You are loved.
You are successful.
You are surrounded.
And still...
There are parts of you that don't get to come alive.
The part that's tired of translating itself.
The part that wonders, "Is this it?"
And the part that notices a pattern: the more you grow, the more socializing feels like walking down a long, dark hallway. Trying each door. Hoping one finally opens into something real.
You don't need more people.
You need a better room.
Where you laugh harder than you planned to and leave thinking, "Dang, I really need to do that more often."
This is The Board.
A private network for people who've built full lives and are ready for relationships that can meet them there.
In your first 30 days, you will:
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Attend your first live Salon
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Have 2-3 spontaneous chats that leave you clearer, lighter, and laughing
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Walk away with a handful of humans you'd happily invite to your birthday
Find the 3–5 people who inspire you to play bigger and squeeze every last drop out of life.
Application only. $97/month or $997/year.
There's a specific kind of loneliness that comes with growth.
The Hallway Period
When I moved to Austin, I tried everything to find my people.
Habit groups. Line dancing. A philosophy club. Dozens of Meetup events... months of showing up alone and saying yes to things that sounded promising.
And somehow, no matter where I went, I kept having the same conversation.
I call them Advanced Weather Conversations.
They skim the surface. What you do for work, the weather compared to last year, and some lukewarm takes that aren’t hot enough to be interesting.
People would ask to connect, hang out, follow up. And I'd walk away thinking: that was fine. Pleasant, even.
But I had no desire to see them again.
The guilt that comes with that is heavy.
Am I being elitist? Too picky? Should I just be grateful someone wants to hang out with me?
But here's what I eventually realized:
This wasn't about judgment.
It was about reciprocity.
When you're a perpetual learner with electric passions and open questions you've been sitting with for months…
People can feel your aliveness.
They're drawn to it.
But they can't always match it.
Someone can be wonderful without being your person.
And that's when you end up giving.
Asking questions, carrying the conversation, drawing people out.
And walking away having poured yourself into a moment that gave very little back.
They leave lit up, wanting to do it again next Tuesday.
And you leave feeling... strangely hollow.
Eventually, you stop trying the doors.
You stay home instead. Pour into yourself. And quietly start to wonder:
Are my people actually out there?
Or am I looking for a kind of connection that's just too rare?
That's the Hallway Period.
The space between who you're becoming... and the people who can actually meet you there.
The Board is at the end of the hallway.
Who This Is For
You know that one person at the party with an immaculate vibe you could talk to for hours in the corner?
Or that one friend from college who brought sunshine into every room?
Or that mysterious friend you run into once a year but when you think of them, you say "Man, I just love that guy" in your head with a smile?
The Board exists to bring all these people together.
It's probably a fit if:
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You're already in motion. Founder, operator, creative, host. You're not waiting for your life to start. You're in it.
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You've read the books, done the work, invested in your growth. What's missing isn't more information. It's a room full of people who have too.
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You genuinely want to see people win. Here, we're all in pursuit of excellence; we love to see people try new things and climb Cringe Mountain.
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You move with integrity, emotional regulation, and relational tact.
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You trust the rhythm of relationships. You don’t chase, pressure, or keep score.
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You’re tired of being the person who asks every meaningful question.
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You hear "The Board is a gossip-free space" and think, "Finally."
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You're hungry for better rooms, not more rooms.
It's not a fit if:
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You treat people like leads.
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You bond through gossip or judging others.
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You don’t take responsibility for the energy you bring.
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You spiral when someone doesn't message you back quickly.
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You are not open to feedback.
The room only works if the people in it hold the standard.
Monthly Salons
75‑minute, live conversations on Zoom where we skip small talk and go straight to the good stuff.
Each month, we rotate themes so it stays fresh.
Spark Calls™
Spontaneous 1:1 conversations with people who passed the vibe check.
Deep enough to matter, short enough to fit between meetings.
The Member Directory
A vetted, searchable room of emotionally intelligent humans you'd actually want to meet.
No more scrolling, wondering "Is this intro worth my time?"
Engineered Serendipity
Priority access to dinners, spontaneous experiments, and Board‑only events as they emerge.
This is where life starts to feel alive and delightful again.
No Social Debt
No attendance tracking or keeping score. Come close, pull back, return when it's real.
Belonging isn't something you have to maintain.
What You Receive
Your First 30 Days
You're not dropped into a crowd and left to figure it out.
Every member is met with care (and enthusiastic voice notes).
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Days 0–3: Welcome, orientation journey, short philosophy videos, profile setup
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Days 4–7: You're invited into your first Spark Call so you feel the culture in real time
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Days 8–30: Your first Salon. Two or three more Spark Calls. A handful of new people who add spice to your life.
By day 30, you can name at least 3 people you want to keep in your life.
Spark Calls™ — Connection That Meets You Where You Are
A Spark Call is a short, 1:1, spontaneous conversation when you see someone's online and feel a pull to connect.
Short enough to be doable on a Tuesday at 2 PM. Deep enough to change the trajectory of your week.
You'll use them to celebrate a win, brainstorm an idea, or reality check a decision with someone who has no agenda except your clarity.
Monthly Salons — The Best Conversation of Your Month
Once a month, The Board gathers on Zoom for a 75 minute Salon.
You don't sit and watch... you enter the conversation.
Every Salon has a theme (like Love & Relationships or Money & Freedom), and conversations unfold so naturally you'd be shocked you're talking to a stranger.
The Member Directory — A Network You Can Trust
It's the opposite of LinkedIn.
Everyone passed the vibe check. Collaboration over competition. Profiles built to spark real conversations, not cold DMs written by AI.
Find a co-creator, a lawyer who moonlights as a comedian, or a new friend in a city you're visiting who won't try to sell you something weird.
You're entering a room where everyone shares the same qualities: curiosity, integrity, and a knack for balancing depth and fun.
(Lovingly referred to as the Good Vibe Avengers.)
Engineered Serendipity
Two members go deep on their current obsession and suddenly there's a live stream. Someone wants to jam on an idea and five people show up.
When something's alive, we build a space for it.
Board members also receive:
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Priority access to Board-only events, dinners, and retreats as they emerge
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Spontaneous events and experiments we don't advertise
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Visibility opportunities in The Friday Debrief newsletter and The Board Talks podcast
And honestly?
It's just really, really good in here.
Catherine Meyer
"This community tends to attract a certain type: excited about life, interested in meaningful conversation, and ambitious, go-getter people. I just LOVE it. It's one of the highlights of my week."
Brian Whitfield
"I’m the type of person that thrives off theories and personal expression. This is one of the best places to just be in the flow and get lost in thought with others."
Erin Laverone
"I've made some really great friends who I've gone on to do fun hobbies, trips, and dinners with. I recommend this to so many people, especially if you're an introvert who enjoys deep, soul-fulfilling conversations."
The field already works.
You just have to step into it.
In 2022, I had a simple idea:
What if strangers walked 5 miles together every Saturday and talked about something real?
No phones. Everyone brings a topic. See what happens.
What happened was The Board Walks: now active in 20+ cities, attended by 30,000+ humans for life-changing conversations.
For years, people asked us the same question:
"Is there more?"
Something like this... but deeper. More intentional. Beyond the walk itself.
Something to connect everyone who's drawn to this movement, so this global network can grow beyond Saturdays.
The Board is our answer. 💚
You're already behind in three group chats.
This is not a fourth.
A Room Without Social Debt
Most communities run on invisible contracts.
Stay consistent. Reply quickly. Keep showing up.
Or risk falling out of the group.
You go quiet for three weeks (life, work, a season of turning inward) and when you come back, something's shifted.
No one says it directly, but you feel it.
A comment with a little bite to it. A message that goes unanswered a beat too long. A subtle sense that you've... missed something.
Like there's a ledger you didn't know you were being measured against.
The Board runs on a different social contract.
No one is tracking your attendance, keeping score, or expecting perfect consistency for the sake of belonging.
If you disappear for six weeks and reappear like nothing happened, we don't even question it.
You follow your own rhythm here.
To come close, to pull back, to return when it's real...
Without explanation or the pressure to be "on."
Belonging shouldn’t be something you have to maintain.
So here's the whole contract:
When you're here, be here.
When you're not, we'll be glad to see you when you return.
Some of the best things that happen inside The Board aren't scheduled.
They're sparked.
What It Feels Like
It's a random Wednesday.
You've got 20 minutes between things and you're in the mood to chat.
You open The Board. This week, someone's deciding whether to leave a startup. Someone's writing their first book. Someone just moved to a city where they know no one.
You see a profile and think, "I want to know what's going on in that brain."
You send a message:
"Want to hop on a Spark Call?"
15 minutes later, you hang up laughing about something you can't quite explain to anyone who wasn't there.
You followed a thread neither of you expected. You said something out loud you'd been turning over for weeks and the other person finished the sentence.
No calendar hold or obligation created for 2 weeks later.
Just the good part, right when you needed it.
That's not the exception.
That's the baseline.
Founding Membership
$97 month-to-month (cancel anytime), or $997 annually
The first 50 members keep that rate for as long as they stay.
When the founding cohort closes, membership moves to standard pricing.
Where your dues go: The Board Walks is free in every city and always will be. The Board keeps it that way. Your membership funds the infrastructure, the marketing, and every new chapter we open. You're not only joining a network of curious, high-achieving people that give you energy to play bigger; you're keeping the front door open behind you.
How to Apply
1. Apply
Your application is the first act of curation.
We are listening for aliveness, self-responsibility, and the kind of presence that makes the room better.
We strongly recommend submitting a video.
2. We Review
If it feels like a mutual yes, you'll receive an invitation.
The Board is capped at 250 members, so the directory stays navigable and relationships stay real.
3. Stay or Move On, Guilt-Free
We review membership annually because the integrity of the field depends on everyone being in.
You can renew, pause, or complete. Just a clean decision from both sides.
What Your Best Year Could Look Like
Fast forward 12 months.
People you didn't know a year ago now feel essential.
Some are collaborators. Some are mirrors. One might be the person you call when life goes sideways.
They're in different cities, different industries, different seasons of life.
And somehow, they're exactly right.
You've:
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Attended a year of Salons where conversations didn’t stay surface-level for more than 30 seconds
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Had dozens of Spark Calls that left you clearer, sharper, more like yourself than when you started
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Watched something real take shape (a project, a relationship, a version of you) that wouldn’t exist without this room
You don't sit on decisions alone anymore.
You spend far less time in rooms that drain you, and far more in ones that actually expand you.
And the quiet shift underneath it all:
You're no longer asking "Where are my people?"
You're in the room with them.
If The Board gives you even one collaborator, one city move that feels like home, or one big decision you don't have to make alone...
It pays for itself.
What people say about The Board Walks, the field that started it all
Izzy Quane
“I’ve built deeper friendships in 13 weeks of hosting this walk than in 3 years of living in Detroit. This is the 'Friends the TV show' community I've always wanted but could never find, no matter how hard I tried. One regular is quitting her job because they're making her work on Saturdays, and she doesn't want to miss the walk."
Arth Vidyarthi
"The people I've met have become lifelong friends and mentors. They've guided me in so many ways, given me constructive criticism, called me out when I needed it, and kept me from going off the deep end. Countless conversations on the walk have massively shaped the person I am today."
Katelyn Donnelly
"The walk is BY FAR one of the most welcoming experiences I had when I moved cities. It made me feel like I could have a real home here, a real community, and a togetherness with people I craved. There was a genuine humanity and loving spirit to the walk that you don't find everywhere."
Brian Schuster
"The walk isn't in my city yet. So every single time I travel to Austin, I always make sure my trip overlaps with the walk. Hands down, the most interesting people and the best connections always happen here. If you haven't done it, you're really missing out. This community is something special."
Common Questions
Is this a coaching program?
No. The value comes from the network, the conversations, and our ability to curate and maintain the quality of the room.
Is this a business mastermind?
Not exactly. Many members are builders and founders, and your work will be honored and supported here. But The Board is broader than "get your revenue to X." It's about your life, your relationships, your character, and your craft.
So, what exactly is The Board?
A private global network for people who've built full lives and want to be surrounded by others who have, too. The Board is the premium layer of The Board Walks, our free weekly ritual for better conversations in 20+ cities, joined by 30,000+ people since 2022.
Do I have to live in a Board Walk city?
No. We’re excited to connect people who don’t live in our Walk cities. The Board is primarily online to bring values-aligned people together from anywhere in the world. IRL experiences beyond The Board Walks will layer on top when it makes sense.
What if I'm introverted?
You'll love it here. Spark Calls are 15 minutes, opt-in, and you'll be talking to people who understand nuance and don't require you to be "on." Our monthly Salons are structured for impact and variety, with a clear end. Zero pressure to perform.
What if I'm not "successful enough"?
We care far more about how you move through the world than what you've accumulated. If you're honest, self-responsible, curious, and devoted to your growth… you deserve to be in rooms like this, full stop.
What if I join and it's not the right fit?
We'd rather you leave than stay in a room that doesn't feel right. Attend one Salon and take one Spark Call in your first 30 days; if the room still doesn't meet you, tell us and we'll return your first month and part cleanly. Curation doesn't stop at the door.
Can I just pay and get in?
No. Everyone goes through the same application process. That protects you as much as it protects the experience.
Stewards of The Board
Elle Beecher Hogan
Elle has spent the last four years building the room she always wished existed. What she started as one Saturday walk in Austin is now The Board Walks: a global movement for real conversations, now in 20+ cities with 30,000+ attendees, recognized by Forbes 30 Under 30 and One Young World. As co-founder of The Board, she built it for the people who've been asking "is there more?" You already know the answer.
Cameron Hogan
Cameron is the person you want in your corner when something isn't working and you can't figure out why. As co-founder of The Board and Head of Expansion at The Board Walks, Cameron builds the infrastructure that lets the magic travel. He loves writing, systems, and solving complex life problems with the same curiosity he brings to every conversation.
See you in the room.