I met two of the most interesting young people over a dinner at Smith & Wollensky, a restaurant very near where I stay when I am in New York City. I had flown all day and was tired and I knew that the staff of S&W would take good care of me and the food and wine is excellent there. Amanda and Nick were sitting right across from me and were fresh young faces who were having a good time together. They began their meal ordering at least three appetizers and seemed to enjoy what they ate of them, entrée’s appeared and they were talking about their food with great interest! I, of course, decided that they were food critics! The staff were very attentive to them seeing that they had everything they needed as they were to me. About the time their deserts came, I asked if they were food critics! They laughed and said no, but said they had decided that I must be the owner’s wife because of all of the attention I was getting! I did know the Maître d from another restaurant in the city and spent some time talking with him – I guess their assumption was a good one. Nick and Amanda and I talked a little more and as I left I gave them my card and said if they would like to be a part of my newest blog to please contact me!
They did contact me and I am thrilled to share their story with you!
Amanda and Nick live in Connecticut. They met in Connecticut and got engaged in Barcelona, Spain six months after they met! Nick planned the whole event and proposed to Amanda on the beach in pouring down rain! They loved their trip and decided to get married there a year and a half later! They took their families to Barcelona for the wedding not knowing that terrorist attacks were about to happen. Right after the terrorist attacks began, complete with helicopters flying overhead and deserted streets, they were married! They have amazing photographs from the wedding as they were the only people in the streets as they went to their restaurant for dinner. The restaurant was closed to the public but let Amanda and Nick and their families, all twenty of them, have dinner anyway!
Returning to the United States, Amanda continued to grow her business, Life Coaching and Therapy in West Hartford, CT that she began in 2013. She is working now on completing her PhD and is now writing her dissertation! She is a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist, an AASECT Certified Sex Therapist and is also a continuing education provider. She is also a licensed Psychotherapist in Connecticut and North Carolina. I suggest that you readers visit her very impressive website, lifecoachingandtherapy.com to read more about her work. You may have also seen her on CNN, and she has been featured in The Huffington Post, Playboy, Men’s Health and the Daily Mail! She also has a Blog titled The Sex Healer that can be found on Facebook, Utube and Twitter! Amanda has known since a very young age that this is the type of work that she would do.
Nick is involved with helping Amanda with her business more and more along with asset trading and other financial work. He is also the manager of the 25 story apartment building that they own and where they live. If he hadn’t met Amanda he says he might have been a Navy Seal or an architect. He would tell his 21 year old self to begin to study emotional intelligence and communications because it is the cornerstone of interpersonal relationships and often the missing nutrient.
Now, why were these two in New York City? They were attending a celebration of life for the renowned Dr. Betty Dodson who is one of the founders of the women’s sexuality movement in the United States and someone Amanda sees as one of her mentors. If you look up Dr. Dodson’s obituary in the New York Times, you can learn more about this very influential woman and her life’s work. Very interesting!
Nick and Amanda will continue to travel, hopefully to Hong Kong or Thailand in the near future. I for one, hope to see them one day in another restaurant in New York. ….and meeting them reassures me that the kids are all right!
This was so interesting in large part due to the spontaneity of the meeting. Having such interesting encounters with people when traveling is such a great experience and encouraging further contact is great!
Patricia, you found such interesting people to report on. A happenstance meeting of people who were initially mistaken about the “identities” of the others. That is really fascinating.
I love when the patron saint of serendipity brings us together with interesting people.
Nice piece, Patty. You found two very interesting people. Thanks for the post. Best to you. Rich