Frequently Asked Questions

Curious Souls Café is a third place (a social environment, separate from home and the workplace) where people gather to engage in thoughtful conversations centered around meaningful questions. It's designed to foster a sense of community, encourage self-reflection, and explore different perspectives on life.

• Safe and Non-Judgmental Environment: It is designed as a safe space where participants feel comfortable sharing their thoughts and vulnerabilities without fear of judgment.
• Beyond Small Talk: The café focuses on meaningful, deep, and introspective conversations that go beyond superficial topics.
• Casual Philosophy and Psychology: It aims to be non-academic and casual, making it accessible to everyone.
• Fostering Connection: The event serves as a platform for strangers to connect on a deeper level and form bonds.

Curious Souls Café was founded to bridge the gap often created by online communication and personalized feeds, which can lead to social bubbles and isolation. We aim to break these barriers by facilitating face-to-face conversations. We believe in the power of in-person interaction to foster deeper bonds and understanding that online exchanges cannot provide. Our core mission is centered on the invaluable experience of human connection in real life.

Curious Souls Café was founded to bridge the gap often created by online communication and personalized feeds, which can lead to social bubbles and isolation. We aim to restore genuine human connection by facilitating face-to-face conversations. We believe in the power of in-person interaction to foster deeper bonds and understanding that online exchanges cannot provide. Our core mission is centered on the invaluable experience of human connection in real life.

Curious Souls Café differentiates itself by its focus on fostering meaningful bonds (curious ‘souls’) rather than academic or debate-style discussions. While other groups might involve small talk or specific activities, Curious Souls Café centers on structured, deep conversations on personal and universal themes.

Yes. There is no cost—our public events are free and run as a community-driven initiative. We don’t charge admission or membership fees. You’re responsible only for your own food and drinks at the venue.

Note: Official Curious Souls Café events are always free of admission charges. If you encounter a group asking for entry fees, please contact us at hello@curioussouls.cafe to verify.

Since events are often held in cafes or restaurants that graciously host us, participants are generally expected to order a drink or food. This ensures we support the venue's business and allows us to return for future events.

The events are conducted in English to promote inclusivity for international attendees. However, in specific regions, participants might occasionally switch to local languages for clarification. Our facilitators emphasize English to ensure everyone—including non-locals—can fully participate.

Generally, a session is structured into two rounds to balance structure and spontaneity.

• First Round: Participants use question cards curated by our facilitator to explore a topic.
• Second Round: This optional round invites participants to write and discuss their own questions, focusing on the most engaging topics decided by the group.
• Moment of Truth: The final 5-10 minutes are for sharing key takeaways and feedback.

While it is helpful to come with a question for "Round Two," it is not strictly required. Facilitators often provide blank paper and pens for you to write down a question on the spot, inspired by the earlier discussion. If you're stuck, you are welcome to use questions from our web app or card decks as a backup. (Note: For events where we only focus on preset questions or other areas, there is no need to submit a question.)

When the group size exceeds our "magic number" (typically 7 people), we may utilize a specific "Breakout to Big Group" format to manage the crowd while maintaining intimacy such as the one below.

• 1. Color-Coded Teams: Participants are split into small sub-groups (Red, Blue, Yellow) of 3-5 people. This ensures everyone has a chance to speak without cross-talk interference.
• 2. Round One (Team Breakout): Teams work collaboratively to choose one question to discuss intimately amongst themselves. We often use a Dice Mechanic here—if a team's color is rolled, they present first. If a "striped" side is rolled, the team performs a meaningful challenge (e.g., giving compliments) together.
• 3. Round Two (The Reunion): All tables merge back into one large group. Teams present their chosen questions, and the room decides which topics to discuss collectively.
• 4. Moment of Truth: As with our standard format, the final 5-10 minutes are dedicated to sharing key takeaways.

While we use a base structure with rounds of questions, we intentionally avoid rigid adherence. There's a strong emphasis on adapting to the group's vibe, with flexibility to skip rounds or introduce fun elements like the dice with meaningful challenges. This creates a comfortable atmosphere where participants feel free to engage authentically.

In some sessions, a special dice with striped sides is used. If rolled, the participant (or team) must complete a meaningful challenge (e.g., "Write a thank you note to someone") instead of just answering a question. This adds a gamified, bonding element to the discussion.

Since the event is conducted in English in Asia to appeal to a global audience, attendees are often diverse individuals. The participants usually include a mix of locals, expatriates, and people from various professional and cultural backgrounds who share an interest in meaningful conversations.

The format is designed to accommodate both introverts and extroverts. For introverts, the turn-taking format offers a clear framework, easing the pressure of spontaneous conversation. Extroverts benefit from the opportunity to openly share and engage. The focus on genuine sharing ensures a meaningful experience for everyone.

The facilitator guides the discussion, sets the tone, introduces questions, manages time, and encourages participation from all members. They ensure everyone gets a chance to speak and are mindful of sensitive topics, steering the conversation if necessary to maintain a safe and harmonious group dynamic.

After the formal discussion concludes, there is sometimes an optional dinner or gathering (e.g., going to a nearby restaurant). This "Round Four" allows for more casual, unstructured socializing and bonding, distinct from the structured deep talk of the main event.

We use a variety of platforms to organize events and engage our community:

• Meetup: Our primary platform for organizing events. A list of our groups is here.
• Zoom: Online events, hosted to help global community members reconnect.
• Digital Tools: Our web app offers virtual question cards to facilitate discussions, virtual dice roller to decide who starts, break ties, or engage in meaningful challenges, action prompts to spark gratitude, kindness, and inspiration with randomly presented creative tasks. Additionally, it includes a deck builder, and a live session board.

We have local community chats (WhatsApp or Line) for regular members. To keep these spaces safe and focused, invite links are typically shared in person at the end of our events only. We do not share invite links via email or other public channels. Please beware of unoffical links or groups that are not officially supported or maintained by Curious Souls Café.

Note: To verify the legitimacy of a group, please contact us at hello@curioussouls.cafe.

The initiative began in July 2024. Our events are currently held regularly in Hong Kong, Singapore, Seoul, and Groningen. Other locations include Taipei, Kuala Lumpur, Osaka, Macau, Bangkok, and more. As of September 2025, there have been more than 100 sessions globally.

No. Curious Souls Café officially operates only in cities where we maintain a dedicated Meetup Group base (e.g., Hong Kong, Singapore, Seoul). We do not maintain local chapters, or a permanent presence in any other region.

While our facilitators from these hubs may occasionally host casual pop-up gatherings in other cities while traveling, these are informal activities.

While our digital conversation tools are available globally for anyone to use for personal or private gatherings, any event occurring in a location not listed on our website is an independent initiative and is not officially conducted or supervised by Curious Souls Café.

The "global citizenship" mindset is one of the core tenets of our community, fostering an environment which is considerate and inclusive of individuals from all cultures and backgrounds as the events use English to attract a wide, international audience. Our discussions touch on universal human experiences, offering a sense of belonging for those who may not feel fully at home in a single country.

Our custom-designed web app is a companion tool used during events to spark conversations. Participants can scan a QR code to access virtual conversation decks on various topics. Features include generating random questions, saving favorites, using a dice roll to add a playful twist to discussions, and action prompts that use creative tasks to cultivate gratitude, encourage acts of kindness, and spark inspiration. Additionally, it offers a deck builder and a live interactive board.

No installation is required. The Curious Souls Café Web App is a browser-based tool. You simply scan a QR code provided by the facilitator to access the conversation decks directly on your smartphone's browser.

Personalized touches are highly valued. The practice of incorporating questions written by previous attendees makes events feel more unique and reflects the collective insights of the community.

This commitment to personalization and evolution aims to keep the experience fresh, relevant, and deeply resonant for participants.

No, we do not accept donations. Curious Souls Café is a community-driven initiative, and we do not solicit funds. Please beware if anyone asks for donations on our behalf.

If you are ever in doubt or approached for money, please verify with us by emailing hello@curioussouls.cafe.

To share your feedback with us, please fill in our anonymous feedback form.

You are also welcome to email us directly at hello@curioussouls.cafe if you have any additional questions.