LevelUp 2025
Ideas for Thriving | Orlando, FL
July 16–19, 2025
Orlando, FL | July 16–19, 2025
We extend our deepest gratitude to the following individuals, who are sponsoring extremely low pricing for students and young adults to attend LevelUp 2025.
 Doug Basberg |
Helen Basberg |
| Pete Masterson |
Vicki Masterson |
| Thomas Ricucci |
David Clayton |
| Carl Barney |
Anonymous |
To join these forward-thinking individuals in sponsoring youth attendance at LevelUp, register as an Atlas at the next conference, or make a donation today.
Speakers
Speakers are subject to change.
Program
Craig and Sarah Biddle
A Debate with Craig Biddle and Alex O’Connor
Are you fundamentally in charge of the choices you make? Or are they ultimately necessitated by forces beyond your control. This is the question of free will or determinism.
Craig Biddle thinks people have free will, meaning they initiate and control certain mental and physical actions, such that they could have done otherwise. Alex O’Connor thinks all human actions, mental and physical, are necessitated by forces beyond our control, such that no one ever could have done other than he did.
Join them for a lively discussion of their views and reasoning. And bring your questions for the Q&A!
Craig Biddle
What if you had a toolkit for building a beautiful life? Rational philosophy offers exactly that: practical ideas to help you think clearly, choose your goals and relationships wisely, and follow through on what’s best for you.
Craig Biddle will discuss several high-leverage thinking tools, showing how you can use them to thrive in every area of life—from education and career, to friendships and romance, to recreational and leisure activities, to the general care of your body and mind. You’ll be better equipped to navigate life’s complexities with confidence and purpose.
Thomas Walker-Werth
Does living independently mean cutting off all reliance on other people? Does thinking independently mean only accepting ideas you came up with on your own? Or is there a more sensible approach to the virtue at hand?
Thomas Walker-Werth will address common misconceptions about independence, zeroing in on what it means to rely on and live by the judgment of your mind, and offering practical advice for applying this virtue to great effect in the various areas of your life.
Carrie-Ann Biondi
Do you want friends who add joy and meaning to your life—friends who are supportive, encouraging, and good for you (rather than neutral, draining, or toxic)? If so, Aristotle and Ayn Rand offer advice you’ll want to hear.
What is friendship? What are its elements? Whom should you befriend? How should you treat friends? How should they treat you? When should you end a friendship—and how?
Carrie-Ann Biondi will discuss select passages from Aristotle and Rand that address such questions, providing practical ideas you can use to foster good friendships today and for the rest of your life.
Andrew Bernstein
Critics of the West claim that Western culture is responsible for slavery, imperialism, sexism, genocide, global warming, cruelty to animals, and just about every bad thing you can think of. Western culture, these critics conclude, is uniquely evil. But does an objective examination of history support such claims? What is the truth—the whole truth—about the West?
Andrew Bernstein will address these and related questions, surveying the West’s virtues and vices, its essential characteristics, and the principles by which to judge a culture—any culture—objectively, justly, fairly.
Tim Chermak
Ever so rarely, a businessman comes along who is so creative that he redefines entrepreneurship. Walt Disney was such a man. He not only reimagined and improved existing business models; he invented entire industries and created profitable enterprises in categories that previously didn’t exist. And he infused all of his projects and creations with a sense of wonder and imagination—which he preserved from his childhood and fostered throughout his life.
Tim Chermak will zero in on what made Disney Disney, and how he built an empire of dreams, innovation, and joy.
Carl Barney
Imagine a professor—nay, a whole university of them—dedicated exclusively to your personalized education. These professors have read every book on every subject ever written. They know every argument ever offered for every position ever taken. They have infinite interest and patience in discussing ideas with you. And they are fully dedicated to helping you sharpen your mind and succeed in life.
Would you like such an education? You’ll soon be able to have it. Carl Barney will discuss how AI is revolutionizing higher education and creating opportunities unimaginable just a few years ago.
Angelica Walker-Werth
Reading a novel is, for many people, more enjoyable than reading a history book. Likewise for watching a movie versus watching the news. And fictional characters, plots, and themes can be far more enjoyable and more motivating than their real-life equivalents.
Why? What is it about fiction that moves us so deeply?
Angel Walker-Werth will address these questions, focusing on the effects of both life-serving ideas and life-throttling ideas in fiction, and the ways in which reading stories or watching movies can foster deeper understanding of our world and ourselves, and greater enjoyment of life.
Craig Biddle, Angelica Walker-Werth, and Thomas Walker-Werth
Do people really have free will? Can morality truly be objective? Is certainty or absolute knowledge possible? Is there any role for faith in life? How about sacrifice? Might God exist? Are rights real or made up? Should immigration be restricted? How about abortion?
If you are active-minded, you ask these kinds of questions—and you want to know what’s true. The panelists in this Q&A, however, will not focus on what is true. Rather, they will focus on the method by which you can discover for yourself what is true.
Bring your hard or pressing questions, and get ready for a deep, illuminating discussion about philosophy and independent thinking.
Timothy Sandefur
Sammy Davis, Jr., was not only “the greatest entertainer in the world,” as he was called during his lifetime; he was also a civil rights pioneer who shattered racial and cultural barriers in the entertainment industry. But his life was tragically mixed. In addition to overcoming immense challenges, he suffered a tragic weakness that nearly ruined his life. Timothy Sandefur will commemorate Davis’s 100th birthday by examining his extraordinary life—and the lessons we can learn from his virtues and flaws.
Jason Bateman and Thomas Walker-Werth
Over the centuries, and up to the present, men and women of the mind have discovered truths, developed technologies, and created the goods and services that, combined, make human life in our time seem miraculous in comparison to any other. Such thinkers and producers continue transforming our world and our lives today.
Who are these people? How do they do what they do? Why do they do it? And what, if anything, do we owe them? Jason Bateman and Thomas Walker-Werth will discuss these and related questions.
Lee Sandstead
Modern lifestyles involve a lot of sitting, using screens, and using our minds. But we are not merely minds. We are minds integrated with bodies. And taking good care of both aspects of this integrated whole is essential to thriving.
How can you get or stay physically fit so you can make the most of your life and enjoy it to the fullest? Lee Sandstead will address this and related questions, focusing on both the Athletic Component (AC) of fitness and the Dietary Component (DC), providing strategies and tactics for getting and staying fit for flourishing.
Eric Daniels
Flourishing requires life-long learning: the active use of your mind to understand the world and your needs throughout your years and decades. But there is so much to learn! And you can’t learn it all. How can you best select what to focus on? And how can you learn it most efficiently and effectively?
Eric Daniels will examine the principles involved in self-directed learning, difficulties inherent in the process, and strategies for constantly expanding your knowledge to improve your life.
Maddox Locher
For over a decade, Maddox was a guilt-ridden Christian doing everything he could to be “Christian enough”—teaching kids about the Bible, evangelizing to strangers, even baptizing himself at seventeen. Six years later, he is fully embracing reason and pursuing his own happiness.
Maddox will share how studying philosophy and questioning his religious beliefs enabled him to build a worldview grounded in observation and logic—and geared for confidence, clarity, and joy. You’ll leave with a powerful example and a practical framework for shaping or improving your own philosophy for flourishing.
Seamus Riley
Do you overthink things and fail to take action (or take a break)? Do you look up to successful people, real-life heroes, or fictional characters and long to achieve their level of confidence and joy? Does anxiety drag you down? Seamus Riley has been there. But he always gets back up again.
In this presentation, drawing from philosophy, psychology, and his own experiences and success, Seamus will show how he overcame negative emotional patterns, gained confidence and resilience, and is now living a passionate, action-oriented, and serene life.
Ligeia Rose
“No-one is perfect.” “Perfection isn’t possible.” “Don’t be idealistic.” “Get your head out of the clouds.” You likely have heard such claims and commands.
As a pianist striving to hone her craft and achieve excellence, Ligeia Rose heard them often. She also observed the psychological effects they had on her and others who accepted them. Over time, she came to see that perfection is possible—if your conception of it is based on rational values and realistic standards. This made a massive difference.
Using examples from art, philosophy, and personal experience, Ligeia will show what a healthy idea of perfection looks like, how its pursuit is beautiful and rewarding, and how you can apply this vital idea to your life and goals—whatever they may be.
Craig Biddle, Angelica Walker-Werth, and Justyna Piątek-Pawłowska
Would you like to improve your life year-round? You can. And OSI can help.
Join us for this final session of LevelUp 2025 to learn how you can take advantage of various opportunities to excel in life, defend liberty on solid ground, and engage regularly with others who do so, too. The panelists will discuss how you can continue sharpening your mind with OSI’s programs, courses, and conferences; how you can constantly expand and improve your social and professional network; and how you can love your life more and more and more.
Program subject to change.
Schedule
- 3:00–6:00 pm Welcome & Check-In
- 6:30–9:00 pm Opening Reception & Banquet
- 8:45–9:00 am How to Get the Most Out of LevelUp Craig Biddle and Sarah Biddle
- 9:00–10:00 am Thinking Tools for Loving Life Craig Biddle
- 10:00–10:15 am Break
- 10:15–11:15 am Facts and Myths About Independence Thomas Walker-Werth
- 11:15 am–1:00 pm Lunch (on your own)
- 1:00–2:00 pm Aristotle and Ayn Rand on the Nature and Art of Friendship Carrie-Ann Biondi
- 2:00–2:15 pm Break
- 2:15–3:15 pm Judging the West: The Good, the Bad, and the Beautiful Andrew Bernstein
- 3:15–3:45 pm Break
- 3:45–4:45 pm Walt Disney and the Business of Creativity Tim Chermak
- 5:00–8:00 pm Dinner (on your own)
- 8:00–11:00 pm Karaoke & Free Time
- 8:50–9:00 am Announcements
- 9:00–10:00 am AI and the Future of Higher Education Carl Barney
- 10:00–10:15 am Break
- 10:15–11:15 am Fiction as Soul-Fuel: Why Stories Move Us Angelica Walker-Werth
- 11:15 am–1:00 pm Lunch (on your own)
- 1:00–2:30 pm Free Will: Do You Have It? A Debate with Craig Biddle and Alex O’Connor
- 2:30–2:45 pm Break
- 2:45–3:45 pm Q&A on Philosophy and Independent Thinking Panel with Craig Biddle, Angelica Walker-Werth, and Thomas Walker-Werth
- 3:45–4:15 pm Break
- 4:15–5:15 pm The Heartbreak and Heroism of Sammy Davis, Jr. Timothy Sandefur
- 5:15–8:00 pm Dinner (on your own)
- 8:00–11:00 pm Free Time (Disney, live music, dance lesson, enjoying the pool)
- 8:50–9:00 am Announcements
- 9:00–10:00 am Heroes of Innovation and Progress Jason Bateman and Thomas Walker-Werth
- 10:00–10:15 am Break
- 10:15–11:15 am Learning for Life: A User’s Guide for the Active Mind Eric Daniels
- 11:15 am–1:00 pm Lunch (on your own)
- 1:00–2:00 pm Highway to Health: Exercise and Nutrition for Living Your Best Life Lee Sandstead
- 2:00–2:15 pm Break
-
2:15–3:15 pm
Breakout Sessions How I Renounced Religion and Embraced a Life of ReasonMaddox Locher
From Anxiety to Serenity Seamus Riley
How to Be PerfectLigeia Rose - 3:15–3:45 pm Break
- 3:45–4:45 pm How to Level Up All Year Long Panel with Craig Biddle, Angelica Walker-Werth, and Justyna Piątek-Pawłowska
- 4:45–6:30 pm Free Time
- 6:30–11:00 pm Closing Banquet & Dance
Schedule subject to change.
Frequently Asked Questions
LevelUp is for people who want to live free and flourish. The theme of the conference—the thread connecting all of the lectures—is that freedom and flourishing are consequences of certain ideas that were developed over thousands of years and are still being refined today. The conference will help you to better understand and act on these ideas, to thrive in your ventures and relationships, and to support liberty on solid ground. If those are your goals, this conference is for you.
A great way to meet other attendees is to join LevelUp on Facebook or on WhatsApp. Simply click “Join,” say hi, and enjoy a warm welcome. You can meet other attendees, find roommates, ask questions, post suggestions, and discover fun things to do in the Orlando area.
Dress comfortably! We recommend casual attire for the opening banquet and daily lectures, and cocktail attire for the closing banquet and dance.
Tickets for the opening and closing banquets (Wednesday and Saturday nights) can be purchased through LevelUp’s registration page.
Internet access for conference attendees is free throughout the hotel.
We do not plan to livestream the conference.
For international travelers, we recommend using Google Flights to find the most affordable and suitable flights.
Registration will remain open until the conference sells out. We encourage you to register and book your hotel room early, as space is limited.
If you register and, for any reason, are unable to attend the conference, LevelUp will refund your registration fees, including banquet tickets, in full. Simply email [email protected] with the subject line “Cancel LevelUp Registration,” and we will refund your registration fees in full.
For Active-Mind Scholarship recipients, please note that we will NOT reimburse you for unused travel tickets. We recommend that you purchase refundable travel tickets and/or appropriate cancellation insurance.
Yes. Click the button below pricing and to purchase a one-day pass to LevelUp.
Thank You, Valued Partners of LevelUp 2025!
