#322 Graziano Cocco Performance Mental Coach - Lessons from Elite Sport for Hospitality Leaders

#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

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