Want to speed up change in your life? Switch your meeting spot.
Before jumping from advertising to investments, I claimed a summer patio at a Japanese restaurant. Though my office was nearby, I spent most of my day there. Client talks, chats with staff, or just reading books. Something in the air made every process smoother.
There, I mulled over quitting to nowhere. There, I took steps I usually wouldn’t. There, I weighed an invite to the world of big money. That patio became a greenhouse where my new identity ripened.
The pattern repeated when I found myself a nobody again.
I left a wealth management firm with no clue what to do next. My days passed in an Italian café downtown. I met curious people there. We sipped tea and talked passionately about everything under the sun.
The place seemed to draw it all—people, energy, ideas, meaning.
There, I found co-founders for an internet project. There, I pondered an investor’s offer to launch a $50M PE/VC fund. As I stirred honey in green tea, my life took a new turn.
Long ago, I read an article saying the value of networks like Starbucks isn’t the coffee or service—it’s the “third place.” Not home, not work. You’re alone, yet among people. This transitional state fuels rest, reflection, and new ideas.
From a ritual lens, I didn’t find a restaurant or café, but a liminal space—a place for shifting from one state to another. It acts as a vessel, holding the transformation of your identity and life.
If your business stalls or career halts, find a physical “in-between” space where your heart feels at home.
Sincerely yours,
-Alexander
About me:
As a business therapist, I help tech founders quickly solve dilemmas at the intersection of business and personality, and boost company value as a result.
How can I help you?
If you've long been trying to understand what is limiting you and/or your business and how to finally give important changes a push, then The Catalyst Session is designed specifically for you. Book it here.