Why We Need Human Connection Now More Than Ever
From AI Therapy to Real Connection: How Reciprocal Mentorship Can Save Us From Our Dystopian Future
I've been having this recurring dream about connection —real, deep, cultural connection— that doesn't exist yet in our professional world. It's abstract, like all new things, but for me it's visceral. I feel like I'm onto something, and the universal synchronicities keep affirming it, even if building Rome is taking time.
Because the anomie (that sense of disconnection and purposelessness) of this world is lonely as hell, and as an HSP empath, it hurts. I can't escape feeling the collective disconnection.
Then this Harvard Business Review article (How People Are Really Using Gen AI in 2025) landed on my feed, and honestly, it validated what I've been feeling: humans are so isolated that we're turning to AI for therapy and life purpose.
AI. For therapy. And purpose.
Holy validation, Batman.
Existential Crisis
Humans are using AI for personal and professional support? But let's REALLY talk about this because the nihilistic, existential sociologist and inner philosopher in me is having a field day.
Look at this data: In 2025, the top three uses for AI are therapy/companionship, organizing life, and finding purpose. We are literally chatting to a computer code —asking a computer to validate our very human existence.
Full credit to HBR and Marc Zao-Sanders.
Let me break this down: A Large Language Model (LLM) is basically a pattern-matching system trained on massive amounts of human-generated text. So when you ask AI for therapy, you're getting responses based on data scraped from millions of human experiences, processed through algorithms, and spit back at you without actual human dialogue, sharing, or exchange.
BONKERS!
We're seeking validation of the human experience... via code... without fellow humans. Are we so withdrawn and desensitized by the capitalist state and treacherous authoritarian regime taking over that this doesn't alarm anyone else? Because I think the Blade Runner-esque environment might actually happen in my lifetime, and I guess I can now better understand the relationship Ryan Gosling has with the AI (Ana de Armas) in that movie. The computers are just replicating human interaction.
But AI can't understand the desire to be seen in all your human imperfections. To genuinely understand what you're going through as a peer who's also gone through it. To have the actual empathy to understand human emotions.
AI won't understand how to navigate heartbreak, depression, anxiety, the luteal phase freak-outs, the loss of loved ones, the joy of your ESA dog beating cancer.
The drive your abuelos instilled in you because they came here so that you can have a better life. The struggle to make rent for yourself and also wanting to pay for your mom's retirement, because at this stage, who knows if she'll have it. The specific ache of missing your nephews because of work demands. The exhaustion to live. And the joy of falling in love with your soulmate.
No, a computer does not understand how to navigate any of that rawness.
These are feelings unique to the human experience—nuanced, cultural, generational, and deeply personal. We're so distant from these authentic connections in our day-to-day relationships, yet we seek them from computer code.
But AI, in all its glory... will never be human.
I mean, I think... I don't know... maybe the robots will take over and save us from ourselves.
Until that happens —we need human connection that actually gets our experience.
What is Reciprocal Exchange?
So, this dream is rooted in reciprocal mentorship. Traditional mentorship is hierarchical (top-down power structure) and transactional (you give, I take): mentor gives, mentee receives. But that's not how real relationships work.
Reciprocal exchange means we're all both teachers and students. I can guide someone through workplace politics while they teach me about new technologies. You share wisdom about building wealth while learning about managing teams.
It's mutual. It's human. It honors that we're all figuring this out together.
Idealistic? Maybe.
What is Regenerative Leadership?
You know how traditional leadership is extractive? It extracts from people, communities, and the planet. It creates burnout, inequality, and environmental destruction. We're literally leading ourselves to extinction.
Regenerative leadership is the opposite. It's leadership that heals instead of harms. It's intersectional (considering multiple identities and systems), holistic, considering mind, body, planet, and human interconnection. It builds circular systems (where resources flow back and regenerate) instead of extractive ones.
Think of it this way: instead of using up resources (including people), regenerative leaders create conditions where everything—and everyone—can thrive and replenish.
First-generation professionals already intuitively understand this. We know what it's like to navigate systems that weren't built for us. We understand community care, resource sharing, and long-term thinking. We are the leaders our organizations need.
Yeah, I said that.
I'm really trying to rethink and reimagine a better working world. My purpose in life as a Manifestor in Human Design is to disrupt and build new things —even if they don't make sense at first. Sometimes the most necessary innovations look weird until they don't.
The Birth of Raíces Nurture Network?
Raíces means "roots" in Spanish. It's about staying grounded in who you are while growing into who you're becoming. The network is for first-generation professionals who've had to figure out career navigation mostly alone —and I mean alone.
Unfortunately, as a first-gen, I've traversed much of my professional career solo. The higher I climbed the ladder, the further I felt from myself and my family. So weird, right?
That disconnect partly came from a journey of highs and lows in my career. I've had good jobs —incredible ones, actually. I reached a personal milestone as a director, working with an amazing team on a COVID response project, doing frontline work. I gave so much of myself to that job because it mattered.
But the jobs after that? Complete doozies.. from extractive and exploitative, deeply entrenched bureaucratic environments to narcissistic power-hungry talent-wasting leadership. Really —I don’t think we can call whatever that was leadership. Maybe once I experienced what was possible in terms of team flow and impact, I refused to be part of anything less. Unfortunately, I can't do a job for "just" a paycheck. I wish I could—I really fucking wish I could.
There's always room for improvement in organizations, after all, to exist is to flow in impermanence, and that's why I study organizational leadership. I love improving things (weird passion, right?). In my wanting to help organizations meet their missions, I landed on wanting to help the people doing the work —because I've been those people, trying to figure out leadership and the type of work I wanted to do while navigating spaces that weren't built for me.
Organizations love getting in their own way... people... humans... we are an interesting bunch, aren't we?
COVID changed everything. Social networks are pushing us further apart. LinkedIn is oversaturated with noise —I'm getting ads for cleaning products, for crying out loud. And all these work influencers talking shit about the working world on LinkedIn... I kind of love the irony and juxtaposition.
How Raíces Mentorship Network Will Work
Here we go—you'll fill out a form that I designed, and a real human (me!) will match you with someone you might vibe with.
Because building takes time, and finding intentional alignment takes time. We can't force that magic.
LinkedIn tries to do this, but I'm not sure it's succeeded anymore. I'm getting generic bot ads instead of meaningful professional connections.
So while you join the online community, there will be group mentorship, skills sharing, case studies, honest life experience chats, and if the magic really flows, perhaps some organic connections. Oh!, and some workshops—because there are people I want to collaborate with and invite (can we get a holla! to Uproot Talent?), but I don't have the money to pay them (yet). That's where membership comes in.
In this world, we need money to do things. Until we get more folks on board with different facets of reciprocal and economic exchange... time is money, money is time, time is energy. Transitive property (if A=B and B=C, then A=C). You get it.
This is Just the Beginning
This is the very beginning, and I want people to join and help co-create and shape this beautiful dream I'm building. Come be part of it.
You know we're gonna give back!
Traditionally, mentorship spaces are at universities, maybe at work if we're lucky (and good luck ever meeting up with those mentors).
I want to change that.
I wish I had a mentor. Now, I feel like I can provide guidance because this life is hard, and we need more of “I’ve lived that” wisdom—and frankly, someone who just gets it.
Humans connecting with humans who are also going through this crazy thing called life. That's my wider community space vision—a virtual wellness space where we can be multidimensional humans supporting each other's growth.
Join the Raíces Nurture Network
We're launching in June 2025. Founding members get priority matching and special pricing because you're helping build something that doesn't exist yet.
This isn't just mentorship —it's building the bridge we wish existed when we started our journeys.
Join the waitlist: https://tally.so/r/nWdbqj
What resonates with you about this vision? What would you want from a mentorship community? Let me know in the comments —I'm still co-creating this dream.