When we’re younger, friendships often happen naturally through school, sports, and shared activities. As adults, those built-in opportunities become harder to find.
Work, family responsibilities, busy schedules, and working from home can make our worlds feel smaller. Moving to a new city adds another challenge: Where do you meet people when you no longer have a classroom or campus full of familiar faces?
After moving to Sarasota, I was reminded that building a community as an adult doesn’t happen overnight. You can love where you live and still miss having people and places that feel familiar.
That sense of connection matters more than we may realize.
Loneliness Is More Common Than It Looks
Loneliness does not always mean being physically alone. You can have coworkers, family, social plans, and hundreds of online connections—and still feel like something is missing.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately one in three U.S. adults reports feeling lonely, while about one in four says they lack social and emotional support. A 2025 report from the World Health Organization found that loneliness affects one in six people worldwide.
In other words, if making meaningful connections as an adult feels difficult, you are far from the only one.
Connection Is Part of Wellness
We often think of wellness in terms of exercise, nutrition, sleep, and stress management. But our relationships and sense of belonging belong on that list too.
Social connection can provide emotional support, help ease stress, and protect against depression and anxiety. The physical effects are meaningful as well. The U.S. Surgeon General’s advisory on social connection reports that poor social relationships, isolation, and loneliness are associated with a 29% higher risk of heart disease and a 32% higher risk of stroke.
That does not mean joining one activity is a cure for loneliness. It does mean connection is not simply a nice bonus—it is an important part of our overall well-being.
Why Moving Together Can Make Connection Easier
The advice to “put yourself out there” sounds simple—until you’re standing alone at an event wondering whom to talk to.
A recurring group activity offers a more natural way to connect. There is already a shared reason to be there, something to do, and an easy place for conversation to begin.
A fitness class creates small, low-pressure opportunities to see familiar faces, learn people’s names, celebrate progress together, and feel that your presence is noticed. Research has also found that belonging to an exercise group is associated with greater social support, a stronger sense of shared identity, and continued exercise participation. Read the study.
You may first walk into a class because you want to feel stronger, improve your mobility, or make time for yourself. But when you return regularly, it can become about more than the workout. Familiarity slowly turns into conversation, and conversation can grow into connection.
Community Beyond the Studio
At Ember, we also know community cannot be created through classes alone. That is why we plan to offer opportunities for members to connect outside of their regular workouts through social gatherings, local events, pop-ups, and collaborations with other Sarasota businesses. See a list of our upcoming events.
These events will give members a chance to talk without a countdown clock running or an instructor asking for one more set—because apparently friendship is easier when no one is holding a plank.
Not every person you meet will become a close friend, and that does not have to be the goal. Even brief, positive interactions can help a city feel more like home.
Find Your Community at Ember
Ember was created to be more than a place where you complete a workout and rush back out the door. We want it to feel warm, welcoming, and personal—a place where you can build strength, care for yourself, and become part of a community.
You do not need to arrive knowing anyone. You do not need to be experienced or outgoing. Just come as you are.
We would love to welcome you to Ember—and perhaps introduce you to a few people who are looking for their community, too.
