September 9, 2024 • 53 mins
Join us this week as we sit down with Emma McCallie, founder and CEO of Folx Table—a unique platform creating real-world connections through spontaneous, in-person experiences. Known as 'The Sit Down Social Network,' Folx Table has sparked hundreds of authentic interactions across Nashville and at SXSW 2024. It’s not a members-only club, dinner party, or dating app; it’s a fresh way for people to come together.
In this episode, Kat and Emma discuss the inspiration behind Folx Table, Emma’s journey in launching the platform, and the driving force to address the lack of meaningful connection in today’s world.
Follow Folx Table on Instagram: @folx.table
Visit their website by clicking HERE!
Follow Kat on Instagram: @KatVanburen
Follow the podcast Instagram: @YouNeedTherapyPodcast
Click HERE to see the You Need Therapy merch!
Have a question, concern, guest idea, something else? Reach Kat at: Kathryn@youneedtherapyodcast.com
Heard about Three Cords Therapy but don’t know what it is? Click here!
Produced by: @HoustonTilley
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Coming up on you need therapy.
Speaker 2 (00:02):
We talk about all the time at folks that a
better question is an invitation for a better conversation. If
I only am ever asked how I am and what
I do for work and where I'm from, then I
only have a chance to explore those things unless I
look to someone else and say, hey, I really want
to throw a curveball in and talk about anything else.
And so I think even just the slight shift in
(00:24):
some of these questions has been a game changer. Instead
of what do you do? How do you spend your time?
Instead of where do you live in town? What is
your favorite way to spend a day in town?
Speaker 1 (00:38):
I started to realize that not being an expert isn't
a liability, it's a real gift.
Speaker 3 (00:43):
If we don't know something about ourselves at this point
in our life, it's probably because it's uncomfortable to know.
If you can die before you die, then you can
really live. There's a wisdom at death's door. I thought
I was insane, Yeah, and I didn't know what to
do because there was no internet.
Speaker 1 (01:02):
I don't know, man, I'm like, I feel like everything
is hard. Hey, y'all, my name is Kat I'm a
human first and a licensed therapist second, and right now
I'm inviting you into conversations that I hope encourage you
to become more curious and less judgmental about yourself, others,
(01:22):
and the world around you. Welcome to You Need Therapy. Hello,
and welcome to a new episode of You Need Therapy podcast.
My name is Kat and today you're in luck because
it is not just me and I will introduce our
guest in a second. But before we do that, reminder
that although this podcast is called You Need Therapy, I
(01:43):
am a therapist. It does not serve as a substitute
or any kind of therapy that would be legitimate and real. However,
I always hope that you can get something out of
these episodes. Now back to the interesting part, the fun part.
You don't have just me today, you have my friend
Emma macaulay, who is the founder and CEO, which is
(02:06):
a fancy, nice titled have of Folks table here to
talk about stuff that we actually love talking about here. However,
I was just talking to Emma a second ago, which
you can say, Hi, I like talking about you like
you're not here. So this is Emma, and I was
just telling her before. We've done a bunch of episodes
(02:27):
on here, and I've talked a lot about connection and
loneliness and friendship and all of that, and sometimes I
feel like I'm a what's the phrase broken record?
Speaker 3 (02:37):
Ah?
Speaker 1 (02:37):
Yes, and I've told you guys this before. Sometimes I'm like, oh,
I've already talked about this, or are you gonna get bored?
But I also noticed that I'm getting annoyed with myself
of repeating myself. Not that you guys don't want to
hear it, it's that like, Okay, Catherine, you keep talking
about this, nothing's happening, And Emma hit the nail on
the head as we were talking before about why that
(03:01):
maybe is happening. And so I'm kind of getting ahead
of myself. But basically, we're here to talk about friendship
and connection and loneliness and talking to people in third
places and you know all of those things that go
along with that, and part of that is talking about
a business that you started that is so interesting and
(03:22):
so cool, also so creative. It just sounds fun to
be doing that.
Speaker 3 (03:27):
It's fun to have fun as it turned out.
Speaker 1 (03:29):
Yeah, So what I want to do to start before
we get into all of the nitty gritty is I
want to hear a little bit of your backstory. Tell
the people where you came from. We were talking about
your previous job before. I want to know, like how
the like steps led you to this, because what you're
doing now is not something that you go to college
and you're like, I want to do that.
Speaker 3 (03:51):
It's relieving to hear you say that.
Speaker 1 (03:53):
I've never I've never heard somebody say that before, and
I think that also just for anybody listening, that's often
the case. You end up doing something and you're like,
I didn't go to college to do that, which is free.
So tell me where you came from. Where did you
come from? I love the start from the very beginning,
From the very beginning. At Folkstable, we talk a lot
about what your origin story was, and so that is
(04:16):
how I'm thinking about this. But Hi, everybody, it's so
fun to be here, so fun to be sitting here
with Kat and just excited to chat through the real
reel of it all today. I think that's the whole
bit of folk Stable is we're trying to figure out
how we make these very nebulous concepts like connection and
friendship and third places actually feel more real and really
(04:36):
accessible in our lives, so and less scary and less scary,
less pressure. We joke that it is fun to have
fun and it's cool to care and your story matters.
Speaker 2 (04:46):
So more of that today. Okay, the question of where
did I come from?
Speaker 1 (04:51):
Where does it come from?
Speaker 2 (04:53):
Did you get here? So the shortened spite of this
is I did not train to do this. I would
not have imagined my life to be like this, and
thank gosh, I couldn't have seen this far out and
known exactly what this would take form as. But the
start of folks table, as I think a lot of
good and or wonky ideas, is that it started in
my attic.
Speaker 1 (05:13):
Which is one what's your addict?
Speaker 3 (05:15):
Like funky funky addict?
Speaker 1 (05:17):
Because my attic's scary.
Speaker 2 (05:19):
My attic became, thank gosh, a bit of an inviting space,
but it did have a little bit of a we
got a fixed wrapper. So in my old space, this is,
I guess two and a half years ago. For context,
this is not the bio that you find on the website,
so we'll give you all the fun of it all.
I was working in politics, and I was working in education,
(05:40):
and that was still in kind of the post pandemic
during pandemic era, and so that was a tough time
to be talking about work. And I found that my
job in my time, in my nine to five was
a bit of a buzz skill for people. And the
last thing I wanted to be talking about reality of
work and weather was all I was getting stuck in
a young person in a hustling, bustling, exciting city. So
(06:04):
I thought, okay, let me get my friends together. We'll
do dinner parties and we'll just talk about anything else.
And I pitched them on the concept and they said, ah,
we love the dinners, we hate the topics.
Speaker 3 (06:16):
What do you mean?
Speaker 2 (06:17):
I was so excited to talk about things like you
and I talk about like the infrastructure of our society
and friendship and why you know, we can't figure out
this thing of being young, single, fun people. But the
reality of how the dinner's got going is that it
was people would come, they were invited to bring a friend.
And so this concept of dinner with strangers really took
off an attic.
Speaker 1 (06:38):
So you were eating dinner with strangers in your attic.
Speaker 2 (06:41):
And here's the better bert gat is that I did
not have a dishwasher.
Speaker 1 (06:44):
So first of all, you're doing all of that yourself.
Speaker 3 (06:47):
All the cooking.
Speaker 1 (06:48):
I'm still stuck on what it's your act.
Speaker 3 (06:50):
You're still talking about that.
Speaker 2 (06:51):
It was a cute little dusty a frame of a space,
but it's not there's like air.
Speaker 3 (06:57):
There was air, Okay, there was a window.
Speaker 2 (07:00):
Okay, you have but like folding tables mixed match chairs,
that's kind of cool. It was cute, send you a photo. Okay,
the early days, but early days took off. We passed
three hundred people. There was a wait list of oh,
I don't even know a lot. And that was when
I thought, you know what, I think this is real.
Speaker 1 (07:20):
Wait a second, as you're doing that, it's you invite
your friends and they bring a.
Speaker 2 (07:23):
Friend, and it's if you come once, you pass it
on to somebody else, and then so I can't come twice.
We hit so many people we couldn't get people back through,
which was a bummer. And that's when I thought, this
is a broken way.
Speaker 3 (07:34):
To do this.
Speaker 1 (07:35):
When you say we, it's you and yourself or did
you join forces?
Speaker 2 (07:39):
I do say we a lot, but it really was me,
myself and I.
Speaker 3 (07:46):
There's a couple. Okay, more question.
Speaker 1 (07:53):
That definitely sounds like that therapy really cool. So that
has to also because in my head, I'm like, there's
no freaking way, Hey, I'm doing that on my own.
I want to hear a little about like your personality
in general. Yeah, what's your inteagram?
Speaker 3 (08:07):
Ooh, I'm an eight?
Speaker 1 (08:08):
Okay, I thought you're gonna say seven. Is there at
least a wing there?
Speaker 3 (08:12):
I don't think so. I think I'm an eight wing nine.
Speaker 2 (08:15):
I think Okay, we might find otherwise by the end
of this podcast, but I'm.
Speaker 1 (08:18):
Not an expert in that. I just like assume anybody
who's like fun as a seven, which I guess that's
not true. Okay, So talk about what it's like to
connect with people, because some people are like what she did?
What it's wild?
Speaker 3 (08:31):
Yeah, I'll put it this way.
Speaker 2 (08:32):
I come from a huge family, was constantly around interesting
conversations connection growing up. My nuclear family is small, but
our Christmas is an off years we're sixty plus, we
do an annual family camping trip where we have an
intergenerational canoe race. Right, Like we are a family of
storytellers and activities and like it's your bloody care. It's
(08:54):
like the way we all show up and at family
unions we joke that we always have circles. You always
stand up and give an update on your life and
who you are and where you're at. And so I
think this version of like me fundamentally believing people are
interesting and have interesting things to talk about, and we
owe them the time and effort to ask better questions
(09:16):
to get to a place where we can understand that.
I wasn't getting to experience that in my social life
as a young twenty something in Nashville.
Speaker 1 (09:24):
I love that you said that. I said last week
on Couch Talks, the Question Answered episode of this podcast,
and somebody said this to me years ago. They said
people want to tell their stories, they just have to
be asked.
Speaker 3 (09:36):
God.
Speaker 1 (09:37):
Yes, And I brought that up because people want to
talk a lot of the times they might be afraid
to talk, but people want to talk. But what just
came in my head. I'm having a squirrel moment. I
was like, on dates, Yeah, I want to tell you
about my life, but I want you to ask me
a question. But we don't know how to ask questions,
or we feel uncomfortable asking questions or awkward or am
I allowed to ask that question. So you saying that's
(10:00):
people deserve to have people in their life that they know, Yes,
that I ask for you, that was natural.
Speaker 3 (10:06):
I'll put it this way.
Speaker 2 (10:07):
We talk about all the time at folks that a
better question is an invitation for a better conversation. If
I only am ever asked how I am and what
I do for work and where I'm from, then I
only have a chance to explore those things unless I
look to someone else and say, hey, I really want
to throw a curveball in and talk about anything else.
Speaker 1 (10:26):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (10:26):
And so I think even just the slight shift in
some of these questions has been a game changer. Instead
of what do you do? How do you spend your time?
Instead of where do you live in town? What is
your favorite way to spend a day in town? Oh
my gosh, And these slight shifts, right, we're not asking,
like tell me your deepest, darkest fears, and we're not
(10:48):
asking people to like get into the underbelly of their lives, right,
We're just simply making these shifts that offer such a
different way to think about very regular things in your life.
Speaker 3 (11:00):
Life, which, as you and.
Speaker 2 (11:00):
I talked about before we started, is kind of the
whole point of life.
Speaker 1 (11:03):
Yeah, So for myself, I think one of the reasons
I struggle with asking certain questions is I've been trained
that a lot of the things that I talk about
with somebody are confidential and I know how triggering or
scary or I know from a different perspective that like
this is between me and you, and so I oftentimes
(11:25):
think in my head I have to be invited in
to ask those questions. Yeah, but that's my own issue
with separating. Like work Catherine and like fun social Catherine
at a wedding too. It will be two years ago
in September A sitting at a table I was meeting
my now husband's family, part of his failing for the
first time. I was sitting at a table with a bunch
of people thatn't know kind of like not close family
(11:46):
at that table, but distant cousin, uncle, second removed kind
of people. And I think the guy asked me what
do you like to do for fun? Or like what
do you like to do or something like that, and
my response was, I really don't.
Speaker 3 (12:01):
Like me that question.
Speaker 1 (12:02):
I never know what to say. It's because it's like, oh,
I like to like the typical things I like to
hang out with my friends and play like I always
sound like a robot when I answer that. But I
think I just said, I don't know. That's a hard
question for me to answer. It's what I said, and
he goes, well, you're great at making conversation, aren't you?
That was his response, and I just go.
Speaker 3 (12:21):
Okay, okay, I locked the window to you.
Speaker 1 (12:23):
Part of me was like, I don't want to talk
to you anymore now it's there. But I think what
that hit me because if that question would have been
asked in a different way, It's not that like I'm
terrible conversation, it's that that question is a hard question
to answer and not feel super lame. We all say
that from time.
Speaker 3 (12:41):
That stuff.
Speaker 1 (12:42):
Who likes being asked what do you do for fun?
But you saying what's your ideal day? In Nashville? I
could talk about that for four.
Speaker 2 (12:49):
Hours, and I think even gosh, we could talk about
questions forever, like what's the thing you're jazzed about right now?
What's something that you can't stop talking about right now?
Or here's now we'll fast forward and we'll talk about
with full looks like now, because thank gosh, it's not
still in my attic.
Speaker 3 (13:03):
And thank gosh, I'm not so cooking.
Speaker 2 (13:05):
But one of the questions we do play what we
call the game at our coffees, at bars and at dinners,
and there's always the option to swap questions because we
never know what question, to your point, is just going
to strike a nerve with somebody, factors beyond our control
and factors beyond theirs. And so the way that we
flip this question is what is the question that you
(13:27):
wish somebody would ask you?
Speaker 3 (13:29):
And that invitation has been a game changer at our.
Speaker 2 (13:32):
Tables when you wish someone would ask or what have
you not had a chance to talk about as much
lately that you're really thinking about that's been on your mind.
And I think that's the other piece that you talked
about too, is so many of the questions that we
get asked are about our activities, are about our hobbies,
are about where we spend our money. And I think
the other interesting part to me is that is less
(13:54):
than half of our being. There is this other half
that is stuck to the top of our head we're
thinking about and what is taking up our time of
thought and how we're thinking about moving through time and
space differently, and I think those questions at our tables
have been just as meaningful for people, and we often
try to forward face those questions when they are about
(14:17):
how you're thinking. Rare do we call people to reflect
on as much of what's happened in the past at
our tables because we want people to experience connection in
a very future, facing tomorrow, looking ever after, feeling experience.
Rather than this constant state of reflection with strangers, it's
a constant state of forward looking with strangers.
Speaker 3 (14:39):
And that's really cool too.
Speaker 1 (14:41):
What I was thinking when you said that was it's
really hard for a lot of people to just blanket
tell you about themselves because we're constantly trying to identify
and get to know who we are. So when I
get asked a question like that is about tell me
who you are versus what you're thinking about, that feels
(15:01):
so different, Like.
Speaker 2 (15:02):
It's a space, Oh my god, it gives you some
breathing room. And like, also, you and I laughed about
this before we started. We talk about it folkstables all
the time. That number one, it is natural to have
a vulnerability hangover the next day. It doesn't matter if
you are an introvert or an extrovert or an ambivert
we all, myself included, who has now talked to hundreds
(15:23):
and hundreds and hundreds of strangers in my life, I
still always have that I.
Speaker 3 (15:26):
Cannot believe I just said that.
Speaker 2 (15:28):
I cannot believe I just did that, And that is
very natural and that's very human, and think gosh, I
think the other part is that we offer people a
lot of permission to have those draft, one version one
thoughts on the spot. That is all we are asking
for at the tables. In fact, we do not want
people to feel like they ever would have seen the
questions before or have had a chance to kind of
(15:49):
get their head on straight about what they're going to say,
because that is the novelty of that night. Your questions
are different, your people are different. The repeat experience of
folkstable that you can access that high quality connection again
and again and again, and so we love that so
much that for some people they orient connection towards the
conversation they had, for some people they orient connection towards
(16:12):
the people that they met, and either way, both of
those things change each time, so that you can continue
to return to tables and access this type of connection,
be you someone as we hear a lot of people
looking for friends, they want to meet new people, they
want to mix it up, whether they've been here or
they're new here. They're just looking for more people. I
think the other side this came from Tyler, and Tyler's
(16:35):
feedback is one that will stick with me for forever.
They said, you know, my life is really full and
really rich. I'm so blessed, I am married, I have
incredible friends, Like I've worked really hard to.
Speaker 3 (16:46):
Build community in Nashville.
Speaker 2 (16:48):
And they said, but I keep coming to Folk Stable
because I need to experience types of conversations and first
draft thoughts with people that do.
Speaker 1 (16:55):
Not know me. Okay, because sometimes it is so so
much easier to be vulnerable with people that don't know
you than the people that know you.
Speaker 2 (17:03):
Best and that you don't owe any responsibility to see again.
Speaker 1 (17:07):
Oh my god, yeah, that yes right.
Speaker 2 (17:09):
And so I love that we have some people who
do experience Folks in the way of their life is full,
their relationships are sound, they are quote unquote good, but
they still come to us because they're seeking a richer,
broader social life. And then we have a really you know,
kind of traditional experience, which is coming to meet new
friends and explore new restaurants and get to know people
(17:30):
in a new way.
Speaker 1 (17:31):
And part of that is just being seen in a
different way. Yeah, I want to be seen in a
different way. I don't want to be seen as the
wife or the husband or this friend or this. I
would want to come and like not even tell anybody
what I do for a lit.
Speaker 3 (17:44):
Hundred percent, and we wouldn't ask you. That's the joke.
Speaker 2 (17:47):
We don't even really talk about work or whether at
the tables, so chances are we would never know.
Speaker 1 (17:52):
I can only know what it's like from my perspective
of this. But oftentimes when I go to experiences like that,
or I'm doing certain things that involve this caliber of
connecting with people or knowing about connection, I freeze because
I'm like, people are gonna expect X y Z of me,
(18:13):
or I'm supposed to have a good answer, or I'm
supposed to be really deep, and like sometimes I'm not
that deep, just to have fun, and I get exhausted
by that sometimes. And so going to something where like
nobody cares what I do and nobody's going to ask
me allows me to show up and be seen in
a way that I want to be seen that doesn't
happen is also real.
Speaker 3 (18:33):
That's so real.
Speaker 2 (18:34):
You were asking about, like Emma Lore Before all of this,
I used to also be a middle school teacher.
Speaker 1 (18:40):
Crazy, just the worst time of my life.
Speaker 3 (18:42):
Just really smelly and sprightly and spunky.
Speaker 1 (18:45):
We all were.
Speaker 2 (18:47):
So I just got wrecked by thirteen year olds and
was better for it. But I think that ultimately, like
the content I was teaching seventh grade social studies at
the time, it was an untested subject and so the
freedom that we had every day in my class just
to like become a better version of ourselves while we
were talking about the Fall of Rome was so cool,
(19:14):
and so I think about that a lot. I was
asked the other day of like, and we can talk
about this. We're releasing the app component of Folks and
we're growing and we went to south By Southwest this year.
Speaker 1 (19:25):
And I can't wait to hear about that's just crazy.
Speaker 2 (19:28):
I mean, we're in an incubator right now and through
the Entrepreneur Center and just like full fledged break neck
pace startup mode, which is thrilling. And the question was
for as far and as wide and as broad as
folks will go, what is the.
Speaker 3 (19:44):
One thing that you want to be true about?
Speaker 1 (19:45):
It?
Speaker 2 (19:46):
Every single table, every single time, and again me and
an exercise trying to force myself to do the very
same thing that we're asking other people to do.
Speaker 3 (19:55):
Is like the draft.
Speaker 2 (19:56):
One thought, and I thought of my middle schoolers because
it was this version of like, whatever, whatever version of
you shows up to class that day, or in our instance,
to tables that day. I hope that you can be
excited by that person, and if not, at the end
of the table, that you feel better about yourself when
you left, show up as you are. Thank you for coming.
Is that version of yourself? Thank you for being here today, however,
(20:18):
and whoever you are, and thank you for coming, and
whatever version of you experienced this like moment of growth
and honesty at the end of it. So I hope
those two things are always true.
Speaker 1 (20:33):
So take me back, because we got a little we
were stuck in the attic. We're still in the attic,
but we're like kind of automatic at the same time.
How did it go from the attic to what it
is now? Because you're talking about attic and then you're atlasest.
That is crazy, That's great.
Speaker 3 (20:50):
That is crazy.
Speaker 1 (20:50):
Yeah, in a short amount of time. Yeah, it's wild.
Speaker 2 (20:53):
So actual Timeline Folks was established in January of twenty
twenty three. By February of twenty twenty three, you marketed,
and by March of twenty twenty three, we were at
our first restaurant and that was a sold out event.
We had sixty people. We did two seatings math six
tables of five strangers at each yikes. And so that
(21:17):
was quote unquote the start, like not in my attic,
working with community and restaurant partners and like really delivering
on this experience of truly anyone off the street can
show up, can talk to strangers, can ask better questions,
and get better at getting to know people.
Speaker 1 (21:31):
Did you have the game?
Speaker 3 (21:32):
We did, but it's.
Speaker 2 (21:33):
Taken on a lot of different versions and I can't
wait to talk more about that. So we were pretty
much monthly and we were still hosting kind of these
larger or medium sized events. You'd show up, there was
kind of like an amba of like thirty to sixty
to eighty people and you were still put at a
table of strangers. We were running that through our system
and getting really good at our algorithm on how we
pair people. We were working really closely on who you
(21:56):
were matched with when you showed up, and then how
you were seated with different people at tables. We were
paying a ton of attention to the feedback around what
did lead to better conversations and connections and how much
warm up time do people need and when do they
want to stretch their legs and just kind of being
total nerds about like the science of connection and friendship
(22:16):
and novelty and strangers. We kept that at a really
aggressive pace, I would say, because I think as I
approached my life and you asked kind of like who
are you as a person, It's very much like if
I'm going to go for I'm going to go for it.
And so I very much felt that, like I care
about this right now, they are a heck of a
lot of other things I could be doing in my
life that are also exciting to me. And so while
this has my attention, and while this seems to be
(22:37):
working for other people, let's keep going.
Speaker 1 (22:40):
And you're still working a full time job.
Speaker 3 (22:42):
I was working at a full time job. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (22:44):
I was a government early by day and a folks
or by night. And I left my job in October
of twenty twenty three, which is crazy to say that now,
and you all can't see me. But I did what
everybody does with crazy life decisions, and I got bang.
Speaker 1 (23:02):
But the thing work for you is the thing they
don't work for everybody. Gosh, oh I moved to anybody.
Did anybody say like, don't do it?
Speaker 2 (23:10):
Oh?
Speaker 3 (23:11):
For sure?
Speaker 2 (23:11):
They were just the like, okay, we're quitting job and
doing big haircut.
Speaker 3 (23:15):
Got it, God?
Speaker 1 (23:16):
And it moved. So you don't have that attic anymore.
Speaker 2 (23:19):
Well, I do have a different attic, okay, which is
the attic that now we pull a lot of close
to all nighters in. There's a big whiteboard. It's like
the very startup energy. It is really fun and like
such a nice homage to the original attic. But yeah,
we moved really fast, and so then by March of
twenty twenty four we were at south By Southwest, and
then September of twenty twenty four this year, in just
(23:39):
two weeks less than we'll be launching the web based app.
And I think all of this to say is because
what we came to find is that, as you and
I have talked about, connection has gotten really complicated for
people when I say app, and I even hesitate to
use that word. It is so associated to dating apps
for people, which just make me have goosebumps and not
the good kind of way. And so I think for us,
(24:01):
it's like, how do we get back to the basics.
That's why Folks as a brand uses very simple primary colors.
That's why Folks Table as a brand uses really simple
language like pull up a chair, talk to strangers, connect
to something. We are trying to demystify and decomplicate this
thing that has gotten really messy. You and I also
(24:21):
talked about there's a lot of lip service given to connection.
Speaker 3 (24:24):
People talk a lot.
Speaker 2 (24:25):
About swiping and liking and clicking, and we laugh of like,
you know, members club and run clubs and actual clubs
and where people are seeking to find people. And I
think what was so important to me when I saw
the demand at these monthly events was that we could
shift that into something that was not just this big
thing you geared up for once a month, was actually
(24:46):
something that you could do multiple times a week or
once a week within your budget, and that was more accessible,
i e. Showing up to a restaurant, a coffee shop
or a bar for a table of six strangers. Often
that felt like real life to me, or at least
a real life that I want, rather than these big
novel one off experiences that felt like a bit of.
Speaker 3 (25:07):
A band aid.
Speaker 1 (25:08):
That's what the app is doing, and that's what the
app is doing. So what I'm hearing you say is
there's going to be a way and is this local
to Nashville, Local to Nashville for now? Okay, if I
have this app, I can sign up for an event
any day, any day, show up to a place with
(25:28):
five six random people, and then I'll be able to
have a similar experience as I would at this big event.
Speaker 3 (25:35):
I wish you all could see cut starts right now.
It's crazy. That's so cool, so cool.
Speaker 1 (25:41):
So this ide me think of, do you know what
grouper is?
Speaker 2 (25:45):
The fish that's such a good.
Speaker 3 (25:51):
Today? Take the vase I did. There's a fish line.
Speaker 1 (25:55):
And years ago, this was at the beginning of dating apps.
This thing came out called Grouper, and it was an
app where you would like sign up for a day,
you would bring two friends and then whatever sex you're
interested in dating is coming and they're bringing two friends
(26:15):
that you don't know where you're going, the app will
tell you where to go. Then you go there, and
then the first drink is on the app, but really
you pay for it because it's cost money to do this.
But the issue with that is you get there and
you would sit down and then it's like, now what
do you do? And then there's like the conversations with
this person's talking to that person that talking that person.
(26:38):
There's no cohesiveness. And I think I did it twice.
I don't remember. It didn't last. All I know is
that that no longer exists. And what I'm hearing in
that is like, this is a solution to one of
those problems. One, there's not this pressure of like I
have to like this person and it's a flop if
I don't want to make out with this person. So
it's not about that.
Speaker 3 (26:58):
I haven't heard about that the next part.
Speaker 1 (27:05):
And then also there's not this pressure to like force
something real because it's just about connection versus like creating
this intense connection with this person, this one on one thing. Yeah,
I love that.
Speaker 3 (27:19):
That's so cul, it's really fun.
Speaker 2 (27:21):
I Also I'm just like tickled at all this too,
because I think, again, connection can be such a weighty,
like what is this word and what is this moment?
The game that we play, it is meant to be fun.
Talking to strangers is meant to be fun, especially at
the end of a work day, especially with how you
and I just talked about like the woes of the world,
whether that is whatever is plaguing anybody on any given day.
(27:42):
We want this to be something that is just fun
and adults need more of that. It should be really
easy to access, and so I'll give you like really
tangible examples of what this looks like and sounds like
in the old folkslore, like everybody at the table had
like hand clappers and eggshakers and cowbells, like make some noise.
We're trying to be a good part or do our
restaurants right now, so we don't have as much in
their cow bells, but yeah, feel free to like throw
(28:03):
up some snaps on your own and like whack the
table here and there. But the questions we even added
in wild cards, and this was feedback we got of
like some tables rightfully, so we're heading into really interesting,
uncharted territory, really thoughtful conversations, and they needed a chance
to like come up for air. Yeah, like, okay, the
Brussels sprouts just landed on the table and we're hearing
(28:26):
about your hope, streams, wants wishes.
Speaker 3 (28:28):
Let's take a break.
Speaker 2 (28:29):
Yeah, how we programmed the game to offer that without
us being there as facilitators is really important. So he
threw in wild cards like freeze, everybody, do a teeth check.
Does anybody have food in their teeth?
Speaker 3 (28:40):
Oh my god?
Speaker 2 (28:43):
Or like stop everyone go around the table again and
say your name. Names are hard. Real moments are programmed
and built into this game because you and I, like
we laughed, are social creatures and still have these faux paus.
It's not that we're trying to erase the photpaus at
the table. That's very human, that's very fun. But how
can we just like name those moments that are real
when you're talking to strangers, when you're asking questions like that,
(29:06):
Like I just kind of think we are working to
meet the moment and exceed it to your point of
like how people come in with these expectations for who
they are, how they talk, how they engage, and then
kind of meet.
Speaker 3 (29:17):
Them in this moment of reality. So that's the game.
Speaker 1 (29:19):
I want to go back to where you were saying that.
I don't know exactly how you said it, but like
we got kind of like exhausted by these what is connection?
Speaker 2 (29:27):
Like?
Speaker 1 (29:27):
What does that mean?
Speaker 3 (29:28):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (29:28):
I think I don't want to hear your take on this.
I feel like because it has been this and I
don't think there's one thing to blame. I think it's
a mix of social media. It's a mix of people
caring more about relationships. It's a mix of going to
therapy and that being a thing people are allowed to
do now. It's a mix of a lot of things.
But I feel like connection to so many people when
(29:50):
you hear that word this, it's this automatic like I'm
gonna talk about my trauma. Oh yeah, And I have
to do a lot of somewhat even like ching around
this with clients, specifically when they're making new friends or
a lot of times dating. Connection doesn't have to be
as intimate as that is or as vulnerable. I can
still connect and not have this like deep deep, deep
(30:13):
vulnerability that I have to express. And I think all
of those things, because we use those words together connection, intimacy,
like trust, vulnerability, we think they all have to be
happening all the time. For any of them to exist,
and I don't think that's true. And I think that's
actually hurt a lot of our relationships because we haven't
(30:34):
built trust over time with people and allowed people to
have the right to hear parts of my story. And
I think people have felt a lot of like, well,
I wish that that person didn't have that piece of me.
And at the same time, it's like, wait, I just
want to have fun, and so do I want to
have fun or do I want connection? I love you
(30:54):
saying like we're doing that. We can ask those questions,
to have those questions, that's right, but also those questions
take a lot from me. Like when you said vulnerably hangover,
some of that that's not like shame hangover. Sometimes it's not
always like I shouldn't have said that. Sometimes it's like whoa,
they're for real and it's not. It doesn't mean it's bad, no,
(31:15):
But I can't do that every single I can't. Ye
maybe somebody that can do that.
Speaker 3 (31:20):
Totally I cannot.
Speaker 1 (31:21):
And that I think is sometimes when I get home
from work, I'm not even talking about myself at work.
I get home and I'm like TV on or instead
of talking to my husband. I'm like, can we play monopoly?
Like Monopoly deal? There's no way I'm playing an actual
whole game of Monopoly, let's be clear. But I don't
want to do that and I don't have the energy.
But I still want to be in relationship with somebody,
(31:43):
that's right. So do you see that same thing where
those things it feels like they have to be connected,
and you're you're showing us like these things can be connected.
They have relationships with each other, but they don't all
have to exist all the time for your relationships to matter.
Speaker 3 (31:58):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (31:59):
No, I love that, even you talking about like you've
gotten home and it's like do we sit in silence
and like look at the TV or play monopoly or
like how do we just like zone out chill out.
I think the other thing we hear from a lot
of people, myself included, is like if I get to
the end of the day and I'm like, ooh, I
might have like a little left in me. But now
the challenge of finding people to make the plan to
land on the restaurant, to get the reservation, to put
(32:21):
the outfit on, to get the combo of people to
drive Acrosstown and park the parking.
Speaker 1 (32:27):
Oh it's done.
Speaker 2 (32:28):
Takes me out, and he takes me out, And so
I think that that's also where we get really excited
just from like the logistics of connection. We can tackle
a lot of that for people. I use language all
the time, like let's throw elbows to like get good
parking spots, and let's throw elbows to like have people
not have to worry about the combination of people or
the place they're going done. Your question, which I thought
(32:49):
was so timely, was basically it's the question of how
do we define connection or what does that look like
in life? Right now, there's two things that come to mind.
One hundred I should say that come to mind, but
the two that I'll try to spit out is Number
one great research from Nick Epley, and he spent some
time I think, at U Chicago and Harvard, and he
talks about how we as social creatures don't actually understand
(33:11):
our needs and wants around connection very well. And it's
wonderful because he gives us a lot of permission. It's
why this thing hasn't felt good because we don't actually
understand ourselves that well. And he talks about much like
some people wake up in the morning and are so
excited to go work out, and others wake up in
the morning and that sounds like the worst thing. Ever,
we all as humans need to move our bodies and
(33:34):
experience that level of health. Similarly, everybody is a social creature.
Some people might wake up and seek a room full
of people. Other people might wake up and want one encounter,
one quality one. But we as humans, especially now, are
underestimating how much we need to your point, this varied
(33:54):
nature of connection and relationships. We need people who are
close to us, who we are fundamentally just accompanying in life.
They know what type of cereal you like, and they
know what your drunk drawer looks like, and they know
the state of your car, And we need people in
our life that you see consistently and somewhat irregularly. I
would say that first here that I mentioned kind of
(34:16):
the accompaniment. Those are your friends and those are your partners.
That next layer is your community, people that you run
into in classes or workout or activities, and you have
the chance to run into them consistently, but also you
see them a bit randomly. That's important too. And then
that kind of third tier for me that I think
a lot about in terms of connection. Is all of
the random encounters. It's the barista that you lock eyes with,
(34:39):
It's the individual that you bump into at the grocery
store and you all talk about how you both like
the same oatmeal. It is slowing down when you're going
through the DMV to actually look across and say, hey, hello,
this is crazy. I can't believe this is still the
way that we do this.
Speaker 3 (34:56):
Shout out to the DMV. It is, so that's top
of my mind.
Speaker 1 (35:04):
But if you okay, I gotta stop you, because if
I was at the DMV, which I have not changed
my last name. I got married six months ago. I
have not done that, partly because I don't want to
have to like go through all of ra the hiccups
in that fact that I have to go to the
DMV and I might have to go more than once
sounds horrible. So if I was there, if we could
rebrand the DMV. But if you look at me and
(35:25):
you said that, it would have changed my experience.
Speaker 2 (35:29):
But nobody's doing saying that I am, and that's why everybody.
Speaker 1 (35:35):
No.
Speaker 2 (35:35):
But I just joked of like shout out to friends
who know that anywhere we go when we say we're
leaving there like okay, so that means like thirty minutes
from now. And I'm like, I don't know what's talking about.
As I turn around and talk to the stranger next
to me, let me say, connection is a habit. Talking
(35:57):
to strangers is a habit, is a muscle that you build.
These days when we're working so hard indoors, working to
bring this thing out of doors, I find that even
I come out of it and I'm like, oh, how
do I do this?
Speaker 3 (36:08):
What do I say? Again? I kind of forgot you?
Speaker 2 (36:10):
And I also were talking about rebranding the DMV. I
think on that I get really excited fundamentally, Kat of
like if folks takes on the life and the legs
that I think it can and could, that is a
posture in your life towards how you talk to strangers.
And that is far reaching beyond tables that is at
the DMB, that is at the airport. That changes the
(36:31):
way that we exist in social infrastructure. That to me
is nerdy as shit, but I think it is really cool.
And then we also were talking about nature and types
of connection. The last piece I'll say, RAINA. Cohen has
a great book that just came out called The Other
Significant Others. Oh, she really gets into it, and she
talks about how we as a society, from like a
legal structure, from even like contracts and just parameters of society,
(36:55):
we don't have the right language for people that mean
more to us if they aren't your husband, wife, partner,
and like the level of depth or meaning that friends
can offer, like that term isn't always right for like
what people mean to us sometimes. And so she just
writes this whole book with case studies and wonderful stories
and really poignant examples of like we are still missing
(37:17):
the terminology at times of like deep friendship or random
connections that changed us, or like the vocabulary of relationships
just isn't quite where it needs to be. No less
our society doesn't really recognize that. So again more in
the name of like connection brain. But I just think
that on both sides, whether it's as you mentioned, these deep,
(37:38):
deep relationships that have shaped our character or disposition or
daily approach, or these people that we do not know
and that we bump into, run into experience in these
moments of unexpected both are so critical for us to
have this very well rounded life that is also fun
and lets us grow and lets us be and let's
(38:00):
us shake an egg and clap a hand.
Speaker 1 (38:02):
And I use the example of like the workout and
the way that I might want to move my body
could be different than somebody else. I still need to
like move my body for my health, but I'm drawn
to different ways exactly, just like in connection, like not
everybody has to have the same types, but because we
lack the language, we don't realize that, and we don't realize, Oh,
(38:23):
it doesn't have to be that way. I don't want
that it can be this way. Now, I think I'm
a hodgepodge of all the types of relationships, but just
the idea that I could go to an event to
just have fun be seen yep, with no like attachment
to like. Now, I have to maintain these relationships. We
must be friends well, and maybe something happens, but correct
(38:46):
I think that's a beautiful part of this is permission happen.
There's permission for that to happen, but it is not
a requirement that these people now have to be, you know,
pinned on your text message iPhone Like that feels so like, oh,
because I want that, I want to be able to
have fun be seen. I love answering random questions like that,
(39:06):
what do you like to do for fun? I don't
like to answer that one. I don't like that one,
But I just love that idea of you can just
go to this event and have fun, and it's whatever
happens happens.
Speaker 2 (39:15):
Yeah, to the point of big events and what's gonna
happen is what's going to happen. I got to put
a plug in here. September sixteenth, it is National Sit
with a Stranger Day, and that for us is like
better than our company birthday. That is like the best
freaking national holiday we could ever think of. And so
we're throwing a big, free event in Nashville, and the
whole point is to try to give people an experience
(39:37):
and a taste of who we are and what we're about, because,
like we've talked about, we're trying to remind people that
it is fun to meet new people, doesn't have to
be complicated, doesn't have to have this high pressure, high
stakes at folks, it is always friends first.
Speaker 3 (39:49):
For us.
Speaker 2 (39:50):
We are not a dating app, We're not a member's club,
we're not a dinner club. It's a way for people
to come together. And I think that this event we're
so excited for, I don't want to take too to
do much, but that's really where we'll showcase the new
way of Folks, which, as we have previewed as this
web based app where people can connect and experience more regularly.
But I think what's also fun about this type of
(40:13):
an event for us, similar to how we rocked it
at south By or similar We just pulled off a great,
big event at the First Art Museum, which is amazing
and if you haven't gone, I think what we're trying
to remind people of is that these very kind of
traditional form function off the shelves way of networking, of
meeting people, of experiencing life as we know it can
(40:34):
all take on a better, different flavor. As you said,
if we ask better questions and we keep getting better
at getting to know people, that to me is something
that we could stay up to the rest of our lives.
Speaker 1 (40:44):
I have to ask these questions because one this event
sounds so cool, and two I imagine people are having
the same thoughts that I'm having. So imagine you're somebody
who wants new friends, right, That's why I want to
go to this, Yes, but I'm scared. What do they
expect like when they show up? Like yep, I imagine
some people are going to know each other. So if
I show up not knowing it, I might see somebody
(41:05):
I know, but like I expect that I will know nobody.
How do you place me at a table? How do
I sign up beforehand? Like? W how does this work?
Speaker 2 (41:13):
Sign up beforehand? We know that you're coming. That's always
fun for us too, as we say, you know, be
able to properly welcome you in that way? Complete a profile.
The profile you'll see is like a little bit of
a wink in a nod in the Folks universe. It
helps us get to know you better. So it's questions
like do time with strangers? Does that energize you? Or
does that not energize you? And your options might be like, man,
(41:36):
I'm wiped out or I'm piped up. You know, how
often are you taking the lead in conversation that is
not my jam or that's my bread and butter? Like
you will get a sense of where we're going with
these questions. He'll get a screen that says, congrats, you're registered.
We can't wait to see you there. If you can't
come to the event, people shall should complete a profile
because that helps us be able to talk to you
better about future events, so and so forth. But you'll
(41:58):
show up to the event, You'll see a bunch of
friendly folks, volunteers and people that we love in a door.
You'll move through the space and not totally to ruin
all the surprises, but you'll be paired with a stranger.
Speaker 1 (42:08):
Okay, I like that. Keep going.
Speaker 2 (42:10):
So we intentionally have somebody there for you to kick
off your night with.
Speaker 1 (42:16):
And then that's another person that's just going to the event.
Speaker 2 (42:18):
Correct, Okay, And so here let me say loud and clear,
if you are coming with people to this event, you
better wave goodbye to them at the door and get
ready to debrief on the way home, because we're going
to mix it up. And then you'll move into the
space and we have what we call just a conversation
based experience or a conversation based program planned for people
and shocker, it's different questions and it's moving people around
(42:40):
the room, and it's trying to get people to make
combinations and pairings that they've never had before. It is
a standing event. We get a nod to the sit
down social network, and we're actually gonna stand.
Speaker 3 (42:50):
At this event.
Speaker 1 (42:51):
So that is not that normal like dinner using the game.
Speaker 2 (42:55):
This is a different it's a different event. This is
a big activation for us.
Speaker 1 (42:58):
Okay, so I'm getting to the stranger, but I might
then eventually leave that person.
Speaker 3 (43:03):
That's right.
Speaker 1 (43:03):
I don't want you to give away any of the secrets, okay,
fun Okay, So I want to make that clear because
if somebody's nervous about going to an event where they
don't know anybody, that's part of the way it's created
is even if you go with people, you aren't going
to be like standing around twiddling your thumbs.
Speaker 3 (43:18):
Oh no, no, no, you've.
Speaker 1 (43:20):
Taken care of that for the spot for you. Okay,
that's the way. I love that phrase.
Speaker 3 (43:24):
We have a spot phrase, spot for you.
Speaker 2 (43:26):
I think that that's the best part too, is like gosh,
how do I say this? Of like I was maybe
the kid who loved assigned seats because I knew that
that meant that that was where I was meant to be.
And I just think a lot about that at folks.
It's not that we're trying to prescribe conversation and it's
not that we're trying to tell you you can't sit
other places. I think we just want people to know
that at the end of the day, that there's a
(43:46):
spot for them to land in conversation, in with connection.
Speaker 1 (43:50):
I love that. I also am that person that I
want there to be assigned seats everywhere, because what about
the person who's like sitting on the end and doesn't
know if they're allowed to sit there or somebody gonna
take their spot, or are there in the way.
Speaker 2 (44:02):
And oh, folks Table is the sit down social network,
and we are all about a new way to come together.
We talk a lot about pull up a chair, talk
to strangers and connect to something. And so what that
means is that you book a seat at a table
for coffee shops, bars and restaurants across town with people
that you don't know. You'll get sat with anywhere from
(44:23):
four to six strangers, and then you'll show up and
you'll play the game. And that's all about getting to
know people in a better new way by asking better questions.
We talk about folks Table as a social startup and
for us, really what that means is our just do
it line is talk to strangers and we're a platform
for social connection through in person experiences and we're just
(44:46):
really excited.
Speaker 1 (44:48):
I'm excited for this, And I also think there's a
whole other conversation here around you following with this thing
that came from just a desire you had in your heart.
And I think that hopefully people have heard parts of
your story in this, but again, it would be a
whole other conversation around how to allow yourself to dream
(45:09):
about something and then go for it when it doesn't
seem conventional, Like going back to what I said about like,
nobody goes to college to start folks table, Like I
don't think so it's not a major epick. And I
think sometimes so often we get stuck in the well.
This is what I plan to do. This is what
I've always done. Similarly, how we get stuck in our
(45:30):
relationships is these are the ones that I have. These
are the conversations that I have. This is what I do.
And you have given an example of sometimes it's okay
to start planting another seed somewhere and watering it a
little bit more and seeing what happens.
Speaker 3 (45:44):
Oh, I love that.
Speaker 2 (45:44):
I would say two things on that. One is I
have to my name mentioned the team that makes this possible,
Dallas who is co founder and CEO, and Garrett who
has come in to help lead marketing and brand, and
how we sound and what it looks like. I think
what's so fun about that with all three of us
is none of us have gone to business school and
(46:05):
all of us fundamentally are people who do the things
that we say that we're going to do. And that's
how any of this started, was by us talking and
holding each other to monthly goal sessions. What went well
last month, what contributed to that, What are you looking
forward to next month? And how can the three of
us support each other? And so for them to know
my brain and as you said, my heart in that
way around what was taking up a lot of my
(46:27):
time in thought, and for them to, as good friends,
do hold me to that, and then for me also
to have the self trust that if I say that
something is important, that that's something that I'm going to
continue to make important in my life, be that whether
I have the playbook for it or not. Other thing
that I wanted to ask you, Kat, because you get
to ask a lot of people questions and I love
doing that too. What is the question that you wish
(46:49):
somebody would ask you in life right now? Or what's
the thing that you love talking about that you haven't
gotten to talk about as much lately?
Speaker 1 (46:57):
So I want to answer the first one. What is
the question that I wish more people would ask me?
Four things just propped in my head, one being I
wish there was more space for people to ask what
do you want to do in your life that you're
not doing right now? Like what else do you want
(47:19):
to do? I don't have an answer for that. I
could talk about that for hours, but I think that's
something people want to know what I'm doing, but nobody's
asking me, like what do you want to do in
the future, Like what are some things on your list
that you're afraid to start or talk about or dig into?
I think that is what I would want. And then
(47:39):
what was the other one? I'll answer both of them.
Speaker 2 (47:41):
No, I love that the first one you talked about
something you wish people to ask you, and then the
second one is we also reframe it, which is what
is something that you wish you had a chance to
talk about more often?
Speaker 1 (47:51):
Oh, it's the same question, rephrase oh okay, and that
makes it seem so different too. I guess I would
say the same thing. Look at you guys with your
like are you framing? You could be therapists. I need
you in my office. When I ask a question and
somebody's like huh, I'm like, okay, let me ask it
different what but they sound so different?
Speaker 2 (48:08):
We do kind of laugh that folk stables either become
like the greatest blind date or the greatest group therapy.
Speaker 1 (48:15):
Literally the question that I asked, that question be thatids
all the time. It is like, what's something that you
wish people? Well, I say a lot of times, what's
something you wish people knew about you? Like that you
haven't been invited to share. I like that, but that's
kind of the same idea.
Speaker 2 (48:30):
The silly ones that we ask are as you can imagine,
like what's the state of your drunk drawer? And people
take that like very metaphorically, or like what's the name
in your car? Or like describe your notes app on
your phone, or like very normal everyday things that are
like a window of course into us. And so I
(48:52):
also think of kind of the state of the state
of any of us. Sometimes can be wrapped up in
those things too.
Speaker 1 (48:56):
And you learn so much about answering a silly question
like that, even if they answered it plainly of like
it is meticulous and it's or it's empty, or it's
like I can't I'm looking at my right now, it
doesn't shut all the way. Something bothering up and like
stuff falls through the back of it. I keep are
we talking about We're talking about all of them, right,
(49:18):
So I love that just you get so much out
of that kind of question. What I'm also hearing at
the end of this conversation is doing this and showing
up to these events too, is just a way for
you to learn how to talk to people in your life,
talk to the friends you already have. And so that
idea of like, oh I don't have too many friends,
which people feel that way, and I totally get that
(49:41):
you don't have to make any new friends. It might
just show you how to have different kinds of off yeah.
Speaker 3 (49:46):
Different way.
Speaker 2 (49:46):
I love that you said that too, and again, you
and I could go on forever and ever, and I'm in.
But I think the importance of the language we chose
of connect to something, right. We didn't say connect to someone, Oh,
we said connect to something. Because I think that at
times that something is also yourself. Yeah, sometimes you need
to go to a folk stable to remind yourself of
(50:09):
who you are, what's important to you, what gets you giggling.
What is the state of the state of your junk drawer? Yeah,
and why that is totally permissible to have one that
doesn't shut or fifteen of them.
Speaker 3 (50:21):
And that is a connection to yourself. And that is
just as.
Speaker 2 (50:24):
Powerful in our quest for connection and friendship and discovery
and reflection that you get to have that with yourself
as you would also with others.
Speaker 3 (50:32):
So that was important to us.
Speaker 1 (50:33):
And that's not again, we could go on forever. That's
not narcissistic. I think so often people are like, well,
I can't talk about myself, and I can't you know what.
I've been on a lot of horrible dates where not
one question was asked, and that goes back to like,
thank you for asking me a question, because yeah, all
day and that's my job. So it's like I'm not
(50:54):
mad about that. But sometimes it is like I have
these stories that I want to tell and maybe that's
why I started podcast. But that's not narcissistic to want
to be able to share your story and parts of
your stories and take up space and talk and maybe
(51:16):
that this is a like stepping stone into allowing that
to happen. I'm so glad you said that at the end.
That like the connecting to yourself and allowing yourself to
be heard, even if it's you hearing yourself is part
of this thing I'm obsessed with that.
Speaker 2 (51:32):
You do that very well too, and I think you
give a lot of people that permission.
Speaker 1 (51:35):
Oh well, thank you. How do you want people to
find out about you? Like? Can you give us your
handle and your the website? We'll link it all so
if you're hearing this and you're driving or something, you
can go click it. But can you just tell us
what those things are? Absolutely well, come hang out with us.
We can't wait to meet you and see you and
know you. You can find us on.
Speaker 2 (51:51):
The interweb were www dot folks table That is f
o l x folks table.
Speaker 3 (51:57):
Wait do I'm.
Speaker 1 (51:58):
Gonna interrupt you?
Speaker 3 (51:58):
Please go for it.
Speaker 1 (51:59):
Can you tell us about the name?
Speaker 2 (52:01):
Yeah, because that's important to his name is important. Yeah,
folks folx it's a nod as the word itself means,
just for a more broad and inclusive version of folks.
So for us, it means that everybody has a seat
at our table. And then you can find us on
Instagram and TikTok, though we are less present on the
ladder and doing better perhaps on the former, but Instagram
(52:21):
is folks folx dot table, and I think it's the
same on.
Speaker 1 (52:25):
TikTok Okay, Yeah, TikTok is a whole other animal.
Speaker 3 (52:30):
That's a whole other session.
Speaker 1 (52:32):
Yes, we could talk about connecting on TikTok for hours
and hours. All right, Well, thank you so much. Chat
This has a bit of a last I'm so excited
you're going to come back and talk to us again.
Speaker 3 (52:40):
This is part one.
Speaker 1 (52:41):
You've heard it here first. This is part one. You
can follow the podcast at Unied Therapy podcast on Instagram,
and if you have any questions, feedback, anything for me,
you can send that to Katherine at Unied Therapy podcast
dot com and you can follow me at kat van Buren,
which I keep my seen that because I forgot that
I changed that. I didn't go to the DMV and changed
(53:03):
my last name. I just changed it on Instagram. That
felt easier to.
Speaker 3 (53:06):
See you there. All right.
Speaker 1 (53:08):
Well, I hope you guys have the day you need
to have and I will talk to you soon Bye.
Coming up on you need therapy.
Speaker 2 (00:02):
We talk about all the time at folks that a
better question is an invitation for a better conversation. If
I only am ever asked how I am and what
I do for work and where I'm from, then I
only have a chance to explore those things unless I
look to someone else and say, hey, I really want
to throw a curveball in and talk about anything else.
And so I think even just the slight shift in
(00:24):
some of these questions has been a game changer. Instead
of what do you do? How do you spend your time?
Instead of where do you live in town? What is
your favorite way to spend a day in town?
Speaker 1 (00:38):
I started to realize that not being an expert isn't
a liability, it's a real gift.
Speaker 3 (00:43):
If we don't know something about ourselves at this point
in our life, it's probably because it's uncomfortable to know.
If you can die before you die, then you can
really live. There's a wisdom at death's door. I thought
I was insane, Yeah, and I didn't know what to
do because there was no internet.
Speaker 1 (01:02):
I don't know, man, I'm like, I feel like everything
is hard. Hey, y'all, my name is Kat I'm a
human first and a licensed therapist second, and right now
I'm inviting you into conversations that I hope encourage you
to become more curious and less judgmental about yourself, others,
(01:22):
and the world around you. Welcome to You Need Therapy. Hello,
and welcome to a new episode of You Need Therapy podcast.
My name is Kat and today you're in luck because
it is not just me and I will introduce our
guest in a second. But before we do that, reminder
that although this podcast is called You Need Therapy, I
(01:43):
am a therapist. It does not serve as a substitute
or any kind of therapy that would be legitimate and real. However,
I always hope that you can get something out of
these episodes. Now back to the interesting part, the fun part.
You don't have just me today, you have my friend
Emma macaulay, who is the founder and CEO, which is
(02:06):
a fancy, nice titled have of Folks table here to
talk about stuff that we actually love talking about here. However,
I was just talking to Emma a second ago, which
you can say, Hi, I like talking about you like
you're not here. So this is Emma, and I was
just telling her before. We've done a bunch of episodes
(02:27):
on here, and I've talked a lot about connection and
loneliness and friendship and all of that, and sometimes I
feel like I'm a what's the phrase broken record?
Speaker 3 (02:37):
Ah?
Speaker 1 (02:37):
Yes, and I've told you guys this before. Sometimes I'm like, oh,
I've already talked about this, or are you gonna get bored?
But I also noticed that I'm getting annoyed with myself
of repeating myself. Not that you guys don't want to
hear it, it's that like, Okay, Catherine, you keep talking
about this, nothing's happening, And Emma hit the nail on
the head as we were talking before about why that
(03:01):
maybe is happening. And so I'm kind of getting ahead
of myself. But basically, we're here to talk about friendship
and connection and loneliness and talking to people in third
places and you know all of those things that go
along with that, and part of that is talking about
a business that you started that is so interesting and
(03:22):
so cool, also so creative. It just sounds fun to
be doing that.
Speaker 3 (03:27):
It's fun to have fun as it turned out.
Speaker 1 (03:29):
Yeah, So what I want to do to start before
we get into all of the nitty gritty is I
want to hear a little bit of your backstory. Tell
the people where you came from. We were talking about
your previous job before. I want to know, like how
the like steps led you to this, because what you're
doing now is not something that you go to college
and you're like, I want to do that.
Speaker 3 (03:51):
It's relieving to hear you say that.
Speaker 1 (03:53):
I've never I've never heard somebody say that before, and
I think that also just for anybody listening, that's often
the case. You end up doing something and you're like,
I didn't go to college to do that, which is free.
So tell me where you came from. Where did you
come from? I love the start from the very beginning,
From the very beginning. At Folkstable, we talk a lot
about what your origin story was, and so that is
(04:16):
how I'm thinking about this. But Hi, everybody, it's so
fun to be here, so fun to be sitting here
with Kat and just excited to chat through the real
reel of it all today. I think that's the whole
bit of folk Stable is we're trying to figure out
how we make these very nebulous concepts like connection and
friendship and third places actually feel more real and really
(04:36):
accessible in our lives, so and less scary and less scary,
less pressure. We joke that it is fun to have
fun and it's cool to care and your story matters.
Speaker 2 (04:46):
So more of that today. Okay, the question of where
did I come from?
Speaker 1 (04:51):
Where does it come from?
Speaker 2 (04:53):
Did you get here? So the shortened spite of this
is I did not train to do this. I would
not have imagined my life to be like this, and
thank gosh, I couldn't have seen this far out and
known exactly what this would take form as. But the
start of folks table, as I think a lot of
good and or wonky ideas, is that it started in
my attic.
Speaker 1 (05:13):
Which is one what's your addict?
Speaker 3 (05:15):
Like funky funky addict?
Speaker 1 (05:17):
Because my attic's scary.
Speaker 2 (05:19):
My attic became, thank gosh, a bit of an inviting space,
but it did have a little bit of a we
got a fixed wrapper. So in my old space, this is,
I guess two and a half years ago. For context,
this is not the bio that you find on the website,
so we'll give you all the fun of it all.
I was working in politics, and I was working in education,
(05:40):
and that was still in kind of the post pandemic
during pandemic era, and so that was a tough time
to be talking about work. And I found that my
job in my time, in my nine to five was
a bit of a buzz skill for people. And the
last thing I wanted to be talking about reality of
work and weather was all I was getting stuck in
a young person in a hustling, bustling, exciting city. So
(06:04):
I thought, okay, let me get my friends together. We'll
do dinner parties and we'll just talk about anything else.
And I pitched them on the concept and they said, ah,
we love the dinners, we hate the topics.
Speaker 3 (06:16):
What do you mean?
Speaker 2 (06:17):
I was so excited to talk about things like you
and I talk about like the infrastructure of our society
and friendship and why you know, we can't figure out
this thing of being young, single, fun people. But the
reality of how the dinner's got going is that it
was people would come, they were invited to bring a friend.
And so this concept of dinner with strangers really took
off an attic.
Speaker 1 (06:38):
So you were eating dinner with strangers in your attic.
Speaker 2 (06:41):
And here's the better bert gat is that I did
not have a dishwasher.
Speaker 1 (06:44):
So first of all, you're doing all of that yourself.
Speaker 3 (06:47):
All the cooking.
Speaker 1 (06:48):
I'm still stuck on what it's your act.
Speaker 3 (06:50):
You're still talking about that.
Speaker 2 (06:51):
It was a cute little dusty a frame of a space,
but it's not there's like air.
Speaker 3 (06:57):
There was air, Okay, there was a window.
Speaker 2 (07:00):
Okay, you have but like folding tables mixed match chairs,
that's kind of cool. It was cute, send you a photo. Okay,
the early days, but early days took off. We passed
three hundred people. There was a wait list of oh,
I don't even know a lot. And that was when
I thought, you know what, I think this is real.
Speaker 1 (07:20):
Wait a second, as you're doing that, it's you invite
your friends and they bring a.
Speaker 2 (07:23):
Friend, and it's if you come once, you pass it
on to somebody else, and then so I can't come twice.
We hit so many people we couldn't get people back through,
which was a bummer. And that's when I thought, this
is a broken way.
Speaker 3 (07:34):
To do this.
Speaker 1 (07:35):
When you say we, it's you and yourself or did
you join forces?
Speaker 2 (07:39):
I do say we a lot, but it really was me,
myself and I.
Speaker 3 (07:46):
There's a couple. Okay, more question.
Speaker 1 (07:53):
That definitely sounds like that therapy really cool. So that
has to also because in my head, I'm like, there's
no freaking way, Hey, I'm doing that on my own.
I want to hear a little about like your personality
in general. Yeah, what's your inteagram?
Speaker 3 (08:07):
Ooh, I'm an eight?
Speaker 1 (08:08):
Okay, I thought you're gonna say seven. Is there at
least a wing there?
Speaker 3 (08:12):
I don't think so. I think I'm an eight wing nine.
Speaker 2 (08:15):
I think Okay, we might find otherwise by the end
of this podcast, but I'm.
Speaker 1 (08:18):
Not an expert in that. I just like assume anybody
who's like fun as a seven, which I guess that's
not true. Okay, So talk about what it's like to
connect with people, because some people are like what she did?
What it's wild?
Speaker 3 (08:31):
Yeah, I'll put it this way.
Speaker 2 (08:32):
I come from a huge family, was constantly around interesting
conversations connection growing up. My nuclear family is small, but
our Christmas is an off years we're sixty plus, we
do an annual family camping trip where we have an
intergenerational canoe race. Right, Like we are a family of
storytellers and activities and like it's your bloody care. It's
(08:54):
like the way we all show up and at family
unions we joke that we always have circles. You always
stand up and give an update on your life and
who you are and where you're at. And so I
think this version of like me fundamentally believing people are
interesting and have interesting things to talk about, and we
owe them the time and effort to ask better questions
(09:16):
to get to a place where we can understand that.
I wasn't getting to experience that in my social life
as a young twenty something in Nashville.
Speaker 1 (09:24):
I love that you said that. I said last week
on Couch Talks, the Question Answered episode of this podcast,
and somebody said this to me years ago. They said
people want to tell their stories, they just have to
be asked.
Speaker 3 (09:36):
God.
Speaker 1 (09:37):
Yes, And I brought that up because people want to
talk a lot of the times they might be afraid
to talk, but people want to talk. But what just
came in my head. I'm having a squirrel moment. I
was like, on dates, Yeah, I want to tell you
about my life, but I want you to ask me
a question. But we don't know how to ask questions,
or we feel uncomfortable asking questions or awkward or am
I allowed to ask that question. So you saying that's
(10:00):
people deserve to have people in their life that they know, Yes,
that I ask for you, that was natural.
Speaker 3 (10:06):
I'll put it this way.
Speaker 2 (10:07):
We talk about all the time at folks that a
better question is an invitation for a better conversation. If
I only am ever asked how I am and what
I do for work and where I'm from, then I
only have a chance to explore those things unless I
look to someone else and say, hey, I really want
to throw a curveball in and talk about anything else.
Speaker 1 (10:26):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (10:26):
And so I think even just the slight shift in
some of these questions has been a game changer. Instead
of what do you do? How do you spend your time?
Instead of where do you live in town? What is
your favorite way to spend a day in town? Oh
my gosh, And these slight shifts, right, we're not asking,
like tell me your deepest, darkest fears, and we're not
(10:48):
asking people to like get into the underbelly of their lives, right,
We're just simply making these shifts that offer such a
different way to think about very regular things in your life.
Speaker 3 (11:00):
Life, which, as you and.
Speaker 2 (11:00):
I talked about before we started, is kind of the
whole point of life.
Speaker 1 (11:03):
Yeah, So for myself, I think one of the reasons
I struggle with asking certain questions is I've been trained
that a lot of the things that I talk about
with somebody are confidential and I know how triggering or
scary or I know from a different perspective that like
this is between me and you, and so I oftentimes
(11:25):
think in my head I have to be invited in
to ask those questions. Yeah, but that's my own issue
with separating. Like work Catherine and like fun social Catherine
at a wedding too. It will be two years ago
in September A sitting at a table I was meeting
my now husband's family, part of his failing for the
first time. I was sitting at a table with a bunch
of people thatn't know kind of like not close family
(11:46):
at that table, but distant cousin, uncle, second removed kind
of people. And I think the guy asked me what
do you like to do for fun? Or like what
do you like to do or something like that, and
my response was, I really don't.
Speaker 3 (12:01):
Like me that question.
Speaker 1 (12:02):
I never know what to say. It's because it's like, oh,
I like to like the typical things I like to
hang out with my friends and play like I always
sound like a robot when I answer that. But I
think I just said, I don't know. That's a hard
question for me to answer. It's what I said, and
he goes, well, you're great at making conversation, aren't you?
That was his response, and I just go.
Speaker 3 (12:21):
Okay, okay, I locked the window to you.
Speaker 1 (12:23):
Part of me was like, I don't want to talk
to you anymore now it's there. But I think what
that hit me because if that question would have been
asked in a different way, It's not that like I'm
terrible conversation, it's that that question is a hard question
to answer and not feel super lame. We all say
that from time.
Speaker 3 (12:41):
That stuff.
Speaker 1 (12:42):
Who likes being asked what do you do for fun?
But you saying what's your ideal day? In Nashville? I
could talk about that for four.
Speaker 2 (12:49):
Hours, and I think even gosh, we could talk about
questions forever, like what's the thing you're jazzed about right now?
What's something that you can't stop talking about right now?
Or here's now we'll fast forward and we'll talk about
with full looks like now, because thank gosh, it's not
still in my attic.
Speaker 3 (13:03):
And thank gosh, I'm not so cooking.
Speaker 2 (13:05):
But one of the questions we do play what we
call the game at our coffees, at bars and at dinners,
and there's always the option to swap questions because we
never know what question, to your point, is just going
to strike a nerve with somebody, factors beyond our control
and factors beyond theirs. And so the way that we
flip this question is what is the question that you
(13:27):
wish somebody would ask you?
Speaker 3 (13:29):
And that invitation has been a game changer at our.
Speaker 2 (13:32):
Tables when you wish someone would ask or what have
you not had a chance to talk about as much
lately that you're really thinking about that's been on your mind.
And I think that's the other piece that you talked
about too, is so many of the questions that we
get asked are about our activities, are about our hobbies,
are about where we spend our money. And I think
the other interesting part to me is that is less
(13:54):
than half of our being. There is this other half
that is stuck to the top of our head we're
thinking about and what is taking up our time of
thought and how we're thinking about moving through time and
space differently, and I think those questions at our tables
have been just as meaningful for people, and we often
try to forward face those questions when they are about
(14:17):
how you're thinking. Rare do we call people to reflect
on as much of what's happened in the past at
our tables because we want people to experience connection in
a very future, facing tomorrow, looking ever after, feeling experience.
Rather than this constant state of reflection with strangers, it's
a constant state of forward looking with strangers.
Speaker 3 (14:39):
And that's really cool too.
Speaker 1 (14:41):
What I was thinking when you said that was it's
really hard for a lot of people to just blanket
tell you about themselves because we're constantly trying to identify
and get to know who we are. So when I
get asked a question like that is about tell me
who you are versus what you're thinking about, that feels
(15:01):
so different, Like.
Speaker 2 (15:02):
It's a space, Oh my god, it gives you some
breathing room. And like, also, you and I laughed about
this before we started. We talk about it folkstables all
the time. That number one, it is natural to have
a vulnerability hangover the next day. It doesn't matter if
you are an introvert or an extrovert or an ambivert
we all, myself included, who has now talked to hundreds
(15:23):
and hundreds and hundreds of strangers in my life, I
still always have that I.
Speaker 3 (15:26):
Cannot believe I just said that.
Speaker 2 (15:28):
I cannot believe I just did that, And that is
very natural and that's very human, and think gosh, I
think the other part is that we offer people a
lot of permission to have those draft, one version one
thoughts on the spot. That is all we are asking
for at the tables. In fact, we do not want
people to feel like they ever would have seen the
questions before or have had a chance to kind of
(15:49):
get their head on straight about what they're going to say,
because that is the novelty of that night. Your questions
are different, your people are different. The repeat experience of
folkstable that you can access that high quality connection again
and again and again, and so we love that so
much that for some people they orient connection towards the
conversation they had, for some people they orient connection towards
(16:12):
the people that they met, and either way, both of
those things change each time, so that you can continue
to return to tables and access this type of connection,
be you someone as we hear a lot of people
looking for friends, they want to meet new people, they
want to mix it up, whether they've been here or
they're new here. They're just looking for more people. I
think the other side this came from Tyler, and Tyler's
(16:35):
feedback is one that will stick with me for forever.
They said, you know, my life is really full and
really rich. I'm so blessed, I am married, I have
incredible friends, Like I've worked really hard to.
Speaker 3 (16:46):
Build community in Nashville.
Speaker 2 (16:48):
And they said, but I keep coming to Folk Stable
because I need to experience types of conversations and first
draft thoughts with people that do.
Speaker 1 (16:55):
Not know me. Okay, because sometimes it is so so
much easier to be vulnerable with people that don't know
you than the people that know you.
Speaker 2 (17:03):
Best and that you don't owe any responsibility to see again.
Speaker 1 (17:07):
Oh my god, yeah, that yes right.
Speaker 2 (17:09):
And so I love that we have some people who
do experience Folks in the way of their life is full,
their relationships are sound, they are quote unquote good, but
they still come to us because they're seeking a richer,
broader social life. And then we have a really you know,
kind of traditional experience, which is coming to meet new
friends and explore new restaurants and get to know people
(17:30):
in a new way.
Speaker 1 (17:31):
And part of that is just being seen in a
different way. Yeah, I want to be seen in a
different way. I don't want to be seen as the
wife or the husband or this friend or this. I
would want to come and like not even tell anybody
what I do for a lit.
Speaker 3 (17:44):
Hundred percent, and we wouldn't ask you. That's the joke.
Speaker 2 (17:47):
We don't even really talk about work or whether at
the tables, so chances are we would never know.
Speaker 1 (17:52):
I can only know what it's like from my perspective
of this. But oftentimes when I go to experiences like that,
or I'm doing certain things that involve this caliber of
connecting with people or knowing about connection, I freeze because
I'm like, people are gonna expect X y Z of me,
(18:13):
or I'm supposed to have a good answer, or I'm
supposed to be really deep, and like sometimes I'm not
that deep, just to have fun, and I get exhausted
by that sometimes. And so going to something where like
nobody cares what I do and nobody's going to ask
me allows me to show up and be seen in
a way that I want to be seen that doesn't
happen is also real.
Speaker 3 (18:33):
That's so real.
Speaker 2 (18:34):
You were asking about, like Emma Lore Before all of this,
I used to also be a middle school teacher.
Speaker 1 (18:40):
Crazy, just the worst time of my life.
Speaker 3 (18:42):
Just really smelly and sprightly and spunky.
Speaker 1 (18:45):
We all were.
Speaker 2 (18:47):
So I just got wrecked by thirteen year olds and
was better for it. But I think that ultimately, like
the content I was teaching seventh grade social studies at
the time, it was an untested subject and so the
freedom that we had every day in my class just
to like become a better version of ourselves while we
were talking about the Fall of Rome was so cool,
(19:14):
and so I think about that a lot. I was
asked the other day of like, and we can talk
about this. We're releasing the app component of Folks and
we're growing and we went to south By Southwest this year.
Speaker 1 (19:25):
And I can't wait to hear about that's just crazy.
Speaker 2 (19:28):
I mean, we're in an incubator right now and through
the Entrepreneur Center and just like full fledged break neck
pace startup mode, which is thrilling. And the question was
for as far and as wide and as broad as
folks will go, what is the.
Speaker 3 (19:44):
One thing that you want to be true about?
Speaker 1 (19:45):
It?
Speaker 2 (19:46):
Every single table, every single time, and again me and
an exercise trying to force myself to do the very
same thing that we're asking other people to do.
Speaker 3 (19:55):
Is like the draft.
Speaker 2 (19:56):
One thought, and I thought of my middle schoolers because
it was this version of like, whatever, whatever version of
you shows up to class that day, or in our instance,
to tables that day. I hope that you can be
excited by that person, and if not, at the end
of the table, that you feel better about yourself when
you left, show up as you are. Thank you for coming.
Is that version of yourself? Thank you for being here today, however,
(20:18):
and whoever you are, and thank you for coming, and
whatever version of you experienced this like moment of growth
and honesty at the end of it. So I hope
those two things are always true.
Speaker 1 (20:33):
So take me back, because we got a little we
were stuck in the attic. We're still in the attic,
but we're like kind of automatic at the same time.
How did it go from the attic to what it
is now? Because you're talking about attic and then you're atlasest.
That is crazy, That's great.
Speaker 3 (20:50):
That is crazy.
Speaker 1 (20:50):
Yeah, in a short amount of time. Yeah, it's wild.
Speaker 2 (20:53):
So actual Timeline Folks was established in January of twenty
twenty three. By February of twenty twenty three, you marketed,
and by March of twenty twenty three, we were at
our first restaurant and that was a sold out event.
We had sixty people. We did two seatings math six
tables of five strangers at each yikes. And so that
(21:17):
was quote unquote the start, like not in my attic,
working with community and restaurant partners and like really delivering
on this experience of truly anyone off the street can
show up, can talk to strangers, can ask better questions,
and get better at getting to know people.
Speaker 1 (21:31):
Did you have the game?
Speaker 3 (21:32):
We did, but it's.
Speaker 2 (21:33):
Taken on a lot of different versions and I can't
wait to talk more about that. So we were pretty
much monthly and we were still hosting kind of these
larger or medium sized events. You'd show up, there was
kind of like an amba of like thirty to sixty
to eighty people and you were still put at a
table of strangers. We were running that through our system
and getting really good at our algorithm on how we
pair people. We were working really closely on who you
(21:56):
were matched with when you showed up, and then how
you were seated with different people at tables. We were
paying a ton of attention to the feedback around what
did lead to better conversations and connections and how much
warm up time do people need and when do they
want to stretch their legs and just kind of being
total nerds about like the science of connection and friendship
(22:16):
and novelty and strangers. We kept that at a really
aggressive pace, I would say, because I think as I
approached my life and you asked kind of like who
are you as a person, It's very much like if
I'm going to go for I'm going to go for it.
And so I very much felt that, like I care
about this right now, they are a heck of a
lot of other things I could be doing in my
life that are also exciting to me. And so while
this has my attention, and while this seems to be
(22:37):
working for other people, let's keep going.
Speaker 1 (22:40):
And you're still working a full time job.
Speaker 3 (22:42):
I was working at a full time job. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (22:44):
I was a government early by day and a folks
or by night. And I left my job in October
of twenty twenty three, which is crazy to say that now,
and you all can't see me. But I did what
everybody does with crazy life decisions, and I got bang.
Speaker 1 (23:02):
But the thing work for you is the thing they
don't work for everybody. Gosh, oh I moved to anybody.
Did anybody say like, don't do it?
Speaker 2 (23:10):
Oh?
Speaker 3 (23:11):
For sure?
Speaker 2 (23:11):
They were just the like, okay, we're quitting job and
doing big haircut.
Speaker 3 (23:15):
Got it, God?
Speaker 1 (23:16):
And it moved. So you don't have that attic anymore.
Speaker 2 (23:19):
Well, I do have a different attic, okay, which is
the attic that now we pull a lot of close
to all nighters in. There's a big whiteboard. It's like
the very startup energy. It is really fun and like
such a nice homage to the original attic. But yeah,
we moved really fast, and so then by March of
twenty twenty four we were at south By Southwest, and
then September of twenty twenty four this year, in just
(23:39):
two weeks less than we'll be launching the web based app.
And I think all of this to say is because
what we came to find is that, as you and
I have talked about, connection has gotten really complicated for
people when I say app, and I even hesitate to
use that word. It is so associated to dating apps
for people, which just make me have goosebumps and not
the good kind of way. And so I think for us,
(24:01):
it's like, how do we get back to the basics.
That's why Folks as a brand uses very simple primary colors.
That's why Folks Table as a brand uses really simple
language like pull up a chair, talk to strangers, connect
to something. We are trying to demystify and decomplicate this
thing that has gotten really messy. You and I also
(24:21):
talked about there's a lot of lip service given to connection.
Speaker 3 (24:24):
People talk a lot.
Speaker 2 (24:25):
About swiping and liking and clicking, and we laugh of like,
you know, members club and run clubs and actual clubs
and where people are seeking to find people. And I
think what was so important to me when I saw
the demand at these monthly events was that we could
shift that into something that was not just this big
thing you geared up for once a month, was actually
(24:46):
something that you could do multiple times a week or
once a week within your budget, and that was more accessible,
i e. Showing up to a restaurant, a coffee shop
or a bar for a table of six strangers. Often
that felt like real life to me, or at least
a real life that I want, rather than these big
novel one off experiences that felt like a bit of.
Speaker 3 (25:07):
A band aid.
Speaker 1 (25:08):
That's what the app is doing, and that's what the
app is doing. So what I'm hearing you say is
there's going to be a way and is this local
to Nashville, Local to Nashville for now? Okay, if I
have this app, I can sign up for an event
any day, any day, show up to a place with
(25:28):
five six random people, and then I'll be able to
have a similar experience as I would at this big event.
Speaker 3 (25:35):
I wish you all could see cut starts right now.
It's crazy. That's so cool, so cool.
Speaker 1 (25:41):
So this ide me think of, do you know what
grouper is?
Speaker 2 (25:45):
The fish that's such a good.
Speaker 3 (25:51):
Today? Take the vase I did. There's a fish line.
Speaker 1 (25:55):
And years ago, this was at the beginning of dating apps.
This thing came out called Grouper, and it was an
app where you would like sign up for a day,
you would bring two friends and then whatever sex you're
interested in dating is coming and they're bringing two friends
(26:15):
that you don't know where you're going, the app will
tell you where to go. Then you go there, and
then the first drink is on the app, but really
you pay for it because it's cost money to do this.
But the issue with that is you get there and
you would sit down and then it's like, now what
do you do? And then there's like the conversations with
this person's talking to that person that talking that person.
(26:38):
There's no cohesiveness. And I think I did it twice.
I don't remember. It didn't last. All I know is
that that no longer exists. And what I'm hearing in
that is like, this is a solution to one of
those problems. One, there's not this pressure of like I
have to like this person and it's a flop if
I don't want to make out with this person. So
it's not about that.
Speaker 3 (26:58):
I haven't heard about that the next part.
Speaker 1 (27:05):
And then also there's not this pressure to like force
something real because it's just about connection versus like creating
this intense connection with this person, this one on one thing. Yeah,
I love that.
Speaker 3 (27:19):
That's so cul, it's really fun.
Speaker 2 (27:21):
I Also I'm just like tickled at all this too,
because I think, again, connection can be such a weighty,
like what is this word and what is this moment?
The game that we play, it is meant to be fun.
Talking to strangers is meant to be fun, especially at
the end of a work day, especially with how you
and I just talked about like the woes of the world,
whether that is whatever is plaguing anybody on any given day.
(27:42):
We want this to be something that is just fun
and adults need more of that. It should be really
easy to access, and so I'll give you like really
tangible examples of what this looks like and sounds like
in the old folkslore, like everybody at the table had
like hand clappers and eggshakers and cowbells, like make some noise.
We're trying to be a good part or do our
restaurants right now, so we don't have as much in
their cow bells, but yeah, feel free to like throw
(28:03):
up some snaps on your own and like whack the
table here and there. But the questions we even added
in wild cards, and this was feedback we got of
like some tables rightfully, so we're heading into really interesting,
uncharted territory, really thoughtful conversations, and they needed a chance
to like come up for air. Yeah, like, okay, the
Brussels sprouts just landed on the table and we're hearing
(28:26):
about your hope, streams, wants wishes.
Speaker 3 (28:28):
Let's take a break.
Speaker 2 (28:29):
Yeah, how we programmed the game to offer that without
us being there as facilitators is really important. So he
threw in wild cards like freeze, everybody, do a teeth check.
Does anybody have food in their teeth?
Speaker 3 (28:40):
Oh my god?
Speaker 2 (28:43):
Or like stop everyone go around the table again and
say your name. Names are hard. Real moments are programmed
and built into this game because you and I, like
we laughed, are social creatures and still have these faux paus.
It's not that we're trying to erase the photpaus at
the table. That's very human, that's very fun. But how
can we just like name those moments that are real
when you're talking to strangers, when you're asking questions like that,
(29:06):
Like I just kind of think we are working to
meet the moment and exceed it to your point of
like how people come in with these expectations for who
they are, how they talk, how they engage, and then
kind of meet.
Speaker 3 (29:17):
Them in this moment of reality. So that's the game.
Speaker 1 (29:19):
I want to go back to where you were saying that.
I don't know exactly how you said it, but like
we got kind of like exhausted by these what is connection?
Speaker 2 (29:27):
Like?
Speaker 1 (29:27):
What does that mean?
Speaker 3 (29:28):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (29:28):
I think I don't want to hear your take on this.
I feel like because it has been this and I
don't think there's one thing to blame. I think it's
a mix of social media. It's a mix of people
caring more about relationships. It's a mix of going to
therapy and that being a thing people are allowed to
do now. It's a mix of a lot of things.
But I feel like connection to so many people when
(29:50):
you hear that word this, it's this automatic like I'm
gonna talk about my trauma. Oh yeah, And I have
to do a lot of somewhat even like ching around
this with clients, specifically when they're making new friends or
a lot of times dating. Connection doesn't have to be
as intimate as that is or as vulnerable. I can
still connect and not have this like deep deep, deep
(30:13):
vulnerability that I have to express. And I think all
of those things, because we use those words together connection, intimacy,
like trust, vulnerability, we think they all have to be
happening all the time. For any of them to exist,
and I don't think that's true. And I think that's
actually hurt a lot of our relationships because we haven't
(30:34):
built trust over time with people and allowed people to
have the right to hear parts of my story. And
I think people have felt a lot of like, well,
I wish that that person didn't have that piece of me.
And at the same time, it's like, wait, I just
want to have fun, and so do I want to
have fun or do I want connection? I love you
(30:54):
saying like we're doing that. We can ask those questions,
to have those questions, that's right, but also those questions
take a lot from me. Like when you said vulnerably hangover,
some of that that's not like shame hangover. Sometimes it's not
always like I shouldn't have said that. Sometimes it's like whoa,
they're for real and it's not. It doesn't mean it's bad, no,
(31:15):
But I can't do that every single I can't. Ye
maybe somebody that can do that.
Speaker 3 (31:20):
Totally I cannot.
Speaker 1 (31:21):
And that I think is sometimes when I get home
from work, I'm not even talking about myself at work.
I get home and I'm like TV on or instead
of talking to my husband. I'm like, can we play monopoly?
Like Monopoly deal? There's no way I'm playing an actual
whole game of Monopoly, let's be clear. But I don't
want to do that and I don't have the energy.
But I still want to be in relationship with somebody,
(31:43):
that's right. So do you see that same thing where
those things it feels like they have to be connected,
and you're you're showing us like these things can be connected.
They have relationships with each other, but they don't all
have to exist all the time for your relationships to matter.
Speaker 3 (31:58):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (31:59):
No, I love that, even you talking about like you've
gotten home and it's like do we sit in silence
and like look at the TV or play monopoly or
like how do we just like zone out chill out.
I think the other thing we hear from a lot
of people, myself included, is like if I get to
the end of the day and I'm like, ooh, I
might have like a little left in me. But now
the challenge of finding people to make the plan to
land on the restaurant, to get the reservation, to put
(32:21):
the outfit on, to get the combo of people to
drive Acrosstown and park the parking.
Speaker 1 (32:27):
Oh it's done.
Speaker 2 (32:28):
Takes me out, and he takes me out, And so
I think that that's also where we get really excited
just from like the logistics of connection. We can tackle
a lot of that for people. I use language all
the time, like let's throw elbows to like get good
parking spots, and let's throw elbows to like have people
not have to worry about the combination of people or
the place they're going done. Your question, which I thought
(32:49):
was so timely, was basically it's the question of how
do we define connection or what does that look like
in life? Right now, there's two things that come to mind.
One hundred I should say that come to mind, but
the two that I'll try to spit out is Number
one great research from Nick Epley, and he spent some
time I think, at U Chicago and Harvard, and he
talks about how we as social creatures don't actually understand
(33:11):
our needs and wants around connection very well. And it's
wonderful because he gives us a lot of permission. It's
why this thing hasn't felt good because we don't actually
understand ourselves that well. And he talks about much like
some people wake up in the morning and are so
excited to go work out, and others wake up in
the morning and that sounds like the worst thing. Ever,
we all as humans need to move our bodies and
(33:34):
experience that level of health. Similarly, everybody is a social creature.
Some people might wake up and seek a room full
of people. Other people might wake up and want one encounter,
one quality one. But we as humans, especially now, are
underestimating how much we need to your point, this varied
(33:54):
nature of connection and relationships. We need people who are
close to us, who we are fundamentally just accompanying in life.
They know what type of cereal you like, and they
know what your drunk drawer looks like, and they know
the state of your car, And we need people in
our life that you see consistently and somewhat irregularly. I
would say that first here that I mentioned kind of
(34:16):
the accompaniment. Those are your friends and those are your partners.
That next layer is your community, people that you run
into in classes or workout or activities, and you have
the chance to run into them consistently, but also you
see them a bit randomly. That's important too. And then
that kind of third tier for me that I think
a lot about in terms of connection. Is all of
the random encounters. It's the barista that you lock eyes with,
(34:39):
It's the individual that you bump into at the grocery
store and you all talk about how you both like
the same oatmeal. It is slowing down when you're going
through the DMV to actually look across and say, hey, hello,
this is crazy. I can't believe this is still the
way that we do this.
Speaker 3 (34:56):
Shout out to the DMV. It is, so that's top
of my mind.
Speaker 1 (35:04):
But if you okay, I gotta stop you, because if
I was at the DMV, which I have not changed
my last name. I got married six months ago. I
have not done that, partly because I don't want to
have to like go through all of ra the hiccups
in that fact that I have to go to the
DMV and I might have to go more than once
sounds horrible. So if I was there, if we could
rebrand the DMV. But if you look at me and
(35:25):
you said that, it would have changed my experience.
Speaker 2 (35:29):
But nobody's doing saying that I am, and that's why everybody.
Speaker 1 (35:35):
No.
Speaker 2 (35:35):
But I just joked of like shout out to friends
who know that anywhere we go when we say we're
leaving there like okay, so that means like thirty minutes
from now. And I'm like, I don't know what's talking about.
As I turn around and talk to the stranger next
to me, let me say, connection is a habit. Talking
(35:57):
to strangers is a habit, is a muscle that you build.
These days when we're working so hard indoors, working to
bring this thing out of doors, I find that even
I come out of it and I'm like, oh, how
do I do this?
Speaker 3 (36:08):
What do I say? Again? I kind of forgot you?
Speaker 2 (36:10):
And I also were talking about rebranding the DMV. I
think on that I get really excited fundamentally, Kat of
like if folks takes on the life and the legs
that I think it can and could, that is a
posture in your life towards how you talk to strangers.
And that is far reaching beyond tables that is at
the DMB, that is at the airport. That changes the
(36:31):
way that we exist in social infrastructure. That to me
is nerdy as shit, but I think it is really cool.
And then we also were talking about nature and types
of connection. The last piece I'll say, RAINA. Cohen has
a great book that just came out called The Other
Significant Others. Oh, she really gets into it, and she
talks about how we as a society, from like a
legal structure, from even like contracts and just parameters of society,
(36:55):
we don't have the right language for people that mean
more to us if they aren't your husband, wife, partner,
and like the level of depth or meaning that friends
can offer, like that term isn't always right for like
what people mean to us sometimes. And so she just
writes this whole book with case studies and wonderful stories
and really poignant examples of like we are still missing
(37:17):
the terminology at times of like deep friendship or random
connections that changed us, or like the vocabulary of relationships
just isn't quite where it needs to be. No less
our society doesn't really recognize that. So again more in
the name of like connection brain. But I just think
that on both sides, whether it's as you mentioned, these deep,
(37:38):
deep relationships that have shaped our character or disposition or
daily approach, or these people that we do not know
and that we bump into, run into experience in these
moments of unexpected both are so critical for us to
have this very well rounded life that is also fun
and lets us grow and lets us be and let's
(38:00):
us shake an egg and clap a hand.
Speaker 1 (38:02):
And I use the example of like the workout and
the way that I might want to move my body
could be different than somebody else. I still need to
like move my body for my health, but I'm drawn
to different ways exactly, just like in connection, like not
everybody has to have the same types, but because we
lack the language, we don't realize that, and we don't realize, Oh,
(38:23):
it doesn't have to be that way. I don't want
that it can be this way. Now, I think I'm
a hodgepodge of all the types of relationships, but just
the idea that I could go to an event to
just have fun be seen yep, with no like attachment
to like. Now, I have to maintain these relationships. We
must be friends well, and maybe something happens, but correct
(38:46):
I think that's a beautiful part of this is permission happen.
There's permission for that to happen, but it is not
a requirement that these people now have to be, you know,
pinned on your text message iPhone Like that feels so like, oh,
because I want that, I want to be able to
have fun be seen. I love answering random questions like that,
(39:06):
what do you like to do for fun? I don't
like to answer that one. I don't like that one,
But I just love that idea of you can just
go to this event and have fun, and it's whatever
happens happens.
Speaker 2 (39:15):
Yeah, to the point of big events and what's gonna
happen is what's going to happen. I got to put
a plug in here. September sixteenth, it is National Sit
with a Stranger Day, and that for us is like
better than our company birthday. That is like the best
freaking national holiday we could ever think of. And so
we're throwing a big, free event in Nashville, and the
whole point is to try to give people an experience
(39:37):
and a taste of who we are and what we're about, because,
like we've talked about, we're trying to remind people that
it is fun to meet new people, doesn't have to
be complicated, doesn't have to have this high pressure, high
stakes at folks, it is always friends first.
Speaker 3 (39:49):
For us.
Speaker 2 (39:50):
We are not a dating app, We're not a member's club,
we're not a dinner club. It's a way for people
to come together. And I think that this event we're
so excited for, I don't want to take too to
do much, but that's really where we'll showcase the new
way of Folks, which, as we have previewed as this
web based app where people can connect and experience more regularly.
But I think what's also fun about this type of
(40:13):
an event for us, similar to how we rocked it
at south By or similar We just pulled off a great,
big event at the First Art Museum, which is amazing
and if you haven't gone, I think what we're trying
to remind people of is that these very kind of
traditional form function off the shelves way of networking, of
meeting people, of experiencing life as we know it can
(40:34):
all take on a better, different flavor. As you said,
if we ask better questions and we keep getting better
at getting to know people, that to me is something
that we could stay up to the rest of our lives.
Speaker 1 (40:44):
I have to ask these questions because one this event
sounds so cool, and two I imagine people are having
the same thoughts that I'm having. So imagine you're somebody
who wants new friends, right, That's why I want to
go to this, Yes, but I'm scared. What do they
expect like when they show up? Like yep, I imagine
some people are going to know each other. So if
I show up not knowing it, I might see somebody
(41:05):
I know, but like I expect that I will know nobody.
How do you place me at a table? How do
I sign up beforehand? Like? W how does this work?
Speaker 2 (41:13):
Sign up beforehand? We know that you're coming. That's always
fun for us too, as we say, you know, be
able to properly welcome you in that way? Complete a profile.
The profile you'll see is like a little bit of
a wink in a nod in the Folks universe. It
helps us get to know you better. So it's questions
like do time with strangers? Does that energize you? Or
does that not energize you? And your options might be like, man,
(41:36):
I'm wiped out or I'm piped up. You know, how
often are you taking the lead in conversation that is
not my jam or that's my bread and butter? Like
you will get a sense of where we're going with
these questions. He'll get a screen that says, congrats, you're registered.
We can't wait to see you there. If you can't
come to the event, people shall should complete a profile
because that helps us be able to talk to you
better about future events, so and so forth. But you'll
(41:58):
show up to the event, You'll see a bunch of
friendly folks, volunteers and people that we love in a door.
You'll move through the space and not totally to ruin
all the surprises, but you'll be paired with a stranger.
Speaker 1 (42:08):
Okay, I like that. Keep going.
Speaker 2 (42:10):
So we intentionally have somebody there for you to kick
off your night with.
Speaker 1 (42:16):
And then that's another person that's just going to the event.
Speaker 2 (42:18):
Correct, Okay, And so here let me say loud and clear,
if you are coming with people to this event, you
better wave goodbye to them at the door and get
ready to debrief on the way home, because we're going
to mix it up. And then you'll move into the
space and we have what we call just a conversation
based experience or a conversation based program planned for people
and shocker, it's different questions and it's moving people around
(42:40):
the room, and it's trying to get people to make
combinations and pairings that they've never had before. It is
a standing event. We get a nod to the sit
down social network, and we're actually gonna stand.
Speaker 3 (42:50):
At this event.
Speaker 1 (42:51):
So that is not that normal like dinner using the game.
Speaker 2 (42:55):
This is a different it's a different event. This is
a big activation for us.
Speaker 1 (42:58):
Okay, so I'm getting to the stranger, but I might
then eventually leave that person.
Speaker 3 (43:03):
That's right.
Speaker 1 (43:03):
I don't want you to give away any of the secrets, okay,
fun Okay, So I want to make that clear because
if somebody's nervous about going to an event where they
don't know anybody, that's part of the way it's created
is even if you go with people, you aren't going
to be like standing around twiddling your thumbs.
Speaker 3 (43:18):
Oh no, no, no, you've.
Speaker 1 (43:20):
Taken care of that for the spot for you. Okay,
that's the way. I love that phrase.
Speaker 3 (43:24):
We have a spot phrase, spot for you.
Speaker 2 (43:26):
I think that that's the best part too, is like gosh,
how do I say this? Of like I was maybe
the kid who loved assigned seats because I knew that
that meant that that was where I was meant to be.
And I just think a lot about that at folks.
It's not that we're trying to prescribe conversation and it's
not that we're trying to tell you you can't sit
other places. I think we just want people to know
that at the end of the day, that there's a
(43:46):
spot for them to land in conversation, in with connection.
Speaker 1 (43:50):
I love that. I also am that person that I
want there to be assigned seats everywhere, because what about
the person who's like sitting on the end and doesn't
know if they're allowed to sit there or somebody gonna
take their spot, or are there in the way.
Speaker 2 (44:02):
And oh, folks Table is the sit down social network,
and we are all about a new way to come together.
We talk a lot about pull up a chair, talk
to strangers and connect to something. And so what that
means is that you book a seat at a table
for coffee shops, bars and restaurants across town with people
that you don't know. You'll get sat with anywhere from
(44:23):
four to six strangers, and then you'll show up and
you'll play the game. And that's all about getting to
know people in a better new way by asking better questions.
We talk about folks Table as a social startup and
for us, really what that means is our just do
it line is talk to strangers and we're a platform
for social connection through in person experiences and we're just
(44:46):
really excited.
Speaker 1 (44:48):
I'm excited for this, And I also think there's a
whole other conversation here around you following with this thing
that came from just a desire you had in your heart.
And I think that hopefully people have heard parts of
your story in this, but again, it would be a
whole other conversation around how to allow yourself to dream
(45:09):
about something and then go for it when it doesn't
seem conventional, Like going back to what I said about like,
nobody goes to college to start folks table, Like I
don't think so it's not a major epick. And I
think sometimes so often we get stuck in the well.
This is what I plan to do. This is what
I've always done. Similarly, how we get stuck in our
(45:30):
relationships is these are the ones that I have. These
are the conversations that I have. This is what I do.
And you have given an example of sometimes it's okay
to start planting another seed somewhere and watering it a
little bit more and seeing what happens.
Speaker 3 (45:44):
Oh, I love that.
Speaker 2 (45:44):
I would say two things on that. One is I
have to my name mentioned the team that makes this possible,
Dallas who is co founder and CEO, and Garrett who
has come in to help lead marketing and brand, and
how we sound and what it looks like. I think
what's so fun about that with all three of us
is none of us have gone to business school and
(46:05):
all of us fundamentally are people who do the things
that we say that we're going to do. And that's
how any of this started, was by us talking and
holding each other to monthly goal sessions. What went well
last month, what contributed to that, What are you looking
forward to next month? And how can the three of
us support each other? And so for them to know
my brain and as you said, my heart in that
way around what was taking up a lot of my
(46:27):
time in thought, and for them to, as good friends,
do hold me to that, and then for me also
to have the self trust that if I say that
something is important, that that's something that I'm going to
continue to make important in my life, be that whether
I have the playbook for it or not. Other thing
that I wanted to ask you, Kat, because you get
to ask a lot of people questions and I love
doing that too. What is the question that you wish
(46:49):
somebody would ask you in life right now? Or what's
the thing that you love talking about that you haven't
gotten to talk about as much lately?
Speaker 1 (46:57):
So I want to answer the first one. What is
the question that I wish more people would ask me?
Four things just propped in my head, one being I
wish there was more space for people to ask what
do you want to do in your life that you're
not doing right now? Like what else do you want
(47:19):
to do? I don't have an answer for that. I
could talk about that for hours, but I think that's
something people want to know what I'm doing, but nobody's
asking me, like what do you want to do in
the future, Like what are some things on your list
that you're afraid to start or talk about or dig into?
I think that is what I would want. And then
(47:39):
what was the other one? I'll answer both of them.
Speaker 2 (47:41):
No, I love that the first one you talked about
something you wish people to ask you, and then the
second one is we also reframe it, which is what
is something that you wish you had a chance to
talk about more often?
Speaker 1 (47:51):
Oh, it's the same question, rephrase oh okay, and that
makes it seem so different too. I guess I would
say the same thing. Look at you guys with your
like are you framing? You could be therapists. I need
you in my office. When I ask a question and
somebody's like huh, I'm like, okay, let me ask it
different what but they sound so different?
Speaker 2 (48:08):
We do kind of laugh that folk stables either become
like the greatest blind date or the greatest group therapy.
Speaker 1 (48:15):
Literally the question that I asked, that question be thatids
all the time. It is like, what's something that you
wish people? Well, I say a lot of times, what's
something you wish people knew about you? Like that you
haven't been invited to share. I like that, but that's
kind of the same idea.
Speaker 2 (48:30):
The silly ones that we ask are as you can imagine,
like what's the state of your drunk drawer? And people
take that like very metaphorically, or like what's the name
in your car? Or like describe your notes app on
your phone, or like very normal everyday things that are
like a window of course into us. And so I
(48:52):
also think of kind of the state of the state
of any of us. Sometimes can be wrapped up in
those things too.
Speaker 1 (48:56):
And you learn so much about answering a silly question
like that, even if they answered it plainly of like
it is meticulous and it's or it's empty, or it's
like I can't I'm looking at my right now, it
doesn't shut all the way. Something bothering up and like
stuff falls through the back of it. I keep are
we talking about We're talking about all of them, right,
(49:18):
So I love that just you get so much out
of that kind of question. What I'm also hearing at
the end of this conversation is doing this and showing
up to these events too, is just a way for
you to learn how to talk to people in your life,
talk to the friends you already have. And so that
idea of like, oh I don't have too many friends,
which people feel that way, and I totally get that
(49:41):
you don't have to make any new friends. It might
just show you how to have different kinds of off yeah.
Speaker 3 (49:46):
Different way.
Speaker 2 (49:46):
I love that you said that too, and again, you
and I could go on forever and ever, and I'm in.
But I think the importance of the language we chose
of connect to something, right. We didn't say connect to someone, Oh,
we said connect to something. Because I think that at
times that something is also yourself. Yeah, sometimes you need
to go to a folk stable to remind yourself of
(50:09):
who you are, what's important to you, what gets you giggling.
What is the state of the state of your junk drawer? Yeah,
and why that is totally permissible to have one that
doesn't shut or fifteen of them.
Speaker 3 (50:21):
And that is a connection to yourself. And that is
just as.
Speaker 2 (50:24):
Powerful in our quest for connection and friendship and discovery
and reflection that you get to have that with yourself
as you would also with others.
Speaker 3 (50:32):
So that was important to us.
Speaker 1 (50:33):
And that's not again, we could go on forever. That's
not narcissistic. I think so often people are like, well,
I can't talk about myself, and I can't you know what.
I've been on a lot of horrible dates where not
one question was asked, and that goes back to like,
thank you for asking me a question, because yeah, all
day and that's my job. So it's like I'm not
(50:54):
mad about that. But sometimes it is like I have
these stories that I want to tell and maybe that's
why I started podcast. But that's not narcissistic to want
to be able to share your story and parts of
your stories and take up space and talk and maybe
(51:16):
that this is a like stepping stone into allowing that
to happen. I'm so glad you said that at the end.
That like the connecting to yourself and allowing yourself to
be heard, even if it's you hearing yourself is part
of this thing I'm obsessed with that.
Speaker 2 (51:32):
You do that very well too, and I think you
give a lot of people that permission.
Speaker 1 (51:35):
Oh well, thank you. How do you want people to
find out about you? Like? Can you give us your
handle and your the website? We'll link it all so
if you're hearing this and you're driving or something, you
can go click it. But can you just tell us
what those things are? Absolutely well, come hang out with us.
We can't wait to meet you and see you and
know you. You can find us on.
Speaker 2 (51:51):
The interweb were www dot folks table That is f
o l x folks table.
Speaker 3 (51:57):
Wait do I'm.
Speaker 1 (51:58):
Gonna interrupt you?
Speaker 3 (51:58):
Please go for it.
Speaker 1 (51:59):
Can you tell us about the name?
Speaker 2 (52:01):
Yeah, because that's important to his name is important. Yeah,
folks folx it's a nod as the word itself means,
just for a more broad and inclusive version of folks.
So for us, it means that everybody has a seat
at our table. And then you can find us on
Instagram and TikTok, though we are less present on the
ladder and doing better perhaps on the former, but Instagram
(52:21):
is folks folx dot table, and I think it's the
same on.
Speaker 1 (52:25):
TikTok Okay, Yeah, TikTok is a whole other animal.
Speaker 3 (52:30):
That's a whole other session.
Speaker 1 (52:32):
Yes, we could talk about connecting on TikTok for hours
and hours. All right, Well, thank you so much. Chat
This has a bit of a last I'm so excited
you're going to come back and talk to us again.
Speaker 3 (52:40):
This is part one.
Speaker 1 (52:41):
You've heard it here first. This is part one. You
can follow the podcast at Unied Therapy podcast on Instagram,
and if you have any questions, feedback, anything for me,
you can send that to Katherine at Unied Therapy podcast
dot com and you can follow me at kat van Buren,
which I keep my seen that because I forgot that
I changed that. I didn't go to the DMV and changed
(53:03):
my last name. I just changed it on Instagram. That
felt easier to.
Speaker 3 (53:06):
See you there. All right.
Speaker 1 (53:08):
Well, I hope you guys have the day you need
to have and I will talk to you soon Bye.
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