Mar 23, 2021
Born in Paris to German and British parents, Charlotte Japp immigrated to the United States when her father was offered an amazing job in New York. A tight knit family, Charlotte and her siblings were constantly included in their parents’ social life, spending time with a network of artistic and colorful friends that largely influenced Charlotte’s understanding and appreciation of intergenerational relationships. After graduating from Georgetown University, Charlotte started her career in creative marketing and saw the consequences of age segregation in the workplace when older and younger professionals needed to connect and learn from each other, but had no way to meet. Witnessing her parents being pushed out of their jobs in their 40’s coupled with her observations in the workplace, Charlotte was inspired to create CIRKEL, a company that connects older and younger professionals for mutual personal and professional growth. CIRKEL makes networking across generations seamless, inspiring, and impactful – working with both individuals and corporations to bridge the gap. Charlotte was named one of Next Avenue’s 2020 Influencers In Aging and a 2020 Gen2Gen Innovation Fellow. She has been featured in publications like The New York Times and has spoken internationally about the magic of connecting generations.
What You Will Hear in This Episode:
The importance of cross-generational networking.
Charlotte’s childhood and influences of experiencing intergenerational inclusivity.
The lack of generational diversity in the workplace.
What motivated Charlotte to start thinking big about intergenerational spaces and experiences.
Intergenerational mentorship and networking with intention and purpose.
How CIRKEL helps break down barriers.
The importance of recognizing self value in networking
CIRKEL’s future plans.
Quotes:
“There is a lot of reverence that young people have for older people.”
“Networking takes intention.”
“We all need a little bit of a boost to remind ourselves that our experiences are really valuable.”
Mentioned:
Instagram @cirkel
Photo contest #NotDoneYet