Making Room by Gather

There is so much power in our life stories. Certainly we all know someone who can bring an entire table to stitches, or tears, with the stories they share. However, so often we lead ourselves to believe that our stories are the exception. We lead ourselves to believe that our stories don't need to be told. If you spend anytime looking at food on Instagram (or TikTok) you have most definitely...

Are you looking to buy or sell your home this year? We know that with this ever changing market, it can seem like a daunting task! Whether you are buying or selling we welcomed on our friend, and real estate agent, Emily Lovejoy White to make finding home, a little more approachable. In this valuable episode we will walk through... What every HOME SELLER needs to know: -How to find a real estate a...

So many of us, without even realizing it, are doing the adult equivalent of walking across the cafeteria with our head down. I have come to learn that the way we communicate and act with the people around us either flashes an "I'm available and interested in friendship" signal Or "steer clear-not interested" siren.  Through my own journey to friendship and deeper connectio...

One of our most commonly asked questions is, "What do I cook for large groups?' With questions from meal planning to logistics and everything in between this is an area of uncertainly for many hosts. When I was thinking of who to bring on to add wisdom to this conversation, Tieghan Gerard was the first to come to mind! If you have spent any time searching for recipes, you have likely com...

Looking ahead to spring feels good right about now! Sunshine, flowers and then ...the spring cleaning!  As we looked ahead to this years big sweep, we wanted to approach it from two angles: How to make it attainable, to give us confidence for warm weather hospitality AND How to take on these big projects with safer products. As we thought about who to bring on for the conversation, there was no on...

A few weeks ago a question came into our Instagram Account: "Asking people to take off their shoes: Big deal or no?" As we posted our quick response, it opened up a big dialogue which revealed big feelings about the topic. What we found is that there are two sides to the 'shoes in the house' conversation and neither is right or wrong! Yet, it's worth diving into! For many...

Are you into Jig Saw Puzzles? Truthfully, me neither! However, they've been on my mind a lot lately! I have really be struck by puzzles that are left with just one corner finished. Why? Because they leave you with only a small glimpse into the beauty of the whole picture that can only be discovered when it's put together piece by piece.  Much like our own lives, and our world views, when...

Do you implement systems & stations at your gatherings? No? Well you are in the RIGHT place! Stations help your guests, help themselves. Most importantly, stations allow you to step back while the party runs itself! With a little intention in the planning you will find time to focus on other aspects of the gathering, or valuable time with your guests in return! Kayty, owner and Hospitality Edu...

When you first think about etiquette what comes to mind?  For many of us we quickly think of shows like Downton Abbey or hospitality from our grandparents era. I recently was thinking about this topic and how little we as a culture know not just about it's importance but...what it really is! In this episode Etiquette Coach Courtney Opalko will talk through:  The difference between old school...

Before you skip over to the next episode, hang tight, let's talk! You see, so often at our tables, we want to put a cherry on top of grief. We want to change the topic and move on to something that covers the sting. However, the most precious gift we can give someone at our table, is the gift of making room. Our friend Peace Amadi will be walking us through what it looks like to walk through...

Our culture says a few things about hospitality with kids:  1: "It's not possible, just accept it" 2: "You need to wait for the next season, then it will get better" Kendra Adachi from The Lazy Genius talks with me in this episode about how hosting with kids is more than just possible, it can be good! We will walk through:  What happens when we "wait for this stage to...

A few weeks ago, we had the incredible privilege of welcoming Jacques Pepin on the podcast to talk about his life and legacy. Today we are turning the spotlight to further discuss the work he so passionately and generously pursues through the Jacques Pepin Foundation. To have this conversation we welcomed on the JPF executive director, and Jacques Son-in-law, Rollie Wesen. Through this episode you...

Whether we want to believe it or not, the holiday season is here! With that comes the balancing act of making baking fun while also being stress free! Hands up if you would like to make this year's baking a little less chaotic! We are overjoyed to welcome professional baker Joy the Baker to talk through everything holiday baking prep. From her experience in other people's kitchens, to be...

If you take the time to look back through the past 50 years, American cooking has developed exponentially. With this the technique, ingredients and approach to everyday cooking in the home has evolved as well. At the lead of this was a group of formidable chefs, among them, Jacques Pepin. Along with these chefs, Pepin lead culture into a new way of approaching food in the restaurant industry and e...

When someone in our community becomes pregnant, has a baby and journeys through postpartum there is no question that life changes. In our culture we see that these seasons, while they are very very exciting,  often lead to a disconnect from community, baby blues and postpartum depression. I welcomed my friend Allegra Gast, lactation consultant and birth doula, on the episode today to talk through...

When I say the words, weeknight dinner planning, does it give you a pit in your stomach? Whether busy weeknights for you look like  a battle with decision fatigue OR that you want to make cooking easier but that the meal prep craze, with once a week cooking is just not something you enjoy. Cassy Joy Garcia made it her mission to find a way to support the everyday cook who finds themselves in this...

Have you ever thought:  "WOAH, there are way too many people in the kitchen"  OR  "I dont know why my food displays always look so chaotic!"  If you said yes, this episode will give you just the tips you need! Here at Gather we use the term, feast flow. This to us means, the message you speak about your food, and how you want guests to interact with it without even saying a wor...

This week, Sharon Says So shared about us on her account and with that, we welcomed thousands of you to our community! This table just got a whole lot bigger! One of the first things we asked you as you joined our community was, "What you want to know about us OR hospitality." Countless responses came in surrounding the topic of where to event start with hospitality and the topic of deve...

Did you know that your words set your guests heart and gaze for the event? It's easy to feel hospitality insecurity, culture tells us that we shouldn't be confident unless...However our most common way to cope, is to cover our insecurities up with phrases and apologies that do everything except...cover them up! When we welcome our guests with words like:  "I didn't have time to...

Let's talk Invitations, Does the thought of extending one make you cringe? Have you been wanting to get to know your neighbor, but never seem to find a natural way to invite? Have you been wanting to get coffee with that person you often workout next to at the gym? If yes, this episode is for you. Diving into how to invite those in our life to creative gatherings we will be  walking through h...

Have you every wondered, How do you even say CHARCUTERIE?  In this episode with Gather Intentional Living's Owner & Hospitality Educator Kayty Helgerson, you will learn the correct pronunciation & everything you need to know to get started. Talking through what supplies you should have in your kitchen for a spontaneous charcuterie, to how to accommodate a variety of dietary needs at y...

Trauma, mental health and it's connection to relationships is an aspect of culture that often goes unaddressed. So often trauma, betrayal and rejection make their way into our lives and show up later in ways we would never expect. In this conversation with Kobe Campbell, licensed trauma therapist, we dive into how relational trauma can only be healed in relationship. We discuss the unique and...

After Kayty attended a recent comedy show with John Crist & Mike Goodwin she realized a few things 1. How refreshingly clean the show was 2. That they both referenced the connection between how the deepest pain often births the best comedy. After laughing her way through the entire show she knew she needed to dive deeper into this conversation. In this episode Kayty interviews Mike Goodwin fro...

Over the course of my life I have been a part of many gatherings that I didn’t host, but attended as a guest. Some that have made me feel particularly welcome, others that, probably without knowing so, have pushed us away. I’ve become an observer of these gatherings and noted what it was that caused that effect. While of course, a series of factors go into this, the loudest and most impactful elem...

Somewhere in culture we learned that it is unacceptable to ask or allow our guests to bring food to our gatherings. While we're not telling you to bring a potato salad to a formal gala, we will be sharing how to navigate this in everyday hospitality. In today's episode we break down 4 main reasons why you should let your guests contribute food and how to ask or organize that as well.  1:...