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Hospitality leaders often stay behind the scenes long after they're ready to step up. Patty Aubery, co-author of the billion-dollar Chicken Soup for the Soul brand, joins Certified Speaking Professional Michelle Pascoe to reveal what it actually takes to move from doing the work to owning your voice and your title.
What's stopping you from stepping out from behind the scenes and into the role you've already earned?
In this conversation, Michelle sits down with Patty Aubery, who spent decades behind the scenes helping build Chicken Soup for the Soul into a billion-dollar publishing brand before she stepped out from behind it to build her own name.
Patty Aubery co-authored more than a dozen Chicken Soup for the Soul titles and helped grow the brand to over 300 published books, all while staying largely invisible behind two famous names. As Patty explains, self-doubt is a habit rather than a fixed trait, and habits change through repetition and support. She shares the exact formula she now teaches women to structure a talk, a pitch, or a promotion case, so stepping into the spotlight becomes a skill rather than a personality trait.
Michelle brings this conversation directly to hospitality leaders because the same pattern shows up on the floor, in the back office, and in the boardroom: talented people running the operation from behind the scenes while someone else gets named on the cover. Yes, it's time to step up, because teams follow people who are willing to be seen, not just people willing to work hard.
Key Takeaways
- Patty explains how she went from answering a "secretary wanted" ad to co-authoring more than a dozen New York Times bestselling Chicken Soup for the Soul titles.
- Why capable leaders stay behind the scenes instead of stepping up, and how asking "if not you, who?" reframes the decision.
- The practical formula Patty now teaches women to structure a talk, a pitch, or a promotion case without needing to be a natural performer.
- Why men apply for roles at 50% qualified while women wait until they feel 98% ready, and what leaders can do about it.
- The mindset shift, treating self-doubt as a habit rather than a fixed trait, that helped Patty step out from behind the scenes and build her own authority.
Next Steps
- Subscribe to The Michelle Pascoe Hospitality Podcast on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify: https://www.michellepascoe.com/The-Michelle-Pascoe-Hospitality-Podcast
- Join Michelle's newsletter for leadership, culture, and service excellence: https://www.michellepascoe.com/blog
- Book customer service workshops and middle management programs tailored to clubs, hotels, and hospitality venues: https://www.michellepascoe.com/traininganddevelopmentprograms
About Michelle
Michelle Pascoe helps hospitality leaders build multigenerational teams, lift service standards, and embed values-led culture. A Certified Speaking Professional with over 30 years in the hospitality industry, Michelle delivers bespoke keynotes, workshops, and leadership programs for clubs, hotels, and hospitality venues across Australia and internationally.
Book customer service workshops and middle management programs: https://www.michellepascoe.com/traininganddevelopmentprograms
About Patty
Patty Aubery spent decades behind the scenes helping build Chicken Soup for the Soul into a billion-dollar publishing brand, co-authoring more than a dozen New York Times bestselling titles and rising from secretary to Vice President of Operations. She is the founder of Goal Friends, a non-profit supporting marginalised and incarcerated women, and now works as a speaker and coach helping women stop hiding, start speaking, and give themselves full permission to be seen, heard, and fully expressed.
Connect with Patty: https://www.pattyaubery.com/
