For months it was all I thought about. It’s what has kept me going throughout the pandemic, because it gave me something to look forward to.
It was like the pandemic didn’t exist. The world felt like everything was normal.
I stayed in a beach house with 14 people strangers five hours away from my family, all for the sake of my business. If you’ve been intrigued, keep reading.
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The thought of my recent trip to Destin brings out a lot of emotions in me, from happiness all the way to sadness. You see, I had a hard time getting there. With car trouble arising the day before I left, I was worried sick about how I would make it. This is where my mastermind sisters come in.
Kayla, who lives three hours away from me, volunteered to pick me up. All I had to do was meet her at the Mississippi/Alabama border. That was easy enough. But how would I get there? If it weren’t for my family, I wouldn’t have made it. I say that about every situation, but it was especially so this time.
This girl, who I had never met in person, let me sleep on her couch. Me, a total stranger. But hey, now we’re business besties so it’s all good. We just vibe honestly.
We made our way to Destin the next morning to pick Katie up from the airport and boy did the three of us have a time that afternoon. Once nightfall came, it was time to go back to the airport for Jen and Jo.
We all got in the car together and it was like we had known each other for years. These four women complete me, they really do.
The next day was spent on the beach with my four new pals, soaking up the sun and catching some waves. I may have gotten sunburnt. If you know me, you know.
Once we made it to the retreat house, the heat was on. We waited patiently for two o’clock to roll around, so that we could go in and meet our mentors. When the clock finally struck two, we may as well have beat the door down. Everyone ran in, and it felt like home.
Meeting Brittany Bruce in person was like meeting a celebrity at an event. She was there, living and breathing, and I just couldn’t believe it. Same thing with Naomi Duncan. I was just speechless.
As for Lauren Haddow, BB’s right-hand lady, we hit it off splendidly. After all, we’re basically the same person.
Our group spent Thursday as a meet and greet time. The real learning began on Friday, when we worked on ourselves and our businesses. I actually reached my tear quota for the quarter, so it was a success.
We set goals and dug deep into our businesses. Why did we want to be photographers? What did we want to accomplish? How were we going to accomplish the goals we set? These were just some of the questions we answered that Friday.
Each girl took a turn in the hot seat, where we poured into one another and praised them for all that they’ve accomplished so far. I’ll let you know, I cried.
On Saturday, we spent our time doing headshots and breaking off to work on our businesses. It was so much fun to interact with everyone. It’s a surreal feeling, to know someone for six months virtually and then finally meeting them. It blew me away.
Leaving was the hardest part. I don’t have a lot of friends, and I can honestly say I bonded with each and every girl in my group. I can’t wait to see what each one of us does in the next six months.
Water buffalos, we’ve got this.
