Dinners with a Difference - A Good Life

Dinners with a Difference is a facilitated discussion over a meal that dips beneath the surface of everyday conversations. Come solo or bring a friend that you'd like to get to know better.

This month's topic is A GOOD LIFE.

It's easy to be swept along by the currents of doing: achieving, possessing, presenting. And in times as uncertain as these, there's rarely been a better moment to pause and take stock of what truly matters, what brings us joy, and where we find meaning.

This is a chance to sit with those bigger questions alongside people equally keen to unpack them. What does it mean to live with authenticity and meaning? How do our core values show up in the roles we assume and the decisions we make every day?

Join us for a meal where we share insights, challenge our perspectives, and shape our understanding of a life well-lived.

What's included

Your ticket includes a selection of entrees and mains at The Iron Yampi, with dietary needs thoughtfully catered for. Drinks, including wine from their exceptional range, are available to purchase separately throughout the event.

This month we're heading to Port Kembla to enjoy the Iron Yampi's ever-evolving modern Australian menu, with the entire restaurant reserved exclusively for our gathering, giving us the freedom to speak openly and engage without hesitation.

To enrich the conversation, a short questionnaire will be emailed to attendees the week before the event. We kindly ask that you complete it before attending.

Two ways to join us

For the first time, we're running both a dinner and a Sunday lunch edition -- same format, same venue, just two different moments to choose from.

• Thursday 6 August, dinner 6:30-9:30pm 
• Sunday 9 August, lunch 12:30-3:30pm

Feedback from previous dinner guests

"Gretel creates a safe and inclusive space where people can be seen and heard amongst a group of complete strangers! Conversation is gently guided with good humour with a nod to complexity and nuance. Dialogue is liberated and reinvented in a fun and casual atmosphere."

"A great night where you get to eat delicious food with a diverse array of interesting people all open to deep conversations. As well as the deep thoughtful conversations, there are always loads of laughs."

"It’s an opportunity to drop your guard - the normalities of day to day, and any roles/responsibilities. It’s quite liberating to discuss meaningful topics as a (relatively) anonymous person and speak truthfully without a filter. How bloody refreshing!"

"Chatting with random strangers was really fun."

"As a young Aussie guy, most of the conversations I have are surface level, sports-based, or just entirely sledging, which I love, but I don't really have the opportunity to philosophically explore topics or share meaningful (and related) anecdotes in a respectful forum where I could be challenged, encouraged and introspective, just for the sake of good conversation."

"Dive in and give it a go. So worthwhile, stimulating and full of insightful conversation."

"So, those questions you have about the way the world is right now, and your place in it, and how you would like people you can share that with, and how you are feeling about all that? Bring all of it. That's what Dinners with a Difference is for."