Get Unblocked. Turn Naysayers into Allies. Make Your Ideas Happen.
Even the most qualified arts administrators are:
Shut down when proposing new ideas
Expected to lead without real authority
Overlooked for new opportunities
Burned out from managing up, down, and sideways—without the tools to make it better
There’s a Better Way to Lead and Advance—on Your Terms
The Uplevel Leadership Development Program is a career transformation accelerator for off-stage arts professionals.
Whether you’re looking for a new role or wanting to make a bigger impact where you are right now, Uplevel was built specifically for this industry. It teaches you the research-backed leadership skills you were never taught before—so you can:
- Get buy-in for your ideas from your boss, board, or artistic director
- Position yourself as a leader (no matter your job title)
- Navigate organizational politics without burning out
- Advance your career with clarity and confidence
Imagine entering every meeting with a plan and purpose of what you want out of that meeting, strategically lining up allies, motivating and eliciting the actions in others you want to see, knowing how and when to take space and make space for others, negotiating a better salary, and building a high performing team that’s aligned around a vision.
Leadership isn’t a certain role or title or level of seniority. Leadership is when the system or org isn’t grinding you—because you know how to operate on a different plane entirely.
Your career, transformed.
Uplevel has helped more than a hundred arts administrators negotiate salary bumps, step into executive leadership roles, and drive change inside their organizations. All designed by someone who’s been in your shoes.
Three Program Tiers
The Uplevel leadership curriculum blends behavioral science, management psychology, and years of in-the-trenches experience to deliver results—all in Aubrey’s Changing the Narrative style packed with data and research.
Go at the pace you want, in the order you need.
We recommend giving yourself 4 weeks to work through the Uplevel material, but some prefer to take their time, revisiting the lessons again and again. Now you have options for both.
Uplevel Core Details
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Video lessons taught by Aubrey on leadership topics
Casting Vision
- Tools for managing up and laterally
- How to bring others along with your vision and ideas
- Standing out from the pack: Crafting your leadership purpose statement
- Elements of Procedural Justice
- Research-backed negotiation strategies – for collective bargaining and/or job offers
Job Search
- Do’s and Don’ts as a candidate
- Applications
- Cover letters: It’s a problem when the messaging doesn’t...
Do’s as an Employer
- Fair and equitable hiring practices
- Best practices for writing job descriptions to attract the best talent possible
- What to look for when reviewing resumes (and what not to) to maximize the talent pool
- Best practices for interviewing to land the best candidate every time
Building the Team
- Qualities of high performing teams
- Qualities of high performing leaders
- How to strengthen company culture
Negotiations
- Top negotiation tips for job offers and collective bargaining
Audience Development
- Audience retention overview (the crash course you need no matter your role)
- Online and in person experience: The three F’s
Personal Growth
- When to quit (and when not to)
- Putting it all together & defining your next steps
Worksheets for Key Topics
- So you can customize application of the material to your specific situation.
- Available as Google docs and printable PDFs.
Access to a Global Community of Arts Professionals
- Instantly gain access to hundreds of likeminded, welcoming, forward-thinking arts professionals—across disciplines, continents, roles, and experience—all working to change the narrative for arts and culture.
Uplevel Plus Details
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Additional 6 videos going deeper on Uplevel topics
- Navigating Office Politics
- Secrets of Search Firms
- Decolonizing Power
- Money Mindset
- Negotiations from the Artist Perspective
- Using Your Influence for Impact
Book Reading List
- Highly requested book reading list of just the titles related to Uplevel topics (so you don’t have to go through 91 of Aubrey’s public book reviews to find what you need)
Professional Development Skill-Building Library
Topics in the Changing the Narrative style, led by Aubrey as well as personally-invited guest speakers, who are CTN-approved subject matter experts. 26 videos in total, each around 45-60 minutes across topics, including:
- How to Secure Press Coverage in Today’s World
- 9 Tips for Creating Irresistible Resumes & Cover Letters
- Secrets to Successful Grant Writing
- Stop Using #ClassicalMusic: A Guide to Growing Your Org’s Social Media Following
- How to Start Your Own 501c3
- What the Research Actually Says about Imposter Syndrome
- How to Survive Constant Change in the Digital Age
- Loving Kindness Meditation (Your Bad Day Salve)
- Asking the Right Questions: How to Gather Effective Audience Insights to Drive Growth
- Embracing Your Inner Unicorn: Executive Leadership in the Arts
- Aubrey, Help Me Fix My Marketing!
- Plus almost 20 more hours of make-you-smart-fast, skill-building sessions
Uplevel All Access Details
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Live Personalized Session with Aubrey
- Your private, one-on-one session where anything goes, because the time is yours. Bring your questions to a safe space to get the real-time support you need.
- For anyone who has ever wanted to meet with Aubrey or just ask for some advice from someone who’s been there.
- Note: Aubrey no longer offers complimentary 1:1 consultations, so this really is your chance to get client access to her expertise and get insight catered to your specific scenario.
Goal Setting Sprint with Aubrey
- This 5 part series walks you from an idea of a goal you’d like to achieve, whether personal or a goal for your team or organization, to making it concrete with a detailed plan and timeline to get there.
- This is the exact process Aubrey uses literally any time she is creating a new project, timeline, or workflow — and now you get to her hear teach it in short, bite sized episodes that talk you through how to do it too.
- This is a tool you can come back to again and again any time you have a project to plan or idea to execute.
Full year access + Payment plan option
- Only available to this tier, you have the option to spread out your investment over multiple months to make it more affordable and get access for longer.
FAQs
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Uplevel is designed for arts professionals wanting professional development and skill building across multiple topics, wanting to get buy-in for your ideas or position yourself in the marketplace, wanting to galvanize the board or leadership around an idea or vision, and/or wanting modern best practices to build high performing teams, no matter your level of seniority or years in the field.
This includes administrators as well as artists wanting to transition to admin or management roles.
If you are wanting to increase audiences, the donor base, and/or revenue, or improve marketing or fundraising, then Run It Like A Business Academy is likely a better fit for you.
If you are wanting to better understand you patron data or metrics, the Audience Development Bootcamp is likely a better fit for you.
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Definitely! Especially if you are considering a career pivot, or want to learn more about administrative roles, this content will be valuable to you. Many artists have participated in the past, and we always love seeing artists join!
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After you join, you’ll gain immediate access to the curriculum at whatever tier you enroll. For the Gold All Access Tier, you’ll also unlock instructions on how you can self-schedule your 1:1 at a time that works for you.
You can schedule it right away, or wait until you’ve had some time to dive into the curriculum — it’s up to you because you’re in the driver’s seat.
The time with Aubrey is yours to use however you’d like. Bring your questions, thoughts, and scenarios related to any Uplevel topic(s) you want to talk through.
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This program is intentionally now offered at different membership tiers to make it significantly more affordable than other arts leadership development programs.
Additionally, CTN wants to help people from historically marginalized groups be able to attend to increase representation in the arts and will offer a limited number of pay-what-you-can slots. If you come from a historically marginalized or underrepresented group(s) and feel your income sources are different than peers that are paying full price, please contact us here to be considered for a PWYC option.
Get notified when doors open
