As an adult, you might bond with a colleague at work, make a new friend over happy hour or connect with a fellow parent on the soccer field. Entrepreneur Liv Schreiber provides yet another way to build community: summer camp. Through music, an all-ages mentality and a shared desire to break from routine, adult campers at Schreiber’s Camp Social can reconnect with their inner child—and with one another.
How Hot and Social Grew Into Camp Social
As humans, Schreiber believes we’re designed to be together. But when she moved to New York City after college, she found it difficult to meet people. “And so I started hosting parties just because I didn’t know anyone,” she says.
These parties eventually grew into Hot and Social, Schreiber’s events company that hosts yoga, pickleball and happy hours meant to foster connection in partnership with New York City venues.
“Everyone comes solo, and leaves as friends,” Schreiber says. “Sometimes we just want to go [to a concert], but our friends don’t want to go, so we don’t end up going. And no one really talks about that.”
She wanted to create a space where “if you want to go, you should go,” she adds.
This philosophy eventually morphed into a nostalgic summer experience: Camp Social, a women-only adult summer camp retreat held over two weekends each year in Pennsylvania. The camp hosts campers from their 20s to their 80s, providing a choose-as-you-go experience complete with outdoor sports, movie nights and community bonding. While Camp Social launched in 2023 with just 150 women, it has grown exponentially since then: This past summer there was a 75,000-person waiting list to get in on the fun.
Why Camp Social Is About Connection, Not Networking
Schreiber believes the connections made during camp are less about networking, and more about putting that adult side down for a second.
“Just saying, ‘Hi, I’m Liv,’ and not explaining anything further except that, ‘I like to jump in the lake and I love chocolate,’” she says. “And I missed that. It’s so tiring, especially when you live in a big city, everyone in the first second that you meet asks what you do, and that’s how you’re defined in their mind. And so I set out to create something where none of that matters.”
Music is a central element to the uplifting environments Schreiber hopes to build. Camp Social features both live performances and DJs. “And even if it’s a day-to-day event where we’re having a million activities running at once from pickleball to tennis and arts and crafts, there’s always a soft hum in the background,” she says. “It’s always a good time.”
Many women come to camp to make new friends, but another draw is leaving behind the daily grind of adulthood.
“They’re coming to find their inner kid again,” Schreiber says. “They’re coming to try something new, which is really admirable. And I think that’s why it’s so special because there’s this energy of intention that you don’t find when you’re just showing up to someone’s birthday party because you have to be there. This is a choice that people are making, and they’re investing time, energy, travel and money.”
Camp friendships often span generations. Schreiber recalls two campers hitting it off, despite a 30-year age difference.
“It’s just because they happen to be next to each other, and they know they’re both at camp, and it’s a warm experience… and [they know] that the person they turn to say hi to is going to be friendly,” she says.
While making new friends might initially bring butterflies, Schreiber also describes it as walking into a warm hug.
“Everyone is so aligned that you feel like you’re home,” she says. “Even if you don’t know the people around you, it’s like walking into a group of girls who are kind, versus walking into a bar with everyone in their cliques with their heads down.”
Brand Activations at Camp Social
Brands, from beverage to beauty and wellness, are also part of the Camp Social experience. Rather than passively flipping through a magazine or watching an influencer’s “get ready with me” video, campers can engage with products in real life, creating deeper brand connections.
“It’s exciting to me that these brands are buying into community, and into the women who are their consumers, and that they’re coming in to make the experience really fun,” she says.
When camp is over, the group chat begins—and hundreds of women begin meeting up in different cities or planning trips together.
“So camp and the spirit of camp and who you become at camp, it stays and it continues with you long after it ends,” she says.
How to Make Friends as an Adult With the 10-Foot Rule
To recreate the Camp Social experience in your own life, Schreiber recommends the Camp’s 10-foot rule: when someone’s 10 feet away, smile and wave.
You might feel awkward the first time, but this friendly behavior will become more natural over time. “Being happy takes work,” she says. “It takes practice just like playing a sport, so you have to work at it.”
For Schreiber, success comes down to consistency and being your own billboard. She says people can tell when someone genuinely believes in an idea and wants to help others, rather than being only motivated by money.
“Even if the camp tickets were free, I would still be doing this because I think that women deserve to have fun and we deserve to be kids again,” she says. “That’s the core of who I am, and I think my audience feels it.”
Schreiber has plans to expand Camp Social in the years ahead.
“My goal is really just to scale smart and in a gentle way,” she says. “And I know we’ve created thousands of friendships and that’s my intention…. We’re definitely growing and scaling, but… it’s my No. 1 priority to keep my campers feeling like it’s still just year one.”
This article was first published in the November/December 2026 issue of SUCCESS® magazine. Get your copy here.
Photos courtesy of Hot & Social / Camp Social
