Amelia Wohrle

I definitely attribute my success to the teams around me. I've had some really great leaders in my past that have taken the time to soften my rough edges and explain things maybe 2 or 3 times for me to make sure that I really understand. That patient, servant leadership has really been a foundation for how I lead, and also supported my growth and development over the years. The people choosing to work alongside me, for me, with me, in partnership with me have been instrumental in shaping who I am now.

I would tell young women to always scream at the mountaintops the goals that you have for yourself. Tell everybody, always make sure people know what you want so that they can support you in getting there. The quieter we are, the less opportunity presents itself for us, especially as women. I, for many years, was the only Black woman in a position with 90 to 100 other people, all being men. Being in that space and still shining and being asked to be a representation of people, there can be a lot of weight with that, so I would tell this girl to trust herself and know that she's in these rooms because she asked to be, not because she waited for somebody to tell her to be.

I think being empathetic and creating safe spaces is critical - without that, people feel limited in the growth potential in this space. There's a lot of fear or concern for being different in the hospitality space than what we're used to. Experiential dining is making a massive impact on someone's life, both the person working there and the guest that arrives. Without that safe space for people to find joy in what they're either doing for work or the experience that they're having, it doesn't work anymore. I think coming over that hump and finding new ways to engage the people that are working for you and the guests that are coming in the door, and letting go of this older regimen of saying no and not being able to find the yes for people - I think that is probably our greatest challenge right now.

Clear expectations are definitely important to me, and excellence is something people would probably describe as a value of mine - not necessarily high expectations, but being excellent at whatever level you're capable of delivering at. Doing it at your very best is really important to me. Teamwork, or as my brand would say, one team working together for one common goal at all levels - we can support this goal maybe in different ways, but we all show up the same and make a decision together. Caring and empathy are definitely close to my heart. I believe that everybody wants to do their best every day, and if something's different, I want to create this space for them to express why it's different today and not point fingers. Just being kind and having fun would probably be the last two. When I think about my personal life, it's important for me to raise a daughter who's also very kind, and we must have fun in life.