Business Mastermind
In its third year, the USCR Business Mastermind offers a combination of educational brainstorming, peer accountability, and support in a group setting that sharpens your spiritual business skills.
These sessions, hosted by Rev. Dr. Ahriana Platten, follow a bi-monthly plan, with presentations on 1st Wednesdays and Q&As on 3rd Wednesdays to discuss what was learned and how it might be applied.
Meeting Information
Content Session: 1st Wednesdays, 11 a.m.–12 p.m. CT (recorded)
Q&A Session: 3rd Wednesdays, 11 a.m.–12 p.m. CT
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2026 invites us into the frontier of ministry, a landscape alive with possibility, shaped by shifting culture, spiritual hunger, and the courageous leaders willing to explore new forms of service. This year’s Business Mastermind is not a continuation of the past. It is a call to the next evolution.
We gather as ministers, mystics, makers, and stewards of community. We gather to imagine what spiritual leadership looks like when we lean toward tomorrow with open hearts. We gather to learn, to experiment, to collaborate, and to re-vision our sacred work with wisdom and joy.
This program becomes your creative sanctuary… a lab for spiritual innovation, a council for shared wisdom, and a hearth where new ideas arrive warm from the fire of inspiration.
You will leave 2026 more imaginative, more grounded, more skillful, and more attuned to what the Holy is whispering through changing times.
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Twelve Months. Twelve Expansions. One Bold New Era of Ministry.
January 7 (content) & 21 (Q&A)
Soul-Tech Communion: Digital Altar, Global Congregation
Digital ministry is no longer optional. It is a doorway. This month we explore how sacred presence translates through screen and sound, how to build digital rituals that feel intimate, and how ministers can cultivate spiritual community beyond physical walls.
New Enhancements
Creating “digital sacraments” with integrity and theological grounding
AI and ministry: ethical use, spiritual potential, community boundaries
Designing online experiences that feel alive, interactive, sensory, and relational
Cultivating global spiritual belonging
Technology as a tool of inclusion
February 4 (content) & 18 (Q&A)
Money: The Spiritual Science of Abundance & Sustainable Ministry
Money is energy. Ministry is circulation. This month reframes money as a sacred current and invites leaders to explore innovative, regenerative, joyful financial models.
New Enhancements
Reimagining stewardship as partnership rather than obligation
Pricing with purpose: when generosity and sustainability coexist
New revenue streams for 21st-century ministries
Ritualizing generosity as spiritual practice
Conscious economics & the ethics of receiving
March 4 (content) (March 18 Q&A: canceled)
Marketplace Mystics: Empowering Spiritual Entrepreneurs in Your Community
Your congregation is filled with mystics disguised as teachers, artists, accountants, nurses, parents, and creators. This class helps ministers discover and commission the spiritual gifts already present in their community.
New Enhancements
Training lay leaders as spiritual practitioners
Blessing people into their soul-work
Creating micro-ministries within the larger ministry
Marketplace mentorship models
Building a culture where “everyone is called”
April 1 (content) & 29 (Q&A)
Generations in Motion: Designing Ministry for Every Age, Stage, and Story
Modern spiritual communities are not linear. They are spirals of age, identity, culture, and experience. This class explores inclusive ministry that honors every generation as wisdom-bearers.
New Enhancements
Intergenerational ritual design
Life-stage ministries (young adults, midlife awakening, elderhood initiation)
Creating belonging for neurodivergent or differently-abled congregants
Intergenerational storytelling as community glue
Elders as anchors of collective consciousness
May 6 (content) & 20 (Q&A)
Shadow & Light: Trauma-Wise Ministry, Emotional Presence, and Sacred Self-Care (Improved)
Ministry meets people at the thresholds of grief, transformation, and vulnerability. We’ll explore how to lead with compassion without drowning in others’ pain.
New Enhancements
Trauma-sensitive communication
Somatic grounding for ministers
Preventing burnout through sacred boundaries
Congregation-wide trauma literacy
Creating community care systems that uplift everyone
June 3 (content) & 17 (Q&A)
Prophetic Engagement: Justice, Earth Wisdom, and Spiritual Courage in Action
Prophetic ministry is love with its sleeves rolled up. This month invites ministers to bring sacred principles into collective action.
New Enhancements
Earth-based spirituality & ecological ministry
Intersectional, inclusive social justice practices
Community healing as public witness
Interfaith coalition-building
Leading without polarization
July 1 (content) & 15 (Q&A)
Ritual Rewired: Embodied, Experiential, Celebration
Gatherings in 2026 must stir the body, ignite the imagination, and speak to the soul’s hunger for real encounter.
New Enhancements
Sensory-rich services
Story-based teaching
Ceremony as spiritual technology
Movement, breath, music, and archetype in worship
Rituals for times of upheaval or transition
August 5 (content) & 19 (Q&A)
Ethics in the Wild: Digital Integrity, Power, Influence & Sacred Transparency
An ethics class for a world where boundaries, influence, and public presence are fluid.
New Enhancements
Digital ethics for ministers
When spiritual authority meets online influence
AI-assisted content: transparency, care, and boundaries
Financial transparency that builds trust
Community agreements for a new era of ministry
September 2 (content) & 16 (Q&A)
Adaptive Governance & Agile Leadership (Improved)
Governance must be living, not rigid. Ministry must be responsive, not reactive.
New Enhancements
Polycentric leadership
Supervision models for modern ministries
Agile tools for boards
Congregation feedback as spiritual discernment
Structures that evolve with the needs of the people
October 7 (content) & 21 (Q&A)
StoryCraft & Sacred Narrative
Every ministry has a soul-story. When that story is told well, people feel its power and want to belong.
New Enhancements
Archetypal storytelling
Branding as spiritual identity
Message consistency across platforms
The minister as storyteller-in-chief
Collective storytelling rituals
November 4 (content) & 18 (Q&A)
Hybrid Ministry Labs: Innovate, Experiment, Evolve
This month becomes a living laboratory. Bring your ministry dreams, experiments, and prototypes.
New Enhancements
Launch-and-learn frameworks
Peer review for new ministry ideas
Evaluating success without harsh judgment
Experimentation through spiritual principle
Creating an ongoing culture of innovation
December 2 (content) & 16 (Q&A)
Harvest & Hearth: Reflection, Blessing, Gratitude, Renewal
We end as we began—with heart, imagination, and Spirit.
New Enhancements
A communal ritual of gratitude
Integration practices for sustained change
Evaluating your personal growth in 2026
Renewal blessings for the year ahead
Creating next-year vision maps
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Join Business Mastermind meetings on Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/8162871656. Please arrive early to check your technology.
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There is no set fee for any of the support calls. Love offerings for Business Mastermind are appreciated.
Host
Rev. Dr. Ahriana Platten, Business Consultant
Now in her thirtieth year of ministry, Rev. Dr. Ahriana Platten has spent decades inside sanctuaries, boardrooms, retreat centers, and moments of quiet pastoral crisis. She knows what it is to lead when times are uncertain and what it is to guide when the old rules no longer apply.
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A spiritual anthropologist by instinct and training, she studies what makes communities flourish and what quietly fractures them. Her work integrates neuroscience, systems thinking, ritual intelligence, and lived ministry experience. Not as theory. As practice.
Ahriana is a business consultant, connection programming specialist, best-selling author, and master ceremonialist. She has designed leadership immersions, sabbatical retreats, guided congregations through transition, and helped ministers build structures that protect both vision and vitality.
She teaches the way she leads: grounded, precise, and honest about the times we are living in.
Ahriana’s professional background is quite unique. She’s worked parallel career fields for more than thirty years, spending half her time as an entrepreneur and business consultant, and half her time in spiritual leadership. She has led international development teams in North American, South America, Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Middle East.Ahriana’s professional background is quite unique. She’s worked parallel career fields for more than thirty years, spending half her time as an entrepreneur and business consultant, and half her time in spiritual leadership. She has led international development teams in North American, South America, Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Middle East.
A former Ambassador for the Parliament of the World’s Religions, Ahriana is featured in the acclaimed international docuseries, “Time of the Sixth Sun.” She has traveled the world to explore its cultural differences and human similarities, speaking to religious and indigenous leaders from over 250 tribes and traditions, and her weekly newspaper column is seen by 120,000 readers each week.A former Ambassador for the Parliament of the World’s Religions, Ahriana is featured in the acclaimed international docuseries, “Time of the Sixth Sun.” She has traveled the world to explore its cultural differences and human similarities, speaking to religious and indigenous leaders from over 250 tribes and traditions, and her weekly newspaper column is seen by 120,000 readers each week.
With more than 30 years of metaphysical training, Ahriana is a certified Transpersonal Hypnotherapist, an ordained Unity Minister, a Reiki Master/Teacher in the Usui lineage, a 3rd-degree Priestess in two esoteric religious traditions, and has studied with indigenous teachers and medicine people. Her doctoral focus on Pastoral Counseling Psychology supports her bridge building efforts.
Ahriana lives from a blend of Eastern and Western ideologies that includes the concepts of universal consciousness, interconnection, and relational accountability. She currently serves as a US liaison for Feed14K, a nonprofit program addressing food scarcity in South Africa, and she is the board president for Citizens-Powered Media.
You can connect with Ahriana at businessmastermind@unitysouthcentral.org or asoulfullworld.com. You can also find her on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and other social media platforms.
Publications
The Changing Story by Rev. Dr. Ahriana Platten
Rites and Rituals—Harnessing the Power of Sacred Ceremony by Rev. Dr. Ahriana Platten
FAQs
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Yes! Unity Worldwide Ministries (UWM) will accept any hour attending our support calls as CEU credits. The recording and reporting of such hours to UWM remain the responsibility of each individual. Ethics and Inclusivity CEUs are earned as the topics are specifically offered. For any questions, please contact UWM directly.
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The first meeting addresses a specific topic of interest to introduce common business practices and what works well in ministry. The intent is to inspire the immediate practical application to get some personal experience.
Then, the second meeting, is an opportunity to engage in a Q&A, which allows participants to reflect on their experience and get some valuable feedback from the host.
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Primarily, these meetings are designed to address the business challenges in ministry for ministry leaders, such as the leading minister, the board president, treasurer, administrative manager, etc.
You can ask yourself the question who in your ministry could benefit from learning more about the business aspects of ministry?
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Yes and no. The first meeting, focusing on presenting a particular topic will be recorded for later use while the second meeting (Q&A) will not be recorded to ensure a safe space to discuss real-world challenges and opportunities.
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Yes, you will find the recordings above under the section titled Business Mastermind Topics. You can also find all support call videos under Resources.
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Yes, USCR offers several calls and meetings to provide specific support in various areas. Check out our calendar to learn more about those regular events.
Business Mastermind Recordings
Spiritual Entrepreneurship and Revenue Models
Exploring creative business strategies for spiritual growth, including digital platforms, merchandise, and experiential services.
Planning IS Self-Care
Burn-out is the number one reason ministers leave ministry. Planning is a powerful tool for protecting yourself from burn-out. Plan vacations. Plan daily tasks. Plan for unexpected emergencies. In this lesson, we’ll learn why planning is good self-care.
Making the Holidays Meaningful
The holiday season begins in October and ends at Easter. From the first day to the last, it’s a journey of spiritual change and growth. Learn how to create a meaningful and interconnected holiday season.
Ethics
Did you know that there's a legal definition for confidentiality and it's substantially different from keeping a secret? What would you do if a congregant told you they were thinking about doing something and asked you to keep it confidential? How do you know what to keep confidential and what to share? What are the ethical considerations surrounding confidentiality and how do you make good decisions? We’ll focus on ethics and confidentiality in this 90-minute class which will meet the UWM annual ethics class requirement for Unity ministers.
Financial Transformation
Wondering how to think differently about the financial health of your spiritual community? Leadership and finances go hand in hand. Let’s talk about why your financial health is the co-creation of your community and how to lead your community to more generosity in this area.
That's your story?
We all love stories. What is the story of your community? How do you describe what you do and why you do it? What are the important elements of your story? In this lesson, we’ll build an outline.
Contracting
Independent contractors. What are they? When should we hire them? How do we tell the difference between an employee and an independent contractor? How can we prepare the necessary contracts? Pick up a check list as part of this lesson.
Culture Creation
Culture is the personality of your community. Is your culture loving? Forgiving? Judgmental? Supportive? Learn how to determine the culture of your community – and how to change it if it needs to be changed.
The Problem Is Not the Problem
If you rub two sticks together, you create heat. If two people’s opinions rub each other the wrong way, the heat can become a destructive force. Positioned correctly, and with guidance, disagreement can result in profound spiritual growth. Learn how in this session.
The Power of Permission
It’s painful to hire someone who doesn’t do their job. Too often, the lack of action reflects a lack of empowerment. How do you outline responsibilities, address needed training, and hold your staff accountable? This session provides useful tools.
Strategic Spontaneity
Change is coming. It’s the one thing we can rely on – and it often happens so fast that we must act spontaneously to address it. Are you preparing your community for the spiritual growth that comes from change? Early conversation can make all the difference!
How Spiritual Business Differs
Spiritual business is different from other business because it’s all about people instead of products. In our January session, we explore the seven energy centers of your spiritual business, and learn how to create good systems and processes, while honoring the people we serve.