Meet Alex Jump | Founder & Director of Operations, Focus on Health

We had the good fortune of connecting with Alex Jump and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Alex, what is the most important factor behind your success?
In this industry, it’s important to be empathetic and open. I’ve always believed in being open, and I’m not one to hold back on sharing even the smallest details of my experiences, even with strangers. My willingness to share openly on social media has allowed me to build a platform and foster a community that aligns with my values. While being an open book isn’t for everyone, I encourage others to share what they’re comfortable with. I’ve found that my openness has made others in my industry and community feel more at ease reaching out for advice or guidance, and I’m always happy to provide it.

Empathy has always been important throughout my carreer, and I believe it’s a quality that’s been crucial to becoming the bar manager I’ve always wanted to be. Throughout my journey in food & beverage, I’ve worked for owners and managers who lacked empathy, which inspired me to focus on it as a key part of my leadership style. My advice to anyone is to start practicing empathy, even if you’re not yet in a management role. Bars and restaurants can often feel like high-pressure environments, which means people are frequently operating on short fuses. Practicing radical empathy, even as a line employee, can make a big difference. Instead of jumping to conclusions, try to understand what your coworkers, managers, or guests might be going through in a given situation.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My journey in bartending really took off with my role in opening Death & Co’s Denver location, and I’ve been lucky enough to have had some opportunities since then, like being named a finalist for Bombay Sapphire’s “Most Imaginative Bartender” in 2020 and being included in Forbes’ “30 under 30 Food and Drink” list in 2021. In 2020, I co-founded Focus on Health with my business partner, Lauren Paylor O’Brien. Through Focus on Health, we’ve been able to speak out about the importance of physical and mental wellbeing in the food and beverage industry, sparking conversations around wellness and inequality in the sector. Most recently, I was honored to be named a 2022 StarChefs Denver Rising Stars Award Winner and Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Awards 2024 American Bar Mentor of the Year.

I’m most proud of my work in advocating for others in the industry. I truly believe that great hospitality starts with taking care of yourself, and that’s something I try to bring into everything I do. One of the things I’m most excited about right now is the Professional Development Scholarship Program. Through this program we are able to provide professional development and networking opportunities to bartenders from marginalized backgrounds and tertiary markets across the US. We believe that these opportunities are integral to ensuring that these bar professionals are accessing the resources needed to advance their career and move into leadership or ownership opportunities in the future.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Denver has so many great spots, it’s difficult to choose!

If you’re feeling hungry, you could start with coffee at any Little Owl location or Huckleberry on Tennyson St. and then do some shopping in the area at Berkeley Supply Co and grab lunch at Two Hands or the Tasca sandwich pop up at Bruto in the Free Market. Then for dinner, I recommend checking out Sap Sua in City Park or La Diabla in LoDo.

If you’re feeling thirsty, don’t miss out on great cocktails at Yacht Club in Whittier and Lady Jane in LoHi.

I’d also recommend checking out Wheat Ridge for some Pastries at Get Rights followed by a round of bowling at Wheat Ridge Lanes and getting Aurora photos taken with Aura Weaver at RitualCravt.

Other favorites of mine include Bread Bar in Silver Plume and Caroline Glover’s spots in Aurora, Annette and Traveling Mercies. And of course, protesting the injustices currently happening on our rights at the state capital (jk but not really).

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I’d love to shout out my husband, Stuart, who continues to push me to believe in myself- even when I’m uncomfortable.

Website: https://www.fohealth.org/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/axljump/

Image Credits
Headshot by Shawn Campbell. Additional Photo 1 by Nick Hogan, additional photo 2 by Josh Brastead, additional photo 3 by Shawn Campbell