On Friday, March 18, 2018, I went to the Start Loving You Conference in San Diego. I reached out to them a few weeks prior looking for information on becoming a speaker. Their roster was set but they invited me to come down and enjoy the conference. I took them up on that offer and made the two-hour drive from my home to the beautiful coast.
The conference was held at the Marriot Marquis in San Diego. Finding parking was pretty easy. I opted to park in the garage on-site since I was traveling alone (Safety first!). When I walked in I found concierge and they pointed me in the right direction. I was about 5 minutes late so my first contact coming in was a vendor. Maria from Soiree by Ria. She was so sweet she invited me in to sit with her. Her picture wall embodied the spirit of the event and people were lining up to take pictures throughout the day.
So I sat down, opened my heart and was ready to truly hear what these brilliant women would share. The first speaker was Angel Fiorini. She talked about what it means to be a hero. This woman ran into her burning home to save her daughter. She then had to be rescued by a passerby who noticed her home was on his way home. Her story showed such bravery, strength, and self-awareness. She challenged us to examine the titles placed upon us and define them for ourselves. She was a hero and though she had a hard time accepting it, she came to embody that very attribute. You can hear her amazing story here.
The next speaker was Kristen Hewitt. She spoke to us from a vulnerable, transparent, intimate place. She shared personal struggles that come with deep desire and longing. Kristen challenged us to face our fears and be brave in order to chase the very things we want. She was raw and bold. Fearless and moving. Reminding us to be gracious because unseen battles often come with unseen battle scars.
Before attending this event I’d never heard of the START brand and now I can’t get enough! Kristy Dickerson was the life-changing speaker for me. She explained how she started START Planner and as she was speaking a light bulb went off. I realized a few things listening to her.
- I’m on the right track. She discussed habits and attributes that she developed in the process of being an entrepreneur. All the ones she mentioned, I have been working on. I am not where she is in terms of business success yet but it was encouraging to find I am on the right track.
- START NOW! I am a “ducks in a row” kind of person. Kristy inspired me to put myself out there and let my business hold me accountable. As a result, I have 4 projects launching in the next 3 months. Scary? A little. Empowering? Definitely!
- Delegate. I am working on this. Listening to Kristy let me know I can delegate whole business systems and the success of my future projects depends on this.
- Grind. I already grind but it is always great to see someone else living the results of their grind.
Next up was Laura Kyttannen. She spoke on defining success. This woman left a lucrative career she in which she was unfulfilled to follow her heart’s passion. Now she helps others find and follow their hearts song. She gave us an amazing vision board activity and set us on a path the seeing our dreams realized.
Cat + Nat, moms, vloggers, and social media sensations came in with a bang. They had mimosa’s for everyone and for those of us who don’t drink they provided straight OJ in pretty champagne glasses. These two spoke on their rise to fame and turning a hobby into a career. It was amazing to hear these women speak of the other women who help them on their journey. They embodied women helping women shine.
After some funny and fun group pictures and boomarangs, it was time for lunch. We had the option of a simple box lunch that was provided or going off-site. I didn’t want to be late for the next segment so I opted for the box lunch and I am glad I did. They had a vegan wrap that was delicious.
After lunch, we got to participate in a service project making Blessing Bags for Live Love Works. Can I just say that I truly admire the fact that these women made blessing others a focal point and priority of this conference!
This seems like a long day but at this point, I still had tons of energy because the speakers were so great!
Vanessa Quigley of ChatBooks came with her sisters and they shared how they cope with the struggles of motherhood. There were tears and it was beautiful.
Shasta Nelson was the last speaker she came up and blew our interpretations of what loneliness looks like to Timbuktu. She broke down the 5 Circles of Friendship as defined in her book and challenged us to examine which circle was lacking. Everyone left with tools to become better friends.
I can’t even get into the awesomeness that was the swag bag. This picture from Start Loving You says it all!
All in all, it was a great conference. I look forward to next year! They haven’t set a place yet but follow Start_Loving_You on IG for updates.
*I did not personally hear Thursday nights speakers but fellow attendees said they were great! My phone died during the event so all the photos are marked and their owners tagged. Be sure to follow these blogs and IG accounts you will not be disappointed!
Photocred
instagram.com/girlfriendsguidetoworkplay
instagram.com/start_loving_you
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Melanin Taught 