Back in August, I attended my first ever in-person learning Summit in Orlando, FL. This was the Wedding Pro CEO Summit, a 3-day learning and networking intensive for Wedding CEOs in the “messy middle” of growing and scaling their businesses. There were 54 wedding professionals from markets across the U.S. in attendance. This experience was incredible, and I’m so glad that I chose this particular group of individuals to become my business community. Here’s a little walk through my journey in deciding to attend.

One of the first things that Summit founder, Brandee Gaar talked about when she greeted us on the first day was opening ourselves up to learn a different way to do something that you may *think* you already know. (Code for: hey, we all run awesome businesses, we like to portray that we’ve got it *all* together, and we all have a little bit of an ego. But if we don’t check our egos and drop the veil a little bit, then we won’t grow here together.)

For weeks leading up to the Summit, I made a commitment to myself to approach the WPCEO Summit with vulnerability–because otherwise, I didn’t want to be the one walking away with little gained because I kept up too many walls. That was the best thing I ever did for myself!

Attending the WPCEO Summit in August was transformational for me. Beyond the thrill of getting away and giving myself total permission to focus 100% on business and business only for a few days (which is a luxury for this mother-of-two, plate-juggling business owner), I felt like I was openly declaring to look at my business with next-level lenses. Which, I’ve learned, is what it takes to make it to next-level.

Armed with a lengthy action items list, I returned home will to acknowledge the limiting beliefs that hold me back in business and the possibilities that are opened up when I do the work to push through those.

And to give you a better idea of what that transformation looked like for me, I’m sharing:

how I overcame excuses and booked my seat at the Summit
the self-validation I gave to myself to do so
and the takeaways that I gained from putting myself out there in an experience that was new to me.

Thoughts I battled when considering the Summit.
My guess is, if you ever struggle with self-doubt, you’ve probably had a few of these before too.

{finances} When I look at registration fees, I can convince myself of a million other things those dollars could do.
{responsibilities} “Well, my clients are paying for my time and they probably don’t appreciate me taking off to focus on myself.” (I realized quickly this is NOT true)
{mom guilt} – this one is a constant battle, all day everyday.
{insecurity} “Maybe I’m not on the same level as these other CEOs that will attend.”
{risk aversion} “I’m a conservative player…this feels a little risky to put money on the table and then what…bet on myself?!” Oh the *anxiety*!

Why I told myself “I WILL”:
The turning point that made me book my seat

People respect you more when you respect yourself.
I LOVE my business and I LOVE continuing education. There’s always something to learn if you allow yourself.
Investing in myself as a business owner makes my team better and my services better.
Having a community of real connections with like-minded wedding pros is invaluable to my mental well-being.
I’m ready to level-up and I want to be the best leader of the best wedding team in my market!

Why I’m thankful that I DID:
Post conference take-aways

I feel so re-energized for my business! Working in the wedding industry can lead to burnout in a hurry, and I find that this experience allowed me to reset for a few days, relate to others that walk the same path as me, and be inspired by new friends that have done incredible things as Wedding Pro CEOs.
MINDSET Transformation! This has always been a struggle for me….limiting beliefs, fear of failure, imposter syndrome, analysis paralysis. I’m calling out these thoughts in real-time now, in order to move beyond roadblocks that I create for myself. **Plays “The Breakup Song” on repeat**
I have new business besties that I know will be lifelong friendships and encouragers. We’ve stayed in touch since the Summit and sharing our progressive steps towards business goals has been motivating for all of us. There’s no judgement or comparison–just encouragement. Those are good friendships to have!!

All in all, I’m so proud that I took time away from my business to focus ON my business — in order to be a better CEO, a better employer, and a better wedding pro. If you’d like to see a little more behind the scenes from the Wedding Pro CEO Summit, be sure to check out my reel with highlights and the sizzle video Brandee put together.

If you have any questions about the experience, comment below so I can answer them! I love talking about it!

Photography: Rachael Osborn Photography | Videography: Love & Lustre Weddings | Sponsors: AFR Furniture Rental, Julia Roth Novack – PartySlate, Women In Wealth – Gambin Financial, Merri, Emerald Gardenia, PartySlate, Rock Paper Coin, Minted Weddings, Our DJ Rocks, M3 Makeup | | Speakers: The Abundance Group, Dallas Girl Friday, CeCe Designs, Kickstart Accounting, Carrylove Designs, Just Marry, Kunbi Odubogun, Maria Bayer, The Planner’s Vault, Brandee Gaar