Well Summit shifted my energy, my body and my heart in ways I could have never predicted or imagined. My GOD am I grateful I went to Brooklyn.
Let’s start with a bit of a back story. My girlfriend Amanda of Prim and Propah is a powerhouse beauty and blogger in Boston. We met a number of years ago when Boston Bloggers was regularly hosting get together networking evenings and my hairdresser was supposed to be my date. Entirely last minute he wasn’t able to make it and I was thrown into a group of people I had never met before without a wingman on my arm. It ended up being perfect. I met Amanda, Elizabeth, Molly & Aliana that night and felt as though I finally had a few women I could connect with in the area.
Fast forward to now. Molly is an incredible friend of mine. We try to get together for play/work dates so we can work on our computers at Cafe Nero and then get manicures in the afternoon. Sometimes we even work at the beach! We’re also convinced Zyan and her niece Bailey should have an arranged marriage, because : toddler love. Amanda is a beautiful soul and allowed me to guest post on her (amazing) blog a few months ago when I had finally started to reconnect to my writing. Having the boost from her and her audience gave me the confidence to continue writing and reaching out to others with my work.
Amanda posts some of the coolest events and has been involved in Well Summit for quite some time. A few months ago she posted that she had a raffle giveaway for Well Summit and I entered. She knew I would love to join the fun, but I didn’t win a ticket. In the coming week she tagged me in more posts than I knew what to do with and I started to follow all of the Well Summit Insiders. I entered every giveaway and connected with like minded women, knowing that even if I didn’t win a ticket, I felt included in this community already.
And then : I won a ticket!!
I moved mountains to get to Brooklyn. As always happens when an addict is in your life; there was some drama happening before I left for the city. Magic happened. Mountains shifted. I made it to the city.
First let me say this: Brooklyn is NOTHING like Manhattan. I have been going in and out of Manhattan for years and somehow just assumed that by driving to NYC, I would be greeted with the same atmosphere.
Brooklyn is some kind of magic. Every fiber of my being wanted to pack my bags and my babies to move into this city. Hippie meets hipster. Murals spanning the high rise buildings. Greenery in places I couldn’t have expected. CBD oil in my morning coffee at the cafe across from the venue for Well Summit. Vegan restaurants. Everything open past midnight. Inspiring (and hot) yoga classes. Ocean. Ocean. Ocean. I could have moved instantly.
Well Summit itself amplified the magic that was Brooklyn.
This summit was more than a conference, more than networking and beyond spiritual. I had the opportunity to hear Ally Love, Latham Thomas, Liz Plosser, Scott Harrison and many more speak and present on issues that were near and dear to their hearts. I heard insight on what we should be putting in our bodies, how we should clean our homes, how to be better speakers, how to create a world of wellness as an entrepreneur so we don’t find burnout, how to integrate self-love beyond the bubble baths and so much more.
There were a few highlights.
- One of the workshops spoke to the idea of investing as women. I have never been told I could invest. I assumed for the majority of my life that investing was only for men or people who had tons of money. In this breakout session I found out there is an app that you can download on your phone that will allow you to invest in different companies for as little as $10. I immediately downloaded it and began doing research and looking into what investing looks like. I also subscribed to the daily newsletter Morning Brew, which gives you insight into the stock market and the news in terms of business. This workshop was eye opening because it showed me that I am capable of investing and creating a life for myself in a world I previously believed wasn’t mine to access.
- Another breakout session was on how to be a better speaker. As speaking is now on my list of entrepreneurial activities, I wanted to know more about rates, the infamous “one sheet” and how to connect with others on the topics I would like to begin speaking more on. It was informative, well presented and full of insight. I realized that my one sermon at my local church was not only fun, but also one of the “venue’s” I can speak at. Immediately I reached out to my own minister to ask him if I should connect with our cousin church in town for Yoga for Families of Addiction and he was thrilled with the idea! I’m speaking at Aldersgate Methodist Church in April. I am also speaking at Flint Memorial Library in Middleton on November 7th. The insight gained from the workshop with Amber Wright was exactly what I needed in order to motivate me to continue connecting to others.
- The best, biggest and brightest highlight of my time at Well Summit was Scott Harrison. He began speaking and I cried from the moment he opened his mouth until I met him (and hugged him) 90 minutes later. If the name Scott Harrison doesn’t ring a bell, he started Charity Water. A former club promoter turned non-profit founder, he took his faith and passion for helping the world with water pollution to create Charity Water. As a brand new non-profit founder and director, my heart was both exploding with joy and overwhelmed with ideas. The most insightful thing he said during his talk, however was this : “Toothpaste is being peddled with more sophistication than all the worlds life saving causes.” Cue me texting my manager during the speech with giant capital letters WE NEED TO RE-DO OUR WEBSITE ALREADY. His passion for creating change, the ripple effect of caring and insight into how to run a non-profit as a transparent charity was everything I needed to hear. I have been on fire since and we SOLD OUT our Gala no less than a week after I heard him speak. It was not a coincidence.
Things I recommend :
- Get yourself to a conference, summit, networking event or local BNI. Connect to others who do what you do. Go on coffee dates with new business women in the area. Reach out to someone at your cafe and say hello instead of just staring into your computer. Keep your eyes open for inspiration and insight at every corner, and if it isn’t happening in your own town – go out and find it.
- Go buy Thirst. Like right now. And then send in your receipt to unlock@charitywater.org .
- Find space for self-care. Every day. A nap, a walk in the park, yoga class, getting your nails done, reading a book when the little ones go to bed or maybe even sitting down to watch Queer Eye on Netflix. Whatever way you unwind is perfect for you.
- Be open to the possibility that you are allowed to do more than you ever imagined. I have a large threshold for “leap and the net will appear” and jumping off cliffs into the unknown. But my unknown was the world of yoga and wellness. I knew nothing of wealth or finances. When I said yes to the app and the daily email, I was opening myself to a brand new world and another new cliff. I highly recommend it.
- Bring friends. Meet new friends. Stay with people you don’t know super well. I drove to Brooklyn alone on Thursday evening and arrived at midnight to an empty room. A half hour later my new friend Mirah and her mom arrived as I chewed their ear off for an hour (a four hour long car ride alone gives you an opportunity to spill all your thoughts). I proceeded to spend the next three days with these two bright and beautiful women, while then meeting up with Amanda & Molly (two different & equally amazing Amanda + Molly’s!!). I HIGHLY recommend making new friends and staying with people you don’t know well. It makes the experience extra special!
Well Summit will be in Boston again soon. Keep your eyes open on their social media sites and be open to saying YES to any opportunity that comes your way.
xx + Namaste
Jenny