Episode 89: Being Hospitable to Yourself: How to build rest and recovery into your work life with Dan Landes

Jul 19, 2021

This month, we’re talking about rest.

And if you had to think of an industry that really isn’t known for promoting restful downtime, hospitality would be at the very top of that list.

Maybe you’ve lived it?

If not through a stint as a restaurant server or line cook, most of us can probably recall a job where we were pushed to our absolute limits.

We weren’t creating hospitable environments within ourselves.

Long hours, late nights, putting on a smile when all you want to do is sleep. Or cry. Or collapse from exhaustion.

But...what if it didn’t have to be that way?

It’s time for a better model.

A model that inspires us to be more gentle, accepting, and hospitable to ourselves.

In today’s episode, Karlee shares a candid conversation about what it means to create space for rest from a veteran in the industry known for hustle. Dan Landes is a Denver native who opened two iconic restaurants in the Mile High City: Watercourse Foods and City, O’ City. He believed that hospitality at its core was reciprocal. By offering opportunities for yoga, fitness, and recharge to his employees, he demonstrated that rest and balance were values he believed in.

You’ll hear how rest became a company value and why that matters, particularly in an industry that’s built around human connection. Dan explains how rest and reflection form the basis of our authenticity, how that comes through in our hospitality to others, and why including these values within our working lives is a choice. They also discuss the mindset of high achievers when it comes to risk, and share an important lesson about the value we can extract from failure.

If you’re ready to hear a real life example of what does and doesn't work in the field of rest on the job, this is the interview for you.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode: