My Circle. Our Circles.

Cultivating Connection

Everything I write ultimately comes back to one idea: people thrive when they feel connected.

Over more than two decades in higher education, through caring for my aging mother, and while writing about solo aging, I have watched the same principle repeat itself. Strong lives are built through intentional relationships.

The framework below illustrates how I think about building those connections — starting with our innermost circle and radiating outward through the communities that sustain us.

Infographic showing My Circle framework with circular diagram illustrating how to cultivate connections through creating and showing up in your community circles.

The framework starts at the center — with you. Your habits, your mindset, the way you show up for yourself. From there, it expands into the relationships closest to you: family, dear friends, the people who know you best.

The next ring is your broader community — colleagues, neighbors, the people you see regularly. And the outermost ring is the wider world: the stranger you smile at, the person you welcome in, the communities you build and contribute to.

Each circle matters. Each connection strengthens the whole.

We cultivate connection by showing up — for ourselves, for the people we love, and for the communities we hope to build.

Why This Matters

I didn't come to this framework through theory. I came to it through practice — through years of working with college students who were searching for belonging, through the daily act of caring for my mother, through the vulnerability of writing about aging alone.

What I've learned is simple: the quality of our lives is shaped by the quality of our connections. And those connections don't happen by accident. They require intention. They require showing up.

Whether you're building a career, raising a family, navigating loss, or preparing for a future on your own — the principles are the same. Start where you are. Nurture what you have. Stay open to what's next.

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