How We Connected brings listeners inside the conversations that power communities right across the United States. Every week, hosts Aaron Hurst and Charlotte Massey share what they’re building at the US Chamber of Connection and the moments of connection showing up in their own lives. They talk with a community leaders from around the country about the relationships, collaboration, and human stories behind meaningful change. Join us every week for a reflections and practical advice on the ideas you can carry forward into your own communities.
Aaron Hurst
Aaron Hurst is the Co-Founder and CEO of the US Chamber of Connection and a long-time leader in the movement to strengthen community through work. A serial entrepreneur and social innovator, he previously founded Imperative and the Taproot Foundation, two organizations that reshaped how companies think about purpose, service, and meaningful work. His book The Purpose Economy helped define a new era in which connection, meaning, and relationships stand at the center of business value.
At the Chamber, Aaron focuses on reconnecting America by mobilizing community builders in every town and city. Known for turning big ideas into practical action, he works at the intersection of business, civic life, and community leadership. Aaron co-hosts How We Connected, bringing thoughtful perspective, personal stories, and a clear belief that human connection is a skill every organization can cultivate
Charlotte Massey
Charlotte is the Co-Founder of the US Chamber of Connection and Executive Director of the Seattle Chamber of Connection, where she leads strategy, programs, and partnerships dedicated to strengthening the connective tissue of communities in Seattle and nationwide.
Her background spans political organizing, digital marketing for large-scale nonprofits, and venture-backed entrepreneurship. She is a Forbes 30 under 30 awardee, a Thomas J Watson Fellow, and a Tory Burch Fellow. Charlotte creates environments where collaboration is natural and accessible.
Charlotte started her career in political and civic organizing, later serving as a digital marketer for major nonprofits and advocacy organizations, helping them mobilize supporters and scale their impact. She co-founded Gnara, a venture-backed outdoor apparel company that developed patented zipper technology to make clothing more functional and accessible for women, earning national recognition and viral reach.
A lifelong community builder, Charlotte also founded the Seattle Picnic Society, a 2,000-plus-person open-invite community that gathers for creative, joyful events across the city. As co-host of How We Connected, Charlotte brings grounded, practical insight and a keen sense for the moments that reveal how connection actually happens – in workplaces, neighborhoods, and local ecosystems.
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Playful Connections: Safi Aziz, Founder, Joust Society
Season 1 · Episode 28
Tuesday, June 16, 2026 • Duration 42:41
Charlotte Massey and Aaron Hurst of the US Chamber of Connection discuss Charlotte’s weekend sorting childhood boxes and finding old party invitations and Aaron’s excitement about the New York Knicks championship, a Pittsburgh chapter launch, and a team retreat.
This week's interview is with Safi Aziz founder of Joust, a “play club” that uses curated, fast, easy-to-learn games and carefully designed ambiance to spark conversation. Missing pre-pandemic Sunday game nights inspired Safi to launch Joust after a year of hesitation, and the club has now hosted 2,000+ players in two years. Joust partners with hotels by driving weekday traffic and shares game staples like Codenames, Flip Seven, and Wavelength.
00:00 Show Intro and Check-In
02:27 Weekend Plans
12:17 Introducing Safi Aziz and Joust
12:36 Origin Story: Sunday Game Nights
15:09 Joust Philosophy: Play Club, Not Board Game Club
16:53 The Secret Sauce
24:21 From Idea to Sold-Out First Event
27:23 Hotel Partnerships and the Business Model
31:13 Expanding Joust and the Loneliness Epidemic
33:00 Co-Designing the Art of Invitation
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How We Connected explores the conversations that power communities across the United States. Aaron Hurst and Charlotte Massey share what they’re building at the US Chamber of Connection and speak with leaders whose work strengthens local connection. Episodes offer human stories, practical insights, and ideas you can use in your own community.
Aaron Hurst, Co-Founder of the US Chamber of Connection, is a longtime entrepreneur focused on purpose and community. He founded Imperative and the Taproot Foundation and wrote The Purpose Economy.
Charlotte Massey, Co-Founder of the US Chamber of Connection, leads community programs nationally. A Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree and former organizer and founder, she works at the intersection of civic life and entrepreneurship.
Safi founded Joust, a play club where fun-loving people meet to compete. The idea came to him during the pandemic, out on a run, when he realized how much he missed the Sunday game nights he used to host in his apartment building's lounge. He kept the idea to himself for 12 months before deciding to go for it, booking the back of a bar in Williamsburg. Two years later, Joust has welcomed more than 2,000 players to roving game nights at some of New York City's best hotels and lounges. Safi is quick to point out that Joust isn't a board game club. It's a play club that happens to play board games, with fast, easy-to-learn picks chosen to spark conversation and camaraderie.
Heylo is a community-management platform built for real-world groups of every kind, giving leaders a clean, branded home base to run events, manage members, communicate clearly, and handle payments without friction. It brings scheduling, RSVPs, waivers, announcements, topic-based chats, and membership tools into one place so clubs, teams, and interest groups can stay organized and connected without the noise of traditional social platforms.
Permission to be Bad: Jules Costa, Founder, Bad Art Club
Season 1 · Episode 27
Tuesday, June 9, 2026 • Duration 01:02:41
It's been a busy week for Charlotte Massey and Aaron Hurst at the US Chamber of Connection. Aaron joins from a San Francisco airport while touring with board.dev, his nonprofit board effort, as the two launch Welcome Week, a week built around one idea, inviting someone to do something. Charlotte shares her own bad art from a cabin in Colorado, made just for the process.
This week's guest is Jules Costa, founder of Bad Art Club in San Francisco, where the bad is a trick to get people through the door who'd never call themselves creative. She traces the path from a decade in software to the afternoon in the Panhandle when she and a friend drew the worst portraits they could and a club was born. Jules recounts quitting tech, walking away from corporate work, and finding her footing in pro bono workshops for people in early recovery, where failing is impossible and everyone belongs.
00:00 Introduction
05:22 Welcome Week and the Culture of Inviting
10:20 How Many People Are Invite-Ready Tonight?
16:19 Welcoming Jules Costa, Bad Art Club
17:42 Leadership and the South Africa Trip
19:23 Origin of Bad Art Club
22:21 First Workshop, Going Full Time
26:07 Corporate Work and Pivoting to Nonprofit
29:10 Art in Addiction Recovery
33:20 Weekly Gatherings and the Fate Collective
38:33 Body Wisdom and Decision Making
51:33 Reflections
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How We Connected explores the conversations that power communities across the United States. Aaron Hurst and Charlotte Massey share what they’re building at the US Chamber of Connection and speak with leaders whose work strengthens local connection. Episodes offer human stories, practical insights, and ideas you can use in your own community.
Art of the Toast: Daniel Padrnos, Founder, Supra Dinner Society
Season 1 · Episode 26
Tuesday, June 2, 2026 • Duration 57:08
It’s been a busy week for Charlotte Massey and Aaron Hurst at the US Chamber of Connection. Aaron’s son celebrated a place at the University of Michigan and high school graduation with family storytelling prompts. Charlotte’s looks forward to the “Best Day Ever” downtown Seattle event with partners at Pike Place Market, including connection workshops and art activities.
This week’s guest is Daniel Padrnos of the Georgian Supra Society, a dinner tradition led by a Tamada, toastmaster, and a mekippe, wine pourer, where toasts structure conversation and wine is “for the words,” not drinking alone. He recounts discovering Supra through nonprofit work, co-founding a Georgian restaurant in South Carolina, launching Super Dinner Society in Seattle, training hosts, and building tools like an online course and “Toasting Topics.”
00:00 Introduction: What's Up at the Chamber
02:22 Aaron's Weekend Story
13:34 Best Day Ever Recap
23:49 Growing Up with Community Dinners
26:15 Discovering the Supra in Sierra Leone
27:56 What Is a Supra?
32:02 Live Toast Demonstration
43:18 Stories from the Supras
45:29 Future Plans and Toasting Topics
46:43 The Business Model
50:19 Toasting Tips for a Graduation
53:14 Reflection
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How We Connected explores the conversations that power communities across the United States. Aaron Hurst and Charlotte Massey share what they’re building at the US Chamber of Connection and speak with leaders whose work strengthens local connection. Episodes offer human stories, practical insights, and ideas you can use in your own community.
Power of Play: Vanessa Elias, Block Party USA
Season 1 · Episode 25
Tuesday, May 26, 2026 • Duration 49:46
Hosts Charlotte Massey and Aaron Hurst of the US Chamber of Connection open with Memorial Day week updates, including Charlotte's 22-hour Colorado-to-Seattle drive spent talking and listening to Gone Girl and Aaron's bittersweet last hurrah weekend with his son before graduation. This week at the Chamber, there's Seattle's Connection Council, Bellevue workshops, Best Day Ever, and a Workday symposium in San Francisco.
This week's guest is Vanessa Elias, who shares how moving 28 times across four countries shaped both her loneliness and her connection skills, including the pivotal moment when neighbors showed up after her infant brother died. She links rising youth anxiety, depression, and behavioral issues to over-scheduled lives and the loss of free play and makes the case that block parties build the village families need while restoring everyday civility through face-to-face contact. Vanessa offers practical tips for hosting block parties and challenges Charlotte and Aaron to publicly commit to throwing neighborhood gatherings this summer.
00:00 Introduction: Catch and Chamber Events
11:06 Vanessa Elias: Block Party USA
11:55 Growing Up Always Moving
16:30 Kids' Mental Health and Free Play
22:49 Block Party Tips: How to Start
26:15 Block Party Therapy with Aaron
35:05 Vanessa's Vision and Resources
43:22 Closing Reflections
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How We Connected explores the conversations that power communities across the United States. Aaron Hurst and Charlotte Massey share what they’re building at the US Chamber of Connection and speak with leaders whose work strengthens local connection. Episodes offer human stories, practical insights, and ideas you can use in your own community.
Aaron Hurst, Co-Founder of the US Chamber of Connection, is a longtime entrepreneur focused on purpose and community. He founded Imperative and the Taproot Foundation and wrote .
The Trail Ahead: Jen Loving-Wade, President, Girls Who Hike Virginia
Season 1 · Episode 24
Tuesday, May 19, 2026 • Duration 49:25
Hosts Charlotte Massey and Aaron Hurst of the US Chamber of Connection discuss Charlotte's 24-hour screen-free experiment from a cabin in Colorado, reflecting on our technology addiction. Meanwhile, Aaron enjoyed a trip to Coney Island as a model of authentic, locally rooted connection. And the idea that you can throw a celebration for almost anything. This week at the Chamber, there's Seattle's Connection Council, an arts and culture club fair, and the upcoming Best Day Ever event.
This week's guest is Jenn Loving Wade, who shares how she went from a socially isolated newcomer in the DC area to co-founding Girls Who Hike Virginia, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that grew from a 2,000-person Facebook group to a statewide community, powered by a volunteer board and roughly 90 ambassadors hosting hundreds of hikes a year.
00:00 Introduction and Chamber Updates
16:52 Jenn Loving Wade: Girls Who Hike Virginia
19:23 From 2,000 to 35,000 Members
20:23 Secrets to Growing a Community
23:17 Ambassador Events and Programming
24:54 Jenn's Personal Hiking Journey
29:24 Building an Authentic Brand
35:21 Nonprofit Structure and Future Vision
42:58 Reflection
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How We Connected explores the conversations that power communities across the United States. Aaron Hurst and Charlotte Massey share what they’re building at the US Chamber of Connection and speak with leaders whose work strengthens local connection. Episodes offer human stories, practical insights, and ideas you can use in your own community.
Aaron Hurst, Co-Founder of the US Chamber of Connection, is a longtime entrepreneur focused on purpose and community. He founded Imperative and the Taproot Foundation and wrote .
The Long Run: Rachel Bambrick, Founder, Women in Ultrarunning
Season 1 · Episode 23
Tuesday, May 12, 2026 • Duration 59:50
Hosts Charlotte Massey and Aaron Hurst of the US Chamber of Connection discuss community-building efforts at the Chamber, including Charlotte’s Seattle Picnic Society, her involvement in women’s outdoor groups, and upcoming Chamber events. They reflect on takeaways from the Council on Foundations conference in Seattle, emphasizing funder interest in connection, a conference design that fostered relationship-building, and research on belonging during transitions. This week’s guest is Rachel Bambrick, who shares how dance, ultimate frisbee, and then Philadelphia running communities shaped her connection journey, leading to ultrarunning and her nonprofit Women in Ultrarunning, which builds chapters, provides education, offers grants, and supports women in a male-dominated sport.
00:00 Introduction and Host Updates
05:39 Council on Foundations Conference Recap
14:26 Welcome Rachel Bambrick
18:04 Rachel's Journey: Dance to Ultra Running
24:46 Hardest Races and Mental Resilience
29:36 Women in Ultrarunning: The Community Rachel Built
43:44 Advice for Community Builders
48:31 Reflection: Mission-Driven Communities
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How We Connected explores the conversations that power communities across the United States. Aaron Hurst and Charlotte Massey share what they’re building at the US Chamber of Connection and speak with leaders whose work strengthens local connection. Episodes offer human stories, practical insights, and ideas you can use in your own community.
Aaron Hurst, Co-Founder of the US Chamber of Connection, is a longtime entrepreneur focused on purpose and community. He founded Imperative and the Taproot Foundation and wrote The Purpose Economy.
Play Catch with Me: Ethan Bryan's Movement Built One Throw at a Time
Season 1 · Episode 22
Tuesday, May 5, 2026 • Duration 47:33
On this week's How We Connected from the US Chamber of Connection, hosts Charlotte Massey and Aaron Hurst kick off conference week at the Council on Foundations annual gathering in Seattle, where they're hosting a breakfast to make the case that connection is the next major frontier in philanthropy. They cover Charlotte's week in a Colorado cabin, an unexpected friendship struck up in a Pilates class, and Aaron's tequila-fuelled failure with balloon decorations for his son's 18th birthday. This week's feature interview is with Ethan Bryan, author of A Year of Playing Catch, who on January 1, 2018 was dared by his daughters to play catch every day for a year. He tells the story of how that single act unlocked a grassroots movement, why catch is uniquely human (it uses both sides of the brain at once, which lets the conversational gatekeeper drop), and the school mentee who had never held a glove. Aaron and Charlotte close the episode by going outside to play catch in an alley.
0:00 - Introduction
0:30 - Welcome and Conference Week
3:07 - Gifts, Outfits and Weekend Updates
12:56 - Introducing Ethan Bryan
16:11 - The Year of Playing Catch
28:15 - The Movement Grows
36:17 - Dreams for the Future
41:34 - Hosts Reflect on Playing Catch
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How We Connected explores the conversations that power communities across the United States. Aaron Hurst and Charlotte Massey share what they’re building at the US Chamber of Connection and speak with leaders whose work strengthens local connection. Episodes offer human stories, practical insights, and ideas you can use in your own community.
Aaron Hurst, Co-Founder of the US Chamber of Connection, is a longtime entrepreneur focused on purpose and community. He founded Imperative and the Taproot Foundation and wrote .
Party On! Evan Cudworth, the World's First Party Coach
Season 1 · Episode 21
Tuesday, April 28, 2026 • Duration 01:02:23
Welcoming, Structure, and the Party Within
On this week's How We Connected from the US Chamber of Connection, hosts Charlotte Massey and Aaron Hurst talk about a volunteer potluck party and brainstorming “National Welcome Week.” There's a recap on current work expanding partnerships and planning upcoming events. This week's feature interview is with Evan Cudworth, the world’s first “party coach,” who describes early connection through communal building, finding collective effervescence in raves, and defining a party as a temporary vibe shift with others. He outlines his “Party Within” process (detox, identity release, a 21-day wellness bender, tribe-building, hosting, and learning to receive) and offers tactics for inclusive events: roles, activity stations, clear structure, and guided dance instruction for a conference dance party.
00:00 Introduction and Welcome
02:12 Volunteer Party Recap
17:50 Introducing Evan, the World's First Party Coach
18:13 Evan's Early Experiences with Connection
21:45 Defining Party: The Temporary Vibe Shift
32:03 Creating Structure at Parties
40:48 The Party Within: Evan's 7-Stage Framework
44:35 Designing a Dance Party at a Conference
51:43 Reflection
54:42 Takeaways and the Bat Signal App
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How We Connected explores the conversations that power communities across the United States. Aaron Hurst and Charlotte Massey share what they’re building at the US Chamber of Connection and speak with leaders whose work strengthens local connection. Episodes offer human stories, practical insights, and ideas you can use in your own community.
, Co-Founder of the US Chamber of Connection, is a longtime entrepreneur focused on purpose and community. He founded Imperative and the Taproot Foundation and wrote .
Rolling with Intent: Brandon DesJarlais, Co-Founder, Vibe Ride
Season 1 · Episode 20
Tuesday, April 21, 2026 • Duration 51:00
More members isn’t always better
Charlotte Massey and Aaron Hurst open How We Connected by reflecting on building community with the right goals, the importance of fun and resonance over sheer scale, and recent experiments in connection. This week’s interview is with Brandon DesJarlais, a world-renowned longboarder, based in Los Angeles and co-founder of Vibe Ride. He shares how a middle-school incident led him to leave a destructive friend group and how longboarding helped him face his fears. During COVID, DesJarlais shifted from competitive riding to teaching online tutorials and hosting free clinics that grew into a community of 700 active members. He describes Vibe Ride’s mission, leadership model, rituals, intentions, icebreakers, and “surprise and delight” rolling dance-party rides. A key insight? He argues that more members isn’t always better. Enjoy!
00:00 Introduction
14:22 Brandon DesJarlais: Early Life and Masking Authenticity
16:12 The Turning Point: Friends, Family and Diverging Paths
19:21 Wrestling, Skating and Facing Fears
24:33 Viral Tutorials and the Birth of Vibe Ride
27:42 What a Vibe Ride Looks Like
37:43 Sustainability, Identity and Vision for the Future
47:49 Reflections
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How We Connected explores the conversations that power communities across the United States. Aaron Hurst and Charlotte Massey share what they’re building at the US Chamber of Connection and speak with leaders whose work strengthens local connection. Episodes offer human stories, practical insights, and ideas you can use in your own community.
Aaron Hurst, Co-Founder of the US Chamber of Connection, is a longtime entrepreneur focused on purpose and community. He founded Imperative and the Taproot Foundation and wrote .
Power of Laughter: Yao Huang, Founder, Wonder Women
Season 1 · Episode 19
Tuesday, April 14, 2026 • Duration 44:33
On this week's How We Connected from the US Chamber of Connection, hosts Charlotte Massey and Aaron Hurst discuss some recent connection experiments: Aaron hosted mostly male friends to watch Michigan win a basketball championship, while Charlotte attended a Seattle Community Builders Dinner where participants did simple drawing and collage activities about ideal “third places.”
The interview this week is with Yao Huang, founder of Wonder Women, a largely invitation-based “whisper network” that began as casual women’s dinners and has grown over 20 years to about 20,000 women leaders across 30 cities. Yao emphasizes humor, curated guest lists, repeatable hosting scripts, and women-only spaces to create trust, friendship, and mutual support.
00:00 Intro and Check-In
01:54 What's Been on Our Minds
13:00 Meet Yao
13:30 Yao's Origin Story
14:10 Standup Comedy and Finding the Real Yao
14:55 Wonder Women: How It Started
21:26 The Formula: Curating Connection
25:49 Community Ripple Effects and The Vouch Network
34:00 Secret Sauce: Extroverts, Energy and Fun
40:27 Reflections
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How We Connected explores the conversations that power communities across the United States. Aaron Hurst and Charlotte Massey share what they’re building at the US Chamber of Connection and speak with leaders whose work strengthens local connection. Episodes offer human stories, practical insights, and ideas you can use in your own community.
Aaron Hurst, Co-Founder of the US Chamber of Connection, is a longtime entrepreneur focused on purpose and community. He founded Imperative and the Taproot Foundation and wrote .
Aaron Hurst, Co-Founder of the US Chamber of Connection, is a longtime entrepreneur focused on purpose and community. He founded Imperative and the Taproot Foundation and wrote The Purpose Economy.
Charlotte Massey, Co-Founder of the US Chamber of Connection, leads community programs nationally. A Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree and former organizer and founder, she works at the intersection of civic life and entrepreneurship.
Jules is the founder of Bad Art Club, a San Francisco community built on the simple permission to make something terrible and enjoy every minute of it. A certified transformational facilitator and addiction recovery coach, Jules spent the better part of a decade writing software and traveling the world before she traded her tech career for a creative one. What began as two friends drawing the worst portraits they could in the Panhandle has grown into weekly workshops that draw dozens of people who'd never call themselves artists, along with public art projects, a summer retreat, and pro bono sessions for people in early recovery. Bad Art Club is fiscally sponsored by Independent Arts and Media, and Jules now spends her days designing spaces where failing is impossible and everyone belongs. Her guiding belief is that the only difference between you and an artist is the willingness to make bad art.
Heylo is a community-management platform built for real-world groups of every kind, giving leaders a clean, branded home base to run events, manage members, communicate clearly, and handle payments without friction. It brings scheduling, RSVPs, waivers, announcements, topic-based chats, and membership tools into one place so clubs, teams, and interest groups can stay organized and connected without the noise of traditional social platforms.
Aaron Hurst, Co-Founder of the US Chamber of Connection, is a longtime entrepreneur focused on purpose and community. He founded Imperative and the Taproot Foundation and wrote The Purpose Economy.
Charlotte Massey, Co-Founder of the US Chamber of Connection, leads community programs nationally. A Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree and former organizer and founder, she works at the intersection of civic life and entrepreneurship.
Daniel is executive director of Supra Dinner Society, Daniel is dedicated to bringing the ancient Georgian feast to America. He played an integral role in creating the first restaurant in America that offered Supras, Keipi Restaurant in Greenville, SC. He has led numerous tours to Georgia, sitting in on the ancient feast with men and women who have opened up the heart of the Supra to him. He has studied and written extensively on the Supra. His favorite toast is to journeys and destinations.
Heylo is a community-management platform built for real-world groups of every kind, giving leaders a clean, branded home base to run events, manage members, communicate clearly, and handle payments without friction. It brings scheduling, RSVPs, waivers, announcements, topic-based chats, and membership tools into one place so clubs, teams, and interest groups can stay organized and connected without the noise of traditional social platforms.
Charlotte Massey, Co-Founder of the US Chamber of Connection, leads community programs nationally. A Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree and former organizer and founder, she works at the intersection of civic life and entrepreneurship.
Vanessa Elias is a mental health activist, certified parent coach, and founder of Block Party USA, a nonprofit working to bring block parties to every neighborhood in America. Having moved 28 times in her life, she understands firsthand what loneliness costs and what neighborhoods can heal. After her 2018 Big Block Party Weekend in Wilton, Connecticut drew 1,200 residents to roughly 40 parties, she founded Block Party USA in 2023, and the initiative has since reached 46 states and five countries. She is also a speaker for The Aspen Institute's Weave Social Fabric Project, a NAMI parent support group facilitator, and founder of the coaching practice Thrive With A Guide.
Heylo is a community-management platform built for real-world groups of every kind, giving leaders a clean, branded home base to run events, manage members, communicate clearly, and handle payments without friction. It brings scheduling, RSVPs, waivers, announcements, topic-based chats, and membership tools into one place so clubs, teams, and interest groups can stay organized and connected without the noise of traditional social platforms.
Charlotte Massey, Co-Founder of the US Chamber of Connection, leads community programs nationally. A Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree and former organizer and founder, she works at the intersection of civic life and entrepreneurship.
Jenn is co-founder of Girls Who Hike Virginia, a volunteer-runnonprofit that helps women and people who identify as women find community, confidence, and education in the outdoors. Her path into community building was almost accidental: after moving from Florida to the Washington, DC area, she felt the social isolation that so many people experience in a new place, and in 2021 she answered a Facebook post asking for help reviving a dormant hiking group. As someone who already spent her working days in social media and brand strategy, she figured she was online anyway, and she stepped in to help admin the group. Under her and the founding team's stewardship, the Facebook community grew from around 2,000 members to roughly 35,000, and the nonprofit was formally established six months later in 2022. Today Girls Who Hike Virginia runs on a small volunteer board and a network of nearly 90 ambassadors across the state, who together hosted almost 300 events in 2025. Jenn built the brand to be deliberately human-centered rather than another logo people scroll past, anchored in a teal palette and a Blue Ridge Mountains logo, and grounded in a culture where people do not have to perform to belong.
Heylo is a community-management platform built for real-world groups of every kind, giving leaders a clean, branded home base to run events, manage members, communicate clearly, and handle payments without friction. It brings scheduling, RSVPs, waivers, announcements, topic-based chats, and membership tools into one place so clubs, teams, and interest groups can stay organized and connected without the noise of traditional social platforms.
Charlotte Massey, Co-Founder of the US Chamber of Connection, leads community programs nationally. A Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree and former organizer and founder, she works at the intersection of civic life and entrepreneurship.
Rachel is an ultramarathoner, UESCA-certified running coach, and the founder of Women in Ultrarunning, a nonprofit she launched in Philadelphia in January 2024 to bring more women into one of the most male-dominated corners of endurance sport. By day, she works as a pediatric occupational therapist, and her path to ultras began almost accidentally after she moved to Philadelphia in 2016 looking for community and started showing up to local run clubs. She has since logged multiple 100-plus-mile finishes, including Cocodona 250, the Divide 200, and the Javelina Jundred twice, and she currently holds the female unsupported FKT for Pennsylvania's Batona Trail. Women in Ultrarunning has grown from a local event series into a national nonprofit with chapters in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Colorado, and Montana, organized around three pillars: in-person community, educational programming on everything from nutrition to wilderness first aid, and grants that lower the financial barrier to entry for women new to the sport. Rachel's vision is one where the work she does eventually becomes less necessary, because the trail running community has finally caught up to what women are capable of in it.
Heylo is a community-management platform built for real-world groups of every kind, giving leaders a clean, branded home base to run events, manage members, communicate clearly, and handle payments without friction. It brings scheduling, RSVPs, waivers, announcements, topic-based chats, and membership tools into one place so clubs, teams, and interest groups can stay organized and connected without the noise of traditional social platforms.
Charlotte Massey, Co-Founder of the US Chamber of Connection, leads community programs nationally. A Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree and former organizer and founder, she works at the intersection of civic life and entrepreneurship.
Ethan Bryan is a Springfield, Missouri-based author and storyteller whose work centers on baseball, play, and the people who make community happen. On January 1, 2018, dared by his daughters at the dinner table, he set out to play catch with someone every day for a year. The experience took him across ten states and roughly twelve thousand miles, throwing a ball with public school teachers, veterans, journalists, nurses, entertainers, athletes from every level, and members of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. The resulting book, A Year of Playing Catch, was a Casey Award finalist and is now the seed of a quiet grassroots movement of people doing the same thing in their own cities. Ethan lost his hair to alopecia at age six and has often described that early experience of being on the margins as foundational to the way he approaches connection now. He works at Community Partnership of the Ozarks, where he uses catch to mentor students, and he is building a curriculum to train others to do the same. His writing has earned him invitations to the White House and the National Baseball Hall of Fame. He lives in Springfield with his wife Jamie and daughters Kaylea and Sophie, and still dreams of playing for the Kansas City Royals.
Heylo is a community-management platform built for real-world groups of every kind, giving leaders a clean, branded home base to run events, manage members, communicate clearly, and handle payments without friction. It brings scheduling, RSVPs, waivers, announcements, topic-based chats, and membership tools into one place so clubs, teams, and interest groups can stay organized and connected without the noise of traditional social platforms.
Charlotte Massey, Co-Founder of the US Chamber of Connection, leads community programs nationally. A Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree and former organizer and founder, she works at the intersection of civic life and entrepreneurship.
Evan Cudworth is the world's first Party Coach, a Chicago-raised, Los Angeles-based coach and community builder helping people rebuild their social lives without numbing out or chasing nostalgia. After 15 years in the music, festival, and nightlife scenes, he pivoted to full-time coaching in 2020 and built The Party Within, a 7-stage method blending intention-setting, dopamine resets, and tools for authentic connection. He draws on eight years coaching elite college and MBA applicants, plus thousands of hours leading workshops and retreats. Evan founded KNOWFUN, a digital community mixing party culture and wellness, and his work has been featured in GQ, the Los Angeles Times, and the Washington Post, where he makes the case that connection is a skill worth practicing.
Heylo is a community-management platform built for real-world groups of every kind, giving leaders a clean, branded home base to run events, manage members, communicate clearly, and handle payments without friction. It brings scheduling, RSVPs, waivers, announcements, topic-based chats, and membership tools into one place so clubs, teams, and interest groups can stay organized and connected without the noise of traditional social platforms.
Charlotte Massey, Co-Founder of the US Chamber of Connection, leads community programs nationally. A Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree and former organizer and founder, she works at the intersection of civic life and entrepreneurship.
Brandon is a professional longboarder, coach, and community builder based in Venice Beach. He has competed across disciplines from downhill racing to longboard dancing, skated in 26 countries, and once stunt-doubled for Vin Diesel in xXx: Return of Xander Cage. In 2021 he founded Beyond the Board, a Los Angeles 501(c)(3) using skateboarding to build confidence and connection. Its flagship program, Vibe Ride, is the weekly sunset group ride he co-founded in Santa Monica and Venice Beach that now counts 700 active members and has been profiled by the LA Times. Brandon teaches community-building through his 4C's Framework.
Heylo is a community-management platform built for real-world groups of every kind, giving leaders a clean, branded home base to run events, manage members, communicate clearly, and handle payments without friction. It brings scheduling, RSVPs, waivers, announcements, topic-based chats, and membership tools into one place so clubs, teams, and interest groups can stay organized and connected without the noise of traditional social platforms.
Charlotte Massey, Co-Founder of the US Chamber of Connection, leads community programs nationally. A Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree and former organizer and founder, she works at the intersection of civic life and entrepreneurship.
Yao is the founder of Wonder Women, an invitation-only global community that has grown over nearly two decades from a handful of friends gathering for dinner in New York into a whisper network spanning roughly 30 cities and 20,000 women across three continents. She is also the founder and managing partner of The Hatchery, one of the organizations most responsible for building New York's tech ecosystem, where she has helped hundreds of early-stage companies with product, revenue, and fundraising, and co-founded Division One Capital, a fund expanding access to capital for women and minority-owned small businesses. Her winding path through healthcare, tech, finance, and climate included a memorable detour into stand-up comedy at clubs like Carolines and B.B. King's, an experience she credits with pulling out the goofy, funny version of herself that her corporate days had been hiding. Recognized by Forbes as one of the women at the center of New York's digital scene and by TechWeek among the 100 most influential people in tech, Yao is above all a student of human behavior who has figured out how to make a room full of strangers feel like old friends by the end of the night.
Heylo is a community-management platform built for real-world groups of every kind, giving leaders a clean, branded home base to run events, manage members, communicate clearly, and handle payments without friction. It brings scheduling, RSVPs, waivers, announcements, topic-based chats, and membership tools into one place so clubs, teams, and interest groups can stay organized and connected without the noise of traditional social platforms.