When Hospitality Heals: Resilience, Adaptability, and the Heart That Keeps Us Here

Sometimes hospitality is more than just events — it’s survival, it’s healing, and it’s the heart that keeps us moving forward.

Kate Foster’s story is proof of that. From her early career in politics to planning over 500 weddings, opening multimillion-dollar venues, and now training hospitality sales teams across North America, her journey is anything but ordinary. Along the way, she learned lessons venue owners often discover the hard way: why opening day is never the finish line, how complacency can quietly destroy a business, and why adaptability is everything.

In this episode, Kate also opens up about the deeply personal story of how hospitality quite literally saved her life — and why empathy remains at the center of everything she does.

This is a conversation for anyone who’s ever wondered if they have the fortitude to keep going, and a reminder that while the work is hard, hospitality has a way of healing us, too.

Learn more about Kate:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hospitalitymarketingsolutions/

Learn more about us:
The Venue Masterclass: https://www.thevenuemasterclass.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gatheredherepodcast/

You don’t become a boss without paying a price. But what if the cost keeps climbing — and it’s you on the line?

In this deeply honest solo episode, Dana Kadwell reflects on a powerful moment from her interview with Dixie Bagley: the idea that every entrepreneur pays a price to lead.

From burnout and resentment to health scares and missed time with family, Dana shares how even when you love your work — really love it — there are moments when the business you built starts to break you.

This is a conversation about the pressure of being the decision-maker, the weight of responsibility, and the reckoning that comes when your body (and your heart) starts saying, enough.

Follow Dixie:
Instagram: @dixiedoesweddings and @thefarmromegaweddins
Website: The Farm Rome Georgia | European Style Barn Wedding Venue

Follow Us!
Instagram: @hustleandgather and @gatheredherepodcast
The Venue Masterclass: The Venue Masterclass
Hustle and Gather: Events & Trainings for Event Professionals | Hustle & Gather

Sink or swim — it’s a phrase we all know. But what happens when you realize… you don’t want to swim anymore?

In this solo quick chat, Dana Kadwell unpacks a vulnerable truth sparked by last week’s conversation with Dixie Bagley: not every goal deserves to be chased to the end. Dana shares her personal struggle with goal-setting, the fear of failure that’s shaped her choices, and the surprising realization that sometimes sinking isn’t the loss we think it is — it’s actually the win.

Follow Dixie:
Instagram: @dixiedoesweddings and @thefarmromegaweddins
Website: The Farm Rome Georgia | European Style Barn Wedding Venue

Follow Us!
Instagram: @hustleandgather and @gatheredherepodcast
The Venue Masterclass: The Venue Masterclass
Hustle and Gather: Events & Trainings for Event Professionals | Hustle & Gather