We Should Get Together: The Secret to Cultivating Better Friendships
The modern handbook for making and maintaining stronger friendships
Full of relatable stories, practical tips, 60 charming illustrations, 55 suggested activities, a book club discussion guide, and 300+ conversation starters, We Should Get Together is the perfect book for anyone who wants to have dedicated, life-enriching friends, and who wants to be that kind of friend, too. Learn more
Want to feel closer to the friends you already have?
Since 2015, Better than Small Talk has been helping friends, acquaintances, colleagues, and loved ones get closer, and appreciate new sides of each other.
I’m Kat Vellos, a coach and speaker who helps people make and maintain friendships in adulthood. I wrote and illustrated the book We Should Get Together: The Secret to Cultivating Better Friendships and I created all the friendship-boosting tools you’ll find on this site.
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Behind the scenes
Take a peek behind the scenes to see how I work with companies and individuals, and what they have to say about it.
💛 Nice words from clients and fans 💛
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"Kat Vellos is a visionary leader and inspirational speaker who I've had the pleasure to learn from and see in action. Over the years, she has managed to build a reputation as a luminary figure in her quest to bring people together, creating a network that fosters belonging, empathy and togetherness. Her passion to help people achieve their best is apparent in the way she speaks and lives out her life."
— Maurice Woods, founder of Inneract Project; Principal Designer at Microsoft
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“Kat Vellos brings a generosity of spirit to any room she’s in. Kat’s work with We Should Get Together resonates with people across generations, disciplines, and backgrounds. Her attention to detail and observations about the needs and desires of today’s generation is concise, researched, passionate, and inspiring. Kat’s presentation at DFA Alumni + Friends: Building the Commons emphasized design’s power to build community and create positive social impact!”
— Alden Burke, Program Coordinator, Design For America
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“Even with an all virtual audience, Kat Vellos’ Keynote lit up the room. Kat’s eloquent and powerful language inspired every single person in the audience to use their (design) power to create good change in this world. I couldn’t have asked for a better Keynote speaker to spread light, knowledge and empowerment to an audience of students and aspiring designers, writers, researchers and leaders.”
— Nadia Anees, VP External At The Davis Design Interactive And Co-founder Of Just Design
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“Kat’s presence is like a warm hug from an old friend. Her compassionate, down-to-earth, and insightful facilitation is one of the best things I’ve chosen to enrich my creative workshops [at Adobe]. Every single person left Kat’s session more comfortable and open-hearted, which greatly enhanced the overall experience of my event and lead to some real and deep connections.”
— Pollyanna Macchiano, Program Manager, Adobe
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“Kat’s Friendship Power Pack packed a big punch! Participants loved connecting with new people in the breakout sessions and left inspired and renewed. We made actionable plans to nurture and grow our friendship circles. Kat’s thoughtful design of both content *and* experience transformed the “everyday digital” into an inviting and rich learning experience.”
— Kate Rutter, Design Instructor At California College Of The Arts
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Platonic Action Lab™
My signature program is a bodacious two-month bootcamp that will give you the tools to cultivate the hyperlocal and/or hyperspecific friendships you’re wishing for — now and in the future.
