
#322 Graziano Cocco Performance Mental Coach - Lessons from Elite Sport for Hospitality Leaders
From Hospitality Mavericks Podcast Show by Michael Tingsager
April 30, 2026 · 59 min · Episode 325
About this episode
Michael interviews performance mental coach Graziano Cocco about building high-performance teams and the importance of mental toughness in hospitality leadership.
Michael interviews performance mental coach Graziano Cocco about what separates thriving “maverick” leaders from those merely surviving and how to build high-performance teams. Graziano shares his journey from London hospitality roles (including Head of People) to founding Inside Up, coaching football for 10 years and working at Crystal Palace plus athletes in sports such as tennis and rugby, while consulting hospitality businesses including ARO QD and DRG in Glasgow. They discuss why mental toughness matters in today’s pressured hospitality environment, reframing “I have to” to “I get to,” and prioritizing self-management because leaders can’t pour from an empty cup. Key team elements include trust, conflict navigation, commitment, clear goals and accountability, and praising effort. Graciano introduces the “Plan–Do–Review” habit using a plus/Kaizen reflection and recommends setting daily intentions and visualization. Connect with Graziano: https://www.linkedin.com/in/graziano-cocco-b6b39158/ https://insightup.co.uk/ Connect with the podcast Join the Hospitality Mavericks newsletter Tune in via your favourite podcast platform - here More episodes for you to check out here A big…
People in this episode
Host: Michael Tingsager
Guest: Graziano Cocco
Topics covered
- performance coaching
- hospitality leadership
- team building
- mental toughness
- self-management
- high-performance teams
Keywords
- performance mental coach
- hospitality leaders
- high-performance teams
- mental toughness
- self-management
- trust
- commitment
- accountability
Sponsors
Monotree
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Inside Up, Crystal Palace, ARO QD, DRG
More episodes of Hospitality Mavericks Podcast Show
- #325 Stephen Logue Consultant at Hospitality Blueprints - Why Cleanliness and Service Can Beat Food · June 11, 2026 · 57 min
- #324 Sam Jett Executive Chef at Audrey - Appalachian Cuisine, Local Sourcing, and Circular Restaurant Systems · May 28, 2026 · 51 min
- #323 Alexander Kjerulf Chief Happiness Officer at Woohoo Inc. - Stop Putting the Customer First · May 14, 2026 · 1h 5m
- #321 Anthony Collins Founder at Work Better Studio - Lean Thinking in Hospitality: Fix the System, Not the People · April 16, 2026 · 1h 6m
- #320 Gregers Knudsen Co-founder and CEO at Monotree - Powering Frontline Culture in Hospitality · April 2, 2026 · 1h 11m
- #319 Bjarke Just Nielsen Founder at Norrlyst Koncernen - Scaling Restaurant Quality with Tech and Culture · March 19, 2026 · 1h 9m
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Hospitality Mavericks Podcast Show podcast page.