October 2025 Community Update!

Dear Community,

I hope all is well! Fall is here. The trees are just starting to turn. Before we know it, it’ll be Thanksgiving and then the holidays. This season always moves quickly for me.

Speaking of seasons, we have entered into a season of refining things on 7 Cups. This basically means that we are digging deeper and crafting things in better ways. You might remember that we overhauled onboarding (the steps a person goes through when they join 7 Cups). We have been testing several versions and making some level of progress. Additionally, Noni has been another refinement project. This version is significantly better than the last version. Thank you all for the feedback and testing. Group is also going through an updating process as well. Our goal is to tighten up all aspects of the site/app. It has been a labor of love!

H

Welcome to my favorite month! Here in the US, it’s all about autumn festivities, Halloween, and there’s a kind of magic in the air that invigorates my spirit. What month gets you energized?

As always, lots going on in Cups land!

Firstly, ASilentObserver has transitioned out of the role of Community Manager. It's hard to overstate what a positive impact he's had on our community. His kindness, compassion, and belief in others have been an inspiration to us all. He spearheaded new initiatives and led group support to new heights, and for that, we are incredibly grateful. His presence will be deeply missed. You can send him some love in his farewell post here.

For updated points of contact, refer to this link here.

In further Groups news, we have revived the Positivity Corner, a pop-up room for lighthearted chats, games, and mutual support! To keep this positive space going, we're looking for hosts. If you're interested in making the Positivity Corner more active and earning some cheers along the way, consider signing up to host a session (info here).

I have started a new weekly small steps activity. At the beginning of each week, you put down one goal you’re aiming to accomplish, and at the end of the week, we get together to celebrate. Through this accountability and wellness initiative, I hope to see us all make big gains and build up momentum to be more productive over time! Check out the details and make a commitment to yourself!

Lastly, we are seeking passionate verified listeners to serve as the warm, guiding presence for our newest members. This is a chance to make a lasting and positive impact and help us build a stronger community. If this sounds like you, we'd love for you to apply.

Hope

In September, the Academy introduced a key change to the Quality Listening Program. Instead of relying on assigned mentors, we launched a new Support Request Form. This shift is designed to improve response times, ensure mentor breaks do not disrupt trainee support, and give us better visibility into recurring challenges. These insights will help us strengthen the program moving forward.

I noticed that many of our users are struggling with focus/low energy levels, so I created a post on The Hidden Reason You Can’t Focus (And What to Do About It). This post explores dopamine stacking and dopamine loading. These two concepts can shed light on why focus feels so elusive.

We also shared a post on ways to appreciate our teens, listeners, and Academy personnel. It includes ideas and a space to submit your nominations, so we encourage you to recognize someone who has made a difference here

Finally, the Carnegie Mellon University Human-Computer Interaction Institute has wrapped up recruitment for its recent study. If you submitted an interest form, you should have received an email update. Thank you again to everyone who expressed interest. 

SoulfullyAButterfly

This month, we launched Noni in Beta Mode and have included a feedback form. We will be rolling out further updates to Noni and the chat presentation after learning from user experiences. Thank you to everyone who has submitted feedback after trying Noni!

We are also working on a Newbie Support Room, to welcome new members and listeners and support their journey on 7 Cups. 

Additionally, we are excited to bring back events and are looking forward to celebrating a big event in light of October hosting World Mental Health Day and more. Stay tuned for more information on how to get involved!