Personal growth conferences are quite possibly my favorite thing in the whole world and the crazy thing is, I’d never even heard the term “personal development” six years ago. Now don’t get me wrong, I knew all about business conferences. I’ve been an entrepreneur since I was 21 years old… an entrepreneur I might add, who is self-taught. I read books and watched YouTube videos and when podcasts started I was first in line to consume their wisdom. I did everything I could to become a stronger leader for my small company and that meant gaining all of the knowledge I could find which is what eventually led me to conferences.
I started out attending event planning conferences (I owned a wedding/event firm at the time.) Next came more general business conferences where entrepreneurs at every level came together to learn to scale. Between the ticket price and the travel, I could only afford to attend one conference a year and it took me the entire year to save up for the next one but I always felt like they were great investments of my time. I came back home recharged and inspired and ready to implement the things I’d learned. I suppose that’s when I first started wondering if there were events where I could learn how to be a better person, not just a better boss. It wasn’t until years later while going to therapy to try and overcome the debilitating anxiety that I finally bought a ticket for my first PD conference. It fundamentally changed my life (I wrote all about it in my book Girl, Wash Your Face) and it also made me want to create a similar experience that was just for women. That idea is what led me to plan my very first RISE Conference back in 2017.
Chances are if you’re reading this it’s because you’ve bought a ticket for one of my conferences this year and you’re curious about what to expect OR you’re considering buying a ticket but want to understand what it’s all about. If you’ve never been to a conference before it can feel intimidating and those nerves keep all sorts of people from trying one out because they’re unsure what to expect. To that end, I wanted to give some insight on what to expect when you attend my conference… that way you can make a more informed opinion on whether or not it’s right for you.
Expect to Gain Knowledge – The main reason to attend a conference –no matter if it’s personal or professional– is to acquire new tools for your tool kit. You’ll hear from multiple speakers who all bring a different perspective to the conference’s core message. Ideally, all of the speakers will say something that prompts you to think differently or ask yourself some better questions. At our conferences, our core obsession is to give you as many ideas, inspiration and insights as we can in the time that we have you.
Expect to Hear From Me… a lot – Unlike many other conferences ours isn’t a revolving door of 40 different speakers. RISE women’s conference has a very specific objective: you feeling empowered to take full ownership of your life and having a clear plan to achieve your dreams. We’ve spent years designing activities and lessons and teachings that will help you tap into what’s blocking you and figure out how you overcome it. For each of the 3 conference days, I teach for 4+ hours of the 8-hour stretch. Other speakers are always a surprise and someone who compliments the work we’re doing not just someone who has a big Instagram following. Basically what I’m saying is, if you enjoy my style of teaching you’re going to love RISE. Not sure what my style of teaching is? Go check out my YouTube page.
Expect to Find Community – The best thing about RISE –without exception– is the community that happens within our attendees. Women have made life long friendships, business connections and mentor/mentee relationships at every event we’ve planned. The number one question we get in advance of the conference is “Is it weird if I attend alone?” No way! In fact, 40% of our conference attendees come by themselves and then utilize our activities to find friends. We always say, you might come alone but you won’t be that way for long.
Expect to Move Around… a lot – I’m guessing by now you’ve seen video footage of everyone in the RISE audience jumping up and down or dancing around. People who’ve never been to conference just love to use this for fodder to make fun of us or say that we’re weird. The rationale behind the dancing throughout each day is actually really simple. 1. It keeps you engaged and awake. If you’ve ever sat somewhere for 8 hours then you know it can start to drag on… zero chance of that here because every 20 min or so you’re going to dance to some Beyonce. 2. Movement helps you deal with ALL the feelings. RISE conference ends up feeling a bit like 3-days of therapy and physical movement throughout helps you to shake off negative self-talk. 3. I believe deeply, obsessively that every person on earth who is physically capable of it should be moving their body and getting their heart rate up for at least 30 minutes a day. So… if I have you with me for three days I’m going to weave that practice into my teachings. I can’t tell you how many women have kick-started incredible health journeys at RISE simply because they didn’t know their bodies could move that much and it gave them a new perspective on what they’re capable of.
Expect to Leave on FIRE for Your Life – People attend personal development conferences for all kinds of reasons but the underlying prompt is that they want to make change. Some women come because they feel lost. Others come because they have a goal but aren’t sure how to make it real. Others because they know it’s time to let go of anger or shame or fear that’s been holding them back. Whatever the reason for attending you should know that everything we do is building to a crescendo on day three. We intentionally work to give you all the tools and inspiration and then plan it out so that you leave on fire for your life and your mission. We keep joking that we’re going to create letters or something that attendees can give to their spouse or friends and family that say “The woman I love attended RISE, here’s what to expect now…” because so many people leave conference having experienced a transformation.
So those are five things you can expect at a RISE Conference. If you have more questions check out the FAQ’s tab on the individual event pages or watch our documentary about conference on Amazon (it’s FREE if you have Prime) and it will give you a great idea of what to expect.
