Our social connections with others are profoundly important to:

• individual mental and physical health.

• workplace creativity, competence, performance, and satisfaction.

• community safety, resilience, and prosperity.

Barriers to social connections:

The quality and quantity of our social connections are declining, so much so that the U.S. Surgeon General released an advisory on Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation and the Healing Effects of Social Connection and Community. Even if we want to connect more meaningfully with others, there are many barriers to developing more and better social connections.

• As individuals we often feel awkward, worry that we won’t like others, or that they won’t like us, and we find it difficult to move from small talk to building deeper connections.

• Our workplaces are too often socially isolating.

• Our communities frequently inhibit social connections through segregation and disinvestment in social infrastructure.

The gatherings

Relational Communities provide the structure, processes, and tools that are needed to create higher quality social connections. As a facilitator, Cassie promotes an environment characterized by generosity, curiosity, empathy, and care. Look through the gathering descriptions below and reach out to join a pop-up group or have Cassie facilitate a group that is tailored for your friends, family, workplace, organization, or community. Cassie is also available to work with organizations on “relational planning” (intentional action plans for improving the relational health of your organization).