restaurants

12:20 Restaurant Triggers Explained

13:26 Community as Risk and Support

19:56 First Steps to Get Help

20:55 Recovery Resources and Therapy

23:29 Therapy Finds Your Voice

25:26 Writing Through Healing

27:55 Imposter Syndrome Truth

28:36 Book Concept Revealed

30:32 Dad’s Love Leadership

33:58 Restaurant Stress Science

38:27 C Suite Shift Meltdown

40:35 Moral Inventory Leadership

43:16 Perfectionism Accountability

45:41 Resources Newsletter Farewell

Guest Experience Strategy That Sticks: Training, Shift Huddles & Service Recovery with Josh Liebman

On the Shifting People Podcast, co-hosts Derek Williamson and Kathleen McDonough interview Josh Liebman, founder of Lieberman Leisure and co-host of the Attraction Pros podcast, about building sustainable guest experience culture across attractions and other service businesses. Josh shares his path from Cedar Point ride operator to roles with Disney, Universal, and luxury hospitality consulting, then into training and guest experience strategy for organizations ranging from miniature golf to museums, zoos, and aquariums. He explains how to shift frontline mindsets by recognizing guests don’t need to be there and could choose endless alternatives, then offers practical methods to exceed expectations: personalize interactions, be more enthusiastic than the guest, and anticipate needs. Josh emphasizes integrating guest experience vision from day one, reinforcing it through daily micro-trainings in shift meetings (even with staggered starts), hiring for awareness, and empowering frontline staff with effective service recovery to create stronger memories and reviews.

Josh’s website: https://www.liebmanleisure.com/

Josh’s linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshualiebman/

00:00 Podcast Welcome

00:27 Meet Josh Liebman

00:54 From Cedar Point to Consulting

04:18 Building Guest Experience Strategy

07:01 Mindset Shift for Frontline Staff

09:06 Nobody Needs to Be Here

13:08 Three Ways to Exceed Expectations

16:43 When to Train Experience Skills

20:30 Guest Service as a System

27:50 Shift Meetings With Staggered Starts

30:37 Applying It Beyond Attractions

33:04 Memories Reviews and Storytelling

36:20 When Things Go Wrong

36:35 Service Recovery Hero

37:36 Recovery Paradox Explained

39:25 Empowering Frontline Teams

41:51 Why Names Drive Reviews

44:35 Avoiding Review Incentives

46:40 Podcast And Resources

49:28 Hosts Debrief Takeaways

51:45 Shifting Question Shift Meetings

53:18 Shifting Question Micro Moments

55:35 Shifting Question Recovery Permission

59:46 Final Wrap And Thanks

Stop the Shift Show: Scott Greenberg on Leading Hourly Teams, Building Culture, and Hiring Better in Service Businesses

On the Shifting People Podcast, hosts Derek Williamson and Kathleen McDonough interview Scott Greenberg—author of Stop the Shift Show, speaker, consultant, coach, and former Edible Arrangements franchisee—about leading and retaining hourly workers in service and franchise businesses. Greenberg shares how a cancer diagnosis led to a speaking career, then to franchising to gain real leadership experience, revealing how motivational clichés fail with frontline teams. He explains differences between salaried and hourly work, emphasizing meeting employees where they are, flexibility, appreciation, psychological safety, and connecting jobs to employees’ goals. He outlines ways to improve recruiting by treating job posts like marketing using logos/ethos/pathos, and to improve hiring with role-specific traits and scoring rubrics instead of “gut feel.” He also discusses making mission and values practical through concrete behaviors and reinforcing culture consistently.

Visit Scott's website: ScottGreenberg.com

Scott's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-greenberg-1b17539/

00:00 Podcast Welcome

00:39 Scott’s Origin Story

02:59 From Cancer to Keynote

04:02 Reality Check Franchise Life

07:01 Meet Workers Where They Are

08:41 Hourly vs Salary Mindset

12:36 What Hourly Workers Need

16:23 Franchisee Pathways

18:47 Recruiting Like Marketing

22:47 Interview Rubrics Not Gut

25:39 Why Training Misses People Skills

27:51 System Versus Culture

29:40 Cult Brands Examples

32:34 Scaling Culture Guardrails

35:45 Mission Values Early

37:22 Values Into Behaviors

40:34 Protecting Culture Daily

42:32 Wrap Up And Where To Find

43:54 Hosts Debrief Takeaways

46:32 Shifting Questions Action

52:15 Final Recommendations

Building a People-First Culture at P. Terry’s: Scaling HR, Training, and an LMS with Marisa Garcia & Kelly Cockrell

@ShiftingPeoplePodcast Co-hosts Derek Williamson and Kathleen McDonough welcome Marisa Garcia, VP of Culture at P. Terry’s Burger Stand, and Kelly Cockrell, Director of Training and Development at P. Terry's Burger Stand, to discuss scaling people operations while protecting culture. Marisa shares her hospitality and HR background, why P. Terry’s reputation for treating employees well drew her in, and how she became the first HR professional to modernize compliance, handbooks, payroll, and online onboarding to reduce manager paperwork. Kelly describes her training and leadership development experience and outlines how they approached selecting and implementing an LMS: defining outcomes first, scripting vendor demos, aligning with a holistic “learn anytime, anywhere” philosophy, and supporting internal growth. They cover success metrics, field feedback via the FRIES advisory committee, high internal promotion rates, and P. Terry’s community giveback days supporting local nonprofits.

P. Terry's Burger Stand Website: https://pterrys.com/

P. Terry's Burger Stand LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/pterrys

Marisa Garcia's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marisagarcia1/

Kelly Cockrell's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kellycockrell/

JUNE 6, 2026: P. Terry's Giveback day is this Saturday June 6, 2026 -    "One of the things I just love about P. Terry's is our commitment to serving our communities. Each quarter, we'll pick a Saturday, and the profits for that day will go to a local charity. Our giveback day is only a few days away on June 6th, and this month, we will be giving to Hungry Souls in Austin, Childsafe in San Antonio, and East End Human Needs Ministry in Houston.

So come on out on Saturday, have the best burger, amazing fries, and a s'mores shake, and support your local charities"

00:00 Podcast Welcome

00:27 Meet The Guests

01:04 Marisa Career Journey

02:45 Why P Terrys Culture

04:19 Kelly Background Story

06:25 A Culture Of Care

07:59 Marisa And Kelly Partnership

11:53 First HR Hire Challenges

17:42 Process Wins For Managers

19:31 When You Need An LMS

21:56 Running The LMS RFP

23:32 Learning Beyond The Job

26:37 Open Access Training Model

28:50 Rolling Out With Feedback

29:13 Team Naming Rituals

30:19 Crew Growth Pathways

33:07 Culture Role Rebrand

36:58 LMS Success Metrics

38:07 FRIES Feedback Loop

41:33 Quarterly Give Back Days

44:51 Community Relief Stories

46:46 Episode Wrap Up

47:11 Hosts Debrief Highlights

50:00 RFP Philosophy Questions

53:03 Process Impact Lens

55:03 Final Takeaways Sign Off

How Income Advance Loans Reduce Financial Stress, Turnover, and Lost Productivity | Rhino Foods Foundation

On the Shifting People Podcast, co-hosts Derek Williamson and Kathleen McDonough interview Christina Blunt (executive director) and Chris Hines (income advance program manager) from Rhino Foods Foundation about the employer-sponsored Income Advance program, created at Rhino Foods in 2007 with North Country Federal Credit Union. The foundation works to expand affordable small-dollar credit so workers can handle unexpected expenses with dignity. They explain how the program partners employers with lenders to offer up to about $2,000 loans repaid via payroll deduction, using employment tenure rather than credit scores for eligibility, with credit reporting and an automatic savings pathway. They contrast this with earned wage access products that can resemble payday lending when used beyond short-term timing needs, discuss employer ROI via reduced turnover and productivity losses from financial stress, share examples including a Maine hospice/home health employer, and note current expansion across New England, New York, Chicago, and Southern California.

Rhino Foods Foundation Website: www.rhinofoodsfoundation.com

ROI Calculator: https://www.rhinofoodsfoundation.org/income-advance-roi-calculator

Christina Blunt’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christinablunt/

Chris Hynes’ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrishynes2/

Rhino Foods Foundation LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/rhino-foods-foundation/

00:00 Podcast Welcome

00:32 Meet Rhino Foods Foundation

01:37 Christina Background

03:02 Chris Background

06:10 How Income Advance Started

09:33 Program Mechanics Today

13:02 Credit Building And Savings

16:42 Earned Wage Access Risks

23:00 Employer ROI And Benefits

28:40 Success Stories In Action

37:18 Where The Program Operates

40:38 Wrap Up And Resources

42:07 Post Episode Debrief

43:45 Shifting Questions Takeaways

49:54 Final Links And Goodbye

From Robotics to Frozen Yogurt: Vee Patel on Hiring for Character, Community, and Cross-Training Teams

On the Shifting People Podcast, co-hosts Derek Williamson and Kathleen McDonough interview Vee Patel, Executive Director at Wize Computing Academy and KGS Foundation and a Menchie’s Frozen Yogurt franchisee. Patel shares her journey from growing up in India and moving to the U.S. in 2007 to building multiple businesses after gaining experience in banking and retail. She explains launching Wize Computing Academy to teach kids robotics and coding (including LEGO robotics, Minecraft Python, Roblox AR/VR, and AI) and preparing students for FIRST LEGO League competitions, then acquiring an existing Menchie’s location and rebuilding trust with staff after absentee ownership. Patel discusses hiring for character and presence over technical skills, using mock classroom scenarios, training and shadowing, creating customer-service culture through intentional language, cross-training employees across both businesses, prioritizing consistent scheduling, and building non-transactional community partnerships that support recruiting, retention, and referrals.

Visit Vaishali's LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vaishali-patel-243b98287/

00:00 Podcast Welcome

00:27 Meet Vee Patel

00:54 From India to US

03:09 Entrepreneur Mindset

04:35 Launching Wize Academy

06:30 Adding Menchies Franchise

07:47 What Wize Teaches

08:37 Hiring Great Instructors

12:40 Taking Over Menchies

13:44 Building Staff Trust

17:29 Culture and Training Reset

20:32 Customer Service Language

24:18 Cross Training Both Teams

29:13 Growing Employees Careers

32:10 Scheduling and Belonging

32:44 Leading With Love

35:27 Community as Operating System

38:35 Authentic Partnerships

41:17 Kindness Over Transactions

42:39 Where to Follow Vee

44:56 Hosts Reflect on Model

47:55 Shifting Question Community

51:36 Shifting Question Curiosity

56:14 Final Wrap and Goodbye

Leadership in Hospitality: Jennifer Thomas on Rooted Connections & the Power of Five

On the Shifting People Podcast, co-hosts Derek Williamson and Kathleen McDonough interview Jennifer Thomas, founder of Rooted Connections and VP of Sales at John Anthony Wines, about her hospitality-to-wine-sales journey and why she built an online, self-paced leadership development platform for nontraditional schedules. Jennifer outlines the Rooted Leadership Program’s four modules—identifying your leadership style, charting your course through past resilience, tackling fears by reframing worst- vs. best-case outcomes, and the “Power of Five” framework for building a network of comfort-zone, intimidator, dream-job, outlier, and protege relationships. The conversation covers retention and onboarding in hospitality, leadership as a learnable skill at every level, the importance of community and asking better questions, and reflections on women’s emotional attachment to companies and balancing what organizations ask from employees versus what they give back.

Jennifer’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenniferthomas0624/

Rooted Connections LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/rooted-connections-consulting/

Rooted Connections website: https://www.rooted-connections.com/

Substack: https://rootedconnections.substack.com/

00:00 Podcast Welcome

00:27 Meet Jennifer Thomas

00:51 Hospitality to Wine Sales

02:19 Why Rooted Connections

03:45 Building the Program

05:46 Charting Your Course

07:59 Tackling Fear Factors

08:57 Power of Five Network

15:03 Pitching It to Leaders

19:39 Community and Midcareer Support

24:03 Success Stories and Wins

27:28 Women Advancing in Hospitality

28:13 Curiosity And Better Questions

29:32 ChatGPT As Networking Aid

30:16 Accountability Over Complaints

32:06 Stop Saving The Company

35:30 Protect Your Energy First

37:03 Finding A 50 50 Culture

38:40 Company Introspection And Balance

40:01 Where To Find Jennifer

42:14 Hosts Debrief And Takeaways

45:00 Shifting Questions Wrap Up

49:56 Final Sign Off

Communication, Cohorts, and the Myth of Burnout with Matt Heller | Shifting People Podcast

Derek Williamson and Kathleen McDonough welcome Matt Heller, founder of Performance Optimism Consulting and co-host of Attraction Pros, who shares his nearly 40-year journey from ride operator at Canobie Lake Park to leadership development at Universal Orlando and launching his consulting firm in 2011. Heller explains that most leadership challenges come down to communication and fear, and describes his cohort-based mastermind programs that help leaders build confidence and vulnerability with peers outside their organizations. He outlines philosophies from his books, including aligning recruiting, hiring, training, recognition, and termination around company values, and argues burnout’s “myth” is the assumed cause, emphasizing lost purpose and leadership impact. The discussion covers training as a funnel, spaced “breadcrumb” learning, seasonal staffing mindsets, and how Attraction Pros started in 2017.

Matt Heller's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattheller/

Matt's Consulting Business, Performance Optimist Consulting: https://www.performanceoptimist.com/

Attraction Pros Podcast: https://attractionpros.com/

Matt's Books

All Clear: A Practical Guide for First Time Leaders and the People who Support Them: https://www.amazon.com/All-Clear-Practical-Leaders-Support/dp/1614935513

The Myth of Employee Burnout, What it is. Why it happens. What to do about it: https://www.amazon.com/Myth-Employee-Burnout-happens-about-ebook/dp/B00G9GPT8M?ref_=ast_author_mpb

00:00 Podcast Welcome

01:03 Matt Heller Journey

03:19 Consulting Focus Areas

06:12 Coaching As Therapy

07:24 Mastermind Cohorts

12:16 Attractions Industry Pull

15:04 People First Leadership

18:23 Employee Lifecycle Wheel

21:49 Recognition And Repetition

24:29 Training Funnel Approach

27:52 Breadcrumbing Hospitality

29:43 Seasonal Training Discipline

31:07 Year Round Seasonal Mindset

32:36 Planning Next Years Leaders

33:50 Getting Staff To Return

36:59 Burnout Purpose And Leadership

41:55 Attraction Pros Podcast Origin

44:53 Best Episodes To Start

47:03 Wrap Up And Takeaways

Building Restaurant Culture That Scales: Jeffrey Boland Sr. on Love, Dignity, Respect & Hiring for Growth

On the Shifting People Podcast, co-hosts Derek Williamson and Kathleen McDonough interview Jeffrey Boland Sr., Area Director of Operations at Postino Wine Cafe (Upward Projects), about his journey into hospitality after being fired from construction work amid substance abuse, and how the industry shaped his life and 17 years of sobriety. Boland describes leading Postino’s North Carolina and Georgia locations amid rapid expansion and shares how he evaluates cultural alignment, spots burnout signs, and advocates respectfully when strategies differ. He outlines leadership principles of love, dignity, and respect, plus non-negotiables of punctuality, proper uniform, and attitude, and discusses culture as intentional standards. The episode covers hiring and development, internal transfers, onboarding trips to Arizona, “real talk” sessions with hourly teams, mental health support ideas, and doing the right thing during opening delays by paying employees.

Jeffrey's Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffrey-boland-sr-18960a166/

Postino WineCafe Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/postino-winecafe/

Email Postino: [email protected]

00:00 Podcast Welcome

00:42 Jeffrey Origin Story

03:41 Postino Role Overview

07:51 Values Fit Red Flags

12:04 Love Dignity Respect

17:10 Culture Fence Framework

21:00 Future Resume Hiring

28:33 Building Employment Waitlists

31:43 Benefits Mental Health Support

34:22 Hourly Team Feedback Loop

34:50 Reframing Benefits Conversations

37:04 Growth Without Losing Culture

39:27 Scaling Culture Through Transfers

41:21 Pre-Opening Communication Habits

43:44 Do The Right Thing Story

47:30 Where To Follow Jeffrey

48:37 Hosts Debrief Key Takeaways

51:59 Shifting Question Culture Evidence

56:57 Shifting Question Compete On Benefits

59:18 Creative Perks And Employee Input

01:01:54 Wrap Up And Next Steps