We're losing the art of conversation. That's at least what Hannah Rinne thinks and she says the reason isn't social media exactly. It's that we've become too entertained by ourselves to need anyone else.

Hannah is the founder of the Conversation Club, a movement in Amsterdam that pulls strangers together in person to talk about the things social media won't let us slow down for. Is having a boyfriend embarrassing? Is social media ruining our lives? Is love harder to find today? She's also a co-founder of Social Capital, a radio host on the Conversation Club show, a Rocycle instructor with 1,500 classes under her belt, and a self-described "cultural curator."

In this episode we get into why she thinks our phones are quietly draining the substance out of our lives, and what she's actually doing in Amsterdam to bring it back.

We talk about the moment on a beach in Australia where she sketched out the Conversation Club while getting her nails done. The first event at the Hoxton, where she capped it at 15 people and ended up staying until 10pm. Why "friction maxxing" might be the most important wellness trend of the next five years.

In this episode:

- Why the real problem isn't social media, it's that we're too entertained by ourselves

- How the Conversation Club went from a beach idea to a sold-out movement in Amsterdam

- Why our IQ dropped for the first time last year, and what that signals about the next decade

- The sauna conversation Hannah will never forget with two strangers

- Why she chose to be a "cultural curator" instead of picking one lane

- The lost art of observation, boredom, and waiting in line without your phone

- "Friction maxxing": why deliberate discomfort might save us

What she'd send to every phone on earth if she could send one SMS

Chapters:

00:00 The attention crisis: why nobody talks anymore

01:00 Hannah's portfolio life: cellist, gymnast, entrepreneur

03:00 The family that wasn't supposed to produce a founder

05:00 Why fewer women say yes to podcasts

09:00 How the Conversation Club was born on a beach in Australia

13:00 Are we losing critical thinking? IQ went down for the first time

18:30 The first event: 15 strangers, four hours of conversation

22:00 The best conversations Hannah has ever had

26:30 "We're too entertained by ourselves"

36:00 From corporate burnout to "cultural curator"

44:00 Sauna culture, friction maxxing, and the lost art of being bored

53:00 The nostalgia for a pre-phone world

1:00:00 Get off your phone: Hannah's message to the world

Follow Hannah Rinne:

https://www.instagram.com/hannahrinn/

https://www.instagram.com/conversationclubb/

https://www.instagram.com/socialcapital.studio/

Follow Me:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themarcusengel/

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