Episode 21 - How Community Shapes Your Life & Career: Julia Sergison on Creativity and Connection

📢 You can move to a new city, start a new job, or reinvent your entire life… but without community, nothing feels grounded. In this episode, Kassie is joined by creative community-builder Julia Sergison—artist, writer, supper-club host, and honorary GOAT—to explore what it really means to build connection with intention.

From leaving her teaching career in New York to rebuilding her life in South Florida, Julia shares how coffee shops, courage, compliments, and creativity helped her form a new community from scratch. Today, she runs Art Club and Supper Club—two growing local movements that bring people together offline in a world that’s more virtual (and lonely) than ever.

🎯 From learning how to make friends as an adult, to embracing non-drinking activities, to the power of showing up in local spaces, this episode is your reminder that community isn’t something you find… it’s something you create.

Highlights include:
✨ How Kassie & Julia went from coworking strangers to traveling the world together (01:24)
✨ Julia’s journey from teacher → nonprofit → creator → community-builder (05:22)
✨ Why GP (General Provision) became the starting point for adult friendships (02:16)
✨ Building a life in a new city: bravery, intuition & letting things unfold (09:05)
✨ How Spuds became a hub for connection—and the wild story of winning free coffee for a year (18:02)
✨ The origin stories of Art Club + Supper Club (19:20)
✨ Why adults struggle to make friends—and simple ways to start small (26:38)
✨ “Never hold in a compliment”: Julia’s philosophy on connection (15:01)
✨ How TikTok unexpectedly filled her events (25:59)
✨ Why inclusive, non-drinking activities matter in a wellness-meets-party city (20:09)
✨ Creative outlets that keep her grounded—sketchbooks, tiny drawings & Substack (35:13)
✨ The social media trend Julia wants to cancel ASAP (33:12)

👀 Plus: Kassie’s Germany + Charlotte client recaps, what 15,000 people a day at the Southern Christmas Show looks like, and why handmade markets + IRL community are making a comeback in an AI-driven world.

🔔 Like, comment, and subscribe for new episodes every week. Follow us @youherditherepodcast and connect with Julia at @jserg @jsergcreative @artclubftl

00:00 – Cold Open: “Community takes intention.”
00:17 – Meet Julia: Creative community-builder & GOAT-adjacent
01:24 – How Kassie & Julia met at GP + instant friendship
03:22 – From Long Island to Fort Lauderdale: Starting over
05:22 – Julia’s teaching career & choosing intuition vs. responsibility
09:05 – Leaving NY, health challenges & the move to Florida
11:33 – Why GP became a community anchor
14:12 – The power of compliments & tiny human moments
15:01 – “Never hold in a compliment”: building connection
16:56 – Spuds: the coffee shop that changed everything
18:02 – Winning free coffee for a year (the Elle Woods costume)
19:20 – Art Club & Supper Club: how they began
20:09 – Non-drinking activities & wellness culture
21:12 – How community grows when you show up consistently
22:51 – Kassie’s Germany & Frankfurt recap
23:40 – Charlotte’s Southern Christmas Show chaos
25:59 – TikTok → IRL community
26:38 – Why adults struggle to make friends
27:33 – Tips for starting your own community
30:04 – Encouragement for the shy, nervous, or isolated
32:53 – Social media trends Julia wants to cancel
35:00 – Julia’s current creative outlet
36:10 – Where to follow Julia + wrap-up

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