I’ve always been drawn to people—and to the feeling a great experience can create.
Sometimes it starts with a welcome nobody has offered. A manager finding the words for a difficult conversation. A team recognizing how much their work matters.
For more than 30 years, I’ve built my career in hospitality—opening restaurants, developing leaders, creating training programs, and helping teams put standards into practice. I’ve also spent more than 14 years fronting Simply Tina, a touring Tina Turner tribute band, performing at theaters, festivals, and Disney’s EPCOT.
In restaurants and on stage, I’ve learned how much happens before anyone experiences the result: the preparation, the practice, the small decisions, and the people working behind the scenes.
That experience shapes my writing, speaking, and approach to developing people. Know your craft. Pay attention to the people around you. Make the experience count.
Receiving the 2024 Twin Peaks Franchise Training Manager of the Year award, presented by then-CEO Joe Hummel.
A life in hospitality
When I walk into a restaurant, I notice the presence—or the absence of it. Is someone there to welcome you? Does the team look ready? Is a leader setting the pace? Before anyone brings you a menu, the experience has already begun.
My hospitality career started on the restaurant floor. At Hooters, I grew from serving guests to recruiting and training teams, supporting openings across the United States and internationally, and developing managers. Later roles took me into restaurant operations, beverage program leadership, and marketing, including work with Baja Fresh.
During 12 years with the Twin Peaks South Florida franchise, I led Training & Development, supported new restaurant openings, and oversaw operations for two training locations. My work supported approximately 1,000 employees across eight restaurants—from preparing managers and opening teams to coaching leaders through everyday operating challenges. In 2024, I was named Twin Peaks Franchise Training Manager of the Year.
My approach has always been hands-on. If the welcome or energy was missing, I would step in and demonstrate what I wanted to see—even as a director. Sometimes the clearest way to teach a standard is to work alongside someone and show them what it looks and feels like.
Managers came to me for help with conversations they were avoiding or struggling to get right. Some needed to soften their approach; others needed to make the expectation clearer. They also came for practical guidance on procedures, training, and the everyday situations that don’t fit neatly into a manual.
For me, respect starts with knowing the people who make the experience possible. Start a pre-shift in the dish pit. Make sure everyone knows that person’s name. Recognize what the kitchen, barbacks, bussers, and support staff contribute. And when someone notices a restroom needs attention, I expect them to speak up, whether or not cleaning it is their assignment.
Taking care of the experience belongs to everyone.
A life in music
Music has been part of my story since childhood. I grew up listening to my father’s record collection, began performing at six, and went on to write and record my own songs.
Writing gave me a place to express my own thoughts and experiences. My album, No Other Way to Say This, includes my debut single, Get to Know You—a song about taking the first step toward someone you don’t yet know.
Bringing Tina’s Music to Life
For more than a decade, I’ve fronted Simply Tina, a touring Tina Turner tribute band, performing alongside live musicians, singers, and dancers.
From Walt Disney World’s EPCOT in our second year to theaters and major festivals—including Norfolk’s Harborfest in 2024—I’ve helped bring Tina’s music and story to audiences across the country.
As lead singer and host, I do more than sing the songs. I share the stories behind them, invite people into the celebration, and read the room as the show unfolds.
One of my favorite parts is seeing people go from watching the show to singing and dancing along with us.
Every voice and every instrument is live. Every performance is a tribute to Tina’s music and the energy she brought to the stage.