February 2026: Sustainable Support Systems: How Editors Can Build Masterminds for Accountability and Momentum

Many editors crave community, accountability, and a safe place to talk through sticky client situations or business decisions, but they are not sure how to build that kind of support in a sustainable, simple way. This session uses our long-running five-person mastermind group as a real-world case study to show editors exactly how to design, launch, and maintain a mastermind that fits their goals and personalities.

We will briefly share the problems our mastermind was created to solve: professional isolation, decision fatigue, inconsistent marketing, starting a new business, and stalled business growth. Then we will walk through the simple framework, rules, and structures that have kept it effective over multiple years. Attendees will see what has changed over time, what we track, and how we course-correct when life or business shifts.

Participants will leave with practical advice they can adapt immediately: how to choose partners, set expectations and boundaries, structure meetings, build in accountability, and protect the group from scope creep or burnout.  

Learning Objectives

1. Identify at least three specific problems in your editing practice or business that a mastermind group could help address, such as isolation, inconsistent marketing, or decision-making fatigue.

2. Design a basic mastermind structure tailored to your needs, including ideal group size, meeting frequency and format, roles, and simple ground rules that support psychological safety and sustained participation.

3. Create an action plan to launch or strengthen a mastermind, including how to find and vet potential members, set expectations and boundaries, and build in accountability measures that keep the group healthy over time.

As the (recently retired) communications manager for a small admitting and advising office at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, Moira Kelley was part of a team working to ensure its division’s content was in compliance with the Department of Justice ruling regarding accessibility of digital content. In addition to her 29 years of service to UW–Madison, she is a freelance copyeditor specializing in digital content. Moira holds a copyediting certificate from UCSD, completed in 2022. She also worked as a part-time virtual communications assistant for Peak Careers Consulting, a position in which she managed digital content, including making accessibility recommendations. She has a B.S. in psychology from Carroll College, Waukesha, WI, and an M.S. in guidance and counseling from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.

Stephanie Wheeless is the owner and sole editor of Wheeless Edits, a Hampton Roads-based editing and book coaching business dedicated to helping writers strengthen their work with clarity, precision, and care. She provides copyediting, proofreading, developmental editing, and book coaching for authors across fiction and nonfiction, with particular experience in memoir, fantasy, and psychological thriller projects. Her editorial approach is collaborative and supportive, with a strong emphasis on preserving the writer’s voice while improving structure, consistency, and readability.

Stephanie holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a Master of Arts in Teaching from Christopher Newport University, as well as a copyediting certificate from UC San Diego Extended Studies. Before becoming an editor, she spent 10 years as an elementary educator, where she developed a deep appreciation for individualized feedback, clear communication, and helping others grow in confidence and skill. She also draws on her experience as a writing tutor, writer’s associate, and course consultant to bring an educator’s perspective to every editorial relationship. In addition to her manuscript work, Stephanie has experience editing newsletters, educational content, and other professional materials.