Women in Hospitality

9 – 9:30 a.m.  Complimentary breakfast

9:30 – 10:45 a.m.  Keynote: “Beat Burnout: The Science of Stress” with Emilie Aires, Bossed Up

Hard-working, high-achieving women in hospitality aren’t afraid of high-stress situations — long hours, high expectations, and the constant emotional labor of making everyone’s experience exceptional are part of the job. But chronic stress without rest and renewal puts even the most committed women at risk of complete burnout.

In this interactive keynote, Emilie shares research-backed strategies grounded in cognitive science for sustaining our success and ambition in a workplace and world that was never built for women. Emilie shares inspiring stories of overcoming burnout and tactical strategies to push back against burnout culture, rebel against role overload, and advocate for sustainable success — whether you’re behind the line, on the floor, or leading the team.

Attendees will learn:

• The 4 root causes of burnout and how to address them
• Effective mitigation strategies to build resilience
• How to complete the stress cycle and restore wellbeing in real time
• How to take proactive measures to manage stress and anxiety

10:45 – 11 a.m. Break

11 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. Workshop: “Lead with Confidence at All Levels” with Christin Marvin, Columbine Hospitality

Christin spent years hiding burnout behind a drink because she didn’t know how to ask for support. This session is built so you don’t have to.

Leadership gaps aren’t just an owner problem. Every person in the room, owner, GM, manager, or hourly team member, contributes to or costs the restaurant money. In this hands-on session, you will work through three areas that impact every role: vision, leadership development, and financial health. No matter your title, you’ll walk away with a clear picture of where you stand and what’s actually holding you back.

From there, you’ll identify your single highest-ROI opportunity and build a 30-day action plan around one measurable goal. This isn’t a session you sit through. You’ll leave with a real commitment, an accountability partner from your table, and a plan you can start using.

Come ready to get honest and a little uncomfortable. That’s where the growth happens.

12:15  – 1:15 p.m. Complimentary lunch catered by Leven Deli Co.

1:30  – 2:30 p.m.  Workshop: “Know Yourself, Serve Others: A Strengths-Based Approach to Leadership Culture” with Jim Hargrove, Shamrock Foods

In this interactive session, Jim Hargrove blends strengths-based leadership with the human side of hospitality. Attendees will get a quick look at their own Predictive Index results as a window into their natural strengths, then explore why people culture — not just food or service — is today’s biggest differentiator in restaurants. At the core is servant leadership: the “platinum rule” of leading people the way they want to be led, paired with a return to genuine hospitality in an increasingly transactional world. Attendees will leave with practical insight into their own strengths and how culture, leadership, and hospitality work together to keep employees and guests coming back.

2:30  – 2:45 p.m.  Break

2:45  – 3:45 p.m.  Panel Discussion: “The Power of Resilient Leadership” 

The Power of Resilient Leadership will bring together women leaders from hospitality and other industries for a candid conversation about navigating change, leading through uncertainty, building strong teams, taking risks, and creating sustainable careers. 

Panelists:

• Lauren Briscoe, Head of Well Interventions, bpX Energy 

• Kelly Brough, President and CEO, Fitzsimons Innovation Community 

• Fetien Gebre-Michael, COO, Konjo Group 

• Lauren Roberts, CEO and co-owner, Watercourse Foods, City, O’ City, Colorado Sun Tofu 

The panel will run approximately 60 minutes, including audience Q&A. 

3:45  – 5 p.m. Networking Happy Hour

Emilie Aries is a speaker, podcaster, author, and the Founder & CEO of Bossed Up, an award-winning leadership development and career services company committed to closing the gender leadership gap.

Aries has worked with leaders at Fortune 500 companies to support retention, diversity and inclusion, and human resource initiatives, and has been featured in media outlets including the Washington Post, CNN Money, Buzzfeed, and more.

Her book, Bossed Up, serves as a practical roadmap for women who want to set themselves up for sustainable, long-term career success and step up as the boss of their lives.

Christin Marvin is a distinguished restaurant coach, author, speaker, and host of The Restaurant Leadership Podcast who specializes in helping independent multi-unit restaurant owners scale without losing their minds or their culture. 

With over twenty years of hands-on experience in both fine dining and high-volume growth concepts, Christin has established herself as the go-to authority for restaurant leaders ready to move from chaos to confidence. She’s the founder of Columbine Hospitality and creator of the Independent Restaurant Framework (IRF) (a proven system that transforms overwhelmed owner-operators into confident CEOs). 

Christin’s approach is built on supportive tough love and real-world experience. Having navigated her own journey from line cook at 15 to managing partner by 30, she understands the unique challenges facing restaurant leaders today. Her vulnerability about struggling with burnout and using alcohol to cope has made her a trusted voice for leaders who need someone who truly gets it. 

Through personalized one-on-one coaching, elite group programs, and leadership workshops, Christin and her team of expert coaches help restaurant groups build unified leadership teams, create culture-driven operations, and implement systems that actually work. Their clients don’t just survive expansion (they thrive through it). 

When you work with Columbine Hospitality, you’re not just getting coaching (you’re getting a transformative partnership with people who’ve been where you are and know exactly how to help you scale with intention, not just ambition). 

Author of: 

• Multi-Unit Mastery: Simplify Operations, Maximize Profits and Lead with Confidence 

• The Hospitality Leader’s Roadmap: Move from Ordinary to Extraordinary 

CHRISTINMARVIN.COM 

Jim Hargrove has spent 43 years falling in love with the restaurant business, starting at the entry level — dishwasher, cook, bartender — and working his way up to President of Santa Fe Dining, where he built and led 12 restaurants across 10 concepts. Along the way, he learned a truth that shapes everything he does: the harder you work on serving the people you lead, the easier the job gets. Today, as Senior Restaurant Business Consultant for Shamrock Foods, Jim helps operators in Colorado and throughout the West solve tough problems and build teams that grow — driven by his passion for hospitality, people-first culture, and servant leadership that turns good restaurants into great ones.