Behind the scenes Mastermind planning with Jess and Cindy

We’re ambitious and driven. We know we are there with an agenda. And because of that, I think it gets us so much further. Every time we look back from one retreat to the other, we're like, “Oh, my God, so much has happened. We've done so much.” So I really love that, too. And it matches our energy. - Cindy Wagman

Behind the scenes Mastermind planning with Jess and Cindy

Imagine a world where ambitious entrepreneurs gather, unbound by geographical constraints, to forge unbreakable bonds and propel their businesses to new heights. In this unfiltered conversation, you'll be a fly on the wall as Jess and Cindy prepare for our upcoming Mastermind retreat. From cross-country flights and cozy Airbnb sanctuaries to curating local flavors and fostering an environment ripe for vulnerability, every detail is meticulously orchestrated to cultivate a judgment-free zone where entrepreneurial dreams can flourish.

Key Highlights:

• The art of striking a delicate balance between structured "hot seat" sessions and organic, free-flowing conversations that seamlessly interweave business and personal growth.

• The nuances of hosting duties, from securing accommodations to infusing local flavors, creating an immersive experience that transcends mere logistics.

• The dynamics of a tribe of driven individuals who breathe and live their businesses, blurring the lines between work and play in a harmonious dance of collective growth.

• The evolution of their masterminds, from the early days of unstructured exploration to the refined formula that harnesses the collective wisdom of the group.

00:04:21 Mastermind Retreat Planning

The hosts delve into the logistics of planning in-person mastermind retreats, highlighting the importance of in-person connections and the upcoming retreat details.

00:07:08 Excitement for In-Person Gatherings

The conversation shifts to the anticipation and excitement surrounding in-person gatherings, emphasizing the value of face-to-face interactions in a digital age.

00:08:09 Logistical Challenges and Travel Plans

Cindy navigates the challenges of coordinating travel plans for retreats, discussing flight bookings and potential logistical concerns.

00:13:17 Organizing the Retreat

Planning Airbnb accommodations, bringing Pacific Northwest elements, and discussing the lack of a structured agenda for the upcoming retreat.

00:14:07 Evolution of Retreat Dynamics

Reflecting on the transition from unstructured to structured retreats, with dedicated hot seat sessions for business discussions.

00:16:03 Business-Centric Friendships

Emphasizing the focus on business discussions during retreats, productivity, and the importance of surrounding oneself with like-minded individuals.

00:17:02 Accommodation Preferences

Sharing preferences for staying indoors during retreats, rotating cooking responsibilities, and dealing with food waste anxiety.

00:20:22 Navigating Group Dynamics in Cooking Situations

Discussions on the challenges of having too many cooks in the kitchen and the importance of coordinating logistics effectively in a group setting.

00:21:25 Team Collaboration and Contributions

Acknowledgment of the team effort in organizing events, with each member contributing in their unique way to create a structured and successful gathering.

00:22:33 Preference for Driving and Group Dynamics

Personal anecdotes about driving preferences within the group and how individuals take charge of specific responsibilities based on personal strengths and experiences.

00:23:42 Planning Future Retreat Locations

Exploration of potential warm destinations for future retreats, emphasizing the importance of selecting inspiring locations that cater to the group's preferences and needs.

00:27:01 Community Building and Retreat Ideas

Discussion on reaching out to other community builders for collaborations, hosting retreats, and the value of in-person interactions for deepening business relationships and connections.

Find Us Online:  https://www.confessionswithjessandcindy.com

Connect with Cindy:

Cindy Wagman Coaching: cindywagman.com

Fractional Fundraising Network: fractionalfundraising.co/

LinkedIn: ca.linkedin.com/in/cindywagman

Connect with Jess:

Out In the Boons: outintheboons.me

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jesscampbelloutintheboons/

Transcript:

[00:00:00 - 00:00:03]

Welcome to the Confessions podcast. I'm Cindy Wagman.

[00:00:03 - 00:00:11]

And I'm Jess Campbell. Where two former in house nonprofit pros turn coaches and consultants to purpose driven organizations.

[00:00:11 - 00:00:20]

After years of building up our separate six figure businesses from scratch, we've thrown a lot of spaghetti at the wall and lived to see what sticks.

[00:00:20 - 00:00:30]

We're on a mission to help other nonprofit coaches and consultants looking to start or scale their own businesses past the six figure mark by pulling back the curtain.

[00:00:30 - 00:00:51]

Whether you're still working inside a nonprofit and thinking of one day going out on your own or you've been running your consulting business for years, you understand that working with nonprofits is just different. We're giving you access to the business leaders who serve nonprofits as their clients. You know, the people who truly get it.

[00:00:51 - 00:01:10]

No more gatekeeping, no more secrets. This podcast is going to give you an inside look at what running a successful, successful nonprofit coaching and consulting business looks like. Basically, we're asking people how much money they make, how they get paid, and what has and hasn't worked in their businesses.

[00:01:11 - 00:01:27]

Listen in as these leaders share their insights, their numbers, and the good, the bad, and the ugly. When it comes to building a nonprofit coaching or consulting business, we're going to empower you to make the power moves that give you the income and freedom you set out to create from day one.

[00:01:28 - 00:01:30]

You ready? Let's go.

[00:01:31 - 00:01:32]

Hey, Jess.

[00:01:32 - 00:01:33]

Good morning.

[00:01:33 - 00:01:34]

Good morning.

[00:01:34 - 00:01:42]

Good day for you. For those who don't know, we are on opposite coast, so it's always like a different world when we chat.

[00:01:42 - 00:01:42]

Yeah.

[00:01:42 - 00:01:46]

Cindy's halfway done with her day, and I've barely had a sip of caffeine.

[00:01:46 - 00:02:02]

And if you know me, you know I'm a morning person, so you're actually literally catching me in my, like, downtime. But I always show up with energy for these conversations, and you're not as much of a morning person.

[00:02:02 - 00:02:08]

So it's not like my whole family slept until 08:00 a.m. today. The whole family, Billy included.

[00:02:08 - 00:02:08]

What?

[00:02:08 - 00:02:12]

Yeah, so, like, I really haven't been up that long as we're recording.

[00:02:12 - 00:02:19]

Literally never happened. Never in the history of my family, ever.

[00:02:19 - 00:02:56]

Yeah, my husband, he has. Tell him he has a gift. Like, he is 39 years old and he could, if he wanted to sleep till, like 1112 one. And this is not after a night of like, this is just debauchery. This is just like his six five body. His mom even says when she was a baby, she would go in and check to make sure because he would sleep so much and he's just still. He could do that. He could take a nap and then still go to bed. He couldn't sleep forever.

[00:02:57 - 00:02:59]

Yeah, well, you know me. I have terrible sleep.

[00:02:59 - 00:03:03]

I always feel badly about that because I. Yeah.

[00:03:03 - 00:03:09]

So I actually nap. Naps are my thing. Like. Oh, yeah, I'll have, like, a two hour nap.

[00:03:09 - 00:03:10]

Oh, wow.

[00:03:10 - 00:03:11]

Yeah.

[00:03:11 - 00:03:13]

And you wake up.

[00:03:13 - 00:03:19]

If I'm going out on the weekends, like, at night, I actually need to nap. Otherwise I will not last, so.

[00:03:20 - 00:03:23]

Yeah, maybe you should do that when we're in Oregon.

[00:03:23 - 00:03:24]

Yeah.

[00:03:24 - 00:03:26]

She'll be extra early.

[00:03:27 - 00:03:27]

I know.

[00:03:27 - 00:03:31]

We'll take a midday break, so you can go take a little snooze.

[00:03:31 - 00:03:36]

Yeah, I'm. I think I've done well on our retreats when we are. But I just.

[00:03:36 - 00:03:38]

I also know you're tired.

[00:03:38 - 00:03:40]

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

[00:03:40 - 00:03:58]

Hard to, like, be because they're just nonstop. Like, not in a. Like an aggressive way, but in a we can't help ourselves way. Like, whether it's. We're just taking a walk or we're cooking dinner or whatever. They're just. Someone's always talking about business stuff. And, you know, it's hard to do when you're tired.

[00:03:58 - 00:04:02]

It is. Although I have a lot of practice, so I'm not bad at it.

[00:04:03 - 00:04:07]

Yeah, you would. You handle it way better than me. I turn major grouchy.

[00:04:07 - 00:04:07]

Yeah.

[00:04:07 - 00:04:09]

Like a five year old.

[00:04:09 - 00:04:13]

Well, I haven't witnessed that yet, so that's how we sleep.

[00:04:14 - 00:04:15]

Fair. Fair.

[00:04:15 - 00:04:20]

I almost. Okay. We have a topic to talk about, but I almost feel like we should talk about.

[00:04:21 - 00:04:31]

Hi, Liv. Hi, Liv. It is early on the east or on the west coast, because we haven't even started camp yet. Liv, you gotta go. Oh, my.

[00:04:31 - 00:04:43]

You got for those? Okay. No one can see what's happening, but Jess's daughter, Liv, just walked in, and she has, like, a scrunchie knotted into her hair.

[00:04:43 - 00:04:46]

I almost thought for a second we were gonna have to cut that one out. Okay.

[00:04:47 - 00:04:49]

I don't. This is life. This is life.

[00:04:49 - 00:04:50]

We're back.

[00:04:50 - 00:05:40]

Do we want to actually talk about planning the masterminds? And, like, because we just had a call yesterday with our mastermind that was so helpful for everyone. And in a month from now of recording, we are getting together in person. We get together twice a year, and we often will do an episode, like, after we get together. But let's talk a little bit about the day to day of the mastermind, how we plan these retreats, because I think more and more, and this is a trend that we can certainly talk about as well. People are craving that in person and all of that. I just heard someone else, one of my clients was talking about trying to plan a mastermind retreat with some other people. So I feel like it's. Everyone always kind of asks questions about it. Like, let's deep dive into it a little bit.

[00:05:40 - 00:07:08]

Sure. And I agree. I mean, in fact, for those who don't know, I have one staff member. Her name's Mackenzie, and she is exactly ten years younger than me. And so I always say she's, like, living my life but, like, cooler ten years ago because she, like, lives in LA and she's got all these, like, really creative friends. And she was actually telling me how her group of friends or her ten years younger friends are craving in person connection magazines. Like, she's like, I literally started subscribing to physical magazines that I get on, like, a bimonthly or monthly basis. And just, like, these really curated, she's like, I think they're going to be the next thing. Like, in person things where you leave your phone, it's like this intentional thing where you drop your phone. There's, like, these gatherings that do that. And so. And I just feel it personally, too. I mean, I just. I am at my max with learning and congregating, like, a course or anything, but, like, if you tell me I can go meet up in person for two days with a group of people, like, sign me up, I'm there. So I 100% agree. So we're a month out, and I think all of us right now are. Our brains are percolating on, like, what is going to be our thing?

[00:07:08 - 00:07:10]

We question. Yeah, yeah.

[00:07:10 - 00:07:38]

To the group. But, yeah, before we get into all that, maybe we should just give, like, logistics. I mean, we're. I'm. I'm gonna say I'm really lucky and grateful because planning this type of thing, despite what I do for a living, gives me almost no joy. So, like, luckily, we have the planners of the group, which is actually everyone except everyone else who have, like, taken the reins. So I think you, Cindy, sent out.

[00:07:38 - 00:08:04]

So, for context, because I'm in Toronto and everyone else is in the states, flights are more expensive for me and planning ahead is more important. Like, it's a lot harder for me to fly places last minute. And so every time we go anywhere, I am the one who's like, hello, knock, knock, knock. Like, we need to get this in the calendar because I need to book my flights.

[00:08:04 - 00:08:07]

Like, are you surprised I still haven't bought my flight yet?

[00:08:07 - 00:08:08]

I'm not surprised.

[00:08:09 - 00:08:10]

It's on my to do list.

[00:08:11 - 00:08:21]

It gives me a little bit of a pit in my stomach of, like, oh, my God. And, okay, I know this isn't ever going to happen, but part of me. You've booked your hotel, right?

[00:08:21 - 00:08:22]

Yes, I do.

[00:08:22 - 00:08:23]

Yeah. Yeah.

[00:08:23 - 00:08:26]

But I knew that was making you nervous, so I did that one for you.

[00:08:27 - 00:08:32]

So part of me is, like, what happens if everyone bails and I'm stuck?

[00:08:32 - 00:08:53]

Oh, no, you're stuck in the Pacific Northwest. I mean, it would also be, like, a dream to be on a solo vacation. But, no, that won't happen. Mine is just a little logistically tricky. Cause I'm, like, flying my daughter up to my parents, dropping her, flying down to Portland in the same day. So we're going to the Pacific Northwest. I couldn't even tell you the town we're going to.

[00:08:53 - 00:09:03]

It's somewhere in Oregon. See, like, I don't know american geography very well, and I don't even care to try. Sorry. Not sorry. So I'm just like, I can't remember.

[00:09:03 - 00:09:04]

We're on the coast or something.

[00:09:04 - 00:09:09]

Yeah, we're on the coast. Like, we're a minute from the beach, and we just went to Portland.

[00:09:09 - 00:09:11]

Like, there was no.

[00:09:12 - 00:09:32]

So we looked at, like, locations. This one was more convenient for Rach. Even though she's traveling to this location, I think she's spending a lot more time there before and after. But we've tried to do where, like, we've done Toronto area, we've done California. We've done New York or, like. Yeah, yeah.

[00:09:32 - 00:09:33]

New York in January.

[00:09:33 - 00:09:38]

New York in January. It was so great, though. We literally, like, didn't leave the house.

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It was amazing.

[00:09:40 - 00:09:45]

Yeah. So the first thing, and we barely leave the house, so it's like, we really don't. Yeah.

[00:09:45 - 00:09:57]

Being the middle of wherever doesn't really matter. But it does help some folks. Like, Rach has been in with Alaska Airlines, so it's easier for her to fly where Alaska flies.

[00:09:58 - 00:10:06]

Yeah, exactly. And, like, literally nowhere is that good for me unless I stay at home. So it doesn't matter for me either. Well, it's not.

[00:10:06 - 00:10:08]

Do you have a direct flight?

[00:10:08 - 00:10:19]

Yeah. Yeah. I actually do have a direct flight. The time of the day. Do I? I think I do. Time of day is weird, but it's fine. I'm like. I'm used to it, and it's like, grown women.

[00:10:19 - 00:10:23]

I feel like just having a flight by yourself is also, like, a little.

[00:10:23 - 00:11:02]

I actually really, like, I'm not going to be productive on these flights. I watch movies and nap and it's fantastic. I've also gotten to the point where if it's longer than three or 4 hours, I will upgrade to extra legroom. So. Yeah. So when I come to the west coast now, I always have, like, a paid seat selection with more space, like either an exit or towards the front. I'm just not here for the, like, cramped longer flights, especially if I want to sleep. So that's. That's I feel. Yeah, there you go.

[00:11:02 - 00:11:11]

That is never going to be my problem. I'm like, I fit fine. I'm like, I'm perfect for a flight. Stick me in the back.

[00:11:11 - 00:11:40]

But I get that personally hate being towards the back of the plane. Like, I want to be the last on and the first off, so I like sitting at the front. And sometimes if it's an option, if I don't already have, like, earlier boarding, I will pay extra to get on the flight in, like, zone three instead of zone five because I only do carry on. And if it's. If it fills up, then I have nowhere for my bags, so.

[00:11:41 - 00:11:50]

Yeah. Yeah. It's just the way your brain thinks is just a sight to be seen. Like, the steps ahead. I don't know.

[00:11:50 - 00:11:50]

Yeah.

[00:11:50 - 00:11:54]

I just operate on a more like, it'll work out kind of mentality, which.

[00:11:55 - 00:11:57]

Most of the time, it always does work out, too.

[00:11:57 - 00:12:01]

Yeah. Yeah. That's what I mean. I just don't think that it won't.

[00:12:03 - 00:12:20]

Yeah, no, I think. I mean, I said earlier, like, part of me worries that everyone's not going to bail because they don't want to be there, but, like, if they haven't booked and then something comes up. So, like, I do have these sort of worst case scenario thinking.

[00:12:20 - 00:12:22]

They would never do that to you, though.

[00:12:22 - 00:12:29]

Never intentionally, but, like, you just don't. Anyways, where I'll come.

[00:12:29 - 00:12:31]

I promise I'll get it soon. It's been on.

[00:12:32 - 00:12:36]

I trust you. I know you're not going to bail. It's all good.

[00:12:36 - 00:13:17]

And then, like, a doomsday scenario, I could, like, drive. It would take a minute, but I could get there. But, like, I am not worried about it, so. Okay. Yeah. So basically the. The long and the short of it is that, like, Cindy found the Airbnb. Cindy helped us organize the dates. And, Rach, because it is a little bit like her hometown, e is kind of taking charge on. Not that this is even needed, but I think every time we've gone to a place, the host, so to speak, does a couple of things to make it a little special. So Rach wants to bring some pacific northwest elements to us.

[00:13:17 - 00:13:20]

So that was literally what she said yesterday. I was like, what does that mean?

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I know everyone's like, what's PNW?

[00:13:25 - 00:13:29]

It means a bunch of seafood. So I'm here. Yeah.

[00:13:29 - 00:13:33]

And, you know, Oregon is sometimes cold.

[00:13:33 - 00:13:34]

Always.

[00:13:34 - 00:13:48]

So she reminded us to bring our sweatshirts and cozy clothes for the evening and stuff, and. But as far as the agenda goes, like, we don't have.

[00:13:49 - 00:14:07]

We don't have, like, we definitely don't have one. I feel like we've built a little bit more structure into how we do things so that there's. So, for example, like, when. When we first had our, like, first time we met, which was, what, three years ago now? Three and a half over.

[00:14:07 - 00:14:09]

Three and a half, yeah. It'll be four.

[00:14:09 - 00:14:45]

So you, me, and Rach met in, like, near Joshua Tree, and we rented a little Airbnb. And I think it was only, like, two nights or something. It wasn't super long, but that was so unstructured and that we just kind of, like, love. We were just, whatever. Like, let's just figure this out. And then as it grew and as we had more people. I love what worked last time so well is, like, we each had a dedicated hot seat where it was about an hour each. At least.

[00:14:45 - 00:14:47]

Oh, at least. Yeah, 90 minutes.

[00:14:47 - 00:14:53]

Yeah. Where we bring a question and I really work through it and, like, use.

[00:14:53 - 00:14:57]

The timer kind of, like, level of keep us on track.

[00:14:57 - 00:15:35]

Yeah. Which was so great. But then the other part that I love is that we live and breathe work. And actually, I was listening to Amy Porterfield was talking about our business retreat that she was on or a mastermind or something, and how, like, she noticed that in her experience, if she was going on retreats or masterminds with guys, that they would talk a lot more about business. And for women, they weren't. And I find, like, our retreats, like, we've always talked nonstop about business. Like, we live and breathe.

[00:15:35 - 00:16:03]

No, we really do. I mean, hey, some personal stuff squeaks in here. There. But, like. Yeah, yeah, I wonder if that. And this is, like, totally. I think some of that has to do with some of us have kids, some of us don't. And, like, is there anything worse about talking about your kids, like, when you don't have kids? Like, no, no. And. But, yeah, I love. I love that, too. It's. These are our business friends. Like, that's the context in which we're friends.

[00:16:03 - 00:16:04]

Yeah, yeah.

[00:16:04 - 00:16:06]

And so I think that we're friends.

[00:16:07 - 00:16:42]

Anyways, but, like, ambitious and driven and, like, we know we are there within an agenda. And because of that, I think it just gets, like, gets us so much further. Like, I feel like every time we look back from one retreat to the other, we're like, oh, my God, so much has happened. Like, we've done so much. So I really love that, too. Like, I think that. And it matches our energy. Not every, like, if you are not that, like, I live and breathe my business. Don't surround yourself with those people.

[00:16:42 - 00:16:44]

But you would be a little.

[00:16:44 - 00:16:51]

Yeah, you would not be. Have fun. Yeah, but we're just, like. Like, literally, if we're sitting on the beach, we're talking business.

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If we're riding on the train, if we're walking down. Yeah, no, we just can't help ourselves. And I was just gonna say something and it's poof. Speed gone.

[00:17:02 - 00:17:29]

One thing I'll talk about is, like, the. This sort of accommodations and arrangements. So one of the things that we realized is that, like, we literally can stay inside. Like, if it. In January, when it's cold out, like, we did not leave the house. I think we went grocery shopping one time, and that's, like, everyone's happy with that. Um, and we have the cooks in the house, so a few people take on more of the cooking responsibilities. That's not me.

[00:17:30 - 00:17:34]

Which is fine because, like, cooking is one of those things. Like, if you like to do it, it's not a chore.

[00:17:34 - 00:17:53]

It's not a chore. And for me, it's, like, literally the last. It's my least favorite chore. It is such a chore. But last summer, we definitely did, like, we went to the beach. When we were in Ontario, we went to the beach. We also ate out more because we were staying at. We were staying at a motel. Like a.

[00:17:53 - 00:17:54]

Like what?

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Like a modern motel. Fancy one. Fancy one. So I don't know. Do you have a preference to like which style?

[00:18:01 - 00:19:05]

It's funny because I think on our last one, we actually had plans to go out to dinner one night, and then we were like, let's not. You know, I think. And especially for me, last time, like, I was coming from the west coast, so my time zones were really out of sorts. And not that I was tired or any, like, it wasn't that I could have gone to dinner, but I don't know, there's something about. I don't have a preference at all. Not even a little bit. And I think we overshopped too. And I have, like, anxiety around food waste so bad. I know. Yeah, that one was all Ria. I think in a past life, she was a jewish mother. I told her, because, like, that doesn't want anyone to go hungry, and, boy, we did not. So, you know, I think just out of respect, the groceries, we thought we needed to just eat them. But no, I don't. I think if someone. If we were in someone's hometown and someone was like, no, we really have to go to, like, this spot. Sure.

[00:19:05 - 00:19:47]

But otherwise, yeah, I like being in the house. I like, just also there's more space in the house, so. Or a house. So having a living room, and especially because I am usually the first one up, so I'll let go and, you know, I can work. I'm not stuck in my room somewhere. I like. I mean, I love eating out. I love restaurants, but my. So your anxiety is around having a food waste? Mine is actually, like, even though everyone else enjoys cooking and they know I don't like it, I still feel bad. Like, I still feel like I should let it go. I know. It's not like, it's just, you know, feeling, like, contributing.

[00:19:48 - 00:19:51]

You literally planned the whole thing, like, take a nap.

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I mean, you can't just sit. I mean, maybe it's because. And actually, this is such a funny aside, but the way, like, my mom doesn't let people just, like, sit around, so I've never been one. Like, if someone else is working, you pitch in. So I think it's just part of the way I was raised, and so that definitely makes me feel better.

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I know, but that's so funny, too, because, like, especially in, like, a cooking situation, there's an actual saying, too many.

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Too many cooks.

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And so it's, like, crowded, you know? Like, even in the beautiful house we stayed in New York, which was ginormous and had this great kitchen that accommodated people, like, with six of us. Like, it was just too many. So, like, get out of the kitchen. Go eat the food. That's helpful.

[00:20:40 - 00:20:45]

Yeah, come eat. I will do that. You can put food in front of me, and I will eat it.

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You'll be the pretty much guarantee.

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Yeah.

[00:20:48 - 00:21:25]

So, yeah, so, okay, so logistics. Cindy. Love her. And I think you might just be our designated booker. Unless there's, like, a host. Like, if you all came right here, like, I would. I would take charge even on that one. I'm probably never going to send out, like, a doodle for dates, though. Like, in a timely manner that makes other people comfortable. I would be, like, way late to the party, so I'll probably never do that. And then I did offer for Rachel, said, do you want me to, like, order or bring anything to support the Pacific Northwest theme?

[00:21:25 - 00:21:26]

Yeah.

[00:21:26 - 00:21:50]

But she seems to have that under control. She's actually the one that rented the car, so. Yeah, it is kind of like a group effort. I want to say it was Brooke or Rhea who kind of brought the structure to our last one because there was a real formula. Yeah. So it is a team effort. It's a team effort, which I appreciate.

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Same. And we all have our ways of contributing.

[00:21:54 - 00:22:02]

Right, exactly. I know. I'm like, who's going to be the driver? Probably rach for this one.

[00:22:02 - 00:22:05]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I think so.

[00:22:05 - 00:22:09]

Yeah. Maria in there, and she's like, I haven't driven a car.

[00:22:09 - 00:22:10]

Yeah. No. Ri.

[00:22:10 - 00:22:11]

Five years.

[00:22:11 - 00:22:14]

I can drive. You can drive, rach.

[00:22:15 - 00:22:16]

I don't know. We all can drive.

[00:22:16 - 00:22:18]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, she.

[00:22:18 - 00:22:18]

Yes.

[00:22:18 - 00:22:33]

Yeah. But I feel like there's, like, I gravitate towards driving. Like, even in our family, I'm the driver, so I'm sure you know this by now that I do not let Chris drive me anywhere.

[00:22:33 - 00:22:34]

Yeah.

[00:22:34 - 00:22:45]

Even when I was going to the hospital to deliver my second kid, I drove myself. He did have to drive us home because I had an epidural and my legs weren't working properly.

[00:22:45 - 00:22:48]

But if it wasn't for that, she would have driven us.

[00:22:48 - 00:23:12]

I would have driven us. So I'm always happy to drive. Okay, I want to talk for a second before we wrap this up. And also, if you're listening to this, and this is different, Jess and I are trying this slightly different format, and we'd love your feedback. If you just want to hear us talk, talk to each other about stuff, let us know if this is good. So I want to talk about where to go next.

[00:23:13 - 00:23:15]

I know you threw out a place.

[00:23:15 - 00:23:20]

Well, okay. So I. I didn't really throw it out so much as, like, my friend's hosting slain in Panama.

[00:23:20 - 00:23:21]

Yeah.

[00:23:21 - 00:23:40]

And I was like, should I try go to that as well? But I don't think I can. But then I was thinking, should we try go somewhere like Panama or Costa Rica or Mexico, where we do this twice a year, once in January and then the other in the summer. So, I don't know, should we try somewhere warm?

[00:23:42 - 00:23:57]

I mean, hey, come to California again. It's plenty warm. I mean, I think I'm, like, a yes to any place. And I want us to, like, remember that we literally don't leave the house.

[00:23:57 - 00:23:58]

We don't leave.

[00:23:58 - 00:24:20]

So if we could. But I love going like. So, for example, when we book these homes and places, we're not looking for the cheapest accommodation where we want individual rooms, individual beds. Like, this is not your college, like, meetup situation. We are, you know, we bosses.

[00:24:20 - 00:24:21]

We're getting.

[00:24:21 - 00:24:34]

And 40 year old women, like, so. So I think if the place is a place, you go because of the place. You know what I mean? Like, yeah. Site. Like, I don't know if, like, rome or something is on the.

[00:24:34 - 00:24:35]

No, I don't know.

[00:24:35 - 00:24:39]

You know what I'm saying? But if it's beautiful, I think that that's really inspiring.

[00:24:39 - 00:24:46]

Or, like, remember in Prince Edward county we spent an afternoon in a cabana. Yeah. That was glorious.

[00:24:46 - 00:24:47]

So fun.

[00:24:47 - 00:24:50]

I feel like a Mexico y thing we could do.

[00:24:50 - 00:24:56]

Like, I think if the qualifications are. Is it easy enough for everyone to get? Because.

[00:24:56 - 00:24:56]

Yes.

[00:24:57 - 00:25:01]

If it's gonna require, like, planes, trains and automobiles a la Costa Rica.

[00:25:02 - 00:25:03]

Yeah, yeah.

[00:25:03 - 00:25:19]

It does require both of those more. I don't know if that's like. But if there's a direct flight to Cabo or. I don't even know. I don't know. There's like a whole bunch of places I've never been. Tell me about it. Let's go.

[00:25:19 - 00:25:21]

All right, I'm gonna.

[00:25:21 - 00:25:22]

I think everyone would be interested.

[00:25:22 - 00:25:34]

I think so, too. I also can't think of where we would go in the states other than come back to California. And I feel like I'm going to be in California for your raise more together conference.

[00:25:34 - 00:25:42]

I know you already come to California last. I mean, I wish Florida wasn't so, like, politically scary.

[00:25:42 - 00:25:44]

I know I should say that on this podcast.

[00:25:44 - 00:25:52]

Yeah. Because there's some beautiful parts of it. Or, like, just the south in general. I don't know. Or, like, a lake. We haven't really, like, done.

[00:25:52 - 00:26:01]

Yeah, a lake. But it's harder in January, even if it's not warm in January. Like, it's. It's hit and miss.

[00:26:01 - 00:26:02]

Yeah. Yeah.

[00:26:02 - 00:26:07]

All right, TBD. Stay tuned.

[00:26:07 - 00:27:01]

And if you're. If you're thinking about it, like, even myself, so I'm so grateful to have this group of folks, but even I have been wondering if, like, the community builders of the world, like, I think of Camila Martin or I think of Lauren Androwski. Like, I've even thought, should I reach out to these folks and should we get together for something? Just to talk specifically about our community building thing. Like, if I can be in a room with other people in person to riff on this kind of stuff, I'm all for it. And I just. If you haven't done it yet, I know sometimes it can be intimidating, it can be feel like a lot of work on top of your lot of work to, like, get it going. But I guarantee there's other people out there that want to do it, too. And sometimes you just need a starting.

[00:27:01 - 00:27:23]

Or reach out to Jess and get her to host one. Like, a host a retreat. Have you talked about doing a retreat? Like, yes. Because that's the other thing, like, you and I have talked about, like, is there an opportunity for a paid retreat where people, like, it's more of a curated event, and I haven't announced anything.

[00:27:23 - 00:27:46]

Yet, but you know what I'm thinking for 2025 in that space? Yeah. I think one thing that I value so much about this is, like, especially now that it's been three, four years, we just have the longevity and the context of knowing each other's businesses and personalities. And there is really something special about that, that even something that I plan in a retreat is hard to get because.

[00:27:46 - 00:28:00]

But it's this. The retreat is how we started. It was that totally that, I think, because even now, like, Brooke and I had a few co working sessions where we were working on, like, Facebook newsletter.

[00:28:00 - 00:28:01]

Oh, I was like, your newsletter?

[00:28:01 - 00:28:18]

That's coming next. I was like, can we have a co working writing session? And, like, having those relationships where we know so much about each other's businesses? But all of that, it would not have been as deep as it is now had we not met in person.

[00:28:18 - 00:28:25]

For sure. 100%. 100%. So go forth, gather. You will not regret it.

[00:28:25 - 00:28:52]

No. All right. Thanks for tuning into this conversation. As I said before, let us know if you like this format. It won't be exclusive, but we're just playing around. And we will absolutely continue to have interviews. So we'll see you soon. Thank you again for listening to the Confessions podcast for nonprofit coaches and consultants. If you enjoyed today's episode, which I sure hope you did, you can show your support in one of three ways.

[00:28:52 - 00:29:00]

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[00:29:00 - 00:29:05]

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[00:29:05 - 00:29:11]

And number three, leave a positive review on Apple Podcasts so we can continue to grow and reach new listeners.

[00:29:11 - 00:29:17]

And of course, make sure you subscribe so you can get the latest and greatest interviews as they drop every Thursday.

[00:29:18 - 00:29:25]

And to our fellow nonprofit coaching and consulting friends, remember, we're an open book. And here to answer your burning biz questions.

[00:29:25 - 00:29:26]

See you next time.