Hi Everyone!! As I'm getting ready to bring speakers into my first summit, I thought I'd share a little of what I've actually been working on behind the scenes, and hopefully help anyone who might be thinking about hosting a summit out with some of this. Because I had NO idea how many decisions would happen before a single speaker ever stepped onto a virtual stage. 😂 And, to be fully transparent, I've been in a 9 week training program to learn how to launch and host a summit! So here we go... so far, I've: ✨ 𝗙𝗶𝗴𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗪𝗛𝗔𝗧 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗺𝗶𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗪𝗛𝗢 𝗶𝘁'𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿. I wanted the summit to be really aligned with the focus of my community because that's where I'm hosting it. That eventually became 🫆𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗛𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝗔𝗱𝘃𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗦𝘂𝗺𝗺𝗶𝘁, focused on what makes our (midlife women's) experience, judgment, creativity and other human strengths even more valuable in the age of AI. ✨ 𝗦𝗰𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗺𝗶𝘁. How many days? What types of topics fit? What kinds of sessions? What speaker/sponsorship options will I offer? How much am I willing to spend on ads? What does the attendee experience look like? There were a LOT more decisions here than I expected. ✨ 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝘁 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗮 𝟵𝟬-𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗺𝗶𝘁 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻. Using a timeline provided to me in my training, I worked backward from summit week and mapped out speaker recruitment, applications, asset collection, promotion, tech checks, recordings and all the other things that need to happen between “I'm going to host a summit!” and actually hosting one. 😂 ✨ 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀. Instead of just inviting people and hoping their topic fits, I created an application around the summit theme, audience and the kind of experience I want attendees to have. ✨ 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗿 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗹𝘀. I've created a full Speaker Prospectus website that explains the summit, who will be in the room, the types of topics I'm looking for, expectations, deadlines and what I'm trying to create with the event. ✨ 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗿 𝗛𝘂𝗯 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗦𝗸𝗼𝗼𝗹. This is where accepted speakers will get everything they need without me emailing or dm'ing different documents and links all over the place. 😂

I have permission to hype her, so obviously I’m going to. 😂❤️ Just over a week ago, @Lisa Vanderveen opened the doors to Kingdom Peace & Prosperity. If you’ve been following along, you know Lisa has been BUILDING. 😂 She’s been experimenting, changing things, following ideas, having conversations, and creating something that feels very much like HER. And today... SOMEONE PAID TO BE IN THE ROOM!!! 🎉🥳❤️ KPP officially has its first paying member. Lisa, I know you have BIG dreams for what you’re building, but I hope you stop and enjoy this one. Because there’s only ever ONE first paying member. ❤️ Someone saw what you’re creating and said... Yep. I want in. THAT deserves a celebration. Congratulations, Lisa!!! 🎉❤️🥳

Of course I had to go peek inside The Baddie Collective when I saw you join us. 😂 @Lauren Auteri has already grown her community to more than 80 women, with a focus on personal growth, building businesses and, most importantly, real connection between members. One line on her About page especially caught my attention... “We’re not a hype group. We’re not a toxic positivity space.” Instead, she’s creating a place where women can be honest about the messy middle, celebrate wins, ask for help, and genuinely show up for one another. Sounds like we might have a few things to talk about around here. 😊 Lauren, you’re coming into Skoolology with plenty of your own building experience, and I have a feeling we’re going to learn from you, too. We’re really glad you found us. Everyone, help us give Lauren a warm Skoolology welcome! ❤️

It's our 60 day celebration party here on Skool, and since we're going live at the top of every hour, we figured we'd run something simple alongside it. In the comments, drop your community card (aka profile image) and your own about page link. That's it, nothing else. The idea is to help everyone see what everyone else is building, and it makes it a lot easier for us to spot you when your ads come across our feeds. As a little bonus, I'll be running some of your cards through a few creative variations. Think of it as a fun what if, not a critique. (I'm even wearing my creativity shirt) So if your community is up and running, post your about page link and attach your current community card below.

We need your help with something important... Skoolology is getting a mascot! 🎉 But, why a mascot? Because every great community has a personality. A mascot is more than a cute character. It's a symbol of who we are, what we believe, and how we want people to feel when they join us. At Skoolology, we're not trying to build the biggest communities. We're helping people build communities that are welcoming, intentional, and worth coming back to. We wanted a guide that represents that mission. After working with the incredibly talented @Oddysey Campbell, she brought our vision to life with these amazing panda concepts. Huge thank you to Odyssey for the creativity and care she put into these designs. 👏 Now it's your turn. Meet the candidates... 🧭 Panda #1: The Community Guide "I'll help you find your place." This panda believes every member deserves a warm welcome and a clear next step. He represents: ✨ Belonging before broadcasting. ✨ Encouragement over intimidation. ✨ First wins that build confidence. ✨ Communities where people feel seen. If you've ever joined a community and immediately felt at home... This is that panda. 📚 Panda #2: The Wise Professor "Let's discover what really works." This panda is curious, thoughtful, and loves learning. He reminds us that great communities aren't built on trends or hacks. They're built on understanding people. He represents: 🧪 Research over assumptions. 💡 Thoughtful design. 📖 Continuous learning. 🧭 Principles that stand the test of time. He's always asking... "Why does this community work so well?" 🌍 Panda #3: The Explorer "Let's build something worth discovering." This panda is adventurous and optimistic. He knows community building is a journey, not a race. He carries a compass because direction always matters more than speed. He represents: 🚀 Curiosity. 🌱 Growth through experimentation. 🧭 Courage to try something new. 🤝 Building alongside others. He reminds us that your next breakthrough often starts with one small step.