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eros: The essential energy force that arises from our desire for connection with ourselves, others, and the world around us. It encompasses all of life, evokes beauty, and contributes to an understanding of essential truth. It seeks to unify masculine and feminine energies and manifests as creativity and genius.
The Eros Platform fosters conversations that explore how to meet the urgent needs of our time with creativity, humanity, and effectiveness. Eros bridges what is otherwise separate, serving as an essential catalyst for reimagining the world through a feminine lens. Together, we pave a path toward human flourishing, awakening the unique genius within each individual, institution, and cultural group to steward the world with compassion, connection, and play.

2025.04.30 In Conversation: On Justice, Reintegration & the Radical Power of Second Chances

How do we begin again—individually and collectively—in a society that so often denies the possibility of transformation?

Join FLOK in collaboration with Eros Platform for an intimate evening with Dr. Topeka K. Sam—visionary activist, founder of The Ladies of Hope Ministries, and one of the nation’s most powerful voices in the movement for justice reform and women’s reintegration. In dialogue with FLOK founder Karen Mehiel and entrepreneur and educator Nicole Daedone, this gathering will explore the radical potential of second chances and the responsibility we share in making them real.

This conversation will open up the often-unseen realities of life after incarceration—what it truly takes to return and rebuild, from housing and employment to emotional healing and financial stability. We’ll explore how race, gender, and privilege shape access to second chances, and how cultural movements have both illuminated and complicated the pursuit of justice. Moving beyond awareness, the dialogue invites tangible ways to get involved—through mentorship, advocacy, hiring, and community-rooted support. Together, we’ll also consider the urgent need to reform the systems that remain, while holding space to imagine a more just and human future.

ABOUT DR. TOPEKA SAM

Dr. Topeka K. Sam is a trusted consultant, speaker, and visionary entrepreneur. She is the Founder of The Ladies of Hope Ministries (@TheLOHM) and leads multiple ventures, including EPIC Financial PBLLC, TKS Ventures LLC, Faces & Voices Inc., and MyFRSH financial services—all created to address trauma and support emotional well-being.

Since her release from federal prison in 2015, Topeka has grown both her nonprofit and business initiatives, while also serving on the boards of The Marshall Project, Operation Restoration, Pure Legacee, and the United Justice Coalition. She is a strategic advisor for RBIJ and HARP.

Topeka previously hosted The Topeka K. Sam Show on SiriusXM and is now developing TV and film projects as an Executive Producer, inspired by her mission to transform the narrative around women’s incarceration. Her work has been featured in Vogue, Essence, New York Times, Rolling Stone, and more, and she has appeared on CNN, MSNBC, The Tamron Hall Show, and The Today Show.

A TEDx presenter and frequent keynote speaker, Topeka continues to be recognized for her leadership and advocacy on behalf of women and families impacted by the criminal legal system.

ABOUT NICOLE DAEDONE

Nicole Daedone is an educator and entrepreneur who co-founded OneTaste, a company that taught a meditation practice focused on female sexuality. She currently faces federal charges which critics have characterized as prosecutorial overreach targeting women with forward thinking ideas on empowerment. Despite the ongoing legal challenges, Daedone continues to advocate for both the liberation of women, and bringing fairness and dignity to those caught in the criminal justice system.

About the Instructors

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Dr. Topeka K. Sam
Dr. Topeka K. Sam is a trusted consultant, entrepreneur, and advocate who founded The Ladies of Hope Ministries and multiple businesses, including EPIC Financial PBLLC, TKS Ventures, and MyFRSH financial services, all aimed at addressing trauma and emotional well-being. Since her release from federal prison in 2015, she has become a national speaker, board member for organizations like The Marshall Project and United Justice Coalition, and a strategic advisor for RBIJ and HARP. She was a principal in creating The First Step Act, the largest-ever prison reform bill in 2018. Recognized for her impact, she has been featured in major publications and media outlets, spoken at high-profile events, and was credited as “The Black Woman behind the video that led to the Trump Clemency of Alice Johnson.”
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Nicole Daedone
Nicole is an author, activist and creator; 20 years ago she created Orgasmic Meditation which has now been studied by top research universities in the country and endorsed by some of the biggest names in Hollywood, she co-founded OneTaste, a company that at its peak had 35,000 customers around the world coming to its workshops to learn about the philosophy she calls Eros. She also created the Prison Monastery, a novel approach to incarceration which was adopted at a Level 4 prison in California. All before she herself was canceled in a big way.