Chiang Mai Professionals, Expats, and Digital Nomads

We have optimized our friendships for ease. We speak in disclaimers, hide behind "self-care," and ghost when things get hard. We have confused "protecting our energy" with fear-based disengagement.
PRICE OF EVENT 200 THB

THE EVENT: STAY AT THE TABLE Facilitated by Dr. Stefan Rucman
This is not a networking event. It is a challenge to the "sanitized, performative version of connection". Join us for a rigorous, honest conversation about:

• Why conflict is not abuse.
• Why "frictionless" friendship is a myth.
• How to offer presence when it is inconvenient.

WHO IS THIS FOR? For the relational initiators. For those tired of "low-cost intimacy". For those willing to "argue over the phone and forgive over wine".

Outline
In an era of digital optimization, we have begun to treat people like apps:
swiping away discomfort, muting friction, and ghosting when the user experience is no longer “smooth.”
This workshop is a critique of avoidant, low-cost intimacy often disguised as self-care, boundaries, or maturity.
It is a call to return to the unoptimized work of being human: presence, repair, discernment, and mutual effort.
This is not therapy.
It is a laboratory for relational intelligence.

## 0:00 – 0:20 | The Framing: Optimization vs. Presence

### “What cannot be optimized or explained away demands presence.”

## 0:20 – 0:50 | Module 1: The Myth of Frictionless Connection

### Core Concept

> Real friendship involves disappointment, misattunement, and effort.

We challenge the belief that “if it’s hard, it’s wrong.”

### Activity: The “Show Up” Audit (Individual Reflection – 5 minutes)

Prompt (written):

> “Friendship asks that you show up when it’s inconvenient.”

### Small Group Table Discussion (20–25 minutes)

Groups of 4–5
Each person speaks for up to 2 minutes per prompt.
Prompt 1:

• When was the last time you stayed in a conversation when it would’ve been easier to ghost?

Prompt 2:

• Where have you confused boundaries with avoidance?

## 0:50 – 1:00 | Break – System Reset

## 1:00 – 1:40 | Module 2: The Art of Repair

### Core Concept

Moving from:

• Contractual comfort — “I stay as long as this feels good”
  to:
• Covenantal energy — “I stay because we are building something”

### Table Discussion (Small Groups)

Prompt 1:

• What would “repair” look like in a friendship you recently let fade?

Prompt 2:

• How could you have named the hurt before it calcified?

Participants may speak about patterns, not people.

***

## 1:40 – 2:10 | Module 3: Discernment & the “Human Premium”

### Core Concept

In a world of AI, automation, and optimization:

• Your mess is not a bug
• Your truth is not inefficiency
• Your presence is the premium

### Strategy: Relational Discernment

You emphasize:

> “Your task is not to convince others to meet you at this depth —
> it is to recognize who already can.”

### Closing Exercise (Individual Writing – 5 minutes)

Prompt:

> “One signal of reciprocity I will look for in future friendships is…”

## 2:10 – 2:30 | Closing: Stay Human

### Final Thought (Facilitator)

> “Distance disguised as maturity is not the hallmark of a friend.”

ON-SITE EVENT 200 THB and ONLINE FREE

About the host:
Fran is an expat, community builder, and YouTube vlogger who opened a new chapter of her life by relocating to a new country and starting over—intentionally, courageously, and with curiosity. What began as a lifestyle change slowly became a deeper inner awakening: healing old patterns, redefining connection, and discovering a sense of purpose she didn’t know was possible.

Moving from one country to another didn’t just change my surroundings —
This is a space for anyone who feels that living in Chiang Mai has quietly awakened something within them.
A space for those who arrived for one reason—work, lifestyle, escape, curiosity—and stayed because something deeper began to shift.
Perspective softened. Priorities changed. Awareness grew.
Here, we gather to reflect on how this place has opened our eyes, reshaped our inner world, and invited us into a new way of living—sometimes subtly, sometimes profoundly.
There is no right story and no comparison.
Whether your awakening came through slowing down, relationships, solitude, healing, or simply learning to breathe again—you belong here.
This is not about fixing the past or defining the future.
It’s about honoring the chapter you’re in now and listening to what life is revealing to you.
Come to listen.
Come to share.
Or simply come to be.

Fran Lee is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: What Opening a New Chapter in Chiang Mai Awakened in Me
Time: Jan 16, 2026 12:00 PM Bangkok
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us05web.zoom.us/j/85498228479
Meeting ID: 854 9822 8479
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https://us05web.zoom.us/meetings/85498228479/invitations?signature=BrB__mr1uvPk6_9KSn9pPOCYKmsNB-IeDzgmWC_wY-A

price of event: 50 THB (to support fundraising efforts for meetup)

## Welcome to Chiang Mai!

Whether you’re new in town or have been here for a while and want to connect with new people, join us for our regular Sunday Brunch.
This event is organized by the Chiang Mai Professionals, Expats, and Digital Nomads community to bring together locals, expats, and wondering souls who want to meet and share good times. Sometimes it’s light chitchat, sometimes deep conversation — but usually, we just go with the flow. No agenda, no fixed topics — just good vibes.
📍 Next Event
Date: Sunday, 18th January
Time: 11:30 AM
Venue: Fernpresso by lake
Our wonderful host Corinna Gogel, a warm and friendly European currently living in Chiang Mai, will be welcoming everyone this time. She loves bringing people together over good food and great conversations — so come ready to connect and enjoy a relaxed Sunday brunch in a beautiful garden setting.
👉 Please come hungry! Ordering food and drinks is required.
We look forward to seeing you there! 🌿✨