14: KOYA - The App to Send Joy to Anyone, Anywhere with Cherie Werner

10/12/21 • 37 min

Cherie Werner is the Co-Founder and Chief Kindness Officer at KOYA. KOYA is a social platform and app designed to create meaningful and intentional connections. You can send people a video or audio message along with an optional gift, like some money for coffee. You pick a location where the KOYA will activate, say your friend’s favourite coffee shop. The recipient receives a notification that they have a KOYA to discover, and you can provide them with hints to nudge them in the right direction. In this episode, we explore KOYA, as well as the F.I.E.S.T.A. Meetup group that she hosts in Austin, Texas, and much more on the topic of connections!
Highlights & Takeaways

How Cherie’s family would intentionally leave keepsakes to show that they were thinking of each other, like self-recorded audiobooks, objects hidden in their suitcase, or a 6-month journal that you can only read one day at a time
How Gen Z is the most overly connected generation, but also the loneliest
There is your biological family who brought you up, but also your chosen family that invest into you
Meeting an executive from Lunchclub on her 100th call, and then having their team over for a home cooked meal while they were visiting Austin
Why she started the F.I.E.S.T.A. (Founders, Investors, Entrepreneurs, Startups, Techies, and Austin Newcomers) Meetup group
You're never too old. It's never too late. Do your part in showing up and being intentional with the people in your life.

Resources Mentioned

Contact Cherie: [email protected] | LinkedIn
KOYA
Lunchclub
F.I.E.S.T.A. Meetup Group
Belonging: Reconnecting America’s Loneliest Generation
We’re Not Really Strangers

______

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Music by Meghan Rennie - Instagram / Soundcloud

Website: excusestoconnect.com

Email: [email protected]

Leave a Voice Message: https://www.speakpipe.com/excusestoconnectSupport Me: Buy Me A Coffee

How Cherie’s family would intentionally leave keepsakes to show that they were thinking of each other, like self-recorded audiobooks, objects hidden in their suitcase, or a 6-month journal that you can only read one day at a time
How Gen Z is the most overly connected generation, but also the loneliest
There is your biological family who brought you up, but also your chosen family that invest into you
Meeting an executive from Lunchclub on her 100th call, and then having their team over for a home cooked meal while they were visiting Austin
Why she started the F.I.E.S.T.A. (Founders, Investors, Entrepreneurs, Startups, Techies, and Austin Newcomers) Meetup group
You're never too old. It's never too late. Do your part in showing up and being intentional with the people in your life.

Resources Mentioned

Contact Cherie: [email protected] | LinkedIn
KOYA
Lunchclub
F.I.E.S.T.A. Meetup Group
Belonging: Reconnecting America’s Loneliest Generation
We’re Not Really Strangers

______

Enjoyed this episode? Share it with a friend and make sure to follow Excuses to Connect on Facebook and Instagram.

Music by Meghan Rennie - Instagram / Soundcloud

Website: excusestoconnect.com

Email: [email protected]

Leave a Voice Message: https://www.speakpipe.com/excusestoconnectSupport Me: Buy Me A Coffee

Previous Episode

13: A Conversation with my Junior High Teacher with Ms.Riley

Susan Riley (or more commonly known as Ms. Riley) is a junior high teacher who taught me nearly a decade ago. It’s remarkable that we’ve stayed in touch, including grabbing lunch and dinner with groups of students that she’s taught over the years. We talk about her career as a teacher and the impact that she has made on the over 3000 students who passed through her classroom. Especially for former students, this is a really special episode that you don’t want to miss.

Highlights & Takeaways

How she went from working in theatre, to oil and gas, to going back to university to become a teacher
How she “bullied” (in other words, pushed students outside of their comfort zone) in order to help them develop not just academically, but also in their personal growth
How she represents a space and a time in the lives of students, and how it makes her happy to know that her students are there and doing well
How the pandemic and remote teaching affected her interactions with students
Finding something that you love to do and don’t be afraid to make changes if needed

Resources Mentioned

Contact Susan Riley: [email protected]
Connection Coaching

______

Enjoyed this episode? Share it with a friend and make sure to follow Excuses to Connect on Facebook and Instagram.

Music by Meghan Rennie - Instagram / Soundcloud

Website: excusestoconnect.com

Email: [email protected]

Leave a Voice Message: https://www.speakpipe.com/excusestoconnectSupport Me: Buy Me A Coffee

Next Episode

15: The Nomad Videographer Project with Thaïs Despont

Thaïs Despont is a videographer originally from France and is the creator of the “Nomad Videographer Project.” In August 2021, she travelled across Canada to help local businesses by creating promotional videos, in exchange for providing her with a place to sleep. Over the course of that month, she created 10 videos in different 4 provinces. Hear her amazing story of seeking discomfort as we talk about the inspiration, challenges, and successes of this project.

Highlights & Takeaways

How she came to Canada with the dream of building a life here, and how the pandemic impacted her
Her process of reaching out to these businesses and creating a month-long plan to travel across the country
Her life-changing experience of filming at the Athabasca Glacier and learning how fast that the ice is melting
How she used to receive hateful comments of her creative work, but she pushed through because she liked videography
If you have an opportunity at some point to get out of the system and see what else is possible, it’s the best thing to do

Resources Mentioned