The Ryan Meetup group has nearly 2,000 members whose common bond is simple: their first name! David sits down with founders Ryan Rose, Ryan Cousins, and Ryan Le to hear the amazing origin story of these three partners spreading the Ryan gospel. The Ryans reveal how they were able to take a Meetup of just three members—themselves—and turn their first big event into a viral blowout with hundreds of attendees including journalists from the New York Times, NPR, and The New Yorker. Plus, the Ryans discuss how they’ve actually helped people legally change their name to Ryan, and their future plans t ..read more

Aldwyn Altuney’s path took her from a rebellious teen who ran away from home to a world-class journalist working with major news organizations on multiple continents. Her latest effort is Good News Day, a campaign to change the tone of the contemporary news cycle that always skews toward fear, panic, and negativity. Aldwyn sits down with David to discuss the influence of negative news on our daily state of mind, and how to make space for focusing on the light amid so much darkness. Their conversation also includes the ongoing presence of censorship and the value of creating alternative me ..read more

Amnoni Myers has persevered through addiction, abuse, abandonment, homelessness, and the many difficulties of the foster care system to become an author and nationally recognized child welfare advocate. Her success story (recounted in the new memoir You Are The Prize) is not only a tale of resilience and self-discovery but a brilliant guide for anyone struggling to thrive after a difficult past. Amnoni and David sit down to discuss how to be proactive in your own healing, the truth about safe spaces and why they matter, interdependence as a core value, and so much more. Ranked as one of the t ..read more

Kat Vellos is a certified connections coach and the author (plus illustrator!) of We Should Get Together: The Secret to Cultivating Better Friendships. She and David sit down to discuss why platonic relationships between adults are so important, why they’ve become difficult to maintain in the modern social landscape, and how to buck that trend through intentionality. Their conversation includes everything from the growing fear of awkwardness and online parasocial relationships to original ideas for replacing the old small talk and overlaying friend time with your other commitments. Ranked as ..read more

Tara Schuster was Vice President of Talent and Development at Comedy Central, and much of her identity and self-esteem was founded on that Emmy and Peabody Award-winning work. But when she was laid off during the pandemic, a severe identity crisis followed. Now, Tara is the author of Buy Yourself the F*cking Lilies and the forthcoming Glow in the F*cking Dark, two nonfiction powerhouses that use Tara’s life story to explore universal truths about finding internal validation. She and David sit down to discuss “unlearning” negative behaviors rooted in childhood trauma, silencing your inner frene ..read more

Bakari Akil is a self-described scrappy entrepreneur bridging the gap between the corporate world and homegrown success stories. He’s also the organizer of two Meetup groups. His first, the Alternative Investment Club, has more than 5,000 members and is officially the largest private equity and hedge fund Meetup group in the world! Bakari and David sit down to discuss the keys to this club’s great success, as well as how the intense focus on business made Bakari want to lead another community for a more casual connection. That Meetup group, Black People Who Love Being Black, is dedicated to th ..read more

Ximena Vengoechea listens for a living, as an expert in UX Research for Pinterest, and previously for Twitter and LinkedIn. She is also the author of Listen Like You Mean It: Reclaiming the Lost Art of True Connection. Her book is a practical and immediately-applicable guide to empathy and understanding of your fellow humans through conversation. Ximena and David sit down to discuss the United States’s cultural hangups with listening as purely a means to an end, and how to transform this dynamic with just a little bit of effort and curiosity. Their conversation touches on tips for staying enga ..read more

Less than one year ago, Anthony Paul moved from Brooklyn to the Boston area without a single previous social connection. Today, he’s the organizer of the Cambridge "Finer Things" Culture Club, a Meetup group with more than 760 members! Anthony and David sit down to discuss the key elements behind this community’s meteoric rise and its place within a larger “human empowerment” movement. Topics include the often misunderstood connection between fulfillment and happiness, how to take small steps toward a big vision, and pursuing “edu-creation” as a path toward deeper friendships. Ranked as one o ..read more

Dr. Marisa G. Franco is a psychologist, an interdisciplinary professor at the University of Maryland, and a top writer on Psychology Today. In her new best-selling book, Platonic, she shares her expertise in the subtle art and social science of adult friendship. Marisa and David sit down to discuss the value of platonic relationships, and why they ought to be treated with as much care and responsibility as romantic relationships. Their conversation ranges from teachable friendship skills (like intention-setting and follow-through), the alchemy of mixing different groups of friends, how to not ..read more

Dr. Rick Hanson is a renowned psychologist and a New York Times best-selling author of several books, translated into over 30 languages with more than a million copies sold worldwide. His latest work, Making Great Relationships, shares the wisdom Rick has gained through a half-century as a professional psychotherapist, 40 years of marriage, and decades of parenting. David and Rick sit down to discuss the neurological angle on the benefits of daily meditation, even when done for as little as 60 seconds at a time. Their conversation lands on the intersection of compassion and assertiveness, “the ..read more