TinaOLife Welcomes Tara Caffelle

Please join me in welcoming Tara Caffelle, Relationship Coach (whether staying, splitting, or having a baby), Intimacy Guru (chief instigator and founder of Nookie November), Big Life Conduit (coach and online host of Speaking of Sparkles) and now TinaOLife’s Hump Day Lady too (did I just say that?).

Oh Tara, you are such a fit and I am thrilled to announce you as one of TinaOLife’s Core Contributors covering all things relationship, in fact, you might even say that YOU are Where Relationships get Real.  Well, I do say that.

Here’s our story (TinaO’s perspective):

So I met this gal by accident which means on purpose.  I sat across from her at a BNI breakfast meeting and to be honest, as much as I’m a total hound for networking because I really do just love people, any kind of organized business thingy where we’re supposed to be ‘authentic’ and ‘non-pitchy’ yet the bottomline of why we are there is to get business and make our cash register ring…  these events always strike me as just odd, as in not quite honest but not quite false either (spank me now for speaking it as I feel it). The thing is, I can do these kinds of events, I’m even good at them, but still, they’re kinda weird to me.  ’nuff said – yet its probably the very reason why Tara made such a subtle yet significant impression on me.

Now when I go to a morning breakfast meeting, I see getting up, getting dressed, doing my hair (oh gawd really?), putting on lipstick (oh boy oh boy like reallllly?) and then leaving my house before 6am as a decision to further my education in people. As well, I see it as part of my active agreement with the universe/God/powerthatbe in order for the big magic we all allude to, to happen. One thing I know for sure is that nothing shows up for me unless I show up for it, thus the partnership.  So every now and then I put my cynicism aside (yes I can be a cranky codger) and I ‘show up’ at a networking event and do my do.  A few years ago, when I did that, I met Tara Caffelle.

We barely exchanged words – but who needs them when you understand the game of business networking.  The words we speak at these events are usually heavily rehearsed yet planned as hopefully authentic and packaged together as a 30 second elevator pitch to let the room know what we do so they can hire us right?  It’s not so much about who we are. That’s why I don’t pay too much attention to what people say at these events, but rather do how I feel when I experience them.

As I was taking the last few bites of my eggs benny, I knew that there was just something about this gal sitting across from me and a few chairs down that I wanted to get to know. So we did what you do at these things, we exchanged cards and she followed up.  Perfect.  Here’s what it looked like:

March 25th, 2014 – Hi Tina,  It was so great to meet you at BNI this morning – what a HUGE group that was!  I am a member of BNI Harbourside (we meet at the same restaurant on Wednesdays) and we’re only about 26 people, so that was a bit of a shock.  It seems like we have some great overlap and could likely have a fun, connecty kind of tea.  Let me know if you’d like to set that up in the next couple of weeks.  In the meantime, if you think of anyone having babies or adjusting to life with a newborn, the links to my workshops and website are below.  Have a great week and I will look forward to seeing you soon. Cheers, Tara 

Tina same day – sounds great.  I’m across the water so can we say 10:30 instead?  It’s closer to when I can be there!  – so downtown, or east van is good for me!  You?

April 20th 2014 – Tara   Oh, dear, I completely forgot to confirm this!  You are in my calendar for 10:30 on the 28th.  How about we meet at the Laughing Bean on Hastings (near the PNE but I can’t remember the cross street).

April 24th 2014 – Tina   Hi Tara!  I just remembered that I am booked from 10am – 11am on that day.  Can we do 11:30?  Same place?  Thx!

Same day – Tara  Yup, that works. See you there. 

April 27th 2014 – Tina Oh my… Sorry to do this again… Any chance you can do 3pm?  My day shifted once again!  I’m so sorry to make all these changes!!  If not, we can always rebook for the following Monday! Whatever works.   Xxt