Transform your mission into a movement Community Foundations Hi Reader, Spring is here, and I’m getting that familiar itch to freshen up the yard. As tempting as it is to rush to the nursery and load up on colorful blooms, my mom (a master gardener) has drilled into me a lesson that applies perfectly to community building: "Always prepare the soil before you plant the flowers." While most people focus on what they can see—bright blossoms and fresh growth—experienced gardeners start beneath...
17 days ago • 2 min read
Transform your mission into a movement Create Clear Paths to Belonging Hi Reader, I stepped onto the trail with anticipation. The retreat center had promised a peaceful self-guided hike through the North Carolina woods. At first, the path was clear – well-marked with signposts, quotes on wooden plaques, and occasional benches inviting reflection. Then everything changed. The path began to disappear. The markers vanished. The fallen leaves grew deeper, obscuring whatever trail might have...
20 days ago • 6 min read
Transform your mission into a movement The Community Correction Hi Reader, I recently came across a post from brand strategist Lindsay Hyatt that kept turning around in my mind all week: "Online communities can only be effective if people want to participate in them. But the appeal is waning. The enthusiasm for online groups now is wayyy less than during the pandemic years." I sat with that for a moment. If you’ve been feeling a shift in engagement, you’re not imagining things. But does this...
about 1 month ago • 4 min read
Transform your mission into a movement Community Is Essential Medicine Hi Reader, Open any news site today and you can’t help but feel the weight of a world that seems to be fracturing. Headlines shout about political upheaval, climate crisis, and technological disruption. Social media feeds overflow with outrage. And increasingly, it feels impossible for people to even engage in civil conversation about the challenges we face. It's easy to feel powerless. To wonder if finding common ground...
about 1 month ago • 4 min read
Transform your mission into a movement Why Doing Less Can Mean Leading Better Hi Reader, Sometimes the most valuable lessons come wrapped in irony. This past fall, I found myself leading masterclasses about scaling up and expanding reach – all while my body was quietly (and then not so quietly) urging me to scale back. Between managing POTS symptoms, weathering Hurricane Helene's impact on WNC, and navigating new medical complexities with one of our boys, life was sending a clear message:...
about 2 months ago • 3 min read
Transform your mission into a movement What lights your path? Hi Reader, This email almost didn't get written. The weight of the world feels especially heavy lately. There's so much noise, so much uncertainty, and it's easy to wonder: Am I doing enough? Is anyone listening? Am I even making a difference? Saturday morning, I found myself tipping toward despair and questioning whether I had anything to say at all. Thankfully, encouragement came at just the right moment. A dear friend called and...
2 months ago • 3 min read
Transform your mission into a movement Lighting the Way Forward Together "Each one of us has a couple of lanterns to hold up. That's it, just hold them up. Those are yours. And if we all do it, the whole path will be lit." - Jen Hatmaker Hi Reader, Today, as we celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., I'm reminded that transformation often begins with a single voice speaking truth. Dr. King didn't wait for perfect circumstances to rise and speak. He led with hope and...
3 months ago • 2 min read
Transform your mission into a movement New Possibilities for The Hive Hi Reader, When I wrote about digital homes on Monday, it sparked some deeper reflection about The Hive itself. We started with a traditional membership model focused on online community builders. But just as our definition of community is evolving, so are we. As we seek meaningful connection beyond social media, we need spaces where we can be seen and known. And that level of connection matters whether you're gathering...
3 months ago • 1 min read
Transform your mission into a movement From Membership Sites to Digital Homes Hi Reader, When community platforms first gained momentum in the early 2020s, the formula seemed simple: build a membership site, charge $59/month, and call it a day. It was a model born of necessity during the pandemic, but like many pandemic-era solutions, it's evolving into something far more sophisticated. "Community" itself is one of those wonderfully squishy words that resists simple definition. But what's...
3 months ago • 2 min read
