By: Andrea Mac | February 7, 2024

If you can only take me in small doses:

I had a vision-intensive this morning to build my plan for Prequal’s impact. I cannot wait to tell you all about it. Maybe next week’s newsletter?

Speaking of Newsletters, this is number 26. That means I have consistently written and disseminated content for at least half a year.

Small vulnerable request/goal: Ironically, Prequal’s LinkedIn channel and the Building Prequal Newsletter have both been at 497 followers for a minute. Give us a follow or share; get us to at least a respectable 500 please?

Spoiler: Keep reading if you want an invite to the coolest dinner party in town on March 6th.

I had a client whom I coached for two years, an attorney in Birmingham, AL. At the end of our two years, literally in our last session, he said to me, "You know, you should meet my wife. She's starting a business, and I bet you two would like each other and be friends."

Enter Janet King

After years in consulting and community engagement, Janet felt called to leave corporate America. While she didn't know what was next, she felt her next step would involve building her own thing, something that would help us connect better in our communities. She's smart, funny, and engaging; her husband was right. I do love Janet.

Her journey was so relatable to me. I suspect you'll also relate to her if you've ever been through a messy middle part while building something. Here's a podcast where she talks about being in the middle, or as she calls it, "in the during."

Her "messy middle," as it tends to do, ended in an a-ha, a sparkly idea, a calling for where to go next. Since then, Janet and I have been collaborating and working together for the last year as she has explored this calling with a focus on producing revenue and structuring her programs. We've approached this work through the lens of impact and revenue generation – two things I cannot get enough of.

Enter The Gathering Lab

That sparkly idea was "The Gathering Lab," and boy, is it ever shiny. The Gathering Lab is a very different type of social experience - one that accelerates meaningful connection between individuals in today's hybrid, diverse, overly-social-though-never-actually-connected world.

It's a brilliant, science-backed, non-cheesy method for bringing people together to create genuine, lasting connections personally and professionally. Beyond quality connections, the event is designed to help release social bonding chemicals that immediately reduce stress, increase immunity, improve sleep, and enhance mental function.

It might not sound revolutionary, and I was only fully aware of its brilliance once I participated in my first Gathering Lab event.

We were fortunate enough to pilot The Gathering Lab Lab with Chief in December. It served as a modified approach to a supper club. Participating Chief members were matched into small, intimate groups of 6 called "Labs," based on the Gathering Lab's methodology for the likelihood of bonding.

And let me tell you, even though I had been behind the scenes for a bit, I had a blast as a participant. I'll admit that I'm fortunate to have many healthy adult friendships, and I'm a frequent networker, so I didn't think I needed an experience like The Gathering Lab. I was skeptical that it would profoundly impact me. However, I was wrong because the science behind the Gathering Lab's connection methodology is sound. Each Gathering Lab event is designed to accelerate meaningful connection.

It worked. I left the event with five new friends, two of whom I have seen since - one whom we are considering collaborating on a new venture. One of our Lab members even said, "This felt like the friend group I just hadn't met yet."

Janet and I both know finding friends and a sense of community as an adult can be challenging for most women. There's a lot of intentional work and time that's required. People tend to meet friends at work (harder in this hybrid environment) or through their kids (even harder when you're juggling all the things) - and even then, it seems to be getting harder to find real, authentic connections beyond "so what do you do for a living?" surface-level conversations.

If you are like me and craving more intentional, joy-filled experiences in the community with other women, please keep reading.

Enter The Prequal Community

Of course, it was only a matter of time before we combined our powers for the good of the Prequal community. I'm thrilled to share that on Wednesday, March 6, in honor of International Women's Month (it also happens to be my birthday), I'm hosting my very own Gathering Lab for my community of badass women. From my personal life to my professional world to the friends I have yet to meet, I'm lucky to know so many incredible, powerful women, and I want you all to meet. And I want you to meet in a way that will fill your cup, grow your network, and leave you with connections that might change your life.

If you will be in the area on March 6 and want to experience the magic of The Gathering Lab while meeting some fantastic women, visit this event page to learn more and RSVP. Spots are limited, so I encourage you to RSVP soon.

-A.

P.S. There is a fee to attend the event that includes appetizers, a full dinner, dessert, and libations. This fee plays a role in guaranteeing guests who RSVP actually attend. The dinner/lab works best when it’s designed for those in the room.