I Hosted My First Table Dinner (And the Little Girl in All of Us Came Out to Play)

Girl, I did it. I had The Table. And I'm still processing it. I'm relieved, excited, grateful, happy. Every type of emotion. It was everything I wanted and envisioned for these dinners. The atmosphere was perfect. Private. Safe. Intimate. A space where women could exhale, just let it all out. We were served instead of always serving others. That night, we were served. And that alone changed the energy of the room. The women enjoyed that so much. We talked openly, honestly. There was no networking. No passing business cards. Nothing about the evening was transactional. It was deeply relational. I kept thinking: imagine doing this consistently. Imagine 5 to 10 dinners, building strong bonds over time. Women would soar. We would all soar. I know the concept worked. I always knew this because this is what I did in Asia, in Africa, in the Caribbean, in mainland Europe. It's cross-cultural and timeless. When women gather intentionally, something sacred happens. We break bread. We share things. We see ourselves in each other. The barriers are broken down. And we just exist. It's like the little girl within us comes out to have tea. The conversations went far deeper than anything we would ever have in a traditional networking space. No opportunity seeking. Just sharing our truth. This was a truly diverse room of women, not all the same, not all sounding the same. The accents, the experiences, the depth of the room, it was magnificent. There were no titles, no roles, no responsibilities. No one had to put on a mask or fake like everything was going great. We left them at the door with the coat check. It felt like being little girls again, sitting around the table pretending to have high tea with our friends. That's how it felt. The little girl within us came out. That kind of softness. The joy. The laughter. We're all grown now, but she came out that night to play. And we left the table fullof food, yes, because the food was really good. But also of insights, relationships built, collaboration. It was beautiful. People had ideas: "I want to write a book." We were meeting each other where we're at. No fakeness. It worked. It reminded me that when women come together without performance, without pretending, without faking, without putting on the mask we just connect. That little girl within us comes out. And the same way we teach our children through play? It's the same way we build bonds. When that little girl comes out to play, she wants to play. And these dinners allow her to come out in all her splendor.This one's for you if:1. You're exhausted from networking that feels transactional2. You crave deep, relational connection with other women3 You miss the softness and joy of just being yourself4. You want to gather without performance or pretendingThis is what happens when women drop the mask.This podcast is for women who are done performing. If you want more of this energy, the kind of conversation that reminds you who you actually arevisit wwdaglobal.com and step into the room.You'll get weekly insights, frameworks I don't share anywhere else, and a community of women who've stopped asking for permission.About Women Who Don't Apologise:Over 150 episodes exploring power, boundaries, capacity, and what it means to live on your own terms. Hosted by Patricia Haywood lawyer, The Queen of Construction Contracts, Top 100 Woman in Construction, GC, and chief unapologetic mistress. For women 40+ who are exhausted from following everyone else's blueprint.