You Belong in Those Rooms

How Two Days at Create & Cultivate Festival Shifted my life

A weekend that changed everything I thought I knew about belonging, purpose, and the beautiful messiness of our journeys.

From the moment I stepped into the largest business festival for women, I knew I was in for something special. Create & Cultivate wasn't just an event—it was a revelation wrapped in keynote speeches, impromptu conversations, and moments of profound connection that left each of us holding back tears as we held each other's hands.

Picture this: Sophia Bush sharing her wisdom on stage with Bozoma Saint John, who changed the way the world views real housewives, Doechii's electrifying performance filling the air, and everywhere you looked, women from every imaginable background coming together with one common thread: the courage to show up and being brave to keep discovering themselves.

We're All Just Figuring It Out (And That's Beautiful)

One of the most liberating realizations hit me during those 2 days: we're all on our unique paths, trying our best with the skills we were born with and developed. There's no single "right" way to build a career or a life. I met women who had pivoted from corporate to jewelry making, from selling one successful business, thinking that's all they were ever going to be able to do, yet a decade later, building another successful business, from traditional paths to completely uncharted territories. The common denominator wasn't their industry or their income; it was their willingness to embrace the beautiful uncertainty of growth and creativity.

The truth that kept echoing through every conversation: It's never too late to start, and you don't have to be defined by just one career, and sharing that with the next generation, but also being open to learning from the youth.

There's something magical about being in an environment where mentorship flows naturally and support isn't scarce, but rather abundant. Every conversation felt like a masterclass in resilience, every shared story a reminder that we're not alone in our struggles or our dreams.

These weren't just networking opportunities; they were soul-filling connections with women who understood the weight of carrying both ambition and uncertainty, dreams, doubts, judgment, and expectations.

The REALITY of GRIEF

Perhaps the most unexpected breakthrough came during discussions about grief. Not just the grief of loss, but the grief of letting go of what was and what is now.

Letting go of:

• The burdens of our family's unfulfilled dreams

• The pressure to live out others' aspirations

• The weight of expectations that were never ours to carry

• The version of ourselves that caters to everyone else's needs but our own.

• The version that feared being seen as successful.

  
  

Here's what I learned: Grief never completely goes away, but we learn to co-exist with it. We know from it. We use it as fuel to live more fully, more authentically.

When you release yourself from carrying dreams that aren't yours, you create space for your authentic path to unfold. You permit yourself to trust the process of life, even when (especially when) you can't see the full picture.

You Already Have What You Seek

The biggest reminder I needed to hear (and maybe you do too): 

You belong in those rooms.

Not because you've achieved some mythical level of success, but because you're you. Your presence, your perspective, your unique combination of experiences, that's what the room needs, and you are there to shift it.

Instead of focusing on how life "should be" or living in the gap between expectation and reality, what if we lived as if we already have what we seek? What if we trusted that source (or whatever you believe in) has something in store for us that we can't even imagine?

The magic happens when we lead with doing our best every day and stay open to possibilities beyond our current vision.

Business Savvy: Your Brand

Is Your Legacy in Motion

One of the most practical yet profound conversations centered around personal branding, but not in the way you might think.

This isn't about logos or LinkedIn headlines. This is about how you see yourself and what you represent beyond money, fame, or external validation.

Your brand shifts the energy of every room you enter. It speaks before you do.

Ask yourself:

• How do I see myself and my career?

• What do I represent in this world?

• What do I hope to inspire with my time here?

• Beyond living my full life, what mark do I want to leave?

• How do I inspire fun and love in the world?

  
  

Your brand isn't something you create. It's something you uncover, nurture, and live every single day.

As I left Create & Cultivate, I carried with me this simple yet revolutionary truth: We are still here, and the choice is ours.

The choice to show up authentically. The choice to release what isn't ours to carry. The choice to trust our path, even when it looks nothing like what we planned. The choice to believe we belong, to live fully, and to let our unique light contribute to the collective brightness of ambitious women everywhere.

Your Turn

• What dreams have you been carrying that aren't yours?

• What room have you been afraid to enter because you didn't think you belonged?

• What would change if you truly believed you already have what you seek?

  
  

Those two days reminded me that we're all just walking each other home on this journey called life. And sometimes, the most profound gift we can give ourselves is permission to belong exactly where we are, exactly as we are.