Day 1: October 6, 2026
What Story Do You Have to Tell?
11:00 AM - 11:20 AM CT
Shakespeare said there are only 14 original plots and we keep recycling them over and over again. In this opening keynote, Gateway project founder Jacquelyn Fletcher Johnson welcomes you to the Gateway Gathering & Pitch Fest with a bold call to action: It's time to tell your unique version of the human story in the way only you can because ideas love community.
Day 1: October 6, 2026
Bust Through the Gate
11:20 AM - 11:50 PM CT
How do you turn your expertise and ideas into a platform that creates bigger opportunities? Find out in this intimate conversation with bestselling author and workplace expert Amy Gallo. She'll share the path she took to build a body of work that's reached millions.
You'll hear what she learned from writing hundreds of articles for Harvard Business Review, publishing bestselling books, co-hosting HBR’s Women at Work podcast, becoming a sought-after speaker and media expert, and building a platform around ideas she cares deeply about. And if you've got article ideas, come ready to get advice and feedback on how to get your work into big-name publications.
Day 1: October 6, 2026
Trail Angel Wisdom: Books
11:50 AM - 12:30 PM CT
If you’re considering writing and publishing a book, this session offers a rare inside look at the publishing world. In this intimate conversation with literary agent Joy Tutela from the David Black Literary Agency, you'll see what agents, editors, and publishers look for, how book ideas are evaluated, and how to position yourself for success in today’s market. This session is designed to help you better understand both the business and the craft behind publishing.
Day 1: October 6, 2026
The Gatecrashers Club: Lunch & Networking
12:30 PM - 1:00 PM CT
Grab your lunch and meet fellow visionaries, founders, and thought leaders who are fellow travelers on the path through the gate.
Day 1: October 6, 2026
A Product Development Playbook for Building a Meaningful Life
1:00 PM - 1:30 PM CT
For years Gateway Coaching alum Sabra Meretab helped build complex products and systems in Silicon Valley using a familiar playbook: form a hypothesis, run an experiment, gather data, learn, iterate. Yet when it came to the much messier question of what she actually wanted from her own life, she somehow expected to arrive at the answer fully formed. For this talk, she cheekily applies the logic of product development to the decidedly untechnical work of building a meaningful career and life. You'll walk away with a playbook you can use to put your dreams into action.
Day 1: October 6, 2026
Pitch Lab: Live Coaching Lounge
1:30 PM - 2:00 PM CT
Here's your chance to get real-time support on the ideas that matter most to you. Join Jacquelyn Fletcher Johnson for hot-seat coaching on your big idea, your pitch, or your platform-building plan. Bring what you're wrestling with and leave with practical guidance, fresh perspective, and the fuel you need to say yes to what's calling you.
Day 2: October 7, 2026
1,000 Cups of Coffee: Networking Lounge
9:30 AM - 10:00 AM CT
Gateway founder Jacquelyn Fletcher Johnson decided to have 1,000 Cups of Coffee with total strangers. It changed her life completely. Now it's your turn! Kick off the day with the warm beverage of your choice and a chance to mingle with the inspiring visionaries (yes, you!) who've come to the Gathering.
Day 2: October 7, 2026
Catch Your Lightning
10:00 AM - 10:30 AM CT
We know you're an amazing human, but how do you ensure others recognize your genius? In this interactive session, Emmy Award-winning filmmaker and speaker reel expert Max Partain shares what makes an incredible speaker video. He’ll explore how to capture the energy, ideas, and presence that make you uniquely you in a way that speaks to a buyer.
He'll also call on audience members, giving them a chance to work directly with him as he demonstrates his brainstorming process for uncovering what makes a speaker stand out. You’ll leave with fresh ideas for how to package and present your work so the right people understand what makes you and your message irresistible.
Day 2: October 7, 2026
Inside the Mind of a Trail Angel
10:30 AM - 11:00 AM CT
Agents, producers, editors, and conference designers get pitched every single day. So what makes someone stand out? Step into the minds of the people who open doors and create pathways for bold ideas to find out. In this conversation with Monique Ruff-Bell, Chief Program & Strategy Officer at TED; Tori Marra, Speaker Agent, and COO of Outspoken Agency; and Josh Campbell, Executive Creative Director of BI Worldwide, we'll pull back the curtain so you can hear how power brokers make decisions on when to press the green light.
Day 2: October 7, 2026
The Gateway Pitch Fest
11:00 AM - 12:30 PM CT
Brave participants in the Gateway Coaching Sprints take the stage to pitch their ideas to a panel of gatekeepers, offering a behind-the-scenes look at what it really takes to present a compelling idea. Whether you're pitching or observing, the Pitch Fest is a masterclass in how ideas cross the threshold from possibility to opportunity. If you want a chance to break through the gate and pitch, you can submit your idea for the chance to be called on during the Pitch Fest!
Day 2: October 7, 2026
The Gatecrashers Club: Lunch & Networking
12:30 PM - 1:00 PM CT
Grab your lunch and meet fellow visionaries, founders, and thought leaders who are fellow travelers on the path through the gate.
Day 2: October 7, 2026
Response - ABILITY
1:00 PM - 1:30 PM CT
We spend a lot of time measuring intelligence, emotional intelligence, and performance, but rarely think about what happens in the moments that can shape all three: how we respond under pressure.
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Join Gateway Coaching alum, speaker, author, and Response Quotient™ founder Rachel Estes Leyk for a conversation about the power of our responses and what they reveal about how we show up when the moment gets hard.
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Together, we’ll explore how greater awareness of the way we respond can create space for more clarity, intention, and possibility, for ourselves and the people around us. Because how we respond changes what happens next.
Day 2: October 7, 2026
Put Your Mission in Motion
1:30 PM - 2:00 PM CT
You know you have a mission. Are you ready to move it forward? Join Jacquelyn Fletcher Johnson for a conversation about the bravery it takes to bet on yourself. We'll explore what it really looks like to claim your message, trust yourself, and keep showing up even if the path isn't clear. Then Jacquelyn will lead you through an experience to help you launch your next chapter.
Day 3: October 8, 2026
Trail Angel Wisdom: Podcasts
9:00 AM - 9:30 AM CT
Getting booked on the right podcasts can put your ideas in front of thousands of new people, but first you must get the host’s attention. And once you land the interview, you need to know how to turn it into a conversation listeners remember.
Join podcast publicity expert Alice Draper of Hustling Writers and Allison Hare, host of the top-ranked Culture Changers podcast, for an inside look at both sides of the mic. Walk away knowing how to pitch smarter, get booked, and become the kind of guest hosts want to recommend to other hosts.
Day 3: October 8, 2026
The Gateway to Growth
9:30 AM - 10:15 AM CT
A powerful idea needs more than visibility—it needs a path to revenue. In this practical session, you’ll learn how to turn conversations into clients, move past the mindset barriers that make selling feel uncomfortable, and build a sales approach that creates sustainable growth.
Day 3: October 8, 2026
Unmasked: The Power of Vulnerability
10:15 AM - 11:00 AM CT
Many workplace cultures still require employees to wear masks for professional survival, but true vulnerability is essential to effective leadership. Gateway Coaching alum Melody Riley Johnson examines how silence, self-protection, and inconsistent leadership environments can limit trust, psychological safety, and performance. She challenges us to recognize the difference between adjusting the mask and shattering it, and to create cultures where candor, care, accountability, and belonging are consistently modeled and protected. You’ll leave with practical ways to identify “pockets of peril,” strengthen team safety, and lead in a way that allows people to be seen, heard, and empowered to contribute fully—especially during moments of difficulty, grief, change, and growth.
Day 3: October 8, 2026
Gateway Circles
11:00 AM - 12:30 AM CT
Gateway Circles are facilitated conversations and Q&A with Trail Angels designed to connect you to the people who open doors.
Gateway Circle: STAGE
Do you feel called to be on stages big and small? Have you always wanted to step into that iconic red circle to share your big idea worth sharing? This is your chance to move from the waiting room to the inner circle. Join Monique Ruff-Bell, Chief Program & Strategy Officer at TED, and Tori Marra, COO and Speaker Agent at Outspoken Agency, for a Q&A.
Monique will share how TED evaluates ideas and her top tips for pitching a TED-worthy talk. Tori will offer the speaker’s-side perspective—sharing what event organizers, bureaus, and stages actually look for, how to approach speaking opportunities strategically (and when not to), and the common mistakes that keep powerful voices stuck outside the gate. Come with your questions and leave with clarity on how to build real momentum as a speaker.
Gateway Circle: PAGE
If you've got a book idea or manuscript, this Gateway Circle offers a chance to get directly in the room with the people who help get your books published.
Gateway Circle: CORPORATE EVENTS
Every visionary's platform-building plan needs to include strategies for getting attention. In an age when your voice can be shared through multiple mediums, what’s the best platform for yours? In this small-group Q&A, you'll hear the tricks of the trade for how to use your expertise to get attention through the media, podcasts, broadcasts, and other outlets.
Day 2: October 7, 2026
What's Yours to Do Next
12:30 PM - 1:00 PM CT
You've gathered insights, sparked connections, and seen what's possible. In this closing session, Jacquelyn Fletcher Johnson will help translate everything you've experienced into clear next steps so you can tap your inner fire as fuel.
