SHINE 2019

What a weekend! It was nearly impossible to decide which photo to lead with for this post, but ultimately it felt natural to choose one from Team Fierce Faith - and the silly one at that. There were a lot of big moments from this year's Shine, moments that I am excited to downright brag about. But in the end, it's the connections and time spent with so many incredible women that I savor the most.

I volunteered to act as a Connector this year, which enabled me to sync up with Meg and Missy (from my beach trip that was the consolation prize for my canceled artisan trip to Guatemala - I can't believe I didn't blog about that!). We were the Fanny Pack Posse, stocked with Advil, bandaids, and gum. (Suffice to say, we took these off after about an hour.) Our role was to specifically reach out to new attendees who perhaps didn't know anyone but were brave enough to attend anyway - something I remembered well from my first Shine.

The first BIG moment for me was that first night, when the new spring line was revealed by those of us who had attained Rock Star Status in the past year. This means we have sold $100,000 in lifetime sales. It was actually a lot more nerve-wracking than I anticipated, but nevertheless a lot of fun, thanks to a group of women who definitely don't take themselves too seriously. I was especially happy to experience the fashion show with fellow teammates Kacey and Sarah.

Early on in the planning for this trip, I decided to ditch my antisocial ways and room with Cat, and I'm so glad I did. It was the best of both worlds, too, because I had someone to help me with my hair and choose outfits, but I still had my own bed!

We all loved this backdrop for photos, and it felt especially appropriate to take a picture with Kacey here, as she is such a supportive coach/mentor as well as friend.

Before the awards night dinner, we finally got our chance to get a picture with the artisans who attended this year's Shine: (from left) Anna from Guatemala, Anne from Kenya, Moon from India, and Jalia and Daniel from Uganda. Throughout the weekend we heard from each of them, inspiring us to continue this work that they are so grateful we have chosen to do.

While we waited for the large group photo to be taken before heading into dinner, we nabbed this selfie with our dynamo emcee, Michelle McKinney. She was FIRE, and an honor to hear.

This photo is from my other BIG moment: I was 24th in sales overall for 2018. I was fairly astonished when I first learned this, and I continue to be very proud. I'm motivated to continue walking that stage, too! Which is why I continue to stay in close contact with this lovely lady:

Kathy is another of the beautiful friends I made at the beach this past summer, and she and I have linked arms as pacing partners. She is motivating, loving and FUN.

This is the other lady who keeps me going: Suzanne is a sales mentor that I've had the privilege of working with through multiple seasons, and her sincere belief in me and genuine delight in my success has felt like a true privilege.

It was a weekend to remember, for sure. I even shut down the dance floor with Jess and Lois! I think we all came away ready to hit the ground running like never before - and also counting the days until the next Shine.