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It was around 1978
when Timothy Hoban moved his family from their manicured 1901 home
on a cobblestone street lined with doctors and lawyers to a rural
farmhouse with concrete floors on 40 acres. He didn’t want his
children to grow up spoiled, he wanted them to learn the value of
hard work, the explicit wonder of nature and the knowledge of how to
care for themselves. They lived off the land, and at the age of ten
Michele Hoban’s wildly adventurous and fiercely independent path was
partly paved by the trail her father decided to blaze, giving her
the courage and strength to make her own journey into uncharted
lands nearly 30 years later.
With nothing more
than an unmarked map, Michele and husband, George, gave up their
urban LA lifestyle complete with well paying corporate jobs, a
wonderfully renovated craftsman home, and many other luxuries to
pursue their American dream, whatever it was. They weren’t sure what
they wanted to do, or where they would end up but with a toddler in
stow, a baby on the way, and 2 dogs they loaded up the RV and found
the nearest road that led out of LA.
They knew they
wanted to explore places they had been and loved, places they wished
to see and national monuments they knew they would probably never
see again. Charleston had been on their radar as a possible location
to move, but their Lewis and Clark spirits told them anywhere could
be home, if they found a place they liked better then they would
stay. For six months across our great nation I am thankful to say
they found no place like Charleston and this small coastal town has
become the new home for the Hoban-Worthingtons.
Not wanting to
return to corporate America they decided their American dream had to
include things they loved, and coffee was one of them. It has been
just under four years since they settled down here and in that time
they have built two very successful coffee bars, Muddy Waters, which
have become a central conduit for connecting the Charleston
community. Friendships, business negotiations, networking, and even
new artists have all emerged as a result of this common ground. If
you are a regular patron of Muddy Waters you know what I am talking
about, within those walls is far more than just coffee, it’s
family.
How does an
ordinary coffee bar become extraordinary? The duo, George and
Michele are a powerful team and it is their commitment to each other
and their dedication that has created such a place. For this
article, since it is about a powerful woman, I wanted to dig a
little deeper within the woman behind the espresso machine. With two
small children, two successful businesses, two dogs, and thankfully
only one husband, Michele has her hands full. I asked her point
blank, how do you do it? “Lot’s of coffee in the morning and wine in
the evening!” she laughs. “Seriously ..” I ask and again she laughs
“ Lot’s of coffee in the morning and wine in the evening!” It is
this sense of humor, I believe, that is one of Michele’s greatest
strengths. There is a joy and lightness that permeates her
personality that is consistent, no matter how chaotic life might be
around her. I’ve known Michele for a little over two years and have
seen her juggle sometimes 15 things at once – sometimes life
changing events that most ordinary people could barely handle on its
own and yet this woman exhibits an oddly powerful strength that is
impressive. Combined with this strength is a genuine sincerity and
niceness. Her advice to any woman starting out in life is to
“compromise, roll with the punches and realize that life will always
have up’s and down’s but the down’s never last.” She says “and
always smile,
I think what I’ve learned as I’ve gotten older is to deal with
conflict in the nicest way possible. You will get much further in
life when you are simply nice.”
Her success is
apparent when you walk into a jam packed coffee bar and there is no
where to sit or the line is out the door with people willing to wait
patiently for the best coffee in town. You can be assured that if
you’ve been there a few times when Michele is behind the counter she
will remember your name and your drink not because she writes it
down but because she cares about the people who walk through the
door. But even with this success and all the things she has done in
her life she feels her greatest accomplishment has been her two
boys, Aiden and Bryce. They have rounded out her life, giving her a
deep sense of accomplishment that only a mother can understand. She
hopes they will learn from her life and see her as a strong woman, a
happy person and someone who follows her heart and dreams without
having any fear of failing. “I want them to learn from my passion,
and compassion. As somebody who has never chosen the “normal” path I
want them to see they can do what they truly want to do. Do whatever
makes them happy – I hope that is what George and I teach them
everyday. Hopefully they will learn also that women can be funny and
goofy.” She says.
I don’t believe
there will be any argument that Michele Hoban is a powerful woman
worth celebrating. It is her strength and softness, her flexibility
and her determination, her joy and her experience that have led her
to this place. Much like how her father taught her by example, she
is teaching her kids. And if history repeats itself like it so often
does then we can expect to see two grown men in about 25 years
embark on an uncharted expedition that will lead them to a life with
deep meaning, huge success, and ultimate happiness.
Michele Hoban, you
are a powerful woman!
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