Our Values
History of Recess
Recess was born from a challenge we all felt during the pandemic: meaningful human connection—the key to great teams—was slipping away.
After months of Zoom fatigue and disconnection, our founder Julia Kaplan realized something: work had always felt better when it felt like working with friends.
In 2021, she helped plan a 3-day retreat for 300 people. It was fun, productive, and deeply affirming. That experience sparked a bigger idea—what if more teams had access to that kind of connection?
In 2022, she teamed up with a group of former colleagues-turned-friends to co-create custom retreats. They tested what made in-person time valuable and found that no matter the company culture, the secret to connection is universal.
Recess is here to help teams feel like teams again.
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About the Founder
Julia Kaplan started Recess after a year that shook her—personally and professionally. A year into the pandemic, she was grieving a major loss and feeling totally disconnected at work.
Sitting through meetings with coworkers she’d never met IRL, she started reflecting on what had made her feel happy and engaged during her first decade in the workforce. The answer was simple: relationships.
In 2021, while consulting on product marketing, she jumped at the chance to help plan a 3-day retreat. She ended up leading the whole thing—and loved it. That experience reminded her of what truly matters at work, and lit the spark for what would become Recess.
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