When it comes to create intentional space for people to connect, listen, and reflect deeply, many people think it's the realm of facilitators alone. But this is far from being true.







This podcast clocks in at around 39 minutes. You can also listen to it on iTunes, stream on Spotify or grab the RSS feed in your player of choice. So head out for a walk and let Rei and I keep you company. Prefer to read the transcripts? Scroll down.







When I started hosting this way nearly ten years ago, not many people understood what that meant and how it worked. It is challenging to explain to others what it is if you don't have an experience of it yourself.  Luckily this is changing. Pioneering events, conferences, and companies are starting to bring this format as a better alternative to the old way of doing networking.



If you are someone who has gathered or has been gathered intentionally, you probably know that the are many benefits. Coming together with others this way, helps us understand ourselves better, recognize our shared humanity, and form deeper connections. And in turn, we may forge stronger relationships.



Not only anyone can learn how to create intentional space for presence and connection, but that's a skill that a modern leader needs to learn and master, especially in an age whereby connecting is needed more than ever.



This week on The Nourishing Workplace, I've invited Rei Chou to explain what it means to create intentional space, how to bring people into it, and how to do it over a feast of food.



Rei Chou, a pioneer in intentional space creation



Rei is a facilitator, healer, and the founder of The Feast, a global community of leaders, innovators, and change-makers and series of dinners creating abundance through authentic sharing and support, who has been featured as one of Fast Company's Most Creative People of 2012. 



Her mission is to create experiences that help people realize they’re part of something greater through convening people, experience design, and purpose-based innovation.



Rei Chou



What I love about this conversation is that Rei suggests a model of hosting as leadership that is cross-cultural. She also provides a model of thinking for redesigning how we currently gather and lead to create intentional space whether for work or play.



In particular, you'll enjoy this conversation on intentional space design if:



You are a facilitator, gathering designer, community builder or manager needing to refresh your skillsYou host people and arrange gatherings for fun and want to do it professionallyYou are planning to gather and engage people more deeply in your team, organization, community, and movement but need some ideas to get started 



Key Take-Aways



Her journey to build The Feast; from a 'conference of ideas' to international dinner seriesWhy community is important today and why it matters to ReiThe role of the host as a serving leader as a key idea for 21st-century managementHow to create intangible and physica

When it comes to create intentional space for people to connect, listen, and reflect deeply, many people think it’s the realm of facilitators alone. But this is far from being true.

This podcast clocks in at around 39 minutes. You can also listen to it on iTunes, stream on Spotify or grab the RSS feed in your player of choice. So head out for a walk and let Rei and I keep you company. Prefer to read the transcripts? Scroll down.

When I started hosting this way nearly ten years ago, not many people understood what that meant and how it worked. It is challenging to explain to others what it is if you don’t have an experience of it yourself.  Luckily this is changing. Pioneering events, conferences, and companies are starting to bring this format as a better alternative to the old way of doing networking.

If you are someone who has gathered or has been gathered intentionally, you probably know that the are many benefits. Coming together with others this way, helps us understand ourselves better, recognize our shared humanity, and form deeper connections. And in turn, we may forge stronger relationships.

Not only anyone can learn how to create intentional space for presence and connection, but that’s a skill that a modern leader needs to learn and master, especially in an age whereby connecting is needed more than ever.

This week on The Nourishing Workplace, I’ve invited Rei Chou to explain what it means to create intentional space, how to bring people into it, and how to do it over a feast of food.

Rei Chou, a pioneer in intentional space creation

Rei is a facilitator, healer, and the founder of The Feast, a global community of leaders, innovators, and change-makers and series of dinners creating abundance through authentic sharing and support, who has been featured as one of Fast Company’s Most Creative People of 2012. 

Her mission is to create experiences that help people realize they’re part of something greater through convening people, experience design, and purpose-based innovation.

Rei Chou

What I love about this conversation is that Rei suggests a model of hosting as leadership that is cross-cultural. She also provides a model of thinking for redesigning how we currently gather and lead to create intentional space whether for work or play.

In particular, you’ll enjoy this conversation on intentional space design if:

You are a facilitator, gathering designer, community builder or manager needing to refresh your skillsYou host people and arrange gatherings for fun and want to do it professionallyYou are planning to gather and engage people more deeply in your team, organization, community, and movement but need some ideas to get started 

Key Take-Aways

Her journey to build The Feast; from a ‘conference of ideas’ to international dinner seriesWhy community is important today and why it matters to ReiThe role of the host as a serving leader as a key idea for 21st-century managementHow to create intangible and physical spaces for authentic and intentional connection and how to welcome people into that spaceAnd much more

Show Notes

Here is a short list of articles and resources mentioned in this episode plus further resources:

Facilitation training programs via The FeastRei Chou is Fast Company’s Most Creative People of 2012Must-read books: The Art of Gathering by Priya Parker (WE Factory)The Power of Community to Bring Change in the Workplace (WE Factory)

Connect with Rei & Learn more about The Feast

Visit Rei’s website and The Feast websiteConnect with Rei on LinkedIn, Instagram, TwitterFollow The Feast activities on Instagram and Twitter

Did you enjoy this episode on intentional space creation?

If you enjoy our conversation, check out more episodes of my podcast. You can subscribe on iTunes, stream on Google Podcasts or on Spotify or grab the RSS

As a tech company focused on 'hospitality' and 'belonging', I wasn't surprised to find out that Airbnb offers a prime food program for its employees that many tech companies globally use as a reference for their own food program.







This podcast clocks in at around 37 minutes. You can also listen to it on iTunes, stream on Spotify or grab the RSS feed in your player of choice. So head out for a walk and let McKenzie and I keep you company. Prefer to read the transcripts? Scroll down.







But if food is just a perk—see free lunch and snacks—that more and more organizations are offering, what’s so unique about it that so many tech companies worldwide get inspired by it? Why is there a strategy behind a food program? And how to feed a growing population of employees without breaking the bank?



As the Global Food Strategy Manager, McKenzie Phelan is in charge of the food strategy that focuses on employee experience, oversees how the food program is executed in Airbnb's offices globally and makes sure that the program serves up the company’s core values around the globe. 



McKenzie Phelan: Global Food Strategy Manager at Airbnb



McKenzie joins me in this very first episode of The Nourishing Workplace, where we discussed everything from what it means to create a food program that does much more than “feeding employees” to how to prevent food waste and educate your people about the challenges and threats of the current food system.



Key Takeaways



Short on time? Here are four quick takeaways:



The global food strategy team is a two-person team: McKenzie and her colleague Meghan. Their job is to make sure that the food experience at Airbnb has both continuity and some parity between offices. They focus on three main aspects: 1. Maintaining the ethos of the food program so that food isn’t seen as a utility but as a conduit for culture in the workplace. 2. Refining their sourcing ethos to procure the best food that's been raised and distributed most ethically. 3. Developing waste strategies and engaging Airbnb employees around the topic of food.At the genesis of the Airbnb food program, the food team was fully a part of the company. As the company grew, the food team grew in tandem and became necessary to think about how to reduce the resources for it. That's why the food team was outsourced to Bon Appétit Management.Airbnb's core business is all about hospitality and belonging. Therefore, the food philosophy is embedded in that of the brand. They look strategically for moments where there can be resonance between the Airbnb product and the products of the food team, which is the food. They do so by (re)designing menus and food spaces.McKenzie argues that more companies should take climate consciousness more seriously and integr

It’s official; Welcome to the trailer of my brand-new business show, The Nourishing Workplace.







What happens when businesses challenge the prevailing idea that food culture is irrelevant or marginal to business success? 



What if how you eat at work could not only have an impact on culture, on emotional wellbeing, and on the quality of life of your employees and colleagues but also on your local community and even on the planet?



I'm Veronica Fossa, the first independent workplace eating designer and strategist, the founder of WE Factory, and the host of this brand-new business podcast; The Nourishing Workplace.







Join me and my guests on a journey to define what makes a nourishing workplace and learn how to master the art of food, community, and hospitality to create more ‘human’ employee experiences and businesses through the stories and voices of workplace innovators and changemakers.



Key Take-Aways:



How to shift the focus from food as a perk to food as a component of cultureWhy I started this podcast (more about my story soon)Who this podcast is forWhat topics I’m going to explorePlus, extracts from upcoming interviews



Season One



How Airbnb has Built a Unique Food Program with McKenzie Phelan



Keep up with me & The Nourishing Workplace



Follow WE Factory on InstagramTag The Nourishing Workplace as #thenourishingworkplacepod on Instagram when you share quotes, reviews, and your thoughts



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