The Future Is Human

Conversations with Georgie #42

👋 Hello Friends

Happy winter?! I was just noticing how warm it was for November and then suddenly I became freezing!

I loved hearing from a variety of readers how impactful the last post on ‘What is special about this day?’ was. It seems I am not alone in struggling with standard gratitude practices. Did you experiment? Let me know how it went. ✨

This month has been a good test of my abilities to see the wider picture and be appreciative of life even when a few individual pieces have challenged me – including some health issues that feel like they’ve become another part-time job. One is my foot🦶, which I may have to have surgery on, so I’m preparing myself for the impact of that. However, I am still reminding myself that things could be a lot worse; I’m lucky that I can still move around London and engage in activities, even if I have to pay a little bit the next day.

Looking back over my gratitude 💛 entries from this month, much of my appreciation over the last month goes to the people and moments of connection in my life – friends, clients, family, and new people I’ve met – who’ve very much filled up my bucket. This includes strangers too - and I’ve shared one of these stories below (3). Speaking of old clients, it has been such a joy speaking with those who took my invitation to co-create the next chapter with me 🙏. I’ve shared my insights from these conversations below and how I hope to apply them (1) whilst building a future that is human 👱.

As always, I invite you to grab a warm drink, find the sunniest and warmest spot in your home (don’t forget the ☕!), and join me for a 5–8 minute read. And if anything in this letter lands, I’d love to hear from you. A comment or reply always makes my day. 📥

Sending (Virtual) Hugs, Love & A Warm Smile,

Georgie 🤗💜

Capturing the beautiful colours of Autumn (and some human connection!) on a recent walk in Clapham.

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1. What I Learned From My ‘What’s Next?’ Conversations 💡

Thanks 🙏 to those who responded enthusiastically to my request to co-create the next chapter with me over a call. It’s been such a joy to reconnect with people I’ve met through Trigger gatherings and trainings over the last 9 years, spread all over the world.

I felt the warmth and strength of those connections; in some cases it felt like almost no time had passed at all. I was deeply touched hearing what had stayed with you from the events and trainings, and the impact those moments have had since. It brought up a lot of pride, joy, and a fresh desire to keep creating!

As well as reconnecting, the purpose of the calls was to help me understand: more about the value my work has brought individuals, what they see as the essence of it, what individuals are longing for right now and what value others imagine I could bring into the world right now. Here are some themes that emerged:

How this work is changing people ✨

1. 🧬 This is identity-shifting work. A big outcome is people dropping old labels (shy, not-a-people-person) and choosing new ones. The work operates at identity level.

   “I don’t really call myself shy anymore – that label just doesn’t fit in the same way.”

2. 🎈People experience the ‘world as a playground’ for connection. Their mindset has shifted from ‘avoiding people ‘ to seeing “there are opportunities everywhere” where conversations are experiments, play, exploration.

   “Now I catch myself thinking: I could talk to anyone here. It feels more like a playground than something to be scared of.”

3. 🧩 Frameworks feel refreshing and very practical. The ones that stuck the most were: breaking scripts, sharing observations/statements, 3 levels of listening and limiting belief work.

4. 🫂 People value safe, held containers where they can rehearse new ways of being. Trigger events and training programmes go beyond “content”- they’re containers where people feel emotionally safe enough to try new behaviours, share honestly, and be seen.

5. 🛠️ Conversation skills are becoming core life infrastructure, not a “nice-to-have”: the tools from my work become part of their daily life and worldview and not just something they “did once”.

What people are longing for now 💗

6. 🧭 Connection is a form of wayfinding in transitional and liminal spaces: Many are navigating liminal life transitions (retirements, moves, job changes, “what now?” seasons) and using this work to orient and reimagine who they’re becoming.

I was in such a ‘what now?’ phase, and these conversations became a way to chart my next chapter.

7. 🎶 Embodied and creative spaces are core connection channels. People talked about choirs, pantomimes, dance, silent book clubs, walks and community projects as key places they feel alive and connected, not just in “talking spaces”.

8. 👥 There’s a strong desire for ongoing practice and alumni community. People don’t want the work to end at the course; they want continuing containers for practice and accountability.

9. ☕ People crave local, low-friction, spontaneous connection: others you see easily, perhaps meet after work without any commitment or warm micro-interactions (smiling, saying hello) at everyday (e.g. co-working) spaces.

“I’d love just one or two people nearby I can message for a quick drink or walk, without weeks of planning.”

10. 🌗 There’s a gap between “I’ve changed” and “my circles haven’t”. Many desire (new) deeper friendships. Many feel stretched across too many people and communities and want fewer, deeper, more nourishing connections with people on the same wavelength.

11. 🤍 There is a desire for spaces where depth & vulnerability are normalised - where everyone arrives with the intention to be real.

The wider context we’re designing for 🌍

12. 🔁 Rhythm, habit and the “ordinary sacred” really matter: People stick to things that have a rhythm: monthly clubs, regular choirs or book clubs.

13. 🌌 There’s a quiet spiritual / existential thread on meaning, purpose and “what it means to be human”: Even when people don’t identify with religion, they’re using community & conversation to create meaning and a sense of the sacred.

14. 🧵 Alumni are becoming stewards & weavers – not just consumers. People are bringing my tools and ideas into their own work, communities, and events and already acting as hosts and facilitators.

15. 🤖 There is awareness of the macro context: societal collapse, tech overwhelm, AI & disconnection as the backdrop: and see human flavoured connection as part of the response and what will be a differentiator even more.

16. 💛 There is a strong desire for existing spaces to be less transactional and more connected. People are wary of retreats, communities and clubs that feel extractive, brand-y or “networky” and crave spaces that feel genuinely mutual.

So what does this mean? From a positioning perspective, my work sits at the intersection of liminal life transitions, longing for belonging, embodied/creative practice, and designing gentle but powerful structures for being human together in a tech-saturated, anxious world.

How does this shape what I’ll create next? 🎯 Right now, I see two strong opportunities to add value:

1. 👥 Creating an alumni community for practice & support: Frequent spaces for alumni (and guests) to practise these skills with others who care, so they become part of who you are rather than a fading memory while also building bridges and belonging with like-minded others.

2. 🤲 Supporting connection-leaders to create safe, playful and honest connection/human-first spaces. A “Connection by Design Lab” offering training and advisory for organisations, L&D/HR teams, and retreat / community organisers who want their spaces to feel safe, playful and honest – not transactional or performative.

I’m also playing with ideas around more local, low-friction gatherings and a yearly ‘campfire’ retreat🔥. All of this, plus watching the AI wave roll in, has made me even clearer about one thing: the future I want to build is gloriously human 🧡.

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2.🔥 The Future Is… Human

I’ve been reflecting a lot about where we are in the world right now, and I’ve realized that I am working in the right business. More and more I think that what is going to be perceived as most valuable, worth creating and paying for is the human-flavoured elements of life like IRL gatherings and interactions with actual humans. Below are some reflections that I had and shared on a recent LinkedIn post, in part inspired by another post on LinkedIn about the future being analogue by Rory Oxenham.

👇👇👇

Everyone’s talking about AI.
But the future I most want to live in — to build, to be part of — is human.

Not artificial.
Not optimised.
Human.

In 2016, I started Trigger Conversations to build that future one meaningful conversation at a time.

100 gatherings later, our team Olivia Everist, Derek Kirkup, Teo Embers and I, guided by Sallee Poinsette-Nash wrote a manifesto: a love letter to connection, curiosity, openness, playfulness, expansion, adventure, and aliveness.

This week, I stumbled across it again and smiled.
It still feels true.

AI has exploded. We’re more connected than ever but somehow further apart.
Yet, what makes us human still matters most.

As Rory Oxenham said “Connection — with ourselves, others, and nature — isn’t a trend. It’s a constant. Something we always return to.”

I started the right business.

And I’m more energised than ever to meet others building this human future —
facilitators, researchers, entrepreneurs, artists, community weavers, designers, storytellers.

Maybe it’s time to write the next version of this manifesto… together.

💭 If you were adding one line to a “Future is Human” manifesto, what would yours say?


Our Manifesto 👇

😊 CONNECTION I’m on a mission to connect anywhere because connection is everywhere. Those strangers around me are friends I haven’t met yet. In a world where everything starts with a conversation.
💡CURIOSITY My mind is set for discovery and exploration. I’m here to be curious, to notice more, to enquire. By being interested, I become interesting. Everyone has a story and our stories inspire.
👐 OPENNESS I am compassionate to the core. I break down barriers and embrace everyone. I share to belong. I listen to accept. And I can feel we’re more alike than we think.
😆 PLAYFULNESS I’m here to experiment, creating mischief and fun! I invite with my questions and lead with openness. I dare to be different, because life is an experiment. Conversation is our canvas and we are the colours.
🔥 EXPANSION Our lives are too big to be filled with small talk. Conversation is the gateway that expands our world. Let’s push the boundaries, until they’re there no more. Break the box and invite others to social freedom.
⛰️ ADVENTURE We are adventurers in conversation. We are travellers without a destination. Exploring the unknown, without expectation. Each one of us a teacher and every person an opportunity.
✨ ALIVENESS We will be present, aware and in flow. Being the spark that ignites others to be themselves, We are not our labels, not the what; the who. But each one of us is human, and you are human too.

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3. Stranger Stories ✨

The world needs more moments of connection with strangers. Research by people like the wonderful Gillian Sandstrom shows that even tiny interactions can have a big impact on our day. When I talk to people around me, I feel a stronger sense of belonging to the world. I stop seeing others as people who are just there to help me get my needs met, and remember they’re humans with their own lives and personalities. When we treat people as whole, deep, rich humans, even the briefest moments can suddenly feel very different.

For the last few months, I’ve been recording these moments with strangers as quick voice notes just after they happen (because my memory is like a sieve!). My intention is to bring more of these stories into the world, to show how possible and how important they are. So I thought I’d start by sharing one of them below, from a couple of weeks ago, about how my relationship with my exercise-class teacher has shifted from a simple hello into a connection I look forward to every week. I hope these stories nudge you to experiment with your own tiny interactions – and if you have any you’d like to share, I’d absolutely love to hear them and maybe weave them into this letter.

One of our ‘questions of the week’

I’ve been going to the same Friday strength class with my sister for months. Except when I’m ill or travelling, I’m there as it’s my favourite class of the week. I get to see my sister Liv Nightingall, become fitter, and over time we’ve gotten to know our trainer, Beth.

A few weeks ago she discovered my work is about conversations and questions and lit up: “I love questions... can we do a question of the week?” As a question-addict, I was in.

Friday’s was: What’s the best and worst decision you’ve made this week? (feel free to nick this prompt!)

Here were ours:
• Beth: led too many classes in one day and felt wrecked after, best was asking for this question!
• Me: worst was rushing to collect my laundry from the machine (while on the phone to my mum) and smacking my nose on the door (it hurt!); best was an impromptu hangout at a friend’s after a challenging week.
• My sister: best was finally booking a much-needed osteopath appointment; worst was going out for drinks that probably didn’t help.

Two minutes and suddenly you actually know each other: what’s alive this week, the wins and wobbles. She’s not just “the trainer”; she’s a whole human. And so am I. That’s the connection I keep coming back for.

After class, Beth told me it’s become a highlight of her week. It’s now in her group chat; her friends do it too. Wow... that tiny prompt travelled.

And it made my day to hear this.

Bigger reflection: gyms often underinvest in connection. Beyond this class, mine mostly doesn’t either. Which is wild, because the reasons I keep showing up aren’t just strength gains, they’re belonging. Seeing my sister every week. Feeling like my trainer has my best interests at heart. Those small, meaningful moments stack into wellbeing. People come for reps. But they return for each other.

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4. Consumable Delights 😋

📖 Book: The Art of Spending Money by Morgan Housel - Housel is a great storyteller, and I’ve loved reading all his books so far. I could probably write a whole blog on what I took away from this book (perhaps this will be part of my annual reflections) but for now, I’m sharing a few insights that really landed for me:

• Money really can be used as a tool to make you happier, but it’s usually for indirect reasons (e.g. buying a holiday or experience to spend quality time with friends and family). If you’re already an unhappy person - it’s unlikely that more money will ever fix your problems.

• A simple life can be the most potent way to enjoy luxury items if you discover something you love, e.g., a restaurant trip or a product. How can you turn it into an occasional treat vs. a new addiction so it does truly feel like magic when you give it to yourself, and it doesn’t just become something you expect?

• Wealth without independence is a unique form of poverty: money you haven’t spent buys something intangible but valuable - freedom, independence, and the ability to spend time in your own way.

⚒️ AI workshops - Get Good with AI masterclasses - I’ve enjoyed learning everything I didn’t know about how to use AI well from Henry, Ben & Cien in their fun last 6 week course.

🎵 Music: Ed Sheeran’s Heaven & Azizam - You know those songs you can’t help but listen to on repeat because they wake you up from a bad mood, and make you want to dance and smile? These have become my go-tos for that recently, so much so that I have had to start limiting their use before the magic starts to fade!

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5. A Closing Poem📝

Thanks to Galy 🙏, who first shared this poem at our friends’ birthday gathering. It’s a beautiful reminder to pay attention, to honour and love the sacredness of each moment, and to let ourselves feel the grief as it slips away.

You Will Lose Everything

You will lose everything. Your money, your power, your fame, your success, perhaps even your memories. Your looks will go. Loved ones will die. Your body will fall apart. Everything that seems permanent is impermanent and will be smashed. Experience will gradually, or not so gradually, strip away everything that it can strip away. Waking up means facing this reality with open eyes and no longer turning away.

But right now, we stand on sacred and holy ground, for that which will be lost has not yet been lost, and realising this is the key to unspeakable joy. Whoever or whatever is in your life right now has not yet been taken away from you. This may sound trivial, obvious, like nothing, but really it is the key to everything, the why and how and wherefore of existence. Impermanence has already rendered everything and everyone around you so deeply holy and significant and worthy of your heartbreaking gratitude.

Loss has already transfigured your life into an altar.

- Jeff Foster