The answer lives in this podcast
What is the FLIP framework and how did it originate?
FLIP is a four-step formula designed to help you connect with anyone in under 60 seconds. Shari Leid created it in 2023 during a transformative journey across the United States, where she shared a meal with a female stranger in every state — an experience that led her to metaphorically "flip" the cardboard box she was found in as an orphan into a table of connection and belonging.
The framework emerged from Shari Leid's deeply personal story. As she explains in The Retreat Leaders Podcast, she was orphaned as an infant and placed in a cardboard box with no known birth date or identifying information. This profound beginning shaped her lifelong commitment to human connection and the search for belonging.
In 2023, Shari Leid embarked on an ambitious cross-country project that would crystallize this mission. She traveled to all 50 states and shared a meaningful meal with a female stranger in each one. Through these intimate conversations with women she had never met, she discovered patterns of isolation and disconnection that ran deep, even among people living outwardly good lives.
From isolation to action—the symbolic "flip"
This journey became the genesis of FLIP. The framework's name itself carries profound symbolism: Shari Leid took the cardboard box that had defined her earliest days—a symbol of loss, displacement, and absence—and metaphorically transformed it into a table where real connection could happen. As she experienced across 50 states, that table was essential to combating a widespread epidemic of loneliness.
FLIP is now at the heart of Shari Leid's retreat business, which she discussed in detail on the podcast. The framework helps her create intentional spaces where women gather for three-day retreats capped at just ten participants, ensuring deep, authentic connection rather than surface-level networking.
"A lot of us have a good life, but if we don't feel connected, we're letting that good life stop us from a great life."
Shari Leid — Attorney, Author, Speaker, and Retreat Leader. Shari trained as an attorney before stepping away to raise her children and pursue writing, publishing her first book and with her fifth book due in February. Her diverse career spans media contributions, speaking engagements, and retreat leadership, all unified by her mission to foster authentic human connection and belonging through the FLIP framework.
The FLIP framework's power lies in its simplicity and speed. Designed to establish a foundation of genuine connection in under 60 seconds, it addresses a real gap in how people interact—especially in contexts like retreats, where the quality of human connection directly determines the transformative impact of the experience. This is explored further in this episode of The Retreat Leaders Podcast, where Shari Leid unpacks how the framework has become central to her retreat business model.
See also
Why did Shari Leid decide to add retreats to her speaking business?
Shari Leid explained that the speaking business can be unpredictable, with fluctuating lean and flush months, and she wanted more steadiness as a solo entrepreneur by diversifying her income streams.
What is Shannon Jamal's personal example of overcoming objections to attend a retreat?
Shannon Jamal shares that over a year ago, her friend Erin invited her to teach at a retreat in France, and despite significant objections — travel costs, time away, and other barriers — she decided to go and it transformed her life and business.
What role does community and being in the right rooms play in sustaining belief for retreat leaders?
Shannon Jamal recommends that retreat leaders who are struggling with belief attend in-person events, masterminds, and conferences where they can be surrounded by other successful retreat leaders and have their confidence reinforced.
Key takeaways
- FLIP is a formula for building authentic connection with anyone in under 60 seconds, making it ideal for retreat settings where meaningful bonding is essential.
- Shari Leid's personal journey from orphan to founder shaped the framework's symbolic name—transforming hardship into a table of belonging.
- The 2023 cross-country journey, visiting all 50 states and sharing meals with female strangers, revealed a universal hunger for genuine human connection across America.
- FLIP now anchors Shari Leid's retreat business model, enabling her to create intimate, high-impact experiences for small groups of women.