Even in a world of hyper-connectivity, it can be difficult to find your people — those who are like-minded and share your same energy and enthusiasm for leveling up. That’s where Summit Junto comes in.
Bringing people together in highly curated personal advisory boards, Summit Junto is a leadership community unlike any other. We caught up with Summit’s Partner, Global Director, and Chief Executive Officer Jody Levy and Summit’s Partner and Chief Product Officer Jess Berne Strombelline to learn more about the program and how it’s helping the world’s visionaries put their dreams to work.
ForceBrands: What makes Summit Junto unique in the world of professional development networks?
Jody Levy: Summit Junto is designed for the creative entrepreneurs, the innovators, the high-octane doers who work hard, live hard, and go big. We love and respect the other forums that are bringing people together, but often we can’t find our people there. Summit has a 15-year history of gathering the world’s dreamers, the people who have a different vantage point, a bit of an edge, those who are more eclectic, express themselves through their art and their work, those who love to work and live to love.
This is what makes Summit Junto unique. Our system has been designed for this community — to let those who are committed to being their whole self go deeper, expand further, and find their people in a world where it is so impossibly hard to find like-minded people.
FB: What’s is Summit Junto’s why?
JL: Summit Junto helps people find their community. The system is designed to meet people where they are at, to support those who wish to expand to exapand, to help those who already go deep to go deeper, to entice people who love to hack and heal to learn new techniques. Summit Junto pushes people to their edge so that they can then define a new edge, and have a support system to find it. Summit Junto helps people optimize their life and their professional expansion.
FB: How does the program work?
Jess Berne Strombelline: Summit Junto membership appeals to creative entrepreneurs, progressive investors, high-octane operators, and leaders across all industries. Members apply and go through the interview pairing process to determine fit and then our pairing committee builds each of our members their personal advisory board. Each board is made up of 5-7 cross-disciplinary individuals who are specifically paired based on career and life stage, diversity of industry, mentality, and goals. We have found that the more diverse the inputs, the greater the outputs. By pairing our groups in this way, members are exposed to expertise, connection, and viewpoints that they may not have access to in their day-to-day work.
Members kick off their annual cycle with an Opening Plenary designed to connect them to their larger community where Summit Junto provides the roadmap for the year ahead. This kicks off the first annual cycle made up of structured Formats — workshops for each group to follow each month when they meet in their structured meeting. The Formats are organized in three phases designed to maximize personal and group results.
Throughout each annual cycle, members are supported by our Formats and a container of confidentiality and commitment which is designed to support our groups growing into one another’s trusted board of advisors. Our groups co-navigate professional and personal challenges, explorations, ideas, and opportunities, together.
We have taken a whole human approach to design our Summit Junto System as we believe that to be the best leader, partner, parent, and steward on this planet, you must be the best holistic version of yourself.
Therefore, members can expect to discuss everything from the acquisition of their company, a transition phase after selling a business, the transition of a loved, one and so much more.
FB: What qualities do Summit Junto members share?
JL: The Summit Junto community consists of leaders and innovators who are not only professionally accomplished, but also have character — providing social, emotional, and moral fulfillment while living their biggest lives. We prioritize play and the ‘work hard, live harder’ credo.
The Summit Junto global community shares the desire to be the best expression of ourselves and do right by our people. Kindness, curiosity, morality, collaboration, artistic expression, and integrity are a few of our imperative characteristics as we look to grow our member community.
FB: What’s one of your favorite member testimonials?
JL: “This program has been so incredibly fulfilling. It has helped me learn so much about myself, but most of all it has introduced me to a group of lifelong friends who are truly family to me. It’s been a priceless experience.” –Shaun | Summit Junto Member
FB: How does your personal mission align with Summit Junto’s purpose?
JL: I have a personal passion to help people find their happiness and I believe that has to do with the balance of two factors — our health and our sense of purpose. What we do each day, how we spend our time, who we spend our time with — these are the things that define our sense of purpose. Summit Junto is a network that connects like-minded people — the weird and wild and intensely motivated — those who follow their dreams to completion and motivate their peers and teams to run through walls with them, to better our shared planet. This is the first endeavor I have been part of that truly merges my love of creating mission-driven businesses with my personal passion to help inspire people to be their best selves.
FB: What has surprised you most about building this community?
JBS: I am constantly surprised and delighted how quickly a group of relative strangers can transition to becoming one another’s trusted board of advisors for one another’s life vision — co-navigating challenges and opportunities, and supporting each other in building the dream of their lives.
It has been such a beautiful reminder that while it often feels lonely to lead, you don’t have to do it alone.
FB: How do you see the program evolving in the next 3-5 years?
JBS: The Summit Junto System is designed to support our community’s growth, year over year. It is our commitment to continue to build resources that support our community living their biggest lives. As part of our membership, we curate immersive travel adventures, shared business resources, access to luminary experts, dedicated Slack channels, and more.
As we advance in the coming months and years, we anticipate that having your Summit Junto (aka your personal board of advisors) will be as imperative as building your company’s board.
We believe that helping people find their people is one of the most powerful things we can offer. You can expect to see new cohorts with specific communities and interests. We intend to grow this community with intention and the highest integrity, creating a network of inspiring people who want to better themselves to better the world.
ABOUT SUMMIT JUNTO
Summit Junto curates advisory boards for the leaders of our time. We bring together entrepreneurs, creatives, and innovators to support one another to live their biggest life.
Our experts pair 5-7 like-leveled leaders, change-makers, and doers from different disciplines who come together in a confidential environment to share complex professional and personal obstacles and opportunities.
Whether you are building a company or investing in yourself, Summit Junto is designed to enhance your vision, break down barriers, and find intuitive pathways toward an even more fulfilling life.
Members get access to a network of change-makers bound by shared interest and passion, sustained growth and powerful transformation, all centered around their trusted cohort.
As a Summit Junto member, you get access to year-round experiences including:
• Small group travel adventure excursions
• Local salons and dinner parties in cities such as Miami, New York, Los Angeles, Austin, San Francisco, and more
• Monthly workshops
• Luminary speaker talks
• Community Slack channels
• And so much more
Ready to find your people? Apply to join here.
