You want to feel energized. To gain momentum around your work.

To move forward in a big way.

…And small, “squeezed-in” efforts just aren’t cutting it.

You don’t need to be smarter, better,
or more creative,
to do the work you want to do.

What you need is the opportunity to let your creative genius surface.

That’s easier said than done—especially when we spend our lives telling those ideas to be quiet so we can get other things done.

The only way to get at your most brilliant ideas is to create the conditions in which those ideas can emerge—a focused, safe, creative environment guided by a very specific set of rules designed to do one thing:

Let your most brilliant work speak.

The last thing you want to do is move backwards…

Which is why we hesitate to call this a “retreat.”

Join us for the

The Intensive

April 30 – May 3, 2020

Austin, TX

An all-inclusive 3-day Gateless-style writing workshop designed to tap your inner genius

Apply Now

Your best ideas are better than you think.

BUT: They don’t respond well to criticism.

They resist being compared to other people’s ideas.

They don’t like committee work.

And they don’t like to yell.

The Intensive is a 3-day workshop designed to help you access the stories and ideas—your best, most meaningful work—in a criticism-free, distraction-free environment.

This rich and immersive weekend is designed to help you:

Focus and create.
You will (finally!) get the chance to dive deep into your work—and surface with stories and ideas that inform your work and your life.
Get your ideas out of your head and onto the page.
Writing is not just for people who call themselves writers. It’s a sacred act that allows you to make your ideas real. Nothing we do will be reminiscent of 9th grade grammar or freshman year comp. I promise.
Learn to craft and respond to work that makes creating easier.
You’ll learn an approach to creating called the Gateless Writing Method, which is not only powerful in a group, but a process you can use to unblock and create content, story, and ideas, anytime.

Consider it a watering hole…

…for your soul.

“What happens on retreat is transformative. Because the group is naturally inclined to root for you. We get close to each other through this vulnerability, and there’s this building up of affection for each other that happens really quickly. You end up with a group of people who really want you to succeed.”
–Mary Gauthier
Award-winning songwriter and Grammy nominee

Join us for the

The Intensive

April 30 – May 3, 2020

Austin, TX

$5950

$4950

EARLY BIRD ACCESS

(When you apply before January 5th!)

Apply Now

What will we do at The Intensive?

The magic of the Gateless method is that you use it to generate content, no matter what you want to focus on: a signature or TEDx talk, a book, a series of articles, a brand message or story. The work you’ll do on your stories and ideas in this program will also feed ALL of your branding and professional efforts.

Here’s some of what you’ll do:

Spend a long weekend in a supportive, creative, critic-free atmosphere where you can focus on your best work.
Learn craft tools for sharpening and deepening your writing and voice.
Take your work leaps and bounds ahead—and produce a body of content in just a few days.
Quiet the critic so we can gain momentum and flow.

Welcome to your Comfort Zone

You’ve been told (too many times) that in order to grow and thrive and create something worthwhile, you need to leave your comfort zone.

Whoever said that didn’t know the purpose of a comfort zone.

We spend most of our LIVES outside the comfort zone. Which means we spend it in fight-or-flight, bearing down and trying to get through. That’s not where you do your best work.

One thing you need to be able to access your best work is trust.

And you can’t trust when you’re fearful—of a process, of being judged, etc.

So we remove that so that you can gain trust in yourself and in the group, and really thrive.

…And we do mean COMFORT

The Intensive will be held in October 2019 at the gorgeous, sprawling Whispering Oak Ranch just outside of Austin in a town called Dripping Springs, where you’ll enjoy:

Luxury accommodations (beautifully appointed private home with pool and hot tub!)
Your own bedroom (there are several shared bathrooms)
Chef-prepared meals that are gluten-free and dairy-optional with vegetarian options as well
Time to relax and enjoy your surroundings

Who’s The Intensive for?

Professionals. Creatives. Consultants. Coaches. Business owners. Writers. Speakers. Teachers. Entrepreneurs. Executives. Hard workers. Deep thinkers.

If you don’t see a term you identify with, add it here: ___.

Because this has less to do with how you identify yourself, and more to do with how you see your work.

Previous and currently enrolled attendees include corporate executives, speakers, financial advisors, PhDs, entrepreneurs, consultants, best-selling authors, marketers, journalists, lawyers.

THE INTENSIVE IS PERFECT FOR YOU IF YOU…

Have a bigger message you want to work on for a book, brand, business, blog, podcast, talk, etc—but you haven’t had the time or mental space to really dive into it
Want to explore how you can take what you’re expert in and share it in a bigger way
Have been feeling for some time that you need to focus on the message you most want to share.
Get really excited about the idea of exploring the creative space between where your work ends...and you begin.
Think that spending a few days on a beautiful estate with brilliant, kind people tapping your creativity and sharing ideas and great food sounds AMAZING

This experience is NOT for you if:

You would rather attend a conference and sit in the back.
You don’t want to engage in a creative process, or with other people.
You hate the idea of writing.
You hate even more the idea of sharing what you’ve written.
You prefer to criticize, judge, and hand out advice like day-old donuts.

Critics need not apply.

At a Gateless-style workshop, we open up the gates. That means no checkpoints, no TSA pat-down.

We aren’t assessing, evaluating, or judging the work. We also aren’t figuring out what to “do” with that work—our focus is generation, not execution or strategizing.

In order to do this effectively, we are each responsible for maintaining that “container” that holds space for us all weekend.

What we look for participants for The Intensive are people who are open minded, curious, and generous—and who can contribute to and elevate the group in a way that’s unique to them.

That means we discourage those inclined to challenge, disrupt, criticize, or otherwise break the carefully engineered container we create for our attendees.

The very carefully curated and conscious space we do our work in is protected by specific rules that govern and inform the ways we communicate with each other—when we’re in session and even when we’re not in a session.

The intellectually curious, emotionally present, and generous of spirit are strongly encouraged to apply.

Sound Like You? Good.

Apply now for the

The Intensive

April 30 – May 3, 2020

Austin, TX

Space is extremely limited. Only a few spots available.

Reg. $5950

$4950

EARLY BIRD ACCESS

(When you apply before Jan 5th!)

Apply Now

ABOUT TERRI TRESPICIO

Terri Trespicio is an award-winning writer, speaker, and brand advisor, and works with individuals and organizations to help nail their messaging and engage clients, customers, and fans. Her TEDx talk, “Stop Searching for Your Passion,” has more than 5 million views to date. She was recently named by Hubspot as one of the “Top 15 female speakers who are killing it” (she came in at #2—Oprah was #8), and cited as one of the world’s leading creatives by Creative Boom magazine.

A former magazine editor and radio host at Martha Stewart, she has appeared on the Today show, Dr. Oz, The Early Show, The Martha Stewart Show and The Anderson Cooper Show. Her work has been featured Oprah magazine, Marie Claire, Prevention, Business Insider, Forbes.com, and Inc.com. A writer and facilitator certified in the Gateless method for capturing creative genius, she’s creator and co-creator of several events and courses for taking your message from page to stage and beyond, including Tapped to Speak LIVE and Panel to Platform.

An in-demand speaker who presents at conferences across the country, she was rated the #1 speaker at Barron’s Top Independent Women Advisors Summit and How Design Live. Terri is also a stand-up comic and has performed at famous Manhattan venues including Caroline’s, Dangerfield’s, Gotham, and New York Comedy Club, and was a quarter finalist in the She Devil Comedy Competition. She lives in Manhattan. Visit her at territrespicio.com.

FAQs:

Do I have to be a professional writer?

You need not identify as a writer, or speaker for that matter, though chances are, if you’re considering this, you are interested in sharing your work from a larger platform. And that way is through the page.

What if I’ve never been on a writing retreat?

Many attendees have never even been on any retreat, let alone a writing-centered retreat. That’s 100% ok.

You don’t need any previous experience or specific skill set nor be a published author to make this incredibly fruitful and productive.

Of course, given the nature of this work, it attracts writers, so there will be some there (you’ve been warned! haha). But this is not a contest or a competition, and it’s my belief that great work elevates.

What’s the schedule?

You won’t know the set schedule in advance. That’s on purpose. Because then you’ll start to automatically plan or imagine or prep for what will come. And that’s the last thing I want you to do.

Here’s all you need to know:

We arrive Thurs evening. First thing we do is enjoy a meal together. Then we dive right into our very first session. Don’t worry–you’ll be in bed by a reasonable hour!
Friday & Saturday begin with breakfast at 8:00am, and we’ll get started around 9:00am. There are plenty of breaks scheduled in.
Sunday we wrap before noon.

What should I work on?

To be clear, you do NOT need to know exactly what you’ll come up with or work on. If that were the case, you wouldn’t need the retreat!

The beauty of the Gateless Writing process is that we let the work lead. It’s a very intuitive process, which is why the conditions and container we create in which to do the work is so critical.

We encourage you NOT to come in with a hard set of goals and outcomes or must-do’s or homework. This isn’t just about what you’ll write, but the process by which you’ll write and share which will begin to shift the way you see the work itself.

So come with your intentions, but not a to-do list. Maybe you think you want work on your blog, but you end up excited about a book. You could come in with vague plans for a keynote or TEDx talk, and decide you have some articles you want to write first. Again, we let the work lead us.

What are the sessions like?

They’re intimate, focused, and fun. You’ll dive deep right from the get go, write to prompts you are given, and then share your work. You’ll then bask in the delight of Gateless feedback, which, if you haven’t experienced it, is game-changing. Because you’ll start to see the power and value in your own work, from perspectives you haven’t considered, and you are not judged, evaluated, or criticized for any of the work you do.

We’ll also have technique and tool-oriented sessions. Each day has been planned with an eye toward pacing, with a blend of quiet, focused time, feedback, and tools so you can use that help you capture and structure the arc of your work.

What is the Gateless Method?

Gateless Writing is a technique of teaching the art and craft of writing that draws on the research and work of Suzanne Kingsbury, a Fulbright scholar, novelist, and one of the most sought-after developmental editors in the country.

I have been a participating member of the Gateless community for several years, worked with Suzanne personally, and became a certified instructor in the Gateless method in July 2017. It has changed my work considerably, taken me from no book to a nearly completed manuscript, and profoundly transformed my work with clients.

Drawing on her interdisciplinary study of Buddhism and meditation, brain science, and creativity, Suzanne cites the work of Dr. David Herzog at Harvard Medical School and Dr. Eugene Aquili and Dr. Andrew Newberg at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, who found that imagination and creativity are best accessed when we reduce activity in the parts of the brain associated with negativity and resistance.

This means you can only do your best creative work when you deactivate the part of the brain involved in self-censoring, shut down inhibitions, and activate the areas of the brain associated with self expression. Gateless seeks to help writers of all backgrounds break through creative blocks and provide writers with resources to reach their artistic visions—without criticism or judgment.

All purchases are subject to Terms & Conditions.

You want to feel energized. To gain momentum around your work.

To move forward in a big way.

…And small, “squeezed-in” efforts just aren’t cutting it.

You don’t need to be smarter, better, or more creative, to do the work you want to do.

Let your most brilliant work speak.

The last thing you want to do is move backwards…

Which is why we hesitate to call this a “retreat.”

Join us for the

The Intensive

April 30 – May 3, 2020

Austin, TX

An all-inclusive 3-day Gateless-style writing workshop designed to tap your inner genius

The Intensive is a 3-day workshop designed to help you access the stories and ideas—your best, most meaningful work—in a criticism-free, distraction-free environment.

This rich and immersive weekend is designed to help you:

Consider it a watering hole…

…for your soul.

Join us for the

The Intensive

April 30 – May 3, 2020

Austin, TX

$5950

$4950

EARLY BIRD ACCESS

What will we do at The Intensive?

Here’s some of what you’ll do:

Welcome to your Comfort Zone

Whoever said that didn’t know the purpose of a comfort zone.

So we remove that so that you can gain trust in yourself and in the group, and really thrive.

…And we do mean COMFORT

Who’s The Intensive for?

THE INTENSIVE IS PERFECT FOR YOU IF YOU…

Critics need not apply.

Sound Like You? Good.

Apply now for the

The Intensive

April 30 – May 3, 2020

Austin, TX

Reg. $5950

$4950

EARLY BIRD ACCESS

ABOUT TERRI TRESPICIO

FAQs:

You don’t need to be smarter, better,
or more creative,
to do the work you want to do.