I spent the last 7 days in Waco, TX.
Over the last 2 years, I have traveled a lot. While that may seem like a burden to some, it’s actually one of my favorite things. I love airports, I love flying & I love the thrill of seeing a new place for the first time.
As much as I have traveled, there has never really been a place I felt like I could call “home”. I love Virginia. I love our mountains & our water & our changing seasons. I love how central it’s located on the East Coast, and I love that the majority of my family lives here, too. I honestly can’t image moving away!
Over the last 3 years, out of all the miles flown & places seen, there have been 3 locations where I’ve truthfully thought: “I could maybe live here … if it wasn’t so far away from Virginia!”
- Queenstown, New Zealand
- Golden, Colorado
- Waco, TX
You may have heard of Waco, TX from a little show called Fixer Upper!!:) And while I will admit to all the Chip & Jo stalking I could muster, I found that I loved Waco for more than just that!
My incredible friend Bonnie hosted her third illume retreat from her home studio in Waco last week. I flew down to help her coordinate the retreat so that she would have an extra pair of hands behind the scenes. This was my third time walking through her heartfelt curriculum & “third time’s the charm” has never been truer for me.
See I’ve been to quite a few workshops/retreats (and you know I host my own!). I’ve listened to countless speakers, met amazing women & had bits & pieces of my life changed by the experiences. Illume retreat 2017 changed my life in more ways than I thought possible & in more ways than I expected.
This was the very first retreat I have been to in my career where I truly felt like I could be present. My auto-responder was up & all pressing client work was complete. That sense of relief, y’all, was amazing. I found freedom in knowing that I could actually take time to pour INTO my business & help my sweet friend along the way.
I had intimate conversations on life, Jesus & business, talked finances & budget with brilliant minds, set goals for the remainder of 2017 & was challenged my industry peers to keep pushin’ on. If you’re looking for an experience that CARES, with women who sit down beside you on a living room couch & meet you right where you are, illume is for you.
Outside of Bonnie’s carefully curated & truly incredible experience, I found that the city of Waco, TX cultivated the very ideas that Bonnie so desperately wanted her attendees experience!! Waco is a city with a heart for community & it’s filled with people who show kindness at every corner.
From door-holding to eye-contact-smiles, strangers aren’t really strangers there. From run-down-buildings that “just need a little love” to the gorgeous Silos Chip & Jo “fixed up”, I saw possibility & potential. It’s a city that’s overcome a lot & done it with sheer grit & determination. And it’s a city we can learn a lot from as small business owners!!
It reminded me of a few truths I want my own business to hold high:
- People first, always.
- A smile goes a long way.
- Be kind – you never know the impact you may have.
- At first glance, it might look broken. Look again.
- “She sees possibility everywhere.”
- Never ignore your calling. And if you don’t know what it is: keep moving until you find it.
So much happened in my 7 days away & I’m positive it was the best educational experience I’ve ever been apart of. I can’t wait to keep processing through my notes from illume, reflecting on my time at Magnolia Market & already planning a trip back in 2018! (Who’s coming with me?!)
Thank you, Bonnie, for opening up your home last week. Thank you for opening up your heart, and thank you for sharing a slice of your hometown with me! And thank you, Kelly, for spending a few extra days in the city with me – eating all the guac & visiting Magnolia Market 4 times where we shared a heartfelt cry under their pavilion. I’m so glad we’re friends <3
xo! kat
2nd Image by Kelly Zugay
