- What Is Soularize?
Soularize is a gathering for spiritual innovators, artists, leaders, and changemakers exploring what becomes possible when humane spirituality meets action.
Across traditions and fields, many people sense the same calling: spirituality must move beyond private belief and into the work of healing communities and shaping a more humane world.
Soularize creates space for those explorers to come together.
Rather than centering only on speakers, Soularize is a participatory learning experience where the wisdom of the community becomes part of the gathering. Through shared inspiration, conversation, cultural experiences, and collaboration, participants discover what becomes possible when imagination, compassion, and action meet.
Our Mission
Soularize hosts learning parties—gatherings designed to cultivate connection, creativity, and collaboration among spiritual changemakers.
The Mission of Soularize is simple but ambitious:
To cultivate a global network of spiritual innovators and changemakers working together to create a more humane world.
We believe the future of spirituality will not emerge from one tradition, institution, or ideology alone. Instead, it will arise through collaboration across traditions, disciplines, and cultures.
Soularize exists to nurture that collaboration.
Through gatherings, conversations, and partnerships, Soularize supports people who are:
- Exploring new expressions of spirituality
- Building movements and organizations
- Creating art and culture that inspires transformation
- Bridging divides across faiths and communities
- Experimenting with compassionate ways of living together
Soularize is not just an event.
It is a space where new ideas can take root, relationships can form, and collaborations can begin.
Our Values And Principles?
Let’s build a better world together through our faith, our commitment, and our connection to each other and our causes.
Connection
We create gatherings that prioritize authentic relationships and meaningful conversation.
Soularize events are designed as learning parties—spaces where curiosity, friendship, and joy are essential parts of the experience.
Collaboration
We believe meaningful change happens when people work together.
Soularize creates opportunities for spiritual innovators, organizations, and movements to collaborate across differences toward shared purposes
Diversity
Soularize celebrates the richness of diverse spiritual traditions and perspectives.
Participants come from many backgrounds and faith traditions, creating an environment that encourages humility, openness, and learning.
Wholeness
Spiritual growth is not just intellectual.
Soularize integrates the mind, heart, body, and soul, cultivating experiences that include art, dialogue, reflection, and embodied practices
Transformation
Participants leave Soularize gatherings renewed in their faith, purpose, and mission.
The goal is not simply inspiration, but transformation that continues beyond the event.
Action
Soularize gatherings are designed to generate real-world impact.
New collaborations, projects, and communities often emerge from the relationships and ideas sparked during the gathering.
The History
Soularize first convened in 2001 during a moment of profound cultural and spiritual transition. A new generation of leaders and communities were beginning to reimagine what it meant to live out faith, compassion, and justice in the world, and Soularize emerged as a space where those pioneers could gather, share ideas, and experiment with new possibilities together.
From the very beginning, Soularize became a meeting ground for voices that would go on to shape the spiritual landscape for decades. Influential thinkers and practitioners such as Richard Rohr, Brian McLaren, Brennan Manning, N.T. Wright, Rachel Held Evans, Becca Stevens, Rev. Bernice King, Leonard Sweet, Ian Morgan Cron, Rita Nakashima Brock, Sally Morgenthaler, and Spencer Burke found themselves in shared space—not simply presenting ideas, but engaging in a living, evolving conversation about the future of spirituality.
What set Soularize apart was its relational design. This was never intended to be a traditional conference with passive audiences and one-way communication. Instead, it was built as a participatory experience—a learning party—where every person in the room contributed to the unfolding experience. Participants became collaborators, co-creators, and conversation partners, forming relationships and partnerships that often extended far beyond the gathering itself.
Over the past two decades, Soularize has grown into more than an event. It has become a cross-network catalyst for spiritual imagination and collaboration, connecting people across traditions, disciplines, and cultures who share a desire to shape a more humane world.
In 2023, Soularize brought together participants from around the world in partnership with Ashoka International and the Presencing Institute, reflecting its continued commitment to global collaboration and interdisciplinary engagement.
Now, in 2026, Soularize celebrates its 25th anniversary. What began as an experimental gathering has become a trusted space for courageous exploration, spiritual curiosity, and collaborative innovation—continuing to evolve as it carries forward its original spirit while expanding its reach and impact into the future.
Soularize Celebrates 25 Years
Countries Represented
Keynote Speakers
Meet the Team
Camryn Pickworth
Operations and Marketing
Camryn Pickworth
Operations and MarketingCOO and Event Coordinator A systems-minded community builder who brings vision into form through thoughtful structure, partnership, and experience design. What She Brings to Soularize Camryn is an operations strategist, community architect, and founder of The First Pick VA Group, where she helps leaders and organizations operate with greater clarity, alignment, and efficiency. She has built her career supporting founders, executives, and teams in translating big ideas into sustainable systems that actually work in real life. At Soularize, Camryn serves as COO, working closely with leadership to bring the gathering to life from the inside out. She leads the operational strategy, partnerships, and behind-the-scenes coordination that make the experience feel seamless, intentional, and deeply held. Her work ensures that every detail—from logistics to flow to participant experience—supports the larger purpose of connection, learning, and collective exploration. Camryn’s approach is rooted in the belief that strong systems should create more freedom, not less. She is passionate about building environments where people feel supported, present, and able to fully engage in meaningful work together. By blending operational excellence with relational awareness, she helps create the conditions where inspiration can move into action and where community can form in authentic, lasting ways. Her work at Soularize reflects a deeper commitment to building spaces that are not only well-run, but deeply human—where structure exists to serve connection, creativity, and shared purpose.
Shayna Metzner
Sponsorships
Shayna Metzner
SponsorshipsSponsorship Strategist A community convener who nurtures aligned partnerships and is inspired by the liminal spaces where beauty, spirit, and creative expression meet. What She Brings to Soularize Shayna has been nourishing Soularize since 2002, cultivating aligned sponsorships and supporting the creation of soul-centered gatherings. She serves as both Sponsorship Strategist and a member of Soularize’s nonprofit Board of Directors, bringing long-standing commitment and relational depth to the community. Alongside her work with Soularize, Shayna has built a 20+ year career in tech sales within the trade show industry, where she helps top-tier exhibitors maximize their investment in face-to-face marketing. Her ability to bridge strategy and relationship-building allows her to create partnerships that feel both aligned and impactful. Shayna’s love of service and community is deeply rooted in her spiritual practice as a Christian mystic. She has spent over a decade as a Laundry Love leader, facilitates a women’s Lectio Divina group, and continues to explore pathways of transformation through experiences like The Path of Christ Consciousness with Matthew Fox. She brings a creative, intuitive, and grounded presence to Soularize, with a deep appreciation for the spaces where transformation happens—often in the in-between. Whether building partnerships or holding community, Shayna is drawn to what emerges when beauty, spirit, and connection are given room to unfold.
Eugene Kim
Program Director
Eugene Kim
Program DirectorProgram Director A curious and conscientious weaver of ideas and people into meaningful connection and action. What He Brings to Soularize Eugene is the founder of New Wine Collective, an ecclesial innovation think tank and R&D lab, and the Executive Director of the Wild Fig Network, a post-denominational community for ministers and ministries committed to love, justice, and inclusion. His work centers on exploring new forms of spiritual community and cultivating spaces where innovation and transformation can take root. As Program Director for Soularize 2026, Eugene is stewarding the design of the gathering—shaping the flow of sessions and experiences into an environment that sparks connection, inspiration, and collaboration. He brings a unique blend of big-picture vision and thoughtful attention to detail, helping ensure the experience feels both cohesive and alive. Eugene is deeply committed to the systemic change needed in today’s rapidly evolving spiritual landscape. He approaches his work with curiosity, care, and a collaborative spirit, creating spaces where ideas can emerge, people can connect, and something greater than any one individual can take shape. His presence at Soularize reflects a belief that meaningful transformation happens when vision, relationship, and thoughtful design come together in service of what is emerging next.
Jason Bernhardt-Lanier
Partnerships
Jason Bernhardt-Lanier
PartnershipsStrategy & Culture Architect A heart-centered strategist who helps align vision, culture, and structure in service of collective flourishing. What He Brings to Soularize Jason brings more than 30 years of global experience in the citizen sector, supporting leaders, organizations, and communities as they navigate moments that matter. He most often serves at key inflection points—whether launching something new, guiding growth, or helping repair and realign what has been strained. Jason is known for his ability to hold both depth and practicality—bringing insight, integrity, and a grounded sense of wholeness to complex systems. He listens for patterns beneath the surface, helping individuals and teams move forward with clarity, coherence, and shared purpose. At Soularize, Jason brings a thoughtful, relational, and quietly playful presence shaped by his embodiment of humane spirituality in action. He helps create the conditions where vision, culture, and collaboration can come into deeper alignment, supporting a gathering that is both meaningful and generative. His work reflects a deep belief that transformation happens not just through ideas, but through the ways we show up with one another—attuned, present, and open to what is emerging among us.
Spencer Burke
Founder
Spencer Burke
FounderCreator & Producer A convener who brings together spiritual innovators, artists, and changemakers to explore what becomes possible when humane spirituality meets action. What He Brings to Soularize Spencer is a spiritual innovator, strategist, and community builder who has spent more than two decades creating spaces where people can explore how spirituality becomes lived practice in the world. He first gained wide recognition as the founder of The Ooze, one of the earliest online communities where people wrestled with questions about faith, culture, and the future of spiritual life. Today Spencer’s work focuses on cultivating environments where imagination, dialogue, and collaboration can spark meaningful change. He is the creator of Soularize, a gathering that brings together spiritual innovators, artists, leaders, and changemakers to explore emerging expressions of spirituality that contribute to a more humane and compassionate world. He is also the founder of etrek - a journey of enneagration, an experiential pathway that helps individuals explore personal transformation while practicing acts of love and service in their communities. Through etrek, Spencer is developing new tools and learning experiences that combine the ancient wisdom of the enneagram, inner growth with outward engagement, helping people translate spiritual insight into everyday action. In recent years, Spencer has also been developing frameworks for spiritual innovation, collaborative learning gatherings, and new approaches to community formation that support creative exploration across traditions and disciplines. Photography has become an important creative expression in Spencer’s life. Through his lens he captures moments of beauty, connection, and cultural story-often discovering how art and everyday life reveal deeper spiritual meaning. His photography reflects the same curiosity that shapes Soularize: noticing the sacred in ordinary moments and honoring the stories that emerge when people and culture intersect.
The Future
As we look ahead, Soularize is stepping into a new season shaped by both growing demand and a deepening sense of responsibility. There is a clear and expressed need for spaces that can hold meaningful connection across differences, and Soularize is uniquely positioned to serve as a trusted convener in this moment.
Building on that need, and recognizing the unique cultural and spiritual moment we find ourselves in, Soularize is developing a vision for the next three to five years. This vision includes a rhythm of annual gatherings that carry the same spirit and structure people have come to value, while expanding into new cities.
Each gathering will be rooted in the relational, participatory design that defines Soularize, while also being shaped by the context and communities of its host city. In doing so, Soularize will cultivate a growing network of interconnected gatherings—each one creating space for new relationships, new collaborations, and new expressions of humane spirituality.
Rather than a single event, Soularize is becoming a movement of gatherings—woven together through shared purpose, relational depth, and a commitment to bringing people together in ways that spark imagination, connection, and collective action.
Why Support Soularize?
Soularize is sustained by people who believe that spiritual imagination and collaboration are essential for the future of our world.
Your support helps make it possible to:
- Gather spiritual innovators and changemakers
Bringing together leaders, artists, thinkers, and innovators from around the world. - Support emerging voices
Providing platforms for new leaders and innovative ideas. - Foster collaboration
Helping movements and organizations build partnerships that extend far beyond the event. - Expand access
Ensuring that diverse voices and communities can participate in these conversations. - Catalyze real-world impact
Supporting the projects, relationships, and collaborations that grow out of Soularize gatherings.
When you support Soularize, you are investing in a global community of people committed to building a more humane and compassionate world.
Together, we can create spaces where imagination, faith, and action come together to shape the future.
How To Take Part
Attend Soularize 2026
Soularize is an inspirational three-day gathering that unites spiritual leaders, innovators, artists, and changemakers to connect, learn, and spark new possibilities at the intersection of humane spirituality and action.
Venue - The Gratz Center
The Gratz Center 126 E. Chestnut Street (at Michigan Avenue), Chicago, Illinois 60611.2014
OCTOBER 6-8, 2026
- Tuesday 8:30 AM – 6 PM
- Wednesday 9 AM – 6 PM
- Thursday 9 AM – 12:15 PM
Questions about our venue, hotel recommendations, or location please email support@soularize.org
