5K to f*ck stigma

My WHY 💪🏃

So who cares that I’m running a 5k that some people (including my partner) can do ridiculously early every Saturday morning, probably with their eyes closed. 🏃 

Well, me! 

I’m incredibly proud to be an ambassador (never mind Chief) for The Burnt Chef Project. Mental ill-health is something that has affected me personally since pretty much as long as I can remember. So being able to champion awareness and resources is something I am incredibly passionate about, especially for such a fantastic project as TBCP. 

Now, don’t get me wrong, I LOVE hospitality. I love working in it, the people, the community, but I do NOT love the widely regarded expectations that quite often have a negative impact on our mental health, family and personal life. 

I’ve had a tough journey with my mental health prior to working with hospitality, so I can’t say that the industry is the root cause, but I can say that my symptoms were significantly exasperated by the industry. 

After hitting a particularly low point in my mental health, which I’ve sadly arrived at many times before, something in my recovery this time told me to look at my work-life balance…

Looking at my priorities, I’d decided to try and set some boundaries, I was more than my job. 

Setting these boundaries were bloody hard, and keeping them even harder, especially as I have a genuine passion for the work I do and this industry. But as one of my favourite quotes say - WE CAN DO HARD THINGS! 💪

I’ve always wanted to be a runner, but never felt like I “could” be. But I thought, fuck it, and I started my running journey. Maybe running is a bit generous, maybe more of a jog / trot 😅 is more accurate. 

However, It was a turning point for me. I realised, I can genuinely do whatever I set my mind to, and enjoy it!

Now I’ve not been the most consistent with my running journey, but when I saw an event come up on my FYP for a 5K at Silverstone Circuit, in November, I thought “don’t overthink it, just book it”. So I did!

I’m incredibly lucky to have the most supportive partner who is going to join me for my first official 5K! As a race mechanic whose worked at Silverstone most of his career, the thought of running the track isn’t quite as exciting for him. But we’ll be running for TBCP together 💪

So… if you would like to donate to support me on my challenge, please know that The Burnt Chef Project is a life saving project, dedicated to eradicating the deadly stigma within our industry. WE ARE WORTH IT! 

What's EAP?

We're into month 2 of the launch of our global therapy and advice service, and we're seeing a rapid increase in demand from all areas of the world.

The Burnt Chef Project Global EAP is another first-of-its-kind. A truly global option that offers counselling and information support to hospitality employees as well as their dependents using The Burnt Chef Project brand to help increase engagement and confidence.

This EAP includes:

✔️ Therapy Options

✔️ Managerial Advice Line

✔️ Debt Advice (UK)

✔️ Legal Advice (UK)

✔️ Available Worldwide

✔️ Detailed MI Reporting

This is a beacon of hope for countless individuals who face immense stress and mental health challenges daily.

To learn more about The Burnt Chef Project's Global EAP: https://www.theburntchefproject.com/global-eap-scheme