Share Your Zeal

August 4th is National Friendship Day so I thought I’d post a few thoughts since Zeal’s (Share Your Zeal) mission is to help users do activities they are passionate about in groups and build friendships. We know from so much research out there (e.g, The Good Life book by Robert Waldinger & Marc Schultz) that friendships, relationships and a sense of belonging are the foundation of happiness and even a long life! Vivek Murthy, the Surgeon General, and others have mentioned how challenging it can sometimes be to make time for these relationships. I didn’t realize that this can lead to a loss of productivity at work and even poorer performance. I know that for me, many of my good friends when I was in consulting and banking were people I worked with, and we’d have Fridays in the office and hang out over the weekends. These days a lot of people are working in hybrid or remote environments and while there are positives that have come with more workplace flexibility, I’d heard from many of our users that they need to be more intentional than ever in making time to see people and putting in an effort to make new friends, especially for those starting out after school or if they’ve relocated. And I’d argue it's relevant at every stage (I’m about to become an empty nester and building community around activities I enjoy doing has been so important).  That’s why I’m passionate about what we are doing at Zeal - Activities with Friends. Starting a group or joining a group around interests like books, (my bookclub was the inspiration for starting Zeal), pickleball, golf, walking, we even have a fashion group I’ve joined, have been so much fun. I’ve made wonderful new friends like Laurie Harden, Jill Robertson McNay, Dara Kennedy, L. Jasmine Kim and become closer to those I knew and we’ve shared great experiences together! These groups and friends I’ve made energize me after some long days working and I can bring my best self to work. So on National Friendship Day, I’d encourage you to take a minute to call a friend (better than texting!) and be intentional about spending time/making time to build friendships. And making friends through activities comes naturally and is fun! https://lnkd.in/gSCKs2dv

We are seeking a Full Stack #SWE to join our founding team in the Bay Area as we expand Share Your Zeal a new consumer app for enjoying activities like hiking, biking, playing pickleball, walking, book clubs, dining out, socializing with alumni and more. Zeal connects you with friends and helps you meet new ones by creating groups, coordinating events, and discovering like-minded individuals from your school and others in your area. If you have 3-5 years of experience, an undergraduate computer science degree and are passionate about helping people be active and build new friendships and are based in the Bay Area, reach out to [email protected] with your resume. https://lnkd.in/gShZVW5t #swe #engineering #fullstack #computerscience