People Are Craving Connection — So We Decided to Actually Do Something About It

It started as a simple idea.

One of those “We really should get everyone together” thoughts that typically die between good intentions and jammed calendars.

But this time… it didn’t.

Maybe because the idea wasn’t mine alone. It was sparked in conversation with my co-organizer — and longtime friend — Jodi Davidson, Founder of Leader Within.

Jodi and I spent years working side-by-side, creating culture and leadership programs that actually changed things — mentoring ecosystems, employee communications strategies, psychological safety practices, and performance-boosting engagement models. We’ve led transformation from both the strategy table and the storytelling front line.

And now — in one of life’s beautifully timed plot twists — both of us have launched our own businesses during the same season.

·       Julie Whitten Consulting

·       Leader Within

Two women reinventing. Two leaders rebuilding. Two humans who know — personally and professionally — that connection is the backbone of every village, every culture, every change initiative.

So instead of saying, “We should get together,” we looked at each other and said:

“Let’s actually do something about it.”

We picked a date. Chose a spot. Sent a simple, human invitation.

No agenda. No icebreakers. Just: “Come as you are. We’d love to see you.”

And then something surprising — and not surprising at all — happened.

Forty-seven people said yes.

Before I could process the number, Jodi said the thing that named the truth behind it:

“Julie… people are craving connection.”

She was right.

And Then the Night Actually Happened…

In true adult-life fashion, about 25 people showed up — which, if you ask any event planner or parent, is practically a standing ovation.

But it wasn’t the number. It was the energy.

You could feel the exhale the moment people walked in.

Hugs weren’t rushed. Conversations dove deep immediately. Old colleagues reconnected. New friendships sparked. Laughter filled the room — the in-person, real kind we’ve forgotten how to enjoy.

At one point, Jodi and I looked around and just paused.

This. This is what people are missing.

Not programs. Not platforms. Not carefully curated virtual collaboration.

Human-to-human connection.

And it felt like a living, breathing version of two of my recent BGPD themes:

• BGPD #116: Rebuilding My Village — reminding myself that community doesn’t disappear; it simply waits to be called back.

• BGPD #112: Upgrade Your People Stack — the reminder that no tech, no tool, no strategy means anything without the humans powering it.

Standing in that room, surrounded by warmth and familiarity, I realized:

This wasn’t an event. This was a village reunion. A recalibration. A reminder of who we are when we’re together.

The Individual Truth: We’re All Hungry for Each Other

We’ve been stretched thin. We’ve been navigating change after change after change. We’ve been “fine,” but isolated.

And under the surface, we are craving:

• belonging

• being known

• conversations without performance

• community without pressure

• people who remind us who we were and who we’re becoming

Connection is not a luxury. It’s oxygen.

The Organizational Truth: Workplaces Are Starving for Connection Too

Everything Jodi and I have built — in our corporate careers and now in our businesses — points to the same truth:

You cannot create cultural transformation with disconnected humans.

Organizations today are full of:

• fragmented teams

• overwhelmed leaders

• employees who feel unseen

• cultures that are polite but not cohesive

• change initiatives that move faster than humans can emotionally process

And without connection, nothing sticks — not strategy, not communication, not adoption, not performance.

This is why Leader Within, LLC exists: 

To ignite confidence and clarity in leaders—and to cultivate cultures where teams thrive

And it’s why Julie Whitten Consulting exists: To transform change management and employee communications into engines of trust, alignment, and actual human engagement.

It makes perfect sense that we co-created this moment. This is who we are — individually and together.

**The Friendsgiving Lesson:

Connection Doesn’t Happen by Accident — Someone Has to Start It**

Someone needs to send the invite. Someone needs to gather the people. Someone needs to open the door others have quietly been waiting to walk through.

This time, it was us.

And the night proved something undeniable:

When you make connection easy, people show up. Every. Single. Time.

Your BGPD Nudge — Personally & Professionally

Stop waiting for connection to magically appear. Create it. Reach out first. Gather your people. Rebuild what life, work, and the last few years have stretched thin.

Because the craving is real. But so is the joy when you answer it.

BGPD Rule #120:

If you want community, you can’t wait for it — you have to go first. Connection isn’t found. It’s created.