We've all been there where people reach out and ask you "Can I pick your brain" about your area of expertise. If it's a friend, that is one thing. But when strangers do that and expect hours of your time, it feels disrespectful. It is a tricky thing to navigate as they may be a potential client, but you can't spend hours of your day going to coffee and lunches for strangers to "pick your brain."   The older I get, the more guarded I am with my time. As a consultant, time is money and for every "freebie" you do, you could be working on your business, recording a podcast, researching what AI is doing in your industry or hitting up a great yoga class.    Find out the easiest way to navigate these requests without offending anyone and setting the tone for a successful professional relationship.