Today we’d like to introduce you to Anna Olson.
Hi Anna, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
In September 2021, I was struggling with my mental health and feeling super lonely. One day I posted a Tiktok looking to meet other people in Atlanta, and a week or two later it went micro-viral in ATL.
A lot of the comments were from people just like me, looking to meet other like-minded adults in the city. I decided to start planning a small get together in the park, but the small get together grew quickly and on September 25, 2021, over 100 Atlanta adults met in the park for what would be ATL Friends’ first meetup.
Since then, we have hosted multiple meetups and they have continued to grow in size. I, along with an amazing team, run an Instagram called @atl_friends where we foster connection and create space for Atlantans to make friends, collaborate, and network. Our mission: to make Atlanta a less lonely city.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It has been fairly smooth for the most part, but there are always challenges when something grows super quickly.
One of our biggest challenges is just finding ways to connect the 26k people who follow us on Instagram. It’s logistically challenging because you can’t really have thousands of people meeting in a park each time you have an event. We created a Discord to help people meet online so that connection isn’t entirely dependent on in person events. We are also working on adding more events to the calendar each month.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Ironically, I am also an event planner in my professional life. I plan fundraisers for a wonderful nonprofit organization and have held similar roles throughout my career.
When I started ATL Friends, I didn’t know that we would eventually be hosting regular events, but I feel like my background has really given me the tools to make these community events successful.
As far as what I am most proud of, I think it would just be doing work both professionally and personally that helps to make an impact in the Atlanta community.
We’d love to hear about how you think about risk taking?
In the last couple of years, I have had to make a lot of sacrifices to get to a place where I feel content with my life. Some of them were risky and involved a lot of discomfort and pain and at the time, I didn’t know if I would fail. But now, I feel at peace and I have experienced success that I may never have experienced if I hadn’t taken those risks. If staying true to yourself involves taking risks, and it usually will, then I think it’s important to find the courage to do so.
Contact Info:
- Email: atlfriendsinfo@gmail.com
- Instagram: @atl_friends
Image Credits
Travis Bramlett DJ Ramirez
