How We Connected
Claim This Podcastby US Chamber of Connection
Podcast Overview
<p><strong>How We Connected</strong> brings listeners inside the conversations that power communities right across the United States. Every week, hosts Aaron Hurst and Charlotte Massey share what they’re building at the US Chamber of Connection and the moments of connection showing up in their own lives. They talk with a community leaders from around the country about the relationships, collaboration, and human stories behind meaningful change. Join us every week for a reflections and practical advice on the ideas you can carry forward into your own communities.</p><br><p><br></p><p><strong>Aaron Hurst</strong></p><p>Aaron Hurst is the Co-Founder and CEO of the US Chamber of Connection and a long-time leader in the movement to strengthen community through work. A serial entrepreneur and social innovator, he previously founded Imperative and the Taproot Foundation, two organizations that reshaped how companies think about purpose, service, and meaningful work. His book The Purpose Economy helped define a new era in which connection, meaning, and relationships stand at the center of business value.</p><br><p>At the Chamber, Aaron focuses on reconnecting America by mobilizing community builders in every town and city. Known for turning big ideas into practical action, he works at the intersection of business, civic life, and community leadership. Aaron co-hosts How We Connected, bringing thoughtful perspective, personal stories, and a clear belief that human connection is a skill every organization can cultivate</p><br><p><br></p><p><strong>Charlotte Massey</strong></p><p>Charlotte is the Co-Founder of the US Chamber of Connection and Executive Director of the Seattle Chamber of Connection, where she leads strategy, programs, and partnerships dedicated to strengthening the connective tissue of communities in Seattle and nationwide.</p><br><p>Her background spans political organizing, digital marketing for large-scale nonprofits, and venture-backed entrepreneurship. She is a Forbes 30 under 30 awardee, a Thomas J Watson Fellow, and a Tory Burch Fellow. Charlotte creates environments where collaboration is natural and accessible.</p><br><p>Charlotte started her career in political and civic organizing, later serving as a digital marketer for major nonprofits and advocacy organizations, helping them mobilize supporters and scale their impact. She co-founded Gnara, a venture-backed outdoor apparel company that developed patented zipper technology to make clothing more functional and accessible for women, earning national recognition and viral reach.</p><br><p>A lifelong community builder, Charlotte also founded the Seattle Picnic Society, a 2,000-plus-person open-invite community that gathers for creative, joyful events across the city. As co-host of How We Connected, Charlotte brings grounded, practical insight and a keen sense for the moments that reveal how connection actually happens – in workplaces, neighborhoods, and local ecosystems.</p><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>
Language
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Publishing Since
12/8/2025
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Recent Episodes
July 7, 2026
Leave It on the Trail: Magalie Remy, Soul Sistas Hike Too
<p>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 tensions around newcomers and inequality. </p><br><p>This week’s guest is Magalie Remy of Soul Sisters Hike Too, who talks about building a women-over-40 mindful hiking community during the pandemic. It’s focused on rest, forest bathing, meditation, and tree hugging, emphasizing small, intimate hikes that reduce overperformance/overthinking.</p><br><p>00:00 Catching Up</p><p>05:49 Charlotte's Block Party</p><p>09:01 Aaron's Memphis and Nashville Trip</p><p>16:10 Magalie Remy: Soul Sistas Hike Too</p><p>18:04 Starting Soul Sistas Hike Too</p><p>19:08 What is Mindful Hiking</p><p>20:13 The Art of Tree Hugging</p><p>28:38 Rest, Isolation and Overperformance</p><p>31:31 Inside a Hike: The Full Experience</p><p>35:34 Community Growth and Future Plans</p><p>40:28 Reflection</p><p>42:34 Rest vs Activity Reflection</p><p>45:23 Podcast Milestones</p><br><p>---</p><br><p><strong>How We Connected</strong> explores the conversations that power communities across the United States. Aaron Hurst and Charlotte Massey share what they’re building at the US Chamber of Connection and speak with leaders whose work strengthens local connection. Episodes offer human stories, practical insights, and ideas you can use in your own community.</p><br><p><strong>Aaron Hurst</strong>, Co-Founder of the US Chamber of Connection, is a longtime entrepreneur focused on purpose and community. He founded Imperative and the Taproot Foundation and wrote The Purpose Economy.</p><br><p><strong>Charlotte Massey</strong>, Co-Founder of the US Chamber of Connection, leads community programs nationally. A Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree and former organizer and founder, she works at the intersection of civic life and entrepreneurship.</p><br><p><strong>Connect with Us</strong></p><p><a href="https://www.chamberofconnection.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.chamberofconnection.org</a></p><br><p><strong>Magalie Remy, Soul Sistas Hike too</strong></p><p><a href="https://www.heylo.com/g/f80507f9-e6d6-4b3c-a98c-1969598787cd" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.heylo.com/g/f80507f9-e6d6-4b3c-a98c-1969598787cd</a></p><p>Magalie is the co-founder of Soul Sistas Hike Too, an Atlanta-based mindful hiking community for Black women that's grown to about 500 women. A Brooklyn native and self-described introvert who grew up reading in the corner at parties, she rediscovered nature during the pandemic, when a birthday hike with a friend turned into something she couldn't stop doing. Together they built a practice they call mindful hiking, where women slow down on two to four mile trails to meditate, hug trees, forest bathe, and reconnect with themselves and each other. The heart of it is making space for rest and sisterhood while pushing back on the "strong Black woman" narrative that leaves so many women overperforming and burned out. A photographer and fibre artist herself, Magalie keeps each hike intentionally small so the connection stays real, and the work now reaches into wellness workshops, retreats, and experiences for organizations.</p><br><p><strong>Heylo</strong></p><p><a href="https://www.heylo.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.heylo.com</a></p><p>Heylo is a community-management platform built for real-world groups of every kind, giving leaders a clean, branded home base to run events, manage members, communicate clearly, and handle payments without friction. It brings scheduling, RSVPs, waivers, announcements, topic-based chats, and membership tools into one place so clubs, teams, and interest groups can stay organized and connected without the noise of traditional social platforms.</p><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>
June 30, 2026
If It Floats, It's Invited: Erik Hillesheim, Seattle Paddle Rave
<p>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.</p><br><p>This week's guest, Erik Hillesheim, moved to Seattle from Minnesota knowing just one person and figured the fastest way to find his people was to build something. It started with Seattle Swim Club, a Friday cold plunge that grew to hundreds on TikTok. Paddle Rave followed last Fourth of July, when a group text for 20 people turned into 100, then 500, then 1,000 paddleboarders around a DJ on Lake Union.</p><br><p>Erik lays out the part nobody sees: six city offices, 15 partners, neighborhood associations, insurance, and federal permits filed 135 days ahead with the Coast Guard so others can be spontaneous. He believes water is a conductor of connection, and Paddle Rave stays free, a triangle of music, nature, and each other. This year it becomes Lake Union Concerts, adding Dock Rock, a rock series for a wider crowd.</p><br><p>As Erik says, "If it floats, it's invited."</p><br><p>---</p><br><p><strong>How We Connected</strong> explores the conversations that power communities across the United States. Aaron Hurst and Charlotte Massey share what they’re building at the US Chamber of Connection and speak with leaders whose work strengthens local connection. Episodes offer human stories, practical insights, and ideas you can use in your own community.</p><br><p><strong>Aaron Hurst</strong>, Co-Founder of the US Chamber of Connection, is a longtime entrepreneur focused on purpose and community. He founded Imperative and the Taproot Foundation and wrote The Purpose Economy.</p><br><p><strong>Charlotte Massey</strong>, Co-Founder of the US Chamber of Connection, leads community programs nationally. A Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree and former organizer and founder, she works at the intersection of civic life and entrepreneurship.</p><br><p><strong>Connect with Us</strong></p><p><a href="https://www.chamberofconnection.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.chamberofconnection.org</a></p><br><p><strong>Erik Hillesheim, Seattle Paddle Rave</strong></p><p><a href="https://open.acast.com/networks/6148b45100553d0013fa0765/shows/69321d954a0500b7572aafcf/episodes/www.lakeunionconcerts.com" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.lakeunionconcerts.com</a></p><p>Erik created of Seattle Paddle Rave, one of the largest floating concert series in the country, which draws around 1,000 paddleboarders to Lake Union to dance to a live DJ spinning from a boat. Originally from Minnesota, he picked up a paddleboard during the pandemic and brought the habit with him to Seattle, where he set out to thaw the Seattle Freeze by building community on the water. Before Paddle Rave he started Seattle Swim Club, a Friday morning cold plunge that grew into a weekly ritual and he now runs the events under a broader banner called Lake Union Concerts, including a new rock series, Dock Rock. He is also the co founder of Abundant Social Club, a holistic social wellness community, and a frequent collaborator on gatherings like sauna raves and the Enchanted Forest. By day, Erik is a sustainability and social impact consultant who helps organizations use business as a force for good. His guiding belief is that water is a conductor of connection, linking people to music, nature, and one another. As he likes to say, if it floats, it's invited.</p><br><p><strong>Heylo</strong></p><p><a href="https://www.heylo.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.heylo.com</a></p><p>Heylo is a community-management platform built for real-world groups of every kind, giving leaders a clean, branded home base to run events, manage members, communicate clearly, and handle payments without friction. It brings scheduling, RSVPs, waivers, announcements, topic-based chats, and membership tools into one place so clubs, teams, and interest groups can stay organized and connected without the noise of traditional social platforms.</p><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>
June 24, 2026
Room for Everybody: Maryam Banikarim, Co-Founder, The Longest Table
<p>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.</p><br><p>This week's interview is with Maryam Banikarim, co-founder of The Longest Table, a free neighborhood potluck that turns a single city block into one long table where strangers become neighbors. It started during the pandemic, when everyone kept saying New York was dead and Maryam kept thinking we're all still here. She posted a photo of a shared street meal on Nextdoor, met eight neighbors over coffee, and put on a lunch that drew five hundred people the first year. It now draws more than two thousand in Chelsea alone and has grown into a movement of about 50 tables across the country. </p><br><p>00:00 Show Intro and Check-In</p><p>01:13 Weekend Stories</p><p>09:19 Welcome Week and World Records</p><p>15:59 Introducing Maryam Banikarim and The Longest Table</p><p>16:26 Origin Story: Always the New Kid</p><p>19:01 Birth of The Longest Table</p><p>25:06 Why It's Caught On</p><p>27:38 Planning a Longest Table for Seattle</p><p>30:08 How It Works: Table Captains and Community Tables</p><p>38:41 Reflection</p><br><p>---</p><br><p><strong>How We Connected</strong> explores the conversations that power communities across the United States. Aaron Hurst and Charlotte Massey share what they’re building at the US Chamber of Connection and speak with leaders whose work strengthens local connection. Episodes offer human stories, practical insights, and ideas you can use in your own community.</p><br><p><strong>Aaron Hurst</strong>, Co-Founder of the US Chamber of Connection, is a longtime entrepreneur focused on purpose and community. He founded Imperative and the Taproot Foundation and wrote The Purpose Economy.</p><br><p><strong>Charlotte Massey</strong>, Co-Founder of the US Chamber of Connection, leads community programs nationally. A Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree and former organizer and founder, she works at the intersection of civic life and entrepreneurship.</p><br><p><strong>Connect with Us</strong></p><p><a href="https://www.chamberofconnection.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.chamberofconnection.org</a></p><br><p><strong>Maryam Banikarim, The Longest Table</strong></p><p>Maryam is a marketer turned community builder and the co-founder of The Longest Table, a free neighborhood potluck that turns a city block into one long table where strangers become neighbors. Born in Iran and raised moving from place to place, she arrived in the US during the hostage crisis and learned early that belonging is something you build rather than wait for. Across 25 years she led growth at Nextdoor, Hyatt, Gannett, NBCUniversal, and Univision, then during the pandemic co-founded the nonprofit NYCNext and helped launch the We Love New York City campaign. An Emmy Award-winning storyteller and host of The Messy Parts podcast, she's grown The Longest Table from one Chelsea lunch into a movement of roughly fifty tables across the country.</p><br><p><a href="longesttablecommunity.org" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">longesttablecommunity.org</a></p><br><p><strong>Heylo</strong></p><p><a href="https://www.heylo.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.heylo.com</a></p><p>Heylo is a community-management platform built for real-world groups of every kind, giving leaders a clean, branded home base to run events, manage members, communicate clearly, and handle payments without friction. It brings scheduling, RSVPs, waivers, announcements, topic-based chats, and membership tools into one place so clubs, teams, and interest groups can stay organized and connected without the noise of traditional social platforms.</p><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>
32 total episodes available
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- What is How We Connected?
<p><strong>How We Connected</strong> brings listeners inside the conversations that power communities right across the United States. Every week, hosts Aaron Hurst and Charlotte Massey share what they’re building at the US Chamber of Connection and the moments of connection showing up in their own lives. They talk with a community leaders from around the country about the relationships, collaboration, and human stories behind meaningful change. Join us every week for a reflections and practical advice on the ideas you can carry forward into your own communities.</p><br><p><br></p><p><strong>Aaron Hurst</strong></p><p>Aaron Hurst is the Co-Founder and CEO of the US Chamber of Connection and a long-time leader in the movement to strengthen community through work. A serial entrepreneur and social innovator, he previously founded Imperative and the Taproot Foundation, two organizations that reshaped how companies think about purpose, service, and meaningful work. His book The Purpose Economy helped define a new era in which connection, meaning, and relationships stand at the center of business value.</p><br><p>At the Chamber, Aaron focuses on reconnecting America by mobilizing community builders in every town and city. Known for turning big ideas into practical action, he works at the intersection of business, civic life, and community leadership. Aaron co-hosts How We Connected, bringing thoughtful perspective, personal stories, and a clear belief that human connection is a skill every organization can cultivate</p><br><p><br></p><p><strong>Charlotte Massey</strong></p><p>Charlotte is the Co-Founder of the US Chamber of Connection and Executive Director of the Seattle Chamber of Connection, where she leads strategy, programs, and partnerships dedicated to strengthening the connective tissue of communities in Seattle and nationwide.</p><br><p>Her background spans political organizing, digital marketing for large-scale nonprofits, and venture-backed entrepreneurship. She is a Forbes 30 under 30 awardee, a Thomas J Watson Fellow, and a Tory Burch Fellow. Charlotte creates environments where collaboration is natural and accessible.</p><br><p>Charlotte started her career in political and civic organizing, later serving as a digital marketer for major nonprofits and advocacy organizations, helping them mobilize supporters and scale their impact. She co-founded Gnara, a venture-backed outdoor apparel company that developed patented zipper technology to make clothing more functional and accessible for women, earning national recognition and viral reach.</p><br><p>A lifelong community builder, Charlotte also founded the Seattle Picnic Society, a 2,000-plus-person open-invite community that gathers for creative, joyful events across the city. As co-host of How We Connected, Charlotte brings grounded, practical insight and a keen sense for the moments that reveal how connection actually happens – in workplaces, neighborhoods, and local ecosystems.</p><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p> - How often does this podcast release new episodes?
This podcast updates daily.
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Yes, this podcast regularly features guests.
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