Sometimes, the most powerful revolutions do not begin in a boardroom or on a stage. They begin around a table, where a woman who has spent years feeling invisible finally realizes that her voice matters.

Welcome to the world of Women Over Dinner, a movement built on the belief that every woman possesses extraordinary power, regardless of her circumstances, Women Over Dinner has now gathered more than 6,300 women at 611 dinners in 30 countries, including inside four women's prisons

Meet Aubrey Fuller and Sofia Teplitzky, Aubrey is the Director of Women Over Dinner and leader of Women Are Power, A worldwide women's movement, Aubrey believes that every woman is already powerful, and her work is to help women feel that power for themselves, most especially the marginalized women. Aubrey has edited and published The Women's Steps to Unleashing Power, a book drawn from the teachings of The Women Over Dinner's founder.

Sofia Teplitzky is the Director of Partnerships at Women Over Dinner. She grew up in restaurants, has worked in fine dining, and has always seen food as a vehicle for love and creative expression. In Women Over Dinner, she has found the place where all her gifts come together. She has gathered a remarkable circle of guest chefs, a growing team of volunteers who come to one dinner and return again and again. For Sofia, everyone who gives to a dinner becomes part of it. She is writing a book, drawn from her own life, about women's power and what becomes possible when women reclaim it.

Because sometimes, one conversation can change how a woman sees herself. And when she begins to believe in her own worth, the possibilities for her life can change, too.

Today, we’re having a conversation about what it means for a university to truly be part of the community it calls home, and what happens when education, faith, service, and community come together.

Joining us are two leaders from Fairfield University’s Bellarmine Campus who are helping build those connections right here in Bridgeport.

First, we have Joel Espada, a Bridgeport native and Manager of Community Partnerships at Fairfield University’s Center for Social Impact. Joel has spent more than 15 years working across education, youth development, higher education, and the nonprofit sector. His work focuses on building meaningful partnerships with schools, community organizations, residents, and civic leaders to create greater opportunities for young people and strengthen Bridgeport communities.

And joining him is PeJay Lucky, Associate Dean for Student Success at Fairfield Bellarmine. PeJay is an educator, administrator, minister, and scholar whose work focuses on student success, leadership, faith, and belonging. He works to create systems of support and opportunity, particularly for first-generation and historically underserved students, while also teaching Religion at Fairfield University.

Together, Joel and PeJay bring two important perspectives to this conversation: how students can serve, learn, and lead, and how a university can build authentic relationships with the community around it.

Alexandra Natapoff is an award-winning legal scholar, criminal justice expert, and former federal public defender whose work exposes the human cost of an unequal justice system. Her research and writing examine criminal courts, plea bargaining, wrongful convictions, public defense, race, and inequality giving voice to people too often overlooked by the law.

A Guggenheim Fellow, member of the American Law Institute, and graduate of Yale University and Stanford Law School, Professor Natapoff has testified before Congress, helped shape legislation, and influenced legal and public conversations across the nation.

Today, we discuss her new book, America Unfinished: 250 Years of Law and Governance, an essay from Harvard Law School faculty which she co- authored with Guy Charles,

You see, America Unfinished challenges us to confront the distance between America’s promises and its realities—and reminds us that accountability, unity, and shared responsibility are not optional. In a nation at risk of becoming divided by power and politics, America’s future depends on our willingness to listen, work together, before division and unchecked power take from us the very democracy we still have the chance to save.