The Birth of Kando Hospitality.

Welcome to Kando Hospitality, my own little business – something I never in a million years thought I’d do!  But here I am – excited, nervous – but in a good way; a whole lot of exhilarated freedom, cautious anticipation, hopeful of creating my balance – and above all, a deep sense of personal responsibility – this is mine. 

So where did it come from? 

Well, a deeply personal battle with the long and slow recovery from chronic and habitual burnout; at the height of which, and when I walked away, I was greatly disillusioned by hospitality, by recruitment – and actually just by the societal expectations of a working parent in a crazy world which celebrates hustle and busyness. 

Burnout is a dark and scary place. Zero stars, I would NOT recommend it.

(I’ve written a lot more about my experience with burnout on my personal Linkedin page if you want all the gory details)

I genuinely walked away from it all, longing for…well, nothingness; and eventually maybe something menial which I didn’t have to care all that much about.  I imagined putting it in a box under my bed and never having to open it again.  But of course, that was just a defence mechanism. Lots of time spent with the most badass psychotherapist who does NOT mince her words – challenged me on why I believed that walking away was the best option, and as I allowed myself the time to actually just be ok, I found myself nosing at Linkedin and being drawn to WANT check in with the industry which had – and this is cheesy – but genuinely ignited my soul for 15+ years. 

This wasn’t, ISN’T, just a job it really is part of who I am.  More about that on the ‘Meet Kerry’ part of the website!

A serendipitous meeting with a dear industry friend last year introduced me to the term Kando - this Japanese word embodies the idea of providing an experience that touches the heart and soul. I was obsessed with the word – it was as close to my age old saying of ‘hospitality is a feeling’.  It’s a value shared by several Japanese businesses including Sony and Yamaha.  Unbeknown to me at the time, it set the wheels in motion for what would become Kando Hospitality.

Fear of failure has always been a demon in my mind.  And whilst frantically trying to talk myself OUT of doing it for myself, my best friend quoted Erin Hanson’s poem:

“There is freedom waiting for you,

On the breezes of the sky,

And you ask "What if I fall?"

Oh but my darling, "What if you fly?”

The very same sentiment as the wonderful Michelle Moreno’s ever optimistic line of ‘Imagine if it all went right’.  My friend arrived with a plaque of said poem which now holds pride of place on my dressing table mirror and stares me in the face daily! 

My tribe of friends have all given me the loving encouragement and less loving kicks up the ass and held me accountable, celebrated with me and let me be under my rock when I’ve needed to be...but not for long.  And they are a huge part of this too. 

Fast forward a few months – and I was thinking branding and colours and all the pretty stuff!  Over a coffee one morning, one of my lovely mum pals, an ACE graphic designer talked about the visual representation of Kando – I poured my heart and soul out – and crumbs did she just nail it.  It was emotional! The heart, we both agreed was just a must have! 

During our chat, she reminded me of kintsugi – a Japanese art of repairing broken pottery with gold – this metaphor resonated so deeply with my own journey of healing to become a stronger, more unique and a perfectly imperfect version of myself – and so this is subtly woven into my little logo! The warm peach colour contrasts so beautifully with the grey, and K in the central serves a reminder that its important to put myself first and to surround myself with what matters the most. 

So there you have it. 

Kando Hospitality – a celebration of resilience and the beauty of imperfection and most importantly the meaningful connections of people who feel hospitality deeply and who will naturally work hard to make it a wonderful place to be.

I want to be a part of putting great people into great businesses so that experiences can be created, and which resonate with the heart – much like the ones which have inspired me to return to the industry I love. 

So here is me, daring to fly! 

Gahhhhh!

Kx