Today we’d like to introduce you to Rikketta Franklin.
Hi Rikketta, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’ve always been intuitive and highly aware of the people and environments around me. In many ways, I learned early how to read a room because I was often the new girl.
I left my elementary school in third grade to attend a charter school, transitioned to a public high school in ninth grade, went away to college, and after graduation lived in five different states. Each transition required me to adapt, build relationships, and find community in unfamiliar spaces.
My journey of creating intentional community really began in college when I became a resident advisor. I saw firsthand how much people need opportunities to feel seen, known, and connected. I continued that work throughout my career in higher education, creating programs, facilitating conversations, and helping students and teams build stronger relationships.
Eventually, I realized that what I had been doing throughout my life and career was more than community building. I had developed a way of helping people move beyond simply sharing space to actually connecting with one another.
That realization became the foundation for The Social Experience. Today, I design conversation-driven learning experiences, team-building activations, and developmental workshops that help organizations strengthen relationships, communication, and team culture through intentional conversation.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It definitely has not been a smooth road. One of the biggest challenges has been learning how to turn something that came naturally to me into a sustainable business.
I knew how to create meaningful experiences, facilitate conversations, and build community, but entrepreneurship required me to learn an entirely different set of skills. I had to figure out sales, marketing, pricing, operations, and how to clearly communicate the value of work that can sometimes feel intangible until you experience it.
There have also been moments when I questioned whether people would understand the need for what I was building. We talk a lot about productivity, performance, and leadership in the workplace, but we do not always talk about the relationships that make all of those things possible. Part of my journey has been learning how to position connection, communication, and belonging as essential to healthy teams, not simply something that is nice to have.
I have also had to navigate the uncertainty that comes with leaving a traditional career path and betting on myself. Building a business requires a different kind of patience. There have been pivots, slow seasons, ideas that did not work the way I expected, and plenty of lessons learned along the way.
But each challenge has helped me become clearer about what I am building. I am not simply creating experiences where people have good conversations. I am helping organizations become more intentional about how people connect, communicate, and build relationships with one another.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
The Social Experience is a consulting and facilitation company that helps organizations strengthen team culture through intentional conversation, reflection, and shared experiences.
I specialize in designing conversation-driven learning experiences that help people communicate more effectively, build stronger relationships, and feel a greater sense of connection and belonging within their teams and communities. My work includes facilitated team-building activations, developmental workshops, speaking engagements, and tools that help people continue those conversations beyond the room.
What sets The Social Experience apart is the way we approach connection. I do not believe stronger relationships happen simply because people work together or attend the same event. Connection has to be intentionally cultivated. Every experience I design creates structure for people to move beyond surface-level interaction, reflect on themselves, learn about one another, and identify practical ways to strengthen how they work and communicate together.
My background in higher education, adult learning, facilitation, and community building also shapes the way I approach this work. The experiences are engaging and often joyful, but there is always intention behind them. People are not just having a good time. They are learning about themselves, practicing meaningful communication, and building relationships that can positively impact the culture of their organization.
Brand-wise, I am most proud that The Social Experience has grown without losing the heart of why I created it. At its core, this work is about helping people feel seen, heard, and connected. As the business grows, I want organizations to understand that relationship-building is not an extra. It is part of the foundation for strong communication, employee engagement, collaboration, and healthy workplace culture.
Ultimately, The Social Experience is helping organizations become more intentional about the way people experience one another.
We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
I define success as having the freedom to build a life and business that are aligned with my values, while creating work that genuinely impacts people.
Of course, financial sustainability matters. I want to build a thriving business. But success, for me, is bigger than revenue. It is hearing that someone had a conversation they would not have had otherwise, that a team understands one another differently, or that someone left an experience feeling more confident, connected, or seen.
Success also looks like having the flexibility to create, travel, spend time with the people I love, and choose opportunities that feel meaningful rather than simply saying yes because I have to.
Ultimately, I want to build something that is both profitable and purposeful. If The Social Experience can grow while continuing to help people create stronger relationships and more intentional communities, that feels like success to me.
Pricing:
- Developmental Experience Starting at $4,000
- Bundled Experiences Starting at $10,000
- Speaking Engagements Starting at $4,000
- Private Coaching Starting at $3,000
- The Social Experience Conversation Cards $65
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.meettsx.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meettsx/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rikkettafranklin/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@MeetTSX
