This weekend, I took 3 of my teammates to the Summer Solstice Celebration at West Glow Farm in Kingston Springs, about 30 minutes west of Nashville, where we spent a beautiful afternoon with 40 other women swimming in the stream, relaxing in the grass, practicing yoga and meditation, and dining at a long wooden table adorned with wild flowers. It was the break from city life my soul was needing and a beautiful team building experience with Olivia, Brooke and Meryl.
Just before dinner, Lindsay Longacre, founder of @coldplungedoula, invited anyone who hadn’t yet had a chance to use the cold plunge. I’ve never had ANY interest in cold plunging. First, I’m not one for jumping on trends and I HATE being cold. Sitting in an ice bath because it’s good for my muscles after a workout just because it’s “good for me”? Pass!
But the way it was presented in this group wasn’t what I’d heard before. Lindsay explained it not simply as an activity with physical health benefits, but instead, as a reminder to yourself that you are capable of doing hard things and an opportunity to prove to yourself that the light inside you is more powerful that your external conditions. Ok…that I’m down for!
Still, I was afraid. I let three other women go before me, still unsure I would follow through. Avoidance of pain is a powerful motivator, but the chance to not only show myself what I’m made of, but model that to my teammates was an opportunity I didn’t want to pass me by. With Lindsay coaching me through the moment, I sank down to my neck and with her soothing and encouraging words in my ear, I made it 3 minutes. It was hard, and it was damn cold! But the way I felt when she said “you made it” is a feeling that will stay with me for a long time. Elated, joyful, powerful, strong, clear in my heart and my mind.
As I sat with my teammates and the other women around the long wooden dinner table in the candlelight glow, I felt so proud, so supported, and I was reminded of what a powerful force a community of women can be.
This is the feeling I want to create in each of my students in The Elevated Agent Collective. It’s a safe space where you can come as you are, be honest about not only your challenges, but also your dreams, and find a network of empowering women who will cheer for your success. Whether it is aligned for you to join me or not, I want to remind you that you are stronger than whatever negative forces are pushing against you this week, whether it’s a challenging deal, a difficult client, or a frustrating agent. The choice is yours whether or not you let it affect your inner peace.
