Hola, hola! Welcome to Casa Cinco, a weekly newsletter curating connection.

Are you building or investing in human connection? See the bottom of this email and connect with Casa Cinco.

This week I’m sharing the secret to longevity, how to know a person, and Casa Cinco drinks at The Conduit. Happy reading!

Here’s to connecting,

Andy

THE SECRET TO LONGEVITY

I wear a Whoop. It promises to ‘unlock my potential’ by telling me a glass of wine is terrible for my sleep and my HRV is at 50 today (whatever that means).

Don’t get me wrong, the Whoop is great. So is the Garmin, the Oura ring, the Fitbit, and all the other wearables we pretend to understand. But… they’re not enough.

We’re all looking for the next way to biohack our way into longevity. Yet, if you look at studies on Blue Zones around the world, none of the centenarians use anything remotely similar to a wearable.

Yes, they eat well and exercise often, which wearables remind us to do (‘Hey Andrea! How about going for a walk?’ Shut up, Garmin. I need to see if Colin and Penelope will ever be happily ever after). But what they really do, better than most of us mortals, is friendships. The secret to longevity - what really moves the needle besides eating well and moving often - is strong, unconditional, consistent relationships.

In his latest interview with DOAC’s Steven Bartlett, Simon Sinek dissects why we’ve become so meh at building relationships and what we can do about it.

Simon’s take: friendships are lacking intentionality. We’ve all rescheduled on a friend because ‘something at work came up’. I was a victim of this once this week, and guilty of it twice.

We fail to give people around us the importance they deserve and friendships the consistency they require. A good analogy for this is going to the gym. You don’t see results after one day - you have to show up, rain or shine, until those biceps start popping up.

Casa Cinco is about human connection, community, and belonging. But never forget - whether friends, coworkers, clients, customers, family members, partners or more - everything comes down to one on one relationships.

The inspiration for you is: For the next two weeks, be intentional about being a good and reliable friend, family member, or coworker. Here are five (small) ways you can do this:

• Call, don’t text: I don’t care if you feel awkward - give it a try. Instead of engaging in a broken conversation, spend an hour talking on the phone

• Send a gift: We don’t need birthdays or housewarmings as excuses to surprise people we care about. Perhaps send some flowers just because?

• Sit down and listen: Ask questions. Avoid talking about yourself. Give the other person room to be

• Make life easier for others: Take on a bit more responsibility than the person next to you. Let your intern go home early on a Friday afternoon. Think twice before sending yet another email - can this be a quick call instead?

• Be spontaneous: Walking near a friend’s house? Office? Text them to come downstairs and say hello. We need to stop scheduling every interaction! 

Remember: sometimes we fail to do things not because they’re hard, but because they’re easy. Don’t forget the small stuff - it adds up!

WEEKLY CURATION

PEOPLE

• 💌Watch: Raj Sisodia on reimagining capitalism with higher consciousness (oldie but goodie!)

• 👁️Three ways to enhance eye contact for a more engaged life

• 🧑‍🤝‍🧑Listen: David Brooks, author of ‘How to Know a Person’, on the art of seeing others deeply and being deeply seen

PRODUCTS & SERVICES

• 🔍Products for ‘community’, ‘connection’, or ‘friends’ seem limited to conversation cards, pet supplies, and alcohol. Any brands you’re aware of that are doing exciting things?

• 🌳Hometree: Making renewable technologies accessible and affordable for homeowners

• 📱Three celebrates the power of human (and mobile) connection. At least they’re spreading the message, amiright?

PLACES

• 💃Coming soon: Casa Cinco is hosting drinks at The Conduit on the topic of human connection (+community, belonging, relationships, etc.). Details to follow!

• ✈️Listen: What the heck is regenerative tourism, anyway?

• 🏠Old Sessions House: A London landmark restored to splendor

CONNECT WITH CASA CINCO

Are you an entrepreneur or investor in hospitality, consumer, or community? Not sure if what you do fits in these categories, but you’re all about human connection?

More than simply alive, are you helping others to live more fully?

Join others like you by replying to this email with the subject line “MEMBER” and connect with the Casa Cinco network.

We’ll talk soon. Thank you for joining me at Casa Cinco.

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