Direct Selling University’s (DSU) Fall 2026 event was a game-changing blend of innovation, inspiration and industry connection, welcoming hundreds of leaders from across the channel to explore cutting-edge trends and unify in a mission to improve the industry for all.
Tuesday / Starting Strong
The event began with an invite-only CEO Forum attended by dozens of C-Suite trailblazers. Transparent discussions on the challenges and opportunities facing the channel led to productive takeaways for all in attendance.
Also on the agenda were four impactful deep-dive workshops tackling some of the channel’s most noteworthy topics.
The International Expansion Workshop, hosted by Senior Global C-Level Executive Alex Hoffmann, featured leaders including Dave Fleming (Juice Plus+), Chris Fowler (Neumi), Troy Keller (Dorsey + Whitney), Don Lovelace (Nu Skin), Michael McClellan (Worldpay) and Walter Noot (USANA), who shared proven strategies for successful international expansion.
The Social Commerce Strategies Workshop, hosted by Herbalife’s SVP of Strategy and Innovation Wayne Moorehead, proved to be a highlight, offering practical applications and proven case studies on implementing successful social commerce strategies. Featured speakers included Jenn Ashby (New U Life), Heather Chastain (Bridgehead Collective), Peter Griscom (Zinzino/SoCom News), Orville Thompson (Scentsy) and David Vanderveen (IM8/SoCom News).
The Legal, Regulatory & Compliance Workshop, moderated by Katrina Eash, Partner, King & Spalding, returned due to popular demand, offering direct selling professionals a deep dive into navigating the industry’s evolving landscape. The impressive lineup of experts included KC Barrow (Young Living), Grant Baskerville (Utah Direct Selling Coalition), Dayna Boozer (Mary Kay), Ed Burbach (Foley & Lardner), Anne Crews (Mary Kay), Jane Fergason (Foley & Lardner), Dave Grimaldi (DSA), Rane Jensen (MAKE Wellness), Branko Jovanovic (Edgeworth Economics), Troy Keller (Dorsey & Whitney), Brent Kugler (Sheef & Stone), Eric Lewy (Fieldwatch), Marian Smith (EllieMD), Shawn Tuna (Spencer Fane) and Carmen Wasserman (Plexus).
The Built to Last, Not Built to Crash Workshop, hosted by Strategic Advisor, Author and Podcast Host Rob Sperry, tackled the critical question of how direct selling companies can build not just for momentum but for longevity. Experts included Robby Fender (Yoli), Katy Holt-Larsen (Partner.Co) and Justin Prince (MAKE Wellness).
Wednesday / Fresh Takes and Takeaways
DSU main stage presentations began Wednesday. The emcee for this event was Rob Sperry, who has spent two decades in the direct selling profession coaching, consulting and building alongside the top one percent of earners and executives. He has personally trained over 1,700 verified six and seven-figure earners inside his private masterminds; spoken in twenty-three countries; hosted over 30 elite leadership events; and served as a strategic advisor to some of the industry’s most innovative and legacy companies. His DSN-produced podcast, What’s Working in Direct Selling, features top field leaders in direct marketing sharing candid insights and actionable takeaways.
Stuart Johnson, Founder and CEO of Direct Selling News, examined the forces reshaping direct selling, from the continued growth of services and international markets to mounting product competition and regulatory scrutiny. Emphasizing social commerce, AI and evolving entrepreneurial expectations, Johnson challenged leaders to rethink traditional models, prioritize genuine customer value and embrace innovation to build sustainable businesses in a rapidly changing marketplace.
Keynote speaker Alison Trowbridge, Founder and CEO of Copper Books, explored the power of “relational equity”—the lasting value created by investing in meaningful relationships. Drawing on Tupperware’s history and her own entrepreneurial journey, Trowbridge demonstrated how trust drives sales, strengthens retention and builds resilient businesses. She offered practical strategies for cultivating trust, repairing damaged relationships and leveraging personal connections as a competitive advantage in an increasingly automated world.
In a panel moderated by Heather Chastain, Peter Griscom and David Vanderveen tackled why direct selling has struggled to capitalize on social commerce. The discussion highlighted talent gaps, content-driven marketing, customer acquisition and the importance of bringing the field along. Both emphasized experimentation, outside expertise and AI-powered tools to accelerate adoption and growth.
Michael Fallquist, CEO of Energywell/Think+, shared eight lessons from two decades in direct selling, emphasizing that sustainable growth begins with genuine customer value. Drawing on his experience in the energy sector, Fallquist explored how mission-driven cultures, field partnerships, trust and innovative business models can transform complex services into compelling opportunities while creating lasting value for everyone involved.
In a pre-recorded interview with Heather Chastain, Andrew Schmidt, Regional President of West Markets, Amway addressed the company’s FTC settlement, explaining the changes to customer sales verification, distributor sponsorship requirements and earnings disclosures. Schmidt emphasized the importance of documenting genuine consumer demand, maintaining accurate data and enforcing field compliance while reaffirming Amway’s commitment to its direct selling business model.
In a conversation with Rob Sperry, Katy Holt-Larsen, Partner.Co’s Chief Impact Officer, shared how the company combines customer-focused wellness programs, community building and social commerce to drive growth. From daily field-led training calls to events designed around content creation, Holt-Larsen illustrated how collaboration, authentic storytelling and simple, duplicatable systems help customers become confident brand partners.
Bridgehead Collective Founder and CEO Heather Chastain presented new research revealing a disconnect between direct selling’s emphasis on community and customers’ actual experiences. Her findings showed that consumers increasingly want to feel personally recognized rather than marketed to. Chastain encouraged companies to prioritize meaningful engagement, strengthen customer relationships beyond individual distributors and measure community’s impact on retention and loyalty.
Rob Sperry, Strategic Advisor, Author and Podcast Host, presented survey findings from 94 top field leaders, revealing growing fatigue, recruitment challenges and concerns about leadership development despite continued optimism about direct selling’s future. Sperry urged companies to rebuild belief through clear long-term vision, stronger leader retention, simplified onboarding and meaningful early wins that reinforce why the opportunity is worth pursuing.
In a legal panel moderated by Heather Chastain, attorneys Katrina Eash and Ed Burbach examined the implications of Amway’s FTC settlement for direct selling companies. They distinguished regulatory guidance from binding legal precedent and urged executives to scrutinize customer sales data, income disclosures and field practices while prioritizing transparency and proactive compliance.
Nancy Bogart, Founder and CEO of Jordan Essentials, shared how creative product strategies and disciplined business systems have fueled growth at her company for over 26 years. Highlighting weekly product launches, subscription boxes and corporate gifting, Bogart credited values-based hiring with strengthening her team, improving execution and driving a 68 percent increase in business over three years.
Moderated by Stuart Johnson, a panel featuring Neora Co-Founder and Co-CEO Amber Olson Rourke, Entrepreneur and Advisor Blake Mallen and Plexus Chief Executive & Growth Officer Stuart MacMillan explored personal development’s evolving role in direct selling. The executives advocated moving beyond motivational events toward daily growth, authentic leadership and interactive learning. They emphasized that resilience, accountability and human connection remain essential differentiators in an increasingly AI-driven world.
Brian Gill, CMO of 4Life, explored the “curse of knowledge”—the disconnect between what corporate teams understand and what distributors experience when encountering new products, programs and tools. Through practical examples, Gill demonstrated how fresh perspectives, consumer testing and clear, application-focused training can simplify communication, improve adoption and help companies launch initiatives more effectively.
Stuart MacMillan detailed Plexus’s ambitious transformation strategy, Vision 30, built around becoming the world’s leading gut health company. Drawing on 10X thinking, MacMillan outlined a disciplined approach to organizational alignment, product innovation, international expansion and customer experience partnered with simpler compensation and greater emphasis on early wins, retention and developing midlevel leaders.
In a field-focused panel moderated by Rob Sperry, top field leaders Julia Thornhill, Teresa Coffey and Jordan Kemper shared practical strategies for customer acquisition, streamlined onboarding and faster early wins. From personalized training and AI-powered support to social media tools, the discussion underscored the importance of simplicity, consistent systems and stronger corporate-field collaboration to drive growth and retention.
Dan Debnam, Founder and CEO of Inovara, challenged direct selling executives to accelerate AI adoption as field leaders independently embrace tools that raise new opportunities and compliance risks. Highlighting the rise of AI-powered shopping agents, personalized onboarding and predictive retention, Debnam urged companies to move beyond experimentation, automate everyday workflows and prioritize measurable business results through practical, employee-led innovation.
Thursday / AI Deep Dive
Peter Griscom, Zinzino’s President, demonstrated how connecting company knowledge, customer data and field insights can make AI agents more accurate and effective. Using Zinzino’s approach to knowledge graphs and personalized recommendations, Griscom showed how companies can deliver actionable guidance to distributors, automate issue resolution and continuously improve decisions—turning underutilized information into a competitive advantage.
Blake Mallen challenged direct selling leaders to move beyond simply using AI tools and fundamentally rethink how they work. Positioning AI as a strategic thought partner rather than an answer engine, Mallen shared practical approaches to improving results through richer context, connected data and AI agents. He argued that embracing these capabilities can free leaders to focus on the industry’s greatest strengths—human connection, trust and relationships.
Keynote Speaker Geoff Woods, Founder of AI Leadership, challenged executives to rethink AI as a strategic thought partner rather than a productivity tool. Introducing his CRIT framework, Woods demonstrated how better questions can sharpen decision-making, accelerate organizational alignment and unlock employee potential. Drawing on examples from Herbalife and other companies, he urged leaders to prioritize their biggest business challenges, model AI adoption and use technology to amplify human strengths.
Xyngular President Oliver Dibblee demonstrated how connecting AI to existing company data can transform business intelligence into real-time action. Through examples of personalized field recognition, targeted coaching, churn prevention and promotion analysis, Dibblee showed how faster insights improve decisions and strengthen relationships. He encouraged leaders to start with read-only access, teach AI their business rules and keep human judgment central.
Barb Pitcock, Founder and CEO of frequense, shared how her family-owned startup uses AI to scale personal connection without sacrificing authenticity. From virtual mentors modeled after company leaders to personalized onboarding, customer support and field performance alerts, Pitcock demonstrated how technology can strengthen relationships and improve retention. She encouraged executives to embrace AI while preserving the trust, accessibility and human connection that define direct selling.
Neil Markey, CTO of Juice Plus+, detailed how the company used AI to rebuild a troubled technology platform in just nine months, achieving ninefold productivity gains with significantly fewer resources. He also introduced Jay, an AI-powered assistant that gives distributors immediate access to customer insights, subscription activity and field performance data. Markey encouraged executives to rethink traditional development processes, invest in AI expertise and extend adoption across every department.
Dan Debnam made the case for democratizing AI adoption across entire organizations rather than concentrating investment in large technology initiatives. Sharing examples of substantial cost savings and thousands of hours recovered through employee-led automation, Debnam outlined a practical approach built on assessing AI proficiency, personalized training and connecting existing systems. He challenged executives to empower employees at every level to identify inefficiencies and turn small improvements into measurable business results.
DID YOU KNOW DSN Supporter Companies have access to all DSU content (and much, much more) 24 hours a day, 7 days a week? That means becoming a supporter unlocks the keys to your teams’ continued development.
