New at the 2026 ASJA Conference: The Coaching Corner

Finding clients is tough these days, for both independent writers and coaches. 

That’s why at the 2026 ASJA virtual conference, “Freelancers’ Blueprint: Navigating a Shifting Landscape,” April 20-24 we’re rolling out a new offering for both writers and coaches called the Coaching Corner.

The Coaching Corner will be available at no extra charge to all writers attending the conference, on Thursday, April 23, and Friday, April 24, from 12 to 1 p.m. Eastern time – immediately preceding Client Connections 2026 client meetings. Coaching is also available for ASJA professional members who are attending Client Connections only.

Read on to find out what it is, and how to participate.

What is the Coaching Corner?

Think of the Coaching Corner as drop-in office hours with coaches who are seasoned professionals with expertise in writing, running an independent writing business, inclusivity, and other writing-related topics. Both days, coaches will be available on the conference’s Airmeet online platform at their own virtual tables. Anyone attending the conference or participating in Client Connections meetings can pop in for quick, focused one-on-one conversations about pitching, marketing, workflow, ensuring diversity in your writing, or big-picture career questions.

Sign-up sheets for each coach will be available in the Coaching Corner Booth from the start of the conference. Writers can use a virtual Waiting Room Table to wait until their turn to speak to the coach of their choice. Did we mention that coaching is free?

Here are the six experienced coaches who are donating their time to share their expertise:

• Ashley Cisneros Mejia helps writers look at what’s actually going on in their businesses. Are they losing clients? Want to pivot to an adjacent type of freelance work? Cisneros Mejia is the host of the Talk Freelance to Me podcast and helps identify the most pressing issues and how to take action.
• Brette Sember coaches self-help, nonfiction, and memoir writers who need help getting their concept on the page, molding it to be marketable, and preparing a book proposal that sells. 
• Gabrielle Gayagoy Gonzalez provides sensitivity coaching to help writers examine how narratives are constructed, whose voices are centered, and what impact those choices have on real people and communities. 
• Megy Karydes helps mission-driven leaders tell stories that matter. Their stories come in different shapes and sizes, from full-length books to thought leadership LinkedIn posts and anything in between. She is a writing coach, book coach, ghostwriter, and strategic partner.
• Michelle Rafter offers writers a mini freelance business makeover. She works with writers on such topics as crafting the perfect pitch, elevating their writing, being a better self-editor, breaking into ghostwriting, running a writing business, or transitioning from a staff job to self-employment.
• Robin Colucci helps writers turn their message and expertise into a powerful, traditionally published nonfiction book that expands their impact, authority, and opportunities.

How to Sign Up If You’re a Writer Who Wants Coaching

The Coaching Corner is a low-stakes way to give coaching a try for writers who are curious about it but not sure where or how to start. Writers can get a few minutes with a professional coach to ask a targeted question and walk away with one or two concrete ideas to move their business forward. 

For writers who are attending Client Connections, a visit to the Coaching Corner is a great opportunity to test out a pitch and get feedback from an experienced coach. 

Otherwise, you might find a coach you want to work with longer term—or simply gain clarity on your next step.

The Coaching Corner is open only to ASJA members and nonmembers attending the 2026 conference, and to ASJA professional members attending Client Connections 2026. To take advantage of this perk, you must be registered for either the 2026 virtual conference or Client Connections 2026.

More about the 2026 ASJA Conference

The Coaching Corner is one more way ASJA is helping independent writers adjust to changing markets and tightening editorial budgets, providing spaces and coaching for independent nonfiction journalists and authors to succeed. 

The 2026 virtual conference brings together writers, editors, and agents for three days of helpful sessions on freelance journalism, content writing, and nonfiction books. Client Connections 2026 is an opportunity to pitch editors, agents, and content agencies directly.

Find the full ASJA 2026 conference schedule and register here. To stay up to speed with ASJA news and events, subscribe to the ASJA Weekly newsletter, read the ASJA Confidential blog, or follow ASJA on Facebook or LinkedIn.

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Charmaine Seitz is an ASJA board member and Co-Chair of the DEAI Committee. She is a writer and graphic designer who supports non-profit organizations through her business, Seitz Communications. She is writing a memoir about the nearly two decades she spent reporting on politics and religion from the Palestinian town of Ramallah for The Economist, The Nation, San Francisco Chronicle, In These Times, and other publications.