The Thing Will Transform Your Sunday Scaries

In my apparent year-end push to travel as much as I possibly can 😅, I made my first stop in Orlando, FL last weekend to attend The Thing. 

Yes, there is a conference called The Thing, and I was a speaker at it. 

Surrounded by artists, creatives, and entrepreneurs - The Thing wasn’t just a chance to speak, but an opportunity to immerse myself in an environment rich with inspiration, collaboration, and possibilities. 

I walked away from The Thing feeling that I got to inspire and be inspired, so here are seven takeaways that are reshaping my outlook on the new year - and I hope they will transform your perspective on tomorrow, this week, and this month! 

1. Embrace Authenticity

Being yourself seems harder than ever in today’s society of comparison and keeping up, which is why I loved sharing from the stage how much authenticity can impact your business and your relationships. 

My talk “What’s Your Selling Superpower” encouraged everyone in the audience to think about how they show up in the world, during a sales call, and in their client engagements. I even included a quiz that helped people associate themselves with a specific superpower, and encouraged connections by giving them each a corresponding colored sticker to add to their name badge for the rest of the weekend. 

I don’t know how to be anything other than Angie (in case you haven’t noticed) and in this talk, I was able to help others embrace their authenticity and find the magic that is being you. 

2. Community Is Everything

The Thing reminded me how important it is to have people around us who push us further than we could ever go ourselves. As event host Terry Weaver said, “If you want to go fast - go alone; if you want to go far - go together.” 

The power of community is real, and I walked away from The Thing with a newfound commitment to rekindling old connections, maintaining current ones, and intentionally creating new relationships with the right people. 

Building community is an active process, not a passive one, and the benefits of doing so are endless. 

3. Pursue Your Passion and Your Purpose

Do you know your purpose? Are you pursuing it relentlessly? 

If you say anything but, “Hell, yes!”, it’s time to talk! 

Doing your Thing is one thing, but owning it fearlessly is another. I love people, and I have always loved standing on stage and inspiring them, but even I was a little intimidated by being the last speaker at the end of the longest day of the event. 

I had to dig deep - and eat a lot of peanut M&Ms to bring the energy I needed to the stage, and it paid off. It’s amazing what happens when you look at a room and say “I’ll be present to you if you’ll be present to me”. Eyes locked, we went to work, and it was the best 35 minutes of my day.

 What's your 'Thing' that needs more of your heart today?

4. Learn from Every Interaction

Liz Wilcox, who was a contestant on season 46 of Survivor, took the stage on Sunday morning to talk about the lessons she learned from 30-something days on the show (spoiler alert). 

One of the takeaways she offered that I found particularly useful was the importance of listening - truly listening. She learned this when a fellow contestant shared a personal struggle with her that she was then able to recall and use to build even more connection with that person at a critical time in the game. 

We may be talking about a game here, but there’s a lot of Survivor that’s just a more intensified version of the game called life, so I take Liz’s lesson as a reminder that every interaction has potential; make them count.

5. Speak With People, Not At Them

One of my favorite speakers of the weekend was Jason Raitz, a communications coach who will be a guest on a future episode of No More Mondays Podcast (teaser)! 😁 

Jason talked about the importance of talking with people instead of to or at them - which is something I think we all do without realizing it. Speaking with people, rather than at them, creates an environment of mutual respect and learning and fosters a two-way conversation that’s much more likely to go somewhere meaningful than barking at someone’s face. 

In addition to a great presentation style with excellent storytelling, Jason approaches life and people a lot like I do - with love and openness, and that’s what I appreciate about him most.

#humansstillmatter

6. Stand Against Adversity

One of the attendees at the conference, Andy Regal, is doing some important work you all should tune into. As a former media exec and journalistic producer, Andy worked in some challenging environments and corporate cultures, and now he’s on a mission (his purpose!) to stop it. 

Andy is taking on workplace bullying.

Standing up for what’s right is more necessary now than it’s ever been, as the world feels like it gets meaner by the day. I respect what Andy is doing to help people navigate the difficulties of today’s corporate culture, and I hope all of you will support him by attending his upcoming summit that begins next week.

7. Be Where You Feel Called

I already had a boatload of travel lined up before the last-minute opportunity to hop on stage at The Thing presented itself, but I knew it was a room I needed to be in. 

Sometimes, the unexpected calls to us, and we must answer. 

Being at The Thing in Orlando felt right, and I walked out of that room with (at least) two clear reasons for having needed to be there. I felt the tug, and I followed it - and it led me to exactly where I needed to be. 

What’s tugging at you??

Here’s to a week of embracing your Thing, building connections, and following the call to where you’re meant to be!

Your Friend and Coach,

Angie