Breakfast Clubbing #55
W/C 12 May: BC is ON in Burlington, LA (East), PDX, Barcelona, Philly, Wmsbrg, MIA, CDMX, SF, Portland ME, Cambridge, DTBK, Cincy, Denver, Vegas, Bangkok, Amsterdam, SOMa, Panama City + LA (West)
The Breakfast Club Esprit de Corps:
* Everyone’s invited - especially you.
* Feel free to share, bring friends, colleagues, family, anyone.
* No agenda, no required buy-in, no need to RSVP. And no pitches.
* Everyone pays their own way.
* Everyone can subscribe. Join the Linkedin Group here.
Hi all,
I got clipped today, talking about magic. It was part of a live podcast episode of The Firehouse Salon, and though I am rapidly tiring of the headshot Ashley included (not his fault, mine, to be clear), I was happy to be spotlighted.
It’s because, at a moment when august voices like The Atlantic say Breakfast Is Breaking, around here, Breakfast is Clubbing.
Fair, The Atlantic’s story is about ingredients and BC is about people - but I can’t help feeling proud of the way we’ve managed to create conditions for serendipity week after week, all over the world.
And how it’s growing - with Bangkok and Cambridge Mass coming online, Tokyo (5/20), Buck’s County (5/21) and Montreal coming next week (5/22), and Seoul in the offing - along with all the regulars getting together week-in, week-out (a sincere thanks to all of you, btw).
All of which is to say - if you’re reading this and you haven’t been by for breakfast recently, you should. Everyone’s invited…. especially you.
Ben
Breakfast Club This Week:
Monday, May 12th [See recaps below]
Burlington VT
Co-hosted by Zach Pollakoff
8:30a @ Deep City
Los Angeles (East)
Co-hosted by Michael Miraflor, Willie Mack and Marjory Garrison
8:30a @ Couplet Coffee
Tuesday, May 13th
Portland, OR
Co-hosted by Nina Sers
9a @ Proud Mary
Wednesday, May 7th
Barcelona
Co-Hosted by Kevin Maguire and Nicole Ingra
9:30a @ Caravelle
Philadelphia
Co-Hosted by Julie Gerstein and Kristina Dechter
9:30a @ Caravelle
Miami
Co-Hosted by Jeff Carvalho and Jesse Kirshbaum
8:30a @ Novela Cafe Social
Brooklyn (Williamsburg)
Hosted by me and a gang of regulars
8:30a @ Le Crocodile at The Wythe Hotel
The Hamptons
Co-hosted by Mike Kilcoyne
8:30a @ Tutto Cafe
Mexico City
Co-Hosted by Steve Bryant
8:30am @ TBC (DM Steve)
Thursday, May 15th
Portland, ME
Co-Hosted by Michele Martin and Lydia Wagner
8am @ Salt Yard
Cambridge, MA
Co-Hosted by Greg Stahovec and Anne-Marie Kline
8:30am @ Shybird Kendall Square
Downtown Brooklyn
Co-Hosted by Kat Popiel, Marina Garcia-Vasquez, and Lynn Juang
8:30am @ Ace Hotel Brooklyn (Lobby)
Manhattan
Co-Hosted by Heidi Hartwig
9am @ Eva’s Kitchen on Grand
Cincinnati
Co-Hosted by Theo Erasmus and Emmit Jones
8:30am @ Mom and Em Coffee
Denver
Co-Hosted by Kate Gagnon
8:30am @ Pigtrain Coffee
Vegas
Co-hosted by Julie Crisman and Steph Balzer
9a @Urth Caffe @ The District in Henderson
Friday, May 16th
Bangkok (Pop-Up)
Co-Hosted by Amy Daroukakis and Rhomtthera Palawongse
9:30a @ The Wireless Club
Amsterdam
Co-Hosted by Sheila Guo
9:15a @ Karavaan (Kwakerspl
New Jersey (SOMa)
Co-Hosted by James Friedman
9:15a @ Arties
Panama City
Co-hosted by Karla Rodriguez C., Jacob Larringa and Carla Batista Jean-François
9a @ Sassy Cafe
Los Angeles (West)
Co-Hosted by Kirsten Ludwig, Scott Donaton and Anita Schillhorn van Veen
8:30a @ Zinque (Venice)
Breakfast Club Events Upcoming:
5.20: PDX, Tokyo (Pop Up) 5.21: Bucks County, Montreal, Williamsburg, Miami, CDMX, SF 
5.22: Boston, DTBK, Manhattan, Cincy, 6.4: Seoul (Pop Up) 6.5: London Breakfast Clubbing Last Week:
BC was on in Paris, Singapore, Boulder, PDX, Miami, Hamptons, Williamsburg, CDMX, Vienna, DTBK, DC, Manhattan, Cincy, Seattle & SOMa.
Breakfast Club Singapore (Pop Up) Report 6.5.25
Per Amy’s post: Breakfast Club x Singapore!
An epic, curious bunch turned up to brain dance over coffee and conversation.
Be still my heart gratitude to cohosts Seraphina Woon, Ci En L., Kajal V. & Dilys Ng
And… this lovely group.
Wenyi Huang, Bea Camacho, Jorge Thauby, Gagyeong Seo, Jerome Linder, Alison Ho, Natacia Lim, Farah Azizan, Coco WU, Angelia Teo K.G, Andrea Ng, Aisha Lin T., SueAnn Teo, An Qi Ng, Olivia Kwok, Audrey Choy, Jimmy Yar, Yvonne Low, Felix Pels, Greg Wood, Galen Crout &
Sanaya Sinha
Keep an eye out for the next monthly one in Singapore, hosted by Seraphina Woon on the 26th of June at 9:30 am at Grain Traders.
As always, “Everyone is invited, especially you” Ben Dietz
Next up! On my get lost on purpose tour...Breakfast Club x Asia Pop Ups
🇹🇭 Bangkok w/ Rhomtthera Palawongse on Friday the 16th of May
🇯🇵 Tokyo w/ Madoka Suganuma & Lisa Ono on Tuesday the 20th of May
Breakfast Club CDMX Report 5.7.25
Per Steve’s Post: 🥞 🥞 Breakfast Club MEXICO CITY Report 5.7.25 🥞 🥞
“When a bunch of Gen X gets together we just talk about how good life was before the internet.”
“Nobody knew where you were! Or cared!”
“You had to go to a building to receive a phone call, that was weird.”
“Anyway dude that brutalist AI video you made was wild.”
“Those were all real places! Runway ML. You take two photos of a space and tell Runway how you want the camera to move.”
“Amazing.”
“Yeah the first one came out great. The second one there are, like, people melting with five arms. I worked on it for two days and finally gave up.”
“What are y'all doing this summer? I think we’re going to Gallaecia in August.”
“I was in Gallaecia once! At an illegal rave. I was supposed to cat sit but things went awry, and so—“
“Wait wait tell us the good part, how did things with the cat go awry?”
“Well it’s just I was staying with the girl and her cat for a week before she planned to leave on vacation. I’d just met her, right, and this was in Madrid. And she said look you're here, why don't you go with me to this rave in Gallaecia. Like two hours north. So went to this field, totally dark, totally illegal. And then she fell and broke her leg in two places and I had to drive her antique VW bus back to Madrid and take care of her *and* her cat for three weeks.”
🍳🍳🍳
Today we were five, including Mark Holthusen, Kristen Zwicker, Maru M. Iglesias, and Rafa.
We do this every Wednesday @ 8:30am—everybody's invited, especially you!
Breakfast Club Hamptons Report 5.7.25
Per Mike’s Post: I believe that as things start getting more artificial with AI, we’re going to value the real texture of tangible STUFF even more.
Tangible STUFF that feels like people, made by people.
And that’s the beauty of where we’re headed.
As the technical stuff gets easier— the things that take time, the things that carry feeling— those will stand out even more.
A handwritten note.
A beautiful photo.
A moment that actually feels human.
That’s the stuff people are going to crave.
Because the work of doing the slide deck, the pitch, the sales script, the business plan— all of that’s getting way easier.
But what’s not getting easier is creating something that feels real.
That’s what I love about photography.
When you're patient and it’s not forced, you can really capture someone.
Not a pose. Not a persona.
But something authentic. Something beautiful.
And I try to bring that into everything I do— whether it's how I show up for clients, how I communicate, or how I just exist in this increasingly digital world.
Sometimes I get it wrong.
Sometimes it might even come off a little forced.
But I’m always trying.
Trying to connect.
Trying to stay human.
Because even writing this post… I used my voice. Literally.
Spoke it out, had it transcribed.
Boom. It’s here.
Even that feels more real to me.
Adam Harris / John Wilson / Phillip Lehans
Breakfast Club Williamsburg Report 5.7.25
Per my post: In my absence (traveling!) discussions included Boom Boom Aesthetic , Price of drip coffee and added high "alt milk" charges...so just getting it with "cow's milk", Cafes & Restaurants in Bushwick , Jubilee Market $5 roast chicken in Greenpoint, Lost hand picked high school phone numbers and then getting identity theft, Previously living in the recently shuttered Hot Box weed store in Bushwick., Seeing Cyber Trucks and other vanity cars as new development parked on the streets of Bushwick, Lit Lounge as last "anything goes" gathering place in East Village and nostalgia for that era and Cocaine Architecture (among many other things)
The crew was Nick Bodor (who took notes in my absence), Carlos Chiossone, Charles Bane III, Julie Stein, Dan Barman, Ben Jenkins, Nicole Rodill, Leann Abad, Dan Bradley, Alex Gallinari, Karen Young, Ian Edgar, Ryan Bingham, Tara Tsui, Vibha Mohan, Zaira Stefani Vallejo, Matthew L. Cohen, Zachary Mallard, James Outlaw, allie dietzek, Peter Droste, Randy Paul, and Cristina Krumsick and I am bummed I missed it.
But then again, we do this every Wednesday at Le Crocodile Restaurant. And everyone's invited, especially you.
Breakfast Club Paris Apero Report 7th May
Per Karla’s Post: This edition of The Breakfast Club 📍Paris, was a later version in the sexiest cocktail bar in town : Cravan 06🍸 A brain picking and creative apéro spent in great company with professionals from across industries and cultures. ☕🌍
A dynamic group with backgrounds in culture, publishing, supply chain, compliance, law, creative strategy, and beyond—each bringing their unique perspectives to the conversation.
We all agreed on the fact that finding the most authentic path isn’t always straightforward—but it’s where our true mission and value, both as professionals and as humans, quietly reside. This is where the power of saying no becomes a key tool: it helps us focus on what truly matters and stay aligned with our core values. It’s about learning to navigate life between flow and boundaries.
There’s also the idea of a red thread—that subtle yet persistent theme running through our lives, guiding us back to who we really are. When we start to recognize and follow that thread, our choices, brands, and businesses begin to reflect a deeper, more intentional truth.
We also touched on how ethical marketing is becoming increasingly essential, and how “brand therapy” is emerging as a sought-after practice for today’s entrepreneurs.
Most of the Breakfast Club community is made up of expats and nomads—people who’ve woven their new arrondissements into their evolving identities. Which brings us to a fun, reflective question: which arrondissement energy do you most identify with?
And on a more poetic note from one of our BC goers… “perhaps Paris, with its vibrant, cosmopolitan pulse and more wholesome art de vivre might be the feminine counterpart to New York City”.
The exchange was spontaneous, and rich with insight—made all the better by the open-hearted presence of Jonas Schwär Lisa Ono Clara M Emilie Nilsson Laura Lash Lauren Kelly-Jones Kelly Berry
So fun to have a stimulating conversation around an amazing cocktail to recharge your creative spirit.⚡️💌
Let’s keep the conversations flowing.
Stay tuned for the next edition 🫰🏽
Breakfast Club Vienna Report 8th May
Per Carla’s post: Freelance life offers a lot of flexibility — but it can also feel isolating at times.
That’s why, late last year, I decided to bring people together and build a community of like-minded (and refreshingly different) individuals.
It’s now been six months since we started The Breakfast Club in Vienna — a simple, laid-back monthly event where familiar faces return and new ones join in. Thanks for sparking this now global happening, Ben Dietz and thanks for joining the hosting journey Laura M. Pana
The conversations usually kick off with work — projects, challenges, and everything in between. Current political topics often come up, too.
As things warm up, we dive into rabbit holes: pop culture and binge-worthy series, Viennese quirks, office dogs, summer festivals and favorite musical acts, the latest A.I. fads, how to make the world a better place… or we ponder big questions like, “Does robotic surgery count as remote work for doctors?”
If any of that resonates — if you enjoy good company, good breakfast, and the occasional change of scenery — join us for the next Breakfast Club on June 12th.
Thanks for showing up today Carmel Dias, Kathryn Nenning, Sophie Prévost, Florian Schleicher, Andreas Niedermayer, Ioana Carp, Linda Poláková, Anastasiia Revutska, Florentina Olareanu, Tom Albrecht, Astrid Reiter, Axel Dietrich, Aaron Windfield & Jake Moss
Breakfast Club Downtown Brooklyn Report 5.8.25
Per Marina’s Post: Felt so good to be back in action and hosting Breakfast Club, Downtown BK, May 8, 2025. Good to see Donalee Curtis, Joy Martinez, Nicole Nejati, Duncan Harriss, Giovanna Maselli, Lori Hamilton, Nick Cogan, Michelle (Mishka) Khotylev, Nikhil Dhanani, Joshua Rosenthal, Todd Sines, Marissa Dubin, Alex Wedel, Alex Gallinari Peter Gaston, and Melissa Abe.
We chatted about the nuanced differences each Breakfast Club offers and how each club’s ethos shapes its own community, one should in fact tour as many Breakfast Clubs as possible, we riffed about the Camper shoe brand and design ingenuity over the last three decades, how creative folks are moving to upper Washington Heights, learned there is a job to be had as a strategist for a spa on cruise ships, we wondered where the artists in NY will go to next? either which neighborhood or which state?, how Miami has a lot to offer creative types, what's the name of someone who goes between three countries?, and do you know of an analog space for visual language?, we love to skim the ilovecreatives.com and cosmos sites for soothing inspiration.
If you joined us, let us know which topics you got into? Post in the comments, and tag anyone we might have missed!
Join me, Lynn Juang and Kat Popiel: every Thursday 8:30am, Ace Hotel Downtown Brooklyn lobby. No RSVP necessary, no agenda, no pitching. Everyone's invited—especially YOU.
Shouts out to Ben Dietz for creating and championing this.
Info about BC's around the world lives here: https://lnkd.in/eZi3f42n,
Linkedin group is here: https://lnkd.in/eHAWrG6n
Breakfast Club Washington DC Report 5.8.24
Per Michael’s Post: In the DC Breakfast Club we all fam.
👻
This morning we talked about The Great Gatsby & the New York Knicks.
Cultural pendulums and Nerd camp. No loss lottos and PoolTogether Community. Fantasy vs Reality in vegetable gardening. Tiny Desk and the intentionality of vinyl. Filterworld and the pickle trend. Tbilisi and the role of an office in 2025. Sleeping in the Haagse Bos. Berlin Underground at Dupont Underground & the speed of slang.
❤️🔥
We do this every other Thursday at The Line Hotel in Adams Morgan.
The next one is May 22 @ 830am.
Everyone pays their own way, there's no agenda or RSVP necessary.
Everyone's invited, especially you!
👁️🗨️
The crew today was Hywel Mills Mark Pollard, Strategy Friend Robyn Swirling Debbie Weyl James Boland Michael Smith Jason Pielemeier Michael Hastings-Black Maggie Winters Dr. Leigh George Dave Anderson Gretchen Carswell Nidhi Sahgal & Yohana Zecarias
Breakfast Club Cincy Report 5.8.24
Per Theo’s post: Breakfast club 05/08. We talked about cafes, art, photography, CrossFit, the Met Art Gala, social clubs for weirdos, maps, the Yeahs Yeahs, coffee in Australia, the American nightmare, Moral Ambition, partnerships, Charleston, Asian Food, Sinners, television ads and biltong. Denianne Gardner, Dana Dubay, Art Hasinski , Theo Erasmus, Andrea Schenck , John Zinsser, Calcagno Cullen, Emmit Jones, Mayank Mittal, Gurmeher Bimwal , Ben Dietz, The Rare Beast, Jeff Kobberdahl
Breakfast Club Seattle Report 5.8.24
Per Mike’s post: In a week where so many folks were talking about AI companions solving loneliness, it was nice to see again how the internet still connects people IRL.
Last Thursday’s Seattle Breakfast Club offered more of exactly what I love about it: a casual, low-stakes opportunity to meet new people, friends of friends, and reconnect with familiar faces.
We do this every second Thursday at Oddfellows in Capitol Hill. We’d love to have you join next time. And feel free to bring a friend. 🍳
Calendar link for future breakfasts in the comments.
Breakfast Club SOMa Report 5.9.24
Per James’s WhatsApp message: “BC SOMa was a nice crew of 8 folks today on a dreary and rainy morning.
Stuff i heard being discussed: Mr. Beast, kids being mean, protecting wonder in dreadful times, getting dumped by your insurance company, tech support for life not work, exterminators with waitlists, “Mob Land”, “Friends and Neighbors” Amy Sherman Palladino, “Friendship” with Paul Rudd and Tim Robinson, celebrity doppelgangers, Marc Maron, Tobias Funke and the enduring humor of the “never nude”, watching MCU movies with your mom, companies that steal ideas from candidate interviews, Kehlani and Kneecap and the impossibility of talking about Palestine, correlary PR Nightmares, Dave Portnoy’s nazi bro bar scandal, “Four Seasons” and lots more”
Breakfast Clubbing THIS Week:
Breakfast Club Burlington Report 5.12.24
Per Zach’s post: Today we celebrated 6 months of Breakfast Club in Burlington VT!
What was possibly the largest contingent thus far (15, I think?) gathered at our regular spot, Deep City, on our regular day, the 2nd Mon of the month, on this very, very sunny (and almost warm!) morning. We discussed a wide range of important topics from cultural norms in Japanese boardrooms to accidentally offending strangers in front of your kids, when political art accidentally delivers its opposite message to how to respond to a months' old text message!
The mood was high, the numbers were strong, much coffee was consumed, and we'll be back next month, hopefully on the patio! I tagged some of you here, but was pleased to find most of you are not on LinkedIn 😊
Come thru next time. Hit me with any Qs. Everyone's invited. Just hit me back on Venmo!
Thx to Ben Dietz as always and see you in NYC soon I'm sure!
Breakfast Club LA (East) Report 5.12.25
Per Michael’s WhatsApp DM: “East Side LA Success!
