In today’s episode, I sit down with Kayla Herrera: Director of Education and Training at Iconik Coffee Roasters, latte art competitor, and one of the most intentional service professionals I’ve ever worked with.

We talk about the hidden emotional cost of great hospitality, what it takes to train a world-class barista, and how to find meaning in a career that many people see as “just a job.”

Kayla also opens up about the pressure to lead, the fine line between passion and burnout, and what happens when your career goals start to clash with your personal life.

Whether you’ve worked in coffee, cocktails, or any high-touch industry: this conversation will hit home.

Expect to learn:

• Why most barista training fails
• The unexpected difficulty of coffee service
• How to inspire Gen Z employees without BS
• The true role of a service professional
• How to build a systems-driven culture without losing the heart
• What it really means to move with intention

Links:

• Iconik Coffee Roasters
• 4,000 Weeks: Time Management for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman
• Kayla on Instagram – (@kayla.nancy.barista)

Service starts now.

Follow the show: ⁠Spotify⁠, ⁠Apple Podcasts⁠, ⁠YouTube⁠

I talk mostly to people in and around the service industry space. I'm looking to hear from the people I wish I could have talked to when I was coming up in restaurants. Said another way: I am trying to make sense of this wild, beautiful mess of a life, and help others that are feeling similarly confused and/or lost. You can find more of my work at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠my blog⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and all my social links are at the bottom of that page.

Classic Episodes You May Like:

-#10:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Nat Harry, cocktail expert!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

-#14:⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Dr. Shalini Bahl, mindful marketing⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

-#22:⁠⁠Doug Frost MW MS⁠⁠

-#23:⁠Jeffrey Morgenthaler⁠

As always, I’m just here taking notes, trying to figure out what it all means.

Cheers

This is me, talking to the wise and wonderful and rambling...me. Glad you can listen in. Each week, I typically sit down with world-class bartenders, winemakers, programmers, poets, and the occasional wildcard, to talk shop, life, craft, failure, redemption, and what it actually takes to serve others without losing yourself in the process.

See you all at mead stampede next year!

Service starts now.

I talk mostly to people in and around the service industry space. I'm looking to hear from the people I wish I could have talked to when I was coming up in restaurants. Said another way: I am trying to make sense of this wild, beautiful mess of a life, and help others that are feeling similarly confused and/or lost. You can find more of my work at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠my blog⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and all my social links are at the bottom of that page.

Classic Episodes You May Like:

-#10:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Nat Harry, cocktail expert!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

-#14:⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Dr. Shalini Bahl, mindful marketing⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

-#22:⁠Doug Frost MW MS⁠

-#23:Jeffrey Morgenthaler

As always, I’m just here taking notes, trying to figure out what it all means.

Cheers

00:50 The Journey of Writing and Sharing Knowledge

03:33 Cocktail Crafting: Learning from Mistakes

06:48 Respecting Classic Cocktails

09:41 The Art of Tasting and Developing Cocktails

12:37 The Design Process in Cocktail Creation

15:36 Navigating the Bar Scene and Mentorship

18:43 The Evolution of Bartending and Management

21:39 The Importance of Flavor Memory and Experience

24:34 Judging Spirits and Continuous Learning

27:54 Embracing Individual Strengths

28:29 The Evolution of Bartending Culture

29:39 Trends in the Cocktail Industry

31:46 Pricing and Customer Experience in Bars

33:34 The Importance of Flexibility in Bar Operations

35:42 The Non-Alcoholic Movement and Its Impact

39:39 The Future of Drinking Culture

48:32 Challenges of the Restaurant Industry

52:36 Innovations in Cocktail Preparation

What if everything you thought made a great bartender was wrong?

Today’s guest is Jeffrey Morgenthaler. If you’ve touched a jigger in the last 15 years, chances are you’ve felt his influence. He’s the guy bartenders read, steal from, and share his writings far and wide.

Whether you’ve never bartended or you’ve been behind the stick for 20 years, this conversation will challenge the way you think about hospitality, creativity…and maybe even your own career.

Links:

• Jeffrey’s Website (where you can find all the free drink calculators he mentions at the end of the conversation!)
• Instagram

Pour yourself something good (maybe a bloody mary, you’ll see why during the convo). This one is pretty funny...

Expect to Learn:

• How to batch cocktails without ruining them
• The truth about $25 martinis
• Why some bartenders sound like clowns
• How to fix mint syrup
• The forgotten art of fun in bars
• Why most NA cocktails suck (and how to fix them)
• The power of flavor memory
• How to build better menus faster
• Why Long Island Iced Teas deserve respect
• How to avoid pricing people out of your bar
• Why most “original cocktails” are actually sloppy
• The hidden cost of not questioning your bar setup (which is being grilled by Jeffrey on a podcast!)

.

Service starts now.

I talk mostly to people in and around the service industry space. I'm looking to hear from the people I wish I could have talked to when I was coming up in restaurants. Said another way: I am trying to make sense of this wild, beautiful mess of a life, and help others that are feeling similarly confused and/or lost. You can find more of my work at ⁠⁠⁠⁠my blog⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and all my social links are at the bottom of that page.

Classic Episodes You May Like:

-#10:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Nat Harry, cocktail expert!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

-#14:⁠ ⁠⁠Dr. Shalini Bahl, mindful marketing⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

-#22:Doug Frost MW MS

As always, I’m just here taking notes, trying to figure out what it all means.

Cheers