I “do words” as some of you who attended the LIVE event have come to know. As a word-doing person, I’m here to offer you the highlights of that supercharged, superpowered three-day event that took place just last month. For those of you who don’t do words, I created a handy infographic filled with numbers.  (Located near bottom of the newsletter)

Even those numbers have a way of telling a story about that weekend as much as the one I’m about to tell you.

It was a dreary and damp morning in St. Charles, Missouri on Friday, May 3. Overcast skies. Drizzle. Puddles collecting on the sidewalks outside. The lots and restaurants around the Drury Plaza were quiet. Had it been the weekend already, I’m sure those hustling to work would have gladly stayed nestled in bed, covers over their head.

Inside in the lobby, the world of Virtual Assistants and Experts was abuzz (and would continue to be thanks to the bee-utiful bee-ts of the rapping bumblebee Melissa St. Clair). 63 women (and 4 men), chattered and laughed, lined up at the registration table, hugged old friends and new ones alike. A veteran of last year’s event or a first-time flyer, it didn’t matter. People embraced each other like old friends and beloved family. The energy was high, as was everyone’s volume and caffeine intake. Spirits were raised just by being surrounded by the friendly bodies of those we typically only ever see online from the neck up.

Anxious-excited anticipation weaved in between us like being presented an unexpected present you can’t wait to unwrap. What might be inside? Your eyes filled with excitement at the possibilities.

Each morning was like this. Energy. Laughter. Momentum. Each morning building off the one before. Every day new anticipation, amazement, and wonderment at what might be in store for all of us when the doors opened and we took our seats.     

Day one started with Kathy offering us powerful opening remarks:

You look in the mirror and see all the dirt, grime, challenges in your life. The debt you're in or the boss that is unkind to you … All I see is this bright shiny powerful woman and all you can do.

Within minutes our skin was raised to goosebumps and tears were in our eyes. Such love surged through the room. You can imagine, then, what the rest of the weekend was like.

Truthfully, each day was a gift. A beautiful blend of sharing, listening, discovering each other’s stories and journeys while also learning specific skills or strategies to build a better business, like:

• How to Get More Clients by Leveraging YouTube with wonderful Edie Clarke;
• Increase Your Income in 2019 by Producing Telesummit with amazing Jeanette Ortega;
• Power Partners: How They Can Grow Your Business with “the not-velvet hammer” Mary Hanley;
• Learn How to Get Clients by Showing Up and Keeping Your Promises with glorious Erica Bast; or
• Your Path to Six-Figures and (#1 and #2) Best Methods to Get Clients with our local, tiara-wearing celebrity Kathy Goughenour.

Through it all, there was a tremendous amount of laughter and tears, sarcasm, wit, and useful everyday tips, such as:

• If you want your chest to look bigger and your waist smaller in photographs, stuff a roll of paper towels in your shirt
• Wearing two pairs of Spanx may just cut off your circulation and generally is considered a bad idea
• BINGO is way more fun when you have spaces that are reliant on the speaker talking about their bra size or not wearing any underwear
• If you dance while you sing “I’m amazing, I’m amazing,” it actually does make you feel better

Not to mention the number of incredible perspectives you just couldn’t find (or hear) anywhere else:

• "You don't have to make your bed and lie in it. Sometimes I jump on mine."
• "I don't carry cash. I don't want men in my pocket."
• "Quit saving people. There was one savior and he did his thing many years ago."

And there are a lot more where these came from.

Beyond all the feelings we all had about being with each other - and believe me, this event gave you “all the feels” - and about having found our tribe, we also felt like our cups were filled and our hearts full. Beyond the listening and truly hearing and seeing one another, beyond the laughter and humor, was the very real inward descent to try to hear and see inside ourselves. What we came to visit over and over again, were the stories we tend to self-inflict and listen to and that these have incredible impact.

Stories have the greatest of powers.
Here are the powerful stories we examined:   

The Fear Story.

Kathy used a compelling metaphor to talk about fear and stories in her presentation titled Overcoming Fear: A Story. “We control the stories we tell ourselves,” she said. If we think of fear as we think of a story, we should think of our thoughts (Fear) as the author and ourselves as the reader. How we choose to read our fears have a profound effect on our lives. Debbie Burns in her talk, The Path to Courage, expanded on this idea saying “Fear is a smokescreen - a mask - it shows up to hide what’s really going on behind the scenes.”  

The Victim and Victor Story.

In a separate presentation given by Cindy Winslow - Are You a Victim or a Victor?- we explored the victor versus victim mindset. The victor sees a glitch that can be overcome. The victim sees setbacks. The victim counts failures. The victor counts successes. The victor says "Why not?" The victim says "Why bother?"

Cindy invited us to think of this like coffee - for which she is a BIG fan. She asked us if we wanted to be a good cup of coffee? Aromatic and delightful. Or a bad cup of coffee? Bitter. We have a choice. Which story will we choose? The victor’s? Or the victim’s?

The Story of What I’m Worth.

We tell ourselves stories about what we are worth in a dollar amount. And the dynamic-duo, Joe Burns (through The Money Mastery Playbook) and Debbie Burns (through Path to Courage), reminded us that what we produce for clients is not our individual worth. What we bring to the table individually empowers what we are capable of producing. They are not one and the same. We have to learn to separate our value and worth from what we do. As Joe put it, "Each and every one of you is PRICELESS. You'll never get paid what you're worth because you're priceless. Change the words. You want to get paid what your skill set deserves.”

The Story of What’s Possible.

More than anything else, people left with one critical piece of knowledge that is truly illustrated and proven by the very personal story of our fearless leader. The story of a woman who broke down every barrier in her way to develop a mid-six-figure business and create the “cult”ure we are all now blessed to be a part of. This is the story of what’s possible and told very simply with one quote:

“What one woman can do, another can do.”

And, that my friends, is the truth. If she can do it. We can, too.   

If you missed this year’s LIVE, you certainly don’t want to miss the next one. It will be bigger, better, and more brilliant ... with more laughs and more learning. Not only are we heading to a larger hotel with a higher room capacity, but the 67 people who attended this year are certainly going to be there next year. We've already sold out all VIP tickets, and General Admission tickets will sell out also. Join us in 2020 to become more inspired, charged, and ready to start making changes in lives and businesses. 🌟
Learn more and purchase your ticket at the Early Bird price now! 

About the Author
A.Y. Berthiaume is a native Vermonter, aspiring writer, practicing feminist, recovering middle child, hobby junkie, wannabe superhero, and a mom who’s pretty sure she’s just “winging it” most of the time, but hoping she makes it look good. She’s also the LBO (Lady Boss Owner), Virtual Expert operator, and main copywriter at The Write Place, Right Time a virtual boutique of writing services for businesses and entrepreneurs and anyone else who doesn’t “do words” but knows they need them.

Visit her at: www.ayberthiaume.com  to know more about her as a writer. To know more about her as a Lady Boss who can “do words” for you, check her out on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ayberthiaume/.

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