Balanced Bartender

Stay healthy, Bar Meisters

Amie Ward with Kristen Begley

Cincinnati

Hello everyone! Welcome to our August Balanced Bartender pep talk! We're in Cincinnati this month to talk with Kristen Begley about the hospitality industry.

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You're known in the Cincinnati community as someone people can go to when they need support or resources for mental health and self-care. How did that come to be?

I have spent a lot of time in the service industry off and on throughout my career path. I started in the industry then went to a corporate position for 4 years and realized how unhappy I was so I came back to the industry. Since being back I have started all over from being a bar-back and quickly progressed to a bartender, then a bar manager and now I have been successful enough to be an AGM of an awesome bar downtown in Cincinnati. I have been able to share my experiences of dealing with several mental illnesses with others in the industry and helping and encouraging others to find ways to help themselves. People come to me all the time asking for advice or just to talk and know that I am always here to listen and provide words of encouragement.

How do you strike balance between your work as a bar manager AND being this staple in the Cincy community?

I take time to be around other like-minded people and just spend time around those people. I enjoy going to the baseball games and going to concerts as well as other things that deal with the arts in Cincinnati. I also spend time doing self-care by going to get my nails done or soaking my feet at home and being surrounded by plans, art, crystals, and my cats.

You're known in the Cincinnati community as someone people can go to when they need support or resources for mental health and self-care. How did that come to be?

How do you strike balance between your work as a bar manager AND being this staple in the Cincy community?

Can you provide us with the wellness challenge for the month of August?

For the month of August, I challenge everyone to think about or write down your "win" or positive thing that has happened that day; it doesn't have to be anything big but think about something you did for yourself or someone else or you cooked a meal at home or you bought something for yourself. Also with that being said I challenge everyone to do one self-care thing a week, its a small step but you can keep working to goals to be happier and healthier. Some examples of self-care could be going on a 10 minute walk, or pampering yourself or taking yourself out to eat a nice meal; we all deserve the happiness that we provide to our guests so we should be able to do that for ourselves too.

How can people stay in contact with the work you're doing? (social media handles and applicable websites here)

I use Instagram mostly and I keep up to date on both of my accounts. I have them listed below as well as my current bar that I am managing!

@tophaatman

@the_cocktail_witch__

@alice.otr_

Get to know

Kristen Begley

Kristen Begley is a Cincinnati-based bartender who has worked at several established locations. She has certifications in tequila, scotch, Canadian whiskey, and bourbon. Kristen is a staple to the Cincinnati industry by the way she preaches mental health and helps others. She is proud to introduce NA beverage programs to the places she works to make sure everyone has accessibility to fun NA drinks when they don’t want to drink but have a fun time. She also has developed several successful cocktail menus across the city and uses her artistic ability and flavor palette to cater to the guests in presentation and taste. Kristen spends time going to baseball games, creating art, doing photography, and hanging out with friends in her spare time. She is a cat mom to two cats named Autumn and Clark who provide a sense of calmness when she comes home from work.

Get To Know The Healthtender

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

August 2023

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