“Modern etiquette is emotional intelligence and social awareness,” according to 2019 graduate Mariah Grumet Humbert, who launched her business, Old Soul Etiquette, in June 2021, to redefine the term for a modern age. At right, Grumet Humbert with the Today Show’s Hoda Kotb, Jenna Bush Hager. and Daniel Boulud, head chef of the Blue Box Cafe at Tiffany's.

New rules, old soul

Article by Artika Casini Photos courtesy of Mariah Grumet Humbert September 02, 2025

UD’s very own Ms. Manners shares her etiquette tips

Mariah Grumet Humbert has grown used to the stares she receives while smiling at strangers on New York City streets. “They look at me like I’m insane,” she said, laughing. But the grin is genuine — an intentional act of kindness in a time that often feels anything but.

A self-described homebody from Monmouth County, New Jersey, Grumet Humbert didn’t always imagine herself navigating the bustle of the city. She never planned to build a brand around manners, either. But in a post-pandemic world hungry for reconnection, her message resonates. Etiquette, said the 2019 alumna, is less about correction and more about connection.

“Modern etiquette is really emotional intelligence,” she explained. “It’s social awareness. It’s knowing how to show up.”

Grumet Humbert’s newest book, “The Essential Wedding Planner,” offers a companion guide to her first, “What Do I Do? Every Wedding Etiquette Answered.”

Today, Grumet Humbert is an author, speaker, and go-to expert for clients ranging from high school students to corporate executives. Her first book, What Do I Do? Every Wedding Etiquette Answered, tackles the social minefields of modern matrimony. Her second book, The Essential Wedding Planner, out this September, is a companion guide that blends practical planning with timeless etiquette.

Her work has been featured in The New Yorker, and she once had breakfast at Tiffany’s with the Today Show’s Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager. But for Grumet Humbert, these high-profile moments aren’t the point. Her real passion is helping people feel confident, whether at a board meeting, dinner party or job interview.

It wasn’t always this way. After earning her degree in fashion merchandising, she landed a job with Ross, helping build its men’s beauty department. But when the pandemic stripped the city of its glamour, Grumet Humbert was left staring at spreadsheets and a growing sense of malaise.

“I had this burning thought that I was meant for more than Excel,” she said. “The part I loved most about my job was working with people. I realized I wanted to keep doing that, just in a different way.”

From national media appearances to one-on-one client meetings, Grumet Humbert promotes the power of connection: “Micro moments matter. They build community. They’re contagious.”

The seed had been planted years earlier when she attended an etiquette class on a whim, looking to meet new people in the city. What she found was a calling: “I knew I could redefine etiquette and make it relevant.”

So she launched her business, Old Soul Etiquette, in June 2021, evolving it into a full-fledged brand with clients, courses, speaking engagements and a rapidly growing platform. Her mission? To reframe an archaic term as a living, breathing skillset that evolves with the times.

“An etiquette book from the 1950s won’t help you navigate hybrid meetings or social media,” Grumet Humbert said. “But the core idea — being aware of others, and of how you carry yourself — is timeless.”

To outsiders, her quest may feel like a losing battle. Kindness and consideration in an increasingly polarized, digital age?

Grumet Humbert speaks widely about how to reframe etiquette as a living, breathing skillset that evolves with the times.

Grumet Humbert has heard this one before.

“I think we’ve just forgotten the power of connection,” she said. “A kind word to the barista. Smiling at a stranger. Those micro moments matter. They build community. They’re contagious.”

It’s a philosophy shaped not just by her professional life, but her personal one. Grumet Humbert met her husband, Ryan Humbert, at the first football game of their freshman year. She joined Alpha Xi Delta, taught first-year seminars and studied abroad in Paris. The Blue Hen relationships she formed — from classmates to professors to lifelong friends whose weddings she’s officiated — remain vital.

“You never know how someone you meet will impact your life,” she said.

Or, as any old soul would attest, how you might change theirs.