The Coffee Shop: People’s Organic The Cup: Anne and I both opted for hot tea. Hers was a lovely coconut tea and mine was ginger and turmeric – quite possibly one of the best cups of herbal tea I’ve ever enjoyed! Also, a shout out to People’s Organic for having bubbly water on tap. LOVE that! The […]
Author: Melissa
"You will be the same person in five years as you are today, except for the books you read and the people you meet." Charlie "Tremendous" Jones said that and I have taken it to heart.
In an attempt to not just be different, but to be better in five years, I learn life lessons from strangers by interviewing them over coffee. Once a week, I sit down with a total stranger to hear their story. I hope you enjoy reading about it as much as enjoy talking to these incredible people.
Everyone has a story! Talk to strangers and your life will never be the same.
Cup 127: Avi Meshar – Software developer, philosopher, and potter.
The Coffee Shop: Starbucks The Cup: Avi had coffee and I had Comfort Wellness hot tea. Am I sick, you might be wondering. Well, yes. Sick in the head! I have decided to go the whole month of October without caffeine. WHOA! Was that a rude awakening! Day one and two…massive headache. As in, go to […]
Cup 126: Damaris Hollingsworth – Inclusive architect, TEDx speaker and passionate achiever.
The Coffee Shop: THOR Companies The Cup: Damaris brewed us a special treat – a smooth, rich cup of Brazilian coffee, from her private office stash! The Connection: My friends are always looking out for me. When my pal Ericka came back from the TEDx Minneapolis event recently, she was adamant I must meet and interview two […]
Cup 125: Jane Whitlock – Death doula, life enthusiast and houseboat rental entrepreneur.
The Coffee Shop: J&S Bean Factory in St. Paul The Cup: Regular old coffee, for both of us. The Connection: Want to know a secret? One of the coolest parts of having this little project is that I always have a legitimate excuse to contact interesting people and invite them for coffee. Another cool thing is that […]
Cup 124: Diane Tran – Knowledge collector, community builder and family woman
The Coffee Shop: Spyhouse Coffee in St. Paul The Cup: An Americano for me and Diane went rogue and ordered something off menu (which should totally be ON menu). She ordered a hot chocolate, but made with coffee. What a creative drink, and I’m telling you, it looked amazing! The Connection: After many years of running a […]
Cup 123: Scott O’Malley – Entrepreneur, humanitarian, and family man
The Coffee Shop: Dunn Bros Coffee on Nicollet The Cup: Scott and I both order decaf cold brew. There was a time in my life when I seriously questioned the reason for decaf’s existence. Now I get it. What I love even more than coffee, is sleep. And I’ll be darned if a 2pm coffee […]
Beams & Bolts – More Brilliant Conversations With Strangers
What’s new? A WHOLE BUNCH OF STUFF! As the two year anniversary of my move to Minneapolis approaches, I figured it was high time I get back to talking with strangers. I’ve missed the conversations more than I would ever have expected. I knew the format was in need of a refresh – I […]
Cup 122 – Christa Tess Kalk – Professor, Maker and “Shop Local” Enthusiast
The Place: Patrick’s Bakery The Cup: Mocha for Christa and Cappuccino for me. We may or may not have also indulged in an item from the bakery case. The Background: Less than a month ago, my husband Dave and I relocated from Austin, TX to Minneapolis, MN. I know what you’re thinking. Yes, we know about winter. If […]
Cup 121 – Todd Nevins: Podcaster, entrepreneur and ripcord puller.
The Place: Thai Fresh The Cup: An Americano for Todd, and I opted for plain old drip this time around. The Background: My pal Albert met Todd recently and started chatting with him about Todd’s newest project, the Go Hunt Life podcast, where Todd interviews people who have pulled the ripcord on the “normal” adult life and have instead opted for the […]
Cup 120: Roy H. Williams – Advertising wizard, committed writer and collector of everything.
The Place: The Wizard Academy The Cup: Regular old coffee (from one of those nifty pod machines) with a little half-and-half for me. The same, with vanilla creamer for Roy. The Background: The ever-wise and knowing Coffee With A Stranger Cup 86 Ray Bard has talked about his friend Roy a handful of times as we’ve reconvened over the […]