Intentional gathering online, in person, or a mix of the two starts with the same question,

which is what is the need here, why are we gathering, and who needs to be there to help us achieve that purpose?

You're listening to Doing It Right with me, Pandora Sykes, a podcast where I talk to experts about the myths, anxieties and trends of modern life.

There's no such thing as the right life. But what might we be getting wrong?

In this series, series three, I'll be exploring sleep,

the science of emotions and fast fashion. And I'll be asking my guests questions like,

is baby brain a real thing? Is everything we've been told about skincare wrong? And why aren't

we talking more about dementia? This is a podcast that asks

what can we do to live life better? Not just for ourselves but for everyone. Welcome to

the last episode of series three of doing it right. I really hope you've enjoyed the series

and it's given you some pause for thought. Don't

forget to rate and review the show on iTunes to help other people find me. On to the episode,

Priya Parker is a conflict resolution strategist based in the States and the author of a 2018 book,

The Art of Gathering, How We Meet and Why It Matters.

It's a book about how to bring intentionality and purpose to our gatherings,

both professionally and personally through work and meetings or it get-togethers in our social life.

I've wanted to speak to Priya since I read The Art of Gathering back in 2019

because so many of us, myself included, struggle to maintain our social lives, what to spend

our time on and who with, what to say yes to, what to say no to, what to seek out and what

to avoid. Lockdown afforded us a pause to think about how we live our lives,

and when we came out of it, there was a sort of mass appraisal

of how we wanted to spend our time and with whom.

...