We’re Finally Meeting IRL (And We’re Pretty Excited About It)
At The Good Lemon, so much of our work happens through screens, Slack threads, brainstorm docs, Zoom meetings, and the occasional last-minute text or call. Even though we all work remotely, we’ve built strong relationships over time through our collaboration and by spending a lot of time together online. At the end of this month, we’re finally getting to do something we’ve talked about for a long time: meet in person for our first-ever team retreat.
We sat down with a few team members who’ll be joining us for the retreat and asked for their honest thoughts ahead of the festivities. From what they’re most excited about to what they might be nervous for and what they hope to take away from the experience, one theme keeps coming up as we get closer: excitement around connection.
“I’m really looking forward to finally meeting everyone in person. Connection is super important to me, and while we’ve built such great rapport working remotely, I think getting to spend time together face-to-face will bring a whole new energy to how we collaborate moving forward. I’m excited for both the work and the fun parts of the retreat, sharing experiences together, deepening our relationships as a team, and honestly just enjoying good food and quality time with everyone.”
Social Media Coordinator, Jade Martin
“The Good Lemon is a special place, not only because of the work we do, but because of the amazing people who get the work done. As the newest member of the team, I’m looking forward to getting to know everyone better and spending in-person time together at the retreat. One of the things we’re especially looking forward to during the retreat is hosting a cocktail party with TGL's friends and partners. Beyond celebrating finally being together in person, we wanted to create a space that feels open and welcoming. It’ll be a chance to network, get to know each other beyond day-to-day work, and bring together the wider circle of people who support and collaborate with us.”
Senior Operations Manager, Darcy Hughes
“I’m excited to finally meet everyone in person, honestly. I think team collaboration is always more impactful in person, so I’m excited to see how everyone’s brains work IRL. I hope this session sparks new energy for all the exciting things TGL has coming up and makes everyone feel part of it.”
Founder of Savvy Sloth Strategies, Renee Tate
As we planned this retreat, we found ourselves thinking intentionally about how we plan to balance connection with creativity. Alongside team dinners and downtime, we plan on setting aside some designated time to brainstorm new ideas, map out potential future plans, reflect on how much we’ve grown, and align on where we want to go next as a team. Having everyone together in person will create opportunities for conversations that might not happen as naturally over Slack messages or Zoom calls.
Whether you’re interested in the idea of a team retreat or are also currently planning one for your team, the biggest takeaway we can share with you thus far is: meaningful connection and strategic planning don’t have to be separate goals. When given the space to happen together, they can strengthen each other in ways that carry far beyond the trip itself.
At its core, this retreat will allow us to step into a new chapter as a team, strengthening our relationships, and creating amazing memories that we can reminisce on in our team meetings!