In this episode, I had the pleasure of speaking with Abby Flynn, Senior Manager of HR at Olympia Hospitality, a family-owned hotel management company with an impressive portfolio of properties. Their portfolio includes the exceptional Inn by the Sea, which is one of the favorite properties of our family.

What stood out most in our conversation? A simple, but often overlooked truth articulated by Abby, "You cannot deliver a great guest experience without first creating a great employee experience."

Abby shares how Olympia Hospitality navigated the post-COVID talent crisis in an industry known for long hours, limited remote flexibility, and historically lower pay. Rather than retreat, they adapted:

- Reframed hospitality roles around transferable skills

- Rebuilt talent pipelines by recruiting from adjacent industries (including daycares and customer service sectors)

- Increased pay competitiveness

- Focused on flexibility in scheduling

- Strengthened onboarding and training

But the real differentiator isn’t just recruitment, it’s Olympia Hospitality's leadership philosophy.

Abby is deeply committed to a Strengths-based approach to leadership. Instead of obsessing over weaknesses, she focuses on identifying where employees naturally excel and developing those areas from a “6 to a 10,” rather than trying to force a “2 to become an 8.”

Her perspective on leadership is rooted in:

- Servant leadership (“Home Office,” not “Corporate”)

- Self-awareness and receptivity to feedback

- Investing in long-term employee growth

- Recognizing that team members are at the core of business success

We also discussed:

- Why hospitality teaches highly transferable leadership skills

- The importance of adaptability over rigid plans

- The power of ownership culture (if you see the trash, you own it)

- How longevity within an organization reflects leadership health

- Why focusing on strengths unlocks performance at scale

One of my favorite insights from Abby, “We’re in the memory-making business. We are part of people’s stories.” That mindset changes everything.

This episode is a powerful reminder that strategy, service excellence, and performance all begin with how leaders treat their people.

If you care about leadership development, culture, Strengths-based management, or the future of hospitality, then this conversation is worth your time.

I had the pleasure of speaking with Maite Quinn Richards, President of Resource Recycling and Executive Director of the U.S. Flexible Film Initiative. What stood out most was not just her industry insights, but the remarkable non-linear career journey that brought her there.

From Storytelling to Systems-Building – Maite began her career as a television and documentary producer. A single idea – following the life of recyclables from curbside to overseas markets and back again – pulled her into the recycling industry. That curiosity became a career pivot into operations, marketing, and eventually executive leadership.

Scaling Infrastructure, Not Just Narratives – Maite’s career path took her from running recycling companies to helping build some of the largest material recovery facilities (MRFs) in the country, working closely with municipalities, private equity, and infrastructure investors. She witnessed firsthand how global policy shifts (like China’s Green Fence) reshaped U.S. recycling economics — and why domestic infrastructure matters.

Private Equity as an Unexpected Lever for Sustainability – Another pivotal turn was helping launch a private equity fund focused on recycling infrastructure, acquiring and scaling facilities, and, ultimately, building what is now the largest privately held pure-play recycler in the U.S. It’s a powerful example of how capital markets and sustainability intersect.

Listen to this episode for inspiration with Maite's journey and to learn from her insghts.

In this episode, Melanie Gillis shares what it’s like to step into HR leadership at a fast-growing climate startup that acquired a 50+ year-old, family-owned manufacturing business. We explore:

• Change management in a legacy industrial environment

• Why safety must include both physical and psychological safety

• Employer branding and why “we’re a family” corporate messaging often does more harm than good

• Rethinking performance reviews, feedback, and accountability

• Treating employees like adults, and why that mindset matters for engagement and innovation

This conversation is especially relevant for leaders navigating growth, transformation, or cultural change in traditional industries.