Jeri Seeley brings 30 years of experience in the hospitality industry with degrees in both front and back of house, along with certifications in spirits and nutrition. Known for her leadership, sales growth, and focus on operational excellence and innovation, Jeri brings a lighthearted and fun approach to every endeavor. She is always driven to learn something new each day.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeri-seeley/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jeri.seeley/
Host: Richard Lowe | Guest: Jeri Seeley
Summary
Richard Lowe welcomes hospitality veteran Jeri Seeley to Leaders and Their Stories. They dive into leadership, customer service, and rebranding, blending personal stories with big-picture insights.
Jeri opens up about her career in hospitality, culinary, and journalism, and shares what shaped her leadership style, from tough mentors to moments of self-discovery. She tells a powerful story about mentoring a nightclub bartender into a confident cocktail professional, highlighting how patience and presence can spark transformation.
Richard counters with his own leadership path in tech, where formal training was scarce and true leaders were rare. He shares memorable experiences from Trader Joe’s, including disaster recovery logistics, customer-first philosophy, and the parking lot chaos. The duo discusses the culture of accountability and customer loyalty that made Trader Joe’s a retail powerhouse.
The conversation also explores generational gaps in service, the decline of empathy in customer support, and why good tech or AI cannot replace human understanding. Jeri shares stories of dealing with utilities and switching ISPs, while Richard talks about dating sites and Hertz’s car sales division.
Later, they shift to leadership at home, navigating parenting with two very different daughters. Jeri talks about custom writing projects to help her eldest succeed, while Richard reflects on sarcasm, logical fallacies, and parenting in a less supportive era.
The episode closes with both reflecting on rebranding, building a personal platform, and using storytelling as a bridge to future growth. Richard invites Jeri to his new roundtable for leaders, and they wrap with a mutual nod to the lifelong journey of learning to lead.
Find Richard Lowe at TheWritingKing.com.