It Takes a Village to Date in 2026
A roundtable on modern dating for the women doing it AND the women supporting it.
Dating in 2026 is confusing enough when it's your own love life. It's even more confusing when it's your best friend's.
Whether you're the one swiping, texting, and overanalyzing — or the one on the receiving end of the 11 pm "wait, read this" text — this event is for you.
It Takes a Village to Date in 2026 brings together single women and their partnered friends for an evening of honest conversation about what modern dating actually feels like, and what real support looks like on both sides of it.
🍿 How the night flows
We're starting like a movie night: popcorn, wine, and a few short scenes from Voicemails for Isabelle to react to together. It's a low-pressure way in: something to talk about before we ever talk about ourselves. From there, we'll settle into small-group roundtables and go a little deeper.
Think less panel talk, more conversation with your smartest friends.
👋 Your hosts
This roundtable is hosted by Lauren Fondriest and Mahika Hari.
Lauren Fondriest is a dating coach who helps women date with more clarity and confidence — informed by her own six years of single life before meeting her partner, and years of guiding women through change in and out of the dating world.
Alongside her is Mahika Hari, a behavioral scientist and founder of the new app Centr, built around belonging and community — whose work is all about what it actually takes to feel less alone, in friendship and beyond.
✨ Expect to
Watch a few short scenes together over popcorn & wine — an easy, no-pressure conversation starter
Sit in small-group roundtables — women who are single and dating, mixed with supportive friends
Explore why modern dating feels so isolating, and why community changes that
Get real about what single women actually need from their friends (and what they usually get instead)
Practice being a better "villager" — the friend who knows how to show up, not just show sympathy
🙋🏻♀️ This is for you if
You're single and dating, and sometimes feel like no one really gets it
You're partnered, and want to support a single friend but aren't sure how
You're somewhere in between, and just want honest conversation about dating in 2026
Come as you are. Bring a friend, single or not.
Light bites and drinks will be provided.