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Let’s rewind. In the '80s, Schultz walks into a small Seattle coffee shop. He’s not looking for beans — he’s looking for meaning. Inspired by Italy’s café culture, he brings back a truth no one saw coming: people crave belonging, even in ten-minute intervals. Especially in the in-between. So he asks a radical question: “What if a cup of coffee wasn’t just a product — but a portal?” To connection. To self. To somewhere you feel like you matter, even for a moment. The man didn’t sell caffeine. He sold community in a cup. The Real Mission Wasn’t Mocha It’s easy to miss this now. Starbucks is everywhere. We see the brand, the hustle, the green siren. But what Schultz gave the world was deeper — more human. He saw how disconnected we’d become. He knew how lonely modern life was getting. He wanted to offer a place where: You weren’t expected to perform. You weren’t dismissed or ignored. You could sit with your book, your laptop, your silence, your people — and just be. Third place thinking was a rebellion. A counterculture movement in the disguise of a cappuccino. Why It Still Matters (Maybe More Than Ever) Now, in a world spinning faster than ever — AI, algorithms, endless scrolls and clicks — We’re losing the spaces that hold us in our realness. The cracks between the roles we play. And maybe that’s what makes Schultz’s vision hit harder now. It was never about coffee. It was about catching your breath between identities. You’re not your job. You’re not just your household duties. And if you don’t have a “third place”? You burn out. So What’s Your Third Place? Maybe it’s not Starbucks. Maybe it’s a park bench. A sketchbook. A dojo. A corner of your mind where no one else gets a key. Maybe it’s a project, like Dr. H Research, trying to build spaces out of words. Maybe you create that place yourself — and invite others in. Whatever it is, protect it. Build it. Visit it often. Because your third place isn’t just a luxury. It’s your sanctuary. Your recharge. Your reminder that life is more than transactions. To the Dreamers Who Brew Space Howard Schultz didn’t give the world a coffee chain. He gave us permission to belong somewhere in the middle. And if you’ve ever taken a sip, sat down, and felt like the noise of life dimmed just for a second — You’ve tasted it. That something more. So here’s to the third places. To the dreamers who know that even a small corner, filled with warmth and welcome, can change a life. Can change a world. No AI can replace that. No algorithm can fake it. Because it’s real. It’s human. And it’s needed now more than ever.