The Union Dinner is a magical evening of connection across the divide that often separates men and women from finding true compassion for and understanding of one other.
Over the course of an afternoon and evening, we unwind decades of hurt, misundertanding, and resentment that keep people from finding the depth of intimacy that they've been craving, whether that's with an existing partner, with dating in mind, or just with humanity's other half in general.
Set within the familiar context of the dinner party, the format offers deep transformation in a very accessible way.
Using the framework of the masculine and feminine aspects that reside within each of us, we create an event that is inclusive of all experience, identity expressions, and orientations.
What is the Union Dinner?
The Union Dinner is a 6-hour experiential deep dive workshop on masculine/feminine relating that includes a 4-5 course, chef-prepared meal.
The experience is highly interactive, sensual, revealing, and healing. So much more than could be offered in a lecture format. It’s deep soul work, organically woven into the fabric of an intimate fine dining experience.
No previous experience with this work is required. It’s both a great place to begin and the right place to deepen.
What can you expect from attending? :
- A better sense of what is meant when we talk about the masculine and feminine
- More clarity about what feminine/masculine-identified people in your life want and need from you
- More clarity about what you want and need
- An enhanced ability to communicate about all of the above
- Great food
- A warm environment for deep connection with some new friends you’re soon to love
Who is this right for?
This event is for curious people across the spectrum - single, partnered, men, women, non-binary, of all sexual orientations. All adult ages welcome.
You will need an open mind and a willingness to connect with others, but, beyond that, we've got everything covered.
It’s great for newbies who are just exploring these ideas for the first time and also for the seasoned veterans who teach them. The format is based on connecting deeply with others, so your level of exposure to the material is always just right.
It’s not necessary to have a partner to join. We take care of making sure we have a balance of masculine and feminine aspects at the table.
To create the right environment, we always have a limited number of seats available for each dinner.
Become a Host
We are looking for local hosts who are well-connected in their local communities, passionate about bringing people together, and enthusiastic about cultivating a collective growth mindset.
Often our hosts have experienced a Union Dinner and are now eager to help others have the profound perspective-shifting experience that they've had. But it's not a prerequisite.
We especially love to collaborate with:
- men's groups and organizations that don't have a lot of opportunities to hear from and share directly with women and feminine-identified people
- women's groups and organizations that don't have a lot of opportunities to hear from and share directly with men and masculine-identified people
- groups cultivating and exploring new paradigms of leadership and living
- groups, leaders, and organizations that place a high value on exquisitely-crafted experiences with high attention to detail
A great host will have:
- 8-16 friends who would like to have this experience with you and who are willing to purchase tickets.
- It'll be up to you whether your dinner is a closed and private event or whether we will also open additional seats to the public. Private events require a minimum of 12 commitments (including your own). The maximum number of people who can be included in a single event is 16 (including you and a guest).
- Access to a venue that can host at least 12 people comfortably for dinner. It ideally has a separate space that is not the dinner table for the pre-dinner workshop and an on-site kitchen suitable for the preparation (or a least the staging) of a 4-5 course meal.
What will the costs to your guests be?
- The answer is the cost of the venue + the cost of the meal + travel costs + a workshop facilitation fee. If you are offering the venue at no charge, this will reduce cost for your guests.
- The average per person charge is $600-$800
- We are happy to talk with you about making it a benefit event if you'd like to charge over and above our costs of delivery to support a worthy cause.
What are the benefits of hosting?
- A complimentary seat for you and a guest.
- A complimentary post-event debriefing call with our founder.
- The chance to up-level the conversations in your community.
- Bragging rights for convening a truly one-of-a-kind experience.
- Support for your favorite cause if you choose to make it a benefit event.
About the Food
We work with talented local chefs who share our vision of bringing good food and deep communion together. We love the way this allows us to not only create exquisite dining experiences but also to literally share the wealth with other small businesses and creatives.
We feel the same way about our florists, farmers, venues and other vendors!
A little about me (your dinner facilitator and magical concierge)...
My name is Kianga Ford, and I’m the very real woman behind Love + Freedom Education. Just about a decade ago now, I transitioned from the world of scholarly research and fine arts practice into the zone of transformational experience design. And it's been everything I could have wanted.
Life, after all, is the highest form of art.
At that time, I was a university professor and a fine artist, running one of the top fine arts programs in New York City. I’m now a full-time entrepreneur, with a life coaching business that focuses on helping men and women to unlock the full potential waiting within each of us. To do that, I help people understand how to master and use the twin forces of creation that are masculine and feminine energy--the hard and the soft; the ambitious and the receptive; the giving and the receiving.
Over the years of working with men on reclaiming healthy masculinity without apology and helping women recover from the burnout of living in masculine overdrive, I've seen how important it is to connect across the divide and to really see with compassionate eyes what things are like on the other side.
The Union Dinner was actually born organically from within a men's retreat I was hosting. As I saw it, the highest need that group of men had was to truly see and be seen by an honest and receptive group of women.
It's probably the format of which I am most proud, because it allows people to engage from just where they are, even if they've never thought "personal development work" was for them.
I have a PhD (abd) in cultural theory and an MFA in fine art. I’m also a certified life coach and an ordained intuitive. But what really qualifies me to do this work is that I’ve walked this walk in the real world. I've been out there on the mean streets of Bumble and in the intimate moments of being human with others who are also unskilled but genuinely hungry for true connection.
I’ve parlayed decades of work as an artist and educator into a refined expertise in curriculum and experience design. What results is a context for you to have your own personal and direct communion with the magic of creation.
All the logistics + FAQs...
What time is it?
The Union Dinner is an expansive workshop experience that typically runs from 3pm to roughly 9pm. As with all good dinner parties, sometimes you just want to linger a bit in the warm feelings of the evening. Guests are typically invited to come and mingle for 30 minutes prior to our scheduled start time, so that we are ensured an on-time commencement. Dinner is typically served around 6:30pm.
How much is it?
General Registration tickets are typically between - $644 and $1044, depending on our venue and service specifics.
Do guests need partners?
Nope. They absolutely do not. There is no right relationship status here. Guests can come with significant others or come alone. They can come if they're feeling in love or if they're feeling over the whole love business altogether.
We work with our local hosts partners to ensure that the events stay gender-balanced.
Can I serve alcohol?
It is actually very important that these are "dry" events. We usually have very little experience going into uncomfortable conversational zones without the support of "lubrication". Here, we intentionally take off those crutches, so we can take full advantage of the opportunity to develop stronger relational muscles.
We've delivered some mean mocktails, and we've never had a complaint at the end of the night that the alcohol was missing. But we have had lots of people remark on understanding why alcohol wasn't a part of the program.
What makes a good guest at this event?
This is where your host spidey skills will be very important.
The #1 most important factor is willingness.
Guests who are genuinely curious about other people's perspectives and willing to share their own have all they need to be stellar contributors to the evening.
We suggest you let your Negative Nellies and your naysayers feel the FOMO from home.
Do you do this event for professional organizations or company offsites?
This work requires participants to be deeply engaged with the full body of their personal experiences. If that doesn't feel appropriate in your professional context, allow us to suggest other formats that might serve you better.
What does it mean to "make it a retreat"? I've seen this on your other event pages.
We typically offer an overnight retreat option for out-of-town attendees and participants who would like additional personalized coaching support. We create bespoke experiences to support individuals and/or couples on their areas of greatest need. Some of our past retreats have focused on couple's communication, restoring intimacy, and developing skills for dating post-divorce.
All extended event retreats include tickets to the Union Dinner, a brunch debrief on Sunday morning, a private coaching session with the founder, a post-event follow-up call, and some beautiful special treats and delights along the way.
We aim to choose venues that make this extended engagement possible where available.
Where are all of these beautiful images from?
The images included here are from a Valentine's Weekend Dinner at Snow in Fairview, TN. It's absolutely as stunning as it seems!
Can we use this venue if we're hosting near Nashville?
Absolutely! Subject to their availability, of course.
