MORE than two decades of running pubs, restaurants and hotels led a Yeovil man to pursue a career helping solve a problem he became convinced he was part of – mental health.

Clive Pullen lived and breathed hospitality, managing bustling pubs, lively restaurants, even a hotel or two.
The perks were good, the pace relentless, and he was successful.

But as he moved up the ladder, he began to notice something he couldn’t ignore: the number of staff and customers struggling with mental health.

“I realised I was part of the problem, not the solution. I was running businesses that sold alcohol while seeing the toll it was taking on people. It became harder and harder to square that with myself,” he said.

So Clive walked away from his career in hospitality and set out on the road of social care, working with Lifeways, in a life change he described as going “from pints to purpose”, using the skills he had developed to succeed in his new role.

“The ability to stay calm when things get heated, to listen, to persuade, to negotiate – that’s hospitality in a nutshell,” he said. “And it’s the same in support.”

Instead of juggling rotas and customer complaints, Clive was now scheduling care teams, coaching colleagues, and helping people navigate the everyday challenges of independent living.

He began as a support worker, before progressing to service manager, responsible for staff, residents, and the long-term success of a scheme.

“As a manager, I see myself as a coach and a mentor,” he said. “Whether you’re guiding a team member or calming someone in crisis, it’s all about helping people reach their best.”

He draws on commercial know-how too, overseeing payroll, rotas, budgets and even insight into health and safety and fire safety – all tools of the trade he learned while running pubs and hotels.

“I was surprised by how little commercial awareness there sometimes was in social care,” he went on. “But those basics from hospitality can really strengthen a team and a service.”

READ MORE: Yeovil news from your Somerset Leveller

But he said his new career had brought meaning he never found in hospitality, with a more personal feeling of success.

He told the story of a man who had spent years in institutional settings, disconnected from everyday life, for whom a simple shopping trip became transformative.

“He didn’t know what a contactless card was, or how to use a self-checkout,” Clive said. “Sharing those small life skills – things most of us take for granted – that’s priceless.”

Another time, a person who had once been detained for violent behaviour thanked Clive and his team for helping him stay calm in his own home.

“Those moments are worth more than anything I ever got in hospitality,” he added.

And Clive said there are others who would benefit from making the kind of career decision he did, and utilising their empathy, resilience, and people skills to excel in social care.

“If you’re good with people, you can succeed in both sectors,” he added. “We just need to encourage more people to take that leap.

“I’ve never once woken up dreading going to work since moving into social care. And after 30 years in the workplace, that says everything.”

For more information on Lifeways, and to see the latest opportunities, visit www.lifeways.co.uk/careers.

READ MORE: Business news from your Somerset Leveller