Picture it. Winter 2024… (said in my best Sophia Petrillo voice).

It’s a Tuesday morning. The alarm clock goes off at 4:45am and a text is waiting for you on your home screen. It’s dark, and not to mention absolutely frigid outside outside. You blink back the sleepies, knowing full well you need to get up and get dressed- you’re meeting your crazy-as-you crew at 5:30am for a long run before you have to show up for work.

You almost turn back over and hit snooze with hopes of taking the human form of a freshly baked cinnamon roll, curled up and wrapped in warm blankets. Then you remember the text on your home screen. You open the message: “It’s cold as hell! Let’s get this run over with and end with a hot coffee today.”

Maybe it was the promise of sweet, sweet (warm) caffeine, but you spring out of bed and get ready to meet your group for 5 miles. Knowing my people, the community I’ve fallen in love with, will be out there with me makes the fleeting discomfort of getting up and out the door much less painful. In fact, it is quite joyful.

Fast forward to today.

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If you look around right now, community groups, meetups, and events are popping up everywhere, and for good reason. As humans, we need real interaction with like-minded people. And no, I don’t mean Zoom calls where you’re staring at floating heads through glitchy connections and saying “you’re on mute” more than “um.” I mean face to face, uninterrupted, tech-free moments that leave us feeling welcome, heard, productive, and generous.

After the pandemic, more and more people began craving in-person gatherings to ease the loneliness those long quarantines forced us to endure. Run clubs, coffee chats, book circles, stroller walks with other moms—suddenly, what lived online for two years exploded back into the wild.

“Community” has also become a buzzword in the digital marketing world. Everywhere you look, professionals are building memberships, subscriptions, and other groups where people can find belonging while growing their networks authentically. And honestly? It makes sense. Because the definition of community itself is evolving.

It’s no longer just a Sunday gathering for an hour of church or a once-a-month book club in a coffee shop. Today, people are craving more. More depth, more frequency, more opportunities to grow alongside others who share their passions.

For me recently, this has looked like joining the Made for Mothers Community, a space where moms in business come together to learn, connect, and cheer each other on while balancing dreams (and babies). While I can’t wait to attend an in-person event in 2026, I’ve already found so much value in their virtual masterclasses, in-person meetup challenges, and daily encouragement on social. It’s been a lifeline, connecting me with entrepreneurial-minded women who are determined to build businesses and a fulfilling career without sacrificing time and presence with family.

I’ve also found belonging in the Pilates community at Orofino Wellness. It’s become my weekly reset, a place to step away from the constant digital hum of WFH life and reconnect with my body. I love meeting new instructors, catching up with familiar faces, and sharing space with other women who show up consistently for themselves. I’m especially looking forward to next month’s pumpkin painting social, which feels like the perfect mix of creativity, fitness, and connection.

Communities like these matter. Whether it’s a run club, a weekly basketball group, a book circle, a professional development network, or a Bible study, we all need to find our people, the ones lit up by the same passions that light us up. It’s through genuine community that we learn, share, grow, and ultimately evolve into the best version of ourselves. ✨

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