Recent Gatherings
Change-making Women's Circle with Gina Chick
February 2026
Over one night and two days at Esther Lane, Gina Chick guided a powerful gathering of change-making women through 5Rhythms® dance and embodied practice, creating space to reconnect with instinct, voice, power and vitality. Through movement, ritual, shared meals and courage, we explored boundaries, expression and the balance between fierce clarity and tender presence. The weekend closed with a renewed sense of direction, sisterhood and grounded readiness to bring our full selves to the work our times call for.
Future Council with Damon Gameau & Ruby Rodgers
October 2025
The Groundswell Giving community came together to screen Damon Gameau’s powerful documentary following eight children who travel across Europe to meet some of the world’s largest polluters and explore real solutions for their future with clarity and courage. The evening included a special performance by cast member Ruby Rodgers and sparked momentum toward what is now a global Future Council movement of young people collaborating with big business to explore a more life-affirming path forward.
‘Leviathan’ by Alexander Beiner
November 2025
We gathered to screen Leviathan, the debut documentary by Alexander Beiner, exploring the deep code of culture through psychology, history and myth. Featuring voices including Yanis Varoufakis, Nora Bateson and Douglas Rushkoff, the film examined declining trust in institutions, the psychological impacts of social media, and the possibility of an economy that chooses life over extraction. The evening sparked rich conversation about collective shadow, responsibility and the creative potential required to reshape our systems.
Finding the Power in our Humanity, while Embracing the Mess with Dr. Monty Badami
July 2025
We gathered for a TEDxSydney Speaker Deep Dive with Anthropologist Monty Badami, sharing dinner and rich conversation on imperfection and the power of our shared humanity in uncertain times. The evening invited honest dialogue about choosing connection over control and embracing the productive mess that helps us adapt and evolve.
Stella Prize Shortlist Announcement
April 2026
The announcement of the 2026 Stella Prize shortlist, followed by an in-depth conversation exploring the six shortlisted titles. Presented by Kate Evans, co-host of ABC Radio National’s The Bookshelf, alongside Dr Amy Thunig-McGregor, Gomeroi/Kamilaroi author, academic, and Research Fellow at the Jumbunna Institute for Indigenous Education and Research.
Human Agency in the Age of AI
March 2026
This gathering at Esther Lane brought together researchers, investors, technologists, civil society leaders and policymakers to examine how AI is being designed, deployed and governed; and what that means for human agency, identity and democratic trust.
Moving beyond technical safety and alignment frameworks, this series focuses on the deeper social, political and economic dynamics shaping the AI era. It explores how incentives, infrastructure and power concentration influence outcomes, alongside the growing tension between convenience and control, scale and dignity, innovation and public accountability.
The gathering featured Michael Casey, journalist, technologist and co-author of Our Biggest Fight: Reclaiming Liberty, Humanity and Dignity in a Digital Age, alongside Jess Scully, Executive Director of RadicalxChange, and David Christmas, founder of the Max Browser.
The evening examined Web2 platform dominance, surveillance-driven business models and emerging AI systems risk entrenching new forms of digital feudalism, and what decentralised, human-centred alternatives could look like in practice.
