For advanced speaking professionals (and overall exceptional humans).
Past participants, in their own words.
Bring your business to the one table where nobody is selling,
nobody is performing and everybody tells you the truth.
For nearly ten years, I have hosted these retreats without earning a dime. What I earned instead is worth more: the trust of dozens of speakers who did some of the most honest work of their careers here.
I know what I am asking of you. Four days away from your business and the people you love. A table of peers you may not know yet. A financial commitment to an agenda you will not see in advance. That takes courage, and I don’t take it lightly.
Here is why I built it this way.
You won’t come because your friends are there. Our industry slips easily into feedback bubbles, where familiar voices protect comfortable stories. I choose every participant myself, for their expertise, their business focus and the group they form together, so the room tells you the truth.
You won’t come because you know the agenda. Speakers love control. Here, I facilitate every day myself, firmly and with equal time for everyone, and you are relieved from managing, fixing or performing.
You won’t come to fund my business. Your contribution covers your stay and your meals, and every dollar left over goes to the Sylvie di Giusto Speakers Academy Scholarship. While you invest in your next chapter, you are funding someone else’s first one.
And you won’t come to carry the room. You will contribute, but this is the rare place where you listen more than you speak and receive more than you give. That discomfort is intentional.
Being a professional speaker can be lonely. Sometimes it feels like you are the first to ever have your ideas, let alone act on them. You are not. The speakers who have already met your hurdles are sitting at this table.
If you are thinking about applying, thank you for that trust. The markers below will help you decide.
December 15 to 19, 2026Clearwater Beach, FloridaTuesday, arrival at 6 PM, to Saturday, departure at 12 PMRight after NSA’s CSP/CPAE Summit (December 11 to 13) and the CAPS Convention (December 4 to 7).
January 3 to 7, 2027Clearwater Beach, FloridaSunday, arrival at 6 PM, to Thursday, departure at 12 PMStart the year with a plan, and a peer group.Bringing together the right people, at the right time, for the right reasons.
Every group so far
Share your ideas and get feedback in a safe, supportive environment, from me and from your peers.
Discuss different business models and how to adjust them to the needs of your own business.
Work with like-minded, successful professionals who have a proven track record and understand the business of speaking.
Build a robust support system with other experienced speakers that lasts far beyond the retreat.
Stay focused on the business: we do not work on stagecraft, keynote structure or delivery.
Plan and strategize your next steps with experienced speakers who have been there and done that.
Learn new techniques and strategies for positioning, growing and marketing your speaking business.
Form relationships that can lead to joint ventures, referral business and more.
Walk away with actionable items you can implement in your business right away.
Have fun, relax and recharge with professionals of the same mindset, in a beautiful setting.
Usually five professional, advanced speakers with a proven track record of success.
When you arrive. The reveal is part of the experience. I ask for your trust in the careful process I use to assemble a group that is both harmonious and diverse: a blend of similarity and distinctiveness.
Depending on the group’s focus and needs, I invite guest experts to contribute their insights. You will also meet the students who benefit from your participation. And you are welcome to invite your Tampa, St. Pete or Clearwater friends to our “Family and Friends” barbecue on the last evening.
Let’s talk. Some groups have had spouses or partners join. Some simply enjoyed the Florida winter while we worked; others, especially those involved in their partner’s business, took an active part in the discussions.
No worries at all. A few weeks before the retreat, you receive an onboarding form about your dietary needs and preferences, and I make sure they are taken care of.
In the Clearwater area, Florida: about 40 minutes from Tampa airport and 30 minutes from St. Pete airport. We work, learn and laugh together in a beautiful vacation home with separate bedrooms and bathrooms and shared workspaces, just steps from Clearwater Beach. Participants receive the address before the retreat.
Over the years it has become clear that a home changes the experience. Living under one roof, sharing meals and having space to learn and relax together creates something a hotel never could.
Your contribution for the four-day retreat is $3,800 in total and covers all living costs, including the house, meals and materials. It is more than a payment: it is your commitment to the journey, and it sets everything in motion for a retreat crafted with precision and care.
After all retreat costs are covered, the remaining funds go to the Sylvie di Giusto Speakers Academy Scholarship at NSA Central Florida, supporting aspiring speakers who lack the financial resources to start their careers.
There is no contract to sign and no complicated cancellation policy. This retreat is built on mutual trust. Life happens, professionally and personally. What matters to me is open communication and finding a solution that works for everyone.
It isn’t a requirement, but I truly hope you are, or soon will be, a member of this incredible community or another speakers association. Don’t be surprised if you feel inspired to join afterwards.
That is up to the group. Some cohorts stay in touch informally, some reconnect at NSA events like Influence, some turn into a regular virtual mastermind, and some have booked next year’s retreat before this one even ended.
This retreat is near and dear to my heart, and I want every part of it to fit your needs. Get in touch with any question you have. And if you don’t have my cell phone number, ask for it.
Ask anything about the retreat, the group or how to apply.
