Episode 55: How to Stay Relevant? Reinvention! with Dr. Nadya Zhexembayeva in Sustainable Hospitality Podcast by Kathy McGuire and Amy Wald

How Hospitality Can Reinvent Without Compromise

In this dynamic episode of the Sustainable Hospitality Podcast, Dr. Nadya Zhexembayeva shares the global urgency of reinvention—and what it means for sustainability, strategy, and leadership inside hospitality and tourism. From the roots of her work in systems survival to advising global giants like Coca-Cola, Nadya explains how hospitality leaders can stop choosing between profit and planet—and instead embed reinvention into every layer of operations.
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You’ll hear what it takes to evolve fast enough to meet today’s guest expectations, and why the reinvention cycle now happens every 3 years or less. Nadya breaks down practical frameworks—like Appreciative Inquiry and Embedded Sustainability—that any hotel, restaurant, or tourism venture can use to drive both loyalty and performance.

What You’ll Learn

You’ll learn why hospitality is now among the fastest-reinvention industries—and what that means for service, operations, and culture. Dr. Nadya shares the six-pillar framework behind sustained reinvention, how to use Appreciative Inquiry to uncover hidden wins, and why the days of long-term stability are over.
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You’ll also discover why reinvention isn’t just for big brands with big budgets—and how even a single-location hotel can start small and systematize meaningful change. With stories from the Titanic to Shopify to luxury hotels, this episode delivers actionable ideas to future-proof your guest experience and your business.

Who This Is For

• Hospitality executives and general managers
• Hotel and tourism entrepreneurs
• Sustainability officers and green team leaders
• Corporate strategists and change consultants
• Anyone tasked with reinventing customer experience in a changing world

3 Key Takeaways from This Episode

1. Reinvention Every 3 Years Is the New Norm in Hospitality

Hospitality is now among the fastest-cycling industries for change, with 21% of companies reinventing every 12 months. This pace demands proactive, embedded systems for ongoing reinvention—not one-time projects.

2. Sustainability Can—and Must—Be Profitable

Forget the false choice between doing good and doing well. Through Embedded Sustainability, companies like Walmart and luxury hotels have found ways to cut costs, reduce waste, and boost guest loyalty—all while improving environmental outcomes.

3. Use Appreciative Inquiry to Uncover Scalable Wins

Instead of analyzing failure, study your peak moments. Appreciative Inquiry helps leaders uncover what’s already working—and how to turn accidental successes into repeatable, systemic practices.

Resources Mentioned

• Chief Reinvention Officer Handbook – Download the free 85-page preview
• Reinvention Academy – Learn more about foundational and certificate-level courses
• PWC CEO Survey 2023 – Reinvention as the #1 CEO priority
• Appreciative Inquiry methodology from Case Western Reserve University
• Embedded Sustainability (book by Dr. Nadya Zhexembayeva and Chris Laszlo)