It's Personal Stories, A Hospitality Podcast
It's Personal Stories is a podcast series highlighting the inspiring career journeys of prominent leaders in the hospitality industry. The series features over 200 interviews, with new ones added weekly. Each interview presents the unique personal story and insights of C-suite executives, educators, and other industry professionals. Guests share their experiences, including overcoming self-doubt, achieving work-life balance, facing challenges, public speaking, taking risks, networking authentically, developing leadership skills, and more. Through these deeply personal stories, you are encouraged to dream big and confidently pursue your personal and professional goals. Founded in 2022 by industry veterans David Kong, Dorothy Dowling, Rachel Humphrey, Lan Elliott, and Huilian Duan, It’s Personal Stories has been recognized by the International Hospitality Institute as a top hospitality podcast each year since it launched. To watch or listen now, visit www.ItsPersonalStories.com.
Show episodes
Abhijit Patel, VP, Revenue Management & Commercial Strategy, Choice Hotels interviewed by Dorothy Dowling
In this episode of "It"s Personal Stories," Dorothy Dowling interviews Abhijit Patel, VP of Revenue Management at Choice Hotels International, discussing his diverse career journey. Abbat shares his experience of emigrating from India to the U.S., starting in hospitality by washing dishes, and his trajectory through va
Wendy Blissett, Senior Vice President, HREC Investment Advisors, interviewed by Lan Elliott
Wendy shares her incredible journey, rising to senior roles in hospitality brokerage. She explains how she’s overcoming her fear of public speaking, and why champions are critical to career success. She discusses how she built her extensive network and the tip she received from a champion for staying positive when thi
The birth of his daughter led Matt to rethink his purpose - ultimately inspiring him to launch Ideas Collide. In our conversation, he shares invaluable advice for aspiring entrepreneurs and the most important lesson he’s learned in life. We dive into his sources of inspiration for continuous innovation, his daily habit
Cesar Wurm, SVP, Member Strategy & Development, Associated Luxury Hotels International
Cesar shares why listening is such an important skill in life and in business, and he delves into the story behind his book: The Powers of Addiction: Finding Freedom in Acceptance and Recovery, He discusses how advocating for oneself can help others support your goals and explains how focusing on really understanding
Mehul shares his inspiring immigrant journey, arriving in the U.S. at fourteen, learning English, and navigating a new culture. He recounts how, while still in high school, he purchased his first business—an early step that set him on the path to building the impressive portfolio of NewcrestImage. In our conversation,
In this engaging podcast episode, Mike Gamble, Chairman and CEO of SearchWide Global, delivers actionable insights for both candidates and companies. He outlines practical strategies for mapping career paths and acing interviews, while also sharing proven methods for retaining top talent and driving innovation in the c