Hospitality Meets... with Phil Street

From Baptism of Fire to Michelin Leadership
This week on Hospitality Meets, Phil sits down with Douglas Balish - Executive Chef and Director at Grove of Narberth, Hotel Chef of the Year, and a man shaped by some of the toughest kitchens in the business.
From washing dishes in Ayrshire…
To getting “pans thrown at his head”
To learning to run in kitchens where nobody walked…
To leading his own Michelin starred brigade
And all of the lessons that come with that
This is a candid episode about pressure, humility, growth — and the fine line between breaking someone and building them.
In This Episode
Starting out as a 15 year old dishwasher in Scotland
Walking away from university to chase kitchens instead
The brutal reality of early Michelin kitchens
Why some pressure builds you, and some destroys you
Taking demotions to grow faster
Working at Bohemia and being completely out of his depth
The intensity of Whatley Manor
Moving to Australia to work at Quay
Why leadership is not one size fits all
Creating dishes when nobody’s ever let you create before

Baptism of Fire
Douglas doesn’t sugarcoat it. His early Michelin experience was brutal.
80-hour weeks.
Staff accommodation from hell.
Being told he was useless.
Working until nothing fazed him.
And yet, he doesn’t look back with bitterness.
He looks back with perspective.
Because for him, that pressure didn’t break him.
It sharpened him.
Not because bullying is good (Obviously) but because understanding why something is happening matters
The Psychology of Kitchens
There’s a fascinating thread in this episode. Douglas nearly studied psychology. Instead, he learned it in kitchens.
He talks openly about:
Realising he wasn’t as good as he thought
Being publicly humbled
Being dropped down the ranks
Taking ownership instead of walking away

And most importantly, how that shaped the leader he is today.
He’s clear:
Management isn’t one-size-fits-all.
Some chefs need an arm around them.
Some need structure.
Some need challenge.
The job is knowing the difference.
From Scotland to Sydney
His journey takes him through:
Jersey
The Cotswolds
Australia
Back

Building a Regenerative Farm Stay
This week on Hospitality Meets, Phil sits down with Caitlin Owens, Managing Director and co-owner of Fowlescombe Farm, a luxury farm stay in Devon built on regenerative farming principles.
What started as a family meat farm became a pub
What started as a consulting career became a hospitality adventure.
What started as “how hard can it be?” became… chlorine spraying out of beer lines.
This episode is about naivety, chaos, regenerative farming, and why hospitality might just be the most beautifully human industry of them all.
In This Episode
Quitting consultancy during lockdown to learn hospitality in Switzerland
Running a pub during the wild summer of 2021
The science (and danger) of cleaning beer lines
Why hospitality operates permanently on the edge of chaos
What consulting really taught her (hint: it’s not insurance maths)
Bringing regenerative farming into luxury hospitality
Why “low choice, high quality” beats endless options
The rise of the farm stay experience
Describing humanity to a Martian (yes, really)

From Farm to Fork, For Real
Fowlscombe isn’t just “farm to table” as a marketing line
The farm is regenerative
The soil health is measured
Animals fertilise the land naturally
Monoculture is avoided
The hospitality exists because of the land, not the other way around
Chaos, Sheep & Beer Showers
Running the family pub (The Millbrook) during post-lockdown mania meant:
Chlorine explosions in the cellar
Smelling permanently of ale
A sheep on a lead turning up for the village nativity
A horse tied to the drainpipe while the chef fed it carrots

Skills from “Outside” Hospitality
Caitlin didn’t climb the traditional hospitality ladder.
Her background in consultancy gave her:
Structured thinking
Clear communication
Confidence with tech providers
The ability to not be messed around by suppliers

A reminder that hospitality doesn’t need to be a closed shop.
Different backgrounds make stronger teams.
Regenerative Hospitality
For Caitlin, sustainability isn’t just environmental.
It’s about:
Less waste
Fewer food miles

Why Understanding Drives Performance
This week on Hospitality Meets, Phil is joined by Will Fraser, co-founder of Pineapple, founder of 100 & First, and former professional rugby player.
What begins as a conversation about people data quickly becomes something deeper, a clear eyed look at why teams struggle, why talent alone isn’t enough, and why most performance problems come down to misunderstanding, not ability.
This is a calm, thoughtful episode about clarity, context, and why better conversations beat better strategies.
In This Episode
Why performance is a by-product, not something you can force
The difference between thinking you know something and actually knowing it
Why misunderstanding (not laziness) drives most workplace issues
What elite sport gets right about teams that business often gets wrong
The hidden cost of constant change and short term thinking
Why stability can be a genuine competitive advantage
How people data should start conversations, not end them

From Elite Sport to Hospitality
Will’s thinking was shaped during his time at Saracens, where a strong focus on people and culture transformed performance under pressure.
After injury ended his playing career, Will began applying those lessons in business, and quickly noticed a gap between how elite teams operate and how most organisations try to drive results.
The biggest difference?
Shared understanding
What the Data Shows
Through Pineapple, Will now works with hospitality businesses to understand patterns around:
Attrition
Internal progression
Team stability

One consistent insight stands out:
Greater stability and internal progression = lower turnover.
Simple. Powerful. Rarely acted on.
The Talent Myth
Will challenges the idea that great performers can simply be “moved” and expected to thrive.
Drawing on examples from football, including Brighton & Hove Albion and Brentford, he explains why performance is often owned by the system, not just the individual.
Change the context, and performance usually dips.
Stand-Out Thoughts
“Most performance problems aren’t competence problems — they’re understanding problems”
“If you think something rather than know it, you haven’t had the conversation”
“Stability, not constant change, is often the real advantage”

Why Listen
This episode is for anyone who has:

Prepare. To. Be. Happy.
Returning to Hospitality Meets, Klaudia Mitura - work psychologist, L&D leader at the Science Museum Group, host of The Happiness Challenge podcast, author of The Alphabet of Happiness, and an actual Certified Chief Happiness Officer (yes, really) delivers one of the most uplifting, honest, and quietly powerful conversations we’ve ever recorded.
This episode is not about toxic positivity, pretending everything’s fine, or slapping a smile on life’s messier moments.
It’s about science backed happiness, micro habits, curiosity, resilience, and learning how to live with the noise in your head - not silence it.
It’s warm.
It’s funny.
It’s deeply human.
And it might just change how you think about happiness altogether.
In This Episode
Klaudia’s return to the podcast nearly four years on, and how life has unfolded since
Losing a job, being separated from family, rescheduling a wedding four times, a family cancer diagnosis… and why happiness still mattered
Why Klaudia decided to treat her life like a scientific experiment
What the science of happiness actually tells us
Why happiness isn’t a destination - it’s a starting point
The power of micro-habits and why 1% changes beat life overhauls
Why happiness fuels kindness, generosity, optimism and impact
The danger of “I’ll be happy when…” thinking
Why curiosity might be the most underrated life skill of all

Happiness, But Not the Cringey Kind
Klaudia is very clear on one thing:
This is not about toxic positivity.
It’s not about ignoring grief, stress, uncertainty, or the very real challenges of life and work.
It’s about acknowledging them and giving yourself the tools to cope, recover, and move forward.
As Klaudia explains, happiness:
Helps us regulate our nervous system
Makes us more resilient under pressure
Increases kindness, generosity and problem solving
Gives us the energy to face hard things, not avoid them

Or put simply:
Happiness doesn’t deny reality.
It helps you deal with it.
Stand-Out Quotes
“Happiness is not a destination. It’s a starting point”
“We regret not allowing ourselves to be happier”
“You can be going through something hard and still experience joy”
“Happiness fuels kindness. Without it, we can’t change anything”
“You don’t need a life overhaul - you need small habits, done consistently”
Why Listen
This episode is for you if:
You’re tired of overcomplicating happiness

This week on Hospitality Meets, Phil sits down with Dulcie Swanston, bestselling author, executive coach, leadership trainer, neuroscience and psychology “magpie,” and one of the clearest thinkers you’ll ever meet in hospitality.
Dulcie’s career spans 23 years at Bass PLC / Mitchells & Butlers, senior HR leadership, graduate programme design, global executive coaching, and now running multiple businesses that all share one simple mission:
Make complicated things simple, and usable now!
From accidentally falling into hospitality after realising acting wasn’t for her… to becoming one of the most trusted leadership thinkers in the industry… this episode is packed with stories, insight, Yorkshire humour, and a lot of truth.
In This Episode
Why Dulcie believes “it’s not bloody rocket science” and why simplicity is a leadership superpower
Accidentally landing a graduate role at Bass PLC because it was the only application deadline still open, and why that changed everything
Turning up on day one… only to be told the marketing department no longer existed
Becoming the company’s first ever “commercial graduate” a role nobody could quite define
Working across finance, property, operations, HR and brand, and why that breadth became a gift
Managing O’Neill’s pubs taking £50–60k a week and winning global performance awards
Recruiting and developing women into leadership roles when talent was hidden in plain sight
Finding her true calling in HR in her mid 30s and realising leadership is about helping others be great at their jobs
The difference between leaders whose teams perform only when they’re present… and leaders whose teams thrive when they’re not
Why great leaders (and great coaches) aim to make themselves redundant

Imposter “Syndrome”? Not Here.
One of the standout sections of the episode is Dulcie’s reframing of imposter syndrome which she refuses to call a syndrome at all.
Instead, she calls it:
Well, tune in to find out
Her take?
“If you think you’re finished as a leader or coach — you’re finished.”
She shares powerful imagery about the two voices on our shoulders, why our brains constantly lie to protect us, and how learning to notice those lies without shame is the key to growth.
Stand-Out Quotes
“Happy people make more money.” Dulcie Swanston
“The brain isn’t a video recorder — it’s an editing machine.” Dulcie Swanston
“Great leaders get their teams to perform brilliantly when they’re not there.” Dulcie Swanston
“If you think you’re done learning — move aside.” Dulcie Swanston
“Comfort with ambiguity is one of the greatest leadership strengths there is.” Dulcie Swanston
Why Listen
This episode is a goldmine for anyone who: