Hello, independent humans,

Let's be honest: working remotely is amazing... until you realize your most meaningful conversation this week was with a customer support chatbot.

We all say we want community. The tricky part is that community rarely shows up on its own.

It starts with one invitation. One gathering. One person willing to risk a little awkwardness in exchange for a lot more connection.

This week, we're talking about how to build the kind of professional community that makes work more fun, life more meaningful, and remote work a whole lot less lonely.

Because the best opportunities, friendships, and ideas rarely come from staying home and hoping.

Let's build something worth belonging to.

— Ric & Shellie

P.S. Know someone who's one Zoom call away from becoming a hermit? Forward Your unique referral link before they start naming their houseplants. 🙌🏼

By Rachel Thompson

Are you tired of working solo and craving real, deep professional connection? 

True belonging is a long game that requires a mix of risk, trust, and the vulnerability of inviting others into your space. A successful gathering doesn't need a massive crowd or a perfect plan, just a willingness to create relational glue. 

Discover the simple, five-step framework to design your own thriving micro-community and transform how you work.

Ditch solo working and manifest a community hot tub

🌞 Mastermind Groups: How to Surround Yourself with Remarkable People

🌞 How to Build a Social Circle: The Architecture of Intentional Friendship

🌞 3 time-tested systems for creating accountability on a remote team

By Ric Pratte, Thrive Remotely Founder

Remote life is wonderful until it is incredibly isolating, and no amount of Slack reactions will fix that. 

Ric accidentally built a 5,000-person community from a brewery barstool and two pints of courage. No strategy. No plan. Just one concept said out loud to another human being.

What happened next will make you rethink everything you thought you knew about building connection from scratch.

Buy This Round: Steal Ric's Accidental Community Playbook

🔆 5 Trends Are Rewriting The Employer-Employee Pact. Employees expect more flexibility, development, transparency and authenticity because they believe employers are capable of more.

🔆 Five Cities Offer Lessons in Navigating the Remote Work Era. A Pew analysis highlights how local leaders are confronting persistent office vacancies and revenue risks.

🔆 The Future of Work Belongs to People Who Master AI. AI represents the beginning of a major technological transformation that will reshape the labor market.

Next week: The "Un-Boss" Guide to Remote Leadership - Moving away from "surveillance-style" management toward high-trust, mission-aligned leadership in a distributed world.

Zoom calls cannot replace actual human life. This week, step away from the screen. 

We have wine tastings in El Paso, board games in Portland, and AI workshops in Asheville. Your community is waiting. 

Go mingle before you completely forget how to speak.

Touch Grass and RSVP Here