There I was, standing in line at my favorite coffee shop, absently scrolling through emails while waiting for my triple shot of motivation.

The person behind me notices my "Got Bots?" t-shirt and snorts. "Let me guess... you either work in AI or you're leading the robot uprising."

Twenty minutes later, we're both sitting at a wobbly table by the window, swapping stories and business cards. Neither of us saw that coming.

That, my friends, is the magic of spontaneous connection.

It's also something our perfectly planned, calendar-blocked lives have practically strangled right out of existence.

Don't get me wrong. I LOVE a good calendar system. My color-coded Google Calendar is practically my external brain at this point. If you moved one of my recurring meetings without telling me, I might forget how to function.

But here's what I've noticed over the years – some of my most valuable business relationships never started with a scheduled Zoom call or a formal networking event where everyone's wearing slightly uncomfortable shoes.

They started at the metaphorical water cooler. Or in my case, the very literal Tavern.

You know the Tavern at the Come Wright Inn? If you've been in my world for a while, you've heard me talk about this magical place. You've probably even met me there.

It's also where Sarah introduced me to her brother who – despite initially looking like he'd rather be anywhere else on earth – ended up becoming one of my most treasured clients.

The connections we make there aren't on anyone's agenda. They are happy accidents – the kind our hyper-organized digital lives rarely make space for anymore.

In our quest for efficiency, we've optimized the life out of our calendars. We've traded spontaneous conversations for back-to-back Zoom meetings where we arrive exactly on time and leave the second the agenda is complete.

But here's what I know for sure: Magic happens in the margins.

It happens in the "Hey, do you have five minutes?" conversations that turn into hour-long brainstorming sessions.

It happens in the unexpected bumping into someone at an event when you're both reaching for the last decent appetizer.

It happens when you allow yourself to be present enough to notice an opportunity for connection that wasn't on your to-do list.

🫠 Connection without the cringe factor?