Emma McCallie wants you to talk to strangers

Person of Interest 003

Welcome to Persons of Interest— a series in which I dive into good taste by asking the most compelling people I can find what they’re interested in and obsessed with.

There aren’t enough kind words to spill about the joy and the delight that is Emma McCallie. I met her in the most meet cute of ways: around a bonfire at a mutual friends birthday party. We got coffee once and fell fast into friendship.

Emma McCallie is the founder of Folx Table which is THE Sit Down Social Network, based in Nashville, TN (but coming for you nationwide soon I’m hoping) Folx Table, at it’s core, is a platform for social connection through in-person experiences. If it sounds complicated, it isn’t! You just fill out a profile online, and buy a ticket to a table of six people who you’ve never met at a restaurant, coffee shop, or bar in Nashville. Once you arrive there’s conversation-based programming that encourages you to ask better questions and find connection with people who you’ve only just met. There are meet-ups in Nashville every day. When I think about tangible ways to make the world a better place, it’s Folx Table that I think of.

The thing I deeply appreciate most about Emma McCallie is that she is the queen of practicing what she preaches. Asking better questions is more than just a cheeky idea that sounds good on paper, it is a way of life. One conversation with Emma will change the way you look at social interactions for the rest of your life. She is brilliant, super fun, incredibly smart, and an all around pleasure to know. I’m so excited to introduce you to her and welcome her as Person of Interest #3!

Name some songs you can’t stop listening to.

TALKING WALLS by EVAN GIIA or Fred again’s new album. Unclear if this is a “yay” or a “yikes,” but I can easily listen to the same song for 8 hours. 

What’s a book you recommend to everyone? 

How to Know a Person by David Brooks 

What’s something that you feel doesn’t get enough hype?

Putting friendship at the center of your life - and talking about what we want from our relationships - not just what we’re supposed to want - for a fulfilling life. A lot of my thoughts finally had the words and vocabulary to it from Rhaina Cohen’s recent book The Other Significant Others: Reimagining Life with Friendship at the Center. She questions why we assume romantic relationships are more important than friendships. It’s freeing and challenging to orient your world around friends when society doesn’t recognize that as a normal thing to do. Especially when many Americans are spending large stretches of our lives single, or feeling the effects of the "loneliness epidemic," it’s empowering to recognize the many forms of profound connection that can anchor our lives. 

Name something you think of as cool. 

Simply put, it’s cool to care. That can be for just about anything, but in whatever way you’re showing up, give a damn. 

What’s the best thing you’ve purchased in the past three months?

Party hats and retro sunglasses. I threw a BDAY YAY party, and everyone who walked in the door put a hat on their head and glasses on their face. It was a total blend of my worlds, and lots of people were meeting each other for the first time. We cut the small talk, cut the cake, cut a rug, then cut loose. It’s fun to have fun, and Party City treasures go a long way. 

Tell me a story you find yourself telling and retelling over and over again whenever you find a new audience?

The time I left my successful government-girlie job, moved across town, bought a Subaru, got bangs, and started going full force on Folx Table. I thought my hairdresser was going to ask for a referral letter for the bangs. The title of that chapter was “a whole lotta change.”

What do you find irresistible?

I’m a sucker for anything fall flavored. I have absolutely no shame in the pumpkin game. Back to the “it’s cool to care.” Happily, I choose to care about extra delicious coffee creamer and cozy candles.

In people, I’m really drawn to their curiosity and itch for self-improvement. Those can be applied to anything, but I’m energized by others’ want to learn, grow, and go. 

What are you a big fan of right now?

Publix Low-Fat Cottage Cheese with Pineapple

Iced Americanos 

Cobalt blue 

Switchyards

6Run5 and Girls Run Nash

My Facebook Marketplace rolling whiteboard. Everything - even my grocery list - is more legitimate written in Expo marker.

What makes something interesting to you?

Genuinely, I think it’s really interesting what we think about - where our minds go, when they wander, and what they wonder about. I’m interested in our thoughts, when people choose to share them, and when our thoughts become things. Rather than “what’s up,” I like to ask “what’s been on your mind,” or “what have you been thinking about lately?” 

How do you know when your interest in something has passed the threshold and has become a part of your personality? 

It shows up in my habits – when my daily routine starts revolving around it, I know it's become part of who I am. Usually, that means it's become effortless. When I no longer have to think about it—it’s just part of how I move through the world—that’s when I know it’s here to stay.

Talking to strangers, asking better questions, and having better conversations have certainly become that for me. 

What’s something you’re newly interested in?

Cold plunges. Dallas, my original Folx Table counterpart and now co-founder, built a cold plunge a year ago. Not having cold plunged one singe time in his life, I remember he said “I just know this is going to change my life.” It certainly changed his, and mine! We started plunging 3x week, and spent a ton of time outside the cold water together all talking about habits, routines, goals, and accountability. Dallas and I started honing in on Folx, building intentionally, running faster, and kept submerging in cold water. It’s been a year, but I’m still gobsmacked at what an impact the cold water has had.

What’s your longest running interest? 

Pranks - while the degree of severity and level of effort has varied, I’m usually up to something or thinking about my next trip to Party City. 

What’s something you’ll always be a fan of? 

Talking to strangers. I hardly know a day without it. The encounters aren’t always profound, or even lengthy, but it’s given me a lot of levity to my life. Having someone else to witness you in that moment - “do you think I should get the blueberry or the chocolate muffin,” “those shoes are fabulous,” and “I love your dog, what’s his name .. and your name” have been present in my life for as long as I can remember. 

What are you tired of talking about? 

Small talk in general. Typically, it’s the autopilot of work, weather, or what’s-new-with-you that wears me out. There’s so much more to people than how they pay their bills. Even the small shift to “how do you enjoy spending your time,” or “what do you enjoy talking about but aren’t often asked about,” go a long way for better conversations.

You can find and follow Emma McCallie on Instagram or who knows— maybe you’ll get seated with her at your next Folx Table.

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