Live Love Labour Festival 2025: Opting Out of Bullshit Norms

“Get married and have kids before 30.” 👰🏽‍♀️👩🏻‍🍼

“Climb the ladder.” 💼

“Man up, real men don’t cry” 👊🏻

“Serve the guests, you’re a girl.” 😐

Tired of conforming to societal labels, norms, expectations, script? 🐑

Live Love Labour Festival is back! This year, we invite you to rethink norms and rules that have shaped your lives, relationships and careers, and Live, Love and Labour at your own terms!

🗓️ November 1, 2025 (Saturday), 10am-7pm GMT+8

📍Me.reka Makerspace, Publika KL

🎟️ Early Bird (RM15), Regular (RM25)

*Early bird participants will receive a limited edition philosopher blind box coaster (6 designs)!

Live Love Labour is Malaysia’s first-of-its-kind philosophy-art-lifestyle fusion festival that aims to help people seek greater fulfilment and meaning in their relationships, work, and overall existence. Each festival brings together 500-700 participants from diverse backgrounds, values and belief systems, to rediscover the meaning of existence, love and work!

Some says that we currently live in an "Opt Out" era. Today’s generation are no longer blindly following traditional scripts for career, family, or social life—hustle culture, nuclear family, parenthood, stable careers etc.

However, some sees this as a sense of irresponsibility, and in conflict with maintaining social harmony with others.

So, what should one do the midst of this shifting landscape? Should one opt in? Opt out? What then, defines a fulfilling life, a meaningful relationship, or a successful career today?

Join us as we explore how to navigate life with authenticity and intentionality, without losing sight of the values that bind us together as a society!

👤 Dr. Johnben Loy, Founder and Clinical Director of Rekindle, Pioneer of Marriage and Family Therapy in Malaysia.

👤 Dr. Aadrea Koh, Sexologist and Professional Counsellor, Rekindle Centre for Systemic Therapy Malaysia.

👤 Danniel Iskandar, entertainment entrepreneur, freelance professional emcee, moderator, host, actor, open relationship advocate.

And more to come!

Early Bird Admission: RM15 (Receive a Limited Edition Philosopher Coaster Blind Box for FREE!)

Regular Admission: RM25

🐑 Identify Unspoken Scripts that Have Shaped Your Life: Recognize the invisible scripts shaping love, the shackles that the workplace puts on us, and the way we receive and provide love based on gender stereotypes.

🐑 Break Free from Social Norms and Expectations: Question, unlearn and break free of the social norms and labels that have shaped your life and relationships.

🐑 No-BS Conversations and Workshops: Go beyond self-help books that are usually made to meet commercial needs rather than helping individuals engage in deep existential reflection about oneself, and have meaningful conversation with your loved ones, friends and other participants.

🐑 Live More Critically: Meaning need not only be found through short-term solutions such as escapes, shopping sprees or holidays. Cultivate a sense of purpose and meaning in life through thinking critically on societal norms.

🐑 Love Better: Learn how to build more meaningful and authentic relationships by thinking beyond the rules and narratives we have been taught our entire life.

🐑 Work Smarter: Overwork? Not feeling fulfilled? Discover alternatives and the philosophy of meaningful labour beyond toxic hustle and nihilistic surrender.

🐑 Grow Your Network: Mix and mingle with participants from diverse backgrounds and beliefs, as well as luminaries, speakers, workshop professionals, and like-minded friends from all across Malaysia and beyond!

🐑 Discover Timeless Wisdom while Having Fun: From escape room and conversation card games to open mics, this philosophy-art-lifestyle fusion festival allows you have the courage to Live, Love and Labour at your own terms!

What are you waiting for? Join us to reimagine #BSNorms, and Live, Love and Labour at your own terms in #LLL2025! 🐑

🔗 ✅ For more information, visit: https://www.myphilsoc.com/livelovelabour-25/

For quick and convenient updates of the event, follow our social media pages:Instagram | Facebook | LinkedIn

Info: The festival door opens for registration.

Info: A series of workshops and activities inviting participants to question and rethink norms that have shaped their lives, relationships and work, which includes: Escaping the 9-5 Escape Room, Reflect and Recharge: Speed Therapy Corner, Kids or Nah? Speed Philosophizing about the Mini Me, Bullshit Norms: Sheep vs. Wolf Card Game, The Normboard, Undrawing Boundaries Art Session, Lapang Dada: Face Your Fear Booth, and more.

Info: Happily ever after? Growing old with your one true love and 2 kids? Who decided that is the only version of love that counts? This panel invites us to rethink how can we love better beyond the script.

Info: A no-BS open mic session where you get the chance to share your honest thoughts, existential moments or creative work without the academic fluff and ego trip, while listening to stories and ideas from diverse perspectives!

Info: Our unique human spectrogram invites you to imagine alternatives to work more meaningfully and find work-life balance, while engaging with audience from employees to C suite from diverse backgrounds and industries.

Info: Participants can visit the various F&B booths at the festival, or restaurants and cafes within the Publika Shopping Gallery for lunch. You can find the directory of Publika here: https://www.publika.com.my/directory.

Info: A no-BS open mic session where you get the chance to share your honest thoughts, existential moments or creative work without the academic fluff and ego trip, while listening to stories and ideas from diverse perspectives!

Info: “Man up.” “Be gentle and care for the house.” Sounds familiar? These gender rules have caused emotional constipation in men, and oppression in women. Enough. This panel invites you to tear down the pink-and-blue playbook and build relationships beyond toxic gender expectations.

Info: A no-BS open mic session where you get the chance to share your honest thoughts, existential moments or creative work without the academic fluff and ego trip, while listening to stories and ideas from diverse perspectives!

Info: Closing, group photo taking, and announcement of Winners for #OOTD: Opting Out of the Dress Code Competition.

Host or Publisher Malaysian Philosophy Society