Hey, that's me!

Hi, I'm Lindsay.

I’m a people person. An optimist. An extrovert. When we meet, I will hug you hello. My dad has always told me that everyone has a story. What's yours?

I recently left my awesome job at a NY-based non-profit called charity: water. I'm on a mission to discover my next great adventure, starting with fifty coffees to figure it out.

The last three years working at charity: water were a huge growth period for me. I am ready for a big career move, but don't want to blindly jump into the next thing. Instead, I want to be intentional about my next work experience; thoughtful about my life path. This moment feels important. I live in the best city in the world --New York City, I have ten years of work experience, and I don't yet have kids. and I'm in a position where I can take a risk. fifty coffees is my personal preparation to start leaning in. A casual little blog; a systematic approach to narrowing the field in a world with endless choice.

The idea of the project is simple.

Over the next year, I will meet with fifty of my friends and mentors to gather advice and share perspectives to help define the next chapter of my life. I'll blog about the people & experience.

My work and life experiences during my 20's were weird and wild. I did everything from live at the Chateau Marmont Hotel for a year to dance with rural Ethiopian kids in Tigray. As a result, there are a lot of fascinating people in my life. I enjoy cultivating relationships and creating communities with people who constantly shock me with their greatness.

I try to do my best to surround myself with dreamers, doers, believers, and thinkers because I want my world to continue to expand. I want to do more, learn more, see more -- while surrounded by life-loving people like you. Wanna grab a coffee?

Goals:

Get out of my apartment
Demand discipline of myself
Take photos
Spend time with friends
Write

We'll coffee talk (or have conversations during a farm stroll, hat factory tour, or yoga class if that makes more sense). I'll ask questions about your journey, and perhaps gather opinions you may have about mine.

How did this idea begin?

During my last week at charity: water, one of my favorite coworkers, Paull Young, and I went to coffee. We talked about the potential in my next career steps and he talked about an article he'd recently read on INC.com titled "How 50 Cups of Coffee Can Change Your Life." The thesis of the article is that when in big transition moments, people should sit down with 50 people to gather a variety of perspectives and relevant advice. "Setting the goal of having coffee with 50 people forces you to be clear about your goals. Making the goal public, one person at a time, also makes it much stronger. You’ll also get input from smart and interesting people."

PERFECT.

This concept is not new. There's a widely read article from August 2011 by VC Mark Suster called "Why You Need To Take 50 Coffee Meetings," a blog called 52 Cups of Coffee - a year long project started by a college student looking to meet 52 new people to expand her horizons (awesome), and well-known self help book What Color is Your Parachute mentions the concept of taking 50 informational meetings when job hunting.

fifty coffees is my personal spin.

Get ready to meet my favorite taste makers, spiritual guides, and thought leaders. Maybe their words of advice will spark something in you, too.

All photos taken by Lindsay Ratowsky, unless otherwise noted.
Coffee posts copy edited by Alexandra Eastman.