Today we’d like to introduce you to Shivawn Mitchell.
Hi Shivawn , so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I had recently moved back to the Richmond area after living in Hampton Roads for more than fifteen years. Just two weeks after relocating, the pandemic began. Suddenly, I found myself back in a city that was familiar, but without the friendships or sense of community I needed.
That experience made me realize how difficult it can be to build meaningful connections as an adult, especially when you are starting over. Instead of continuing to search for the kind of community I wanted, I decided to create it.
Seated with Strangers first began as a podcast. I brought women from different places and backgrounds together to have honest conversations about the things we often experience but don’t always talk about with one another. The idea was simple: What could happen if strangers were given the space to be curious, vulnerable, and genuinely connect?
As the world began to open again, I wanted to take those conversations beyond the podcast. I thought, why not bring women who don’t know each other together around a dinner table and see what happens?
I hosted the first Seated with Strangers dinner in Norfolk, and from there, the concept grew. I began hosting experiences in cities including Houston, Charlotte, Atlanta, and Richmond, which is now our home base.
Since then, Seated with Strangers has grown from an idea born out of my own need for connection into a community that has hosted more than 150 dinners and brought women together through shared meals, conversations, and experiences. Today, we also have a private community that gives women the opportunity to continue those relationships beyond the dinner table through meetups and shared experiences.
At its core, Seated with Strangers is still rooted in the same thing I was searching for when I moved back home: a place to find your people and build genuine connections.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Building community doesn’t come with an instruction manual. Much of what I’ve learned has come from simply doing the work, paying attention to what people need, and figuring things out as I grow.
One of the biggest challenges has been learning how to wear so many hats at once. I’m not only hosting dinners. I’m managing social media and marketing, working with vendors, developing experiences, and building a private community while continuing to think about what’s next. Most recently, that has meant planning our dinners while also preparing for our first group trip to Arizona.
I think people often see the dinners, the trips, the beautiful tables, and the photos and naturally see the fun in it. What they don’t always see is how much intention goes into creating those moments. I’m researching the restaurant and thinking about how the space will feel. I’m creating conversation cards based on real experiences and topics that can help women connect. I’m thinking about the gifts, the tablescape or flowers, the follow-up after the dinner, and how we continue that connection once everyone leaves the table.
That’s probably been my greatest growing pain: realizing that creating meaningful experiences requires me to constantly think several steps ahead while also making sure the community itself is functioning and growing.
The challenge I’m still learning to navigate is balance. I’m building something I deeply care about while also maintaining my own personal life. There isn’t always a blueprint for what I’m doing, so I’ve had to become comfortable learning as I build, adjusting when something doesn’t work, and reminding myself that I don’t have to have every part figured out before taking the next step.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Seated with Strangers is in the business of creating connection. We help women meet new people, build meaningful relationships, and have someone to share life and experiences with, whether that’s around a dinner table, exploring their city, traveling somewhere new, or simply trying something they may not have wanted to do alone.
What started as a podcast bringing strangers together through conversation has grown into signature dinner parties, local activities and experiences, group travel, Corporate Strangers, and a private community where women can continue building relationships beyond the events.
What sets us apart is that we aren’t focused on simply filling seats at an event. We’re thinking about what happens after people leave. Everything we create is intentional, from the atmosphere and conversation prompts to the experiences that give women opportunities to continue connecting.
One of the things I’m most proud of is seeing women who came to us as strangers build genuine friendships, try new things, travel together, and create experiences they may not have had otherwise.
At the heart of Seated with Strangers is a simple belief: we shouldn’t have to do life alone. Sometimes finding your people starts with being willing to sit down with someone you don’t know yet.
Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc?
Books: Beautiful Bouquets with Trader Joe’s Flowers and Big Idea Food: A weekly devotional for entrepreneurs’ side hustlers and dreamers by Marlena Banks.
Apps our Community Circle App
Contact Info:
- Website: https://seatedwithstrangers.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/seatedwithstrangers_
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Seatedwithstrangers
