This is a little different than my “normal” interview! I just returned home from the “Rookie Retreat” (their first ever retreat) and I was blown away by the content quality and solid connections I made!

Top THREE reasons to attend the Brand Builders Retreat!

Just have to say this is not a sponsored post or podcast –

What is a brand? It’s YOU! What you’re known and how you are perceived by those who follow you on Social Media. What people think and feel about you! I tell my students that things like honesty, loyalty and punctuality are a part of their “brands” – what they have to offer!

The way it is described (taking this from brandbuildersretreat.com) The Retreats are an experience designed to motivate and encourage those who seek to expand and monetize their presence on social media.

I met people at the retreat with over 100,000 followers and those who had just started their Instagram page! Everyone was learning! Find a community that builds you up and helps you grow! 

This was held in the beautiful state of Utah! For me, I was able to spend time with family in the area before and after the retreat which was a HUGE bonus for me!

The Optional “Meet and Greet” on Saturday night helped me meet women immediately! I was able to find my seat – which, by the way, the hostesses even thought that part through – strategicly putting us next to others who they thought we would like to network with!  (and I actually wanted to ensure my marketing was in everyone’s swag bag! I brainstormed a little Tazo Passion tea bag with a sticker on it with the slogan “Enjoy this passion tea and follow me on IG”).  Did it help me gain new followers? Yep, it did! That evening, everyone had a wrapped pair of faux leather Spanx (Thanks Sara Blakely!) When I walked in, I was warmly greeted and shown where my chair was.

So, what are the TOP THREEE REASONS TO ATTEND the Brand Builders Retreat?

Number 1! Build your toolkit –

• This is time away from your “everyday” and it helps to focus in on specific strategies that will contribute to your future success!
• Learn from the “pro’s” – this is a chance to be in a small group surrounded by like-minded people who want to build their brands
• Take a deep dive into the tools that are available to you while focusing on the latest apps and trending strategies! (with just a few key apps and building your knowledge for trends like Reels and Tik-tok you can get your brand noticed!)

Number 2: Build Connections and Create Collaborations:

• The hostesses of this retreat are Jen Bryant and Jenny Reimold – two incredibly smart, funny, kind, down-to-earth and generous women! They are undoubtedly interested in building up others and helping them succeed! They met two years ago – also at a retreat – and developed their friendship and bond quickly! Their focus of building on building women and helping them earn supplemental income to provide for their families!
• A little about Jen Bryant: Her IG is @JenBryantDesign and her focus is affordable home décor and decorating ideas that help others create a space they love to be in! She creates Tik-Tok’s and just one of her Tik-Tok videos got 10 million views! She’s also a mom of boys!
• Jenny Reimold – Her IG is @jennyreimold and she is hilarious! She is a former publicist, an HGTV Contributing Writer and Stylist, Adoption /Foster Care Advocate, HomeGoods Style Expert and MOTHER OF 7! Let me tell you – she is smart – in minutes she helped me knock out wording on a portion of my social media that was less than stellar!
• THESE TWO LADIES UTILIZED THEIR CONNECTIONS TO BENEFIT THE WORKSHOP ATTENDEES through curating a swag bag filled with intentional products! More on that later!
• Two guest speakers!
  • Chaz Easterly – Linen and Flax – she spoke from her heart (and anyone who follows her knows that we laugh, cry, pray and shop with Chaz!) One quote that stuck out to me was “follow what you love and you will be successful”
  • Deborah Bitton – Hip and Humble Lifestyle – “If you’re not inspired and you don’t have a passion, you can’t expect to inspire others.”
• The FRIENDSHIPS I made were incredible! Women helping other women and

Number 3: It’s an investment in YOURSELF! BUILD YOURSELF and YOUR BRAND!

• Making an investment in yourself will reap BIG rewards – learning a new skill or tapping into your creativity helps you develop yourself personally and professionally.
• You grow what you focus on – I would encourage anyone thinking of starting a business, brand, social media to attend the Brand Builders Retreat! I signed up and showed up on my own! Everyone was so welcoming and it was easy to meet people. The women I met were so nice and luckily everyone watched out for each other ensuring everyone was included!
• The destination LOCATIONS are incredible! Sundance, Utah was a little less than an hour from Salt Lake – the scenery was GORGEOUS! The fresh mountain air, delicious food and great company at the retreat was literally the whole package! It was an incredible opportunity that I feel very lucky to have been a part of! Build your network and watch your business grow!

If you don’t have the time or funds right now to attend, follow along with Jen and Jenny on IG! Put it on your bucket list and “save” for it – because it truly is worth it!

The overall experience was incredible and one that has helped me hone in on practical tactics and formulate a plan to build my business and my own brand. You’re not required to even have social media, but I guarantee, they will help you in incredible ways.

And remember, there are a lot of “retreats” out there, but you have to be strategic with your time and money – this is worth the investment!

The connections were incredible with a wonderful group of ladies! I’ll be linking everyone and all the swag in my blog post!

You will not regret taking time for yourself to build connections, grow as a person, both personally and professionally and create the life you want to live! I encourage you to take that leap of faith and progress towards your goals and dreams!

And this isn’t even one of the TOP THREE but an incredible treat! – THE SWAG BAG! When you look good, you feel good!

The products and gifts that we received in our bag were truly spectacular! I have never owned a pair of Spanx, but I am here to tell you that ladies, they are worth the investment! They looked tiny when I opened the package and worried that I didn’t get a big enough size, but they were slimming and sucked everything in that needed to be! They partnered with brands they love! They shared the love with us through these products – for example the thoughtful brand, Able employs and empowers women with the tag line “Your Purchase. Her Opportunity.” You vote with your dollars! Why not purchase quality items that you know are going to make a difference in the lives of women both locally (Nashville) and around the world – India, Mexico, Brazil and Ethiopia). I can attest to the quality of the products through a bag I purchased on my own several years ago after learning about ABLE and their mission.

If you have any questions about the Brand Builders Retreat, you can post them to my IG page @SharingPassionandPurpose and I would be happy to provide additional insight into my experience!

And in the coming months, I’ll be reaching out to several ladies how I connected with at the Brand Builders Retreat to discuss their passion and purpose! Stay tuned!!!!

And FINALLY….on to ALL.THE. SWAG! The “Rookie” Retreat attendees received a Swag Bag full of amazing products that our hostesses LOVE and wanted to share with all the ladies! Wondering what was tucked in?

A pair of faux-leather leggings from Spanx! (IG: @Spanx) I absolutely LOVE them! They are an investment, but totally worth every penny! Spanx are slimming, smoothing and buttery soft! As soon as I got them, I started wearing them! I immediately received compliments and felt AMAZING in them!

This retreat focused on the whole person – inside and out! This retreat dove deep into looking inward at our gifts, talents, and goals, but it also hit the outside with amazing products in our SWAG BAGS! The following provides a list of our generous “gifts” along with who supplied them! I’ll be talking more on Instagram about all the wonderful goodies!

ABLE is one of my FAVORITE Brands with quality products that do so much good! Their tag line: “Your Purchase. Her Opportunity.” shares their mission of helping women locally (Nashville) and around the world (India, Mexico, Brazil and Ethiopia). In fact, ABLE is made up of 96% women! Their

A gift card from Home Goods! I can’t wait to go shopping at one of my staple stores for ALL THE THINGS! – Holiday, candles, art, throw pillows, and SO MUCH MORE! I’ll let you know on IG what I purchase!

A candle from Linen and Flax – the “Home” fragrance is lovely! Burning a nice candle – especially in a signature scent – makes your space feel cozy and comfortable! I wish you could smell my office right now – it’s smells fresh and uplifting!

When you feel good – you can accomplish anything! A Verb Energy bar provides as much caffeine as an espresso (65 mg!) which provides the perfect pick-me-up for afternoon energy and successfully carries me through my day! My favorite flavor is Ginger Snap! (IG: @verbenergy or text them at (415)915-8372.)

And GoTein Balls (IG: @goteinballs) protein balls! I had the opportunity to try “Vegan Cinnamon Swirl” and they were yummy! It was developed by a Mom who wanted healthy and convenient on-the-go treats/snacks for her kids! I’m all-in when it comes to nutritious and healthy snacks and these were! So yummy!

I’ll be taking Larkly sunscreen (IG: larklysuncare) on our Spring Break trip! The mineral sunscreen is easy to apply – and not messy at all! The convenience is amazing and what’s even better? It’s made with sustainable ingredients! larklysuncare.com

And new Whiff inhaler (IG: @whiffproducts) provides a quick, natural boost of energy or calm through smell! The product is small and compact – easily able to fit in a small bag or purse – and can be pulled out in a jiff to “whiff”! My package had two of my favorite all-natural scents – lavender (relaxing) and spearmint (refreshing!). It’s easy to take on-the-go and pull out as needed! You can really be anywhere and enjoy the fragrances! The product is 100% natural! WhiffProducts.com

My new robe from Print Fresh is super stylish! (IG: @printfresh) The fun print provides a stylish and fashionable feeling even right out of the shower! The cut is generous – I have the Small/Medium and it fits perfectly! Their focus is “Handcrafted sleepwear for the print-obsessed” and all products are designed in the U.S. – in Philadelphia!

Mask up! and look great doing so with Chickadee Baby Co! (IG: @chickadeebabyco) The black mask I received was dressy – with a sparkly sheen that was not scratchy. Masks have really become a fashion accessory and with this one, you’ll be right in style!

The popular phrase, “Beauty is only skin deep” references the outside appearance, but the inside is a different story! The need for quality beauty products that treat skin well and make women look fabulous is very real! I’m excited to try the Jan Marini Skin Research (IG: janmariniskinresearch) skin care products that Jenny Reimold wholeheartedly endorses (not sponsored!) As well as the Tarte (IG: @tartecosmetics) eye shadow and mascara!

And the products continue! With stylish home decor with a vase from Etu Home (IG: @etu.home) that I used to hold seasonal candy! It’s easy to hold and pour from!

Our luxurious rustic retreat was hosted at Sundance Mountain Resort (IG: sundancemountainresort) and the stay was nothing short of incredible! The location in beautiful UTAH was a tucked-away treat! The staff at the resort was top-notch! Retreat goers were surrounded in nature and encouraged to take part in outdoor adventures! My adventure was snowshoeing and I enjoyed my journey trekking on Sundance Mountain!

If you have any questions about this retreat, please include them on my IG page with the Brand Builders Retreat Logo! I’ll make sure to answer!