In this episode of Becoming Better, Jesse sits down with Meica Hatters — Talent Strategy & Senior Program Partner at Restaurant365 and VP of Member Experience at StartupExperts.

Meica shares what drives her passion for building meaningful communities and why she chose to invest her time in StartupExperts’ leadership team. From growing membership engagement in past organizations to leading a team of 40+ volunteers today, she offers a behind-the-scenes look at how SuE structures the member journey — from onboarding to leadership circles to social impact initiatives.

The conversation explores:

• Why relationship — not programming — is the true point of community
  
• How the Go-Giver philosophy shapes SuE’s culture
  
• What it takes to move from passive membership to active participation
  
• How StartupExperts is building systems to scale without losing connection
  
• The importance of designing touchpoints for both in-person and virtual members
  

Meica also shares how her team is reimagining onboarding through a “gifts conversation” approach — asking members what they want to contribute, not just what they want to receive.

If you care about leadership, community-building, and creating spaces where operators genuinely support one another, this conversation is for you.

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