Event Details

This opening workshop dives into the rich cultural heritage and unique challenges faced by Native American community leaders. Participants will explore the importance of building relationships grounded in trust, respect, and reciprocity — and the significance of honoring tribal sovereignty and self-determination. Drawing on best practices, we will guide leaders through identifying community needs, setting meaningful goals, and implementing strategies that promote social, economic, and environmental justice.

In this interactive keynote and coaching workshop,
Coach Jim Stroker will share the five leadership
principles that have guided his personal and
professional success. Participants will explore each
principle in depth, reflect on their own leadership values
and experiences, and engage in guided exercises to
begin crafting their own set of personal leadership
principles.
By the end of the session, attendees will leave with a
practical first draft of their leadership framework and
actionable tools they can immediately apply and model
within their teams, families, and organizations.

Tribal leaders wear many hats — dreamers, storytellers, encouragers, and stewards. This session explores how these roles intertwine, making tribal leadership a powerful blend of vision, cultural heritage, and community empowerment. Attendees will reflect on how they show up in each role and how to strengthen each dimension of their leadership.

Join us at the close of Day 1 for a quick drink and
appetizers before dinner. Unwind with colleagues and
peers while building new relationships and sharing
highlights from the opening sessions.

The Greatest Morning of your Life!! Investigate Daily
Strategies, Tactics, and Habits of Highly Successful
People and Immediately Integrate them into your
Lifestyle for a Greater Level of Health, Fulfillment, and Joy.
Let Coach Stroker, Yoga Teacher, Reiki Instructor, and
Personal Life Coach offer you 8 new habits that can
impact your life immediately. Dress in loose comfortable
clothes, that allow smooth and controlled movements in
a calming tranquil environment.

In indigenous communities, storytelling is far more than tradition — it is governance, wisdom transfer, and community cohesion. This session brings a master storyteller and cultural practitioner to the stage to demonstrate the living power of story. Attendees will experience firsthand how narrative can inspire, guide, and transform leadership. We will explore practical ways to weave storytelling into modern tribal governance and organizational culture.

For Indigenous peoples, leadership has never been separate from wellness. Long before modern healthcare systems existed, our ancestors understood that strong communities were built through relationships—with each other, the land, traditional foods, plant medicines, cultural practices, and the wisdom carried by Elders.

In this thought-provoking session, Dr. Gary Ferguson explores the role of Indigenous healing traditions, plant medicine, and cultural knowledge as foundations for community resilience and tribal self-determination. Participants will examine how traditional healing systems continue to inform modern approaches to wellness, leadership, and nation-building.

Through stories, practical examples, and Indigenous perspectives on health and stewardship, attendees will discover how reconnecting with ancestral knowledge can strengthen not only individual well-being, but also the capacity of tribal governments, organizations, and communities to lead future generations with purpose, balance, and cultural integrity.

Participants will explore:

• Indigenous perspectives on healing, wellness, and leadership
• The role of traditional foods and plant medicine in community health
• Cultural knowledge as a strategic asset for tribal nations
• Strengthening resilience through connection to land, culture, and community
• Lessons from ancestral teachings that can guide modern tribal leadership

Tribal enterprises operate at a unique intersection of sovereignty, culture, and commerce. This session delivers actionable frameworks for tribal business leaders drawn from contemporary best practices — including strategic planning, organizational alignment using the McKinsey 7S model, financial governance, and enterprise growth strategies. Special emphasis will be placed on adapting modern business tools to honor tribal values and community-first priorities.

What separates ordinary leaders from the legendary men
and women who leave an enduring mark on organizations,
industries, and the world? The Building of Giants™ is a
powerful leadership development seminar designed to
answer that question. This thought-provoking and
inspirational session explores the mindsets, character traits,
philosophies, habits, and defining traits that have
consistently distinguished history’s greatest leaders from
the rest. Through real-world examples, leadership principles,
and practical application, participants will gain a deeper
understanding of what it truly means to lead at the highest
level.
Attendees will discover the power of empathy and being a
servant leader and how this rare approach to leadership is
what truly inspires others to achieve extraordinary results.
The seminar challenges participants to examine their own
leadership journey while providing a proven framework for
personal growth, professional excellence, and lasting
influence.

Strong nations are built on strong councils. This workshop explores how to move from a group of elected individuals to a unified leadership team. Participants will examine the relationship between tribal councils and executive staff, clarify roles, and develop strategies to build trust, open communication, and shared vision. Real-world scenarios and transferable frameworks will be applied to strengthen governance from the inside out.

In our closing keynote, we bring together the threads of everything we have explored over three days — legacy, wellness, storytelling, business, and governance — into a unified vision for the future of Native leadership across the Americas. This rallying call challenges every leader in the room to carry the fire home: to dream big, to act with purpose, and to lift others as they rise.

Action without application is inspiration lost. In this final session, participants will outline concrete next steps, accountability partners, and implementation strategies to take home. We close by honoring the community we have built over three days and committing to the work ahead.