I thought I escaped the isolation of the pandemic.
I was 1000% wrong.
It’s March 2020, and my husband and I just moved into a bigger two-bedroom apartment. It felt excessive in size and price, but we were starting to outgrow our one-bedroom.
Fresh off a weekend celebrating my bachelorette party, I was blissfully dismissing those strange news articles about a viral disease.
And I floated back to NYC, maskless, with momentum building toward my wedding on Memorial Day weekend 2020 (lol).
You know how the rest goes.
At the start, I absolutely loved the mandate to shelter in place.
Having rarely worked from home before, I relished the chance to nest in my new apartment.
I counted myself lucky not to have kids, elderly parents, or major disruptions that couldn’t be rescheduled (though, yes, I was devastated by the wedding postponement).
As a self-proclaimed introvert, I was living my best life.
However, what I initially considered luck soon turned into pure isolation that I ignored for too long.
I left a beloved job from my apartment.
I started a new job from my apartment.
I began spending 90% of my waking hours in front of a screen.
My social began to atrophy.
I found myself awkward, in my head, and uncomfortable in social situations.
I felt awful.
So I set out to meet people online. And I did!
But, while I found and created amazing communities online, they didn’t hit the same as in-person connections.
So, when I started working for myself, I found myself traveling all over the city just to network in person, no matter the borough or inconvenience.
Working on campus at Cornell Tech last year confirmed that I didn’t just like being with people—I needed it.
Yes, I could exist behind a screen all day—for meetings, therapy, and catch-ups.
But it didn’t feel nearly as nourishing as the time I spent in person with people.
In January 2024, I continued to build on this in-person momentum, organizing coffee meetups and product breakfasts in the city.
I’d return home viscerally energized, nourished, and more motivated to work.
The cherry on top was discovering Fabrik, a community space in the city that I could finally call home after 4+ years of remote work.
Finding the balance between my introverted tendencies and the undeniable need for human connection has been a journey, to say the least.
What started as a seemingly perfect scenario—time alone in a spacious new apartment—evolved into a deep understanding of my need for community, connection, and in-person interaction.
And now, I’m realizing I’m a bit more of an extrovert.
And I’m discovering more about that, one coffee meetup at a time.
Hi - I’m Jori and I’m a Product Coach. Here’s how to work with me ↩️
I work with Product Leaders and their teams to unlock their biggest career moments. If you’re looking for support - drop me a note, I’d love to connect. 🤝
I co-host Product Leadership Breakfast NYC, a monthly product breakfast series to bring together curated groups of PM leaders to connect and share learnings and insights over casual breakfast. If you live in NYC or find yourself passing through, join us! ☕