November 1, 2025

Convergance

“A location where airflows meet, characteristically marked by an upwelling of air.”

It’s been a while since I’ve had a week like the last week of October, 2025. This is the week when zeroheight brought people from around the world together in Bristol, UK to learn, hang out, and talk design systems. This was Converge, 2025.

Probably like you, I’ve been to my share of industry events. The content is generally good, but I always leave knowing the most valuable part was the interactions. Converge was this way more than any other event I’ve had the pleasure of joining. I signed up much earlier this year to do a full day workshop on design system culture mapping. That workshop was on Friday, October 30th with the most amazing group of participants. We spent an entire day digging hard into organizational culture. We had so much fun learning and playing—I was blown away by the way people engaged.

In some ways, this year’s converge was full of unexpected convergance. Let me explain…

Energy & Exhaustion

The amount of work it takes to feel truly prepared for a full day workshop is significant. I knew going into this that it would be hard work, but so many times, the process of developing material like this really clarifies for me the processes I’ve been driving intuitively. And, even after all these years of sharing from stages and the front of workshop rooms, there is always some anxiety and self doubt that creeps in. Combine this with quick international travel and of course this stuff wears you out. I’m not complaining, it’s the nature of the work. But it leads to a kind of exhaustion that’s difficult to explain—mental, physical, and emotional tiredness along with a weakened immune system.

The exchange of ideas, though… Every conversation left me with a spark of something new. Each interaction, I gained something and gave a little of myself. Because of the packed schedule, we didn’t have a lot of time to chat between sessions. But the times before and after the event, the pub hangs, the walks in the Bristol rain, the meals in chilly cafes, all were so full of empathy and joy. They gave me a new energy that somehow balanced out the exhaustion of prep, facilitation, and travel.

Humanity & Technology

A few of us started our participation in Converge the day before the actual event. On Wednesday, 30 system thinkers gathered in the lobby of the Clayton Hotel Bristol City just before lunch. Once everyone arrived, we walked to The Old Fish Market, where the Penpot team sponsored a generous lunch. We got a demo of their open source design tool from Laura Kalbag, someone I’m now very proud to call a friend. If you haven’t seen Laura present, it’s a masterclass on making folks feel like they are in the right place. No condescension, no “my way is the only way.” She’s all learning mode all the time combined with a deep and wide knowledge of the product design process and the tooling landscape.

After the demo, we climbed on a giant bus, thanks to our friends at zeroheight, and within 15 minutes we were out of the city and into the country. At some point after I agreed to participate this year, I learned of a small grove of Coastal Redwood trees just outside Bristol. It wasn’t a strenuous hike, but when we stumbled upon these giants, we were left speachless. Seeing a living thing like a Redwood tree up close is humbling. These massive trees have lived for generations of humans. They’ve survived by connecting underneath the soil, holding each other taller than the Statue of Liberty. It reminds you of your place in the universe—and it’s a small place. It reminds you of your humanity and your responsibility to support the other humans in your grove. It’s a special thing, for sure.

The contrast this experience provided with the technology-first industry we’re making our way in was jarring. But starting our time together like this gave us a thread to hold onto, a reminder that the important things are the other humans we work alongside and in service of. I love technology, but not for the sake of modernization. I love it for the potential it has to bring us together, to know each other’s stories, and to connect us across oceans.

You & Me

As you’re reading this, there’s no way for me to know whether we’ve met or not. I don’t know if you were there, in the seats next to me at Converge. I don’t know if you came to my workshop or joined us on the hike. I don’t know if you were home, working hard, and feeling that you were missing the connection you could see happening at Converge. I don’t know if you were wondering what all the fuss was about or if you were dealing with other situations that kept you distracted from this small group of folks wandering in the woods. Maybe you were struggling with work or life or relationships or family. Maybe you were swallowed with depression and anxiety.

The thing I do know is that you and I are connected.

We are deeper than we realize. We are rooted and growing. We are vast under the surface. We are craving water and dirt and light and air and the listening presence of another.

filter the crisp creek
water through your toes
who’s life adds rings to trees
climbs their fibers
sees the world from their spires

allow the stream to climb you, too
raise your arms
in the quiet morning forest
stand tall
still, except to bend with the wind

your hands can catch the sun
as well as any leaves

I know this isn’t your standard technology blog post. Frankly, I don’t care. I’m overwhelmed with gratefulness for the way we showed up in the last week of October, 2025. We came together and we made our own upwelling. What an honor to share that with so many beautiful souls.

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