As part of our new series - In Good Spirits - we sat down with So Let’s Talk founder and legend Patrick Howley to chat all things SLT, hospitality, and how he keeps in good spirits.
This is In Good Spirits with Patrick Howley…
So Paddy, thanks for joining us, let's start things off by telling us a little bit about yourself and what you do?
Hey everyone! I’m Paddy - I don’t resonate with titles so I’m the human that created the idea for So Lets Talk.
Anyone that knows me will know I love food, music, cricket, personal development and connecting with new people.
And what I do? Hmmm haha I ’86 the silence’. I spend my days building new relationships with hospitality professionals and working with hospo businesses providing sessions on mental physical and financial health.
Awesome, so what made you start So Let’s Talk, how did the idea come about?
I spent 14 years woking in the industry and throughout that time had a really unhealthy relationship with alcohol, I recreationally used drugs and saw my career as a lifestyle not a job.
I had to leave the industry I loved.
After doing so I realised that if I’d been doing that for 10 years plus and I hadn’t had an avenue for help then it obviously wasn’t ready accessible enough! I wanted to work on prevention not cure.
In just three words, describe So Let’s Talk.
Honest, Disruptive, Needed
It’s been an incredibly challenging period for hospitality - name some of the ways SLT supported professionals throughout the time and how do you think your work will help the industry moving forward?
- We’ve run our sessions to over 3,000 hospitality professionals.
- Created a lifestyle page for the industry.
- Created no and low beers with tiny rebel to offer a mindful drinking option to hospitality professionals whilst using the profits to support the work we do.
- We have a national mural project where we shine a spotlight on the work we do through art. We’ve done 2 murals in Manchester and 2 In Liverpool so far! Next up Cardiff, Glasgow, Edinburgh, London and Birmingham!
- We’ve run two challenges so far! In 2020 we climbed 10 peaks in 10 hours in the lakes and in 2021 we took it up a notch and climbed 24 peaks in 24 hours with a group of hospitality legends! We raised over 10k for our cause doing so.
- Our work will help the industry by opening up conversations about all things health in hospitality and providing our sessions to support the people in the trade.
A lot to keep you very busy - aside from SLT now, how do you keep yourself in good spirits?
I surround myself with amazing humans and I do shit that makes me happy! Food, music and cricket mainly haha
And finally, which Manchester venue should people visit before the end of the year?
Speak in Code without a doubt!