FXBG Neighbors Podcast
Fredericksburg Neighbors Podcast
FXBG Neighbors Podcast
EP #157 Faith And Business Create Real Community In Fredericksburg
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Most networking feels like a fast trade of names and job titles, then everyone disappears. We wanted something better, so we brought on Shari Courtney from Be The Bean to talk about how she’s building a Fredericksburg community where faith and business don’t compete, they strengthen each other. If you’ve been looking for genuine connection, leadership encouragement, and a place to belong, Shari lays out a simple, repeatable model that makes it easier to show up as your full self.
We walk through what actually happens at Be The Bean gatherings: warm introductions, an encouraging mini message that can include scripture, speed networking that goes beyond surface-level prompts, and quiet personal reflection that helps ideas land. Shari also shares why the group is intentionally open to everyone. You don’t need to own a business, and you don’t need to fit into a religious box to participate. The aim is a welcoming room where neighbors can build trust, talk about purpose, and support each other through the real pressures of work and life.
Shari traces the name back to John Gordon’s book The Coffee Bean and the leadership lesson behind it: when things heat up, you can soften, harden, or change the environment around you. We also talk about Be The Bean’s growth in Fredericksburg, including meeting locations at Rain downtown and Watercrest, plus a new monthly afternoon option called Second Cup with guest speakers. If you’re searching for a Fredericksburg VA networking group with a deeper focus on community, leadership, and personal growth, this conversation will give you clear next steps.
Subscribe for more local stories, share this with a friend who needs community, and leave a review if the message resonates. What would it look like for you to “be the bean” where you live and work?
Shari Courtney
Be the Bean
hello@bethebeancommunity.com
Welcome To FXBG Neighbors
SpeakerThis is the Fredericksburg Neighbors Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Dori Stewart.
What Be The Bean Means
Speaker 2Welcome back to another episode of the FXBG Neighbors Podcast, where we share the stories of our favorite local brands. I have a special guest joining me today. We've got Shari Courtney, and she is with Be the Bean. Shari, welcome to the podcast. Thank you, Dori. I'm so happy to be here. Thank you for the invitation. Of course. Well, I'm excited to dive in and learn all about you and Be The Bean. So let's start there. What is Be the Bean?
Speaker 1Oh wow. Okay. So Be the Bean, what we've kind of we've added a tagline to it is where faith and and business uh create community. Uh and that's what we're really trying to do is bring the two of those things together where we can step into the business world, but we want to don't we don't want to leave our faith at the door. We want to be able to come in and encourage and grow and um just create a sense of belonging and just community.
How The Meetings Work
Speaker 2I love that so much. So walk me through that. What for someone who um you know is is loves the concept and is kind of thinking, okay, Shari, but what does that look like? What would someone expect um maybe coming into?
Second Cup And Growing Demand
Speaker 1Yeah, that's a great question. Um, right. So what I wanted to create was something where everybody felt welcome. I wanted to create something where we came in, we made some introductions, you meet new people, maybe you greet old friends, that type of thing. Um, we always want to deliver something that is just something that would help somebody grow or kind of step into who they're called to be or what's happening in their business. Um, so so we'll have some a time where we do some um, I guess it's like a little mini message. It's encouraging, it's uplifting, it could have scripture in it. We really try to lean into our faith. Um, but from there we go in and we do some speed networking where we just keep the room moving. We want people to be engaging and moving and meeting new people, but also during that time we're digging a little bit deeper. We don't want to stay topical, we want to get a little bit deeper in like what motivates you, what what uh moves you so that we create a deeper um connection rather than just hey, how are you? Um, but a depth of how are you type of thing. So uh, and there from there we go and we do a little bit of personal quiet work, uh, and then we do some share outs like what spoke to you today, like what resonated with you, um, and people love to share that type of thing. So um, and so, but now, Dori, what's happened is we've had so many people ask us um about a second meeting because we've been meeting in the morning because it is Be The Bean, it's coffee, but not everybody can make a morning meeting. So we just uh started another uh afternoon meeting. Uh it'll be a monthly meeting as well, but it's called the Second Cup. And in that meeting, we'll do similar, but also have a speaker. Um, so we'll be bringing people in to speak. Um, and so yeah, so we're growing.
Shari’s Leadership Background
Speaker 2I love it so much. I love the intentionality of it, and I love that you are going deeper than a typical networking meeting where you know you're just kind of standing up, giving your elevator P elevator pitch, and but you're really not like getting down to you know the why of the business and really getting to know the business owner. So I really love what I really love this concept so much.
Speaker 1Thank you, thank you. Yeah, you know, for me, I think that it came from a place of I've been in the medical industry for the last 25 years, and I've been truly just growing teams, hiring the right people, um, pouring into them, um, helping them to step into you know who they are, to their best selves. And so with that, I began to do a little bit of um, you know, just study for myself to to learn how to help them uh to grow. And um, so I've done a lot of pouring into people, but um networking events too. And I just to me, this kind of was I I I came out of that world about uh, well, actually last summer I stepped away from um a corporate position, and that's kind of when uh these creative juices began to flow again. But it really does line up with who I what I did in my career and um uh really kind of pulling the best out of people, but again, like you said, just going deeper, like what's the why? Why do you do what you do and and um how do you how do you sustain that and and how do you step into um or rise up to what you're called to be?
Speaker 2I love that. And it and it sounds like your background has perfectly positioned you to be in leadership in in this environment. I love it.
The Coffee Bean Mindset
Speaker 1Yeah, but you know, Dori, it wasn't always that way, you know, there was a time where I was uh you know a sales rep in the field, and I I always say that I kind of got plucked out of obscurity where I was just doing my own thing and uh began to kind of move up in into the organizations. But um, with that again, I I was just like, how how can I be better and how can I help people be better? And so um, so for me, this this concept came from a book called uh it's a John Gordon's book uh called The Coffee Bean. And uh I I always had my teams read this book, uh that's where this whole concept came from, um, Be The Bean. Um so yeah, the the coffee bean, uh the the whole mindset behind it is if you put a carrot into boiling water, it gets soft. And if you put an egg into boiling water, it gets hard. But if you put a coffee bean into boiling water, it changes the environment around it. And so hence Be The Bean. Um, and hence what I've always tried to kind of pour into people and help people to be who, you know, who they were created to be, I guess, is what I always kind of come back to. Like I think that we all have a higher calling, and um, we're not all we don't always surround ourselves with the people who help us step into that. Um, but that's what that is, is is really this opportunity to help um to you know help us step into that, uh to what we've called to be.
Speaker 2I love it. I just love the branding and the meaning behind it, but it's it's it's fun too. I mean, I love I love you know beat and beat and the story behind it and the logo and the you know, coffee bead, like coffee in the morning. Like it's just it's so clever. I love it so much.
New Venues And Local Partnerships
Speaker 1I know, I know it is too. It absolutely resonated with me, and it feels like it's really resonated with a lot of people as well, um, just by the growth of it. Uh, we were recently offered uh a venue to hold our meetings in, which uh it was a gift. So we're gonna start to meet at Rain, uh, which is in downtown Fredericksburg. So um Megan Stewart was super gracious to offer that to us, and so we're gonna be meeting there uh monthly. And um yeah, so that's one of our locations. The second one is going to be at Watercrest, which is a senior uh living facility, it's brand new. Um, so yeah, a couple of great, great locations, but an opportunity to just change, change our environment, our community, uh, and lift it up to um you know to grow and be everything that we were created to be.
Who Belongs In The Room
Speaker 2I love it. I love it. So if someone listening is is thinking, you know, is this right for me? Talk to me about who is who is Be The Bean for?
Speaker 1Yeah, that's such a good question. So Be The Bean is for everyone. I love just opening the doors to anyone. So it doesn't, you don't, you don't have to be any specific thing. You don't have to be a business person, you don't have to own a business. Um, you could be, I have some pickleball friends that come, um, you know, that are these are older women, they come and and and enjoy. Um so Be The Bean is for anyone. And it's also some I've had people ask me, do I have to be grounded in my faith or in my church? Absolutely not. Um, this is just an environment to to come and connect and grow, and there's absolutely no pressure, it's just an opportunity to connect on a deep deeper level.
Speaker 2I really love that you just said that. I think that opens up the doors to probably so many more people who are listening thinking, oh, well, you know, I have to be in this box or in that box. So I really love that you are open to everyone.
Speaker 1That's absolutely open to everyone, right? I mean, gosh, that's what the world makes the world go around, is that there's so many um people in this world and and different backgrounds and and you know, just different things that are happening in their lives. And I I want them all to come because I think that that is that's what creates just an amazing uh meeting and um yeah, oh that door is open wide.
Speaker 2I love that. And it's it's just it's so much what we need right now is we need deep connections and it, you know, it doesn't have to all be business because there's a lot of opportunities for business owners to get together and network and things like that, but just across the board with everyone, we all need each other, especially like you know, with craziness going on in the world. I just love um that we have this wonderful community in Fredericksburg where everyone is so willing to help each other out. And I just am such a fan of what you're doing here in Fredericksburg. I really am.
Speaker 1Thank you. And I would echo that right back to you, Dori, because you know what you're doing as well, you know, it's it's similar in some ways, right? You're bringing the community together, and uh, and that's powerful, and I think that it's it's needed, and um, so I I I think I I would again echo that back to you.
Speaker 2It's pretty cool. We're of like mind.
Speaker 1Yes, yes, I would say so.
Turning Ideas Into Action
Speaker 2So what is something that the Fredericksburg neighbors uh should know about Bee the Bean that maybe maybe they may not maybe they might not may not already know?
Speaker 1Boy. Well, uh, you know, I think that what they should know is that you know, we started it started with an idea, honestly, just an idea, just just from a book, like I said, just a small inspiration, that it's just grown. And um I think that, you know, uh again, the doors are open to anyone. We want everybody to be able to come, but I guess more than anything, you know, it makes me think that you can do whatever you put your mind to, right? I mean, if if you have just this God-inspired idea or just this overwhelming idea, just go do it, you know, go go do it because you just don't know who it's going to be for, how it's gonna be impactful to people. Um, and so I I think that for me, that's probably the biggest thing is that, you know, it doesn't have to be about Be The Bean, but if you could bring it back to Be The Bean and just the idea of like nothing's off limits, right? I mean, we all have these uh and ideas and and motivations and um and just go do it, go do it because we're all uniquely called and created, and uh I want to see what you have. Like I want to see, you know, what what what's on your heart and what's your creation. So um I don't know, I don't know if that's really related to to what we do at Be the Bean, but it is it is also sort of just the the the the baseline um of what I try to to teach and and and help grow um through Be the Bean.
Speaker 2Such a great message.
Speaker 1Thank you for that.
Where To Find Be The Bean
Speaker 2Of course. So if if the listeners want to connect with you, if they want to learn more, where can they find you?
Speaker 1Yep, they can find us at be the bean.org or they can find us at um on any of the uh let's see, uh YouTube. We have a YouTube, um, so Be The Bean, YouTube. Um we are on Instagram, just all the regular platforms. Uh, they can also disconnect with me, and um, we are always using every single platform out there to just get the word out and get the invitations out. Um, so though those would be the best things, but always be the bean.org because that has every location. We we do have other people who have started chapters, and that's an opportunity too. Um, if people wanted to start a chapter, but um, but yeah, so be the bean.org.
Speaker 2Amazing, amazing. Shari, thank you so much for joining me on the podcast today and sharing Be The Bean with us.
Speaker 1Thank you for having me, Dori. It was truly a present pleasure.
Speaker 2Thank you.
SpeakerThank you for listening to the Fredericksburg Neighbors Podcast. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to FXBG NeighborsPodcast.com.