Jägermeister Balanced Bartender: Amie Ward with Brenna and Matty McGee
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Balanced Bartender

Stay healthy, Bar Meisters

Amie Ward with Brenna and Matty McGee

Website:
The Healthtender

Amie Ward, with Brenna and Matty McGee

Hello everyone! Welcome to our February Balanced Bartender pep talk! We're in Minneapolis this month to talk with Brenna and Matty McGee about the hospitality industry.

Scroll down for the full article!


    Tell us about each of your hospitality journeys.

    Brenna: I worked as a bartender, brand rep, and spirits judge for over a decade in New York and California before pursuing a career in mental health. I started in LA in college. After being on tour with a circus company overseas and completing my Master's in Gastronomy while living in Montreal, I lived in NYC, Rochester, and Oakland working in various industry capacities. I am now a licensed therapist who continues to stay connected to the hospitality industry by providing individual and institutional mental health education, counseling, and consulting.

    Matty: I have worked in the industry for about 2 decades, starting as a server and quickly realizing I was much happier with 3 feet of space between customers and me. Before moving to Minneapolis in 2021, I was in the Bay Area for most of my career, bartending, managing, and consulting in nightclubs, restaurants, and cocktail bars. I spent 7 wonderful years bartending and cutting ice at a beloved cocktail joint in Emeryville. When we moved here, I managed 3 bars at a new distillery in the Twin Cities and am now again happily behind the bar at a neighborhood cocktail bar.


    What has been the biggest change/challenge to your lives since having a kiddo?

    Brenna: Honestly, I think we were pretty prepared for the normal challenges, like weird hours, being screamed at, and sleeplessness (talents all honed in F&B). What I wasn't as prepared for were the feelings of boredom and isolation - Matty was opening a huge undertaking at a new distillery when we had Reyna, we had only moved to Minnesota 2 months prior, and I really didn't realize how lonely being a parent of a young one is. Going from a vibrant social life connected to an awesome industry community in the Bay into Covid life into parenthood was just a ride of isolation. It takes a lot more intentionality to plan new ways to connect with people when your life turns off at 7:30 pm when your kid falls asleep.

    Matty: For me, I felt that the benefits of working in this industry would mean that I was available during the irregular hours of a young baby being awake and needing someone. But the reality was - especially when running a bar - that even though I was getting home at those times, it was difficult to be physically or mentally available, so the largest struggle for me was feeling that I had let go of the balance between work and home. I felt that I was not holding up my end of the partnership and parenthood, which is why I had to make a change away from unrealistic 60-hour work weeks to a more balanced week, making those late-night closes not such a drain on us both.

    Tell us about each of your hospitality journeys.

    Brenna: I worked as a bartender, brand rep, and spirits judge for over a decade in New York and California before pursuing a career in mental health. I started in LA in college. After being on tour with a circus company overseas and completing my Master's in Gastronomy while living in Montreal, I lived in NYC, Rochester, and Oakland working in various industry capacities. I am now a licensed therapist who continues to stay connected to the hospitality industry by providing individual and institutional mental health education, counseling, and consulting.

    Matty: I have worked in the industry for about 2 decades, starting as a server and quickly realizing I was much happier with 3 feet of space between customers and me. Before moving to Minneapolis in 2021, I was in the Bay Area for most of my career, bartending, managing, and consulting in nightclubs, restaurants, and cocktail bars. I spent 7 wonderful years bartending and cutting ice at a beloved cocktail joint in Emeryville. When we moved here, I managed 3 bars at a new distillery in the Twin Cities and am now again happily behind the bar at a neighborhood cocktail bar.


    What has been the biggest change/challenge to your lives since having a kiddo?

    Brenna: Honestly, I think we were pretty prepared for the normal challenges, like weird hours, being screamed at, and sleeplessness (talents all honed in F&B). What I wasn't as prepared for were the feelings of boredom and isolation - Matty was opening a huge undertaking at a new distillery when we had Reyna, we had only moved to Minnesota 2 months prior, and I really didn't realize how lonely being a parent of a young one is. Going from a vibrant social life connected to an awesome industry community in the Bay into Covid life into parenthood was just a ride of isolation. It takes a lot more intentionality to plan new ways to connect with people when your life turns off at 7:30 pm when your kid falls asleep.

    Matty: For me, I felt that the benefits of working in this industry would mean that I was available during the irregular hours of a young baby being awake and needing someone. But the reality was - especially when running a bar - that even though I was getting home at those times, it was difficult to be physically or mentally available, so the largest struggle for me was feeling that I had let go of the balance between work and home. I felt that I was not holding up my end of the partnership and parenthood, which is why I had to make a change away from unrealistic 60-hour work weeks to a more balanced week, making those late-night closes not such a drain on us both.

    How do you maintain balance in your marriage and parenting while working in your respective high-stress industries?

    Brenna: We are fiercely protective of our individuality as adults outside of our work and roles as spouses or parents and really work to support one another in individual hobbies. I think the quintessential answer would be that we prioritize time together and connecting as a couple. Still, for us, that feels much easier than really protecting our identities and devoting time to what brings us joy as unique individuals. So for us, that means balancing our time of work and family and partnership with intentional investment in time alone, whether that's hiking with the dogs, archery (for Matty), time at the barn and riding (for me), or even just taking a night alone away.

    Matty: Ditto.

    Every month I like to give a wellness challenge to our viewers. Can y'all give us one for February?

    Brenna & Matty: To stay in line with some of the struggles we discussed, our social connections are a huge part of wellness. We are naturally wired to be in connection with others, and the impacts of loneliness and isolation go well beyond mental concerns into our behavior and even our physical health. So our challenge - both for ourselves and everyone else - is to reach out to one person every day in February. Call a friend, text a relative, grab coffee with an old coworker, and find ways to connect with more intention than our day-to-day watching of people's lives through social media.

    If people want to stay connected and follow your work, how can they do so?

    Brenna: insta - @brennamchugh

    website - www.brennamcgee.com

    Matty: insta - @matty_mcxgee

    Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author.


    Get to Know
    Brenna and Matty McGee
     Brenna and Matty McGee

    Minneapolis-based Brenna and Matty McGee have over 3 decades of industry experience between them. Matty built his career in the Bay Area, notably spending 7 years at Prizefighter before moving back to the Midwest. Most recently, Matty managed the bar program at the new O’Shaughnessy Distillery and is currently behind the bar at Meteor. Brenna worked on both coasts as a bartender and brand rep before pursuing a Masters in Psychology. She is now a licensed psychotherapist with a private practice specializing in high-achievement/high-stress adults and the hospitality industry. They are the proud parents of a toddler, two dogs, a cat, and a horse.

    Website: BrennaMcgee.com

    IG: @brennamchugh @mattymixfit

    Get To Know The Healthtender
    Amie Ward
     Amie Ward

    Amie Ward is a Veteran Bartender, exercise physiologist and has been outspoken on her fellow service industry members' health and wellness. When she is not pulling trucks and training for Strongwoman competitions, you can find Amie appreciating the finer things in life like Jägermeister.

    IG: @thehealthtender

    Website:  The Healthtender

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