This was year 4 for me attending BlogFest as part of the Sweat Pink team. Every year is different, but we consistently kept hearing that this year was the best!
I’m thinking a big part of this has to do with the unplanned theme of so much of the conference: being your authentic, imperfect self. Authenticity is king in social media right now, a world full of curated grids, filters and professionally-taken photos, and even avatar models that you think are real.
I definitely think that’s a topic worthy of being the focus of a whole conference, but there were so many other amazing moments to remember from the weekend. Here are some of my key takeaways:
Never underestimate the power of coffee after a 3:30am wake-up call.
I never stop being thrilled by palm trees.
And Colby rocked his first plane ride!
Hit the ground running.
After landing and doing the usual BlogFest prep work and grabbing some lunch, we gathered with a bunch of the BlogFest crew for a run! Jenny and Smitha, SD locals, teamed up with Marathon Kids to take us on a run by the waterfront.
And they made sure to include a photo pit stop by a local mural.
Plus, we got to reunite with our love Kelsey, who left us in Portland in December to travel for the last 6 months!
Don’t forget to make time to rest, relax, and digest everything along the way.
After the prep day, we were really ready to just lay down. Colby had the right idea. Our version just included a glass of wine.
Instead of going out to eat, we got take out tacos, put on the new Ali Wong, and just vegged the night away. In case you were wondering how we were fairing after the 3:30am wake up call and no naptime, this was in the afternoon before the run and then during Ali Wong:
How you get out of bed sets the tone for the day.
We rise-and-shine-d ready for day 1 of BlogFest!
Coconuts can make for great weights during a workout.
The first workout of the conference was with Fit Bodies, Inc. Kicking off the conference with a sweat session is always the best way to wake up and connect with everyone!
Become passionists, not perfectionists.
Petra Kolber, author of The Perfection Detox, rocked our worlds with her session on trying to rid the idea of trying to be perfect from our lives.
“Love being in the imperfect present rather than waste time trying to be perfect.”
“Perfectionism is fear in really good shoes.”
Keep It Simple, Sassy
Sadie Nardini not only set the rockstar bar oh-so-high, but also taught us how we can be making six figures with online courses, and in just four steps. Who doesn’t want to make more money??
- Make great content that solves a problem.
- Put it out there.
- Market to the obvious audience.
- Repeat.
Blogging is basically the matrix.
You can somehow add dimensions within dimensions in your Google analytics. It’s honestly all very much beyond me. This is Kristine describing Google analytics:
Me trying to comprehend:
Don’t miss the chance to break it down!
After a long day of sessions and workouts, sometimes the last thing you want to do is clean up, put on a dress, and go to a party. But the IDEA World party is always a highlight of the whole weekend!
Frog life is hard!
For the day 2 workout we tried out the frog from Frog Fitness – and that is waaaayyy harder than you think it’s going to be!
Chocolate peanut butter cereal is real and is da bomb!
You don’t have to buy crazy equipment to get in front of the camera!
Just make sure you look at the lens and not at your camera screen. I think we nailed it.
Zig when others zag.
Our keynote speaker Heidi Powell had SO many gems to share with us. They revolved around authenticity, hard work, staying true to yourself, and building up a supportive and inspirational squad to surround yourself.
Milk can help muscles repair and recover.
Podcasts are very powerful right now!
- 48 million people in the US listen to podcasts weekly.
- 12 million people listened to a podcast for the first time in the last year.
- 80% of podcast listeners hear all or most of each episode they consume.
Twinning is not to be underrated.
Big thanks to prAna for outfitting us comfortably and stylishly for the whole weekend!
Roll it out.
After doing all of the workouts possible in just two days…
Making sure to roll out sore muscles is key. Thank goodness we had a Trigger Point lounge right outside of the BlogFest room this year!
Never miss out on the expo hall!
We always have a great time hitting the expo.
Make time to see some of the local sights.
We couldn’t be in southern California and not hit the beach!
The ultimate squad goals!
Every year pretty much everyone says that their favorite part of the conference is the community. The chance to connect with friends new and old, virtual and IRL. I couldn’t agree more.
And a special shout out to our sponsors! Thank you for all of your support and helping us make this event happen!
@californiaalmonds, @tp_therapy, @dairygood, @bell.institute, @beingbettermatters, @fitbodiesinc, @trainfrogfit, @lacroixwater, @jimmybars, @kettlegryp, @resyncsupplements, @greatlakesgelatin, @haikubags
Want some more? Check out these awesome posts from some other Sweat Pink’ers!
- The big theme: Nobody’s perfect (Coach Debbie Runs)
- “It’s a room full of my people.” (Faith Fueled Mom)
- The cup is spilling over it’s so full (Fab Fit Friends)
- BlogFest is the best-kept secret at IDEAWorld (Lea Genders Fitness)
- Key takeaways from all the sessions (Sublimely Fit)
- Walking away from perfection (Fit Fab Forever)
You ladies are absolute Rockstars…I mean it 3:30 am and still running….Blogfest was an amazing experience because you four ladies put so much hardwork and made it look fun! Man I miss everyone. I guess until next year?!
Aw, thanks so much lady! It’s always so great because of YOU amazing people! 😉 Hope to see you so soon. xoxo
UGH reliving it all over again and I LOVE IT!!! Plus Colby in sunnies is the best thing ever.
Colby was totally loving those sunnies! 😉
OMG, I LOVE this post so much and YOU. THe getting out of the bed in the morning..HAHAH. Both of you are AMAZING
Love YOU so much! It was such a fantastic weekend! 😉