The great thing about running these events under my own personal brand and rules is how I’m allowed to be super creative and flexible, with my own themes, structures and prizes!

Since my previous few posts (and thus, life) have centred a lot around my Damn Early Days accountability program, Cardio (a la Soul Cycle spin) and eating clean (yes 2 Guys with Knives!) it made sense to incorporate each of these health and wellness entities into my latest event.

On the program:

I wrapped up Damn Early Days with a really cool “Real Talks” Session hosted by the creators for all program participants to share insights, highs and lows – recap here.

Following the event, Co-Founder of DED and Chasing Sunrise, Julian, and I had a great brainstorm session (almost an hour!) about how we could bridge our programs and passions into an impactful event for the young professionals registered for my mingler.

He suggested an intimate game called Constellation.

Wow, was that activity ever a hit!!

More on that later, but first, my speaker recaps in order:

DANIELA – Some highlights from her talk

SoulCycle classes have been such a fun part of my fitness routine and I’ve enjoyed incorporating them into my Bodybuilding training! I asked Daniela to share a bit about her personal story, from pursuing dancing in New York to Teaching in LA and finally, opening up the Soul studio in Yaletown!

Here is the transcript:

“Excuse my voice, I always sounds like I have a cold. But I’m in tip top physical condition! This is just my voice”

I teach at SoulCycle and it’s awesome that a few people have tried it!

It’s a full body, transformative workout and also incorporates weights. The cool thing is that it’s more than just a sweat and more than a physical experience – it really taps into a lot of mental stuff.

Something I wanted to leave with you guys:

My journey began from Vancouver, to the States to become a dancer, and then,

well, you know when you reach a point in your life where you’re doing things, but no longer feeling fulfilled?

I hit a plateau.

I signed with a great agency, but I felt like a lack of purpose waking up.

Then I found SoulCycle.

The best part, was that they kept saying NO to me.

NO, you didn’t pass
NO, you have to do better

So, I think, in some situations, that’s when you look at your life, and think, “Shit, it’s too hard, I got told no, all these other people are better than me..”

But, that was the best thing that happened to me: being told NO.

I thought, NO!

Not only am I going to do that, I’m going to prove all those people wrong!

I’m happy to say I did!

I may do the same job every day, where I go teach in a dark room, on a bike….that doesn’t go anywhere!
(No matter how fast I ride!)

What matters is that *I* go somewhere, and it’s different every single time

If you feel like you’re in a place in your life, where you have plateaued, where you’re no longer inspired or motivated, it means you’re comfortable.

And that your goals are not big enough.

You SHOULD feel a sense of purpose every morning you wake up, and if you don’t, you need to do something about that.

Because no one else will do it for you.

You honest to God, deserve to life the kind of life that excites you every day!

Sorry I have to run to teach, but stay connected with me!

And sorry for my junky voice!!

*****

Well, it was a perfectly short and sweet introduction to Daniela’s attitude and outlook on life!

And although she had to leave quickly, it was an great intro to our next speaker and group activities!

I was happy to have once again partnered with Soul Cycle to give ALL attendees a free pass so that they could experience a class for themselves!

Constellation game via Julian –

Julian talked about Chasing Sunrise and the genesis behind the adventure group and the Damn Early Days.

I saw his facilitation abilities firsthand at Real Talks , and how he helped to create an open and welcoming atmosphere, so that people could really be honest about sharing their goals, dreams and even struggles. This is where I felt that we definitely had similar values and alignment: in creating those safe places to get people to open up.

I’ve observed that we live in a world where people are always communicating online, rather than face to face, and constantly sharing “highlight reels” on social media. The goal of these Mingler events is to help people connect in person!

So, in that spirit, we decided to open with a game!

The game started with everyone scattering around the room (which was kind of hard – there were so many people!), with a central focal point – the chair.

Julian would ask a question, and depending on how much you agreed or disagreed, you would place yourself close to the chair or away from it.

“Does the future of technology seem positive to you, or are you fearful”?

If you thought technology could be used for positivity and good, you went closer to the chair. If not, you stood further away.

It was fascinating to see this immediate visual representation of where others in the room stood on this spectrum.

Once we were scattered, Julian would ask for a volunteer near the chair and coax them to share the WHY behind why they chose to stand where they did.

After hearing an answer, people could turn to someone next to them and share their reasons one on one, or in a group setting.

We did a few more rounds

“Who here is an environment that allows them to thrive? This could be based on your job, or friends”

I loved that someone raised their hand and shared how, “No, they weren’t in the best environment” and elaborated on how they were reconciling that. It is so brave for people to share in a room of strangers that they have struggles too. It reminds us that there is more behind those perfect instagram photos!

Huge thank you to everyone who opened up, and everyone who contributed to that welcome space!!!

Sergio –

At the end of the evening, Sergio from 2 Guys with Knives stopped by to share a bit about his journey running his own food business with his Co-Founder Patrick! They create new menus each week and I asked him about his inspiration and some of his hit dishes! Everyone who attended got a special promo code so that they could try his food too!

Missed the event? Codes below, and also, feel free to DM me on instagram and I’ll let you know about the latest promos for their healthy, gluten-free, dairy-free meals.