Real leadership. No fluff. Just honest conversation.

This World Wellbeing Week, we're revisiting the panel discussion from our Burnt Brunch event in partnership with Planday - recorded live at art'otel London Battersea against the backdrop of Battersea Power Station.

Host Mica Maurtua sits down with Cassie Davison, Michelle Moreno, and Kris Hall for a no-nonsense conversation about what modern hospitality leadership actually requires - not surface-level wellbeing talk, but real clarity, real confidence, and real-world insight.

In this episode: ✅ Moving from reactive firefighting to intentional leadership ✅ Balancing people and performance without burning out ✅ Practical tools you can take straight back to your team ✅ The reminder that you are not alone in the pressures you're facing

Leadership cannot be done alone. If you're carrying the weight of a team, a kitchen, or a business right now - this conversation is for you.

What does it actually take to look after yourself on a long shift? Not in a wellness-buzzword way - in a real, practical, 'it's-3pm-and-you've-not-had-water-since-9am' kind of way.

In this special episode of The Burnt Chef Journal, we bring you the recorded panel discussion from our Burnt Brunch event, hosted in partnership with Cornish Sea Salt. Over two focused hours, four brilliant contributors sat down to talk honestly about nutrition, hydration, energy, mental health and leadership in hospitality, and what came out of that room was something worth sharing.

You'll hear from:

• Sean Wrest on lived experience, mental health, fatigue and why normalising these conversations in our industry still matters
• Philip Tanswell (Salt Geek) of Cornish Sea Salt on the science of electrolytes, hydration and what actually happens to your body when you're under-fuelled on shift
• Julie Robinson, Director of People & Culture, on leadership, building the right culture and supporting teams beyond the pass
• Ben Snape on how to make the learning stick long after the event ends

This isn't about chasing perfection. It's about the small, practical changes that help teams stay energised, focused and human - even on the hardest days.

In September 2025, nine incredible individuals took on one of the world’s toughest challenges - climbing Mount Kilimanjaro! To raise funds and awareness for The Burnt Chef Project.

But this wasn’t just about reaching the summit.

It was about why they chose to climb. What The Burnt Chef Project means to them. The physical and mental challenges they faced along the way. And the moments on the mountain that changed them.

In this special episode, we sit down some of our nine incredible climbers:

Joe Bentley Greg Popek Ben Taylor Sam Sharples Mica Maurtua Tom Biddle Sophie Clark David Clark Gintare Zdanevicuite (Ginny)

Together, we reflect on the experience, the purpose behind the challenge, and the power of community, resilience, and mental health advocacy in hospitality.

Most importantly, this episode is a huge thank you and celebration of every single one of these amazing fundraisers who pushed themselves to the limit for a cause close to their hearts.

Because this climb was never just about the mountain - it was about the people.