Dream it and make it happen.
Credit: Carlos David
Got a big dream and absolutely no idea how to get it moving? A Brooklyn-born gathering is bringing 10 people together in Dania Beach to see what happens when strangers tackle each other’s roadblocks.
Dreams & Obstacles: An Afternoon of Collective Intelligence makes its South Florida debut Saturday, October 24, from 1 to 4 p.m. at Open Creator Studio. Hosted by Gala Parker and presented by The Juicy Times, the three-hour session costs $30 for the first six seats, then $40.
The premise: Stand up, share something you want to achieve and explain what’s stopping you. Then the room offers introductions, resources, practical advice and ideas that could move things forward.
Creator Fedor Sokolov, a Brooklyn-based artist and entrepreneur, developed the format roughly four years ago, testing it in New York. After building The Juicy Times, his guide to in-person experiences, he had the infrastructure to expand it.
An August post about the concept drew 200,000 views, he told Browardist, and quite the lingering demand.
“We immediately sold out the Brooklyn room in one hour and had hundred people still on the wait list,” Sokolov said. “But then most interestingly, 90 people from 37 cities reached out and they were like, ‘Oh my God, this is amazing. I want to host it in my city.’”
That interest now spans 15 countries, with sessions already held in Toronto and Guatemala City. Upcoming gatherings include New York and Toronto, while Sokolov supports local hosts through a system designed to help them facilitate independently.
In Dania Beach, expect introductions with a twist: “two truths and a dream,” badges displaying ambitions instead of job titles and photographs of attendees holding handwritten dreams. Guests submit their goals and obstacles when buying tickets, giving the host an early look at what everyone hopes to accomplish.
The main discussion puts those obstacles before the group. Connections and ideas can continue afterward through the Dreams & Obstacles online portal.
“Usually, people don't really follow up compared to this where people walk away with real ideas for their dreams,” Sokolov said. “And there's something vulnerable also about talking about your obstacles that creates this human connection.”
His advice? Arrive knowing where you need help. With just 10 seats, this debut gives every ambition a small room of potential problem-solvers.
