HATCH Mexico was pure magic. From April 4–8, 2022 we convened an all-star group of HATCH Alumni at Hotel Rodavento in Valle de Bravo for the first ever HATCH Reunion Summit.
There was so much love and gratitude woven into the fabric of this incredible community. Everyday superheroes with big hearts and small egos doing extraordinary things to HATCH a Better World — and each other.
Different then a typical HATCH Summit, the Alumni Reunion invite was extended to all HATCHers and thus, meant the curation of the group was open to those who were ready and willing to say YES to this experience. We are grateful for these 70 humans for taking time out of busy lives to show up at HATCH with open hearts and minds. The days spent together in Mexico were full of deep connection, soul-filling music, belly laughs, bravery, vulnerability and, most of all, profound gratitude.
The peer-to-peer support is a true force, channeled from the universal threads that connect us. So many frequencies merging to create the beautiful harmony that defined HATCH Mexico 2022.
What happens when you mix some love + inspiration + wellness + nature + kindness + impact + food + music + mystery + exploration + curiosity + dance + conversation + raw emotion + adventure + authenticity + chosen family + alchemy?
HATCH in Mexico, is what you get!!
The most delicious blend of friends who are family coming together to collectively advance humanity through selfless collaboration, love, and kindness. — HATCHer
As our team reflected on the week spent together, a couple clear themes emerged:
More open space allowed for deeper connection between HATCHers
One of the main differences between a typical HATCH Summit and this Alumni Reunion was more intentional open space to organically foster opportunities for deep connection. Each afternoon, HATCHers had a variety of options to spend their time — paraglide above Valle, hike through the forest with a local guide, explore the Valle de Bravo village or embrace relaxation at Rodavento. These shared experiences brought people closer together and gave space for natural connections and collaborations to unfold.
Big picture: given time and space great curation doesn’t need packed programming, in fact curation shines with space to connect. — HATCHer
The less structured nature of this HATCH reunion allowed for many more organic conversations. The supportive and creative atmosphere inspired me to show up with an ease and abundance of space to listen well and share authentically. — HATCHer
In order to do our best work, we must recharge ourselves first
It’s been a long and difficult two years for many of us living through a global pandemic. Our hope for HATCH Mexico was to create a space that allowed for people to reconnect with themselves and have space to refuel before returning home to work, school, and the demands of daily life.
HATCH in many ways is like a virtuous hall of mirrors, an opportunity to see yourself reflected in a group of talented, generous, and loving human’s. I’ve never walked away from HATCH as the same person I was at the start. I find I recognize aspects of myself through the multitude of conversations that I wouldn’t have otherwise. You see both the superpower you thought you brought into the room and the ones you see reflected back at you. — HATCHer
I didn’t realize how much I needed to get in touch with my playful, awesome self. So much in the experience reminded me to keep things fun and light. Also, how much play needs to be part of my life so I can balance my súper serious other side. — HATCHer
I often get caught up in the important external work, but the HATCH summit highlighted how important my own regenerative and recharging practices are to any kind of systemic change, and allowed me to see that modeling those practices within my community is clearly one of the most powerful ways I can support the communal effort of building a better world. — HATCHer
This was the first of many HATCH Alumni Reunions to come. Our hope is to continue to nurture this incredible community, 18 years in the making.
Interested in joining the next Alumni Reunion in Mexico? Join our interest list here: https://forms.gle/vVJRB3nVcBSJfFCN7
For those looking for a deeper look into the experience, here’s how the week unfolded:
Day One
Our first day together was spent getting acquainted with HATCH, new faces, and our beautiful surroundings at Hotel Rodavento. The week was carefully designed, which included a bit more programmed activity on the front end, with the hopes that the day’s activities would give people a jumping off point for deeper conversations and connection.
The ripple effects of HATCH travel far and wide. This Summit, we spent some time morning one in reflection — thinking about all of the different ways that HATCH has impacted our lives. As an organization, these #BecauseOfHATCH stories, moments, and collaborations not only feed our soul, but allow us to more clearly see how we are fulfilling our mission.
#BeacuseOfHATCH I changed my path in life to work with the problems HATCH taught me I couldn’t ignore in the world.
#BecauseOfHATCH my company was funded by Intel. I met the Intel folks at HATCH because they were a sponsor of the program
#BecauseOfHATCH I found the courage and met the people who would help me see and realize my own story in a film called “Torn”
#BecauseOfHATCH I met my best friend and co-creator
We continued the morning session with an intention setting exercise led by Rachel Hicks. The process she walked us through allowed us to reflect on where we might need extra support and how to clarify what it is we REALLY REALLY want.
ASK/OFFER
A classic HATCH exercise, ASK/OFFER is all about practicing the art of asking for help, and exploring opportunities to support others.
LIGHTNING TALKS
Harnessing the power of storytelling, this short speaker series was designed to amplify passions and inspire deeper thought around the topics shared.
- The owner of our beautiful venue, Hotel Rodavento, Waldemar Franco has always had a passion for the outdoors. As he built his business, he realized the importance of value alignment reminded us all that building the lifestyle you truly want often means having the courage to “step off the train” if it’s no longer serving you, knowing you have the power to “build your own train”.
- Marco Bollinger inspired us with the power of human connection and the reminder that we all belong. Through his love of travel, Marco has created Uprise, an online academy for social change, in addition to a docu-series about local heroes around the world.
- Masterfully written at 3am the night before, Sarah Henry shared the first few chapters of her future book, a humorous and heartfelt affirmation around owning your story. “An invitation to dream around the corner.” Sarah’s passion for reimagining philanthropy has led her to create Envision Equality, a collaboration born out of the desire to share bold and brave ideas about what it will take to achieve a truly just and equitable world.
- Systems change is hard, but not impossible. John Kania is the Executive Director of the Collective Change Lab, an organization focused on advancing the practice of transformational systems changes. In his presentation John broke down the six conditions of systems change and how to shift the conditions that hold a problem in place. See his presentation here.
- “Sometimes our story is not for us but for those who are looking at us” — Kimberly Bryant. Founder of Black Girls Code, Kimberly created a place for underrepresented girls with an interest in technology to thrive. Through ups and downs during the pandemic, Kimberly has found a passion for helping women founders to share their truth.
- “We make delicious food for those who deserve our love and time” — Mark Brand. As a chef, DJ, and social impact entrepreneur, Mark Brand shared the important work he is doing with A Better Life Foundation, and the good that can come from changing the life of just one person.
Tuesday night kicked off with a special dinner hosted by chef Mark Brand and Mexico City grill master Alejandro Gutierrez. In 2013, Alejandro started the Sociedad Mexicana de Parrilleros, which was founded to promote, preserve and celebrate Mexican culinary traditions through the enjoyment of the grill. The dinner was truly a team effort, with many HATCHers contributing to the meal.
An energizing first day culminated with an outdoor concert by the dynamic duo, Dayramir Gonzalez and Tania Matus, with a guest performance by Printz Board.
DAY TWO
This Summit, we had two HATCH Alum, Mike Savas and Mike Zuckerman, who were planning on attending HATCH, but at the last minute had to pivot to support the Ukraine crisis. Despite not being able to join us in Mexico, we were able to video conference them in from the frontlines in Poland, where they shared with us a little about what they were doing and how we can best support from afar. Learn more here: https://wearealight.org/
OPEN SPACE
Open space looked different for everyone, but there were no bad options.
LIGHTNING TALKS
- During the pandemic, Marilu Salvador used her experience in education to open The Creating Center, a new educational center, a new model that leans on a flexible, innovative environment based on 5 pillars: Independence, individuality, wholesomeness, love of nature and community. Marilu shared with us her journey and what’s next with The Creating Center.
- As a researcher of sustainable water resources management, David Purkey reminded us about the unintended consequences of innovation and the importance of understanding where product resources are coming from.
- A perfect segway to our communal meal that evening, Pablo Fernandez, founder of Secret Table, an experience design company, shared the roots of his joy around building deeper human connection through food.
Wednesday evening we got to experience a #BecauseOfHATCH moment come full circle. We screened Max Lowe’s feature film, Torn. A documentary about his late father and legendary climber, Alex Lowe, and the loss and love that came in the aftermath. Max originally participated in HATCH years ago as a NextGen student and again in 2016 where he met one of his producers and was inspired to make the film we watched that evening.
I wanted to tell a story different than the one people thought they knew — Max Lowe
Watch the movie: https://www.disneyplus.com/movies/torn/
Day Three
Luis Sosa got our gears turning in the morning by reframing success and failure. His term“Unsuccess” is a fresh perspective and a tool for continuing on the road towards “success”.
In his work partnering brands with impact, San Rahi shared with us an innovative partnership between Hyundai and the UNDP called www.fortomorrow.org He issued a challenge to all of us to stop and learn from those we aim to help, drop our preconceived notions or assumptions, and have those closest to the problem show us both the actionable and viable solutions they already have and what our best role is in support them. “Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.” — Arthur Ashe
Tuck Tyrell’s thoughtful and honest GAIA poem was the perfect transition into some solo time for journalling/meditating around the property.
OPEN SPACE
Many HATCHers opted for an afternoon at Rincon del Encino, a local Regenerative Farm, where HATCHers received a private tour of the property.
Our final evening together featured music by Printz Board, Teneia, Finn & Meghan and Mark Brand in the DJ booth. This naturally led to an epic HATCH dance party, embracing the moment and celebrating an energetic week together.
“Strong community is a necessity if we want to turn all our aspirational and encouraging words into initiatives and a movement with the potential to create transformation. And our world needs transformation, rebuilding, reinvention. HATCH and the people I’m still now talking to from this community give me hope that we can bring into being systems that prioritize dignity, health and regeneration for people and planet.”
— HATCHer
We look forward to watching the seeds planted at HATCH grow into new friendships and collaborations over the coming months. As we were reminded: What we do next is what counts. Start with where you are.
Join the 2023 HATCH Mexico interest list: https://forms.gle/vVJRB3nVcBSJfFCN7