DOORS ARE NOW OPEN
Inaugural Subversive Sojourn - Philadelphia
August 2026 – February 2027
SOLIDARITY & SOVEREIGNTY
For leaders who are exhausted from holding it together for everyone else, and done pretending that's sustainable.
The Subversive Sojourn is a six-month immersive journey for leaders committed to building a more human future — and know they can't do it by continually abandoning their own humanity.
Anchored by a one-of-a-kind experience through one of the most extraordinary and overlooked examples of freedom-building in American history: the free Black community of 1838 Philadelphia.
Only 22 spots available. Doors close August 7th.
“If we laugh and sing a little as we fight the good fight of freedom, it makes it all go easier. I will not allow my life’s light to be determined by the darkness around me.”
– Sojourner Truth
We see you.
The old answers don't work for the world we're leading in.
Not for our organizations or the communities we're trying to sustain.
You've felt it: the cycle of rage and reacting. The pressure to do more with less. The grief of watching hard-won progress dismantled — while you're still expected to carry hope for everyone else, even as your own reserves run low.
This Sojourn was built to hold that. We gather to sit with a different set of questions:
How do we build the world we want when the systems weren't built for us?
What if our ancestors already left us the blueprint?
What becomes possible when we treat history as something to build and be inspired from, not just heal from?
What if the most radical act of leadership right now is filling your own cup first?
WHY PHILADELPHIA
Because the leaders here faced challenges that ring familiar to us today.
Free Black Philadelphians in 1838 built something most of America didn’t imagine possible. A thriving ecosystem designed to receive people coming out of slavery. Housing and property ownership. A banking system. A network of employment, a school, and a safe passage of mutual aid.
How did they do it? What can leaders today learn from people who did not wait for permission to be free? They built the conditions for freedom themselves.
As Philadelphia prepares to celebrate the 250th anniversary of America this summer, it sets the physical backdrop for us to engage with the very places where alternative movements of freedom were birthed and nurtured.
Join us to explore and reimagine history – as a leadership tool for future-making together.
THE FULL SOJOURNER EXPERIENCE
Pre-Sojourn Gathering - Virtual, August 14th
We open heart space together and set personal intentions before anyone lands in Philly.
We release the "leader" role, ground into our bodies and arrive in Philadelphia already knowing everyone 's name and face.
In-person Sojourn - Philadelphia August 28
9:00 AM
Gather • Light breakfast at the Diplomat, our 4-star private home base in Old City. Enjoy good food, good people, and luxurious space.
9:45 AM
Group Ride to Tour • Private transportation to the site of our walking tour.
10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Private, Guided 1838 Black Metropolis Walking Tour
A two-hour experiential tour through the sites of the free Black community and the Underground Railroad with a knowledgable guide.
12:00 PM - 2:00 PM
Lunch Break & Rest • Return to the Diplomat and enjoy the roof deck, a conversation with a new friend, or rest and quiet time in the living areas. Enjoy a choose-your-own-adventure lunch.
2:00 PM - 4:30 PM
Art Making at the African American Museum • A rare opportunity to collage, paint, and play in a private studio space inside museum. Prompts, oracle cards will help process ideas from the tour, ignite your imagination and innovation.
5:30 PM - 8:00 PM
Dinner at the Diplomat • Enjoy a cozy, artisanal meal prepared by a private chef who uses food to tell stories pulled from her own ancestral lineage.
The real conversation of living Sovereignty and Solidarity and what alternative timelines we want to create begins here.
8:00 PM - 8:30 PM
Closing Ceremony • We hold sacred space for ourselves as Sojourners express gratitude for one another and make commitments to carry what they've witnessed forward. You leave holding something — said aloud, written, witnessed by the people who walked with you.
Alchemy Session - Virtual, early September
The seed ideas that surfaced in Philadelphia don't always survive re-entry into your regular week. This session is where you bring back what stayed with you and start shaping it into something real, with the cohort still around you.
Two Ways to Sojourn
WHAT'S INCLUDED
Day Sojourner
For those who would like to join the day activities
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(1) Pre-Sojourn virtual gatherings to build community
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Light breakfast at the Diplomat
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Private walking tour of 1838 Black Philadelphia
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Private guided creative studio session at the African American Museum
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Private catered dinner at the Diplomat
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Closing Ceremony
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A welcome tote with a journal, a bottle of water, and a small gift from a local Black-owned business
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Three post-Sojourn virtual sessions: Alchemy, Sovereignty, and Solidarity
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Six-month reunion gathering
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Private WhatsApp community for the cohort, start to finish
Overnight Sojourner
For those who want an three-day experience with two nights at The Diplomat
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Everything in the Local Sojourner package, plus:
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4-star luxury accommodations at the Diplomat, a boutique private residence in Old City
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Private bedroom and bathroom
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Thursday evening gathering for early arrivals
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Saturday morning breakfast at the house to give you fuel as you depart
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The unhurried experience of being held by the same space all weekend
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Split your purchase into smaller, manageable payments with Klarna financing.
Financing provided by Klarna. Subject to credit approval. Plans range from 3-24 months with interest rates beginning at 0.00% APR
Want to learn more before you book? Sign up on the interest list, and we'll follow up with you to chat and answer your questions.
Let's Talk 💬
WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT
A few things to know about the day
This Sojourn is intentionally small. We are capping the Sojourn at 22 people. Most spots will go to leaders local to the Philadelphia area. A smaller number are reserved for travelers.
The tour involves walking. Around two hours on your feet, with movement between sites. If accessibility is a concern, please reach out before booking and we can talk through.
The tour material is inspiring AND heavy. We are walking through the history of slavery, escape, and Black community-building under harsh conditions. We have built rest, art-making, and reflection into the day for this reason.
This is a lived learning experience, not a workshop or a training. No slide decks. No takeaways document. No framework lecture. The teachers are the city, the ancestors, and the people at the table.
We are investing in the community we are witnessing. Every venue and vendor we are working with is locally owned.
Our witnessing is on the land of the Lenape. The land stewarded by the Lenape was stolen by European colonizers, who repeatedly broke treaties and promises to the Lenape. We are donating a portion of our proceeds to the Lenape Tribe to support their ongoing efforts to honor their Lenape ancestors by strengthening their sovereignty, preserving their culture, and promoting the well-being of Lenape citizens
JOIN US AT THE TABLE
This Sojourn is for you if...
You’re carrying a team, organization, community, or movement and quietly wondering who is carrying you.
You’ve spent years advancing equity, justice, belonging, healing of human-centered leadership and feel grief watching hard-won progress come under attack.
You’re tired of being told the choices in front of you are the only ones available.
You’re hungry for fresh possibilities and skeptical of performative optimism.
You want to connect meaningfully with people who feel the same weight, and are devoted to building what comes next.
You suspect the next era won’t come from pushing harder but with cycles of rest with purpose.
You’re curious about the 1838 free Black community of Philadelphia, the Maroons, the Beguines, or any of the freedom communities and felt a quiet jolt of recognition.
No expertise required. You need to be willing to walk, to make, to eat, and to talk honestly with the people at the table.
MEET YOUR HOSTS:
ALLI MYATT & STEPHANIE ZHONG
The Sojourn is co-created by Stephanie Zhong of Dear Anne Media and Alli Myatt of The Equity Practice—two practitioners whose work sits at the intersection of storytelling, equity, leadership, and transformation.
Together, they bring complementary perspectives:
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Alli helps leaders examine systems, practice equity, and build more humane ways of working together.
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Steph helps leaders clarify their stories, reconnect with their brilliance, and communicate the vision they are here to bring forward.
Both have spent years asking the same question:
How do we help visionaries – especially those who identify as BIPOC – create meaningful change without asking them to abandon themselves in the process?
A NOTE FROM ALLI
This is the first Subversive Sojourn. Philadelphia was the first city I lived in as an adult, and it feels right to begin here, where there is so much of the nation's complex history on display.
I am building it with my co-host Steph, who lives in Philadelphia and knows this story from the inside.
I have wanted to make something like this for a long time. An experience for visionaries day that is part walking, part making, part eating, part listening. A day where the ancestors become our teachers, and their experiences are the curriculum. A day that ends with your cup full and knowing uncover something in your body that you did not know in the morning.
If that sounds like something your spirit needs, come explore the ground where people created what seemed impossible – together.
- Alli
RESERVING YOUR SEAT
Booking Now Open!
22 seats remaining.
A few notes on payment logistics:
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Full payment reserves your seat.
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25% of the payment is nonrefundable. Refunds are available based on the following schedule:
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75% refund is available through June 29, 2026.
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50% refund is available from June 30 to July 29, 2026.
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25% from July 30 to August 14, 2026.
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After August 14, the Sojourn is non-refundable, but your seat is transferable to someone else with notice or to a future Subversive Sojourn.
Split your purchase into smaller, manageable payments with Klarna financing.
Financing provided by Klarna. Subject to credit approval. Plans range from 3-24 months with interest rates beginning at 0.00% APR
BEFORE YOU BOOK
A few things people ask...
Is travel included for overnight guests? No. The overnight price includes one night of shared lodging at the Diplomat in Old City. You are responsible for getting yourself to Philadelphia.
Can I bring a partner or a friend? Each ticket is for one Sojourner. If you would like to come together, please each book your own seat. The day is built around the cohort being together.
What if I want to come early or stay later? We love this. Reach out and we share some ideas to help you make a weekend of it. Philadelphia has more to offer than one day can hold.
What if I have dietary needs? We will ask about dietary needs after booking. Our caterers can accommodate most needs with notice.
What if I need to cancel? A A 75% refund is available through June 29, 2026. 50% refund is available from June 30 to July 29, 2026. 25% from July 30 to August 14, 2026. After August 14, the Sojourn is non-refundable, but your seat is transferable to someone else with notice or to a future Subversive Sojourn.
How are you making the Sojourn trauma-informed? The history we are walking through is heavy. The day is designed with intentional rest, art-making, and community to hold what comes up. We've developed the experience with care, to ensure Sojourners have agency and the information they need to support their selves.
Will there be more Sojourns? Yes. Houston, Oakland, Detroit, and Alabama are in development for 2026 - 2027. Sign up for the email list to hear about them first.
Come Witness with Us.
Friday, August 28. Philadelphia. Sovereignty & Solidarity.
Split your purchase into smaller, manageable payments with Klarna financing.
Financing provided by Klarna. Subject to credit approval. Plans range from 3-24 months with interest rates beginning at 0.00% APR