Rachel Hollis RISE Event, Was It Worth It?

Listen, I am a huge Rachel Hollis fan... I love her books. I love her podcasts. I love her videos. I love her posts. I love her. Everything! But...

I am also an introvert. 

Meaning, large social events & gatherings are draining for me, make me uncomfortable & are not my idea of a good time. Where are my fellow introverts at?

People sometimes confuse Introversion as also being shy. I'm not shy. In fact, my personality is very assertive, goal oriented & straight forward. I'm very comfortable with addressing challenging situations head on & I don't get embarrassed easily if you need to ask me advice about personal situations.  

As an introvert, I just prefer more quiet events, intimate settings, less stimulating environments & small group interactions. My idea of a fun night is a hike in nature with Starbucks followed by a relaxing bubble bath, curled up on the couch next to my dogs with twinkly lights flickering in the background, fireplace crackling & reading a self development book. If that makes you cringe, you're probably an extrovert... Like my husband, Chad or best friend Michelle. Shout out to all my extrovert friends who keep life interesting.

So, this whole 'RISE Women's Conference' thing was a HUUUUGE stretch for me. Let's just say it didn't get me 'out of my bubble' it burst my bubble...In the best way possible.

When I had first heard of her RISE event, I remember thinking if it ever came to a city near me, I would have to go. How would I ever get the courage to do that? I didn't know. But I would have to go when & if the time ever came...

I am positive that nobody other than Rachel Hollis would have convinced me to attend a big city women's conference on my own. Oh, and it wasn't a quick little 9-5er...Oh no, it was a 3 day-stay-in-a-hotel-by-yourself-and-walk-through-the-streets-of-Toronto-alone-to-get-there women's conference. Surrounded by thousands of strangers (the kindest most friendly like-minded strangers but strangers nonetheless). This was literally my worst nightmare. Other people are scared of the dark or serial killers but no...Networking, group activities, socializing with people I didn't know, sleeping in a hotel alone was pretty much a self-narrated plot straight out of a horror film to me. 

Well, the time had come. Straight to my inbox. It was the announcement of her Toronto RISE Conference. Gosh. I knew I told myself if she came to a city near me I had to go... But did I actually have to go? I knew in my heart I wanted to go... I truly went back and forth about the idea of going or not going for at least a month. It was getting annoying. Make a freakin' decision lady (me talking to myself). I decided there's absolutely no way I couldn't not go. I would feel so wimpy & deflated if I genuinely decided I was not going to go simply because it made me uncomfortable. Even if it was nauseatingly, almost painfully uncomfortable.

I bought my ticket for the March 2020 conference on November 29th 2019...I had lots of time to muster up the courage to actually go. My ticket was $1016.74 for the 3 days & there's no way the business woman in me would chicken out as the event approached with that price tag. Plus, I've always wondered with those conferences that are thousands of dollars if you actually get the kind of value you would expect for the price.

March arrived. I attended. Solo. All 3 days ANNNND I participated fully. Just to be clear, full participation at these events meant (but was not limited to): hand holding, hugging, dancing, jumping, crying & talking about vulnerable hard things with complete strangers. 

So, the result... Was it worth it?

It. Was. Freaking. Life-Changing. 

Not only because I had just conquered a major accomplishment for me & overcame all my fears surrounding it but because of all the invaluable tools I learned throughout the conference as well! I would have no idea just how impactful it had been until all my knowledge & skills I'd been taught would be put to the ultimate test very very soon...  

Which brings me to the irony of this whole situation. COVID happened & shut the whole world down a few days after I returned from this conference. My husband was even supposed to leave for a Tony Robbins 4-day California conference 2 days after I returned & it was cancelled. So, it was totally meant to be for me to be there & I got to attend it just in the nick of time! 

Gosh did it ever help me through this year. So grateful for you Rach!

Here are my key takeaways from the RISE conference that were meaningful to me & I use in my daily life:

1. Choose a new word every year that will remind you of what you're working towards throughout that year. Redefine the word and what it means to you. Example words: "Warrior", "Adventurer", "Successful" etc. It should be a word that invokes positive feelings/actions & makes you feel strong & powerful.  

2. Create the excitement that you have when you attend exciting events in your daily routine. Example: that feeling you get when you wake up the morning of a concert, event, or special day, try to create that in your daily routine so you're still excited to wake up & live each day.

3. Move your body for 30 minutes a day. It will change your mood & life. 

4. Drink at least half your body weight in ounces of water daily. You'll be surprised at how much energy & awareness you gain just by being properly hydrated. I do this & I find it's more effective than caffeine- which is crazy to me. You have to try it!

5. There may be other people in your industry doing similar things but no one is you & no one has your unique talents & creativity. That is what sets you apart from them. No one is you & that is your superpower.

6. Figure out the excuses & story you keep telling yourself that is holding you back from reaching higher success. 

7. How do you get people in your life to believe in your dreams? By achieving them! Actions are always louder than words.

8. Love yourself so much that it doesn't matter how much other people love you because you love yourself enough for the both of you.

9. Stop trading your dreams for other people's opinions.

10. Everyone is 'winging it'. No one really knows exactly what they're doing when they do something for the first time. This concept was literally life-changing for me. It was something that held me back a lot in the beginning because I felt like I had no idea what I was doing. I never went to school for anything & am completely self taught in business & in cake decorating so I genuinely didn't know what I was doing. Once I started to see my business develop & grow & become successful I realized regardless if I knew what I was doing, I always ended up figuring it out. Just like how first time moms don't know how to be a mom- they figure it out. No matter how big or successful someone is, they don't just magically know what they're doing the first time they try doing something. If you're like me and struggle with feeling like you have no idea what you're doing read this book called "Winging It by Emma Isaacs". It's fantastic. 

11. Anytime someone says something mean or negative towards you listen to the chorus of the song Rough Riders by DMX... It goes like this " Stop. Drop. Shut 'Em Down. Open Up Shop". Yep, it's epic.

12. A year goes by regardless of the actions or inactions you take. Make the choice that you do not want to be in the same spot next year.

13. Take a look at areas of your life that have been successful and how you achieved success in those areas. Apply the same principles and techniques to areas of your life you haven't been successful with yet. Example: for myself, I've been successful with business, but not so much at maintaining a healthy diet/workout regimen so I've been applying the same approach I took to growing my business to diet/exercise & its been working wonders! 

14. If you treat your dreams like a hobby, don't get mad when your dreams give you hobby-like results. 

15. A power plant doesn't have energy, a power plant creates energy. Think of this in terms of your fitness & health.

16. If it's not challenging you, it's not changing you.

17. Thou shalt not break promises you make to yourself. 

18. Never ever judge another human. The people who judge the most are always the most insecure.

19. Know the things that will get in your way & plan for them to happen so you're prepared & not derailed. 

20. When faced with the decision to do something: If it's not a 'Hell Yeah' then it's a "No". The exception to this is if it is something that will help you grow but might be uncomfortable it should still be a "Hell yeah"!

21. Find mentors. They can be local people who you connect with or people online, in books etc... but always be looking for people who inspire you & empower you to do great things. Learning from their mistakes & achievements can help you get to where you want to go faster.

22. Be ready, so you don't have to get ready!

23. Have a daily routine for yourself. Craft it & make it meaningful to you. Mine consists of: coffee, gratitude journal, quiet space, meditation, getting dressed in my work out clothes for the day (so I am ready to work out later), planning my day & making my bed.

24. Anything you ever wanted to learn or know is available to you right now on the internet FOR FREE!

As for the actual conference itself, it was a production! 

Absolutely magical. 

Filled with music, theatrics, incredible speakers, amazing people, a DJ, photo ops, the cutest swag gift shop & most positive upbeat energy! I would expect nothing less from Rachel Hollis' RISE event. Since then, she's had 2 other virtual conferences: one was on Courage & navigating these uncertain times & the other was on Health. I (virtually) attended both & they were fantastic! 

Would I spend the thousand bucks to attend another RISE 3-day live in-person conference? 

I'll be there... Who's joining me?