How We Connected

From the US Chamber of Connection, Aaron Hurst and Charlotte Massey catch up after the Fourth of July. At the Chamber there’s planning for Welcome Week, the Best Day Ever program with five partner events, an August Seattle volunteer potluck, and Aaron’s National Night Out block party collaboration  In Memphis and Nashville, Aaron met leaders exploring a Nashville chapter and observed common t...

On this week's How We Connected, Aaron checks in from Memphis, where the Peabody has a duck parade and the tailor who once dressed Elvis, then heads to Nashville to meet leaders hoping to open a Chamber of Connection. Charlotte is off to see her grandma and family in Minnesota for the Fourth of July. This week's guest, Erik Hillesheim, moved to Seattle from Minnesota knowing just one person and fi...

Charlotte Massey and Aaron Hurst of the US Chamber of Connection catch up on Charlotte's second wedding anniversary weekend in Portland, where she and her husband reread their vows, and Aaron's trip to New York for his sister's 50th, the Knicks championship parade, and a Father's Day in the Yankee Stadium. Charlotte walks through her hunt for breakable Guinness World Records for Welcome Week. This...

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 design...

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...

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...

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 sympos...

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 C...

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 re...

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 cl...

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,”...

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 in...

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...

Hosts Charlotte Massey and Aaron Hurst open How We Connected from the US Chamber of Connection with weekend updates - gardening, a Seattle Women’s Network gala, and Aaron’s son playing a high-school “assassin” water-gun game. At the Chamber there’s events planning, a branding refresh, and the Connected Cities Summit partnerships.  The featured interview this week is with Hanson Hunt, co-found...

Hosts Charlotte Massey and Aaron Hurst introduce How We Connected from the US Chamber of Connection. On the show this week: Aaron’s Seattle-to–San Francisco trip for Yankees games, a surprise reunion, and reflections on organizing local “connection” leaders into a collective “us” rather than isolated efforts. This week’s featured guest is Shaka Mitchell, based in Nashville, who leads the Come...

Hosts Charlotte Massey and Aaron Hurst debrief Seattle’s first “Best Day Ever” event in South Park, organized with Cultivate South Park and the Seattle Department of Neighborhoods. The neighborhood has a tight-knit, majority-Latino character and some unique challenges. Best Day Ever brought people together from across the community for a day of fun, chocolate tasting, pizza-making and a stilt-led...

On this week’s How We Connected, hosts Aaron Hurst and Charlotte Massey reflect on what’s going on at the US Chamber of Connection. There’s a pi(e)-themed, math-costume birthday gathering and a Seattle potluck for Thomas J. Watson Fellowship alumni. On the horizon, a health and wellbeing welcome night and a “Best Day Ever” neighborhood field trip. This week’s featured guest is Brian Robinson, who...

On this week's How We Connected, hosts Aaron Hurst and Charlotte Massey catch up after Seattle’s successful club fair at the National Nordic Museum and there’s an update on the “Best Day Ever” event. Aaron has spent the week at spring training in Florida, while contemplating rebranding bars as “social clubs” to reset social norms. The featured interview this week is the return of Liz Cahill of Dec...

This week on How We Connected hosts Charlotte Massey and Aaron Hurst reflect on Charlotte's reality-TV-competition-themed 30th birthday weekend: structured games, fondue dinner toasts, and life advice at midnight. Over at the U.S Chamber of Connection, they prepare for this week’s Seattle club fair at the Nordic Museum, the upcoming neighborhood “Best Day Ever” event in South Park, and a webinars...

In this episode of How We Connected from the US Chamber of Connection, hosts Charlotte Massey and Aaron Hurst catch up on their weekends - Charlotte's elaborate reality-TV-themed 30th birthday party planning and Aaron's dinner debate about whether vampires are cannibals. Aaron shares updates on the upcoming Connected Cities Summit in Seattle, including plans for a "Declaration of Interdependence.”...

In this episode of How We Connected from the US Chamber of Connection, hosts Charlotte Massey and Aaron Hurst discuss what’s happening at the Chamber. They welcome guest Haley, a community builder in Pittsburgh, who shares her background growing up in a small town, studying sociology and psychology, and moving to Pittsburgh during the pandemic. Dog walking helped her explore the city and meet peop...

In this episode of How We Connected, hosts Aaron Hurst and Charlotte Massey discuss the importance of building connections and the role of repetition in forming strong friendships. They welcome guest Darilys, a community builder who shares her experiences and challenges in creating social groups in Boston. Darilys touches on the cultural differences between Puerto Rico and mainland U.S. and the im...

In this episode of 'How We Connected,' hosts Aaron Hurst and Charlotte Massey talk about some unique celebrations and Charlotte's plans for her 30th birthday party. The main interview features an insightful conversation with Liz Cahill, a community builder in San Francisco, who shares her journey from feeling isolated in Philadelphia to creating vibrant, inclusive community spaces. Liz discusses h...

In this episode of 'How We Connected,' hosts Aaron Hurst and Charlotte Massey plan for birthdays, travel and the glamour of the Grammies - as well as the latest at the US Chamber of Connection. The episode features an engaging and entertaining conversation with Lionel Brodie, founder of Original Propaganda Athletic Club (OPAC) in Philadelphia. Lionel discusses his journey from founding a high scho...

Seattle's Sauna Community Third Space  In this episode of 'How We Connected,' hosts Aaron Hurst and Charlotte Massey share their weekend highlights and dive into their mission at the US Chamber of Connection. Their guest this week is Hannah Goldstein, founder of Tuli Lodge, a social sauna experience in Seattle. Hannah discusses how a trip to Norway inspired her to create a community-focused s...