Get this…
It’s Thursday of last week.
I have, essentially ONE thing on my calendar:
“Podcast Recording – Marie Forleo 4:30”
You should know… I friggin’ LOVE Marie Forleo!
I could take up the next three pages listing all the reasons I admire her and what she’s built through MarieTV, B School, Copy Cure, her best-selling books, her many national magazine covers, guesting on Oprah’s Super Soul Sunday…
She’s so damn good at what she does, and she’s done it her way – the whole way.
So, this interview is a big deal.
She’s a big deal.
We only met once, for a minute, speaking at a conference years ago… and I’ve only interviewed her once before, also many years ago.
The first interview was incredible.
Of course it was.
She’s Marie Forleo.
But, I wouldn’t call us “friends.”
We have lots of mutual friends, and through those friends, mutual admiration has been established.
Yet, if I saw her strolling down a sidewalk on the Upper West Side, that thick, shiny hair bouncing with every step… I wouldn’t start yelling her name from across the street and expect her to not walk faster and duck into a crowded building to escape the random, gangly, bald guy.
That’s why I was a little shocked when she called my phone, out of the blue, two weeks earlier.
There was a lot of traffic noise in the background, so I had to ask, “I’m sorry, who is this?”
“Marie Forleo. Is this a good time?”
Unless I was strapped in a dentist’s chair having a tooth drilled at that exact moment, “Sure, yeah, now is great. How are you!?”
We chatted easily, and excitedly, for twenty minutes. Catching up on business and life. Laughing, ranting, and “totally relating.”
The reason for the call?
A close friend needs a “really good” copywriter, and since I’m the guy for that…
“Absolutely, just have her reach out.”
I also proposed we could record another podcast episode based on one of the rants we’d just laughed about…
“People need to hear this stuff,” I said with clown shoe indignation.
She agreed and obliged.
Which brings us back to last Thursday at 4:30pm Eastern.
I had planned my entire day around the interview…
Researched. Made notes. Hit the gym. Showered. Picked the right fit. Balanced the office lighting. Warned the entire house, including Jesse, that I needed “complete silence” until I walked out of the room.
Everything was set.
Headphones on. Mic live. Zoom clicked at 4:30 on the dot. and…
No Marie.
Okay, no worries. It’s only 4:31 now… typical Zoom shit.
4:32… check my camera angle one more time. Looks good.
4:44… hmm. Seems out of character for her not to show. Maybe a tech glitch?
Check for an email from her crew.
No word.
4:46… damn. Am I being stood up? Did we get the times wrong? Maybe Oprah called last minute. I get it.
Or maybe she just didn’t feel like doing the interview and asked her assistant to make an excuse. You know how these guru types can be. Man, but she was so COOL on the phone the other day.
4:48… shit. Maybe I did something stupid? Could I be…
IN THE WRONG ROOM!?
Just then I saw a barrage of messages bursting onto my iPhone lockscreen, … Slack, WhatsApp, text… sent from my assistant, Sara…
With a red square meaning URGENT! (Used only once before when the site was down.)
“Marie waiting – use this link!”
Holy Jesus! I AM in the wrong room.
I pushed past the flood of “panic” chemicals drowning my brain and clicked over to the Zoom meeting I was supposed to be in…
Empty.
“Noooo.”
Collect composure. Outline apology. Check participants.
4:50… tumbleweed.
Recheck email.
There it is, from Marie’s assistant…
“Marie was on the Zoom call waiting for 8 minutes, but nobody joined.
We’ll need to reschedule down the road at some point.”
“Ghaaa! Rogers, you idiot!”
I cursed myself for being so careless.
Cursed Zoom for their stupid app that stacks all the “start call” buttons in one box.
Cursed them again for not adding a TITLE to the damn room you’re in so you might know when you’re IN THE WRONG ONE!
I imagined Marie sitting there, promptly at 4:29, in perfect light, tapped-in mentally, with that casual smile, ready to lift some minds… the same way she’s done when hosting so many interviews with the most accomplished people on earth…
Only to spend the next 9 minutes being stood up by ME!
“… reschedule down the road at some point.”
Not good! That sounds like what you say right before you write someone off forever as a LOOOSER!.
Ranting aloud to no one: “I’ve hosted at least 500 podcast interviews and I’ve NEVER gone to the wrong f’n room before!”
I dashed off a message to her assistant explaining and apologizing… “still here if she can make it.”
No reply.
I texted Marie to apologize: Holy crap that’s embarrassing. I clicked the wrong zoom link and was waiting. So so sorry.
Spent the next ten minutes sauntering aimlessly through the house, soaking in my shame, while removing the door hangers that say: RECORDING IN PROGRESS. Please Do Not Disturb.
Within a few minutes an emoji heart popped up on my text to Marie.
She replied: Hi! No worries– that’s happened to me too!! All good. Kelsey can reschedule and we’ll make the magic happen.
Phew. Crisis averted.
I had to laugh at the irony of me being the guy who preaches the “pro code” to freelancers looking to Marie like anything but!.
A solid reminder that we’re all one mindless click of a Zoom link away from looking like a buffoon.
An absent buffoon.
My second chance interview with Marie starts in one hour and 7 minutes.
Wish me luck!
Click carefully out there.
P.S. My interview with Marie is, I’m glad to say “in the can.” She was unfazed by the hiccup and we had an inspired, wandering, and, at times, hilarious conversation – exactly how you hope they’ll go. And, in case you weren’t feeling nauseous from my fanboying yet, I can tell you, after today, I only love her more!
