Ana Tampanna

“Inner power,” she said. “We have so much inner power.”

Adele Casanova looked at us assuredly, her beautiful, pre-maturely white hair a sharp contrast to her black suit. A savvy business woman, she continued, “My life comes out just the way I visualize it. And I learned to do that from sports.”

Sports? We waited for her to explain. I had forgotten that Adele was a competitive speed skier as a young adult. We sat spell-bound as she told us the story of how she found independence skiing the slopes of Sqaw Valley after enrolling in 6 speed skiing camps within 3 years.

“I loved the thrill of hurling myself off a cliff,” she continued, “feeling my adrenaline pumping and the physical rush that went down my arms. I knew that fear could be a good thing. It was addictive. And I discovered that I was very competitive.”

She smiled, remembering. “The visualizations allowed a faster muscle reaction. If I visualized the slopes over and over, my legs automatically knew what to do. I’ve done that with my entire life, ever since. When my husband was dying a long, slow death, I began to visualize what life would be like without him, how I would find a way to live a full, fun life again.”

It must have been hard…for several years Adele and her son cared for Angel, the love of her life. Then came the long period of grieving. It was just recently that Adele sprang to life again, more buoyant than ever, selling her business and launching a new dream.

As we listened to her stories of coffee flavors, creative innovations, and masterful leadership in her business, we sat in awe at this amazing woman. Her industry research, specific strategies, and focus on every detail had truly created an amazing coffee house. What truly inspired us, however, was her firm testimony in using the “inner power of visualization,” and embracing the fear, then move forward. Fast, like the girl on the slopes in Sqaw Valley.