Once upon a campus, I had the sweet gig of working less than five minutes away from a dangerously delicious ice cream shop. Yep—right across the street. I could practically hear the sprinkles calling my name! In the warmer months, it became a daily thing: students, professors, and coworkers all making their way over for a midday scoop.
After a while, I knew my co-workers go-to orders. I became the unofficial flavor/mood tracker of the office—mint chip on a tough day, cookie dough to celebrate a big victory. The shop even gave us punch cards. (Dangerous and rewarding?!) These little cards turned into coveted raffle prizes and holiday gifts. But beyond the waffle cones and double scoops, something even sweeter was happening.
Those strolls for ice cream? They became real moments of connection. We weren’t just escaping our desks—we were opening up. Laughing, venting, decompressing, and talking through the real stuff that weighs us down at work: feeling unheard, stuck, and overlooked. Struggling with burn-out, navigating messy team dynamics, bad feedback loops... you know... the usual swirl of workplace woes.
Whether you call it the circle in me or just my social worker heart, I live for creating safe spaces where people can talk, cry, vent, laugh, or just feel seen. I didn’t realize it right away, but these moments? They were the beginning of Ice Cream Social Work.
So whether you're taking a stroll for ice cream, attending a leadership retreat, a team training, a conference, or a company-wide wellness initiative—the takeaway is the same:
We all deserve to feel seen, heard, and valued. And with the right tools - we can.
Add a scoop of ice cream to the mix? Even better!
No, you likely won’t solve world peace over rocky road... But you might just help someone feel like they matter.
And that’s the real cherry on top. 🍒
