Keep the Cocktail, Fix The Brand With Shawn Soole

"I help people stop working in their business and start working on their business." In this episode, Michael Dargie chats with hospitality veteran and industry provocateur Shawn Soole. With a career spanning nearly three decades, Shawn has seen—and done—it all. From washing dishes at 13 in Australia to building bar programs, authoring books, consulting internationally, and running a podcast, his journey is nothing short of relentless. And that's exactly how he likes it. This episode is sponsored by my new book BRANDJITSU, helping you find, shape, and share your story with the world. Their conversation runs fast and loose through the evolution of the hospitality industry, the challenge of keeping pace with rapid change, and the mental health cost of working in an often-glamourised but demanding business. Shawn shares how he helps entrepreneurs stop "running around like a chicken with their head cut off," and shift toward building processes and systems that actually serve their vision. He also opens up about getting sober, the identity crisis that followed, and how he's reshaped his life and business in the years since. His no-BS honesty about addiction in the service industry, burnout, and boundaries hits home. At the same time, his passion for teaching, mentoring, and helping others build sustainable businesses is clear. Shawn also reflects on how the COVID-19 pandemic forced a hard reset across the industry and why that presented a necessary opportunity for reevaluation. His work with Soole Hospitality Concepts and the Post Shift podcast continues to challenge the status quo while giving business owners tools they can actually use. For anyone working in—or orbiting around—the hospitality world, this episode is a refreshing gut check. PULL QUOTES "We've been glamorizing a toxic industry for a long time." —Shawn Soole "Success doesn't mean burnout." —Michael Dargie "I hit that point where I said, if I'm going to get out of this industry, it's going to be on my own terms." —Shawn Soole "I help people stop working in their business and start working on their business." —Shawn Soole EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS [00:01,000] Origin Story | Shawn's start in hospitality at 13 [00:04,000] Soole Hospitality Concepts | Why and how he started his consultancy [00:09,000] Pandemic Reset | How COVID-19 shifted the industry and mindsets [00:12,000] Sobriety and Identity | Navigating a major lifestyle change [00:18,000] The Systems Fix | Helping owners escape chaos with structure [00:25,000] Mental Health in Hospitality | Burnout, addiction, and making it sustainable [00:30,000] Post Shift Podcast | Teaching the next generation of hospitality pros [00:36,000] Legacy Projects | What's next for Shawn LINKS FROM EPISODE Soole Hospitality Concepts (https://www.soolehospitality.com) Post Shift Podcast (https://www.postshiftpodcast.com/) Great Northern Cocktails (book) (https://www.amazon.ca/Great-Northern-Cocktails-Shawn-Soole/dp/1907434534/) BC Spirits (https://www.bcspirits.com/) BrandJitsu Book by Michael Dargie(https://brandjitsu.com) Get Your Copy of Michael's Book: "BrandJitsu™: Move Your Brand From 'Meh' To Memorable" Indigo | Barnes & Noble | MichaelDargie.com