EP-336 Kate Bailey of Hand & Heart

It’s been nearly one year since craft beer began to face its biggest reckoning against sexism, racism, and toxic work culture to date. In that time, there has been some progress, but there has also been a growing polarization between those making calls for change and those making accusations about an out-of-control cancel culture.     

In the midst of this ongoing controversy and debate, Kate Bailey from Hand & Heart has been working to establish a first-of-its-kind foundation for reconciliation and progress within hospitality. As a consultancy that aims to improve business operations by advocating on behalf of workers, Hand & Heart developed the Mikkeller Reconciliation Program and the BrewDog Affected Workers Registration Platform in order to acknowledge, document, and hopefully reconcile issues to the satisfaction of affected workers and leadership at both businesses.

These efforts have come with a significant amount of challenges: emotionally, legally, and financially. Some of those witnessing the challenges have raised some questions. How does this work? Who’s paying the bill? Are there any guarantees of a safe and satisfying outcome? I spoke with Kate Bailey and ask some of these questions, although it’s important to note that since our first conversation recorded here on March 29, 2022, several new developments have come from both Hand & Heart as well as BrewDog in the ever-changing controversy. In a statement made by Hand & Heart on April 2, Kate does clarify that payments were made by Mikkeller to Hand & Heart for mutually agreed upon services rendered as part of the Reconciliation Program. In a similar statement made in response to BrewDog on April 1, Kate explains that although Hand & Heart’s preliminary efforts towards reconciliation do not hinge on any promise of financial compensation, if a business were to opt into an individually tailored program, fees associated with carrying out the services would be agreed upon and expected as with any consultancy agreement. As of today, there are no current negotiations between Hand & Heart and BrewDog. Either way, at no point are victims or accusers expected or required to pay Hand & Heart for their services. 

In this conversation, you’ll hear Kate explain her investigative background and when it dovetailed with beer, how she’s able to facilitate between victims and breweries as a third-party, the risks this business model assumes, and her take on what real leadership looks like. We also discuss that despite the impossibility of a one-size-fits-all solution, the effort towards healing is a crucial, yet relatively new model for the craft beer industry. Kate says people don’t want revenge—they want accountability. And she wants to help build that, despite the numerous challenges and criticisms that she, and many other activists, face when demanding responsibility from anyone upholding toxic systems. 

It’s a high stakes process—and safety is top of mind for Kate every step of the way. Find out exactly what she does to ensure safety and establish credibility, how she aims to facilitate a two-way dialogue that requires trust on both sides to accomplish a mutually beneficial—if not sometimes uncomfortable—path towards positive change, and why she remains hopeful at the possibility of redemption, even when the evidence gives her no reason to believe. This doesn’t end wrapped up neatly with a bow. But what ever does?