Make Room For April 11th

There are very few experiences I've had in my life as rewarding as unwrapping a brisket after 12 hours of tender love and smoke.

"It's like he's looking at his newborn for the first time"

Waking up early to prepare this culinary experience for friends is one of the easiest wake-up calls I ever have had. I know that I am only a half day's work away from making people smile from ear to ear. Especially when I do it in NYC or Montauk. Smoking a brisket isn't so common up here.

Finding ways to surprise and delight friends and strangers alike is a kind of superpower that I think everyone should unlock for themselves. For me, it has been hosting and cooking for groups as small as 4 and as large as 50. For others, I know it is singing or the spoken word, dancing or performing on a moment's notice.

Spontaneous joy offerings are a life hack that I hope everyone discovers for themselves so they can give it to their friends and family.  In a world where more and more routine things are being taken over by robots and AI, they are the soul that is missing from far too many moments.  The joy shared between you and others is something that can never be programmed or prompted and will continue to distinguish the humans from the bots.

Quote That Rings True

This is the power of gathering: it inspires us, delightfully, to be more hopeful, more joyful, more thoughtful: in a word, more alive. - Alice Waters

Reminder I Was Reminded To Share

Are you thinking about making a move in your career but need some help plotting your path forward? Is it time to leave your current position/career and make something new for yourself? Join the next group coaching cohort beginning next month. 2 spots left.

Song I'm Loving

I want a house with a crowded table
And a place by the fire for everyone
Let us take on the world while we're young and able
And bring us back together when the day is done

The door is always open
Your picture's on my wall
Everyone's a little broken
And everyone belongs

‌Especially after this past Easter weekend with family, it is just wonderful to be reminded how wonderful a full table can be.

Advice On How To Host A Perfect Dinner Party

If I was going to host a dinner party where I could invite anyone in history, dead or alive, I would most certainly make sure that Anthony Bourdain was on the list. Kitchen Confidential was the first book I read when I moved to New York City thirteen years ago. It has inspired my obsession with fine dining and with hosting. Chefs are some of the last remaining rebels accepted by society. And while I'll never go full No Reservations, his advice on hosting the perfect dinner party still rings true.

• "Mise En Place" or in English, 'make a coherent and comprehensive list' and do all the prep work before your guests arrive. You don't want your guests arriving and drinking all your booze while you are doing prep work in the kitchen
• Have reasonable expectations of yourself. Stick to the thing you know you are good at and wow your attendees with your signature dish, not something you learned how to make that day.

Invitation To Join Our Dinner Party

Every week, nearly 2,000 people read this little newsletter and I can't tell you how happy that makes me. The only thing that makes me happier is getting to hang out with the subscribers who decided to get a little more involved and join the inner circle of this community.

It's $8 a month or $52 for the whole year and you can unsubscribe at any time. It's just a little gating mechanism that makes sure everyone has a little skin in the game of the perks that come with the inner circle access.

Each month, we have two different inner circle member opportunities:

• Office Hours: I host office hours to make myself available to help in any way I can. Working on a new project? Making a career move? Have a wild idea that needs a sounding board? Just wanna have a Zoom call that is fun and doesn't have to have a KPI? Let's do it!
• Meet Ups: This is the true dinner party aspect of this newsletter and community. The only thing you know before signing in is that the people on the other side of the screen also think that this newsletter is worth their time. But truthfully, the magic that has happened on these calls is unreal. Last month we talked about AI and its place in each of our worlds going forward.

If any of that sounds like something you'd enjoy, we'd be very happy to have you.  And if you join today, you can take advantage of both perks for the month of April.

I hope today's newsletter finds you smiling with the knowledge that you have what it takes for whatever situation you find yourself in right now. No matter how high the high or how low the low, you've got this.  And if for whatever reason that doesn't feel like your truth right now, let me know, and let's see if we can change the outlook together.

Make room for many more truthy conversations in your life,

Andy

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