698 How Expansion Really Happens - Reflections from the Unstoppable Women Event

Before we dive into today's podcast episode, I want to share with you my upcoming masterclass. This is a brand new masterclass that I've never run before. And if you're in the stage of business when you are transitioning from one to one to one to many, offer and maybe you've created a course or a program or a mastermind or an event and you find that it's not truly selling the way that you want it to be selling. You've maybe finding that it's feeling really hard to communicate the value. You feel like you spent heaps of time building it out and you know it's good, but for some reason it's just not selling. I'm running a free masterclass this Thursday on the 11th of September at 12pm AEST and it's all about why your scalable offer isn't selling and the three strategic shifts that you need to make to turn your program mastermind course event into a client magnet. It is designed for service based business women who are ready to scale and ready to sell with clarity, confidence and strategy that actually works. So come and join me on Thursday. You can register via the Show Notes and let's get into today's episode. Welcome to the Next Level Life podcast with Christine Corcoran. This podcast is made for the powerhouse business women who are ready to ignite to their fullest potential. This is where we will dive deep into mindset breakthroughs and sprinkle in some kick up the butt motivation so you can scale your business with confidence and clarity. Whether you're craving more income impact or inspiration, this podcast will be your ultimate resource for all things Next Level. Listen in as we have authentic conversations with game changing female entrepreneurs as we reveal the secrets of what it takes to rise and thrive. So go ahead, ignite your inner fire and let's get you taking massive aligned action. Are you ready to elevate? Let's go. Okay, so today's episode is a little bit late and the reason for that is is because I've been really sitting and pondering what the Unstoppable Women event was for me. Oh my goodness. I can't even believe it happened. Like I feel like it's taken me so long to record this because I'm still processing, I'm still seeing the impact, I'm still hearing the feedback from everyone and I'm just so freaking proud of what this event was, the experience of being there on the day, bringing it all together. Just like the just the upgrade that happened in the process of developing this event and executing this event in the way that it all came together. And that came together not without problems, not without challenges, not without hardship, not without stress. It, all of it was part of it. But I think that's also part of an up level, like, and I think sometimes we don't talk about that side of things. And so I wanted to spend an episode sharing with you the breakthroughs, the challenges, the things that showed up for me in the process of bringing this together. Because it's the truth behind the expansion. Sometimes we don't see or hear about it. It's just we see the highlight reel and we see all the beautiful images and like, getting all the photos and the video back from the videographer. Dan from Head North Films did such a great job. And I'm going. When I'm watching them back, I'm getting such goosebumps that I'm just so blown away with how the vision came together and how it was executed and the way that it felt not just on the day, but watching it back. Like, when I watch it back, I feel like on the day I was really in my head, like, in my head, like, because there was so many moving parts and all the little pieces that I wanted to come together and also taking care of all the speakers. And I have my beautiful sister behind the scenes running the day and coordinating everyone, which honestly was such a weight off my shoulders. I don't know how I could have hosted and do all that behind the scenes. Whereas previously, when I've run events or workshops, that's all been me behind the scenes. And yet having her there supported every single step of the way. Oh my gosh. That it would not have come off on time. It would not have worked so beautifully without her there. And so basically, like, when I think back to being there on the day, I was very in my head because it was the first time I run an event on this scale. And so there was so many moving parts and so many things happening. And I was also getting ready to present multiple times throughout the day. So I ran multiple sessions. And that was also really full on at the same time as all the lead up. So where do I even start? So I made a couple of notes. Cause I wanted to make sure that I went through quite a few things with you. Because when it comes to reflecting on this event, there were so many moving parts. And I was saying to a friend last week as well, like, it was literally like running a whole separate business. And that's honestly what it took. It was the determination, the Tenacity. I actually seeing my mentor talk about like the audacity and I just love that term because it's like, yeah, like the audacity to think that I could put on an event like this. The audacity to think that it could be epic in the first time running it. And I must say, like, and I really want to this episode to be about like the expansion behind the scenes and what really actually happens. Because running an event like that, I lent on my experience over the years of running events in Brisbane. So I ran events in Brisbane for three years, month on month out. Like every single month I ran an event, which is insane when I look back at it now, I'm like, I don't even know how I did that. Like going through, marketing it, you know, filling the room with people, finding speakers, like it was full on. And then I stopped doing it because it was too full on. And so ever since then, I've had the dream of putting on a full, full day event with speakers and an impactful day that made people walk away feeling truly unstoppable in their business. And so when I had the vision for this, and I've had it for such a long time, and I think last year going to other events really spurred on this energy or this inspiration to create something of my own. And it was really going to other events. I mean, like, don't like that part, don't like this bit. This was awkward. How do I make people feel more welcome? You know, like there was like no theme running through different speakers. Like there was all these pieces that I was like, oh, I could do this better and not from a cocky or egotistical place. It was literally like, I think I can do this better. And also going to other events in America and seeing different ways that people approach events and how they made it so welcoming and so impactful that I was like, I need to bring this part or I need to bring this part to Australia because it's just not done here. And so there was a lot of planning that went into this. And I also want to say that there was also a lot of behind the scenes work that has been my evolution up until now. So I just want to say that because if you came to the event or even if you're seeing photos and imagery of the event and being like, wow, like that was the first event that you put on. No, it wasn't the first event, but it was the first event of its kind. Right? But I've had so much experience of putting events on from Workshops and running groups and holding space for people in a room, with groups, online and obviously in person. Right through to the events that I ran monthly and then other workshops that I've run, I've run retreats, I've run two day conferences. And so through the experience of that, right through all of that experience, I was able to tap into different forms of knowledge and experiences that I was like, cool, I know how to better this because of the experiences that I've had. Right. So I just wanted to highlight that because I feel like people see so much of the highlight reel and be like, cool, I could put on an event like that, but I just wanted to highlight the level of experience that I've had with that. But that's not saying you can't do it. You absolutely can do it. I just wanted to share that because I feel like sometimes people see the highlight reel and be like, oh my God, we went from zero events to this event. No, it's not. I've been building my community for a really long time. Like, my community, actually, even on the day I asked people who had been to a Love what you do collective events, what I called them in Brisbane and had quite a few people with their hands up. And I was like, oh my gosh, that's so awesome that they've been a part of this journey right from the beginning. Like, how cool is that? And so there was an inspiration or a vision of mine that I really wanted to hold throughout the event of what I wanted people to feel. And so that intention was thought, the thought process of that intention was woven through every part of the event, right? So how I wanted people to arrive, how I wanted them to feel before they arrived, like the emails that I sent out a couple of weeks beforehand, the messaging across the event, the energy that I wanted to put into the reels, like, the marketing aspect was huge. And I was really clear, I was really crystal clear on what I wanted the event to be and what it was and what it wasn't. Even right down to the song choice with the reels. Like, I was like, I know, I want it to be a high energy event. I want people to be excited to be there. I want them to know how to prep for an event like this. I want them to know how to make the most out of an event like this. And so I was doing different posts leading up to that in order to get people in the right energy. And so I think that's also the intention that I was sending out there in order to attract the right People, Right? And also the messaging of like being unstoppable is probably not going to target people that are super early on. Right? Because when you're ready for that up level, it's usually because you've been in business for a little bit. And so they were either part of my community and were like, want to experience this event because of the way that I was talking about it or the messaging really aligned for the right people and then also the speakers. And so the way that I thought about like what the truly the word meaning of unstoppable is and the energy that I wanted to bring to the event and the types of speakers that I knew would genuinely share the realness, the rawness behind running a successful business. Because again, I didn't want it to be a another event where we talk so high level that people are like, nah, don't see how that can apply to me. I wanted it to be real. Real and for people to really walk away feeling unstoppable because they could see themselves on that stage or they can see themselves in the speakers because every single one of the speakers, like, what I loved about each and every one of them is that they are so willing to be genuine and real and share the real stuff. It wasn't ever like trying to save face or be egotistical in any way, shape or form. And I even started the event and spoke about that of like, we are, you are going to have your ambition celebrated as well as there is no such thing as competition in this room. We're here to lift each other up because rising tide lifts all ships. And this morning actually I saw a post that Cherie Canning put out, which is one of my speakers from the panel that I wanted to share with you because she shared a post and shared part of what I had written in the workbook and I'd forgotten that I'd written it, right? So I wrote it, I put it in the workbook because the beginning of the workbook had a little, little welcome message and really again, wanting to set the tone, wanting to set the tone for the event of who it's, who it's for and how you belong in this room. And so Sheree shared, the workbook opened with a powerful statement where ambition is celebrated and your courage to step into the room is honored. And she said this set the tone for the day. And it made me tear up when I read this because I was like, I can't believe like people even read to that extent. Like sometimes I think that you just overlook certain things right but there was every little fine detail that I took the time to really think of rather than skip through it or rush through it. I'd be like, no, no. Like, I want them to walk away feeling this. So how do I cultivate that feeling? And so I wanted to share different parts of the journey of what I put into it. And it's so hard to even share what I want to share here today because I'm still processing what this event meant to me. And it was a year in the making. Like, I've had the dream for a lot longer, but really a year in the making. When I made the decision last year that I'm like, no, I'm going to make this happen in 2025 and started looking at dates and started looking at venues and then booking in the venue and like making it happen. And this whole year of prepping for it has been an up level in itself. From positioning myself as the founder of the event right through to speaking about the event the way I wanted it to be spoken about. And what I mean by that is that I literally named it the Go To Event for women in Business. Now, that feels egotistical and that feels a little boastful, but that's truly what I want this event to be. I want this to be so different and unique that everyone in Australia is talking about it and being like, we have to fly to this event. It has to be on my calendar every single year. It has to be the moment where I reset and I recharge and I make all the incredible connections that set me up for another incredible year. Like, that's what I want this event to be. And so I was like, how do I position it to be that right from the get go, even though I've never done this specific event before? And so I think that there was an element of confidence or an element of ego a little bit, but I was like, I need to not be backwards in coming forwards and saying that. And so I think that that also really resonated with a lot of people. So I want to share with you some of the behind the scenes in the lead up to the event that I feel like really stretched me. That surprised me. That really lit my soul on fire because that is absolutely part of the expansion. And all of that came with obstacles, challenges, difficult conversations, all the stretchiness, all the stretchiness. And I want to share that with you because I think if I had known all the things that I would need to put into this right through, from the time, the energy, the investment, the heartache the stress. I don't know if I would have done it. I know, like, that's kind of delusional, but in a way it is. And so at the beginning of the event, I shared with everyone what my meaning of unstoppable is. And so I'm going to share it with you because one, it really resonated with a lot of people. But two, I feel like it's important to define because otherwise with anything that you do in business, if you're not really defining what it's truly about, then it's really hard to execute effectively on it. Right. And so I wanted to articulate my meaning of unstoppable because I didn't want it to come across as being fearless. I didn't want it to come across as that you are pushing through and then it's like, go, go, go. And you don't give a crap about anybody and you're just going to make your next level of success happen, no matter what. No matter what the sacrifice. I didn't want it masculine like that. And so I wanted to define it so then people could see themselves in the definition and also give themselves permission to feel all the feelings in the process of the up leveling. And so here's my definition of unstoppable. To courageously and unapologetically go after your dreams, to believe in the possibility and delusionally take action towards your goals even when you're afraid or fear that you're not enough to fail magically, to get back up dramatically, and to choose courage over fear every time. That's what the true meaning of unstoppable means to me. And it may mean something different to you, and that's okay. I wanted to put in the word delusional because I feel like that's sometimes what we are as business owners. We are delusional because we have our delusions and we have our visions for what it is that we want to bring to life. And not many other people understand them. Right. And it's up to us as business owners that we hold that vision so strongly and sometimes close to our chest. Because there were months where I was not sharing parts about the event to anyone, even though they were asking. I was absolutely having questions around like, oh, who the speaker is going to be and what's it going to be and how's it going to be different? And I'm like, I'm going to tell you this much because I don't want to tell you all of it because I want to protect the idea I want to protect the concept. I want it to stand out and be different. And it means you also need to be in the room to experience it. And so what I mean by being delusional is that sometimes you're going to have to be delusional even in the face of other people's judgments or questions, or even if they cannot see the vision for what you're trying to create. And so I had multiple experiences with different vendors that I was trying to get on board for the event who did not understand my concept, who did not really get behind my vision for the event. I was so stuck on, like, my not articulating it effectively, like, from the performers right through to the stage design people, the venue. Like, so many times we had to go back in again to be like, this is what I mean. No, this is what I mean. And like, I had to create Pinterest boards. And I had people say, like, well, actually you need a more clearer vision for what you want. And I'm like, really? And so I had to keep moving through it and having those difficult conversations and finding the right fit. And even through sponsors, like, not every, every sponsor was a good fit. And so I had to protect the vision for the bit for the event over and over and over again. And even with, like, what I was asking people for, for the speakers and for people's bios and things like that, like, I had to go back and really protect the. So I even had one speaker. So with every speaker, they introduced the song. And so I asked them if they wanted to, they could choose a song. And I had one speaker that came back that with one song that just wasn't the right fit for the vibe for the event. Now previously I would have people pleased and went, no, no, it's okay. Whatever you want, I will do, right? But I was so confident in my vision for the, for the event. And I knew how I wanted it to feel. I knew how I wanted everyone else to feel. And I knew that if we'd gone with that song and it would have brought the energy down, right? And that is not what I wanted to have happen at that exact time of the day. And so I said to her, here's the playlist of what I have planned for the event. Can you go either choose one of these songs or find a high beat, high energy song like this one? And so then she came back with other options and I'm like, cool, now let's go with this one, right? And so previously, like, I feel like that's a part of my upgrade is, like, previously, I would have just said, yes, okay, whatever. Like, you're one of the speakers. You're, you know, so amazing, and I really want you to be happy. Like, I would have absolutely people placed, and that would not have benefited the overall vision for the event, and it would have impacted it in a negative way. And so that felt really uncomfortable and really stretchy. The same thing with the difficult conversations that I had with the venue and with different vendors. I had to really hold strong to my concept and my vision and not get railroaded by the amount of times that I had conversations with the venue or vendors that I was like, hang on a minute. Why are you charging me this? Or why do you want to charge me that? Like, one of the things was, like, with the AV, they wanted to charge me $450 for a stage timer. I was like, what? $450 to have a clock on the stage? I was like, like, mind blown. Like, how. Why does it cost that much? And so it was really interesting working with a venue that size of how they go about working. And I guess they're so used to working with major companies that have umpteen amounts of cash to throw at events where I was like, I have a specific budget. I need you to be upfront with me because I need to determine what the ticket prices are based on the budget. And later down the track, which was really frustrating, there were extra costs just like, oh, no, that's not included. Oh, no, that's not included. Oh, no, that's not included. Or, oh, you need that. Okay, I'll give you another quote for that. And I'd be just like, hang on a minute. Like, this keeps blowing out. And I was so frustrated that I had to have really hard conversations and be like, there is no big company behind me. It is just me footing the bill. I've got to find the money for this. And so this. The ticket prices were set at a specific price in order for us to cover the cost of everything. Right. We budgeted for that. This is not in the budget, so how can you work with us to make this work? So that was really challenging. But I also know that I had to have those conversations. If I didn't, it was like I was dishonoring the event or even, like, letting myself just be railroaded, which just did not feel good at all. And so as much as it was challenging, I had to breathe. Breathe through it and ask ChatGPT a better way to do. To discuss it or better way to word it in an Email. So I got a better response because I also didn't want to piss people off in the process. Right. Because it's the last thing you want to do is piss anyone off that's going to support you on the day. It's like, so, so challenging. And so, like, what we ended up doing is we found a stage timer that it's a digital website that you could buy just for one event. And it was like $45. I was like, sticky 450. And my sister was able to like build out the, the run sheet of the whole day. And then she had the run sheet on her laptop out the back, and then it was connected to an iPad that we had on the stage that had the timer. And it worked so well. Like, it was so good that I was like, screw, it's $450. Like, things like that. That I was like, why? Why was that also not mentioned to me in the beginning of running the event? Like, you know what I was asking for? I was so clear at the beginning of the session. But sorry. Beginning of planning for the event and having the meetings yet they were not really proactive with being like, okay, what are you going to do about this? Or what do you need? What do you need for this? And what's your experience you want to have for your customers here? Like, they were not forthcoming at all. They were literally like, what do you need? And I'm like, I don't know what I need because I've never worked with you before. And so it was really challenging. There was so many conversations that I was just like, seriously, like, how is this not like I had something happen two weeks out to. No, it was seven days. It was seven days out. And they were like, oh, this is going to cost you an extra two and a half thousand. And I was like, I'm sorry, what? No, that was not quoted. I am not paying that. You should have brought that up in the beginning. Like months ago when I was determining what the ticket price was going to be. You should have brought that up then. So, like, just crazy stuff that they just didn't. Weren't forthcoming with that really found I felt really challenging. And not having worked with a venue that size before and not not knowing what to expect was really, really hard. So there was that. And then obviously, like, then also asking for help. So having my sister support me with it honestly was so good because she had worked with different venues at this size before and she had run events, so she knew the importance of having that run sheet right down to the Minute. Now I've never run an event like that before down to the minute. I would map out like the timing. Yeah. But I would not be mapping it out right to the minute of exactly where this person needs to be, what has to happen next and how much time we're going to have for the intro, how much time we're going to have for this little exercise, how much time we're going to have for this speaker, how much going to time we have for the next transition from this speaker to the next speaker. Like every little part of the process was mapped out on that run sheet like crazy. Down to the minute, to the point where I was like, okay, we need to save three more minutes. Where else can we save three minutes? Like it was crazy how tight that day was. And I think that's one of my biggest lessons as well, is like I wanted to jam pack the day and make it so impactful that I feel like I could have actually possibly had one less speaker and made it more impactful and had better breaks. So the way the day ran, we started at 9:30 sharp. We did registration from 8:30. That was good. But then we started 9:30 sharp. There were so many were late. I was like, I can't believe how many people were late. But I guess it was a Friday. And you know, 9:30 is sometimes hard to get to. But that's also why I made it 9:30 because I was like, I know lots of people need to get to school and drop, do school, drop off before they can come. And then we finished at 5 and then had VIP from 5:30. So. And we had only one lunch break. So we had a lunch break where everyone went down to Gray street to grab something to eat. So I feel like next time I probably will start earlier and finish later in order for us to have a really impactful day and possibly include lunch. Just to give you full transparency to include lunch for the amount of people that were going to be in that room, it would have cost an extra $20,000. Right? An extra $20,000. Which means the ticket price probably would have gone up by easily $100. I wanted to make sure that it was accessible for more people. So even if you were looking at the ticket price and were like, oh my gosh, 297 for early bird, which were available for a very long time. And even with bring a bestie that was still at 297, that would have had to have been easily $400 to cover the cost of the food. And I was like, what Are we going to risk on the first time running this event? And I decided that I wasn't going to risk the food because it also comes with a lot of other logistics, like obviously covering dieteries and all those types of things. But it also keeps people at the venue. So there are thoughts about what is going to change for next year. But it's interesting because it's like, how do you keep a price point at a price point where people. It's doable because they even had people that found it really not doable. So I get that. So it was also like, it's not a cheap event, but it's also not a super expensive event because I also looked at other events that were happening and pretty much the main price point at this stage for it to be including food. So I've looked at other conferences like Golden Brands is coming up and Cherie's doing Luminate no Ignite conference and their base rate is 449. So I was like, well, I want it to be more accessible than that because that's a lot for a small business owner sometimes to be like $450 for one day seems like a lot. And so then I looked at like Angela Henderson's. Hers is a thousand dollars. The Ripple Festival was a thousand dollars. Like there was a bunch of other ones that I looked at to be like, okay, where do I price this in order for it to be. To seem valuable? Because it was a freaking valuable day. Like the feedback that I've gotten so far is blow my mind and has ignited this passion in order to run this event successfully every single year. And yet the pricing was the hardest. Honestly, it was so hard and I've learned so many lessons through what really worked with the pricing, what didn't work with it, the structure in the way that I sold the event, all these different things that I put into place, which should have been much earlier. And so I know that for this, this year now, I know then for next year, like how to position it and when to have the different early birds and when to have the speaker competition and all the different things. I've learned so much through the process of doing that. And I think that's one of the things when it comes to expansion is that you're not going to know these things until you do them. So there has to be a level of courage where you challenge yourself to take the action when it's uncomfortable, when it's stressful, when it is scary. Because it's only through the process of doing it that you're going to develop the courage, you're going to develop the confidence in order to do it again, Right? So now I can go into it next year being so cutthroat with what I want from the venue, what I don't want from the venue. Instead of being, like, super polite and being really nice, I can be like, no, this is how it's gonna be, and this is how it's not gonna be. Are you willing to come to the party? Like, I'm gonna be so ruthless next year. And also, I can also see the value of the community. Like, every single speaker has come back to me since and said, holy crap, Christine. The value of the community. The community you have created, the incredibly genuine people, the people who truly have a mindset of collaboration versus competition, the people that are genuinely there to connect. And the connections that happened on that day were phenomenal. Like, I had such incredible feedback from that. And I can only feel one way about that, is just so proud, so proud that I've attracted the right people, that it really like that there's value there. So what I mean by that is that I can strongly go into next year knowing what I've created here and what to expect for the speakers, so I can target or attract. So I can attract the right speakers. So it's just beneficial for everyone, beneficial for the guests, beneficial for the speakers, beneficial for me. And I think that I can really honor that next year, which is super exciting. Also, I think, as well, like, respecting the guests, respecting the audience. One of the things I learned with love what you do, the collective, was there were probably two events where I had speakers that weren't really aligned to the community. So what I mean by that is that they kind of rubbed them the wrong way. They didn't have a separate value, or they kind of were not really authentic, and that showed. And I had feedback from people of those events, literally days after being like, I think you found better speakers before, or they weren't really the best fit, were they? Or she really wasn't my kind of person. Like, those types of feedback that I listened to, that I was like, yeah, actually, I should have listened to my gut. Instead of looking at the status of the person, instead of looking at how many followers they have or whatever, I have to look at their values, and I have to respect the audience members and really respect and honor the vision of the event. And I feel like I did truly do that justice this time round. And it was because of that that I was like, who? One who embodies the unstoppable energy that I want for this stage. Also, who is willing to share the behind the scenes, the genuineness, the real, the raw. Right? And so that was really important to me when it came to choosing who I wanted on that stage. And I feel like there's such power in that or such. So what I mean by respecting the audience with that is that I have to truly trust my gut in knowing whether the speaker is the right fit or not, and also doing the due diligence to find out the right fit for the speaker and having the conversations beforehand to make sure that they do align with my values. And so I actually had other speakers in line as well, and one other speaker actually confirmed, and then she had to pull out for family reasons. And I might, maybe I'll get her back next year, I don't know. Um, but I had a conversation with her on Zoom beforehand, and I went through meticulous questioning to find out whether she was the right fit and that I feel like truly embodied the respect for the audience, because I want to respect your time. I want to know as well, if I was going to an event, I would want to know that the person has done the due diligence to make sure that the right person was on the stage, that they weren't going to do a whole pitch fest, that they were actually going to give value. My people have a high standard and expectation of who I was going to put on that stage. I had people booking tickets way before the speakers were announced, and the feedback that I would go like, I'm booking it because I know that you will put on a good event. I'm booking it because I trust that you're going to find the best speakers. And I feel like I delivered on that this year, which is so awesome. And I got great feedback about that as well. And that also set an expectation standard. Right. And so I have to respect that. I've got to be conscious of who I put on that stage, because they have to have the values. They have to believe in the vision for the business, for the event, and if they don't, then they're not the right fit. And so, yeah, that's pretty awesome. So there are three core values that I really wanted to embody for the event, which was connection, collaboration, and ambition. And at the beginning of the day, I explained the definition between those three and what they meant to me and what was expected of an audience member. So what I mean by that is that I really wanted to breed the mindset of we're here for connection. So be open to it. Because there's been times in the past where I've been to events and not been open and come in with a. With a wall up or with an ego up. And I really didn't benefit from that event at all. So I didn't want that to happen for people. Secondly was the collaboration aspect of, like, the willingness to collaborate, to work with people in a true collaborative spirit. And I spoke to how in Australia, we do have the tall poppy syndrome, and we experience more scarcity because of the size of our population, but also our conditioning from being battlers and coming from conviction, you know, background, like, all of that feeds into our mindset of being what's available to us. And there is a lot of scarcity in the Australian headspace because we're so fearful of there not being enough. And so with the collaboration piece, sometimes people come into it with the wrong headspace. And so I wanted to make sure that people are really adopting a positive collaboration mindset in a way that was going to benefit the room. And then obviously celebrating ambition, because one of the biggest things that I want to do is bridge the gap between the stage and the audience. And this really comes from Lindsey Schwartz. So Lindsay, who has Powerhouse Women event in Arizona. I spoke to her earlier on in the year about running events and how she cultivates that beautiful experience around, like, making it possible, making it feel possible for everybody in the room to be on that stage. Because the last thing we want to do is create separation. Because when we do that, we have speakers on stage and then we have people in the audience. And if the people in the audience are seeing the speakers on the stage and putting them on pedestals and then being like, well, it's okay for them because they've got the confidence, the audience, the money, all the things, then it's not okay for me. It creates a level of mindset that keeps people stuck. And so I really loved that. And I've seen how she's done that and also been a part of other events that I've seen how they've done that. And so I was like, I want to cultivate this experience of people to feel like it's possible for them and create a stage for other people as well. So I will always run a speaker competition. I think that's a bloody awesome idea. And I think it's something that resonated with a lot of people. And I had so much feedback from people being like, I'm so grateful and thankful that you created this opportunity for people and it kind of felt like, well, of course. Why wouldn't I do this? And then it was also like, oh, well, who else is doing this in Australia? Not many people. So I was like, this is cool. I love this. So I shared those core values at the beginning of the event because I wanted people to approach everything that I learned on the day from that headspace. Because if they didn't, then they may come across from a place of, like, judging the speaker or seeing that, oh, it's okay for them, but it's not okay for me. But that's. That doesn't cultivate a level of unstoppability. Right. And so that was really important to me. And so I think that that also, whether that triggered people in the room, I don't know. Actually, I haven't had any feedback like that. So I was really hoping that if it did, it also helps to repel people. Right? So it's like, if you are not ready for that, even though that's okay, too, because it stretches you, at least it activates a little bit of part of you to be like, maybe next year I'll show up with. With more vulnerability. And so next year, I really want to have more opportunities for people to connect and collaborate, even though actually I'm doing a live session this Friday online for some masterminding sessions. Because we did a masterminding session in the afternoon. Everyone loved it that I was like, okay, I'm gonna do the one of these online because I want all of you to meet more of you. And so I decided to add that last minute, and so let people know that on the day that we're gonna run some masterminding sessions. So if you're listening and you're gonna be a part of that, I cannot wait to see you. And I'm also running a masterclass on Thursday. If you didn't hear at the beginning of the podcast, definitely come and check out the link in the show notes for the details for scaling your online program. Okay, so what else? Okay, one last thing that I want to share with you that I feel like was my edge for this event and it really stretched me, was my own imposter syndrome. Which is so funny because obviously I've written a book about it, but it must be one of my crutches that continues to stretch me. But it also is literally the meaning of the book, right? That every time we step outside of our comfort zone, we're going to experience the imposter syndrome. And so I had moments leading up to the day questioning and doubting what I was going to share in my keynote. So I had two sessions I was running, I was running one of the beginning of the day, all about the confidence to really step up your self promotion and be unstoppable in business. And the second afternoon session was really about learning to have a collaborative spirit around developing your network and developing your network for the growth that you want to experience. And so the afternoon session I was really confident with, I was like, no need to change anything of that. Love every part of it, happy with it. But my session in the morning, because there's so much that I could go through, like I only had a 45 minute time slot, it wasn't long enough for one. I skipped some stuff because I ran out of time and I rejigged my presentation. Even the week of and leading up to it. And I've changed so much of it and I practiced it and I went through it again and again and again and just had so many different changes I need to bring in because it's really hard and this is one of my biggest lessons is that I actually need to create two keynotes. I need to create two specific keynotes that I run and I do them all the time. Because one of the things that I learned from Erica is that she's a fricking powerhouse, right? And yes, there's certain nuances that she changes to her keynotes, but she's nailed the stories in them. She's nailed the inflection, she's nailed the impact, she's nailed the connection, like every part of her keynote. And that just goes to show with her level of experience, right? Was being phenomenal. And I was like, I need to better my keynotes thousand percent. And so I think I approached my presentation with too much of a workshop element rather than a keynote perspective because it is different. And I questioned myself, I doubted myself, and I changed it too much when really I should have had it really succinct. By the time, you know, three weeks was leading up to the event, I could just practice the exact keynote. And so that's probably my edge is like I questioned myself, I doubted myself, I had imposter syndrome. Plus on the day I had to be so careful not to listen to the other speakers because I didn't want to get in my own head and doubt myself when I stepped on that stage, right? And so I want to share that with you because if you were there and you were like, wow, Christine did so well. Thank you, appreciate that. And also I still had fear. I still had doubt. I was still questioning myself. I was still trying to keep on track. I was still having certain parts. I'm like, that doesn't land the way that I wanted it to land. But there was other parts that I was really proud of myself for. So I actually anchored in certain parts. In the beginning of the day, through my presentation, through the afternoon session, and through the. Through the last part of the thank yous, there were certain parts that I anchored that I feel like really resonated with people. Because I got messages days after of being like, this is how I woke up the day after. This is how I went to bed. I made that decision. I was not going to have fear anymore. Like, there were so many, so many parts that I really loved. But then I definitely look back on it and be like, oh, you could have done that better. And then even with I shared an offer, so I had one offer to share for the whole day and I cut it short. I didn't do my best and I regret that now. I should have practiced that more. And so I want to share this with you because I can also see there's so much growth still to happen. And so every part of it, like, even though I'm really freaking happy with how it all went, and the energy of the day was incredible and the people that were attracted to it was amazing and everyone was happy, there are still parts that I want to improve and I want to share that with you because a part of the expansion process is there's always room for improvement. And you know, to quote Tony Robbins, like, he's. One of his famous sayings is carney, which is constant and never ending improvement. Right, the acronym. And that has always been something that's really important to me. It's like, constant never ending improvement. How can we get better? How can we do this better? And so there are so many lessons that I'm taking away from this. But I also am super proud of myself because I did not know how I was going to pull this off. I had doubt and I had stress and I had overwhelm in the lead up to it. I had absolutely doubts of, like, if people are even going to show up, are they going to book tickets? I had moments where I was like, have I underpriced this? Because everyone was booking VIP tickets and there was like, hardly any general tickets going. And I was like, we're going to sell out the VIP and not have booked any general, like, what's going on? And so that was really interesting to me as well. And so there have been so many evolutions of this, like, breakthroughs month in, month out to get this, get to where it is today. But I want you to know that you can hold the polarity. You can absolutely hold the polarity of, like, being so proud of yourself and it being so freaking grateful. Like, I think that's one of the biggest states that I'm in right now is absolute gratitude for every single person that showed up. Absolute gratitude for all the speakers. Absolute gratitude for my volunteers and my sister and Mads to help me out, like, every. Every part of the process and how we really put on an incredible event, like we really did. And I'm so grateful for that, and I'm grateful for the impact that it made and how it's still having an impact. And I know that there's areas for improvement, and I want to share that with you, because it's one of my mindsets that I try to cultivate is acknowledge, not judge. We want to acknowledge ourselves, and yes, we want to acknowledge there's room for improvement. But I'm not judging myself. I'm not blaming myself for things not going to exact plan, because, like, where's that ever going to happen, right? And so I think that one of the things we want to also acknowledge in progress is that there is always room for improvement and there's always things that you've done well. And if you cannot find the things that you've done well, you need to improve your self. Talk. You're judging yourself too harshly. And so this event was phenomenal in my mind. Like, this was phenomenal. I'm so happy with how so many parts of it turned out, and I'm also excited to improve parts of it for next year. And so I hope that you can take these lessons and also see the progress. And if you've been watching the journey all along, like, I hope that you see the work that I've been putting in to create this progress. And I hope that you will challenge yourself to find courage over fear every single time. Because there were months where I was like, I don't know how I'm gonna pull this off. I don't know where I'm gonna find the money. I don't know if this is actually gonna work. I don't know if I've chosen the right people. I don't know. Like, all there was so much doubt, so much doubt. And one of the things that I tried to lean into more was trust. Trust that it was all going to work out. Trust in holding the vision. I would visualize the vision on a regular basis. Like three to four times a week. I would sit in that vision and be like planning out the exact day of how I wanted to feel and how I wanted everyone else to feel and how I want the speakers to walk off the stage. Like every single part of that vision was like I was running it through my mind on a regular basis. And holding that vision for the event I feel like is one of the biggest things that made it turn out the way that it did. And I'm so freaking grateful for whatever transpired in my favor to make that happen and just, yeah, grateful for the experience of it. And let's do it again. Let's do it again next year. Okay, I'm going to finish up. Last little thing I want to share with you. We are about to kick off the next round of the Next level Mastermind. So if you are at the stage of growth, we are transitioning from one to one to a one to many offer. If you are at the stage of growth where you're ready for your next level. So you're wanting to step into multi six figures. You are wanting to create more freedom in your business. You really want to step up with a go to person your industry. This is very much for you. So the next level Mastermind is a six month high touch, high experience container that will serve the growth of your business as you scale. So it's all about scale, sales, unapologetic authority and freedom on your terms. And we are currently taking enrollment. You can find the link in the show notes to find out all the details. If you'd like to have a conversation with me, send me an email or send me a DM on Instagram and I can organize a time to have a chat to see whether it is the right fit for you or not. We kick off on the 25th of September and it is a six month journey. But we break over Christmas for a few weeks and then come back into the new year. So this is the most important time. Like when I think about the people that are joining this round, one, I absolutely love every single woman that's joined so far. Secondly, I just know the impact this next six months is going to have on their business. Because when we go into this last part of the year, this sets the tone for the beginning of the year and then working with someone like myself as a coach to support you to set up your year strongly and impactfully, you are going to not recognize yourself by end of financial year next year. You're not, you're going to be a whole new version of yourself. And that's my whole intention for this Mastermind is an identity upgrade, right? And we help you step into that next level version of yourself by releasing any blocks, working through any self sabotaging behaviors, helping you identify who that next level version of yourself is and help you step into becoming her and embodying her. Right now then we're going to really reflect on your business model to help you step into that next level of freedom within your business and improve your messaging, your sales strategy, every part of it, so you can step into that next level of success. So if that feels aligned for you, check out the link in the show notes and come and join us. It's going to be phenomenal next six months. All right, lovely. Thank you so much for listening and I hope to see you soon. Thank you for listening. And if you found any value out of this episode, make sure you hit the follow button so you get access to the episodes as soon as they are live. And make sure you come hang out with me on Instagram. You can find me at ChristineCorcoran. Underscore Coach. Have an incredible week.