Richard Lee-Thai is the Founder of Excuses to Connect, a brand and business focused on building connections through one-on-one coaching, podcasting, public speaking, and merchandise.

As a Connection Coach, Richard supports individuals and organizations by building their social confidence and fostering communities where everyone feels like they belong. Richard has also delivered a TEDx talk on "How to Find Excuses to Connect," outlining how people can easily make meaningful connections.

In this episode…

Have you ever wanted to connect with someone but stopped short because you lacked self-confidence? Do you sometimes feel out of place, don’t know what to say, or think you’d be bothering people? Would you like to create conditions that make meaningful connections easier?

Never feel ashamed if you struggle to connect with others because many people struggle with the same problem — we just don’t talk about it much. Before becoming a connection coach, Richard Lee-Thai worked through his issues of staying in his comfort zone because he realized that he was missing out and felt disconnected from people. Once Richard overcame his fears, he decided he didn’t want other people to go through the same pain, so he looked to find solutions people could apply. That’s when his business, Excuses to Connect, was born. He says that to connect with others, you first need to really connect with yourself because it's your internal barriers or fears that are holding you back. By overcoming those obstacles, you build the social self-confidence required to make meaningful connections with others.

In this episode of Access To Anyone, Michael Roderick sits down with Richard Lee-Thai, the Founder of Excuses to Connect, to discuss ways to find excuses to connect. Richard explains what attracted him to helping people connect, the traits of a good Connector, how he manages to connect with others, and his advice to business people on how sales correlate with connections.