{"version":"1.0","type":"rich","provider_name":"Acast","provider_url":"https://acast.com","height":250,"width":700,"html":"<iframe src=\"https://embed.acast.com/$/66d870119c7d98a7f8854bb5/6a025ae253be193dbd767a9a?\" frameBorder=\"0\" width=\"700\" height=\"250\"></iframe>","title":"Turning Loneliness Into Community: The Story Behind Connection Collective Toronto","thumbnail_width":200,"thumbnail_height":200,"thumbnail_url":"https://open-images.acast.com/shows/66d870119c7d98a7f8854bb5/1778541058587-fd1061b0-9076-4d60-9ee3-5cfd0b73ff14.jpeg?height=200","description":"<p>Today on the podcast, I speak with the lovely Maggie Hildebrand, founder of Connection Collective Toronto, and something tells me one day it will be much bigger than just Toronto!</p><p><br></p><p>Maggie founded the social club in June 2025 after spending over a year in the city struggling to find her community. By openly sharing her own experiences with loneliness, she quickly realized there were so many others searching for meaningful connection and a space dedicated to building genuine, lasting friendships.</p><p><br></p><p>What started as a simple idea grew rapidly. From hosting her very first event, a picnic in High Park with over 100 attendees, to building a thriving community, Maggie’s vision has truly come to life. So much so that in February 2026, she made the decision to leave her 9–5 career in cancer research to pursue Connection Collective full-time. I’m so excited to share this conversation with you and hope you take something meaningful away from it.</p><p><br></p><p>Don’t forget to follow, subscribe, and join the Seasoned Professional community, a space for stories worth sharing 🎙️</p><p><br></p><p>🔗 Links from the episode</p><p><a href=\"https://www.connectioncollective.ca/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Connection Collective</a></p><p><a href=\"https://www.instagram.com/connectioncollective.to/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Connection Collective on Instagram</a></p><p><a href=\"https://www.instagram.com/maggiehildebrand/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Maggie Hildebrand on Instagram</a></p><p><a href=\"https://www.thestar.com/life/she-moved-to-toronto-and-felt-lonelier-than-ever-so-she-built-a-way-for/article_11290e0f-102a-422d-b5b8-9aec381fc2a0.html?utm_medium=social&amp;utm_source=copy-link&amp;utm_campaign=user-share\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">She Moved to Toronto and Felt Lonelier than ever, feature article in The Toronto Star</a></p><p><br></p><p>❤️ Subscribe to my channel for more</p><p><a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/@SeasonedProfessional\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">YouTube</a></p><p><br></p><p>📲 Find Hannah Octavia &amp; Seasoned Professional on social media!</p><p><a href=\"https://www.instagram.com/seasonedprofessionalpod/?igsh=cTc1NnRzeDVrNXd2&amp;utm_source=qr\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Seasoned Professional on Instagram</a></p><p><a href=\"https://www.instagram.com/hannahoctavia/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Hannah Octavia on Instagram</a></p><p><a href=\"https://www.tiktok.com/@seasoned.professional\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">TikTok</a></p><p><a href=\"https://substack.com/@seasonedprofessional?utm_campaign=profile&amp;utm_medium=profile-page\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Substack</a></p><p><br></p><p>See you next Tuesday!</p><p>xx Hannah Octavia</p><p><br></p><p>(Theme music curtesy of Fran Lusty's song, \"Functioning Adult\")</p>","author_name":"Hannah Octavia"}