The crash after a mastermind is hard to describe.

Think of the most epic roller coaster you’ve ever been on. Now imagine someone blindfolded you, spun you around 100 times, put you on the coaster, made you ride it 3 times in a row, spun you 100 more times after that, and then asked you to walk across a balance beam. Like that.

For someone like myself who prides herself on having the right words to say, I’ve spent the last three days at a loss. Taking naps, cooking food, hanging out with my new baby goats, making long lists of house projects… waiting for the moment to hit me when I’d finally sit down and try to debrief.

It was the first get together in 18 months. We had 65 people at the event and another 35 tuning in virtually with our first ever attempt at a fully functioning hybrid event. Two of my coaches – Helen + Emily held the space for the virtual crowd, while me, Nuno, and Jess oversaw the in person event. Digital Insider Dallin Nead and his associate shooter Josh, provided all the A/V support to make it happen.

 

As with most things I do, I underestimated the work/logistics involved AND I underestimated just how powerful a week long event with 100 people would be. I think part of me didn’t believe it would happen because of Covid.

Even though we had masterminds in 2020 that were virtual, it’s not until you’re in the room with people that you really feel the weight of all that genius + creativity. It’s completely overwhelming for newcomers, as I know many of them really didn’t quite know how to process everything that was happening.

• You’re getting to know people and their businesses.
• You’re hearing strategy.
• You’re learning tactics.
• You’re digging deep with mindset work.
• You’re getting really uncomfortable with things like long term wealth and savings.
• You’re learning about yourself.
• You’re spending every waking moment for five straight days with inspiring people.

All of it is happening with a piddly one hour lunch break each day and by Thursday, you can’t hardly see straight.

• Each day we have takeaways + shoutouts.
• We have three to four presentations.
• One keynote talk from me.
• A DI coach hosts a talk.
• Mini master hotseats.

Then there are five nights worth of dinner conversations, drinks, dancing. People are doing photoshoots and video shoots in between sessions.

I honestly wasn’t sure how to hold my emotions in check because I was so acutely aware that outside of my family, these people that make up Digital Insiders, are the foundation of all my non-familial relationships. And even though there is a very transactional relationship (coach to client, etc.), in order to do what I do, I’ve had to sacrifice a social life to focus all my emotional/mental energy into this group.

You can’t build a group like DI without a sacrifice somewhere, and that’s the one I’ve made.

But the mastermind is the ONE time I get to really experience the fruit of that hard work and sacrifice in the real world. I watch as relationships form, people bond, aha’s! are made, and I also get the privilege of enjoying all these people and it makes that sacrifice 10000% worth it.

I walked away from this week feeling so IMPRESSED by the talent in the room. There were talks on….

• Retreats
• Email Sequences
• FB Group Growth
• Imposter Syndrome
• Automations
• Self-Care
• Virtual Summits
• House Management
• Org Charts
• Finances
• YouTube
• Wealth Building
• Social Media Frameworks
• Launch Mindedness
• Sales
• FB Challenges
• VIP Days
• Project Management
• Media Hacking
• Challenges > Launching
• Family Assistants
• Digital Shops

I also laughed so FREAKING HARD. Humor is so good for the soul and it was there in spades. We played this game one night where each person had to say something they did in their life that no one else did, and let’s just say we have DIers who…

• Saved a former vice president from death
• Stowed away on a Russian military plane
• Dated celebrities
• Worked as a mortician
• Got stuck in a Chinese jail
• Broke the world record for # of tshirts worn

Those were just a few I could remember. There were a ton more.

With laughter also comes tears. So many groups and masterminds force people into a facade of sorts – feeling as if they have to protect themselves. In the room, all those pretenses shed and people opened up about their fears, insecurities, and gratitude. There were multiple times I couldn’t get the words out I wanted to because I was crying too hard.

By the end of the week, all of us were exhausted, inspired, excited to see our families, but also looking forward to the next time we’re all together. I’m aware that with something as special as DI, it will be a continuous commitment and fight to protect the power and vulnerability expressed, and I could not do that without my team, and the dedication of all the members who want to protect this space as well.

From a business standpoint, I spent a lot of my talks facilitating discussion around the changing landscape of online business.

• How to make sure you’re building a business that fits your lifestyle
• How to pick the right offers for your personality + people
• How to build an ecosystem so you aren’t reliant on Facebook ads

I also dove deep into my own personal wealth building strategy, to help unpack what to do with your money once you earn it. All in all, we spent less time on the individual tactics of how a funnel is built (something we do constantly in the day to day of DI), and lifted our chins towards bigger and more strategic conversations.

I thought a few times what it would be like for someone to be a fly on the wall during a week like this. To hear and see and feel what it means to be in a tight knit community who not only have your back, give you ideas, and share their knowledge, but who are just hella fun to hang out with too. How much would it change the trajectory of your business to experience that?

With so many of us beaten down by the year 2020 and the pandemic, this was exactly what the doctor ordered.

I definitely think the two barn dinners were up there on the top ten list of the best nights of my life. It was surreal to be able to host 60+ people at our house, in our barn. We roasted s’mores, had steak and chicken, danced, celebrated wins, and yes… Alex and I were given two baby goats as a housewarming gift.

The wall of appreciation is a post we put in our FB group and has over 220+ comments and counting….all messages of encouragement, support, and thanks for fellow Insiders. If it wasn’t a private group I’d share because if you’re not in a community where that kind of camaraderie is normal, you don’t know what you’re missing and how mission critical it is to surviving business ups and downs.

A few takeaways from members…

“I realized I need one day a week just for daydreaming…”

“I can see so many radical ways to change our industries…”

“I’ve been rushing myself for so long and I didn’t even know why…”

“I think my biggest takeaway was that numbers are just…numbers. And that they don’t care how I feel about them. They aren’t a reflection of my personal worth. They just are. I feel so excited and hopeful and less scared to spend money since I have monthly metrics of where it needs to be hitting to be “on track”.”

“We can’t wait for FB Ads to come back, they aren’t. Time to get more creative. We are VERY close to being a sustainable ecosystem without any ads so we just need to dig into that more vs thinking I’m a failure for business not going as well…”

“We all have different strengths, weaknesses, goals, dreams, and ideals, and what is right for one person is not right for the next, and it’s OK to not want what everyone else wants.”

“My takeaway is that I need to stop trying to do it all myself and to stop being the tough guy all the time and get some darn HELP.”

“I never imagined being there virtually would be as powerful as it was. I am so grateful to be inspired, educated, and motivated by such incredible fellow entrepreneurs. I was also able to form connections with other DIers that I never dreamed would be possible not being there in person.”

“I was there virtually and it changed my life. That might sound dramatic but it’s true.”

161 days and counting til the Disney DI Mastermind but who’s counting?