The best
gatherings are
by design.
We started Designed to Gather because we love creating spaces where people come together — and because we know that connection doesn’t just happen on its own. It needs a little structure, a little intention, and someone willing to say “let’s actually do this.” Our guides are built to make that someone feel like you.
Leah & Jacqueline — East Coast meets West Coast
Two brains, one very easy yes.
Jacqueline has been gathering people on purpose for years — monthly dinner parties, her soccer team, friends-of-friends she wanted to know better. She has a gift for making a room feel like everyone already knows each other, and a clear-eyed instinct for what makes a gathering actually work. She brings the hosting heart, the creative vision, and a deep belief that showing up for people is always worth the effort.
Leah said yes before Jacqueline finished the sentence. She’s spent her career in learning and development thinking about how structure, design, and a little intentionality can change the way people show up for each other — and she brings all of that thinking to every guide we make. She’s the one asking “but why does this work?” and making sure the answer is actually baked in.
The free guides are just step one.
We’re figuring out what this becomes — and we’re doing it out loud. The hosting guides are how we want to introduce ourselves: a small window into how we think, what we value, and what we believe makes a gathering actually good.
Behind the guides is a consulting practice that’s starting to take shape. We work with people and organizations who want to gather more intentionally — not as event planners (no napkin-folding, no day-of logistics), but as the strategy and structure behind the gathering. We build the blueprint. You host it.
If that sounds like something you need, we’d love to talk.
Get in TouchCustom Hosting Guides
A bespoke gathering kit built for your occasion, your group, and your vibe.
Event Consultation
Strategy and structure you can hand someone. We set it up — you host it.
Corporate & Team Gatherings
Retreats, offsites, and team dinners with real structure and actual fun built in.
Something Else Entirely
We’re still defining the edges of this. If you have something in mind, we’re genuinely curious.
Structure isn’t the opposite of connection.
It’s what creates the conditions for it.
There’s real research behind what makes a gathering work — and it’s not about the food, the decor, or pulling off something Pinterest-perfect. It comes down to three things. We’ve built every guide around them.
A clear container
When people know what to expect — how long, what they’re doing, what their role is — they can actually relax into the gathering instead of bracing for awkward silences.
A reason to contribute
When guests bring something — a dish, a book, an opinion — they become co-authors of the gathering. They’re invested from the moment they walk in.
A host who’s present
The best thing a host can do is actually be there. Our guides handle the structure so you can show up to your own gathering instead of running it from the inside.
Ready to gather?
Start with one of our free hosting guides — and see what happens when you give your people a real reason to show up.
Browse the Guides