One of my greatest teachers (though he’d probably never think of himself that way) is my old boss from my barista days.
He was that epic boss some of us were lucky enough to encounter in youth. The one who taught me a lot more than how to make a perfect sandwich or sling a cup of coffee.
Dave trained me to give the customer what they really want… not what they order.
And he taught me to take the time to help them figure out what that was.
Dave never corrected the way I did things, he just asked me why I was doing it that way. If I didn’t have a good answer, he’d show me how he did it (which was usually genius), but he asked and listened genuinely, always ready to learn a new way.
The funny part of all of it was that his manner was gruff and sarcastic.
He wasn’t somebody I thought would be super into the idea of magic…
He always seemed so grounded, practical, down-to-earth.
Still, when the manuscript of The Heretic was ready for beta readers, I knew no one would be as diligent, critical, and honest as Dave.
And I was right—he ripped it to shreds (which you can all thank him for because it made the book MUCH better).
But what I didn’t expect was that he LOVED it!
He read two different versions.
He was the first in line to buy a copy.
He joined my mailing list.
He signed up for my summits.
And he has been unfailingly in my corner ever since.
If I’m totally transparent—he even fired me from the coffee shop when my stay there lingered too long
“You have important work to do. Get out of here.”
Dave saw me completely enough to know I needed a little shove out the door.
We all need that kick in the pants sometimes.
We all need somebody to be brutally honest and unfailingly loving.
We all need someone in our corner who will take a stand for our success.
And WE ALL NEED someone who can See us clearly and take us to the next level… to See our dreams and help us become the one who can achieve them.
I learned from the best, and now it’s my turn to take a stand for the next generation of magical creators ready to step into their dreams.
If you have a business you’ve been trying to get off the ground, but you haven’t been able to get traction...
It’s time to embrace the reality that magical creators do it differently!
Come grab your FREE Magical Business Assessment.
Let me use my gifts to help you See exactly where you are and what your business really needs right now to succeed.
It’s time to find your Path.
Leveling up,
Allysha Lavino
P.S. Thanks for all the little messages along the way, Dave! I’m still listening.