The Crisis We’re Not Talking About: Why Disconnection is Our Biggest Challenge

“It’s not AI, climate, or disinformation. It’s disconnection.”

Reshma Saujani said this at the recent Harvey Mudd Fall Leadership Forum, and honestly, it’s been haunting me ever since.

Last week, I had the privilege of hosting a panel event with some extraordinary women – Petra Gatto, Lisa Delaney, and Sharron Moffatt. We had raw conversations. Vulnerable sharing. Real connection in a room full of strangers who left feeling a little less alone.

And then this morning, walking to the dentist, I couldn’t unsee what Reshma was talking about.

Person after person passed me, head buried in their phone. Scrolling. Disconnected. The only person who made eye contact? A man walking his dog, who smiled.

One smile. In fifteen minutes of walking through a town full of people.

We’re Surrounded by Humans, Yet Profoundly Alone

Here’s the paradox: we’re more “connected” than ever before. Slack messages. Zoom calls. LinkedIn notifications. WhatsApp groups. Email threads that never end.

And yet, at our core, we’re lonely.

Leaders tell me they feel isolated carrying every decision. Team members describe feeling invisible despite being on back-to-back video calls. Founders admit they’re surrounded by people but have no one to truly talk to.

We’re moving fast. Building things. Achieving goals.

But we’re doing it while feeling profoundly disconnected from ourselves and each other.

The Magic Happens in the Pause

In my work facilitating group sessions and team workshops, something rare happens when we simply create the conditions for it – people actually connect.

Not networking at that surface-level, exchanging-business-cards way.

Not collaboration on a project.

But genuinely see and be seen by each other.

The magic doesn’t happen because of clever frameworks or fancy facilitation techniques (though those create helpful containers).

It happens in the pause.

That moment when someone admits “I don’t actually know” and the entire room exhales because everyone else was thinking it too.

When a founder realises they’re not the only one carrying the weight of every decision alone.

When a team finally says out loud what everyone’s been thinking but nobody’s been brave enough to name.

These moments don’t happen by accident. They happen when we deliberately create space for them.

The Acceleration Problem

We’re all living in a state of constant acceleration.

AI is evolving faster than we can keep up with. Technology changes daily. Everything is urgent. Every decision needs to happen now. The pressure to move faster, do more, optimise everything is relentless.

And in all that acceleration, we’re losing the most human part of ourselves.

The part that needs to slow down. To reflect. To genuinely connect with other humans without an agenda or a deadline.

The part that needs to admit uncertainty, share struggles, and feel less alone in the complexity of leading and living.

Why Connection Isn’t a “Nice-to-Have”

Creating space for genuine human connection isn’t team building fluff.

It’s not a nice-to-have when budgets allow.

It’s essential work.

In a world increasingly mediated by screens and AI, the ability to help people reconnect with themselves and each other is becoming one of the most valuable skills we can offer.

Because here’s the truth: the loneliest place isn’t working from home alone.

The loneliest place is being surrounded by people – in meetings, on calls, in Slack channels – and still feeling like you’re carrying everything alone.

It’s being the leader who always has to have the answers.

The team member who can’t admit they’re struggling.

The founder who wears the optimistic mask while drowning internally.

The Work Isn’t Complicated

Here’s what I’ve learned: the work of creating connection isn’t complicated.

It requires:

• Creating space – actual, protected time that isn’t about productivity
• Asking better questions – ones that invite honesty, not performance
• Allowing silence – resisting the urge to fill every pause
• Making room for the human stuff – the feelings, fears, and vulnerabilities that get squeezed out by urgency

When we do this, something shifts.

People remember that before they’re colleagues, they’re people.

And people need other people.

What Last Week’s Panel Taught Me

Hosting that panel last week with Petra, Lisa, and Sharron was a powerful reminder of what’s possible when we create brave spaces for real conversation.

We didn’t stick to sanitised talking points. We went deep. People shared vulnerably. The room leaned in.

And afterward? Person after person said the same thing: “Thank you. I needed this. I thought it was just me.”

That’s the power of connection.

Not fixing anything. Not solving every problem.

Just creating the space where people realise they’re not alone.

A Question for You

What are you noticing about connection (or disconnection) in your teams right now?

Are people genuinely connecting, or just coordinating?

Are they being human with each other, or performing productivity?

Are they feeling seen, or just busy?

The answer matters more than we think.

Because in a world accelerating toward an AI-driven future, our humanity – our ability to connect, empathise, and genuinely see each other – might be the most important thing we have.

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If you’re a leader wanting to create more genuine connection in your team, or if you’re feeling the weight of disconnection yourself, let’s talk. Sometimes the most powerful thing we can do is admit we don’t have to carry it all alone.

Find out more about team sessions here.