I have had moments in my life where I have been sat at a dinner table thinking to myself, how the hell have I actually ended up here.
And I have realised over time, that feeling never quite gets old.
People do underestimate content creation, but creating content, with my iPhone, has been my way into places I would never have accessed otherwise. I have found myself at dinner in the Four Seasons in South Africa, on rooftops in New York, on yachts in the Caribbean, in a michelin-level chef’s home, even in the middle of Champagne drinking champagne. And whilst I was there to do content, sometimes, if I was lucky, there would be an extra seat. I have always seen this as an opportunity because I never felt like I should really be there. I was simply grateful to get a seat at the table.
Growing up in a French household, my mum always said that if you are invited somewhere, you must bring something to the table. In France it is a sign of respect. I know she meant it literally, but with time I realised it does not have to be something tangible. It can be your skill. Your energy. And if you have neither that day, bring the champagne. The point is, bring value. Do not turn up empty handed because you are there to add, not to simply take.
Content was what I brought to the table. It was my value. My currency. It opened doors and experiences that people would pay a lot of money for.
And whilst these experiences were incredible, for me, it has really been about the people, the conversations, and the way someone can shift your perspective, that have made these moments invaluable.
Access is not the same as depth
We live in a culture that is obsessed with getting in. The table. The trip. The room. The list. The invitation. We’ve made access the goal. And social media has made it worse because now you don’t just want to be in the room, you want to be seen in the room.
But access without depth is just tourism. You pass through places and experiences without leaving anything behind or taking anything real with you. You get the seat but you sit there quietly hoping no one asks you a question. You get the invitation but you spend the evening performing rather than connecting.
I’ve seen it at so many tables. People who paid a lot of money to be there but had nothing to say. People who had every reason to be in the room but couldn’t actually be present in it. And I’ve seen people who had no obvious reason to be there but changed the entire energy just by being genuinely interested in everyone around them.
The seat is not the point. What you do with it is.
Curiosity is capital
Before any of this, I have always been someone who pays attention. I like to meet new people. I naturally notice things others might miss. I love asking questions. I look at everything as research. And that is where you start to build capital. Not the kind you pay for, but the kind you grow through curiosity.
You become interesting because you are genuinely interested.
Curiosity compounds. The more you notice, ask, learn, absorb, the more depth you build. That depth becomes capital. You can have all the privilege, money, and access in the world and still bring nothing to the table.
The other night reminded me of this. A friend invited me last minute because there was an extra seat, and I was not going to turn it down. The table was full of people I admire. And I sat there thinking, this is exactly why I make a conscious effort to always say yes. You never know which room or which person will expand your worldview.
What you bring matters more than where you sit
And that is the real point. People chase a seat so much they forget to ask the real question. What am I bringing when I get there.
This is something I think about a lot. We talk endlessly about access. How to get into the right rooms. How to network. How to be seen. But we rarely talk about what happens once you’re in. Whether you added anything. Whether the room was different because you were in it. Whether you actually connected with anyone or just collected the experience.
For me, that is what being Trendie is. Staying curious. Staying awake. Noticing. Listening. You are not just experiencing things. You are building yourself at the same time. When you focus on what you bring to the table rather than what you can take from it, you show up with something instead of showing up with expectations.
That is how you become rich without having to be rich.
The moment you decide you know it all is when you’ll probably stop getting invited.