Building community,
90 minutes at a time.
Introducing 90-minute live intensives for leaders who want to build trust, deepen engagement, and unlock new growth—using community, not just content.
Who We Are
In the age of AI, growth doesn’t come from attention. It comes from connection.
The leaders who understand this shift are building something different. Something more durable.
But for most of us, there’s a problem:
We know how to produce content.
We know how to run campaigns.
We know how to create events.
And we know that AI can help with all of it.
But we were never shown how to design connection.
And the rise of AI has only made that more urgent—and more confusing.
There’s no clear playbook. No one tool. No simple place to start.
So the question becomes:
How do we really solve for this in a way that is practical, human, and real?
All while still benefiting from the time savings that AI has to offer?
Our ProgramLearn how to build a community in a world where attention is no longer enough.
In this four-part Intensive series from Optimistic Labs, you'll learn how community-driven organizations are growing differently, and how to apply those ideas to your own work. Across four focused sessions, each with a different theme, we cover the shift from audience to community, the design of belonging and participation, and the role AI plays in making these systems possible. By the end of each intensive, you'll not only understand the model—you'll have started applying it in your own organization.
Join the waitlist by April 17th to join our May intensives.
Join the waitlist by April 17th to join our May intensives.
What You’ll Walk Away With
Each Optimistic Intensive is designed to give you insights you can use immediately.
Why Community: Understanding the Approach (Intensive 1): A simple, practical way to think about community in your organization—and how it connects to growth, trust, and long-term value.
Defining Your Community Opportunity (Intensive 2): A clear, practical approach to determine where community fits in your work—who it's for, why it matters, and what it could become.
Designing Your Community Approach (and Growth) (Intensive 3): The beginnings of your community in practice, including what kinds of experiences you’ll create, how people will engage, and what makes it feel like something worth belonging to.
Community and AI: The Tools, Tricks and Trends for Community Building (Intensive 4): A practical understanding of how to use AI to support your community—from content and communication to insight and engagement.
And always, a concrete next step: One thing you can do immediately—to move from thinking about community to actually building it.
Each session stands alone. Together, they build a complete system.
Intensive01
Why Community Now?
Community is no longer a side strategy. It’s becoming the foundation for how organizations grow.
In this session, we help you understand where this shift is coming from—and what it means for your work.
You’ll learn how to:
Identify why community is becoming a driver of growth, trust, and resilience
Understand what’s changed in how organizations build relationships with their customers
Recognize the limitations of content, marketing, and audience-first strategies
Spot where a community could exist within your organization
By the end of this session, you’ll have a clear point of view on why community matters—and where it fits in your work.
Intensive02
Audience vs. Community
Most organizations have an audience. Very few have a true community.
In this session, we help you see the difference—and what it takes to move from one to the other.
You’ll learn how to:
Distinguish between audience and community in practical terms
Identify where your current approach is creating attention—but not connection
Recognize the gap between what you have today and what’s possible
Define what a real community would look like (and do) for your organization
By the end of this session, you’ll have a clear understanding of your current state—and what needs to change to build a community.
Intensive03
The Ritual Architecture
Community isn’t built through content alone. It’s built through shared experiences.
In this session, we help you design the moments that create connection and belonging.
You’ll learn how to:
Identify the types of experiences that bring people together
Design simple, repeatable rituals that create consistency and trust
Structure participation so your community becomes active—not passive
Translate your ideas into concrete community interactions
By the end of this session, you’ll have your first set of community rituals—and a clear sense of how your community comes to life.
Intensive04
Optimistic AI Foundations
AI is changing how communities can be built—but only if it’s used in the right way.
In this session, we show you how to use AI as a tool for connection, not just automation.
You’ll learn how to:
Understand the difference between automation and amplification
Use AI to support content, insight, and engagement within your community
Identify practical ways to integrate AI into your existing workflow
Think about AI as part of your community design—not separate from it
By the end of this session, you’ll have a clear starting point for using AI to support and scale your community.
Our ModelEverything You Need to Start Building Your Community
A focused, practical experience designed to help you move from idea to action—quickly, clearly, and within the context of your own organization.
Focused Live Intensives
Each 90-minute live session is structured, interactive, and grounded in real application—so you’re not just learning concepts, you’re applying them directly to your work.
Guided, Hands-On Work
You’ll work through your own community as each session unfolds, with pre-read context, live exercises, and a post-session worksheet to carry the work forward.
Immediate, Practical Application
Each Intensive is built to help you define something real for your specific organization, so that you can move from thinking about community to actually building it.
Join the waitlist by April 17th to join our May intensive.
Join the waitlist by April 17th to join our May intensive.
PLUS: Join the Optimistic Labs Community
When you join an Intensive, you’re not just attending a session—you’re becoming part of an ongoing community.
You’ll have access to a network of peers, shared insights, and a space to continue building beyond the workshop.
The sessions are the starting point.
The community is where the work continues.
Meet Your Instructor
Seth Cohen
Seth Cohen has spent his career designing and building communities across business, philanthropy, media and global networks of entrepreneurs and impact-focused leaders. From his early work as a venture and M&A attorney to leadership roles shaping community and engagement strategies across the U.S., Europe, and the Middle East, he has worked with organizations at every stage of growth.
At Forbes, he helped build and scale communities of founders, executives, and emerging leaders—creating networks and experiences that drive connection, insight, and opportunity. Today, as a founder of Optimistic Labs, he applies that experience to help organizations move beyond audience-building and design communities that generate trust, engagement, and long-term value.
Frequently Asked Questions
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No. Each Intensive is designed to stand on its own. You can join a single session based on what’s most relevant to you—or move through all four to build a complete foundation over time.
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Most people start with Intensive #1: Why Community Now, which provides the foundation for everything else.
That said, you can begin with any session depending on where you are—and purchase earlier sessions as recorded workshops if you want additional context.
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This is designed for:
founders and operators
executive directors and nonprofit leaders
community builders faith leaders
anyone thinking about how to bring people together around their work
If you're trying to move from content → connection, this is for you.
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You’ll be in great company!
The Intensives are designed for people who know community matters—but don’t yet have a clear model for how to approach it. Many attendees will be in the same place as you are right now. We focus on clarity and practical starting points, not prior experience.
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Yes. Many participants already have an audience or community but are looking to turn it into something more meaningful and engaging. We'll help you move from attention to connection.
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Most courses focus on tactics or tools.
The Optimistic Intensive focuses on:
how to think about community
how to design it intentionally
how to apply it directly to your work
It’s not about consuming content—it’s about building something real.
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If you paid to attend a session but weren't able to make it, you will receive a recording of the session for review.
If you missed signing up for previous workshops, an asynchronous version of intensives will be recorded and available for purchase soon.
If you would like to do even more work together, we also offer advisory services and community building labs. Contact us to learn more!
Waitlist Closes April 17
We’re currently accepting participants for the first Optimistic Intensive.
The waitlist will close on April 17th, after which we’ll begin confirming spots for the session.