2026
October 1-2, 2026
Nashville, TN
EX MIRABILIA
from wonder
AD ASTRA
to the stars
The World's Premier Conference for Creative Leaders, Artists & Storytellers
October 1-2, 2026 | Nashville, TN
STORY is a global gathering of creators, leaders and change-makers working in a variety of industries to shift narratives and shape the future by telling stories that matter.
Participate in a two-day, conference-style experience to ignite both personal and professional transformation. It’s the result of a truly interactive and immersive experience like no other, consisting of innovative talks, unique performances, and educational workshops.
Whether you're innovating within an organization or on your own, come regroup, redefine your process for shaping the future, gain the tools to be an intentional storymaker, and learn to spark, lead, and navigate change.
Join storytellers and creative leaders from organizations like...
For years, progress has been measured by how much we could know. How fast we could access it. How efficiently we could move it from one place to another. And we got extraordinary at that game. But now, a quieter question has been whispering. Not what do we know, but what do we do with what we know? Not how much can we access, but how deeply can we see?
This is the edge of something. The Imagination Age isn't coming. It's here. And it’s not asking for more information, it's asking for wisdom. For the kind of seeing that doesn't come from more information but from a willingness to climb high enough to shift our perspective and expand our curiosity. The higher you climb? The more you realize how much has been there all along, waiting to be seen.
That's the work of the Academie of Narratology Ad Astra. Not inspiration for its own sake, but the real, urgent, roll-up-your-sleeves work of learning to see from altitude and then doing something about it when you come back down. Ex Mirabilia Ad Astra. From Wonder to the Stars. Space doesn't just take us somewhere new. It shows us everything we missed from where we were standing. The further we go, the more there is to find. And it requires an act of courage: looking up.
STORY 2026 is where your perceptions, curiosity, and courage gets a room and a name. This isn't a conference. It's a threshold. And you're not here to watch. You're here because the story that's unfolding next needs you in it.
Welcome to the Academie of Narratology Ad Astra
The premier institution for the study of story as a force of transformation, our curriculum lives at the intersection of wonder and craft, where narrative intelligence becomes both telescope and compass. Students of the Academie don't just study breakthrough, they engineer it. Launch countdown has commenced. Secure your seat before takeoff.
Explore the Sessions
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01
First Breath
The pause that changes everything.Session One:Before anything can change, you have to stop long enough to notice what's true. This session is about the moment right before — the inhale before the leap. Why wonder matters, why urgency matters, and why the most powerful thing you can do right now might be to pause.
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02
Zero G
What happens when you let go.Session Two:You can't do this alone, and you weren't supposed to. This session is about releasing the weight — of control, of pretending, of going solo — and discovering what becomes possible when you trust the people around you to hold what you can't.
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03
The Void
Where nothing becomes everything.Session Three:The empty space is the one most people rush past. This session sits in the uncertainty — the gap between what was and what's next — and makes a case for why that blank space is where the real work happens.
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04
Signal / Silence
Knowing when to transmit and when to receive.Session Four:Not every moment needs your voice. Not every silence needs to be filled. This session is about the craft of timing — learning when to speak up, when to listen harder, and how to tell the difference.
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05
Breakthrough Burn
The moment of ignition.Session Five:This is the session where everything catches fire. The ideas, the courage, the clarity — this is what it looks and feels like when preparation finally meets action. No more rehearsal.
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06
New Air
Breathing in your transformation.Session Six:You came in breathing one atmosphere. You're leaving breathing another. This session is about what happens after the breakthrough — how to carry what you've found back into the life that's waiting for you, and how to make it last.
2026 speakers
Crew Leaders
Speaker List Coming Soon
Schedule
All times listed are Central Time (U.S).
Thursday, October 1, 2026
DAY ONE
9:00 AM
Mainstage Session
10:45 AM
Mainstage Session
12:00 PM
Lunch Break
1:00 PM
Mainstage Session
2:45 PM
Breakout Experiences
4:00 PM
Mainstage Session
5:30 PM
Half-ter Party
Friday, October 2, 2026
DAY TWO
9:00 AM
Mainstage Session
10:45 AM
Breakout Experiences
12:00 PM
Lunch Break
1:00 PM
Mainstage Session
2:45 PM
Breakout Experiences
4:00 PM
Mainstage Session
5:30 PM
Dismiss
Get Tickets
Limited boarding options open. STORY 2026 launches from the Schermerhorn Symphony Center, downtown Nashville, TN — October 1-2, 2026.
Next price increase on May 1 — Save $100 per ticket now
Balcony seating
Retail Pricing: $997
Less than 170 tickets remaining!
$797
Floor seating
Retail Pricing: $1,297
Less than 150 tickets remaining!
$997
Private Box
Starting at: $3,588
Seating groups of 4, 6, or 10 at a discounted rate per seat
$3,588
STORY is hosted and curated by:
The Information Age is ending.
The Imagination Age is beginning.
Istoria exists at that threshold.
We believe the most powerful force shaping the future isn’t technology...it’s story.
Humans are story-driven creatures. The stories we believe shape what we build, what we attempt, and what we think is possible.
For more than a decade, Istoria has helped leaders, creators, and organizations narrate the impossible by reimagining the stories driving their work and their world.
From freelancers to Fortune 100 companies the pattern is the same: The biggest challenges aren’t strategy problems. They’re story problems.
STORY is where those conversations come to life, and one of the many ways that Istoria is shaping the storytellers who shape the world.
Partners & Sponsors
Istoria is a Collective of artists, dreamers, strategists and storytellers who overcome challenges and solve big problems by establishing new narratives. We’re on a mission to be the most positive and disruptive force for transforming the future through the power of story.
STORY 2026 is a production of Istoria, in partnership with
Want to partner with us?
Email [email protected] to begin a conversation about partnership today!
The Countdown Doesn’t Wait
Your seat on this mission isn't guaranteed. It's chosen. 500 crew. One launch window. This is yours — if you take it. Launching October 1-2, 2026 in Nashville, TN.