What Community Means to Me

When I first traveled with Under30Experiences in December 2013, the last thing I thought I would find on my trip was a community.

I am not just talking about any community - but rather a tribe full of people who have supported me, inspired me, and become some of my closest friends.

Why is this important? Community, as we often say at U30X, keeps us connected. Humans want more than anything to be connected, to feel as if they have valuable interactions, and at the end of the day, that they are loved.

The U30X community is one of the most valuable things in my life and here’s why.

They inspire me

The fact that people are using experiences to transform their lives and have support from this community to do so inspires me.

I have heard from so many alum that after a trip, they have changed careers, moved to new cities, even fallen in love.

To add to this, I find that people start living. Truly living. They ask themselves hard questions and they take big giant leaps, and they land softly because of the community supporting them. This inspires me to do the same.

They are all over the world

With more than 20 communities across the US & Canada, I literally could go to any city and meet-up with a friend for dinner. There is always a friendly face to greet me almost anywhere in the world.

In October I randomly bumped into my friend Michelle while hiking a glacier. You just never know when you'll bump into someone.

They make me laugh

Rarely a day goes by when someone in the community doesn’t message me to talk about life. No matter what the topic is - love, career, travel, feedback on “This is Us” - I always find a moment to laugh with them.

Laughter is one of the greatest gifts in our lives - and most people don’t do this enough. Having a community that brings such joy to my life is priceless.

They are authentic

I have never once had a fake conversation with any community member. You know those kinds of conversations. They usually start with “What do you do for work and what zip code do you live in?”.

Where is the value in that?

Every single conversation I have with our community members has value. We talk about things that matter: empowerment, fear, love, loss, books, getting out of our comfort zone. Our community cultivates of culture of communicating on a deep, meaningful level.

They are among my closest friends

This is most important.

When I decided to launch my coaching business, they were the ones who signed up for coaching for my certification requirements. When I got bit by a snake, they reached out every single day. When I got married, they traveled as far as Canada to celebrate with me.

My friends hold me in sacred space, and while we often don’t see each other in person, when we do its as if no time passed at all. I am truly honored to call such incredibly beautiful people my friends.

Our community members connect with other online and in person post trip.

People who otherwise would never have met are building local communities, launching businesses together, and even going to yoga classes together. 

We will never know the impact that we have on this world, but together, our collective impact will make waves and shape the world in ways that will be felt for years to come.

Interested in joining our tribe? Connect online in one of our 20+ local city chapters or in person at a meet-up near you!