Thursday, August 2, 2018

Made for More: My RISE Experience

The Chic Site
I wrote up this post right after I attended the RISE conference created by Rachel Hollis, but I was nervous to post it. Carlene Inspired has always been a book blog and even though I'd presented, and received great feedback, to everyone that I would be changing it to more of a lifestyle blog I was still nervous; to lose followers, to lose my status as a book blogger, to fail, if I'm being honest. But while I was keeping this post to myself, while I wasn't changing this page, I was changing myself and gearing up for something bigger, something better. I have an active Instagram (I know, who am I?), I have really big ideas, and I finally am going to write...really write. I'm obviously going to keep reviewing books, but that's just a tiny part of my life and I think life is interesting enough to share it with you. So, here's my RISE story, finally published after the tiny push Rachel gave me with the release of her 90-minute movie, Rachel Hollis presents: Made for More, in theaters TODAY.

XOXO
Carlene

(press play on the playlist to listen to some of music that will forever take me back to the weekend)


Back in April my friend Mariah and I took off, a little late, for a women's conference in Glendale, California. I'm always late, but it's something I'm working on. We're both fans of Rachel Hollis, the creative and amazing mastermind behind RISE and The Chic Site, and we're both big fans of women uplifting other women. Mariah and I are business professionals, though she gets to dress a little nicer at her job than I do, and we're both into self love, community, reading, cooking, and our families. We've known each other since we were little kids, but I've never felt closer to her than I did during that weekend. I think we both knew we needed some of Rachel's special brand of coaching, but neither of us prepared for what the weekend would bring. You leave RISE a different woman and it was the best thing I have ever done for myself.


Rachel Hollis and the amazing keynote speakers spoke right to my soul, my heart, and my head (the parts of me that war within me when I have a goal and I start to get too sensible about it). Together we worked through our pasts and our current struggles, the theme was ELEVATE, and they walked us through envisioning our goals and dreams and what the steps look like to get there. Hosted by Brittany Baron, Beans, RISE kicked off unlike any other conference you've ever been to, with a lot of laughter and hugging. We stretched and danced a little with Tanita before Rachel came out and revealed we'd be getting up and moving a whole lot during the next two days. We heard from Jen Hatmaker, Elyse Snipes, Toi Sweeney, Dave Hollis, as well as a fantastic panel of women, including Landyn Hutchinson, Anna Todd, Mica May, and Elizabeth Lascaze, titled How I Built This. We danced, we stood up, we raised hands, we voiced fears and joys, we connected, and we used A LOT of tissues. RISE takes your walls and smashes them down, revealing to us that the secrets that we keep locked inside ourselves are the same as so many others. Talk about a moving experiencing, sharing one another's secrets anonymously was one of the most painful and ultimately positive things I have ever done. (I am crying writing this.) I left with so much energy and this understanding that I really can make anything happen, I just have to hustle and believe and love myself. I have my notes available for myself to reference all the time, I use Rachel's playlist to pump me up, and I definitely remind myself of the clapping anthem Same You, New Mood.

Yes, I came back to work having not changed along with me, but my approach to it is definitely different. I have the ability to control my reactions to things, my mood about it, and the steps I can take to make my day better, to be more grateful for the blessings I experience every single day. It also gave me the kick I needed to start pushing my blog in the direction I truly want it to go. You see, I started this blog wanting to be a writer and three years later, back in April, I wasn't any closer to that goal, but now I have a vision, a plan, and a sea of amazing of new friends, women who have aspirations similar, and different, to my own and with the same desperate desire to be more. It's been several months, but we're all still connected and we all still want the best for one another, to be the more we were made for. I would encourage ANYONE, if you have a dream, if you have a desire, if you need the tools to make a change, attend a conference, but specifically, ladies, attend RISE, attend the weekend tour, attend the couple's conference RISE Together, and go see the Made for More movie.


2 comments

  1. One day at a time, that’s all you can do. And it’s more than enough. Love this post❤️ Keep sharing as you can.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks for this review. I was wondering if this conference was worth the money and lived up to the hype. I'd love to go now.

    ReplyDelete

© Carlene Inspired. Made with love by The Dutch Lady Designs.