I didn’t think I needed Camp... until I did.

Hi friends,

It’s Liv :)

This weekend, I wanted to introduce you to someone. Her name is Kylie, she came to Camp Social last summer.

She is 32, from Chicago, not the loudest in the room.

Just a gal who had been quietly holding it all together… until she realized she didn’t want to anymore.

Her story might sound familiar. Because honestly? I think a lot of us have been Kylie. Here’s what she shared with me:

From Kylie:

If you looked at my life from the outside, it seems fine. I have a steady job. A cute apartment. Friends I’d known for years, even if we rarely saw each other.

Last summer I was somewhere between “figuring it out” and “is this it?”

I wasn’t totally unhappy. But I wasn’t totally there, either.

I had a decent job, good-enough friends, plans on the calendar. But I also had this quiet sadness I didn’t really tell anyone about.

Not depression. Just… emptiness. Like I had accidentally let go of the parts of me that made life feel alive.

I wasn’t having deep conversations. I wasn’t meeting new people. I definitely wasn’t laughing until I snorted anymore.

I stayed busy. There was always something to do. But I couldn’t remember the last time I felt excited about something.

Making friends in your thirties feels harder.

Everyone is caught up in babies, brunches, and bachelorettes. And even when I showed up last year, I didn’t feel in it. I felt like I was floating somewhere above it all.

One night, I was doomscrolling when I saw a post for Camp Social. Something about it tugged at me.

It reminded me of the kind of connection I always wanted growing up, but never really got.

So I bought a ticket. Just like that. Alone.

No bestie. No “let’s do this together.” Literally just me and a gut feeling I couldn’t ignore.

I was terrified, don’t get me wrong. Driving up that Friday, I almost turned around twice.

What if it’s cliquey? What if I’m the oldest one there? What if I just don’t fit in?- yup! Had all of those thoughts.

But within the first five minutes, I finally breathed out.

I watched friendly women giving out smiles and hugs when they’d only just met, the Camp Social team greeting everyone, Liv hopping around, dancing like a bunny rabbit… LOL I felt the pressure in my chest loosen.

That weekend, I danced like a crazy person and let go of how tightly I had wound into myself.

I didn’t even realize how tightly I was wound. I made a best friend from Dallas who still sends me voice notes every morning. We even went on a trip to Mexico with a few of the other girlies from camp this past winter!

By Sunday, when I drove back home… my day-to-day life hadn’t changed. But I had.

It wasn’t magic. It wasn’t therapy. Camp is a little bit of it all. And, what you make it. Truly.

My Camp Social summer gave me something I didn’t even realize I’d lost. And more than anything, it reminded me of who I still am.

I’m sharing Kylie’s story because I know she’s not alone. A lot of us are “doing fine” on the surface but deep down, we’re craving something more real. More honest. More us.

That’s why Camp exists. Not to fix you. Not to force anything. But to help you reconnect with a version of yourself you might have forgotten.

Our final Camp weekend of the year is happening September 26–28.

If any part of Kylie’s story hit close to home… this might be for you.

You’re not too late, you’re not too old, you’re not too far gone. And I’ll be waiting with open arms… and maybe a s’more or two ;)

With love,

Liv

Founder | Camp Social