Stepping Out Of Your Comfort Zone; A full-recap of Girl Talk NYC
“Holy shit. Did that just happen?”
Those were my exact thoughts as I walked out of HUB Seventeen after hosting my third-ever Girl Talk –this time, in the middle of New York City.
For those of you that aren’t familiar with Girl Talk, it’s a women’s “sweatworking” event dedicated to wellness, connection, and community. Check out the recap of the first-ever Girl Talk here or the second one here.
The idea for Girl Talk came to me while flying home from a conference in New York City in the spring of 2017. This conference had over 500 people in attendance and was geared towards women in the entrepreneurial and digital space. And I walked away feeling like I had connected with no one.
I knew something needed to connect like-minded women who are interested in health and wellness by making connections that fuel both professional and personal growth. So instead of searching for a squad, I created one.
Now, before New York, I had hosted two Girl Talk events in my hometown of Bozeman, Montana. So you’re probably wondering how the New York idea even came about.
Well, one word: Instagram.
Two years ago, I had connected with a gal by the name of Shanna Tyler through the tiny little squares of Instagram. Shanna is a yoga instructor, life coach, and all around genuine human being that I seriously enjoyed following and interacting with on the 'gram (check her out here!).
A few months later, I had a trip out to New York (for that conference) planned and decided to go to one of her yoga classes she was teaching in the Flatiron. After following each other for months, we finally got the chance to connect IRL and became friends - instantly!
Since then, Shanna and I have stayed in touch and always played around with the idea of collaborating on something, but just didn’t know what that would be.
Then, after getting two Girl Talks under my belt here in Bozeman, I pitched her the wild and crazy idea of co-hosting one in NYC…let’s just say she agreed before I could even finish my sentence!
It was meant to be.
Then, after months of planning, countless phone calls, and getting the best sponsors on board in the history of sponsors (oh heyyyy, Bumble), Girl Talk NYC was finally happening.
To say I was nervous was a complete understatement.
Will people accept me?
How will ticket sales do?
Am I adding value to this community?
New York is too big time - what in the hell am I thinking?
The list went on and on.
But with my girl Shanna by my side and the amazing support of our panel members and communities, Girl Talk NYC was a huge success! I wouldn’t have changed a damn thing.
I know a lot of y’all reading this didn’t get the chance to make it to New York City for Girl Talk, so I thought I’d give you the full recap.
Want to attend the next Girl Talk in Bozeman? Hop on the waitlist here.
Want to see it come to a city near you? Drop me a line here and let’s talk!
Girl Talk NYC was held at HUB Seventeen, which is located in the Flatiron lululemon store. The space was gorgeous, fun, and soooo accommodating to our event. Thanks, lululemon!
Girl Talk was Presented by Bumble, a social network that allows you to make connections, whether you’re dating, looking for friends, or growing your professional network. Girl Talk would not have happened without their support, and we will be forever grateful for them and their team (we love you, Shirley!).
The event started off by checking people in and fueling up on some Health-Ade Kombucha.
Then, we had a quick intro from Shanna and myself to welcome the ladies to Girl Talk before our yoga goddess, Libby Nicholau, led everyone through a 60-minute flow. Libby is such a sweet-natured soul, and she brought her powerful energy to kick-off the event in the most perfect way.
After yoga, we broke into four groups for the Self Soul Sport discussion led by Shanna. We chatted about what qualities we seek in a friendship as well as what community means to us.
After we got really (really) real, I was time to take a break and get some noms. We had Health-Ade Kombucha on-site mixing up some mocktails (yum!), MatchaBar with the sparkling Matcha goodies, and Tyme Food with their jars of plant-based bowls. Everything was so good, so healthy, and so on point.
Once everyone got the chance to fuel up, it was time for my favorite part of these events…the panel discussion!
On the panel we had Shanna Tyler of Shanna Tyler/Self Soul Sport, Melanie Torres of Headstands and Heels, and Julia Chebotar of Health Chef Julia. I moderated the panel with The Wellness Rookie/#GIRLGETAFTERIT flair.
We went into questions such as how do you find balance within your busy schedules, what advice would you give others on making the leap into being a full-time girl boss, how to network when you’re socially awkward, how to make (more) money, and how to go about working with brands and sponsors.
It was a powerful and dynamic panel that brought different perspectives, experience, and industry knowledge to the table.
At the end of the event, everyone went home with amazing bags from Bumble along with goodies from Treeline Coffee, Health-Ade, and Ducalm Skincare.
All of these beautiful images from Girl Talk NYC were captured by one of my dearest friends Diana Davis. She’s a photo queen!
If there’s one thing I learned from Girl Talk NYC, it’s that you need to step out of your comfort zone from time to time, because community matters – no matter what city you live in or what industry you’re a part of.
So thank you, NYC, for everything.
Want to attend the next Girl Talk in Bozeman? Hop on the waitlist here.
Want to see it come to a city near you? Drop me a line here and let’s talk!