Alongside my client work, I run Six Women Dinners: a pro-bono initiative helping women build broader, more diverse and more meaningful professional networks.
The format is simple. Six women, often from different sectors, backgrounds and career stages, come together over dinner for a thoughtful, generous and genuinely non-transactional conversation.
The dinners are built on the same principles that sit underneath my work with organisations: trusted relationships, psychological safety, honest conversation, inclusion and access to perspectives beyond our usual circles.
In organisational change, relationships and conversation shape what people feel able to say, learn and do. People are more able to learn, adapt and contribute when they feel connected, respected and able to speak openly. Six Women Dinners is one way I practise and protect those conditions in the world, not just in client work.
Below, you can learn more about the dinners — or look for posts on LinkedIn using the hashtag #SixWomenDinners.
What the network creates
Six Women Dinners has grown into a community of women, and supportive men, who value meaningful connection, shared learning and practical support.
It creates spaces where people can meet across sectors, roles and life stages, hear different perspectives and build relationships that feel generous rather than extractive.
The network also creates a live space for exploring the realities of work, leadership, confidence, belonging, change and the future of work. Those conversations are often thoughtful, honest and deeply practical — the kind of conversations people do not always get to have in more formal professional settings.
How it started
In February 2024, I attended a dinner with six strangers. The host had thoughtfully invited women from his network who had never met before, recognising that we shared values and would probably connect well.
The idea stayed with me. It was rooted in something simple but powerful: sharing networks is one of the most practical ways we can support each other’s growth.
It also reflected something many of us recognise. We often live and work in social and professional bubbles. Flexible working has reduced some of the informal moments where new connections happen. And many traditional networking formats work better for some personalities, careers and lifestyles than others.
After that dinner, I proposed a similar format on LinkedIn. The Six Women Dinners took off from there.
Why it matters
Traditional networking can feel transactional: exchanging business cards, working a crowded room, or trying to turn a brief conversation into an opportunity.
Six Women Dinners offers something different: small, thoughtful gatherings where people can connect properly, hear different perspectives and build relationships that feel generous rather than extractive.
The aim is not to create another formal network. It is to help women cross paths they might not otherwise cross and to make professional connection feel more inclusive, human and useful.
How it works
The format is deliberately simple.
One person hosts a dinner and invites six women who may not already know each other, but who are likely to have values, experiences or interests worth connecting.
The dinners are self-funded, with guests paying for their own meals. Conversation is guided by a shared code of conduct so the space feels open, respectful and genuinely non-transactional.
Both women and men can support the initiative by hosting dinners, making introductions, providing venues or helping the network grow.
Beyond the dinners
As the community has grown, the dinners have become the starting point for something wider: a network of women, and supportive men, seeking authentic connection, shared learning and practical support.
Thanks to the generosity of organisations donating space, we introduced Meaningful Conversations in October 2024: quarterly gatherings where women can connect across dinners, learn from one another and expand their perspectives through shared conversation.
Led by members of the network as conversation hosts, these gatherings create space for reflection, spark new ways of thinking and support personal and professional growth in a genuinely collaborative environment.
Alongside the dinners, the network now creates workshops, work-focused events, talks and informal spaces for women to keep learning in a way that feels useful, human and easy to join.
Together, we have explored topics including AI, data, entrepreneurship, career transitions, change, sustainability, confidence, bereavement and much more.
How organisations can support
Six Women Dinners is not a commercial product or paid membership model. It is a pro-bono initiative protected by generosity, trust and shared contribution.
Organisations can support the network by offering venues, refreshments, sponsorship for events or practical help that allows more women to access meaningful connection and learning without a financial barrier.
Supporters are recognised with gratitude, but the purpose remains the same: to create spaces where people can connect, think, learn and support one another in a way that feels generous and genuinely non-transactional.
Want to get involved?
You can get involved by hosting a Six Women Dinner, attending as a guest, making introductions, offering a venue, sponsoring refreshments or supporting a future event.
Although the dinners were created to help women build broader professional networks, the initiative is open to everyone who shares the values and code of conduct behind it.
To explore how you can get involved, email me at Sandie@MakingChangeHappen.co.uk.