In Part One of this special two-part series, we began talking about how community has become one of those words that everyone uses and no one defines. It shows up in strategy decks, Slack channels, and CRM fields, yet rarely captures what it is meant to hold: real human belonging. In this episode, we dive straight into the heart of that tension with someone reshaping the entire conversation.

I sit down with Zach Hawtof, CEO of TightKnit.ai, a platform rewriting what digital connection looks like. What started as a conversation about Gen Z, Slack cultures, and the evolution of community quickly turned into something bigger. The insights were so layered, so energizing, and frankly so much fun, that we broke this interview into two episodes.

Zach walks through his journey from Salesforce to building TightKnit, why old-school forums were never built for the emotional reality of modern users, and how community has shifted from case deflection to career elevation. We explore the difference between an audience and a true community, what brands keep misunderstanding about connection, and why younger generations are rewriting the rules faster than platforms can keep up.

From the philosophy behind digital belonging to the mechanics of chat-based community design, this first part sets the stage for a new way of thinking about customer loyalty, culture, and technology. If you’re a customer marketer, community leader, or simply someone who has sat in one too many “we need a community” meetings, this episode will feel like a long-overdue reset.