The internet is a wild place. It’s filled with twists & turns & connects so many of us… more of us than we even realize!

Last year, in February, I met Kelly, Andra & Tarah for the first time. Through a twist of fate, Hope and I roomed with them at the RTS Leader’s Retreat. I had never met them in person, yet we had the classic “instagram friends” thing going on.

Our friendship was sealed so tightly during that trip. We laughed, we cried, we ate; we bonded over a mix of business & personal so easily. Later in the year, we said we needed a reunion. Off to Savannah we went for another few days of laughs, Bachelor talk & guac.

As 2016 came to a close, we decided we wanted to make our mastermind “official”. We now have scheduled calls every 3 weeks; and each week, 2 of us sit on the “hot seat”. We share ideas, get advice, brainstorm & hold each other accountable.

While we missed Hope during our long weekend in AZ, it was a much needed getaway. The perfect mix of work & play, complete with amazing weather, baseball & gorgeous views. I had never visited AZ before and I’ve decided I have to go back soon! Our Airbnb was close to Old Town Scottsdale and our road trip to Sedona was incredible – both the car adventures & the sites once we got there!

Here are 5 things I learned in Arizona with these girls: 

1. Laughter really is the best medicine. We laughed until our sides hurt. We laughed until we almost peed. We laughed over silly stories, sarcastic “sassy” comments & hilarious inside jokes. And laughter really is the best medicine. We were a bunch of giggly school-girls for the majority of our trip – tired from jet-lag, work-woes and busy to-dos. We laughed because even though we’re exhausted, we wouldn’t trade this life for anything. And it’s in that laughter that I found the strength to keep on keepin’ on.

2. Serious conversations are best over a big bowl of guac. Kelly & Andra are known for their guac addiction and I was happy to enable them on the trip! We talked about marriage, motherhood, comparison and instagram over big bowls of guac & chips. We shared “oh girl, me too” moments along with our love of avocado.

3. We’ll never be able to really explain what we do. Every time we got in an uber it was the same set of questions:

“Where are you ladies from?”

“Oh, all over! Washington, Minnesota, Wisconsin & Virginia.”

“College friends getting together?”

“No … *awkward silence as we all look at each other* … we’re creative business owners. You know – wedding planner, photographer, brand & web designers…”

“Oh, huh.”

We’ll never be able to explain what we do to those outside of our creative bubble. Brand design? Business strategy? Boudoir photography? Email marketing? Launch strategies? We’re met with blank stares and sometimes even a “Oh that’s such a fun hobby!” or a “So you don’t have a wedding until May? What do you do all day then?” … insert eye roll emoji.

We bonded (& laughed!) over how we try to explain our life to those who just don’t do it. And how even though it’s unconventional & sometimes seen as not a “big girl job”, we wouldn’t trade it for all the “big girl jobs” in the world.

4. We run multi-faceted businesses yet sometimes the simple day-to-day tasks put us on the struggle bus. I fall asleep thinking about content marketing, what wedding vendor I need to email the next day & the C@H Raleigh schedule. I day-dream about a new product for the shop & what sales funnel I need to write next. Yet sometimes figuring out how to lock the door, or remembering my phone charger or paying with my credit card & not my ID get the best of me. I forget to shut the fridge, walk out of the house wearing slippers & try to get into my house by clicking the “unlock” button on my key fob. We shared laughs over seemingly “simple” tasks that take up way too much brain space in our overly crowded mind… and I loved feeling a little less alone over that thought.

5. We’re all just doing the very best we can. We don’t have it together. At all. We’re all doing the daily grind with no-makeup, big sweatshirts & messy hair. We work from home, alone… and it’s those moments of isolation that can get the best of us. Being able to come together with other entrepreneurs who understand the hustle (& the struggles) is a beautiful reminder I need constantly. The curated squares on instagram are only a small portion of the life we live… remember that.

xo! kat