TFN 2026 Schedule
Here’s what we’ve got in the works for our time together, keeping in mind that things will shift here and there. But this should give you a good idea of what we’re planning. We will provide a more detailed schedule to attendees as the retreat approaches.
Monday: Ten Years Later
The retreat will get started 4pm on Monday with attendee check-in and a fun ice-breaker exercise to get everyone acquainted. We know some people dread ice-breakers but we promise our attendees end up raving about ours!
After a dinner break, we will meet back up at the Pontchartrain to kick things off with a panel discussion examining how our industry has changed over the last 10 years, and what we hope to see in our future. This panel discussion will feature some of our 2027 teachers and a few surprise OGs.
Tuesday’s Focus: A Look at Longevity Through the a Business Lens
We will kick off Wednesday morning with a book club discussion (book will be announced in early January).
We will then hear from ____________
Following her talk we will leave the hotel and venture out on to the streets of New Orleans for lunch , either in small groups or all in one place (tbd). After lunch we will dive into _______________
Following a short break we will end our first full day together with something we’re calling Let Lila Fix It! Drawing from attendee submissions and common themes from her recent coaching sessions, Lila will work through 3–5 real-world scenarios, unpacking what's actually getting in the way. Together with our attendees, Lila will identify practical, sustainable solutions and explore how small shifts in communication, systems, marketing, or mindset can create meaningful change. The second half of the session will be dedicated to rapid-fire audience questions, giving attendees the opportunity to get personalized coaching on the spot.
You’re on your own in the evenings, but because New Orleans restaurants and nightlife are not to be missed, we will create a spreadsheet and group chat to help attendees arrange group dinners and outings.
Wednesday: A Look at Longevity Through the an Art Lens
We will start the day with a fun art activity (gonna keep you guessing on that one) to get our creative juices flowing.
The rest of our Wednesday will be focused on much of the day with Rashod Taylor, who will give a talk in the morning titled The Pictures No One Told You to Make: Personal work and the long career: What would you make if no one ever paid you for it? Rashod Taylor keeps answering that question, with Little Black Boy, a nine-year project made purely out of passion, and with his wet plate collodion work, a lost-format practice he took up for the love of it with no outcome attached. That work now lives in the permanent collections of the Smithsonian and several other major museums. This keynote is about following that pull with no outcome in mind, and why the work you make for yourself is what sustains a lifelong career.
After Rashod’s keynote we will take a lunch break, again either in small groups or all in one place.
Following our lunch break Rashod will transform from lecturer to guide mode, facilitating a breakout session on where we will break into groups and work together to find your personal project. And the hard part: executing it.
After all that inspiration and brainstorming we will break out our cameras and get to work photographing each other.
Thursday: Demos , BBQ & Goodbyes
Our final morning will start with another creative art activity followed by live sessions and headshots. We’ll wrap up our time together with a big group lunch, final Q&A and, of course, a round of I Just Have to Say (iykyk). We will hug it out and say our goodbyes at 2:00 on Thursday.
