Community. Community. Community.
I used to say, “I don’t like people.”
For years, that quote even hung in my office — printed on a card my mom gave me that read, “I don't like people, but I do love a party.”
I took it down sometime last year, because it just isn’t true anymore.
I do still love a party. But now I also really love people.
So what changed?
First, quarantine fundamentally changed me. I wasn’t even a year past my divorce when Covid hit, and the isolation and loneliness were overwhelming.
I think dating changed me too. When I was thinking about dating after my divorce, but still feeling apprehensive, an old boyfriend told me it would be fun.
He said, “People are fundamentally interesting.”
I said, “I don’t believe you.” But then I tried. And he was right.
Finding my people.
But the biggest shift came from a group of Bay Area entrepreneurs I’ve met with monthly for over two years. We’re called The Kindredly.
The group was started by the incomparable Luisa Alberto and Ariana Wolfe and I’ll be forever grateful to them for what they’ve built.
I'd always enjoyed working alone and had no idea what I was missing until I suddenly had this community.
I joined The Kindredly for networking and I have gained a couple clients from the group. But the real value has come from something else.
We need people to grow.
Being an entrepreneur can be a lonely business. And it can be dangerous to work in a silo. You can get stuck in your ways and stop growing.
And sometimes you need other people to show you that you’re stuck at all.
In The Kindredly, people are seen, held, celebrated, and challenged in service of making the greatest impact with their work.
And when I say challenged, I mean CHALLENGED. I've gotten the best kind of tough love in this group and I know I could not be where I am now in my business without being pushed by these beautiful humans.
I took the summer off, so it was especially delightful to meet again the last couple of months.
Do you have a community that feeds and pushes you? Or are you still looking for yours?
Goodies Just For You
WHAT I'M THINKING ABOUT: Diane Keaton's recent death reminded me of another unparalleled comedy talent taken too soon. Over the summer, I read two Nora Ephron books. I started with Heartburn. I love Nora Ephron and her take on a divorce story sounded right up my alley, but Heartburn felt dated and sad to me. After I finished it, I learned it was autobiographical, which made it even more so. It just wasn’t the kind of triumphant divorce story I was looking for. So I picked up I Feel Bad About My Neck. When it came out in 2006, I was only 29. I still remember her hilarious book tour, but I wasn’t ready to read it myself yet. Now is the perfect time. Not surprisingly, I loved it. So funny and poignant.
WHAT I'M MAKING: Over the weekend I made these Chewy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bars for my neighborhood block party. They taste like fall. They're more like gingerbread than pumpkin bread and their chewy mouth feel is truly perfection.
WHO I'M ADMIRING: Emily Shaw is a podcast producer who helps mission-driven brands and nonprofits share stories and build deep relationships through podcasts. Her own podcast, Candy Ears, just won Signal Award's Silver Medal for the Best Experimental Podcast! She calls it an "ode to sound" that celebrates play through audio sketches, stories, and experiments. If you're thinking about starting your own podcast, talk to Emily!
