One week has gone by since our first annual team retreat and since then I have had some time to reflect on this special day.  One word keeps coming to my mind and that is GRATEFUL. I am grateful to have such an awesome, dedicated, and loyal team.

My original goal for this retreat was to have my whole team together in a place where they can get to know each other and also have fun as a token of my appreciation for all their hard work. I found the perfect spot while enjoying a cocktail at my local hang out, The Deck in Laguna Beach. The Deck is attached to Pacific Edge Hotel and has 5 hotel rooms converted into beach cabanas that you can rent out for the day. I thought what better place to hang out for the day than beside the beach.  Now I didn’t just want to lounge by the beach all day, I wanted to do activities that would help push my team to the next level and even conquer fears and build confidence.  I then started to think about what does that for me in my life. Yoga has always been a place where I find peace and clarity, and I recently started stand up paddling which has been a huge feat for me since I am scared of the ocean. I decided to hire Yoga Guru Carolynn Long to teach my team about pushing yourself to the edge in order to find your best self. I then hired Paddle Board Bliss  to teach the ladies how to stand up paddle. Little did I know the surf was going to be huge — even I was a little scared.  One by one with the help of our fearless instructor we all got out pass the surf and were enjoying paddling far from shore together.

I think everyone walked away from the day with a heightened sense of life purpose and teamwork, and it definitely united us all closer together.

A special thanks to The Grovers for capturing all these special moments and to Melissa with OC Makeup for making us look BEAUTIFUL!