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Lonely? Social wellness startups offer support circles - Los Angeles Times

latimes.com · 2,143 words · saved by 1 readers

Peppy pop music kicks off the virtual meeting, for which rows of attendees are arranged like “The Brady Bunch.” “I love to see all these beautiful, smiley faces!” exclaims our guide, shouting out the names of participants. Everyone looks eager to do what they came here to do: Share their feelings with strangers. Nearly 20 people have joined this guided group conversation, a “gather” run by a new startup called Peoplehood. Over the next hour, our guide — her vibe is part yoga instructor, part sleepaway camp director — prompts attendees to get, well, personal. The “gather” starts as one big group. Members engage in some breathwork exercises, listen to a little John Mayer music and share one thing that “feels true to them.” (One member felt it was true that his hangovers get worse as he ages.) Then everyone is paired off into randomly determined, brief one-on-one sessions with assigned prompts. Peoplehood keeps gathers” casual and upbeat, which sets the tone for the topics discussed: inde

Does the average American need a support group? Social wellness initiatives are catching on in Silicon Valley, the workplace and unexpected sectors — for a price. By Rina Raphael March 2, 2023 5 AM PT 1 Share via Close extra sharing options Email Facebook X LinkedIn Threads Reddit WhatsApp Copy Link URL Copied! Print See more from the L.A. Times in Google Search. Set us as preferred p]:text-cms-story-body-color-text" data-dropcap-image data-subscriber-content> Peppy pop music kicks off the virtual meeting, for which rows of attendees are arranged like “The Brady Bunch.” “I love to see all thes

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