Building Community Connections Through Digital Storytelling
ReImagining Community with Garland
Release Date: 01/29/2025
Solo ReImagining Series EP9: Higher Education as Third Spaces
ReImagining Community with Garland
What if college campuses weren’t just a bridge to adulthood, but living third spaces that teach us how to belong before we carry those lessons into the wider world? In this solo episode of Reimagining Community, Garland Fuller explores higher education as a powerful third space where identity, connection, and transformation unfold. Drawing on her experience as both a student and adjunct professor, Garland examines how campuses can move beyond classrooms to become intentional hubs of belonging—through the people, places, and programs that shape community. Key Conversation Highlights...
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Solo ReImagining Series EP8: ERG as Hidden Third Spaces
ReImagining Community with Garland
What if the most powerful space at work isn’t in the boardroom or the break room, but in an employee resource group over lunch, during a heritage celebration, or even in a Slack channel? In this solo episode of Reimagining Community, Garland Fuller explores Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) as hidden third spaces that cultivate connection, flatten hierarchies, and build belonging inside organizations. From women’s circles and cultural affinity groups to caregiving networks and next-gen cohorts, Garland reveals how ERGs function as more than just side initiatives—they are grassroots engines...
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SoloReImagining Series EP7: Arts and Culture Third Spaces
ReImagining Community with Garland
What if the gallery, the stage, or the mural on your street corner became our new town square? In this solo episode of Reimagining Community, Garland Fuller explores arts and culture spaces as powerful third spaces that spark creativity, foster belonging, and even strengthen civic engagement. From theater and visual arts to dance, film, and public murals, Garland shares how arts and culture function as more than decoration—they are infrastructure for belonging. These spaces invite us to feel, imagine, and connect beyond background or identity. Drawing from personal experience and the...
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SoloReImagining Series EP6: Women Only Third Spaces
ReImagining Community with Garland
What happens when women gather without the male gaze? What shifts when women create spaces where honesty, safety, and creativity can thrive? In this solo episode of Reimagining Community, Garland Fuller explores the history, impact, and future of women-only spaces—from all-girls schools and suffrage clubs to modern coworking collectives and healing circles. These spaces aren’t exclusionary. They’re revolutionary. They’ve always been incubators for change, where women organize, heal, and imagine new possibilities. Through the People–Place–Program framework, Garland unpacks why...
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SoloReImagining Series EP5: Future of Third Spaces
ReImagining Community with Garland
People are craving connection. This is urgent. In the closing episode of the Third Space Academy Solo Series, Garland Fuller brings the lessons full circle—loneliness, hybrid work, green spaces, personal story, and why intentional community design matters now more than ever. This finale is part recap, part reflection, and part call to action. With guided prompts, Garland challenges listeners to identify who in their communities is most at risk, how digital and hybrid spaces can deepen connection, and why every builder needs to know their own why. Key Conversation Highlights Loneliness as...
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SoloReImagining Series EP4: My Story
ReImagining Community with Garland
We spend so much time cosplaying corporate—buttoned-up, polished, leaving parts of ourselves at the door—that we forget who we really are. In this vulnerable solo episode of Reimagining Community, Garland Fuller shares the personal journey that shaped her work in people, culture, and third spaces. From high school track meets to college leadership roles, to a two-decade career in HR and community building, Garland threads together the story of how she learned to design spaces where people can show up as their whole selves. This is her why behind Third Space Academy—and a call to leaders...
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SoloReImagining Series EP3: Outdoors & Green Space as a Place for Wellbeing
ReImagining Community with Garland
Green space isn’t decoration—it’s medicine. In this solo episode of Reimagining Community, Garland Fuller explores how outdoor and nature-rich “third spaces” restore wellbeing, invite belonging, and spark creativity. From morning walks to community gardens, we unpack why designing with nature is not a nice-to-have—it’s a leadership mandate for healthier teams and communities. Research on social connection, mental health, and wellbeing backs it up , , . Key Conversation Highlights Why Nature Matters for Belonging How outdoor third spaces (parks, trails, gardens) counter...
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SoloReImagining Series EP2: Hybrid Workspace
ReImagining Community with Garland
We’re not robots. We don’t show up to work as just one version of ourselves—and in today’s hybrid and remote landscape, engagement and wellbeing don’t always align. In this solo episode of Reimagining Community, Garland Fuller explores why flexibility gets people in the door, but connection is what keeps them in the room. From Gallup’s paradox of remote work (higher engagement, lower wellbeing) to the rising demand for flexibility as currency for retention, Garland dives into what leaders need to understand about designing meaningful connection in hybrid teams. Key Conversation...
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Solo ReImagining Series EP1: Building True Belonging | People, Place & Program | Third Space Academy
ReImagining Community with Garland
Loneliness is rising, even as our world feels more connected than ever. Half of Americans report feeling lonely on a daily basis , and burnout continues to affect nearly two-thirds of U.S. employees . In this solo episode of Reimagining Community, Garland Fuller unpacks what this means for leaders, organizers, and anyone invested in building spaces of belonging. From the People–Place–Program framework to practical examples of inclusive design, Garland breaks down why true belonging doesn’t happen by accident—it’s built with care, intention, and attention to detail. Whether you’re...
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Words of the Year Check-in with Allison S. Weiss and Marissa Garza
ReImagining Community with Garland
We’re back for our quarterly check-in! This episode, Garland, Marissa, and Allison get real about how 2025 is treating them—emotionally, creatively, and professionally. The crew dives into the words of the year they each picked, how those intentions are holding up (or, in some cases, getting a remix!), and the rituals keeping them grounded in these all-over-the-place times. From Topple-inspired metaphors for emotional balance to morning walks and “letting go” as a radical act, you’ll find sharp honesty and truly relatable reflections. We chat about how consuming less (media,...
info_outlineIn this episode of ReImagining Community, host Garland Fuller sits down with Eugenia Chien, a strategic planning powerhouse with over a decade of experience shaping how communities connect and engage online. From launching Muni Diaries to leading initiatives at PopSugar and Meta, Eugenia has seen firsthand how digital storytelling can strengthen communities, amplify voices, and foster meaningful partnerships.
Together, Garland and Eugenia break down the evolution of online engagement—from throwing ideas at the wall to refining strategies that create real impact. They discuss the challenges and opportunities in fostering connection post-pandemic and share actionable insights on how to build digital spaces that bring people together in powerful ways.
What You’ll Hear in This Episode:
00:00 | Welcome to ReImagining Community
00:55 | Meet Eugenia Chien: Strategic Planning & Digital Storytelling Expert
01:40 | College Days & Career Beginnings
02:50 | From Engineering to Journalism: A Career Pivot
05:34 | The Birth of Muni Diaries: Storytelling as Community Building
08:27 | Creating & Sustaining Digital Communities
14:09 | Career Growth & The Rise of Influencer Marketing
16:47 | Navigating the Ever-Changing Digital Landscape
21:47 | The Future of Community-Building in a Hybrid World
28:46 | Expanding the Boundaries of Digital Storytelling
30:10 | The Power of Testing, Experimentation & Adaptation
31:37 | A Surprise Success Story: The Art Market & Digital Connection
36:41 | Finding the Right Partners for Sustainable Growth
41:01 | Reimagining Community Engagement Post-Pandemic
48:20 | Building Intentional Connections That Last
51:07 | Final Takeaways & Next Steps
If you're looking to deepen your understanding of digital storytelling, build stronger communities, or refine your online engagement strategies, this conversation is packed with insights you won’t want to miss.
Connect with Garland: https://prodigious-designer-8603.kit.com/2998145cf6
Connect with Eugenia: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eugeniachien
🔗 Tune in and join the conversation!
#Changemakers #CommunityImpact #DigitalStorytelling