Dinner With Strangers: Jess Janz On The Friends We Haven't Met Yet

Dinner With Strangers: Jess Janz On The Friends We Haven't Met Yet

We're more connected than ever—and lonelier than we'd like to admit. What if the answer isn't finding the right people, but simply pulling up another chair?

This week, Jen sits down with writer, poet, and community-builder Jess Janz to talk about her new book, The Table Where We Meet, and the social experiment that grew into the phenomenon known as Dinner With Strangers. What began as a gathering around a table with a few curious questions has now welcomed more than a thousand people into conversations that move past small talk and into the territory we all secretly long for: belonging.

Jen and Jess explore why so many of us feel disconnected, what makes a question powerful enough to crack a person open, and how vulnerability creates the conditions for genuine connection. Whether you're craving deeper friendships, navigating loneliness, or wondering how to build a bigger table in your own life, this conversation is a hopeful reminder that meaningful connection is still possible—and closer than you think.

In this episode, you'll hear:

• The hidden costs of loneliness and our growing hunger for belonging
• Why "What's your favorite movie?" might be the wrong icebreaker—and what to ask instead
• What happens when one person chooses vulnerability first
• Why community isn't something we stumble into—it's something we create

Quotes:

• "There's alchemy in holding a heavy dish for the person beside you, reaching across, filling water glasses. All of that is so disarming. It shouldn't be a roadblock to connection—it should be the bridge." – Jess Janz
• "Loneliness and helplessness is something that is weaponized in our lives right now, and so it's radical to be in community together." – Jess Janz

Resources Mentioned:

• The Table Where We Meet by Jess Janz
• With Strangers
• Jen's dinner party for her daughter
• Awake: A Memoir by Jen Hatmaker
• Dan Mangan
• Buy Jess' book

Guest's Links:
Website | Instagram | Facebook | TikTok | Substack

Connect with Jen!
Website | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | YouTube

The For the Love Podcast is presented by Audacy.