Why I Created THE TABLE

Back in April, I started noticing supper clubs popping up all over social media. The concept wasn't new, but I thought it was pretty cool. I remember thinking it could be a fun way to meet people and maybe make some new friends, so I started imagining hosting one in my apartment in Florida.

Then life happened.

After three months of being unemployed, with no income and having to face the reality that I would probably have to pack up my life and put it in a storage unit, the supper club never happened.

Fast forward to August. I'm in New Jersey, and in the middle of a 30-day bet on myself challenge when the supper club idea came back to me.

This time, though, it wasn't because I thought supper clubs were trendy or cool.

I needed it.

I was trying to stay optimistic, but the truth was I felt defeated. I started doom scrolling through more than three years of my own videos and reading the comments from women who had been following along with my life. I kept thinking about how much of our connection had happened through a screen.

And I started wondering, "What would happen if we took these conversations offline and put them in a physical room?"

That question became THE TABLE.

On August 29, without really knowing if I could pull it off, I announced that I was going to host an intimate dinner for 12 women who were Mid-Story; women somewhere in the middle of a transition, rebuilding, becoming or figuring out what comes next. If I sold all 11 seats, I would have $1,750 to make the dinner happen.

The budget was tight, but I decided to figure it out.

Hoboken made sense for more than just proximity. Historically, it has been a threshold city, a landing point for people arriving before becoming something else. That felt right for THE TABLE. These weren't women who had everything figured out. They were somewhere in between.

September 26 wasn't arbitrary either. September, for many people, feels like a new start. I think a lot of that comes from childhood; the start of a new school year, new notebooks, new routines and that feeling that you're starting something again. The dinner also happened just five days into fall, which made the timing feel even more appropriate.

Those ideas carried into the room.

The menu was family-style because I wanted connection to start with something simple. Passing the bread, asking someone to reach for something, serving another person from a shared platter. Small interactions that don't require you to introduce yourself or tell a stranger your life story. We served whipped ricotta with honey-roasted grapes and toasted Italian bread, braised short rib with roasted vegetables and Italian salsa verde, and a warm apple crostata with mascarpone and amaretti.

Even the wine had a purpose. I served La Crema Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir and Chardonnay because they paired well with the menu and could carry through multiple courses without overpowering the food. Some of the women later shared that I should have had a sweet option. Fair feedback. But the choices were intentional, even if they weren't everyone's personal preference.

The color palette was intentional too? Deep merlot, antique gold, alabaster and vintage rose. I wanted the room to feel warm, grown and beautiful without feeling overly themed. The florals, candlelight, napkins and tableware all worked together to create that feeling.

And while I created THE TABLE, I absolutely did not create it alone.

Di Blu, through Peerspace, gave me the space. My dad made the short rib. My sister made the dessert. Ozaiz gifted every woman a candle and the tapers that became part of the table decor. Your Dream Wall created affirmation cards using each woman's word. Mary, one of my followers, helped with setup, serving and breakdown. Luz filmed the night, and Stephanie printed and assembled all of the menu cards.

I had $1,705. What I didn't have in money, I had in people who were willing to help me make the idea real.

And then the women arrived.

I didn't know what would happen when women who had only ever connected through screens sat down together at an actual table. I didn't know if friendships would come out of it or whether people would feel seen. I just wanted to see what would happen.

And the feedback afterward made me feel like the question was worth asking.

One woman said she loved the opportunity to sit with women she otherwise may never have met. Another said that although everyone came from different walks of life, so many were standing in the same emotional place; ready to grow, let go and step into something new. Another described the experience as becoming another layer of her story.

That's enough for me to want to do it again.

THE TABLE wasn't created because I had a grand plan to start a dinner series. It started because I was in a season where I needed the very thing I was creating for other women: a room where I didn't have to have the next chapter figured out yet.

So, I'm doing it again.

THE TABLE is coming back this winter, and the waitlist is officially open.