Coffee Stories
Coffee klatch: Creating space for real connection
Many years ago, I had a coworker who would show up at my office door every morning with her coffee mug in hand. “Coffee klatch time?” she’d ask. I was in marketing, she was a grant writer, and for thirty minutes every morning, we’d talk about life, family, work challenges, and ideas for the company. Our departments overlapped, but those morning conversations? They went deeper than project timelines and deliverables.
That’s where I learned the real work gets done – not in the formal meetings, but in the coffee klatch moments.
I’ve carried this tradition through every team I’ve worked with since. Whether it was with direct reports or C-level management, I’ve always believed that teams need to know each other beyond the DISC assessment, beyond the org chart, beyond the job description.
Coffee klatch isn’t just about coffee. It’s about creating space for real connection.
It’s where you learn:
- That your CFO is worried about her aging parent
- That your reporter is house-hunting and stressed about the market
- That your designer has a side hustle making pottery
- That your coworker is funnier than you thought
These aren’t distractions from the work. These ARE the work. Because when people feel seen and known, they show up differently. They collaborate better. They care more. They stay longer.
Right now in my life, my coffee klatch looks different. I don’t have a coworker stopping by my office door (I work from home). I don’t have a publisher’s office down the hall to process ideas with. But I still have that morning ritual – the space to think out loud, to process what’s happening, to connect the personal and the professional.
For me, that space is this – Coffee & Words. My morning coffee, my thoughts, my way of making sense of it all before the workday begins.
Because the best work doesn’t happen in isolation. It happens in connection.
Whether it’s a coworker at your office door, a trusted friend over coffee, or even a quiet morning ritual with your own thoughts – creating space for real conversation matters.
So here’s my question for you: Who’s your coffee klatch? Who do you process life and work with? And if you don’t have that right now, how could you create it?
Sometimes the most important meeting of the day isn’t on the calendar.
It’s the one that happens over coffee. ☕
Tracy
My word stack for today:
Coffee + Klatch
coffee, [cof-fee] noun, Origin: Arabic, “a drink that prevents sleep,” A magical potion that turns strangers into colleagues and colleagues into friends, one conversation at a time.
klatch, [klach] noun, Origin: German Kaffeeklatsch, “coffee gossip,” The sacred ritual of gathering over coffee, where real work happens and genuine connections are made.
These mugs are part of our Coffee Stories collection – word stacks inspired by my personal journey shared in these posts. Each memoir piece becomes a stackable memory you can hold in your hands. Start your own collection and create combinations that speak to your journey.”
Shop My Coffee Journey:
The tools that transformed my morning ritual:
☕ French Press – [IKEA link] – The one my reporter gave me, approx. 4 cups.
☕ Coffee Press – [Amazon link] – Larger, 8 cup coffee press purchased for my son’s kitchen in Hawaii.
🌺 Hawaiian Coffee – [Amazon link] – Brings back Pearl Harbor and Hawaiian rainbow memories.
🔌 Coffee Warmer – [Amazon link] – Because I’m a slow sipper.
🎯 Turquoise Keurig – [Amazon link] – My turquoise companion (or similar).
⚙️ Coffee Grinder – [Walmart link] – For when I find beans worth my time.
Some links are Amazon affiliate links, which means I earn a small commission if you purchase through them at no extra cost to you. I only share products I actually use and love!
