Our amazing-superdate-biz weekend in Portland!

written by Bari Tessler July 11, 2012
Our amazing-superdate-biz weekend in Portland!

I’m fresh home from my trip to Portland, OR, where Forest and I attended the World Domination Summit 2012 this past weekend.

The event is a gathering of 1000 creative entrepreneurs exploring how to “live a remarkable life in a conventional world”.

Whoa, wow, oy vey and oh my . . . what an experience.

Today I want to share a few highlights, and why this past weekend was so special for me and my family.

It was a true milestone for me and Forest as a dual-entrepreneurial family getting to travel together, be inspired together, grow together. We’ve been calling the weekend our “SuperDate”, and are just pinching ourselves that we’ve created the freedom to learn together in this way.

We also left our boy for the first time for this long (I have hardly been out of the house for work in almost 5 years!). Noah had an amazing time with his grandparents. They fished. They made a wooden bike rack. They cleaned out the whole garage. They added dahlia’s to our front lawn. I’m so grateful how well loved and taken care of he was.

And for as thrilling as this weekend was, reuniting with my boy Monday night, looking into his eyes and having him touch my face and say ‘I love you’ over and over and getting to hold him in my arms . . . well, that may have trumped it all.

Back to Portland . . .

What a kick to meet so many of my friends in my online community live in the flesh!

Through B-School and social media, I really have formed some genuine and heartfelt relationships (–> there’s a few B-School Babes huddling for a pic!).

Meeting them live was so special, and I’m so excited for the friendship & collaboration to come!

The vibe at this event was so potent and welcoming – every single person there was an inspiration.

Here’s my short list of unforgettable highlights from WDS 2012:

  • Brene Brown – She had me laughing hysterically one minute and tears streaming down my face the next. She’s a serious academic researcher on vulnerability and shame. If you haven’t seen her, watch this and this. What an honest, hilarious, beautiful human being. Her work is so needed, and I know you will love it – her insights will deeply serve you.
  • Charity Water – Wow. This guy has an amazing story. He woke up one day 10 years into a full-on gluttonous and reckless life in NYC and had his “WTF am I doing with my life?” moment. So, he put himself on a boat around Africa. He was seeing so much disease and suffering largely due to the lack of a clean water. I can’t even find the words to express how powerful this presentation was. (More tears streaming!) This man created an incredible organization you should know about, bringing fresh, clean water to communities that desperately need it. Check it out and get involved if you can.
  • Danielle LaPorte – I got to hug her and share chocolate with her! She’s been one of my online teachers and mentors for years. I’ve never actually worked with her one-on-one, but I’ve been following her blog and loving her online work (digital programs, etc) for so long, I’ve felt a deep connection with her. I was in a small group with her, and got to ask her a question – such a thrill to feel so seen and heard by her, and receive a very important nugget to take back home with me. P.s. it has to do with me writing a book…:)
  • The Finale: Picture this ~ 1000 creative entrepreneurs (or budding entrepreneurs) together in a beautiful theater at the end of this inspiration packed weekend. Chris Guillebeau (author of The $100 Start Up) is on the stage, telling us his process around refusing sponsorship for this event. Then he tells he accepted one anonymous donation. What came next blew our minds, and the whole room was beyond moved. When he and his team were considering how to use it, it dawned on them that they should invest it back in us. He took that one hundred thousand dollars, and put a one hundred dollar bill in each of our hands with these instructions:

“We’d love to see how you can put these funds to good use. Start a project, surprise someone, or do something entirely different – it’s up to you.”

How amazing is that?!

I feel blessed beyond belief that I get to play in a world of creative game-changers and thinkers. I hope you’ve enjoyed this little piece of the WDS I’ve brought back with me to share with you.

For more info about WDS, and to get on the list for next year, go here.

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