COMMUNITYGroup Life is part newsletter, part training ground.
Group Life is a place to learn and practice the real skills of living well with other people: how to gather with purpose, hold healthy conflict, create belonging, navigate power, and make groups stronger for everyone in them.
WHAT YOU’LL FIND HERE
Part newsletter, part training ground, Group Life is where I teach what I’ve learned as a facilitator: how to design gatherings that mean something, navigate tension with more confidence, create belonging across difference, shape your group’s culture and rituals, and know when it’s time to bring people together (and when it’s time to let go).
“BEST OF” CONVERSATIONS
The gathering strategy behind Zohran Mamdani’s historic win
Inside the joyful, strategic gatherings that turned a long-shot campaign into a movement, with Mamdani's Deputy Campaign Manager, Katie Riley.
What a beloved theater director knows that most group leaders miss
Saheem Ali on what runs a great rehearsal room, and what most group leaders never learn to do.
How to start a Journaling Club with Suleika Jaouad
Stop waiting for someone else to host the thing you wish existed.
How Amanda Litman hosted a weekly Saturday dinner for a year
Ten real lessons you can borrow if you want more community in your life, starting this weekend.
A clear point of view is not the opposite of hospitality.
How Nasim Alikhani from Sofreh and Sofreh Cafe built an award-winning Persian restaurant she started at 59.
How to make friends in your 40s (or any age)
With Anya Kamenetz and Anand Giridharadas on what adult friendship actually takes and how to practice it
Join Group Life on Substack as a free or paid subscriber. Every month, I share practical tools, stories, and live learning experiences designed to help you navigate the groups that shape your life.
TEACHING WEBINARS
Twice-monthly teaching webinars where I share practical frameworks and answer real questions about leading teams, hosting gatherings, building culture, navigating conflict, and creating belonging.
ESSAYS
Regular writing on gathering, belonging, conflict, community, leadership, power, and the challenges of modern group life.
THE BREAKDOWN + SUBSTACK LIVES
Live interviews with authors, organizers, facilitators, artists, and leaders exploring how meaningful groups, movements, and communities are built.
GROUP CHATS
An ongoing conversation space where members can share stories, ask questions, exchange ideas, and learn from one another.
REPLAY LIBRARY
Access to recordings of workshops and conversations so you can learn on your own schedule.
RECENT CONVERSATIONS
TOPICS WE COVER
You can choose your own level of participation. Here’s the breakdown:
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A great place to start. You'll get my writing, practical tools, and invitations to Substack Live conversations while they're happening.
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If you want ongoing learning and support, this is for you. Twice a month, I teach a live GROUP HELP Lab where we break down one specific aspect of group life. You'll get full access to every replay, from GROUP HELP Labs to Substack Lives and BREAKDOWN interviews, plus voice memos, the Group Chat, and early previews of my next book.
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If you want to go deeper, this is for you. Everything in Group Lifer, plus priority to ask questions live, early access to events and new projects, and a closer connection to my work as I keep building this community.
The life of a group matters now more than ever. We’re awash in tools for the self — apps, habits, therapy — but almost nothing for the groups we’re longing to belong to.
MAGICAL QUESTIONS