The Place: Lola Savannah The Cup: Brett selected an iced, soy, decaf mocha and I too went the decaf route, choosing a lovely iced passion fruit tea. Background: Brett is one of the strangers on my wish list, and a few months back I was at an event and saw Brett standing by a wall listening to […]
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.
Special edition: Mexico – Cups 50 and 51 and four interesting strangers
The Place: Playa del Carmen – first cup was at Coffee Stop and second cup was at Titi Panini. The Cups: Cup 50 was an Americano enjoyed at Coffee Stop and Cup 51 was a lovely, refreshing Lemon-Cranberry Iced Tea at Titi Panini. Background: I headed to Mexico for my first solo trip, ever. Part of the reason for […]
Cup 49: Nicole Forbes – Austin transplant, yoga devotee and technology strategist.
The Place: Starbucks The Cup: Nicole was just coming back from yoga and was feeling very zen, so she decided to skip the coffee. I had an iced coffee. Mmm, mmm good! Background: Last week I was at Starbucks catching up with Cup 19, Honoree Corder. Honoree had a meeting after our chat with Nicole. As I was […]
Cup 48: Kevin Koym – 5th generation Texan, technology visionary and start-up champion.
The Place: Mozart’s Coffee The Cup: Kevin had a meeting before I arrived, so he sipped remnants of a lovely almond milk mocha while I opted for a refreshing glass of iced coffee. Background: Gee, I’m not really sure where to begin with this one. I first heard about Kevin when I took the Entrepreneurship class taught by […]
Cup 47: Tom LaPlante – Social media early adopter, friend-maker and change agent.
The Place: Cherrywood Coffee The Cup: Straight up coffee for both Tom and myself. Background: Taking the gold medal for most strangers referred to the project…Cup 5, Steve Harper! OK, there is no contest but if there were, Steve would be at the top of the podium and we’d be singing the Star Spangled Ripple. Steve sent an […]
Cup 46: Molly Ironmonger – New mom, real estate professional and fellow fan of strangers.
The Place: Cafe Medici The Cup: An iced coffee for both Molly and myself. Special guest, Luke, enjoyed a bottle of juice and because his teeth are on their way in, he skipped the scone and opted instead for a red, rubber spatula. Background: That darn Steve Harper, Cup 5 was up to it again. When he […]
Cup 45: Laura Darby – Speaker of five languages, primatologist and United Nations employee.
The Place: Starbucks The Cup: An iced coffee for me, while Laura went for the “most complex drink order-able”. I heard her order it and even asked for clarification and still don’t remember what the girl ordered. It was something like a light vanilla bean Frappuccino, but with a few extra instructions in the mix. Whatever it […]
Cup 44: Heather Schuck – Accidental entrepreneur, wildly successful business woman and devoted mom.
The Place: Mozart’s Coffee The Cup: Regular old coffee for both Heather and myself. Background: One of the greatest connecters in Austin is Steve Harper – who I affectionately refer to as Cup 5. He’s so great at connecting people, he wrote a book on the subject (The Ripple Effect: Maximizing the Power of Relationships for Life & […]
Coffee With A Stranger Video
Take a look at the new Coffee With A Stranger video.
Cup 43: Janet Hardy – Real estate tycoon, free spirit and wanna-be pedicab driver.
The Place: Jo’s Coffee on Second The Cup: Janet said she’d maxed out on her coffee limit already and opted for Kombucha. I rarely max out, so iced coffee for me. Background: A few weekends ago, hubby Dave and I headed to Fredericksburg, TX for the weekend. I decided to finally give AirBnB.com a try […]