Madison 2024 Participants
Kate Baldwin works as an editor helping writers find the fullest expression of their ideas and leads Gateless Writing salons for teens and adults in her hometown of Newburyport, Massachusetts. She is a Gateless Certified Teacher, has an MFA from Vermont College, an MEd from Lesley University, and is an alum of the Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference. Her own writing has appeared in The Maine Review, Hunger Mountain, Soundings East, The Larcom Review and the Huffington Post among others.
Hi, I’m Kristin Cassidy, a certified Transformational Life Coach, passionate about helping others thrive and being a beacon of love in the world, entrepreneur, Kripalu-trained yoga teacher (since 2006), and mother to two adult children. Currently, I am working on my first book, a memoir about loss, healing, adventure, and the beauty of unexpected love.
Serena Eastman is a bike nomad, scientist, writer, Latin dancer and Gateless writing facilitator. She has traveled over 6000 miles on self-supported bike trips around the world in 20 countries and 33 states. She carries everything she needs in her bike panniers: hammock, sleeping bag, toiletries, dance shoes, little dresses, rain gear, two books and a journal. She has a bachelor’s degree in Neuroscience and studio art from Wellesley College, a Master’s degree in Bilingual and Multicultural Education from University of Alcala in Madrid, Spain. She completed her TEFL certification in 2017 and Gateless Teacher Certification in 2022.
When not biking or dancing she worked in a color vision neuroscience lab at the NIH, as a bike mechanic apprentice in Hawaii and in art supply marketing in Cambridge, MA. By night, she performs and teaches salsa and bachata and by day she writes and edits, helping clients create the projects of their dreams. She loves facilitating the discovery and intuition in each persons unique expression, in dance and writing. She facilitates Gateless writing workshops. She is at work on a travel memoir.
Terri Trespicio is an award-winning writer, speaker, and brand advisor, and the author of Unfollow Your Passion: How to Create a Life that Matters to You (Atria/Simon & Schuster, December 2021). Her TEDx talk, “Stop Searching for Your Passion,” has more than 8 million views, and she was named by Hubspot as one of the “Top 18 female speakers who are killing it.”
A certified Gateless facilitator, Terri has taken the Gateless Method into corporation and organizations of all stripes, as well as launched a suite of online programs which are also informed by the method — including The New Rules Studio, a membership-based program that features several drop-in writing salons every week.
A former magazine editor and radio host at Martha Stewart, she has appeared on the Today show, 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. She consults with individuals and organizations to articulate their brand messaging, and leads in-house workshops and retreats all over the country.
She earned her BA in English from Boston College and a MFA in Creative Writing from Emerson College, and her work appeared in The Baltimore Review, where she won first place in their 2016 creative nonfiction contest. Terri has also performed stand-up comedy all over New York City. She lives in Manhattan.
Maegan Megginson is a Business Mentor and Licensed Therapist who helps entrepreneurs recover from burnout by creating more sustainable and energizing ways to work. Drawing on her experience as a healer and seven-figure business owner, Maegan’s unique magic weaves together the practical and spiritual elements we need to create successful businesses and truly wealthy lives. She is the host of Deeply Rested, the podcast and newsletter that helps people doing good work in the world take good care of themselves. You can learn more about her work at http://www.deeplyrested.com.
Joan Johnson: I am a woman who has spent the majority of her life serving others. It has become a badge for so many of us, and sometimes it is not the badge we want it to be. I am now at a stage in my life where I am beginning to focus on my growth and development as an individual of enlightenment and grace.
I have lived a short 68 years on this planet in this human form. I will stay here as long as my health permits and my purpose allows.
As far as careers, I have had many, but none of extreme importance to most individuals. My family would probably be my most important career and passion. Learning to lead, grow and release is a talent that I hope will be my biggest accomplishment.
As a woman with a passion for learning I embrace any opportunity to expand my heart and mind.
Diane Schroeder is a podcast host, thought partner, and speaker. Diane left behind a 24-year career in the fire service at the rank of Chief. She now spends her time writing, exploring, chasing live music, and leaning into the freedom of being a multi-passionate solopreneur.
Melissa Dugan: Raised in Southern CA my journey brought me to Boston, where I graduated from Emerson College. Enjoying museums, concerts and the history of Boston for many years, my goal of working in radio gave way to working in other fields. Vision issues throughout my life changed things even further. My boyfriend and I look forward to our next series of trips around the country and (hopefully one day) to far off lands. I am excited to start my third Academy this year.
Sheena Cook grew up on her family farm in the north of Scotland, has a law degree from the University of Edinburgh, Scotland and an MFA in Literature and Writing from the Bennington Writing Seminars. She divides her time between Baltimore and Edinburgh, Scotland. Her short stories and novel extracts have appeared in the UEA Crime Fiction Anthology 2024, Beached, Two Serious Ladies, Literary Orphans, The Southampton Review, Gutter Magazine, The Potomac Review and Inertia.
Her writing has won prizes in the Scottish Arts Club, The Edinburgh Award for Flash Fiction and was long listed in The World of Interiors Writing Competition 2024.
She is a Hawthornden Fellow and a Bookends Fellow, during which she worked on her manuscript A TENDER HATE with mentor Meg Wolitzer.
She has completed an MA in Crime Writing at UEA where her Masters thesis is her new novel, MEN WOULD KILL FOR THIS.
Daisy Alpert Florin is the author of My Last Innocent Year, which was a New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice, an Amazon Editors’ Pick, a Washington Post Staff Pick and an Indie Next pick. Daisy attended Dartmouth College and received graduate degrees from Columbia University and Bank Street Graduate School of Education. She was a recipient of the 2016 Kathryn Gurfein Writing Fellowship at Sarah Lawrence College and was a 2019–20 fellow in the BookEnds novel revision fellowship. Her essays have appeared in Full Grown People, Kveller, Ms. Magazine and Cup of Jo, among other publications. Her essay “Crash” was named a notable essay in The Best American Essays 2016 edited by Jonathan Franzen. A member of the Gateless Writing community since 2014 and a two-time Academy alum, Daisy became a certified Gateless teacher in 2021. In addition to working with students (Gatelessly!) on their college application essays, Daisy leads weekly writing salons in Terri Trespicio’s Studio.
Debra Lynn Alt, a seasoned NYC songstress and songwriter since the ’70s, has performed in various genres. Former lead singer for Rolling Stone Magazine’s house band, she’s produced three albums and has written songs for prominent charity organizations. Deb co-founded the cancer support nonprofit Each Moment We’re Alive, named after her song and first book title. As a certified Shamanic Healing Arts practitioner, Debra’s work emphasizes the profound impact of language as medicine. Having attended a prior Gateless retreat and 2 Gateless Academy courses, Deb is excited to continue work on preparing her second book for publication.
Vicki Gohl: I have worked in theater, feature film, documentary film, artist representation, event planning, restaurant management and I owned a retail business for 18 years. I am married to a musician and we have two sons who are independent young men now. We live in Walpole NH with my accomplished and remarkable 97 year old mother who continues to thrive, engage and grow despite the obstacles advanced age throws into her path. I am at a crossroads in my life and in my writing. I am looking for community, direction and some ideas about structure to help me move forward.
Renata Rokicki is a fiction writer and was part of the very first Gateless Writer’s Academy. Thereafter she became trained in Gateless with the class of 2016. Since then, she has been at the helm at Gateless retreats, where she is the backbone and the talent that makes retreat the incredibly inviting, beautiful experience it is. She is back this year, at the 2024 Gateless Training as our celebrated chef. Renata has spent the past few years as the Executive Chef at Café Birdie in LA. Her work as a chef has been praised by The New York Times, The LA Zagat, Open Table and much more. We are so grateful and happy to have her in our midst this fall. Thank you sweet, wonderful, amazing Renata!!!
Gateless Retreats are a sanctuary of writing, artistic expression and losing the hold of the conditioning on our wild true nature, which is the key to the singular genius that resides in the rich rooms of the self.
I adore you, even if I haven’t met you. And you will feel that when we do finally meet.
You were drawn to this retreat for a reason and you will feel in the fabric of who you are what that reason is as you enter the landscape of that blank page every day on retreat.
We are already sprinkled with fairy dust, just by being born under the sign of the scribe.
This is going to be an incredible time.