05/14/2026
A few weeks ago I signed up for an UnConference through EO not knowing a single person going. Honestly I wasn't even sure what an unconference was.
No agenda. No speakers. A room full of strangers in the middle of nature an hour south of Atlanta. No reception. Barely any wifi.
Within the first hour I was outside walking through trees and crossing a creek. The smell stopped me. Fresh air, earth, no city anywhere in it. I didn't realize how starved I was for that until I was standing right in the middle of it.
But the people and the unstructured time is what really made it special.
Nobody was performing or positioning. It didn't matter what your company did or how big it was. People just talked about what's hard, what's working, where they feel stuck, what they're proud of. Real stuff.
And what I didn't expect was how much I needed to give, not just receive. People shared their struggles and something I said landed for them. I could see it. That reminded me I was there for a reason. That what I carry actually matters to someone else.
That feels like connection.
I flew home to Minnesota feeling more like myself than I had in a while. Refreshed. Clearer. Less alone.
When was the last time you were somewhere you felt free to just be you?
Not your title. Not your revenue. Just you.
I think a lot of us are more hungry for that than we even realize.
