Five Years of ICology — What It Really Takes to Build Community at Work | Chuck Gose & Kristin Hancock

Five years ago, Kristin Hancock sat in a hotel room in Chicago the night before the very first CampICology convinced it was a failure. Twelve people had signed up. She’d wanted thirty. That event turned out to be magic. In this Between the Seasons episode, hosts Pinaki Kathiari and Chris Lee are joined by Chuck Goseand Kristin Hancock, the co-founders of ICology, to mark five years of building what’s become oneof internal communications’ most genuinely human communities. Chuck started ICology as a podcastback in 2015 looking for new voices in internal comms. Kristin built the community that surrounds it.Together, they’ve created something that doesn’t look or feel like anything else in the profession. The conversation covers the real story of building ICology — the individual outreach, the eventsthat nearly didn’t happen, the moment success looked exactly like failure, and why Chuck says youshould take it personally when people don’t show up (and why that’s actually good advice). They also talk about what’s next: the EX Factor Summit, a new pre-conference mini-summit atTransform 2026 in Las Vegas designed to bring internal communicators into the employee experienceconversation in a more hands-on, problem-solving way. And yes, Busta Rhymes is involved. In this episode, they discuss:• What Kristin and Chuck each brought to ICology — and why both were necessary• Why building community is harder than it looks (and lonelier than you’d expect)• The lesson from 12 people in a room that felt like failure until it didn’t• Why Chuck says to take it personally when people don’t engage• How individualism gets in the way of community — inside and outside of work• Why internal comms needs to stop asking for a seat at the table and start building one• What the EX Factor Summit is, and what attendees will walk away with If you’re attending Transform 2026 in Vegas, the EX Factor Summit is happening this month.Chuck Gose: LinkedInKristin Hancock: LinkedInICology: joinicology.com — use code ICLOVE for $50 off your first yearEX Factor Summit at Transform 2026: Register HereFrequency Podcast (Chuck Gose & Jenni Field): Listen HereFriends of Indy Animals (Indianapolis): Learn MoreConnect with UsPinaki Kathiari – LinkedIn  | Local WisdomChris Lee – LinkedIn | Gallagher CommunicationBree Bartos – LinkedIn | Local WisdomSpecial thanks to digital communication agency Local Wisdom (www.localwisdom.com) for really believing in our mission and making this podcast possible. If this episode made you think differently, laugh, or even yell out loud, we want to hear about it! Connect with us on LinkedIn, and don’t forget to rate, review, and share – maybe with your work bestie… or even your boss if you're feeling bold. We also bring these important conversations to conferences and private workshops, creating space for real, meaningful change. Take the first step at www.whydoesitfeelsowrong.com. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.