WOWZA! 

Even now, three weeks post-event, the enthusiasm I felt during Be You Brand Live, a three-day event designed exclusively for female entrepreneurs, and brilliantly curated by my personal branding coach, mentor, and talented photographer, Ati Grinspun, continues to fuel my reflections. These three days were nothing short of a whirlwind of inspiration, self-awareness, and meaningful connections. 

Let’s be real. These initial years of entrepreneurship have undeniably been a journey of self-discovery and, frankly, a formidable uphill battle. However, this event has breathed new life into my business and has me encouraged about my future endeavors. So, grab that cup of coffee, cuz I'm about to spill the beans on the priceless gems I gathered over this weekend 😊.

VIP RETREAT

The event kicked off with a VIP Retreat. Hosted in a local AirB&B, the setting really allowed us to get comfortable and be intentional about the work we were about to undertake. And if you know my future investment aspirations, I'm dying to get my hands on one of these myself! It was as if my manifestation had just landed right in front of me .✨ 

The Power of Mindset

Lindsey Paoli kicked off the retreat and dove into the realm of mindset. I’m gonna hedge my bet here and acknowledge that if you’re an entrepreneur reading this, you’ve done quite a bit of mindset work. And yes, after hearing the spiel so many times, it can be a subject matter that we tend to tune out, cuz we’ve heard it before…. am I right?! 😜

Nevertheless, I've discovered that there are moments when someone can deliver a message you're already acquainted with, but it lands with a unique impact. So I listened intently as she spoke to us in this intimate setting.

And then, when I least expected it, she dropped a statistic that blew my mind: 

"70% of your 70,000 daily thoughts are negative." 🤯

Ok! I’m listening! This quote was a wake-up call, reminding me of the importance of positive self-talk and affirmations…a practice I’ve been slow to adopt because yes, who doesn’t feel silly chanting to themselves alone?! 😆

Awakening the Inner Child

Next up was Erin Porter who led a breathwork session that brought forth deep, buried emotions, reducing not only me but nearly half the room to tears. Her exploration of our inner child revealed a reservoir of strength and resilience within us. I left determined to embrace the big visions I had as a 12-year-old girl, those visions of my awesome future life that I acted out in the four walls of my bedroom! That young girl (me!) was a fucking badass and I’m gonna bring her back to life again! 😁

Fostering Community

A chance encounter with an uber-networker, Gabby Borrero of No Plan B Consulting, during lunch opened my eyes to the need for community-building among my current supporters. Gabby’s advice to focus on "money-generating activities," a term I recognized from Rachel Roger’s book We Should All Be Millionaires, struck a chord. I realized that nurturing relationships within my community is a powerful step toward future opportunities. It can be easy to get wrapped up in growing your audience, but this was an acute reminder that my supporters are right in front of me 😊. So, if you find me in your DM inbox soon, you can thank Gabby. 😁

DAY 1

Unearthing Limiting Beliefs

Day 1 of the event was FIRE! Most importantly, I gained a lot of clarity around my limiting beliefs. Now look, this is not the first time I’ve tried to unearth these negative thoughts. Truthfully, for me personally, this exercise has fallen flat several times as I’ve struggled to understand what’s holding me back. 

Enter, Laura Miner 🙌. What I learned is that the right questions can uncover buried treasure. It was understanding the messages of my inner critic that really helped me see where I am getting stuck. Simply put, my fear around lack of resources and buried imposter syndrome surfaced during this exercise. Seeing these insecurities on paper made crystal clear where I needed to tweak my thoughts into LIMITLESS beliefs. These rewritten thoughts reawakened my potential and have since made me feel so alive and focused on my bigger vision!

Lessons Beyond Business

Be You Brand Live wasn't just about business; it offered lessons for life. A lunchtime conversation with new acquaintances highlighted the importance of modeling communication for our children. 

“Talk to them about your day! Lead by example and show them what this conversation can look like.” - Liza Seitz

This was a “glimmer” I quickly acknowledged and held onto. As a mom of two young children, a 5YO girl and 2YO boy, I struggle with how to encourage my children to open up and talk with me about their day. This was such a profound insight for me and I’ve immediately put it into practice. As opposed to being the question master when they jump in the car after school, I now take the initiative and talk to them about what Mom’s been up to throughout the day!  

Embracing Vulnerability

Later that afternoon, our vulnerability (and personally speaking, my limiting beliefs) was put to the test in a speed-networking exercise, challenging us to be open about our needs. Despite my initial hesitation (yep, those damn limiting beliefs just don’t magically go away lol), I stumbled upon two women who could potentially serve as invaluable resources for my future endeavors. It was a reminder that transforming limiting beliefs into limitless beliefs can lead to unexpected connections and opportunities. Of course, I’m still working on truly harnessing these limitless beliefs 😊, but the events in the room were reverberating this powerful energy that made me feel LIMITLESS following this exercise!

DAY 2

Embracing Collaboration

Day 2 of Be You Brand Live was a continuation of the transformative journey. Ati's opening remarks reminded me of the importance of collaboration and increasing my visibility. It was a nudge towards stepping out of my comfort zone. Collaboration, live trainings, podcasting…what would you like to see from me?! Cast your vote in the comments below!

Practical Insights

The speakers on Day 2 brought a wealth of knowledge. Cassidy Arbeli's advice on creating a “second brain” to dump my master to-do list as well as identifying bottlenecks in my work, resonated with me as distractions to address. Kristen Day's insights into documentation, scheduling, and automation urged me to consider the benefits of streamlining my processes. Furthermore,  Amanda Benson's encouragement to leverage AI in my business highlighted the potential for efficiency.

Own Your Story

Wrapping up the afternoon, Cat Coley's powerful story left a lasting impact. Her message about owning the "ugly" parts of our stories resonated deeply with me. It reinforced my belief that transparency and authenticity are valued by my followers, even as I present myself as an expert in my field. My journey is far from perfect. I’ve fucked up. Several projects have gone a completely different direction than originally planned. Her insights are what lead to my most recent post and blog about owning your path, and I look forward to sharing more of my insecurities in the future as I continue to “do the hard things.” I’m a believer that everything happens for a reason, and that it happens in God’s time (not ours, as frustrating as that can be 😜.)

To wrap this up in a bow of sorts, this event was the most impactful one of the year because it gave me the opportunity to put myself in a new room.

What do I mean by this? 

I’ve been to a handful of live events since transitioning into REI, but most, if not all, have been peer-to-peer networking events…essentially a room full of other real estate investors. It was really eye opening to be in room of female business owners, from various industries, who have walked the struggle of entrepreneurship before you…who know what it’s like to juggle the responsibilities and roles of Mom, Wife, Daughter, Sister and every other hat we wear day-to-day. I felt in my element, in the room with other women fighting for fulfillment and purpose through the rollercoaster ride of entrepreneurship. These women got me, and I got them. I felt like I had finally found my people.  

These three days rekindled my passion and sharpened my focus on what truly matters. It reminded me that my journey toward limitless beliefs is ongoing, but the path is illuminated by each connection and lesson I encounter. Be You Brand Live, you did not disappoint, and I can't wait to see where this newfound clarity and inspiration will lead me on my journey of self-discovery and business development!

 The Ultimate Personal Branding Bootcamp

If you want a slice of this inspiration in your business, I ask that you please check out Ati’s 5 Day Ultimate Personal Branding Bootcamp where you’ll get clarity around your messaging and identify just how to attract your dream clients. Working with Ati has been transformational and my hope is to be a connector here for those of you seeking to uplevel your business. Click the link here to learn more, the next bootcamp begins on Monday, November 6th!