Hey Friend!

This is the second of six installments about Reloveution and how we can support you and your team in the second half of the year (and beyond). Today, I'm going to share more about our team culture and cohesion work, including an overview, a story, some testimonials, and a few tips and tricks. Be sure to scroll down to the end for a free tool you can use today, and be sure to look out for easter eggs 👀!
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Overview: Team Culture & Cohesion

We help teams move beyond surface-level bonding into honest and authentic conversations that enable teammates to get to know each other, see each other, and work together more effectively. Whether a team is newly forming, navigating a period of change, or feeling disconnected, our experiences help strengthen trust, clarify and align on values, navigate and address conflict, improve communication, deepen team synergy, and foster psychological safety.
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What's a team?

• Full organizations
• Departments (marketing, finance, programs, etc.)
• Boards
• Committees & Working Groups
• Affinity Groups
• Coalitions & Partnerships
• Fellowships or Intern Programs

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What might it look like?

Based on your specific needs, Reloveution can design and facilitate:

• Half or full-day Team Culture & Cohesion session (in-person only)
• Multi-day team retreat (in-person only)
• Quarterly team tune-ups
• Team culture and relationship diagnostics
• Cross-team or cross-department collaboration intensives

We can also offer behind-the-scenes advisory for a leader or leadership team focused on building team cohesion and solving team culture challenges.
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​Anyone who fills out this very quick form will get a personalized pep-talk poem from me.

Story from the Field

This spring, we had the opportunity to work with the Admin team of a large foundation, a group that included a newly hired team member alongside several long-time employees. As space-sharing and communication tensions began to surface and simmer, leadership recognized the need to align the team around shared expectations, values, and working practices to foster clarity, cohesion, and trust in their in-person environment.

We facilitated our signature Team Culture & Cohesion session to bring the team together for honest conversation and relationship-building. Through structured dialogue, the group explored how they wanted to feel at work, identified values that mattered to them individually and collectively, and translated those into concrete team norms. They shared personality insights, communication preferences, and conflict tendencies, and laid the groundwork for empathy, accountability, and smoother collaboration. By the end, the team had co-created clear agreements to guide their day-to-day interactions, had several hard but necessary conversations, and left with a renewed understanding, mutual respect, and a deeper sense of alignment moving forward.

After the session, one of the participants approached me and shared that she had come in feeling worried about her job and place in the organization, but left the room feeling heard and understood in a new and unexpected way. She expressed gratitude for learning more about her teammates and receiving concrete tools to use in their future collaboration.

More Testimonials

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Favorite Team Culture & Cohesion Tips & Tricks

1. Make connection a team norm. Everyday interactions (check-ins, moments of appreciation, shared laughter, shared catharsis, etc.) build the foundation of a cohesive team culture. Intentionally create space for these moments and don't wait for them to happen organically.
2. Address the elephants in the room. Unspoken tensions, past conflicts, or lingering misunderstandings erode trust. Acknowledge them openly and create space for repair so the team can move forward together.
3. Promote a culture of reciprocity. Cohesion suffers when contributions feel one-sided. Foster a team environment where giving and receiving support is balanced, mutual, and valued.
4. Reconsider strained dynamics. Teams are stronger when we acknowledge the strengths that emerge from friction. Invite curiosity about colleagues who challenge you and ask yourself what perspectives or value you might be missing.
5. Strengthen connections across the board. Prioritize relationship-building with all team members, not just the most engaged or high-performing. It can be easy to play favorites, but sometimes the most substantial culture shifts start with those who feel most disconnected.

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Tool for Today

Use our Relationship Audit to assess the depth, quality, and consistency of relationships across your team, beyond surface-level interactions and job descriptions. After rating each item, take a close look at your 1s, 2s, and IDKs, and identify one or two simple action steps you can take in the next 30 days to strengthen connection and understanding across the team.

Need help putting it into action? We can run a digital Relationship Audit for your team and deliver a tailored Report Card with clear, actionable next steps. We can also design a Team Culture & Cohesion session tailored to your results to help you build stronger, more connected relationships and collaboration.

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That's all for today! Well, except for this special offer...

I'm offering a complimentary 60-minute Coaching & Advisory call focused on a real-time question or challenge related to team culture and cohesion to two lucky folks. Bring a situation you’re navigating or a question you're holding (anything from team disconnect, communication struggles, unclear norms, or low trust), and I’ll help you explore sustainable, practical strategies that actually work in your context.

Totally free. No strings attached. No sales pitch. Just support.

To claim a spot, reply to this email with “Culture Call,” and I’ll follow up with scheduling options. First come, first served!

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Now, that's REALLY all for today. I'll catch you next week with more deets about our Leadership & Management Development work!
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With love and gratitude,
Marissa

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