From Foothills to Fog: Retreat at the Ranch

The final day of the retreat began with a casual breakfast at the big house. We all wore our matching pajamas for a photo, drank coffee, and visited with each other. We had all bonded over the past few days and it felt like we were buzzing, trying to get in as much as we could those last couple hours together.

After breakfast and getting ready we had a fun session planned with Jenn for a content creation workshop. She does a series with her Mom on the social media that took off during Covid quarantine and so her Mom came by to help. They baked cookies and she showed us how they would film it for an ad for that series on her Instagram/TikTok. She gave us several tips for how to make the video catchy and keep the audiences attention. Another thing she and her mom are known for is dance videos. They'll learn TikTok dances together and film them to share, so of course we did that too! I am so shy when it comes to dancing. I'm not very coordinated, don't have much rhythm and too worried about what others might think. I hid in the back but made sure to participate. And guess what, it was SO fun! I definitely messed up, but it was a fairly easy and short routine so I didn't do too terribly. You can watch it in Jenn's story highlights here. But honestly my take away was just how fun it was. She said they do it because her Mom has such a focus on health and fitness, and Jenn has been trying to incorporate more of that into her life. She talked about adding in more play with her two sons and how it has made her feel. What a concept, more play in our lives! It keeps us young and I know my boys will love it. I've always wanted to do those dance videos I see in Reels and on TikTok and now I have the courage to do it! I'm definitely making all my besties do a few with me on our next girls trip!

Once we did the dance, we took a little break before hearing from Logan. She was a bit rushed since we were behind schedule and still had the mastermind planned next. But Logan gave such great insight to branding and running your business. She talked about having a mission statement to help focus your brand, so this is something I need to work on. Why are they coming to me? What do I do? And who do I do it for? I know I need to focus on building a genuine connection over shared interests with community. I want to remember when I am putting content out there, how I want to make the audience feel. My favorite take away was "No one is you and that is your power." For the things that I struggle with, that have held me back in the past, this is so key. I'm going to print it out and post it in my office!

The last session was a mastermind with the group. We went around the circle and briefly described what our business was and our struggles or current roadblocks, and then Jenn and Logan (but also the group) gave feedback. We each had about 10 minutes so everyone would get a turn. It was pretty quick, but really effective and fun. I was so nervous to really say anything since I don't technically have a business like most of the other women there did, but I knew I made the decision to attend for a reason and I deserved to get the most out of it. I actually recorded mine because I didn't want to be distracted by taking notes, and I'm so glad that I did. I played it back before writing this and wished I could have recorded the entire retreat because there were so many great tips I had already forgotten. One thing is I need to watch my language and how I speak about my blog and making it a business. I tend to downplay it and treat it like an unimportant hobby, rather than own it and say what I want it to become. Jenn told me that she's a big fan of "fake it till you make it." I told her the series I want to start on the blog and she told me just do it, pretend I am being paid and eventually the sponsorships will come. Brands will start to notice, and then I have examples of the type of content I provide once I am offered paid partnerships. They also said at this stage it's important to review my progress monthly. To see what was successful, what works, what doesn't. And my number one mission right now is getting approved for LTK. I am so motivated and ready to show up and make this happen!

Overall this was such a wonderful experience. I grew so much from it, doing something completely on my own like this was way out of my comfort zone. I am so proud of myself for following my intuition and I'm on a mission to stop getting in my own way.

Thank you so much for reading and being a part of my little blogging community. I appreciate you so much and hope you'll stick around for the ride.

I just wanted to also give a shout out to the sponsors who gifted such amazing goodies for those of us attending, as well as the amazing women that I was able to meet and connect with while at the retreat.

Attendees:

Lizette Alvarado | Syn Skin Aesthetics @synskinaestgetics
Abbie Icamina | Gray + Graham Salon
@Abbie_grayandgrahamsalon
Jessica Gonzales | Makeup Artist
@agorjesslife
Caroline Pies | Fleur De Paris Shop
@fleurdeparis.hats
Anna Kornick | Its About Time Podcast
@annadkornick
Emily Mendler | Memmy + Co
@memmy.co
Caroline Abarco | Goodness Gracios Ceramics
@goodnessgraciousceramicprints
Emily Bravender
@lilem520
Lydia Witte | Tiny Play All Day
@tinyplayallday
Theresa Magliozzi | From Foothills to Fog
@theresamagliozzi
Abigail Reller | Abigail Reller Art
@abigailrellerart
Marnee Diaz | My Littlest Loves
@marneediaz
Michelle Messina | MPreau Photo
@mpreauphoto
Brandi Heath | The One Pot Momma
@theonepotmomma_
Lindsey McDaniel | Realtor
@lindseysmcdaniel
Olivia Summers | The Hudson Social
@thehudsonsocial

Event Sponsors:

Hosts @theschoolofstyling @hauteofftherack