By CPS (Holy Name) Healthy Courier reporters | When Michael O’Bryan was growing up in Connecticut, he really wanted to perform with the Hartt School’s Summer Musical Program at the University of Hartford. But his family couldn’t afford it.
He asked the theater leaders what he could do to become part of the group. They told him, as he recalls, “If you don’t mind, maybe you could work for us, and we can let you do the program.”
He started sweeping floors and doing whatever jobs were needed. In between, he practiced for his roles as an actor and singer in the musical theater show.
“I’m not trying to brag on myself, but I nailed it [the role] to the point where after four days, they were like, ‘Never mind, you should just be in the program and show,’” he said.
Mr. O’Bryan uses this experience as an example of how people have contributed to his growth.
“If it wasn’t for the social connections around me and the people who invested in my life, I wouldn’t be in front of you today,” he said.
Having social connections and a sense of belonging are protective factors that help you manage stress, according to experts at the Mayo Clinic, a hospital and research institution.
Holy Name’s Healthy Courier seventh-grade reporters had the opportunity to interview and discuss social connections with Mr. O’Bryan, founder and CEO of Humanature, a business management consulting firm based in Philadelphia. He’s an expert and researcher in the fields of community development, organizational culture, and human well-being.
Below are some highlights from the reporters’ interview. Mr. O’Bryan’s answers have been shortened and lightly edited.
Q: What are social connections?
Mr. O’Bryan: Social connections are ties that we have with one another as human beings. For example, you have ties that are quick and transactional, like when you go to the store and you’re purchasing food. At the opposite end are deeper connections, like to our parents and siblings.
Q: Why are social connections important?
Mr. O’Bryan: Our relationships are super-important to our health. We are born needing connections and relationships to survive. Within the first hours after birth, we can’t do anything but cry and use the bathroom. Without relationships, the baby will not survive. As we age, our relationship to others continues to impact our well-being and ability to survive.
Q: Describe your company, Humanature.
Mr. O’Bryan: Humanature exists to help managers and employers make sense of how to create the healthiest workplaces. We help employers understand that investing in their employees’ well-being is directly tied to how well their business performs or how much money they can make.
Q: What advice do you have for kids?
Mr. O’Bryan: If you needed to make or build a garden [to feed your family], you wouldn’t just grow peppers. You would grow everything you need. I would consider your life in that kind of metaphor. You need to challenge yourself to make different connections across your lifetime.
Illustration by Elizabeth & Aubrey, 7th grade, MaST, 2024-2025.
