Discussion with Chris Schembra, Creator of the 7:47 Club and Gratitude Mentor

Chris Schembra - The Gratitude Kingpin

Chris Schembra, the brainchild behind the 7:47 Gratitude Experience, has been transforming lives one thanksgiving at a time. A trailblazer on the New York scene, Schembra's mission is to provide leaders with the tools to establish genuine connections through evidence-based gratitude practices.

With a resume that boasts Broadway production, entrepreneurial consultancy, and notable appearances in the pages of Rolling Stone and Fast Company, Schembra continues to captivate audiences with his unique fusion of gratitude and personal development.

The Gratitude Guru's Origin Story

Schembra, a man once deeply entrenched in the allure of the theater, eventually found himself feeling incomplete. B elsewhere. Battling depression, substance abuse, and various setbacks, Schembra's life took a dramatic turn when his stint in rehab coincided with a soul-searching journey in Italy.

Upon his return to his hometown, New York, Chris found himself yearning for the laughter, love, and connection he had experienced in Italy. Could it be the pasta? Curiosity piqued, Schembra set out to recreate a taste of Italy in his kitchen. A fortuitous mistake led to a knockout sauce, and when he gathered 15 friends to sample his creation, the 7:47 Club was born.

The 7:47 Gratitude Experience is Born

What started as a humble gathering in Schembra's kitchen soon grew into a movement that transcended the ordinary. With weekly dinners, the club became a cherished ritual in New York's cultural cauldron. The simple rules:

Bring a bottle of wine
Open up and share
Attend alone for the first session
Invite a friend after the second visit
Opt out after three invitations or nominate someone else

Under Schembra's guidance, these gatherings fostered a sense of authenticity and intimacy that captivated the city's elite. The word started to spread, and it wasn't long before Chris was fielding requests for dinner parties from business executives and industry heavyweights.

The demand soon grew so fierce that the cost of these events climbed, with pasta dinner parties for eighteen attending fetching upwards of $20,000.

From Pasta to Empathy-Fueled Leadership

One simple question changed everything: Who have you not told or shown gratitude towards in your life?

This query delved deep, compelling participants to reflect on the people who had positively and negatively influenced their lives. Sharing these stories and connecting on shared experiences allowed attendees to tap into a wellspring of gratitude, sometimes in the most unexpected ways.

As the 7:47 Club gained traction, Chris Schembra leveraged this powerful tool to help leaders reframe their approaches to business and lead change in their organizations. The club evolved into an evidence-based methodology for cultivating gratitude within professional settings, where it fosters stronger connections, increases resilience, and boosts overall team performance.

So, if you're looking to break free from surface-level team building and forge connections that matter, Schembra's 7:47 Gratitude Experience could well be your ticket to a more empathetic, grateful, and successful future.

"Chris is sharp, passionate, and adept at guiding organizations to build community, bridge relationships, and foster empathy," says Donna Letier. "In a world where we're all too often rushed, mentioning gratitude, Chris has a knack for making connections between employees and their companies' culture something truly awe-inspiring."

So, why not join Chris Schembra in creating a more compassionate and grateful community? A little dirt never hurt anyone, but the rewards of embracing gratitude can be life-changing.

Chris Schembra, with his background in cooking, lifestyle, and entertainment, provides leaders with tools for fostering genuine connections through gratitude practices.
In his personal journey from battling depression and substance abuse, Schembra found solace in home-and-garden and food-and-drink, such as recreating a taste of Italy in his kitchen.
His unique fusion of gratitude and personal growth led to the birth of the 7:47 Gratitude Experience, a movement that thrives on evidence-based practices for empathy-fueled leadership and relationship building.
Relationships and books about education-and-self-development and personal-growth helped Schembra transform the 7:47 Club into a powerful tool for leaders in business, influencing their teams' connections, resilience, and overall performance.
Celebrities and pop-culture have recognized Schembra's impact, with industry heavyweights inviting him to conduct gratitude-focused dinner parties, some fetching over $20,000.
To cultivate a more compassionate and grateful community, Schembra offers his 7:47 Gratitude Experience to individuals and organizations looking to escape surface-level team building and forge meaningful, empathetic connections.