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What does it really take to survive the chaos of the hospitality industry, bounce back from burnout, and build a café that becomes the heart of a community?
In this episode, we sit down with Chris Carson, long-time bar and restaurant owner turned café operator at Sienna’s. He's a man whose life has been shaped by hard graft, big risks, and deep reinvention.

From opening the original Bubble Room in Alderley Edge and running DV8 to stepping away from 100-hour weeks and rediscovering his purpose in a slower, more intentional life -Chris tells it like it is.

🎧 Listen as we discuss…
(00:00) Growing up in a family of grafters and starting out as a teenage barman(04:41) Opening his first venue at 21 and building a nightlife empire with DV8(07:38) Launching the Bubble Room: vision, pressure, and learning on the job(14:30) The cost of hustle culture: burnout, breakdowns, and stepping back(18:02) Life after nightlife: slowing down, finding balance, and getting sober(23:15) Opening Sienna’s café and the difference between bar life and day trade(26:42) The challenge of letting go of identity, ego, and old ways of living(31:50) Creating calm, welcoming spaces and the psychology of hospitality(37:20) What he’d do differently—and why he doesn’t regret the graft
...and more!

KEY TAKEAWAYS

You don’t need to prove anything: Sometimes walking away takes more strength than sticking it out.
Success looks different at every stage: Your version at 21 might destroy you at 41.
Hospitality is about people, not just profit: And the right energy is everything.
You’re allowed to evolve: Reinvention is a form of survival.

GUEST
Chris Carsons - Owner of Sienna’s Café (Congleton) & former founder of DV8 Follow Sienna’s