Working Together is Success

Welcome to the team, Zoë!

I am beyond thrilled to share Zoë Babian is joining our team at The Grand!

Henry Ford once said:

"Coming together is a beginning, staying together is progress, and working together is success."

Zoë and I came together nearly a decade ago at General Assembly. At the time, I was a Product Manager and Zoë was my intern. We were tasked with helping GA expand beyond classroom education by building new digital products. Zoë took on this audacious challenge with zeal and together we launched several new products including an online career coaching product and a membership offering (Déjà vu 🔮).

When I left GA, Zoë and I became close friends. I joined First Round Capital and Zoë joined a First Round backed startup, Wonderschool. We were lucky to work within walking distance of each other. We’d walk around Hayes Valley on our lunch break and talk about the new life transitions we’d both just made: moving from New York🗽 to San Francisco🌁, joining an early-stage team in a new role, being far away from our parents and siblings. These conversations helped me feel less alone, and more confident in navigating these transitions.

From there, Zoë went on to an impressive career in education and technology. She led product teams at Harvard Business School Online, Osmo, and Panorama Education, and moved back to the East Coast. We stayed friends, and I’d visit Zoe when I went to see my family.

Zoë was present when The Grand was just a figment of my imagination 💭. I was intent on creating a new community model, and one idea was to foster intergenerational community through shared learning. I prototyped this concept by connecting Zoë with my grandma and the photo above shows my grandma teaching Zoë tai chi.

Three years and many product iterations later, I am ecstatic to work together with Zoë once again. Working together with a lifelong friend is my definition of success.

🎊Please join me in welcoming Zoë to The Grand! 🎊

Upcoming Clarity Councils 🤝

You’re invited to join The Grand for our signature coaching experience — Clarity Council

Clarity Council is a 60-min live conversation based on inquiry. We will be featuring the theme Conflict in Relationships since that was an extremely hot topic last month!

We know there are many challenges associated with experiencing conflict in relationships — no matter if it's with professional peers and leadership or personal relationships at home or with a loved one.

The session will be facilitated by a Grand Coach, Dorit Price-Levine, who will guide a group in asking open and honest questions, and deep exploration. You'll learn how to gain new perspectives and find clarity.

Join the event — 🗓 Mon, Oct 24th at 1pm - 2pm PST.

💌

Rei