Our students are suffering. You’ve seen it. I’ve seen it. And, since Covid, this problem has only intensified. As a result, educational institutions consider belonging and community as critical needs that must be addressed. Responding to this pressing need is Circle.
coaching rooted in positive psychology
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Allyson Dhindsa, Circle founder
By the numbers:
58%
More connected
Participants report feeling 58% more connected to each other after going through Circle.
20%
Less lonely
Participants are 20% less worried about the future and feel less lonely.
45%
More clarity
Participants reported a 45% increase in clarity around their personal purpose and career goals.
100%
Would recommend
100% of Circle participants would recommend the program to a peer.
Circle works. Here’s how.
Circle creates the conditions for real connection. Each program is led by a trained facilitator who knows how to create a space that feels both safe and alive—one where people can be honest, thoughtful, and brave. Through guided conversation and shared reflection, participants realize they’re not alone in what they’re navigating. That trust changes everything. It opens the door to connection, belonging, and a sense of possibility that extends far beyond the group itself.
1:1
Group
Couples
What participants have experienced
Allyson, thank you so much for putting together this initiative and pushing through with the challenging conversations every week. Our sessions forced me to be vulnerable, which I am deeply uncomfortable with. But because of that, I feel that I have unlocked a greater store of empathy for others, and am becoming more honest with myself about my wants and their trade-offs.
Allyson’s support was very unique, and her kindness and authenticity has made us all share more about ourselves and feel more open and loose.
Circle has provided a safe space for me to listen to other’s life experiences, get a glimpse into their mental models, and find courage to share some of mine too. I have loved getting to know my Circle pod. Beyond the friendships, our many sessions have also prompted me to be more reflective and thorough in examining my own worldview.
Hearing that the things that I am upset about or worried about are not manufactured in my own head but a result of a shared collective experience was invaluable.
I made the closest and only friends I have now.
I felt that your work over the last year has been an incredible way to create community and catch those of us that would have otherwise fallen through the cracks.
I was recently able to secure a full time offer, and Circle was the most valuable career related program I participated in at NYU Stern. It helped me develop more focused career goals, and made me think more strategically about moves to make in the next few years.
I really thought that I was not capable of having these deep, philosophical conversations, but thinking about these topics really helped me to realign and revisit the quality of life that I want coming out of school.