Julia Kaplan, AB '12, is on a mission to make work more fun.
After spending over a decade working in tech at Uber, Disney, and Warby Parker, Kaplan started
@recessatwork to help companies transform their cultures through retreats, offsites, and workshops.
"We're all just big kids," she says. "Recess is when we get to remember that."
The roots of Recess can be traced to the community Kaplan found at WashU. Friends were a huge part of her college experience, and those relationships became especially important when she experienced loss before starting her sophomore year at the university.
"Grief sucks, but my friends really got me through," Kaplan says.
Ten years after college, when loss struck again, the same group of WashU friends rose to the occasion, reinforcing what she'd learned years before: resilience came from the support of the community around her.
Around that time, the COVID-19 pandemic pushed more people into isolated remote work, and she saw so many adults missing what she had found with her WashU community: deep, proximate friendships that come from sharing your days with people.
That insight became Recess.
In 2022, Kaplan began planning retreats for teams and communities, recreating the elements that had fostered her own WashU bonds: themed dance parties, karaoke, and frequent work breaks designed for connection.
"I've gotten to watch work friendships between colleagues blossom," Kaplan says. "I haven't felt this energized by work in a long time."
Today, Kaplan has built a network of venues and facilitators across the country where teams can plan Recess. The WashU alumni network has been instrumental. Last year, she reconnected with David Maroti, BS '13, vice president of Brooklyn's Industry City, to create a transformative day for one of her clients.
"It was the WashU connection that brought that together," Kaplan says. "Having the shared context and trust of the WashU network made all the difference."
#WashU
