CAPE ELIZABETH, MAINE—32-year-old Caitlin Trankle’s friends are amazed at the seemingly effortless success she’s had in her life so far and wonder if she might be the real-life, female version of Harry Potter.
However, there ’s also the chance that since it’s Harry Potter’s 20th Anniversary this year, that people have Harry Potter on the brain and are looking to make any kind of connection to the boy wizard, no matter how much of a stretch it might be.
“Caitlin does have a zig-zag scar behind her left ear,” said Mona, Caitlin’s college roommate. “It’s hard to see, but it could be a lightning bolt like the one Harry Potter has on his forehead or maybe the scar looks more like oddly shaped stairs. I don’t know, but still, there has to be some kind of supernatural reason why she’s sooo lucky.”
Harry Potter is a fictional character created by J.K. Rowling so the chances that Caitlin is related to him or is a living and breathing version of the young warlock are very slim. Besides, Harry’s parents were both witches, and British. Caitlin’s parents are American and both work in the hospitality industry. Caitlin and Harry’s backgrounds couldn’t be more different.
“I just know that if Caitlin had gone to Hogwarts, she’d have been a Hufflepuff,” Mona said.
Caitlin credits her success, not to any magical ability but to having a positive attitude and manifesting with affirmations and visualizations every day. “I read once that Oprah Winfrey said that without affirmations she wouldn’t have accomplished all that she has. I wanted to be like Oprah--who doesn’t? So, I started to work on manifesting the things I wanted, and before I even had the chance to get frustrated, things took off for me. I’ve been manifesting ever since.”
While Caitlin may not get things using traditional methods such as working her way up the corporate ladder or working 12-hour days, it’s impossible to argue with her results. She makes a lot of her money from passive income (money you earn from not doing much after it’s set up like e-books and investments, and is able to travel and do all the things she enjoys.
Caitlin doesn’t use spells, divination, conjuring, or any kind of sorcery, she just has an uncanny sense of where she should put her focus on. Is that witchcraft or the ability to trust her gut?
“To the casual observer, it may look as if Caitlin doesn’t do much, but whatever she’s doing is working because she’s creating the life she always dreamed of, “ said Darsha, one of Caitlin’s girl squad. “She just visualizes it and boom it comes true!”
Anyone familiar with Harry Potter knows that most things did not come easily for him--he had school bullies torturing him, teachers trying to kill him, and Quidditch matches to win. Caitlin doesn’t have any of those challenges, and yet still, the way things come so effortlessly to her feels like witchcraft.
Instead of working in an office, Caitlin works from her office located behind her cottage-style home. She has a gorgeous view of the ocean and often can be found just looking out of her window. Caitlin starts her day with a brisk walk with her dog, Demetrios, then has a cup of coffee from her pricey (but worth it) coffee maker, has some fresh fruit (if they’re in season) or some freshly baked goods for breakfast, and then takes cares of her emails and social media demands. Once she settles down to work, she makes sure to visualize what she wants, makes a sketch of what those dreams would look like, and gets to work, always making sure to take many breaks throughout the day. Caitlin prioritizes her time for her friends and family, and for doing the things that bring her the most joy such as traveling.
“People may say my life is easy, “ said Caitlin, “But just because it’s easy doesn’t mean that I’m not deserving of it. I’ve heard the rumors that I’m a witch or someone with magical powers, but as much as I hate to burst the anyone’s bubble, I’m just a regular person and there’s nothing supernatural about what I do. I’m a big believer in manifesting the things I want.”
Harry Potter could have learned something from Caitlin and her attitude towards life.
“Part of the reason that everything seems so effortless for Caitlin is that she’s a very positive person,” Katie, Caitlin’s sister said. “It’s like she sucks all the self-doubting and negativity out of the room. At school, they used to call her ‘kryptonite for negativity.’ It’s practically impossible to be mean or angry around someone who is pure joy.”
Caitlin is one of those rare people who not only stay friends with her exes, she stays friends with all their friends and their parents.“I have to think that if we were once together then there was a reason for it, and that reason remains even if we drifted apart or had different life-goals. Some say that I must have cast a spell on everyone since we all get along so well.”
Although it may appear as if Caitlin has a charmed life, she’s the first to point out that she’s had her own struggles and challenges like anybody else, it’s just that she decided early on that her mistakes and failure would not define her, but make her a better person.
“Anybody can have the success that I have,” Caitlin said. “All you have to do is to take 15 minutes of every day and dedicate them to manifesting the things that you want. I promise you’ll be blown away by what happens. And you won’t have to spend a dime on brooms, potions, or any kind of supernatural tool because the magic is already inside us.”