Hey, it's Colin (@careercolin). I wanted to share a quick story with you, and let you know about some pretty exciting news! Hope you enjoy.

I spent the first six months post-layoff in a complete spiral

After I lost my six-figure corporate job a week before my son was born, I was in a bad spot. When I’ve shared this story previously, I usually skip this part because, honestly, it wasn’t so glamorous.

My first few months of “freedom” consisted of me filing for unemployment, leaving my wife (in postpartum recovery) at home with our newborn so I could attend networking events and mixers in search of my next opportunity, and convincing myself (and everyone around me) that things were going to work out.

Two years ago, what I was making as a creator could barely cover my rent, let alone support me and a growing family in NYC. So I was doing anything and everything I could to make ends meet, including:

• Running a coaching cohort for summer interns
• Selling 60-min sessions on building a personal brand
• Accepting any content deal I could get (anybody remember Smashburger?)

I even did some UGC content for an ice bath brand, which consisted of me filling up an inflatable ice bath with about 70 gallons of ice-cold water in my one-bedroom apartment. It was desperate, and most of it felt completely disconnected from my purpose and my mission.

I was doing more than ever, and still getting nowhere. But here’s where things started to shift

Eventually, I found myself getting coffee with someone I really respected. They had been a full-time creator for a few years now, and I was hoping to get some advice on what my next step should be. And after I spent about 10 minutes explaining to him what I’ve just told you, he simply told me that I felt stuck because I kept looking for advice.

He went on to say that when you’re on the path of finding your life’s true mission, it can’t come externally. And you have to get to a quiet enough place where you can be honest with yourself about who you are, and the life you want to build.

So that night, I cancelled a few events I had registered for, and took some time to actually listen to myself.

I went on long walks through the city. I went to Central Park and sat on a bench and wrote down whatever came to me. And I stayed up late in the apartment and journaled about what I wanted my future to look like.

Through that process, I had the idea to create this community, For The Firsts. And over the last year and a half, I’ve begun to collect the questions and conversation starters from our meetups that were the best at creating true connection.

Today, we launch First Round: 40 thoughtful conversation starters. This is my first product, and I’ve spent the last year making this something that I’m truly proud of.

These cards were hand-picked from our FTF events, and they’re for anyone who wants to experience how we create true connection at our meetups. It’s for “firsts” walking to their next job interview and unsure of how to connect with the team. It’s for your next dinner party, or family trip.

It’s for you. And I hope you like it.

If you use the code FIRST20 at checkout, you’ll get 20% off your first order. This is a special discount I’m not sharing anywhere else, and it’s how much this community means to me.