In my experience with this it's the potential clients that can't keep their mouth shut. They go blabbing personal details to anyone who will listen.
I think it can work, I think most people understand that they don't want their personal information shared with everyone so they won't do it to others.
Your mutual friends know and they WILL tell her if you start blabbing about it.
I personally wont see people i know because I started hearing the blatant lies being told about me by these people. It's not usually the people I end up seeing that run their mouth it's the people I DONT see. They have some machismo BS about being rejected or something.
I wouldnt start off saying you know them. That comes off as creepy and offputting. The people I have seen that knew me never mentioned they knew me I had to find out once I got there. I knew they never told a soul because I'm still friends with people that would have been angry about it.
Sometimes it gets messy. Sometimes people know me and i dont know them and theyre closer to me than i think (ex: my child's best friends father. A lot of my kids friends... ive been booked by their dads or step dad's. I don't necessarily know them or know anything about them but they know me) they usually disclose to me after and it is what it is. It's not ideal but it will just reject people on the basis that they're too close and it gets too messy.
People talk a lot of crap about me, but it honestly works out to be free advertising. I'd be busy just from all the husband's of the local wives talking shit about me if i saw people in my extended circle
I won't even see people I knew in high-school or old co workers.
I have seen people REALLY close to me that I didn't initially recognize because I barely met them in the first place and I was devastated. It turns out they were cool and didn't tell a soul even to this day. Our kids were besties and they still to this day never told a soul and no one has any idea and I really appreciate that level if discretion.
I don't like my work life and my personal life to overlap. I don't want my kids to be mistreated because of something I've done. So far so good though. People usually treat my kids well and don't mention anything.
Its the people I don't see that run their mouth and make up rumors and all kinds of stuff. Ive heard it all. According to the people is don't see or hang out with I'm every possible stereotype and I just can't be around people like that. Not for money and not in my leisure time.