Last weekend I had the incredible opportunity to attend and speak at the Soul Success Summit right here in Santa Barbara. It was a weekend like none other…full of empowerment, education, vulnerabilities, emotion, exposure to amazing women and an overall uplifting experience. If you have ever attended a women’s conference, you will relate to the experience that I am describing. And if you have not yet attended an event like this, I hope you will be inspired to do so!
The background is that I first learned of the Soul Success Summit when I saw it promoted by a friend of mine as a Facebook Group. I asked Alisa Wilcox about the Facebook group and she explained that it was based around an event that she and her friend Megan McCann had created only a year ago and they were looking forward to round 2 in 2019. I passively participated in the Facebook group for a few months not thinking much of it. Fast forward to January of this year and Alisa reached out to me and asked if I wanted to speak at the 2019 Soul Success Summit! I was thrilled at the opportunity and jumped on it.
At that point, my mind started reeling about all the things:
- What was I going to talk about?
- What was I going to wear?
- How was I going to promote my business?
- How would all the logistics back home work out?
As the event got closer and the details on my side all came together (my speech topic, my business promotion, my new product launch, my outfits!), I didn’t have much time to pay attention to my intentions for the weekend. So, I went in with very little expectations and a completely open mind.
Friday night was a wine and cheese mixer. I had a chance to casually meet some of the women attending the event, learn about their businesses and a little about who they were. There were women from all over the world! Romania, Vienna, Canada and all over the US. I was pleasantly surprised at the diversity and I loved meeting these women.
Saturday started with meditation, intention setting and yoga, which I was grateful for! I jumped right in when there was a call to share, and immediately felt at home with these women. I won’t spoil the experience by revealing all the details of each day, but it was a collaboration of speakers, interactive sessions, having lunch with new friends, bonding and some dancing. The day ended around 5PM and we had a 2-hour break before the evening cocktail reception. Sunday was a similar format and I had
the awesome opportunity to speak in front of these 60 amazing women on Sunday afternoon. It was difficult to say goodbye, but we all left with a new found community and promise to stay actively in touch.
While that brief description is beneficial to paint you a picture of the weekend, what I really wanted to share was the feelings I felt, the emotions that washed over me.
I was most blown away by the bonding and sisterhood that formed so quickly with the entire group. About 1/3 of us were speakers, but even those who were attendees had intimate interactions with one another that will not be forgotten. We shared who we are deep at our core. We confided secrets. We let our guards down so we could comfort each other, laugh with each other and truly connect. The power of community was VIBRANT & ALIVE!
My second major take away was my own set of emotions that came up. Because I went into this weekend with a completely open mind, I was able to tap into my own emotions and truly experience all that was happening from a raw and vulnerable perspective. I was able to FEEL. I was able to react. I was able to process. And I will tell you that some shit came up for me I did NOT anticipate! It was beautiful.
After attending the Soul Success Summit I feel more connected to myself, my intentions and my dreams. I feel purpose driven and confident in this life that I am creating. I feel joyous and blessed to have grown my sisterhood with these beautiful women. I feel excited and energized to move forward with my goals and plans.
I hope that you have an opportunity to experience a similar event. Make it happen! Even a one-day event that you can easily attend in your home town can be impactful. It is worth investing the time in yourself to learn from these sorts of experiences. And I would love to hear what your takeaways are when you do it! Even better…I hope you will join me at an event…whether the next Soul Success Summit or something else, the opportunities are endless.
