Raffaela Oeler
“Football is life!”
If you watch the Apple TV+ show Ted Lasso, you know that quote from the irrepressible AFC Richmond player, Dani Rojas. Take Dani’s spirit, add a pint of savvy, and a heaping dose of humanity and you’re talking about Raffaela Oeler, who works at Starbucks on the Global Store Development Sustainability team. Raffaela and I collaborated several years ago and it was high time to reconnect over good coffee. And, of course, that means the Fremont Starbucks, where we took our americanos to go and walked to the nearby ship canal to watch the yachts and single skulls pass by on a beautiful fall morning.
Like most of us, Raffaela has been working from home during the pandemic. Unlike most of us, her responsibilities are global. She’s frequently on calls with colleagues in Europe and Asia helping fulfill Starbucks' ambitious sustainability goals. It’s a big remit, but one Raffaela is thriving at.
In addition to her big smile and hearty laugh (and uncanny ability to take our selfie with a cyclist zooming past), Raffaela is one of the most emotionally intelligent people I know. She picks up on feelings and emotions and is brave enough to talk about them. She is curious and smart and a natural teacher.
Here’s some of what I learned this time from Raffaela:
1) Starbucks stores are getting greener and staying there: Raffaela and her team and helping Starbucks meet an ambition goal of opening 10,000 Greener Stores by 2025. Greener Stores run on renewable energy, user high efficiency fixtures, and reduce energy and water use by 25 to 30 percent. And, unlike a one-time LEED building certification, Greener Stores certification requires annual checks to ensure that operating standards continue to meet requirements, so it is not build it and forget it.
2) “Football is life, and death. And football is football, too. But mostly football is life!” We laughed about this line from Ted Lasso, but there's a deeper meaning here, too. Life is full of positive and negative things, ups and downs, and lots of ordinary, everyday moments. All of that is life, and life is good. So it's okay to not be okay. The world is waking up with a new focus on mental health and acknowledging the feelings of others. Here’s hoping the focus on mental health is not a passing fad but a better way of being, and being with each other.
Soon, our americanos were gone and it was time to say goodbye. Raffaela was kind enough to say that I was on the hero’s journey. She’s too kind, but I do know this: Raffaela is one of my heroes, for her smarts, her humanity, her accomplishments, and how good she makes you feel. That's a gift, thank you Raffaela!
#starbucks #sustainablebrands #mentalhealth #coffee #thankyou