# Distance Circle

A small group for engineering leaders running cross-border teams.

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      <a href="/">Federico Ramallo</a> <span>/</span> <a href="index.html#work">Work</a> <span>/</span> The Distance Circle
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    <h1>The Distance <em>Circle</em>.</h1>
    <p class="lede">A small private community of 50 Directors and VPs of Engineering running cross-border teams. Monthly closed-door discussions, peer roundtables, member-only office hours, and access to working drafts of the book before publication.</p>
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      <span><strong>Status</strong> &nbsp; Coming Q4 2026</span>
      <span><strong>Cohort size</strong> &nbsp; 50 seats max</span>
      <span><strong>Annual</strong> &nbsp; $2,400</span>
      <span><strong>Refundable</strong> &nbsp; 30 days</span>
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<!-- WHY IT EXISTS -->
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      <div style="font-family: 'JetBrains Mono', monospace; font-size: 11px; letter-spacing: 0.18em; text-transform: uppercase; color: var(--rust); margin-bottom: 24px;">Why this exists</div>
      <h2 style="font-family: 'Fraunces', serif; font-weight: 400; font-size: clamp(28px, 3.5vw, 40px); line-height: 1.2; color: var(--ink); margin-bottom: 32px;">The conversations that mattered most over 150 podcast episodes were the ones that <em>did not happen on tape</em>.</h2>
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        <p>The hardest problems in cross-border engineering leadership are the ones you cannot ask publicly. The compliance crisis you only half-understand. The senior engineer who is technically performing but you suspect is one decision away from leaving. The client relationship that has gone quieter than it should be. The decision you have to make about a team member that you have not been able to talk through with anyone outside your company.</p>
        <p>The Distance Circle exists because those conversations need a room. Not a public Slack. Not a paid mastermind that became a content machine. A small, private, deliberately-curated group of peers who are doing the same work and have the same skin in the game.</p>
        <p>Fifty seats, total. No more. The number is small enough that members will know each other by name and large enough that there is always a relevant peer in the room when you need one.</p>
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<!-- WHAT YOU GET -->
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      <div style="font-family: 'JetBrains Mono', monospace; font-size: 11px; letter-spacing: 0.18em; text-transform: uppercase; color: var(--rust); margin-bottom: 24px; text-align: center;">What members get</div>
      <h2 style="font-family: 'Fraunces', serif; font-weight: 400; font-size: clamp(32px, 4vw, 44px); line-height: 1.15; color: var(--ink); margin-bottom: 48px; text-align: center;">A working room, <em>not a course</em>.</h2>

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          <div class="tier-eyebrow">Monthly</div>
          <h3>Closed-door discussions</h3>
          <p style="font-size: 15px; color: var(--ink-soft); line-height: 1.55; margin-bottom: 0;">Two per month. Topic-driven, peer-led, Chatham House rule. The kind of conversation you cannot have at a conference.</p>
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          <div class="tier-eyebrow">Quarterly</div>
          <h3>Peer roundtables</h3>
          <p style="font-size: 15px; color: var(--ink-soft); line-height: 1.55; margin-bottom: 0;">Six members, ninety minutes, structured peer-advising on a specific decision each member is facing. Run by Federico.</p>
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          <div class="tier-eyebrow">Member only</div>
          <h3>Federico's office hours</h3>
          <p style="font-size: 15px; color: var(--ink-soft); line-height: 1.55; margin-bottom: 0;">Two hours a month, drop-in. Bring a question, leave with a direction. First-come reservation.</p>
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          <div class="tier-eyebrow">Bonus</div>
          <h3>Working book drafts</h3>
          <p style="font-size: 15px; color: var(--ink-soft); line-height: 1.55; margin-bottom: 0;">Read chapters of <em>The Invisible Distance</em> before publication. Comment, push back, contribute case studies if relevant.</p>
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<!-- WHO IS THIS FOR -->
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      <div style="font-family: 'JetBrains Mono', monospace; font-size: 11px; letter-spacing: 0.18em; text-transform: uppercase; color: var(--rust); margin-bottom: 24px;">Who this is for</div>
      <h2 style="font-family: 'Fraunces', serif; font-weight: 400; font-size: clamp(28px, 3.5vw, 40px); line-height: 1.2; color: var(--ink); margin-bottom: 36px;">Senior engineering leaders running real teams across borders.</h2>

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        <h3>You're a fit if</h3>
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          <li style="padding: 10px 0 10px 24px; position: relative; line-height: 1.55;"><span style="position: absolute; left: 0; color: var(--rust);">→</span> You are a Director, VP, or Head of Engineering currently running a distributed team with members in two or more countries.</li>
          <li style="padding: 10px 0 10px 24px; position: relative; line-height: 1.55;"><span style="position: absolute; left: 0; color: var(--rust);">→</span> Your team is at least 8 engineers, no upper bound.</li>
          <li style="padding: 10px 0 10px 24px; position: relative; line-height: 1.55;"><span style="position: absolute; left: 0; color: var(--rust);">→</span> You can show up for at least one of the monthly conversations and one quarterly roundtable.</li>
          <li style="padding: 10px 0 10px 24px; position: relative; line-height: 1.55;"><span style="position: absolute; left: 0; color: var(--rust);">→</span> You bring questions and stories, not just listening.</li>
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        <h3>You're not a fit if</h3>
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          <li style="padding: 10px 0 10px 24px; position: relative; line-height: 1.55;"><span style="position: absolute; left: 0; color: var(--ink-muted);">×</span> You are a recruiter, vendor, or consultant looking to network into the room. The Circle is for operators only.</li>
          <li style="padding: 10px 0 10px 24px; position: relative; line-height: 1.55;"><span style="position: absolute; left: 0; color: var(--ink-muted);">×</span> You want a course or content library. This is a peer room, not a curriculum.</li>
          <li style="padding: 10px 0 10px 24px; position: relative; line-height: 1.55;"><span style="position: absolute; left: 0; color: var(--ink-muted);">×</span> You expect Federico to coach you 1-on-1 inside this membership. For that, see <a href="/coaching/" style="color: var(--rust); text-decoration: underline;">coaching</a>.</li>
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<!-- APPLICATION FORM -->
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      <div style="font-family: 'JetBrains Mono', monospace; font-size: 11px; letter-spacing: 0.18em; text-transform: uppercase; color: var(--rust); margin-bottom: 16px;">Apply for the Q4 cohort</div>
      <h2 style="font-family: 'Fraunces', serif; font-weight: 400; font-size: clamp(32px, 4vw, 44px); line-height: 1.15; color: var(--ink);">Application opens spring 2026.</h2>
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      <h2>Express interest</h2>
      <p class="form-intro">Leave your details below and you'll get the first invitation when applications open. No commitment, no auto-enrollment, no spam.</p>

      <form action="https://formspree.io/f/xzdoepkp" method="POST">
        <input type="hidden" name="_subject" value="Distance Circle interest form" />
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          <label for="circle-name">Full name</label>
          <input id="circle-name" type="text" name="name" placeholder="Your name" required />
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          <label for="circle-email">Work email</label>
          <input id="circle-email" type="email" name="email" placeholder="you@company.com" required />
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          <label for="circle-role">Current role</label>
          <input id="circle-role" type="text" name="role" placeholder="VP Engineering, Director of Engineering, etc." required />
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          <label for="circle-size">Company size (engineers)</label>
          <select id="circle-size" name="company_size">
            <option>8 to 25</option>
            <option>26 to 75</option>
            <option>76 to 200</option>
            <option>200+</option>
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          <label for="circle-problem">What's the hardest problem you're working on right now?</label>
          <textarea id="circle-problem" name="hardest_problem" placeholder="A few sentences. We use this to make sure the cohort has range and to tailor the first month's discussions."></textarea>
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        <button type="submit" class="form-submit">Submit interest →</button>
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      <div style="font-family: 'JetBrains Mono', monospace; font-size: 11px; letter-spacing: 0.18em; text-transform: uppercase; color: var(--rust); margin-bottom: 16px;">Questions</div>
      <h2 style="font-family: 'Fraunces', serif; font-weight: 400; font-size: clamp(32px, 4vw, 44px); line-height: 1.15; color: var(--ink);">FAQ.</h2>
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      <div class="faq-q">Why $2,400/year? That feels low for the room described.</div>
      <div class="faq-a">It's intentional. The price filters for people who are serious without filtering out people who are early in their leadership career. The economics work because the cohort is small and the format is light. If membership scales, the price holds.</div>
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      <div class="faq-q">Why Q4 2026 and not now?</div>
      <div class="faq-a">Two reasons. The book launches Q3 2026 and I want the Circle to start with members who have read it, so we share vocabulary on day one. Second, I am running a small private pilot through 2026 to make sure the format works before opening it broadly.</div>
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      <div class="faq-q">Is this a Slack community?</div>
      <div class="faq-a">There is a Slack channel for member-to-member coordination, but the Slack is not the product. The product is the synchronous conversations: monthly discussions, quarterly roundtables, monthly office hours. If you want a busy Slack, this is not the right room.</div>
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      <div class="faq-q">Can my company expense it?</div>
      <div class="faq-a">Most members do. We provide a receipt that fits standard L&D budget categories. Companies that fund team members in peer communities like this one usually consider it well worth the investment.</div>
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      <div class="faq-q">What happens if I join and decide it's not for me?</div>
      <div class="faq-a">Full refund within the first 30 days, no questions asked. After 30 days, no refunds, but you can step out at the next renewal cycle.</div>
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