Choose Freedom – After Hours with Dr Sam Collins

Extraordinary Women. Extraordinary Conversations.

What if the most interesting conversation you have this year doesn’t happen in a boardroom, conference centre or on Teams?

What if it happens on a Friday evening, hidden away in a beautiful garden in the heart of the City of London, surrounded by women who care deeply about what happens next and who are curious about the future they are creating through their lives and work?

Choose Freedom After Hours is not a conference, a networking event or another evening of exchanging business cards with people you never speak to again.

Instead, it is a small and intimate gathering of just 30 people, meeting in the extraordinary surroundings of the Centre for Peace and Reconciliation. Tucked amongst the historic streets and modern skyscrapers of the City, we will gather in and around a beautiful Bedouin tent for an evening of conversation, wine, connection, laughter and reflection.

What makes the evening special is the people in the room and the conversations that emerge when thoughtful, curious and interesting people are given the space to be themselves.

At the heart of the evening is one question:

What future do you aspire to create?

Not only for yourself, but in the world you inhabit every day. The family you influence. The organisation you work in. The profession you are helping to shape. The community you are part of. The cause you care about. The people whose lives are touched by yours.

Many of us spend our days focused on what is immediately in front of us. This evening is an opportunity to step back, lift our gaze and explore the bigger question of what we want our lives, work and world to add up to.

Those conversations may be thoughtful, but don’t expect the evening to be overly serious. After all, it is Friday night!

The working week is over. London is winding down for the weekend. This is a chance to relax, meet interesting people, enjoy yourself and have the kinds of conversations that are increasingly rare in everyday life. Our hope is that there will be plenty of laughter, unexpected insights, new friendships and the sort of atmosphere where you find yourself looking at your watch and wondering where the evening went.

In the spirit of keeping things informal, you’re warmly invited to bring along your favourite drink or snack to enjoy during the evening if you’d like to. A bottle of wine, sparkling water, chocolate, olives, cake  or whatever makes a Friday evening feel like a celebration. We’ll provide a few bits and pieces too. Think of it less as a formal event and more as a gathering of interesting people around a shared conversation.

Choose Freedom is first and foremost a movement for women who want to use their freedom, experience, wisdom and courage to make a meaningful contribution to the world around them. However, thoughtful male allies who genuinely support those values are also very welcome to join us.

You do not need to have everything figured out. You do not need a perfect life, a perfect career, a perfect plan or perfect confidence. You simply need curiosity, an open mind and a willingness to join a conversation that may stay with you long after the evening ends.

Because meaningful conversations are increasingly rare. Because some of the most important opportunities, friendships and collaborations begin with a single conversation. And because perhaps the future is shaped less by grand gestures and more by thoughtful people coming together to explore what they aspire to create.

Places are limited to a maximum of 30 people, so early booking is recommended.

We are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive gathering. We know that some of the most valuable perspectives come from people whose financial circumstances may make attending events like this difficult at this time. For that reason, we have set aside several free access places. These places are offered not as charity, but because a wider range of voices, experiences and viewpoints benefits everyone in the room. If cost would prevent you from attending at this time, please find out more here and drop us a quick line.