Is 1 Week Enough to Make Lifelong Friends? (Saõ Miguel, Azores | House Manifest)
The video is a first‑person narrative by Stephen, the founder of House Manifest, chronicling the evolution of his community‑building experiment from a pandemic‑era villa in Bali to a series of curated house‑share retreats, culminating in a week‑long season on São Miguel, Azores. Stephen explains how the concept originated—living with diverse, empathetic housemates to accelerate personal growth—and how the model was refined through trials, lost deals, and format changes. For the Azores season, nine participants from New York, Lisbon, Kyiv, and elsewhere were selected based on a shared desire for deep, meaningful connections. Stephen introduced a custom speed‑connecting game called DMC (Deep Meaningful Connection) that uses prompt cards to spark six‑minute one‑on‑one conversations. The remote, low‑amenity setting (no scooters, limited nightlife) forced the group to rely on a rented van, shared meals, and collective adventures such as hikes to volcanic craters, hot‑spring baths, and an abandoned luxury hotel. Evening “hot seat” sessions allowed each housemate to share personal journeys, deepening trust. Participants reflected that the intensive, nature‑immersed schedule produced stronger bonds than typical adult social settings, suggesting that a focused week can seed lifelong friendships. The narrative ends with gratitude, a playful recap of moments, and the belief that intentional, shared experiences are key to building lasting tribes.
Chapters
I'm currently in São Miguel, Azores, off the coast of Portugal. This magical island, kind of in the middle of nowhere, but still pretty epic. In just a bit, I'm going to have 9 people from all around the world join me for a week of adventure, exploring, and getting to know each other. I'll tell you why we're doing this pretty soon, but before that, I'll tell you how this all got started.
Let's go.
Back in May 2021, during COVID the world was effectively shut down. I was in Bali with my co-founder working on an internet startup to connect online communities and remote companies via speed video conversations. Instead of getting a 2-bedroom place, we thought, "Why not get a 4-bedroom villa and invite other like-minded people to join us?" The pandemic made everything cheaper, so we just went for it. We ended up living with an amazing English couple and a super young but precocious German entrepreneur. Since there weren't that many places to go, we spent most of our time working together at our big wooden table, hanging out, and just getting to know each other. So many times, our conversations pushed me out of my comfort zone and helped me grow in so many unexpected ways. And one day it hit me. This is how I want to live my life. Living with super empathetic, curious, and smart housemates. When you're on your entrepreneurial journey, it's easy to feel isolated. Having people around who challenge your assumptions and beliefs and push you out of your comfort zone is almost the only way to grow super fast. A few months later, as the pandemic was wrapping up, I was in Lisbon attending a conference. I stumbled upon a 10-bedroom house with an amazing rooftop overlooking the city. With my startup winding down and some money raised, I had a crazy idea. Why not get the house for 2 months and invite entrepreneurs and nomads to live together just like we did in Bali? We ended up with 15 amazing people from all around the world, and that's how House Manifest was born. Hosting that many people for longer periods was a new experience. I wanted it to be perfect, so the first house was really fancy. Looking back, running different houses over the past couple of years was like a roller coaster.
Roller coaster.
Sometimes things didn't go as planned. One time I lost a deal on a big house after selling the spot, and some people had already booked their flights. Navigating that was tough, and I faced criticism. Some relationships were strained, and some even told me my dreams are too big. But something inside me said to keep going, so I did, moving to different parts of the world, changing the format, and experimenting with new vibes. And here we are. This time We've got 9 people joining me in São Miguel Azores for a special Houseman Fest season. Here's why. Last year, I had the chance to visit this insanely green island. In many unexpected ways, it was an incredibly healing experience. Dumbledore, a tech entrepreneur from New York who hosted me, opened the doors to his Laughing Orchard for our housemates. Initially, I hesitated to say yes to this opportunity because this place was so different from the previous seasons where the house vibes were pretty luxurious. But then I thought, if the goal is to create deep meaningful connections, the house being perfect isn't a must-have, it's a nice-to-have. It's way more important to get the right people and provide an unforgettable experience that fosters connection. So when the opportunity to host a season in the Azores came up, even though the vibe was different, my heart said, "What have I got to lose? Let's trust the vibe and let the vibe guide us." So I said yes. The vibe was amazing. There were rainbows, butterflies, unicorns, and we all lived happily ever after. Hold up, hold up, hold up. That's actually not what happened. Things actually didn't pan out that way. Thing is, the house was actually super far from the typical conveniences. No scooters, no food delivery, not even a trace of nightlife. Just us, a few local eateries, and plenty of cows. The more I thought about it, the more doubts crept in. Are we going to be super bored out of our minds? Did I just make a terrible mistake? What I didn't know at that time was that these restrictions turned out to be the best things that we could have ever asked for. So this is it, the crew is here. I was sleeping and I thought they were gonna arrive an hour later, but they got an hour earlier. I think they're here. Yo! Wow, the crew is here. Orange hat, love it. Chris, you must be Chris, right?
Such a pleasure, my man. How are you?
Really good.
Such a pleasure to have you here.
Thank you very much. Hey, I'm Chris.
Nice to meet you, K. And here was the crew: Jacob, Kayla, Chris, Mauricio from New York City, Zhenj and Yamaush from Kyiv, Yanovich and Fabij from Lisboa, and me. To make sure everyone felt welcome and included, we set the context for our week-long journey. Then we played a speed connecting game that I designed called DMC, short for Deep Meaningful Connection. Basically, we've got these cards called DMC, Deep Meaningful Connection, and on the back of these cards there's all these questions that are designed to help you connect with that person in front of you on a deeper level very fast. And they were doing these like speak one-on-one matches. So, you know, you get paired up with someone and then you have a conversation for 6 minutes, 3 minutes each. It's funny because like some of these people, like when even when I say switch, switch, they're so focused on the conversation itself that they just like don't even listen to me.
That's pretty special.
Switch!
Switch! Switch!
To make deep meaningful connections and long-lasting friends, there are 3 core elements. Even if everything is great on paper, if they don't want to get to know you, you can't go further. It's got to be mutual. Thankfully, we discovered that every one of us had a deep desire to connect. And here's the thing, when you're out of university, there's no structured environment to make friends. Especially if you're an entrepreneur and not in the corporate world, there's no set friend pool or community. So it's not easy to make friends. This has exactly been the case with me and the NYC crew. We've all dabbled in entrepreneurship and taken completely different paths than most of our university peers. The Lisbon crew has experienced something similar as well, pursuing coaching and music The matrix has long been exited. No wonder I first met them in Bali and Lisbon, the havens for people like us. And our Kyiv sisters, they've gone through something really unique. When they were going to university, the pandemic swept the world and they couldn't meet people or make friends the normal way. Then when the world finally opened back up, they experienced a Russian invasion. So their university and early adult life was entirely virtual. They never got to experience this community vibe.
Time.
So one way or another, every single one of us has felt the deep pain point of who's someone I can connect with deeper. So when I put out the invitation to apply to join me, everyone who applied had this deep desire to build long-lasting friendships beyond superficial connections. And naturally, when we played the DMC game, everything just felt right. Everyone was curious to get to know each other, and the game made it so much easier. All right, that's good, but we're all from different parts of the world, different age groups, and have completely different lives. So can we actually bond? Turns out, despite the differences, we're actually quite similar. First, the entrepreneurial spirit. All of us have the adventurous, problem-solving, go-getter, and open-minded vibe. But beyond that, you've got to qualify for magic. Can we create magic together? When you chat with them, do you feel energized? Do you see yourself living and spending time with this person for a week or longer? Are they open-minded about sharing their journey? Are they kind? How do they respond to challenges? Do we feel this magical vibe for real? At the end of the day, do you feel like we have similar values and we're both looking to grow? I'm so glad that my answer was hell yes for all of them. And that is what makes you feel like, where have you been all my life?
Great.
So now we've got the desire to connect and similar values. What's the final piece of the puzzle? You deepen your connection by spending quality time together. And this is exactly what happened during our week on San Miguel. We hiked up to epic viewpoints, craters, lakes, waterfalls, forests, and geysers. Also, we cheekily snuck into an abandoned luxury hotel that led us to an insane viewpoint of this iconic volcanic crater. And we can't forget the housemate's favorite, the hot springs. We jumped in different thermal baths again and again. Here's the thing, instead of getting tired, we were all energized to do more exploring, more adventuring, and more vibing. A classic sign that the vibe was flowing. For all of us city dwellers, this was like getting a fresh dose of oxygen, and we got so addicted to that freshness and came back out for more and more. Funny enough, the restrictions made us connect with each other way more powerfully. With little access to transport and food, we rented a van and became an inseparable squad. Every time we wanted to do something, we needed to drive our van. Naturally, we ended up coordinating everything and did all the exploring and adventuring together. We created a bubble because there was no other option, and it was the best ever. In the evenings, our hot seat sessions deepened our understanding of one another. Each housemate took their turn in the hot sharing their journey and dreams while the rest listened, asked questions, and connected on an even deeper level. Now, with all these things we did to spend quality time together, it got me thinking, when do we normally do this back home? In our normal life, our quality time is usually spent catching up, meeting for coffee, eating together, and maybe partying. And those are all good, but when do we actually make meaningful memories in an environment conducive to connecting on a deep level. In my experience of living nomadically over the past 3 decades, I was able to deepen my bonds with someone when I actively made memories with them. Exploring together, traveling together, experiencing new sounds, places, food, and people, having unexpected and spontaneous conversations, trying something new for the first time, and doing them with people who have similar values and the desire to connect on on a deeper level. So in conclusion, is one week on a remote island enough to make lifelong friends? I'd be lying to you if I actually knew the answer, but the deep connections we made offline felt like the beginning of something truly enduring, especially in this day and age when we're hyper-connected digitally. As I reflect on our time together, I may not remember every single thing that we did, but what I still remember is a feeling of adventure as All of us packed inside the van, dancing to our funky music and dissecting the most attractive names. Jaws dropping at the island's countless natural spectacles. Laughing at friends switching into multiple outfits to get the best dating profile shots. Understanding each other's lives deeper as we jump from rock to rock towards a waterfall. Channeling our inner rebels and sneaking into a national park. Kicking around the ball and involuntarily letting out Michael Jackson's "Sssss" sounds while deflecting the ball to another housemate, and the joy of dipping into thermal baths again and again. And these memories are priceless. This, I believe, might just be the key to creating lifelong friendships and building a tribe bound by shared values and the unforgettable moments we've lived together. Thank you, everyone, from the bottom of my heart. For making this house manifest season extra special and truly unforgettable. Keep Calm and Vibe On.
Peace!
She stole my babe! Evgenia! I was born in 1986.
1986? That's older than Taylor Swift.
No, just like put your hands—
no, just like, but still stand, just like— like this?
Yeah.
Wow, it's whole photographer crew.
Whoa, I captured that!
Oh, you're really Michael Jackson!
This house manifest season has been honestly incredible. Kind of beyond belief.
Yeah, a lot of nature, which I really wanted. Really great people. I love the size of the group. I love the activities.
It's been very relaxing and meditative.
Yeah, I mean, I think like, I mean, I could see myself being friends with everybody, honestly.
I've made multiple friends.
No, no friends. No, I'm just kidding. Yeah, it's crazy how much I turn out to have in common with complete strangers. Work-wise, relationship experience, travel experience. And so yes, I've made quite a few.
I think like a lot of what goes into making friends is literally just spending time with each other. And so Housemanifest is a, is a chance to spend like quality time together for like 7 to 10 days, uh, doing everything together. Yeah, I think, you know, we, we're here for one week, but basically all day long we're together. So you can know someone for 6 months but have less time and less experiences than in a week. Yeah, and I think we had very transparent and open conversation. We did connection games, we did like adventures together, and all of those experiences bond people. I think the fact that we were kind of isolated in nature and the fact that we were kind of forced to do group activities and get to know each other— forced but also in a very organic way because you're like living together.
I think yes, especially in Poland, all people are super open. When you meet new person, you don't really know if he looking for new friends or no. So you always like afraid to be rejected. And here, when I talk to someone, I already know that his goal here is to make new connections. So I feel super comfortable.
You know, I would never have thought that one week would be enough to make a new friend, but truly I have never felt so connected to a bunch of new people over the course of a week in my entire life. There's something incredible about living in a college community because you just bump into people, you meet new people all the time, and as an adult you don't really get that. The community is tailor-made by Stephen and by the House Manifest group, and everyone comes here with the best of intentions looking for that connection. So you're connecting with people who are friendly and who want to connect with you. There's no better combination.
I do. You know, I don't think it even has to be time-specific. It's like if you can create DMC, you know, deep meaningful connection, that can happen quickly or that can happen over time at your own pace. But I found that a week has been nice. You know, typically everyone at the end is like, "Oh, well, I wish we could stay together longer." But yeah, I'd say.
