They say doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results is the definition of insanity😅 With Q4 coming up, it got me thinking... Is there anything you're planning to do differently in your business? A strategy you want to try, something you want to stop doing, or maybe something you want to double down on because it's actually working?

Well, this makes me happy. ❤️ Welcome to Skoolology, @Kathryn Zabinski! Kathryn and I have known each other for a long time, so seeing her walk through this particular door feels pretty special. I’m really glad you’re here, my friend. Now I’m curious...what made you decide to come hang out with us over here? 😊

One thing I’m learning while building The Room is that I don’t have to fill every quiet moment. At first, when things were quiet, my instinct was basically… I should post something. But I’m starting to see that building a community isn’t just about keeping the feed active. It’s also about creating a space where people feel comfortable enough to start their own conversations, reply to each other, or just come in and read without feeling behind. I’m still figuring out that balance. But I think part of building The Room the way I actually want it to feel means learning not to rush in and fill every bit of silence.

Hi Everyone!! As I'm getting ready to bring speakers into my first summit, I thought I'd share a little of what I've actually been working on behind the scenes, and hopefully help anyone who might be thinking about hosting a summit out with some of this. Because I had NO idea how many decisions would happen before a single speaker ever stepped onto a virtual stage. 😂 And, to be fully transparent, I've been in a 9 week training program to learn how to launch and host a summit! So here we go... so far, I've: ✨ 𝗙𝗶𝗴𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗪𝗛𝗔𝗧 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗺𝗶𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗪𝗛𝗢 𝗶𝘁'𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿. I wanted the summit to be really aligned with the focus of my community because that's where I'm hosting it. That eventually became 🫆𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗛𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝗔𝗱𝘃𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗦𝘂𝗺𝗺𝗶𝘁, focused on what makes our (midlife women's) experience, judgment, creativity and other human strengths even more valuable in the age of AI. ✨ 𝗦𝗰𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗺𝗶𝘁. How many days? What types of topics fit? What kinds of sessions? What speaker/sponsorship options will I offer? How much am I willing to spend on ads? What does the attendee experience look like? There were a LOT more decisions here than I expected. ✨ 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝘁 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗮 𝟵𝟬-𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗺𝗶𝘁 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻. Using a timeline provided to me in my training, I worked backward from summit week and mapped out speaker recruitment, applications, asset collection, promotion, tech checks, recordings and all the other things that need to happen between “I'm going to host a summit!” and actually hosting one. 😂 ✨ 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀. Instead of just inviting people and hoping their topic fits, I created an application around the summit theme, audience and the kind of experience I want attendees to have. ✨ 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗿 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗹𝘀. I've created a full Speaker Prospectus website that explains the summit, who will be in the room, the types of topics I'm looking for, expectations, deadlines and what I'm trying to create with the event. ✨ 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗿 𝗛𝘂𝗯 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗦𝗸𝗼𝗼𝗹. This is where accepted speakers will get everything they need without me emailing or dm'ing different documents and links all over the place. 😂

You are so generous with each other. Someone shares what they’re building, and you lean in. You ask questions. You offer ideas. You share something you’ve learned. You encourage someone who’s unsure. You celebrate the wins. And sometimes you simply say, “I get it.” You notice each other. You remember what someone was working on and come back to ask how it went. You see a question and think, “I might be able to help with that.” You share what worked for you without assuming it has to be the answer for someone else. And sometimes you ask the question that helps another builder see something they couldn’t quite see on their own. When you share what you’re learning, someone else learns, too. When you ask the question you’re afraid might be obvious, someone else is relieved you asked it. When you encourage another builder, you remind them they don’t have to figure all of this out alone. You make this room what it is. Not just by being here. By bringing what you know, what you’re wondering, what you’re trying, and what you’re learning. And by being willing to share some of it with each other. I hope you know how much that matters. And how much YOU matter here. 💜