Something magical happens when people gather together in the same space.  Something that can’t happen in online gathering spaces in quite the same way.  Gatherings take many forms: Retreats, workshops, conferences.  Walk-outs, protests, sit-ins.  Tea parties, play groups, picnics.  But the one unifier is that buzz, the energy, that each person feels when they’re there.  A buzz they’ll each carry with them long after.

That’s what I’m talking about with this week’s guest, Lizzy Russinko of The Brave Gatherers and A Life Unscripted.  Lizzy is a bold change maker.  A hand lettering artist, an activist, and a community gathering creator.  She literally makes space for transformation and connection.  Lizzy creates amazing retreats and also guides other message-driven, soulful business owners who want to make intimate in-person gatherings a part of what they offer in business too.

In this episode, Lizzy and I discuss:

• How organizing movements and disruptions became a foundational experience for Lizzy and showed her that something powerful happens when people gather together.
• Journaling, word making, accepting our weirdness, and the impulse to share.
• Where the real, magical, vibrational energy that amazing retreats create comes from.
• What in-person conversations can do that internet communities can’t.
• How motherhood has fed and informed the trajectory of Lizzy’s business.
• What it means to have conversations that matter.
• The role of vision boards and creative action in what we do.
• Creating a safe container for community and what happens to that community after the retreat.
• What you, as someone who creates in-person gatherings, communicate to the world about who you are and how this can resonate deeply with others.
• What happens when you make every single guest feel valued and an essential part of the experience from start to finish.
• What you need to know about yourself before you ever begin planning a gathering.

Find Lizzy Russinko online at TheBraveGatherers.com to get connected with her community of new and seasoned gatherers and access her Great Conversations interviews and resources.  You can also find her at RetreatRoadmap.com or view her inspired hand lettering on her Instagram handle, this_unscripted_life.

And while we’re talking about community…

Are you looking for support to cultivate a more sustainable business model, combat isolation and integrate your story with your big visions of worldly and relational transformation?  I’ve got something big in the works just for therapists like you.  Sign up here to be the first to hear about the launch of the Connectfulness® Method Mentorship Program for Therapists