Welcome to High Standards High, this year’s theme for The Sweathead Do-Together. 

Do you ever look around and wish you were doing better work? 

Do you ever look around and wonder why it’s so difficult to do better work?

Do you ever then wonder if the people around you just don’t care enough?

The research is clear: if you’re not doing the most creative work of your life, you’re wasting your life. And your budget. 

So we are collecting some of the most creative strategy minds from around the USA to understand how they think. And then we’ll practice it.

Each speaker will download their minds in a matter of minutes and then run you through exercises so you can try their minds on. Like clothes.

 

And, for the first time ever, The Sweathead Do-Together will happen in person and online.

On Wednesday, November 19, you can join us in Chicago.

On Thursday, November 20, you can join us in New York.

Or you can watch both events online.

The Sweathead Do-Together 2025

High Standards High
Wed Nov. 19 - Chicago
1pm - 5pm CT

Thur Nov. 20 - NYC
1pm - 5pm ET

And streaming live online

10+ speakers

Eight hours of online conference

Two days of in-person practice

30-minute sessions

Hands-on exercises

The Venues

Chicago

Live Bash Chicago

November 19, 2025
1pm – 5pm Central Time

1801 W Berteau Ave Suite 1, Chicago, IL 60613

New York City

Caveat NYC

November 20, 2025
1pm – 5pm Eastern Time

21 A Clinton St, New York, NY 10002


Chicago

Pilar McQuirter
VP, Strategy
Current Global


New York

Jenny Chang
Cultural
Strategist

Our 2025 Speakers


New York

Joe
Burns
Balancing The Good Shit With The Bullshit

Strategy Lead
Quality Meats
Creative NYC

Madison
Giller
Tension Mapping: Making Sense of the Nonsensical

Strategy Director
Arnold Worldwide
& Jay Chiat Emerging Strategist Of The Year 2025

Geno Schellenberger
How To Create Content That Wins

Co-Founder
Breaking and Entering

Jack
Westerkamp
How To Create Content That Wins

Co-Founder
Breaking and Entering

Sharon
Panelo
Strategist Skills Matrix Reloaded

Founder
Stories & Strategy

Anibal
Casso

CSO
Ogilvy North America

Archana
Iyer
Poetry for Brands

Strategy Lead & Creator,
Poetry for Brands
(ex-DDB,
Weber Shandwick)

Rob Schwartz
Reinvention Is The Key To Longevity

Former Chair, TBWA NYC


Chicago

Anirban Roy

CSO, Leo Burnett India, Delhi

Crafting Brand Propositions

Andrew Tindall

SVP, Global Partnerships, System 1, London

How To Compound Creativity With Consistency

Grace Gordon

Founder, GG (ex-Netflix, Cash App), NYC

Above the Algorithm: Finding The Info That A.I. Tools Can’t

Joe Burns

Strategy Lead, Quality Meats Creative, NYC

Strategic Territories: How To Start Ideas


Chicago

Ambika
Pai
Strategy As Activism

Head of Brand,
TIAA

Carl
Murray III
Stay Dangerous

Founder,
Endurance

Doug
Malcolm
Stupidity For Dummies

Founder,
Pale Blue
Dot Strategy

Kieran
Ots
Self Mentoring
with AI

Founder,
Make No
Small Things

Michelle
Gerstin
From AI To AHA: Breakthrough Insights, Powered By Human Intelligence

VP, Strategy Director,
Critical Mass

Burcu Sahin
The Power of the ‘Wrong’ Corner

Director, Global Strategic Initiatives – Gum & Mints, Mars

Brianne Johnson

Strategy Director, Havas


Chicago

Anirban Roy

CSO, Leo Burnett India, Delhi

Crafting Brand Propositions

Andrew Tindall

SVP, Global Partnerships, System 1, London

How To Compound Creativity With Consistency

Grace Gordon

Founder, GG (ex-Netflix, Cash App), NYC

Above the Algorithm: Finding The Info That A.I. Tools Can’t

Joe Burns

Strategy Lead, Quality Meats Creative, NYC

Strategic Territories: How To Start Ideas

The Tickets

Chicago

$295
Event Livestream
In-Person, Nov 19
In-Person, Nov 20
Video Playback

New York

$295
Event Livestream
In-Person, Nov 19
In-Person, Nov 20
Video Playback

Virtual

$99
Event Livestream
In-Person, Nov 19
In-Person, Nov 20
Video Playback

Membership

$195
Event Livestream
In-Person, Nov 19
In-Person, Nov 20
Video Playback

Already a member? Get your ticket here.

Principles

These are the principles we’re trying to bring to life with the Sweathead Do-Together

  1. Everyone will learn together
    Multiple streams of speakers can make a conference feel full of choice but speakers can feel they are competing with each other. Together is more intimate anyway.
  2. Everybody will do, not just listen
    Speakers will introduce a key concept but structure their sessions around exercises so attendees can put the concept to work.
  3. Truthbombs will mix with practical techniques
    Speakers will avoid corporate speak and, instead, bring to us explosive truths and utterly practical ways of working.
  4. Research into how we learn will shape the conference
    We want attendees to walk away with shifted brains so we’ll apply research about learning to the event.
  5. We won’t make the conference feel like a webinar
    This means no selling and trying to mix up the formats so the conference feels alive and engaging.
  6. Speakers will herald from the Sweathead community or podcast
    Sweathead exists to help to develop the livelihoods of our community so, sorry, we aren’t taking speaker applications for now.
  7. We aim to pay equitably and transparently
    OK. Big words. But everyone gets paid and we do our best to make payment transparent. Speakers will receive a a guaranteed fee plus an equal share of 50% of profit.
  8. Base the session topics on urgent needs
    Sometimes, dangerous topics need immediate attention. We’ll use our surveys, podcast, and community to take us into topics that aren’t common.

Group Tickets

The Sweathead Do-Together is the perfect way to tell your team:

  • “Hey, you’ll be okay in the future.”
  • “It’s been a tough few years – let’s refresh ourselves.”
  • “Please don’t leave.”

If you’d like to purchase 5 or more tickets to receive 20% off access to the conference, fill in this form and we’ll get back to you.

The Fourth- Annual Do-Together

Since

2021

The Sweathead Do-Together debuted in 2021 with:

  • 110 hungry learners,
  • Lots of meeting new people,
  • 16 speakers,
  • Two hosts, and
  • Excellent testimonials.

2021 Videos

Previous years’ sessions included short, well-edited videos like this:

How To Keep Strategists Safe In An Unsafe Industry – Brian Wakabayashi, Brand Strategist

The Advertising Industry Is Working Scared And This Isn’t A Winning Strategy – Derek Walker

The Making of a Strategy Portfolio – Payal Pereira

F A Q

Frequently Asked Questions

There will be 2 days of conference on Wednesday, November 19. and Thursday, November 20, 2025. It will be from 1-5pm Central time in Chicago on November 19. It will be from 1-5pm Eastern time in New York on November 20. And online both days.

On Wednesday will be starting at 1pm Central (Chicago). On Thursday we will be starting at 1pm Eastern (NYC).

$295 for in-person tickets to go to Chicago or New York. You’ll be able to stream the other day online.
You can stream both days for $99. If you’re a member ($195 to signup, then $20/mo) you can stream both days, watch playback, and get everything else in the Membership.

You get 20% off purchases of 5 tickets or more. Send us a message through our contact page here to purchase. This discount is not on top of membership discounts. Email us and we’ll work it out.

Send us a message through our contact page here.

For sure, we can get these to you. Please send us an email here: [email protected]