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nivi achanta

nivi achanta

social entrepreneur. community strategist. public speaker. avid reader. party sorceress. joy expert. meaningful experience architect.

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book me as a speaker or experience designer for your next event
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@niviachanta for unfiltered thoughts
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@niviachanta for the professional stuff
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*An informal chat to determine if our values, collaborative styles, and goals are aligned for community strategy and/or social justice projects, speaking opportunities, or consulting work.

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My Story: Community, Justice, & Joy

I'm the founder and CEO of Soapbox Project. We’re creating a cozy community where busy people who care about climate change can learn, take action, and connect deeply with others. We focus on bite-sized change delivered through our newsletters, cohort-based courses, live events, and local action gatherings.

My superpower is designing fun, engaging, and memorable experiences, so whether you’re planning a milestone event, a corporate talk, or an online get-together, I’d love to support you.

Here, you can get a behind-the-scenes look at what has (and hasn’t!) worked for me as I’ve built community at Soapbox and beyond. In addition to enabling meaningful change at Soapbox Project, I can help you create, automate, and launch your online community so that you can unlock life-changing connection for yourself and your supporters.

Every day, I explore what it means to live my best life on the best planet with my best friends. I’ve been named a Nasdaq 2023 Woman to Watch, set a new engagement trend in the Washington Post, and share my expertise on various event platforms and conferences like INBOUND.

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Grab my media kit here—it includes my signature talks, a third person bio, some headshots, and more.
Alt: Quote that reads ā€œAn inspiring reminder of what is possibleā€ — Nasdaq 2023 Women to Watch, followed by the following press feature logos: The New York Times, The Washington Post, Grist, Nasdaq, and the following speaking logos: INBOUND,  Figma, Circle, Commsor, National Zero Waste Association, Google, and Accenture
Alt: Quote that reads ā€œAn inspiring reminder of what is possibleā€ — Nasdaq 2023 Women to Watch, followed by the following press feature logos: The New York Times, The Washington Post, Grist, Nasdaq, and the following speaking logos: INBOUND, Figma, Circle, Commsor, National Zero Waste Association, Google, and Accenture

Free Community Building Guides

Parasocial relationships are menacing usParasocial relationships are menacing us
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Parasocial relationships are menacing us
Grant funding for communitiesGrant funding for communities
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Grant funding for communities
Growth
Community is in the intangibleCommunity is in the intangible
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Community is in the intangible
Defining community
The bathroom testThe bathroom test
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The bathroom test
Defining community
How to be in the top 80% of event hosts How to be in the top 80% of event hosts
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How to be in the top 80% of event hosts
EngagementInclusionEvents
Icebreakers that don’t suck in 2025Icebreakers that don’t suck in 2025
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Icebreakers that don’t suck in 2025
ResourcesEventsEngagement
My magical, meaningful, multicultural weddingMy magical, meaningful, multicultural wedding
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My magical, meaningful, multicultural wedding
EventsCourses
How to moderate a panel that doesn’t suckHow to moderate a panel that doesn’t suck
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How to moderate a panel that doesn’t suck
EngagementEvents
You are morally obligated to celebrateYou are morally obligated to celebrate
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You are morally obligated to celebrate
Health
A detailed guide on launching your community landing pageA detailed guide on launching your community landing page
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A detailed guide on launching your community landing page
TemplateDuplicate me!Events
How to think about Chat GPT and AI for your communityHow to think about Chat GPT and AI for your community
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How to think about Chat GPT and AI for your community
Resources
You need self-care ritualsYou need self-care rituals
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You need self-care rituals
Health
How to set boundariesHow to set boundaries
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How to set boundaries
HealthResources
Launching your first cohort-based course onlineLaunching your first cohort-based course online
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Launching your first cohort-based course online
GrowthCourses
Community is politicalCommunity is political
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Community is political
InclusionDefining community
The Golden Rule of InteractionThe Golden Rule of Interaction
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The Golden Rule of Interaction
Engagement
Magic on WhatsApp: A Case StudyMagic on WhatsApp: A Case Study
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Magic on WhatsApp: A Case Study
Case study
My new favorite community software: BurbMy new favorite community software: Burb
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My new favorite community software: Burb
ToolsChoosing a platform
Best practices for building a Circle communityBest practices for building a Circle community
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Best practices for building a Circle community
CircleVideo tourChoosing a platform
My event facilitation checklistMy event facilitation checklist
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My event facilitation checklist
ResourcesTemplateDuplicate me!Events
3 reflections from the 2022 Community Industry Report3 reflections from the 2022 Community Industry Report
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3 reflections from the 2022 Community Industry Report
Defining communityResources
My community tech stackMy community tech stack
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My community tech stack
Choosing a platformCircleVideo tourTools
Self-care resources for community buildersSelf-care resources for community builders
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Self-care resources for community builders
ResourcesHealth
11 lessons from hosting my first community summit11 lessons from hosting my first community summit
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11 lessons from hosting my first community summit
TemplateDuplicate me!Events
What do you actually use community values for?What do you actually use community values for?
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What do you actually use community values for?
Starting outHealth
Designing & launching a super user program for your online communityDesigning & launching a super user program for
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Designing & launching a super user program for your online community
ResourcesGrowthTemplateDuplicate me!Process doc
What is tone policing?What is tone policing?
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What is tone policing?
InclusionHealthResources
The best free resources for online community buildersThe best free resources for online community builders
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The best free resources for online community builders
ResourcesStarting outEngagementGrowthInclusion
5 books early-stage community builders should read in 20225 books early-stage community builders should read in 2022
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5 books early-stage community builders should read in 2022
Starting outResources
The #1 Decision-Making Rule for Online CommunititiesThe #1 Decision-Making Rule for Online Communitities
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The #1 Decision-Making Rule for Online Communitities
GrowthHealth
13 ideas to host engaging virtual events13 ideas to host engaging virtual events
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13 ideas to host engaging virtual events
EngagementEvents
When to launch a membership communityWhen to launch a membership community
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When to launch a membership community
Starting out
How to host a fireside chatHow to host a fireside chat
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How to host a fireside chat
Process docTemplateDuplicate me!
Onboarding your first 30 community membersOnboarding your first 30 community members
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Onboarding your first 30 community members
Starting out
6 gamification tips for new online communities6 gamification tips for new online communities
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6 gamification tips for new online communities
Engagement
7 steps to build a community-driven business7 steps to build a community-driven business
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7 steps to build a community-driven business
Starting out
What is community stewardship?What is community stewardship?
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What is community stewardship?
Defining communityHealth
Finding your 100 founding community membersFinding your 100 founding community members
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Finding your 100 founding community members
GrowthEngagementInclusionStarting out
9 reasons I chose Circle for my membership community9 reasons I chose Circle for my membership community
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9 reasons I chose Circle for my membership community
CircleChoosing a platform
How to choose your online community platformHow to choose your online community platform
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How to choose your online community platform
Choosing a platformStarting outTools
What is a community in 2022?What is a community in 2022?
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What is a community in 2022?
Defining community

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Features: Press, Media, Talks

This is a selection of my favorite stuff to show off — the articles, podcasts, and talks I’m most proud of (sort of ordered by recency). You can view more here.

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WaPo: How to Meet Your Neighbors (Article)
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Nasdaq: Women to Watch in 2023
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Nasdaq: AAPI Women Entrepreneurs to Watch
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Center Ring 2021 by the Community Club: Self-care for community builders (Conference Talk)
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Community Corner: Diversity as a Community Building Block (Podcast)
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Create & Cultivate: Identifying burnout symptoms (Article)
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NYTimes: How to Buy Less (Article)
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WaPo: Your Next Engagement Ring Should Be a Bike (Article)
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Grist: Saying ā€œI doā€ to more sustainable celebrations (Article)
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Confluencer Con 2021 | Community Stewardship: Cultivating the communities that we need to thrive (Conference Talk)
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Podcast Movement 2020: How to transform your community into your champion (Conference Talk)
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Social Entrepreneurship & Innovation: How to build a community to fight climate change (Podcast)
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Circle Summit 2021 Expert Roundtable: How to Find Your First 100 Founding Members (Conference Talk)
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Forget work-life balance. Start whole-life living (Podcast)
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BlogHer: High Achieving Women on How They Structure Their Days (Article)
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Testimonials

The space you host is magical and I'm so glad to be part of the Soapbox Project community. — Sophia Wagner, Mighty Deposits co-founder
The events you host are life-giving. — Rose Hartley, Soapbox Project member
I was blown away by your presentation at Circle's Summit. Big fan of your work — thank you for generously sharing tips. — Susie Kim, audience member
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View all

Experience

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Things I built (aka entrepreneurship)
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Things I helped build (aka consulting)
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Teams I was on (aka work experience)

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