Have you ever experienced the stars aligning to bring you the right people at the right time? That recently happened to me at work. I’ve always felt gratitude for the partnerships and lessons I’ve learned from working with others — but this time was different. It wasn’t just a couple of people crossing my path; it was a handful of them. The result was an extraordinary, synchronous experience and an enriching sense of belonging.
Recently, I was assigned to a new project that involved travel, many moving parts, and a fast-paced timeline. It was probably the biggest project I’d ever worked on. I was excited, not only because of the challenge, but because I’d be working alongside other UX professionals — a rare and welcomed luxury. Having a cohort of peers in the same discipline is something I’ve come to deeply value.
Since then, the original group has gradually dispersed, many of us moving on to new assignments. I often reflect on what made that time together so meaningful. Looking back, the most lasting impact wasn’t just the shared practices or professional insights — although those mattered. It was our collective willingness to show up for one another.
In the beginning, traveling and living in a new city helped us become fast friends. Navigating uncertainty through our work brought us closer, and we formed a kinship rooted in shared challenges. We called ourselves The Sharpies.
We met weekly to talk through problems, share knowledge, and plan. One of our early team-building activities was to brand ourselves — using a creative matrix to brainstorm and vote on our team name, mascot, tagline, colors, and of course, a team drink. These playful moments helped us get to know each other and added levity to an otherwise high-pressure environment.
Still, working in a new city with unfamiliar colleagues, clients, and challenges — all under a cloud of ambiguity — was a lot to handle. It would have been easy to armor up, compete for attention, or let fear take the wheel. But instead, we chose trust. We formed a circle of support. To do that, we each had to be willing to be vulnerable.
As Brené Brown says, vulnerability is the “secret sauce” of relationships. Real connection requires openness. For the Sharpies, that meant admitting when we didn’t know something, recovering from mistakes, and offering each other grace. We shed our armor — and used it to scaffold and uplift each other.
To encourage and connect with one another, we started a virtual inspiration wall and introduced a weekly ritual: at each meeting, someone would share an artifact — a quote, a photo, a story, anything that inspired them. These moments helped us practice listening, sharing, and sometimes improvising. It was a simple act that deepened our connection.
And while we stayed open-hearted and vulnerable, we also needed to be confident. In an environment full of unknowns, confidence can feel elusive. Yet through our mutual support, we began to instill confidence in one another. We celebrated small wins, validated each other’s efforts, and expressed belief in each other’s abilities.
At the end of the year, we celebrated with a Sharpie twist on Secret Santa — Secret Sharpies. Instead of gifts, we created anonymous awards like “Postie with the Mostie” and “Sharpie Strengths” for each team member. These positive affirmations were compiled into small booklets — personal mementos of the good work and human connection we had created.
In The Art of Community, Charles Vogl writes:
“No matter what the explicit values are, the implicit values will reveal the real deal.”
On the surface, our group succeeded because we shared a profession and worked toward a common goal. But what made us a community were the deeper, unspoken values — our commitment to growth, empathy, courage, and connection.
We didn’t set out to form a support network or spark personal transformation. But just like spotting a constellation in the night sky, our community values revealed themselves — through our collective brightness and connectedness.