The Right People in the Room
On Friday night my husband, our older daughter, and I went to a concert in NYC at Joe's Pub. It’s an adorable little venue with small tables, dim lighting, and candles flickering on each table. The stage is set close to the audience, so you feel like you’re almost part of the performance. It actually reminded me of those cabaret scenes from classic movies - intimate, cozy, and a little bit magical.
When we arrived, the greeter told us we could sit closer to the stage because the show hadn’t sold out. Apparently, many of the shows there do, but this one didn’t.
My daughter and I immediately looked at each other and sighed a little. We felt bad for the performer. We imagined how it might feel to walk out on stage and see empty tables.
But something really interesting happened.
The performer was Andrea von Kampen, a folk singer known for her gentle voice and thoughtful lyrics. When she came out and started talking and singing, the whole room felt different. Her music was so honest and warm that everyone leaned in and listened.
It stopped feeling like a small crowd.
It felt like we were exactly the people who were meant to be there.
And in that moment, I realized something.
Maybe success isn’t about filling every seat.
Maybe it’s about attracting the right people.
The ones who connect.
The ones who listen.
The ones who feel the story you're sharing.
That night wasn’t a sold-out show.
It was something better.
It was a room full of people who were meant to hear her music - and because of that, the experience felt personal and special.
It made me think about life in general.
In today’s world, we’re constantly told to strive for big numbers - huge followings, large friend groups, packed rooms. It’s easy to think that if we don’t have that, something is missing.
But maybe that’s not the real measure.
We may not attract huge crowds, thousands of followers, or endless circles of friends.
But when we show up as our authentic selves, we attract the people who are meant to be in our lives.
And sometimes, a smaller room filled with the right people is the most beautiful audience of all.
