THE SAMITA LAB
MASTERMIND 2026
For women leaders who have built a big career and have a message to share
What is Samita Lab Mastermind?
"Samita" in my native Bengali language means "summit." You are going to do hard things with me in 2026. But the view from the top is beautiful.
I promise.
I have been hosting this program and production on stage since 2016. Yes, its an intellectual exercise. But I'm always shocked at the internal transformation that happens for each woman. She's never the same person who started the year with me.
The "Samita Lab Mastermind" is a 12-month immersive program to help women leaders like you. By the end of this mastermind. You do 3 things.
You build thought leadership.
You test a consistent thesis to find out what is resonating for your audience.
You stand up your advisory or personal brand with a steady drumbeat of thought leadership.
Build a magnetic personal brand. Step on a big stage. Lead with power.
What We Do?
- 12-month journey: January to December 2026
- 2-hour live sessions each month (dates shared in advance)
- Weekly office hours on Tuesdays
- 8-week storytelling workshop (Sept–Nov)
Where We Go?
- January: Kickoff Retreat in New York City (1 day Sat January 24th)
- June: In-person retreat in Spain May 26 - 29th, 2026
These retreats are designed to:
- Build deeper relationships to with your peers.
- You learn to be vulnerable in containers such as this.
- You discover new things about yourself.
- You establish your unique framework and story for your talk
- You are responsible for your own flights and lodging. I take care of the rest.
What You’ll
Walk Away With
- A personal brand that attracts the right audience
- A talk on stage, performed and professionally filmed. A major asset.
- A full content system, from ideation to publishing
- My Engage & Convert™ Framework to attract business
- Clear messaging around your niche and story
- Confidence to share your story on stage and online
- A community of 8 senior women leaders to bring your business challenges
- 12 months of strategy, feedback, and accountability
Here’s what it looked like for past clients
Katie (President of an affordable housing risk and compliance consultancy) closed lucrative contracts from LinkedIn in just 9 months
Elisse (Left corporate to start her own consulting firm) closed two $100K contracts and activated her network each week.
Who Leads You?
Hi I'm Joya
I've spent 20 years as a business news TV anchor. TV, by its very nature is succcinct, consistent, and topical (what's in the headlines NOW?) I'm arming you with the tools, the systems, the processes to create thought leadership with the same sensibility.
I've given a talk. I've given multiple keynotes over the years. I've commanded big stages such as the Apollo Theater, Carolines on Broadway and the San Diego Convention Center.
Other things about me you might want to know:
- News anchor on major networks for 20 years (business news)
- Gave a talk in November 2013 and have been paid 18x to give that talk since
- Made $100,000 from only 4K followers on LinkedIn
- Have headed up the global storytelling agency "The Women's Leadership Lab" for 13 years
What You Invest
Monthly Payment:
$3,575/month
If you elect to do the finance plan.
Upfront Payment:
$39,000 (Save 10%)
There is a discount if you pay the year in full or commit before January 24th.
What do you get:
🟪 Access to Joya (1-on-1):
🟪 1 two-hour monthly intensive via Zoom session
🟪 Access to the full Engage & Convert™ Framework
🟪 24/7 private Slack channel support
🟪 A high-level community of 7 women leaders on the same journey
Results I've created for clients
“A mind that is stretched by a new experience can never go back to its old dimensions.”
--- Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr
Example Curriculum for 2026
Create Content that Converts. Build Trust. Build Authority.
Q1 Ideate, Research
🟪 Build your tagline. The thesis you will test against your audience
🟪 Learn how to collect data about your content. What is resonating with your audience?
🟪 Learn how to create systems so research for your content comes straight to your inbox everyday
🟪 Define your core content hub — newsletter, blog, podcast, or YouTube
🟪 Break down your creative process: when to write, when to edit
🟪 Use content templates so you never face a blank page
🟪 Apply four essential editing questions before you hit publish
Dates: January 24, 2026 Kick off retreat in person in New York.
2 hour intensives: February 26th, March 26th
Q2 Writing, Testing (Includes Retreat in Spain)
🟪 Creating a "Call to Action," so readers of your content know how to work with you
🟪 Create a content calendar for 30, 60, 90 days
🟪 Create a community around your hub content and start to magnetize clients
🟪 Build a publishing schedule. Build an engagement schedule. Remember one of the key ways to build your following is by adding value to other conversations. How do you identify who to follow? What are the best practices for engaging?
🟪 Head to a retreat in Spain to do deep work with me in-person
🟪 Create a story bank from your professional and personal life
🟪 Learn what your unique framework is
🟪 Critical to a talk on stage: How is your story reach everyone? Not just people in your industry?
Dates: April 23rd, May 21st, May 26-29th (Spain Retreat) for the 2 hour intensives
Q3 Storytelling Workshop
🟪 We enter into an 8 week storytelling workshop to prepare you for the culmination of this Mastermind
Q4 Your talk on stage
Dates of meeting
🟪 6 Weeks of Workshop with myself and another judge
🟪 Dress rehearsal
🟪 Event day
This will be filmed professionally and become an asset for your personal brand. Learn how to bring your readership or audience with you on the journey.
- July 23, August 27th for 2-hour intensives
- Storytelling workshop kick off Sept 17th, 2026
Workshop dates Sept 24, Oct 1, Oct 8, Oct 15, Oct 22, Oct 29, Nov 5th - Dress rehearsal Nov 11th, 2026
- Event day Nov 12th, 2026
Deep Writing and Reflection Retreat
Seville, Spain, May 26-29 2026
In June, we head to Spain for the "Deep Writing and Reflection Retreat" May 26-29 2026.
We are going to go through exercises to harvest stories (personal stories) that will be in service of your talk on stage in November.
What does the retreat look like?
Cost: You cover the flight and hotel. Everything else you do on the ground- I take care of
- Plan to arrive in Spain the day before retreat kick off
- Immerse in an authentic Spanish villa. What does getting out side of your comfort zone evoke for you?
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner prepared by a private chef on premise
- Tuesday, May 26th: Arrivals day. We start the morning of the 27th, so take your time getting to Seville and settling in. Dinner is at 7pm
- Wednesday, May 27th: Deep Writing and Reflection Exercises
- Thursday, May 28th: Excursion. What personal story will anchor your talk?
- Friday, May 29th: Deep Writing and Reflection Exercises in the morning. Then farewells
See videos from the retreats in 2023 at a villa in Tuscany and the deserts of Marrakech.
Mastermind Member Zeena Gupta, Class of 2022, had a breakthrough on the retreat in Morocco:
"There has been a voice in my head since childhood about "You're not worthy" At the retreat in Morocco, I built awareness around it. Because of this questioning that we've been doing, the shadow work, it has completely lifted me up and opened me up to a whole new world.
I felt a sense of belonging where I didn't before. A belonging is to this expansive mindset."
- Zeena Gupta, Senior Associate, Baker Tilly and brick and mortar business owner.
There will be a formal agenda each month. It's very structured to get the results we want. The Complete Agenda is available upon request.
NOTE: This can be useful for securing corporate sponsorship.
" Samita "
"Samita" in my native Bengali language means "Summit."
See this excerpt from the book "Beyond Money" by Chad Willardson
