Hey Reader,

This is the weekly announcement for The Awkward Handshake, a podcast & community all about networking that I co-host. If you want to opt-out of these podcast & networking community updates, CLICK HERE.

What if the thing your city needs… is the thing you keep waiting for someone else to start?

That’s the energy of this week’s episode of The Awkward Handshake.

We sat down with Megan Notarte and Nicole Mors, the co-founders of AI Portland, to talk about how they built a 2,800-person community around one of the fastest-moving topics in business… without pretending they had it all figured out first.

And honestly? That’s what makes this conversation so good.

They took us all the way back to the beginning… when AI Portland was basically born from a conversation, a little curiosity, and a “well… should we just try it?” moment.

Inside this episode, we get into:

• what it was like to pack their first event
• the chaos of waitlists, missing AV, and figuring it out in real time
• why being a connector matters more than being the loudest person in the room
• how community actually grows when you keep saying yes to conversations
• and why building something with a trusted friend can change everything

One of my favorite threads in this episode is that it’s not really just about AI.

It’s about what happens when smart people stop waiting for permission and start creating the room they wish already existed.

And yes, this conversation is rooted in Portland.
But the lesson is way bigger than Portland.

Because no matter where you live, there is probably something your people need that does not exist yet.

And if you’ve been feeling the nudge to start something, host something, gather people, or finally put your idea into motion…

This episode might be your sign.

🎧 Listen to Episode 13: How AI Portland Built a 2,800-Person Community​

From there, you can listen in your browser or open it in your favorite podcast app.

If you’ve also been curious about AI and want a genuinely thoughtful place to explore it, AI Portland is worth checking out. Their events cover everything from job hunting to creativity to practical business use cases… and the room is one of the most interesting cross-sections of people we’ve seen in town.

Connect with AI Portland:​
Nicole Mors: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolemors/​
Megan Notarte: https://www.linkedin.com/in/megannotarte/​
AI Portland: https://www.aipdx.info/​

If you enjoyed the episode, we’d love it if you left a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts. It helps more curious, thoughtful, interesting humans find the show.

Talk soon,
Mary + Megan