How I manifested my dream home, quitting my job, my highest income months & more
12 Jul 2023 · 41 min
In this episode of the Makeshift Happen podcast, host Samantha Daly explains how attending five distinct retreats became the single most powerful lever for the major shifts in her personal and professional life. She walks listeners through each retreat—Greece (2018), Bali (2018), Miami (2021), Costa Rica (2021), and Tulum (2022)—detailing the concrete outcomes that followed: quitting a toxic teaching job, landing a remote assistant role, receiving a gifted yoga‑teacher‑training, launching her Monday Motivation newsletter, being fired and then pivoting to business coaching with the creation of the Abundant and Ambitious program, moving permanently to the United States, manifesting a beach condo, and discovering the need to host in‑person events, which led to a new retreat launch. The episode also features a guest segment with Megan, who recounts her own experience at Samantha’s 2022 Dream Life Immersion retreat in the Dominican Republic, describing the villa setting, workshops (subconscious healing, masculine/feminine energy, wealth embodiment), hypno‑breathwork sessions, and a profound realization that she already embodied the wealth she desired. Megan’s story illustrates the same pattern of retreat‑driven breakthroughs. Interspersed throughout are promotional plugs for Danette May’s Manifestival podcast, Samantha’s Sold Out Stories course, and a listener‑review contest. The overall message is that immersive, in‑person retreats act as accelerators for manifestation, personal growth, and business evolution.
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You guys might remember that back in 2017, I invested in myself for the very first time. It was a 30-day challenge with Danette May with delicious healthy recipes, workouts, meditations, and mindfulness practices. I thought about making that $50 investment for days, but I'm so glad that I ultimately did because that challenge was one of the major catalysts in guiding me back to a loving relationship with my body forever. So of course, when Danette launched her podcast, I was super excited to get on board and share it with you. It's called Manifestival, and it's hosted by Danette May, one one of the world's leading transformational coaches. The show is dedicated to helping you expand your mind, harness your energy, and unlock the infinite possibilities within your own life. Danette literally teaches you how to live out your purpose and create your dream life, all through manifestation and wellness practices. Immerse yourself in extraordinary interviews with accomplished individuals who have mastered their mental strength to achieve extraordinary things. People like Darren Olien, Anita Moorjani, Mike Dooley, Krista Williams, Danielle Canty, and so many more. You are learning from the best. So if you're ready to realize your purpose and the infinite possibilities surrounding you, search Manifestival, like manifest and festival, Manifestival, anywhere you listen to podcasts and press play. Your dream life is calling. What's up, guys? Welcome back to the podcast and happy July. Can you believe that we are halfway through the year already? It's freaking me out. But I also sort of love getting to this point in the year and just using it as a good place to pause and kind of reevaluate. And think about, you know, what did I say I wanted to get out of this year?
What were my goals?
How did I want to show up? What version of myself did I really want to step into more? So if you haven't done so yet, now is the perfect time to reflect and maybe rearrange your priorities if necessary. There's still half a year left to become the version of you who is a match for your deepest desires. Speaking of becoming a match, in today's episode I'm going to share with you this one thing that has consistently sped up my manifestations every time I've done it. So I got to reflecting at one point last year, I think it was in 2022, about some of the biggest shifts that have happened in my life. And it was actually crazy because I could trace almost every major change or transformation back to this one thing, and that was retreats. And I was like, Holy shit. Okay, this is actually wild. We need to connect these dots more and talk about this and also share it with you guys. So today I'm going to tell you 5 different stories from 5 different retreats and the manifestations and miracles that dropped in for me shortly after each one. And then you're going to hear a story from Megan, who was an attendee at my retreat in the Dominican Republic last year, and she's going to share her transformation and some of the most magical moments that she experienced with us there in Las Terrenas. So we love a good storytelling episode. I really hope you guys enjoy this one.
Let's get into it.
Welcome to the Makeshift Happen podcast. I'm your host, Samantha Daly, entrepreneur, life coach, and your no BS bestie here to bring you all things mindset, manifestation, and personal development. This podcast is designed to help you expand your mind and uplevel your life. So turn the volume up and roll the windows down if you're coming along for the ride. Let's go make shift happen.
Okay, so the first retreat that we're going to talk about is Greece. And I went to Greece in 2018. So to give some context, at this time in my life, I was still teaching English in Spain. I was living in Madrid full time. I was teaching in a private Academy, which is my toxic job that I often refer to. You've probably heard lots of stories about it. I was also network marketing at this time. I had joined a network marketing company and I was beginning to share more on Instagram and get into like the social selling of network marketing. I was working full-time, obviously teaching, and then I was also, you know, trying to do the social media thing and get leads and sell products and All of that was like a lot energetically. I was waking up at like 3 a.m. sometimes to answer my DMs and make sales. And I was very, very, very committed to making that work and building passive income for myself. So that was a huge thing that was going on in my life at the time. And then I also got the opportunity to intern for an influencer. So this was unpaid. But I was really excited about the opportunity because it was going to allow me to get into a remote, like, virtual assistant role and help with a lot of things that were related to yoga and meditation and mindfulness and that kind of side of things that I had really been wanting to get into more. It felt like a, like a dream that that could even be a job. And so even though it was unpaid, I had hopes that maybe it could turn into something someday. So I took it on as my third job at the time. So I'm juggling 3 jobs and it was a lot. Obviously teaching at this academy was crazy because we would rotate shifts. And so for one month I'd be on, on mornings or days, I guess, and then another month I'd be on evenings. And so it was like a very weird schedule. And when I was working mornings, I would have to wake up super early because I'd have to get all out of the metro all the way into the city and be teaching by 8 a.m. And that was kind of a trek from from where we were living. And then when I was working nights, I wouldn't finish my last class, teaching my last class until 10 PM, and then I would have to spend almost an hour commuting back home. And I hadn't had dinner and the dog needed to go outside. And so it was a very like hectic, kind of chaotic time of my life where I was really trying to hustle my way into a better place. I just wanted more for myself. And I was like grasping at straws of like, what is going to, to get me there? I don't really know, but I'm going to try everything, right? So I go on this retreat in Greece and I learn a lot and I'm helping with the retreat, but I'm also, you know, so committed to changing my own life that I'm immersed in the teachings and the exercises and what we're learning and the journaling and all of that. So I ended up really getting a lot out of the retreat, even though I was technically an employee while I was there. And so I come home from this retreat and I ended up within a month, I basically came home and I was like, I've realized that I really have to quit this job. It's draining me. It's a toxic work environment. I— it's taking up all of my bandwidth. There's no possible way for me to even move forward in my life if I'm hanging on to this thing. And so it was terrifying because. I just had network marketing, which I was making sales, but it wasn't a lot of money yet. It was a couple hundred dollars a month, and I was interning for free. So, you know, I'm leaving this job and I have no safety net to fall back on. I have no— I would have no income coming in. But I realized that it was exactly what I needed to do. I really needed to rip the Band-Aid off and I needed to get extremely uncomfortable in order to get myself to the next phase. So I quit my toxic teaching job, like less than a month after I get home from this retreat. And I'm just hoping and praying that my internship could somehow turn into a paid position. And within 2 months, I made a paid employee. And I'm earning similar money to what I was earning teaching, not quite as much, but, but very similar. And I'm able to work from home and have so many less hours a week and so much more flexibility. And I also get to continue to travel and help host these retreats. So I was like, oh my gosh, obviously, yes, this is incredible. Game changer, right? Huge. That was a huge game-changing moment of my life. Like, that started everything for me. So that was the Greece retreat. Now, the second retreat was when I went to Bali in 2018. And so at this point, I've just started getting paid at my new remote assistant position, right? They just started paying me and I'm now being flown out to Bali to help with the next retreat. And on this retreat, obviously, life-changing experience going to Bali, being able to, you know, see everything, like such intense spiritual experiences. It was incredible. But on this retreat, I started receiving a lot of signs that this job may not end up working out for me, that it may not actually be this like beautiful long-term position that's going to— because in my head I'm thinking like, okay, I'm starting here. It's a really low monthly pay, like less than $1,000 US or right around that mark a month. But, you know, I'm only working— I think I was working like 15 hours a week maybe, or 20 hours a week, something like that. And so I'm like, I can increase my hours and increase responsibility and there's room for me to grow. And, you know, this can evolve. And I was really expecting this to be like, or hoping rather than expecting that it would grow into something quite long-term and more in-depth for me. But on the retreat in Bali, I started receiving a lot of signs that that maybe was not going to be the case and that maybe this was going to be like more short-lived than I had expected. There was just like a lot of weird vibes happening and some specific incidences with my boss that really should have been like massive red flags for me, but I was just like so excited to be there. And obviously I just quit my teaching job. Like I had no, no safety net, nothing to fall back on. Like this was my, this was my plan A and there was no plan B. So I was like not listening to any of those signs. I was like, it's going to be fine. It'll work out. It's totally cool. So at this point I'd also been blogging. I started my blog like way back in 2015 when I went to study abroad. I thought it would be cool to just share some of my travels and things like that. And then it kind of died a little bit when I went back to Finnish at university, but I revived it in like 2017, I think, and was sharing like healthy living tips and motivation and mindset hacks and anything that I was learning on my own personal growth journey. So I had been blogging also and sharing more to Instagram, like really utilizing that platform as a place to not just share you know, the cute picture of me and my friends when we went out or a picture of me and my boyfriend, but to actually engage and provide value and share pieces of my heart and get vulnerable. And that was the era where like long captions were like really the thing. And so I was writing a lot on Instagram, but that was really it. Like I wasn't doing much else with my talents or my knowledge other than sharing it for free. Through Instagram and through my blog. And also on the retreat, I got to guide a few yoga flows for the guests, and it made me get super serious about wanting to get my yoga teacher training certification. And so after this retreat, a couple really important things happened, like pivotal shifts in my life, in my career, and just in my overall growth journey. So when I got home, miraculously, the stars aligned for me. And my dad actually found a yoga teacher training that was going to be happening in Asheville, North Carolina, where my family lives, where my parents live, during the summer months when I would already be off from teaching. And they gifted it to me. My parents gifted it to me, which was such a miracle. Like, I had been searching and searching and searching for yoga teacher trainings all over, trying to find something that would be affordable enough for me to make it happen. Obviously, I was not making a lot of money. So that was a miracle. And obviously, you know, doing my yoga teacher training was such an expansive experience. It really opened me up even more to the practice of mindfulness. It helped me become a better guide for meditations and mindfulness. And I also got the download on that retreat in Bali to start my Monday Motivation newsletter, which is the newsletter that still exists today. If you guys get my Monday emails or, you know, the monthly vibe check email like that, started way back in 2018. And that's when I really, I guess, started. I didn't know it at the time, but that was me like building the early, early foundations of my business. And also important to note about this retreat, shortly after, I think 2 months after, I was unexpectedly fired from this position. And if you want to listen back to a previous episode of the podcast, it's called The One Where I Got Fired from My Dream Job. Um, you can just search Makeshift Happen, The One Where I Got Fired, and it'll— it should populate for you. But I explain more of the depths of that situation, what it was like to have the rug pulled out from under me, and what it really meant for my life and my business moving forward. And how even though it seems like it was a negative thing. It was actually the catalyst to everything that I've created since then. And so I still, I still feel that it's important to talk about this retreat in Bali and the shifts that happened for me afterwards, because some of them were incredible, right? Being able to do my yoga teacher training, starting my Monday Motivation email, which then became such a, you know, a big part of my brand and led to me actually starting this business. But also even the quote unquote negative thing that happened, which was getting fired, it was the biggest catalyst to me building everything that I've built up until this point. So it was certainly happening for me and it was a very, very important— it was an important ripple effect of having gone on that retreat and experienced and experiencing what I, what I did there. So the third one is Miami, and this was in 2021. And I decided to go on a VIP retreat day in Miami. So it was one day, one full day with my mentor Mel Wells. And so before this, I was about 6 months deep into a year-long business mastermind, and I was starting to generate higher cash months. You know, I had glimpses of $10,000 a month, $20,000 a month when I was launching something. Um, my business was starting to step into the multiple six-figure realm, but I was also starting to feel really burnt out with all of the life coaching that I was doing and all of the one-on-one clients that I was holding space for. So on this 1-day immersion, I had the divine download that it was time for me to move into business coaching. And prior to this, I had always felt like I need to be like a millionaire before I can do any type of business coaching. But it became very clear to me on this retreat day with Mel in Miami, that the, you know, the burnout that I was feeling, the resistance that I was feeling, the pull, the calling to do more business stuff, that was all— it was all breadcrumbs. It was all clues. It was all guiding me to the next evolution of myself and of my business. And I had to be able to honor it and follow it and feel the fear that came along with it, but continue to push ahead anyways. And so on this retreat day, the entire outline for my program, which I've run several times now, Abundant and Ambitious. It came to me and the title of the masterclass that I was going to use to launch this program also came to me. And we basically just started mapping out the whole thing right there, like really getting clear on what is the next version of of me, of Samantha Daly, of the brand, of what I'm here to offer the world, of how I can serve, of, of what I can share, of the wisdom and the knowledge that I've gained over the past several years of doing this work and being a business owner and really finally stepping into my own decision to be ready to go in that direction of business coaching. Because anyone who's, you know, has a business of any kind or even just like in your career, I think any time we feel the call to pivot or make a change or do something different, it's terrifying. It is so scary. It's like, wait, but is that going to work? Like, is it safe? Am I going to make money? Are people going to care? Like, what's everyone going to think? Am I going to regret it? What if it's the wrong choice? Obviously, all of, all of that was there, but What was really beautiful for me on this specific retreat experience was that the details came through for me so clearly, and I was able to start really making moves on mapping out what it was going to look like. And also feeling the confidence from being in person with my coach to just own that, like, yes, this is what I want to do. This is what's next for me. This is what I'm feeling called towards. Like, of course, of course I can do it. Of course I can. Right. The desire wouldn't be on my heart if I wasn't meant to do it. So establishing that level of confidence in myself to actually take those steps and move forward in that direction. And 3 months later, the whole like 16-week program was fully complete and out in the world, and it brought me my highest ever income month. At the time, right? So I'm like, okay, this is my first step into the business coaching realm. Like, I would be so happy if 5 women decided to say yes to this and trusted me with their businesses and wanted to learn from me in this way. And I'm like laughing at that now because I'm like, okay, I have to just be okay with 5 people because, you know, I was used to having really successful launches but in a totally different space. And so I didn't really know if there was— I didn't have the social proof yet of, of obviously results from the program. But also, are there people in my audience that want this from me? Do people trust me in this way? Like, I don't really know. But it's funny now because I was sitting there being like, yeah, I'd be so happy with 5 people and 25 people ended up signing up for that first round and it was so incredible. I will never forget the women from ANA 1.0. Like, if you're listening to this, you know who you are. That group was just so freaking special. I mean, every single round is incredible and special, but those women like have a special place in my heart because they trusted me from the start and we were just such a magical group together. Like, it was so soul aligned. There were so many amazing connections that happened in that group. And so many of those women have gone on to collaborate with each other and create things together and yeah, just hold space for each other and build really beautiful virtual friendships and have business best friends online because of that program. So, and that program, like to this day, is one of my favorite things that I get to guide. It is so much fun. Like when I think about Abundant and Ambitious, I think about how freaking fun it is. The vibes are just so amazing and the results that come out of that program are incredible. So having that like drop in for me after a retreat day, it was just like it changed everything. It changed my whole business, it changed my income, it changed my business model, it changed me as a coach. It brought incredibly aligned clients into my life. Like, wow, okay. Whatever I paid for that retreat day in Miami, you know, I've made that back times 50 or more at this point from that. So totally worth it. Number 4 is Costa Rica. When I went to Costa Rica at the end of 2021, maybe some, maybe some of you guys remember I was there for my birthday and this was a mastermind retreat. So it was part of the mastermind the year long mastermind that I had been in during— for the year of 2021. And this was kind of the way that we were going to close that mastermind as a group. And so before going to Costa Rica, I was really, really struggling to surrender the vision of moving back home to the US because I had been wanting to move home to the States for a while, but everything was just becoming so incredibly impossible with the pandemic and vaccines and immigration restrictions with my partner.
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Deep surrender of like, I guess I, I guess that's not happening for me. I guess I don't get to have that and trying to find ways to be okay with that. So if you guys remember or if you're new here, go back and listen to the episode that's called Crazy Faith. And trusting when it doesn't make sense. It's very, very cool because also in that episode I talk about how much I wanted to live like in South Florida. I don't mention the state because I didn't want to share at that point where we were trying to move. But you'll hear me talk about wanting to live in this place that has a really amazing fusion of cultures for Jaime and I, and that's on the coast with the beach and I was talking about this place. And I was basically— I cry in that episode, like it's a super vulnerable share. But I was basically talking about how I had to surrender that vision and become unattached to the outcome and let myself be okay in not knowing if that was ever going to happen and simultaneously trusting that it would. And it's It's just, which is trippy. It's wild to listen back to that episode now as I'm here in the dream apartment in South Florida on the beach, like, oh my God, because I was basically the entire episode talking about how I don't know if that'll ever happen for me. I have to let go of needing that to work because it's not working. And so that's where I was. That's the space that I was in before, before a few weeks, months before I went to Costa Rica. And then on the retreat, I got so many signs and crazy, like, angel number things were happening that were pointing me in the direction of believing that moving to the US might actually be possible. And because it was my birthday on this retreat, at dinner the night of my birthday, all of the women kind of went around the table and they shared what their wish would be for me me in this next year of my life. And it was really beautiful to receive. And I kind of talked about what I was hoping to call in and manifest for my life and my future. And I shared the, the piece of really wanting to find a way to get to the US and working on the trust and the faith and surrender and the action and everything that was going to go into that. And so I really had that on my heart on this retreat. Of, you know, keeping that dream alive, but like staying unattached to the timeline of when it was going to happen. After this retreat, I get home from this retreat and within 30 days I was on an airplane. My entire apartment was packed up. We sold all of our belongings, we put everything into 6 suitcases, and we were on a plane with our dog, moving permanently to the US within 30 days of this retreat. Against all odds. All odds. Like an actual real-life miracle. It was still like— I have goosebumps. It still to this day, like, it does not make sense. There is no reason that that should have happened other than Magic, manifestation, faith, God, trust, surrender. Absolutely wild. So if you guys want to hear more of the details of like that story and all the angel number stuff that was happening that was pointing me in that direction, I talk about that in another old episode that's called Four Major Manifestation Codes: What I Learned Moving Back Home. So you can tune into that episode, search for it, and hear me talk about that whole experience. But yeah, that was a wild one, right? I go on this retreat in 30 days and I'm thinking like, oh my God, I don't know if this is ever going to happen, but like, I hope that it will. 30 days later, I'm on the plane moving permanently to the United States of America. Oh my God. Like, that experience was absolutely wild. Okay. For the last one, Number 5 is Tulum. So you guys know this year in 2022, back in April, I went to a leadership immersion in Tulum. And so at this point, to give context of where I was before going on this retreat, I was feeling really discouraged in the home buying journey. So we arrived in the US in January. And this retreat was in April. So February, March, April, it had been about like 3 months at this point of us looking for homes, actively searching, traveling down to Florida to, you know, get our feet wet in the market and see places and, and try and figure it out. And I was getting really discouraged at this point because nothing was coming up that we liked. It felt like it was taking forever. Like our price range was frustrating, frustrating me because I felt like nothing. But just like the way that the market has been in 2022 was basically the shittiest house is like half a million dollars. So I was just like, oh my God, like so much doubt of like, is this even the right time? Should we buy? Should we maybe rent? Like, is this even going to happen? Are we going to find something? And just feeling frustrated and discouraged.. And so on this retreat, some things that happened while on the retreat, which I've talked about on the podcast before, but I had some crazy downloads in the breathwork journey that Susie Perry guided on this retreat, some downloads about, you know, my business, the future of my family, like my family that I will create with my partner someday. Just my overall pace in life of how I was moving and the things that were really important to me. And, you know, some blind spots of stuff that I wasn't really seeing or appreciating at the time. And I also got an extremely clear message, which was, you need to be hosting in-person events now. And that ignited a huge flame in me to figure out how I was going to host in-person events and what that meant for me. So I talk all about the crazy spiritual experience of that breathwork journey in an old bonus episode. So it'll be titled Bonus Ep, and then it says Tulum Recap and My Crazy Breathwork Experience. So if you missed that one, you can tune in. But basically, when I got home from that retreat, almost immediately after coming home, I started seeing things pop up on the market that we loved and that were in my price range. And so we started to put offers in and we manifested this dream beach condo within 2 months of coming home from that retreat, which is crazy, crazy, crazy, crazy. Like went from complete like, I don't even know if this is going to happen. I don't even know if it's possible. Is this even the right time? Maybe I should just rent. Like, I don't know what's happening to manifested. Done. I'm here. I'm in the beach condo. Like, what wild things, right? And I also almost immediately upon returning home from this retreat found the perfect villa for my own retreat, which you guys know we're hosting in December in the Dominican Republic. I got all the branding done for it, launched it, and sold out 50% of the spots in less than 48 hours. Like, talk about an aligned offer or an aligned creation. When you put it on sale and it sells 50% within a few days, like, that means you're creating something that people want from you. And it was from that divine download where Spirit literally told me in the breathwork journey, you must be doing in-person events. Now. It was crazy. And side note, Susie, who guides these incredible hypno breathwork sessions, which is a fusion of hypnosis and breathwork, she is going to be on the Dream Life Immersion retreat in December in the Dominican Republic with us. And she's going to guide you guys through some incredible breathwork journeys like the downloads and the transformations and this spiritual connection that's going to take place from those breathwork journeys, I just know is going to be one of the most powerful things you ever experience in your life, hands down. It was for me. And so I'm so excited to be able to gift that experience to all of the women that are coming on the retreat and joining us in December.
Okay. With that being said, now let's hear from Megan, who recounted her experience of the 2022 Dream Life Immersion Retreat on her own podcast. Cast Happiness Looks Good on You. You'll hear her talk about various heart-opening experiences while she was there, the intense visions she had, her breakthrough in the Wealth Embodiment Workshop, and how this retreat really changed her life. Hey, don't forget that every month we are picking a listener of the month to win $50 in cash just for showing love to the show. All you have to do is leave an epic review of the podcast on Apple Podcasts, screenshot the review before you hit submit, and DM that screenshot to us on Instagram at Makeshift Happen Podcast. And that's it. I want to thank you for being such a loyal listener and show my appreciation by putting a little extra cash in your pocket. I know it's super easy not to do it, but every single rating and review seriously helps the show rank higher and reach new people, so we appreciate them more than you know. We'll announce the next winner at the end of the month and slide into your DMs if it's you, so keep an eye out and good luck. Love you guys and thanks for supporting Makeshift Happen.
I went to her website to check out the retreat, check out information to see how much it was, to see if there were even any spots available. Again, because she was talking about this in the summer and it was like late September by the time that I was hearing of it. And so when I looked at the page with all of the information for the retreat, there was one spot left. And I can't really explain it, but my intuition and my body just started buzzing. Everything about it just seemed so fitting, and my whole body said to do it. And in my head, it was just like, that one spot that's left, that's for me. It was meant for me. And I immediately take it to my partner for his opinion because he had kind of, you know, been working through me with all this stuff, you know, with quitting my job and all of these next transitions. We were talking about these things a lot. So I basically just asked him like, is it fucking crazy that I wanna spend a couple thousand dollars on this retreat knowing that I now have a fixed amount of income for the foreseeable future and not knowing what that's gonna look like and when income is gonna start coming in.. And he could not have been more encouraging. There was not an ounce of hesitation in him. He was just like, you need to do this. It sounds like it's exactly what you need. And so I signed up. I reached out to Sam and basically was like, I really want this spot. I, I think I had to like move some money around or something. And so I was like, I really want this spot. I'm not gonna be able to pay for it right this second, but in like 3 days when I transfer this over. And she was like, absolutely. We're excited to have you. I hope the spot's still open by the time that you're able to actually sign up for it. Of course it was. So I got signed up, and when I say that there are so many beautiful stories in between the moment when I signed up and paid for that retreat and actually being sure that I was gonna be able to go, it's amazing the things that happened and fell into place. I'm not gonna go into all of them, but basically the high-level story is I didn't even have a passport at the time that I paid for this retreat. I hadn't been to the post office to start the process even. So this was like early to mid-October maybe, where I'm handing over this money and I don't have a passport. I didn't necessarily know if I was going to feel comfortable spending money on a flight, and I didn't know, you know, where I was going to leave my bus or my dogs because I was planning on, you know, traveling during this time. I was going to be on the road, so I didn't know where I would be or if I would even be able to find a place to get the dogs boarded or leave the bus or whatever that would look like. So honestly, logic would've said that me going on this trip was not a good idea or that it just wasn't gonna happen, right? Financially, logistically, you know, it just, it seemed like I was signing myself up for chaos, which I do live for. I will say like I operate best in chaos. However, playing with the only money that I have to live on. For an amount of time that I'm not sure of. It felt a little scarier than my normal state of chaos, where I'm— it's kind of like a safer state of chaos. This was probably the most risky. It was scary, but I just leapt anyways. I just trusted blindly, with really— out without any real understanding or concept that it was all going to work out or what that was going to look like. But I do have this practice where when I want to make a leap, whether it be big or small, I work through what the worst-case scenario would be like if I do that thing and it doesn't work out the way that I'm planning for it to. And in this situation, my leap was to spend this money on this retreat and ultimately sign myself up and commit to this, even knowing, again, if I would feel comfortable spending money on a flight. I had no idea how much they were going to be. I didn't know if I was gonna get my passport, a place to leave the bus and the dogs, all of that, right? So my worst case scenario was that if I wasn't able to go on this retreat, then Sam actually did offer somewhat of a refund, right? Where the policy was, if you're not able to go on the retreat, you don't get the money back, but you can use that money towards services with her. So my worst case scenario was that I would be able to use that money to spend working with Sam and learning from her on how to build a business and how to just grow spiritually and shift my mindset into this new identity that I'm, I'm seeking in life, right? So needless to say, I got my passport in time, which was a beautiful story. I paid for my flight with miles, which was fucking awesome because I didn't have to spend money on that. And literally everything worked out as beautifully as it possibly could. Because of course it does, right? Every single time it always does. So fast forwarding to the experience of the retreat, it was 5 days and 4 nights in this incredibly beautiful villa.
It was—
there was an infinity pool, there was a big open living area that just opened up to the backyard, so we were kind of exposed to, you know, the elements, right? To any critters. And there were a lot of, um, just stray dogs that kind of like lived in the town. Um, they would walk up, which was fucking awesome, for the record. We'd wake up and there would be like another new dog just kind of hanging out. But this living room was just open. You could see past the pool and see into the backyard. There were big lounge chairs, and there was a hammock and an outdoor shower in the backyard. We were about 50 yards from the beach, so you could just walk right out. This place was truly magical. It was everything that you would think and more for a villa to be. And On the schedule, we had a few different workshops, um, over the span of the 5 days. There was a subcon— a subconscious healing workshop. There was a masculine and feminine energies workshop and a wealth embodiment workshop. There were 2 hypno breathwork sessions with a beautiful, beautiful soul named Susie. She's an incredible woman. I'm so grateful to have gotten to experience her gifts as well. We went on a beautiful waterfall hike. And that was my first time seeing a waterfall of that stature, and it was so powerful. It quite literally takes your breath away. There's wind just gushing down, and it was just really incredible to experience. There was a sacred cacao ceremony, which was also one of the most beautiful ceremonies and rituals I've, I've ever experienced, truly. And I'm not going to dive into every aspect of of each of those moments. But what I want to talk about today, and I— what I want to share, is what I went to this retreat in search of and what I actually found, and what it was that's changed my life. So I signed up for this retreat because I was in a place of transition from working for someone else to abruptly stopping and venturing into entrepreneurship. I was in the process of taking on an entirely new identity I wanted to shed everything I've learned, or, and, and I've been taught about making money, about wealth, about obtaining the life that I want for myself. I wanted to learn from and with other women who were of the same mindset and doing the same things and who are deeply craving to embody the woman that they see themselves being. I wanted connection and sisterhood. I wanted to be activated. I wanted to be unblocked. I wanted to be completely immersed in a magical place that was so surreal, and that would be something that the future version of myself, when I consider myself to be wealthy, that she would be doing. So I wanted to surround myself with that feeling, and I wanted to feel what it would be like to be at that level that I wanna be at, right? And being at this villa by the ocean in this incredible place was was exactly that feeling that I was craving. I wanted to be surrounded by that feeling and energy, and I wanted to soak all of that up because I know these next several months of my journey, they may be challenging to navigate and figure out. It may be rough for a few months, like, I truly have no idea. So I wanted help and guidance navigating where my passion and my joys meet income and stability, right? Because I'm still kind of figuring out what what I want to pursue. I've already got a few things in motion, but I still feel like I don't totally have a grip on the gifts that I'm able to share and that I'm able to profit off of and all of these things. So all these are all things that I'm looking for, right? This retreat felt like exactly the right way to propel myself forward into this new identity. It felt like an opportunity to just quantum leap into this new life that I'm deeply craving. And what I found, what I gained from this retreat while I was in the Dominican Republic with these incredible, beautiful women, holy shit. I'll say that I found every single one of those things that I just talked about that I was seeking and that I wanted to find. I found the realization that I am already as wealthy as I want to be. I found sisterhood. I found deep, deep connection with these women after sharing this experience with them and diving in as deeply as we all did together. We all went there together, right? Like, we went to these places in our minds and in our hearts and in our souls, and we uncovered these breakthroughs together, and we all released things that no longer served us together. And, and doing that with women right beside you is so powerful. And, and not being afraid to, like, let go and really commit to the practices and the rituals and these workshops that we're doing, knowing that there's someone right beside you to your left and your right going all in with you is truly powerful. I really don't have a better word to explain it. It just, it does something different. You're able to do those things on your own perfectly. But again, when you have people right beside you there for the same reason and going just as hard as you, it just helps shift something more powerfully than it could if you're doing it on your own. So the moment that I think will linger with me in my moments of doubt or in low frequency, and honestly, this moment just lingers with me throughout my day. I, when I close my eyes, I just, I see this, this scenario. So the second to last day we had the Wealth Embodiment Workshop and it was followed by our second breathwork session. Sam had us work through a series of journal prompts where we defined ways that we were already living the life of our dreams. We defined areas where we desired money and where we resist money. And there were a few other prompts, but the last prompt was to kind of sit on and think on and then journal about what it would look like to move through life as a wealthy woman. How do you picture yourself doing that? What does that look like for you? And as I started to think on this and write things down that came to my heart and that came to my mind, tears started to well up and pour over in my eyes. And the more I wrote, the harder I cried. There was one moment where Sam walked up next to me and just kind of like put her hand on my shoulder and I just started to like sob a little bit because every single thing on that list that I was writing down, this list that outlined what it would look like if I was as wealthy as I wanted to be, and every single thing on that list, I do already. I am already. I already do and have every single one of those things on this list. I am. I am the wealthiest version of myself right now that I long to be. I am that woman that's navigating and working through life with joy and wealth and abundance and happiness right now in this moment. I have it all. I have everything I could possibly want. I have the purest of love. I have so much joy. My cup is truly overflowing with joy each and every day. I'm traveling full-time in a home that I adore, that I built with my own hands. I share that home with a man that I adore. I wake up and I have my coffee wherever the fuck I want to. My backyard could change every single day if I wanted. I am absolutely and completely free. I released the feelings of waking up on Monday mornings dreading work and dreading the work that I would be doing, that's gone. That's no longer in my life. I wake up each day so excited for what I get to do. I spend my days in the flow that my soul craves, arguably a little too much in the feminine flow. I'm working on balancing in some masculine energy that I can create some structure around and, and organize that flow a little bit. But for right now, my soul is craving that flow, probably from for so long of of being in the masculine, like, I have to do this today and I have to get this done. And I think I'm just sort of soaking up some of this, this flow that I'm able to participate in. I'm building a business that allows me to do all of the things I love and write them off on my taxes. Like, what the fuck? That is— that's the dream. That's my dream. That's what I've always dreamt of, right? And I already have all of that right here in the palm of my hand. I've got it. And this whole time I've felt like I've been having to rush towards this goal of having a successful business, of having all of this money, having all of this success, and rushing towards it like I have to catch it before I miss it. Like you would if you were running through the airport towards your gate that's closing in 2 minutes, and if you don't make it, you miss your flight, and there's no other flights for the week. That feeling of panic and rush and just urgency is, is what I've been feeling towards these goals of mine. And I was chasing and sprinting through my version of the airport trying to make sure that I caught my flight. And in this scenario, my flight is having this successful business or businesses and having all of this wealth, when in reality I own a fucking jet. And my jet and the pilot that flies my jet will be waiting for me whenever I get there. The point of this analogy is, is that I was rushing towards this thing, towards this goal, as if I didn't believe it was already mine, as if I didn't think that it was actually in my future, like I had to work so hard and rush so hard towards it that I had to scoop it up as if it were this fleeting opportunity. But it is. It is mine. It's already mine. And I was able, in this moment, with tears just rolling down my face, having this epiphany that the wealthiest life of my dreams is already in my reality. It's surrounding me. I was able to release that feeling of urgency and that feeling that I need to rush towards something, which allows the beauty of where I'm at right now to just overtake me with gratitude and joy and thankfulness and contentment.. And after that workshop, we went right into our second breathwork session. So I had just had this powerful, overwhelming epiphany that was already life-changing enough, right? And this breathwork session, so it was led by Susie, who is another magnificently beautiful spirited woman. And I'll link her Instagram in the show notes too, because she's truly incredible. I highly recommend you just like experiencing her energy. And she led us into a joy frequency hypno breathwork session right after the Wealth Embodiment Workshop. And I think the breathwork itself lasted like 30 to 50 minutes. I know she told us when we were doing it, but I don't know how long we did it for, because once you're in that state, time just sort of like morphs away. It's quite a long time that you're spending in this breathwork. But after the breathwork, we went into a state of meditation and Susie led us through some prompts and her intention with this was to help elevate our frequency to the highest possible frequency that exists, which is that of joy and gratitude and freedom and love. Because in that frequency is where we manifest from. It's where we match the frequency of everything that we want and desire in our lives, and we can truly manifest anything. And I've been working towards— I didn't realize what it was. I didn't realize that it was a frequency, that it was this state of being where we match everything that we want. But I've been working towards happiness and joy for a very long time, and I've, I've gotten to a place where I've— I feel like I stay in a state of joy pretty consistently. I find myself in a frequency of joy most of the time. I consider that to be my default, at least, at least happiness, right? When I wake up, it— I, I start off happy. It has to— something has to happen, and it has to happen pretty big in order for me to kind of come down from that state of happiness. And I've worked really hard to release things to get to that point. But what I experienced in this session was truly divine. I had so many beautiful visualizations. Again, Susie led us through these prompts, and they were intended to bring us into a state of joy. And I went back through these beautiful moments of my childhood, memories that I haven't been able to actually remember in years. My memory, especially of my childhood— my memory alone is just, is not great. But my childhood, there's just, there's things that I can remember from pictures, but it's like I was watching these moments and these memories from the corner of the room. Me at 5 years old hugging my mom and my dad on Christmas morning, and I was seeing the world through her eyes again with the same hope and joy as I did, as this little girl did at 5 years old when things were easy and the world was so exciting and thrilling and Santa Claus was still real, right? And I went through several different memories from that time in my life and just floated through them and experienced them and felt the feelings that I felt in them, which were all of that of love and joy. And my heart was just, ugh, my heart was so full experiencing these. And I would stay in these moments and I would visit in them for a little while, and my parents were in each of them, each of these memories. It was just another memory experiencing with my parents, and again, feeling that love from them and experiencing those moments. And I was just so consumed with their love for me in each of these moments. It was so reassuring, and it was like a warm blanket fresh out of the dryer was just wrapped around my heart and my soul. It was very, very sweet. And then I found myself in this beautiful scene where I was wearing the exact outfit that I had planned to wear later that day for our beach ceremony, which was this white bodysuit with just a flowy white sarong around my waist. And I hadn't worn this outfit yet, so it was kind of strange to me that it was in my visualization, but also kind of cool because of the way that that outfit makes me feel, I think, is, is the reason. But I was standing on this ledge with this step in front of me, and my arms were reached out beside me, and my head was tilted back as if I were just soaking in the sun and the beauty of what was in front of me. And I couldn't really see what was in front of me. It was just this ledge, and then in front of me was this unknown abyss, right? And I stepped forward off the ledge, and I fell face first into this body of just abundance and wealth and joy and happiness and love and support and money and pureness and all of the dreams I have and everything that I want. All of these things were like water around me, but I wasn't getting wet. I was just floating in it, and I was one with it all. And initially, when I took the step off that ledge, my physical body jumped as if you would, like when you're falling asleep and you trip step or something and your body kind of reacts and jerks as if you're actually falling and you want to catch yourself. But there was this really beautiful moment when I tried to catch myself from falling because I didn't know what was down there. I didn't know what I was falling into. I couldn't see it. But this feeling of trust and belief in myself and in the universe and in my intuition and in my higher self washed over me. And I reached my arms back out further and just closed my eyes and said, I trust and I fell into it all. And I was there swimming in all of my soul's desires. It was right there for me. It was around me. It was mine, and it wasn't going anywhere. Everything that I wanted in life was just surrounding me as if it were like this cloud of things. Just like I was frolicking in it, basically. And this scene morphs into me standing and watching the same woman. I'm watching her now from behind Feels like this woman is me, but somehow I'm also watching her. She's still in that same white flowy outfit and she's facing away from me. She's standing before the ocean with her feet in the sand and the waves are washing up over her feet. The water's warm. I can almost feel the water on my feet. And she's dancing lightly. Her arms are stretched out, flowing with the wind, just letting her arms sort of roll and her body move with her arms. And she is radiating joy and energy and love and just endless abundance and happiness. She was so incredibly happy and peaceful just standing there. And then I realized that this woman that I'm watching that feels like me is actually my higher self. She is the woman that lives in my soul. She guides me and she directs me and she gives me all of my ideas and these pings and these nudges. And in that moment, I actually started to feel her movements in my physical body. I could feel the wind rolling off each of my hands as she swayed her arms in the wind, her body moving with the earth and swaying so beautifully with the sun on her skin. I could feel it. I could feel the sun on my skin. She's glowing and she's radiating. And then I feel this cleansing wash over me. And I had this realization that anything that comes up in my heart or in my soul that I know is from my intuition, that it's right for me, and that none of it will ever be wrong because it is all coming from her. And all she wants and all she desires is things of love and joy and, and when I have these downloads, like I said, or these ideas or these pings, they are coming directly from her. And when I'm standing there watching her, all I feel towards her is just trust and adoration and love and joy. And she is— she wants nothing but the good for me and for the world. It was this bigger message of releasing self-doubt and the need for things that I want to do in life or in business to be validated by others. Because for a long time, and I talked about this in my very first episode, the thing that would always stop me from pursuing entrepreneurship or starting a business was the fear of what others would think. And in this moment, I released that because I'm looking at this woman that is me, this woman that lives in my soul. I'm looking at her and I, I can no longer say to her that I don't trust the guidance that you're giving me. I can no longer say to her that, no, that's not right, or I'm afraid to do that because of what people will think. I'm looking directly at her and I'm, I'm just, I'm trusting her. I'm putting every ounce of my trust in her because she is one with the universe, she is one with God, she's one with it all. And everything that's coming from her is actually coming from the universe, it's coming from God, it's coming from all these places that are from this place of, of goodness and of light. And when things come from her I know in my soul and to my core that they're correct because they're mine. They're hers. There are no false moves when they're from her. There are no mistakes when I follow her lead. There are no wrong turns when I trust her guidance. Every single step is exactly the right one. And all of this is washing over me in this experience, and I'm— like I said, I was just crying. Like, tears are running down my eyes, and my heart was completely full and overflowing with passion and gratitude. Gratitude to have met her and to be experiencing her, because now I cannot unsee her. When I blink my eyes, I see her standing there. Gratitude to be in that villa with these women and with these coaches and these mentors and to have the life that I have. Gratitude to be able to create whatever life I want and to be able to experience anything that I want. It was the most incredible experience that I have ever had, and it was just all from my breath. I'm serious, you should really check out Suzie. She's— it's incredible the work that she does. So that moment, watching that woman that lives in my soul and who directs my moves and who sends me nudges and pings and guidance of the things that will move me towards what my soul truly desires, that's the moment that I will carry with me when I'm feeling low, when I'm feeling happy, when I'm feeling sadness or joy, and the good and the bad, the ups and the downs. In a place of darkness or in a place of light, I will see her, and it reminds me to keep following those nudges and pursuing the ideas. Without doing that, I wouldn't be here right now. I wouldn't be fully living and experiencing a life that I have dreamed of. For years, right? And one last takeaway before I hop off and before I close out this episode is that for a long time that I've been wanting to pursue entrepreneurship and embody a new phase of life that is free and that is my own and where I create my own schedule, I've been trying to do it on my own for as long as I can remember. And I don't want to say that I didn't see the value in hiring a coach or a mentor because I've just been introduced to coaches and mentors in the last year or so. And I read countless testimonies of people who hire a coach and invest in themselves, and I believed that they worked, but for some real— for some reason, I just never like took it as something that I should do. And I, I wasn't fully aware of how valuable it actually was to invest in yourself in that way. But now having witnessed two women in this space, Sam and Susie, living a life of pure alignment, doing exactly what their souls have called them to do, and watching them lead other women to breakthroughs and helping them release things that no longer serve them. And, and feeling and experiencing that for myself and allowing these breakthroughs and those releases to be facilitated by someone who has been where I am and who has done what I want to do and who is living a similar life to the life that I want for my— for myself. They're aligned. They're making an income doing what brings them joy. They love and are so passionate about the work that they're doing. Why the fuck would I not want to learn from them? They took me to a place of healing and overwhelming abundance, to a place of clarity and love. And it's so freaking powerful. And my life has been forever changed. And so in short, and I'm primarily speaking to myself here, If you desire to elevate your life, or if you feel like there's something waiting for you but you can't quite reach it, or you feel blocked, or you can't even decipher what it is, you just know your soul is just tickling you a little bit and nudging you, and you can hear your, your soul calling you to it, consider seeking out a coach or a mentor to help facilitate your journey there. Someone who's been through it, someone who's done it, because letting people in on your process is powerful.
I love what Megan shared so much because I know for me, I've personally had some of the most breathtaking, magical, spiritual, life-altering moments on retreats. But it's kind of like things are coming full circle, and now I have had the pleasure of facilitating those same experiences for the women who come on my retreats. And You know, for me, I just think there's simply nothing that compares to being in the transformative vortex of an in-person immersion. And when I say that retreats changed my life, I really, really mean it. And I know that the same is true for so many other people, and especially the women that were in the Dominican Republic with us last year. So if you have never given yourself the gift of one of these immersive, heart-opening, soul-expanding experiences, is here is your sign to do it. After you say yes to something like this, nothing will ever be the same again. Your life will inevitably have to shift because there's no way that you can walk away from an experience like this as the same woman who walked in. Your soul is just bound to expand. So if you have ever been on one of my free workshops or masterclasses, you can imagine that it's kind of like that, but on steroids, right? So for every day, 5 days, multiple workshops a day, plus so much connection, sisterhood, healing, learning, laughing. There's some crying, dancing, adventuring, and of course manifesting, all in the most luxurious Caribbean beachfront villa. So if you haven't heard, enrollment is now open for our 2023 Dream Life Immersion Retreat, which is happening in December, and it's going to take place in the same stunning location as last year. Some of the spots have already been filled and there's only a handful up for grabs, so if you are interested, definitely don't wait. You can scroll down to the show notes below this episode or click the link in my bio on Instagram to check out all of the retreat details and reserve your spot. The white sands are calling you guys. I really hope to see some of you there, and I can't wait to meet you in person. Thank you so much for tuning in. I will talk Talk to you guys next week.
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