In this episode, we start with life updates—Alex shares his climb up Mt. Shasta and what it taught him about persistence, while Hannah admits the elliptical goal didn’t happen this week (and reflects on what got in the way).

Our main conversation focuses on the connection between physical health and mental health—especially how challenging that first phase can be before the benefits really kick in. We talk about the uphill battle of starting, why the payoff isn’t always immediate, and how consistency slowly transforms both your body and your mindset.

From giving habits just a little more time to finding the right moments in your day, we share strategies that have helped us stick with movement until it becomes part of life’s rhythm. We reflect on the patience it takes to get there, the compounding benefits once you do, and the grace to keep going even when you miss a week.

We close with an invitation: try building one small, consistent habit for yourself this week—and see what shifts.

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📨 Community Questions: Whether it’s about life in hospitality, wellness, work-life balance, or industry stories, we want to hear from you. Send us your questions, comments & suggestions by sending in a DM or submitting them HERE!

In this episode, we start with life updates from the crew—Hannah’s committing to 15 minutes a day on the elliptical to rebuild routine, Ashley’s balancing new creative interests while staying playful, Alex shares how he’s adapting movement around recovery and setting sights on Hyrox training, and Nick’s staying consistent with his coach and building out a longer-term fitness plan.

Our main conversation centers on procrastination: what it is, how it shows up, and what might be hiding underneath it. We talk about the difference between avoidance and bandwidth, how anxiety fuels delay, and the mental mountain tasks can become before we even begin. From habit stacking to reducing friction, we share tools that have helped us move forward—gently.

We reflect on the role of distraction, instant gratification, and the overwhelming demands of modern life. We explore what it means to live with more intention, to simplify your systems, and to give yourself grace when your to-do list feels bigger than your capacity. We ask: what does workable success look like for you?

👉 If you enjoyed this episode, please rate, review, and share it with a friend. 

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📨 Community Questions: Whether it’s about life in hospitality, wellness, work-life balance, or industry stories, we want to hear from you. Send us your questions, comments & suggestions by sending in a DM or submitting them HERE!

In this episode, we kick things off by sharing personal updates and talking about the realness of physical setbacks. From injury recovery to managing chronic pain, we dive into the tools, mindset shifts, and habits that help us move through difficult seasons. We reflect on how rest, space, and letting go of urgency can be part of goal-setting, too.

Our main conversation explores the concept of motivation—how it often comes as a spark, but isn’t always reliable. So how do we build systems that support us when the spark is gone? We unpack routine vs. ritual, habit stacking, mindset shifts, and finding your own “why.” We also tap into a community question before closing the episode with a round of gratitude.

👉 If you enjoyed this episode, please rate, review, and share it with a friend. 

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📨 Community Questions: Whether it’s about life in hospitality, wellness, work-life balance, or industry stories, we want to hear from you. Send us your questions, comments & suggestions by sending in a DM or submitting them HERE!

As sad as we are, El Patio prepares to close its doors on July 3rd, we encourage you to show some love—stop by for one last visit, grab some food, drinks, a hat, and soak in the magic that is El Patio and listen in to this episode that shares the story of a place that has meant so much to the community, and will forever be a staple in the books.

To Hamei and the entire crew: thank you for the countless memories, for building a space that felt like home, and for creating a true third place rooted in joy, celebration, and connection.

#TheWalkInClub #ElPatio #CheersToElPatio #CommunitySpotlight #SupportLocal

👉 If you enjoyed this episode, please rate, review, and share it with a friend. 

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📨 Community Questions: Whether it’s about life in hospitality, wellness, work-life balance, or industry stories, we want to hear from you. Send us your questions, comments & suggestions by sending in a DM or submitting them HERE!

Larry’s story is one of grit, curiosity, and deep care for the people around him. Raised in Chicago helping care for his Polish grandmother, he started working young and found pride in every role, no matter how small. His path led him from delivering prescriptions to executive chef at high end hotels, from his first catering gig in the Bay Area to building a waterfall at one of SF's legendary bars. He reflects on his transition into bartending through his culinary lens, making syrups and juices that helped bars thrive. Larry talks about designing kitchens and Walk-ins to opening his own restaurant from scratch, and why his first bar shift at Outsidelands was the shift that gave him 2 career paths in an industry he loves, and for that he feels gratitude. 

👉 If you enjoyed this episode, please rate, review, and share it with a friend. 

➕ Follow us on Instagram @WALK.IN.CLUB and join the conversation!

📨 Community Questions: Whether it’s about life in hospitality, wellness, work-life balance, or industry stories, we want to hear from you. Send us your questions, comments & suggestions by sending in a DM or submitting them HERE!

In this episode, we start with updates from the crew—Hyrox Fitness Race, The Murph, and how spa days can be self-care in motion. Our main conversation centers on the people and environments that shape us, including those we choose and those we can’t. From coworkers to media to family dynamics, we ask: how do others influence our energy and goals? We reflect on mindset, exposure, and creating spaces aligned with who we want to be. We also talk about how to manage relationships that drain us and how lows can be contagious. The episode ends with a moment of gratitude and remembrance for Alex’s grandmother and the care she gave to remembering the details of the things that truly mattered that she could share through stories.

👉 If you enjoyed this episode, please rate, review, and share it with a friend. 

➕ Follow us on Instagram @WALK.IN.CLUB and join the conversation!

📨 Community Questions: Whether it’s about life in hospitality, wellness, work-life balance, or industry stories, we want to hear from you. Send us your questions, comments & suggestions by sending in a DM or submitting them HERE!

From Fluffernutters to the Hotsy Totsy Club: Jessica Maria on creating her own path to opening up one of the Bay Area’s most beloved neighborhood bars, and everything in between.

In this episode of The Walk-In Club Podcast, we sit down with Jessica Maria, whose journey started at 13 year. We trace her roots back to Massachusetts working at Uncle Tony’s, where teenage shifts were full of flirting, fluffernutters were important, and the spark of discovering community in and what that really means. From cocktail waitressing in hotel bars to a surprise stint behind the scenes at Bill Graham Presents, Jessica learned every rung of the ladder through hustle and heart—including deadlifting kegs, tracking inventory for every show, and translating cocktail specs into Thai during her time running a bar in Thailand.

Her story winds through reinvention after reinvention—management roles taken by instinct, improv gigs, a move across the world, and the important rebuild of Hotsy Totsy. Through it all, Jessica reminds us that hospitality isn’t just about service—it’s about play, pressure, perseverance, and choosing love for the industry again and again.

We get into:

• Fluffernutters - a MUST try experience
• The early years of bar magic at Blake’s on Telegraph
• Faxing a resume to a mystery ad that led to Bill Graham Presents
• Running a bar in Thailand (and living through a tsunami)
• Rebuilding Hotsy Totsy with the help of community
• Her take on where the industry is headed, and how we can help

Jessica’s story is a reminder that there’s no one way to show up in hospitality—but showing up with intention, curiosity, and care will always be the way forward.

Follow @hotsytotsyclub to keep up with news, updates, a fun times!

👉 If you enjoyed this episode, please rate, review, and share it with a friend. 

➕ Follow us on Instagram @WALK.IN.CLUB and join the conversation!

📨 Community Questions: Whether it’s about life in hospitality, wellness, work-life balance, or industry stories, we want to hear from you. Send us your questions, comments & suggestions by sending in a DM or submitting them HERE!

We recorded this week’s Monday Pod back at The Combine in downtown Oakland (big thanks to Alex Hooper for the space, the sweat, and the vibes). After taking a movement class together, we settle in for a slower check-in—one that gently shifts what our check-ins might even look like moving forward. Ashley brings the grounding question: “What does support look like for you right now?” Alex shares about his upcoming men’s retreat in the woods, and Hannah names her craving to create more and stop holding herself back.

That conversation leads us right into this week’s theme: the fear of failure and the fear of regret—and all the spirals in between. We explore what’s really underneath our hesitation, the “what if” loops we get stuck in, and how hindsight can sometimes steal us from the present moment.

We talk about:

• The quiet courage it takes to give someone a compliment
• Social regret, talking to your crush, and getting out of your own way
• How fear and failure can co-exist, and why regret often feels heavier
• The stakes we weigh when deciding to go big… or play it safe

We wrap with a thoughtful listener question about how our time in hospitality has shaped our wellness journeys—what we’ve learned, unlearned, and how we’ve navigated the push and pull of care, burnout, and showing up for ourselves.

👉 If you enjoyed this episode, please rate, review, and share it with a friend. 

➕ Follow us on Instagram @WALK.IN.CLUB and join the conversation!

📨 Community Questions: Whether it’s about life in hospitality, wellness, work-life balance, or industry stories, we want to hear from you. Send us your questions, comments & suggestions by sending in a DM or submitting them HERE!

From Urban Farming to SOP Queen: Alissa Johnson on Adapting, Surviving, and Reimagining a Business

In this episode of The Walk-In Club Podcast, we sit down with Alissa Johnson whose path through food, farming, academia, and bar leadership is anything but ordinary. Alissa is the heart behind Oakland’s iconic Legionnaire Saloon, Beeryland and The Oakland Whiskey Library—but her journey started with a $5/hour counter service job and a dream of becoming a chef.

We dive into Alissa’s early roots in urban farming and food systems, her love of side-by-side coffee tastings, and the pivotal moment she realized the classroom wasn’t where she could make the biggest impact. From speech therapy grad school to building her own distillation rigs during a WWOOFing experience in Napa, Alissa’s story is one of reinvention, resilience, and serious resourcefulness.

After juicing citrus behind the scenes at the Starline Social Club, Alissa stepped behind the bar and never looked back. We hear how she helped lead through the chaos of the pandemic, a shifting bar identity, and the realities of tip fatigue in a changed industry.

We get into:
🌱 Learning distillation by actually building her own rig
🏫 The burnout of working in under-resourced academic systems
🍋 Juicing for Starline Social Club as a gateway to bartending
🏛️ BTS of operations behind the bar
🛠️ Becoming the "SOP Queen" and how structure helps fill in the gaps
💬 Why it's cool to care—and how community, systems, and adaptability are key to surviving the long game

Alissa’s story is a reminder that hospitality is about more than drinks—it’s about connection, curiosity, and the courage to change course when the path ahead calls for it.

🔗 Follow @legionnairekaraokesaloon, @beeryland_oakland, and @oaklandwhiskeylibrary to keep up with Alissa’s work and pour into the East Bay’s most intentional spaces.

👉 If you enjoyed this episode, please rate, review, and share it with a friend. 

➕ Follow us on Instagram @WALK.IN.CLUB and join the conversation!

📨 Community Questions: Whether it’s about life in hospitality, wellness, work-life balance, or industry stories, we want to hear from you. Send us your questions, comments & suggestions by sending in a DM or submitting them HERE!

We recorded our very first Monday Pod outside the usual studio— from The Combine in downtown Oakland (huge thanks to Alex Hooper!). Ashley checks in after a week of choosing softness and staying close to her “why,” Alex returns from a fun show at Red Rocks, and Nick shares a weekend that didn’t go to plan—but still landed as a win.

From there, we get into what it means to not be okay, and how hard it is to sit in the in-between without rushing to fix it. We get real about discomfort, friendship, therapy, and the small moments that help us move through heaviness.

From there, we dive into:

• The urge to “solve” hard feelings—and why it’s not always that simple
• What it means to build awareness around your patterns
• Therapy, stigma, and finding what actually works for you
• The difference between physical and emotional pain
• Why sometimes just the next step is enough

We wrap with six cartwheels (Petaluma, we see you!), a creative challenge featuring a very specific pigeon, and big gratitude to The Combine for hosting our first remote Monday pod.

Friendly disclaimer: We’re not professionals—just friends having honest conversations, sharing our personal experiences in hopes of opening up space for others. If you're struggling or need someone to talk to, we strongly encourage you to reach out to a mental health professional and please know, you’re not alone.

👉 If you enjoyed this episode, please rate, review, and share it with a friend. 

➕ Follow us on Instagram @WALK.IN.CLUB and join the conversation!

📨 Community Questions: Whether it’s about life in hospitality, wellness, work-life balance, or industry stories, we want to hear from you. Send us your questions, comments & suggestions by sending in a DM or submitting them HERE!