Our launch series, Your Shot of Inspiration, takes you through six essential dimensions of a fulfilled life — Story, Work, Connection, Growth, Wellbeing, Joy — one morning at a time, over really good coffee, with speakers who say something real.
About
What if you don’t actually need fixing?
That question came up in a conversation with my friend Lisa. We were talking about how exhausting it had become — always feeling like there was something else to work on, some next version of yourself to chase down. And one of us said it out loud: can’t we just grow, explore and connect because it makes life richer?
Espresso is for people with open hearts and curious minds. People who want to explore, learn and grow — not because they need fixing or optimising, but because life is simply richer when we feel energised and connected.
Just the conversation you didn’t know you needed.
That conversation became the seed of Espresso Collective.
I’d spent years as a self-improvement junkie. Chasing the next book, the next podcast, the next morning routine, convinced that growth meant finding the next gap and filling it. A never-ending cycle of locating broken bits of myself and trying to patch them up.
Then I started questioning whether all that striving was coming from a place of wholeness — or a place of lack.
The answer, for me, was uncomfortable. And clarifying.
It’s not a self-improvement programme. It’s a short, potent shot of inspiration: a chance to pause, connect, and remember what already matters.
No panels. No pitching. No optimising.
Mindy Emsley
Founder, Espresso Collective
I’ve been bringing people together for as long as I can remember. And for the last 26 years, I’ve made a career out of it: launching and growing world-class conferences and exhibitions around the world and holding leadership roles at some of the biggest companies in B2B events. I’ve worked across sectors including energy storage, telecoms, finance, advanced manufacturing, space technology and everything in between. And I still consult on event strategy, portfolio growth, content and leadership today.
Along the way, I learned that the best events aren’t really about scale, the most exotic venues or even big-name speakers. They’re about the moments in between: the conversation that shifts your thinking, the story that stays with you on the train home, the stranger who turns out to be exactly the person you needed to meet.
Some of my favourite work has been in the most intimate rooms, like curating speakers for the DO in West Wales, where a small group and a big idea can change how people see their lives.
Espresso Collective is where all of that comes together: everything I know about creating unforgettable events, poured into a smaller cup.
And if you know me, you’ll know what I love most: helping people find each other. I believe we’re all just trying to find our way home, so let’s light up the path together (and drink good coffee while we’re at it)!
With thanks to our Partner: Extract Coffee Roasters
Founded in 2007 in a Bristol garden shed, Extract Coffee Roasters roasts specialty coffee on hand-restored vintage Probat roasters. A certified B Corp and 2022 UK Coffee Awards Best All-Round Roaster, Extract sources directly from long-term producer partners and is on a mission to Make Coffee Better, from farm to cup. Their London space doubles as a training hub and plays host to our events.