ViveX 2024: Take Flight and Soar into Your Best Self

Every once in a while, an experience sweeps you off your feet and shows you what it truly means to live boldly. This year’s ViveX Women’s Weekender—Take Flight!—was exactly that kind of experience. With the theme of merging intention with opportunity, the weekend was all about helping women spread their wings and soar. The result? A room full of laughter, courage, and personal breakthroughs.

Let’s back up for a second. In past ViveX events, we focused on living life Simply and being our Fun & Fabulous selves. We reconnected with the basics, embraced what made us fabulous, and let creativity flow. This year was about taking all that groundwork and asking, “What’s next? What’s stopping me from flying fearlessly?”

Fears. We all have them. Whether it’s the fear of failure, judgment, or even success (yes, that’s a thing), those fears are what keep us grounded. But at this year’s weekender, we asked the hard questions: What’s holding us back? What turbulence can we expect, and how do we fly through it with confidence? And most importantly, how can we make the whole process FUN?

Here’s the deal with ViveX: it’s built on three core pillars—Connection, Learning, and Fun—which all came together beautifully this weekend. We shared stories, dug deep, laughed (a lot), and experienced a true sense of community. There were thought-provoking discussions and interactive sessions that had us all spreading our wings, individually and together.

Facing Our Fears, Finding Our Wings

As Sheryl Sandberg so aptly put it in her book Lean In, "Fear is at the root of so many of the barriers that women face—fear of not being liked, fear of failure, fear of being judged."

Sheryl wasn’t wrong! But this year’s ViveX was about acknowledging those fears and choosing to fly anyway. Because, again as Sheryl truth-bombs us, “Without fear, women can pursue professional success and personal fulfillment—and freely choose one, or the other, or both.” Throughout the weekend, we explored that truth.

When we paused to reflect on what intention we wanted to set, many women felt a pang of guilt for even being at the event, away from their families. But then, like a breath of fresh air, came the realization: "Oh no, I need this! I need to be here so I can be the best version of myself." Others saw it as a chance to deepen connections with loved ones, while some admitted they needed time for themselves. One thing was clear—we were all ready to take flight.

Coach Wendy Neu , owner of Crossroads Coaching & Consulting, led us through a powerful session on embracing new paths by reflecting on past moments when we flew fearlessly. She asked, "Was it easy? Was the runway smooth? Or did you need a push out of the nest?" She introduced us to the idea that every flight has phases, using William Bridges Associates ' concept of Endings, Neutral Zones, and New Beginnings. We recognized that endings, while hard, are just the beginning of something new—and that neutral zone? It’s often where the magic (and chaos) happens.

We also talked about something so relatable: the frantic expectation that if we’re "flying fearlessly," it has to be perfect and smooth. Spoiler alert: it doesn’t. There’s turbulence. There’s adjusting mid-flight. And that’s okay.

Permission to Fly (and Fail)

One of the most empowering moments was when we stopped to think about how often we’re already in flight without realizing it. How many times have we taken off without planning it, without recognizing our own greatness? Sometimes, we’re too caught up in the day-to-day grind to realize that we’ve been flying all along.

Failing isn’t bad. What if, instead of beating ourselves up when something doesn’t go right, we stopped and said, “I just took flight!”?

We learned that flying fearlessly isn’t about having it all figured out—it’s about taking those baby steps, tweaking along the way, and figuring it out as we go. And when turbulence hits? That’s when we find out just how strong we are.

Be the Pilot of Your Own Life

Sarah Line , owner of Boredroom Breakouts, gave us a wake-up call. She reminded us that we are the pilots of our own lives—not the passengers being pulled along by other people’s expectations, societal pressures, or even the limiting stories we tell ourselves. She encouraged us to break free from the lies that keep us grounded, like “I shouldn’t outshine others” or “I have to do it all.” These societal “rules” are exhausting, and they keep us small. Newsflash: You don’t have to do it all, and you absolutely deserve to shine as bright as you can.

One of the most powerful takeaways was when Sarah challenged us to take a hard look at what truly energizes us and what’s holding us back. What are we doing because we think we have to? What fears or insecurities are we carrying around that keep us from soaring? Sarah explained that, at the core, we’re all held back by five fundamental fears: fear of ego death, fear of separation, fear of losing autonomy, fear of mutilation, and fear of extinction. For most of us, one or more of these fears are what’s keeping us grounded—especially the first three which are social fears.

And here's the thing—fear is one of the biggest dream-killers. Sarah didn’t sugarcoat it. But once you can identify which of these five fears are influencing your decisions, you can start to loosen fear’s grip. You can stop letting it steer your life and take back the controls.

Sarah’s advice? Give yourself permission to do things your way. Acknowledge the fears but don’t let them fly the plane. Instead, evaluate what’s no longer serving you, and unapologetically let go of the things that drain your energy. Prioritize what makes you feel alive. And when fear shows up (because it always will), remember—it’s just a passenger, not the pilot. You’re the one in control, and you can take action, make bold moves, and fly toward what truly matters to you.

In the end, it’s not about following someone else’s flight plan—it’s about writing your own. Fear may try to keep you grounded, but once you face it head-on, you’ll be ready to soar.

Team Yoga & Laughter (and Sweat)

We couldn’t talk about this weekend without mentioning Team Yoga—which was a mix of ridiculousness, hilariousness, and total awesomeness. At first, the idea sounded…intimidating. But once we got into it, we realized how much fun it was to work together, try new things, and literally climb on each other (heads, butts, and all) without caring how we looked. The lessons? Doing it together is better than doing it alone, and community is everything.

There was no competition, no shame—just laughter, support, and permission to be ourselves. It was sweaty, silly, and exactly what we needed.

Real Talk About Sex (Yep, We Went There)

We didn’t shy away from the tough stuff either. With Jennie Hilleren, PhD , a family, marriage, and sex therapist, we dove into intimacy and the connection between our minds and our bodies. It was real. It was raw. And it was empowering. Dr. Jennie challenged us to shed shame and get comfortable owning who we are—whether we’re talking about our bodies, our desires, or our relationships.

In her fun and honest way, Dr. Jennie reminded us that our bodies are our own—and it’s time to stop hustling for validation from others. She encouraged us to think deeply about what we really want in life and relationships, and to stop letting shame get in the way. “Risk in vulnerability is courage,” she said—and wow, did we feel it. Our challenge? Start talking with our partners. Share what we want and don’t want. Focus on what makes us feel valued and safe. Know that it all starts with being safe with ourselves.

Wrapping It All Up with Movement and Mindfulness

The weekend wrapped up with a morning of Vive eXercise led by Shanna Miller Ghizoni, DC, MA, LPC, CCN , owner of Total Health and Healing Clinic and Jodi Sussner , owner of CFC Athletics. Through movement and meditation, we took time to center ourselves, gain clarity, and protect all that we learned over the weekend. We left feeling grounded, energized, and (as we say) dipped in gold.

Ready to Soar

Here’s the thing about ViveX: it’s not just a weekend—it’s a launchpad. Taking flight is a journey that continues long after the event is over. It’s about making choices, taking risks, and building a community of women who lift each other up.

This year’s ViveX women’s weekender reminded us that we all have the power to soar. So go ahead—spread your wings, take the leap, and own the sky. And while you're at it, get ready to level up even more at next year's event—you won’t want to miss it!