Five Reasons To Attend A Content Creator Conference

I had the pleasure of attending the Magical Media Retreat, a conference for content creators, at the Radisson Blue hotel in Anaheim last weekend. I didn’t really know what to expect but I came with an open heart and an eager mind. If you’ve been following my blog for awhile then you’ll know I’ve been toggling with blogging for several years. I stop, I start, and then I ultimately stop again. I genuinely love sharing what I’m doing, what I’ve learned, and just writing in general. But if you ever see me go dark on here it’s because I’ve allowed insecurity to live rent free in my head. I promised myself 2022 was going to be the year I poured back into myself and my aspirations. And so I attended the Magical Media Retreat as my first self-enforced push to get this party started! Here is what I learned:

Top 5 Reasons To Attend A Content Creator Conference

1. Face The Lion
   When I am teaching a Barre3 class in our San Clemente studio I always want my clients to be okay with being uncomfortable, but it’s hard. Being uncomfortable makes us feel vulnerable. It can even make us feel like our bodies are inside out. I had a sophomore English teacher that always told us to Face The Lion… meaning to face our fears; to be uncomfortable. It has stuck with me all these years because I think it’s important. It’s okay to put ourselves in situations that give us a slight pit in our stomach, when we know at the root of the pit, there is an opportunity for growth. This retreat as my “Face The Lion” moment, but it also gave me the courage to continue on my blogging journey. To not worry about what other people think. As long as I am being true to myself, then I have nothing to lose. Plus, it was a wonderful weekend of putting myself out there to meet some incredible people!
   
2. Connect With Others
   Connection is really hard for me. At the core of who I am, I am actually pretty shy. I can easily get social anxiety when I am in a room full of people I don’t know. But when the opportunity arises to “Face The Lion”, I know the end result will be worth it. Even though I still struggle to look at people in the eye when I talk to them, I connected with so many women over the weekend. I met people from all over the states and a few that are in my own backyard. I met party planners, musicians, crafters, Disney lovers, and so much more! I love that we all have our own unique businesses but we can still come together and build our own little community on the internet. Community is hard to come by; it’s different than a built in family. It’s people that you’ve handpicked to allow within your inner circle to be part of your village. This was a great way to kickstart a community as you continue to grow.
   
3. Grow Your Business
   You can never stop learning! Whether you’ve been blogging for years or just started yesterday, you will never know it all. With the everchanging media world, it’s just not possible to stop where you are and continue to succeed. I learned so many valuable tools at The Magical Media Retreat that I definitely left more educated than I ever thought possible.
   They covered such an array of topics: owning your own blog; how to stay your authentic self; how to grow your audience; and even advice & tips on SEO. The pages of notes I took are truly immeasurable! I am eager to sift through them all and inspired to put all of this newfound knowledge to work.
   
4. Get Inspired!
   Creating content can be really draining! But when you are listening to incredible women such as Angela Kim and Heather Brooker you have no choice but to be inspired. Those two women are really successful in each of their business, but yet so humble. I honestly felt honored that I was there and was able to witness them speak. They were so willing to share about their own journey, which I know sometimes people want to keep their success to themselves. But I loved that there was room to sit at their table.
   Listening to the wise words of The Parentelogist, Princess Turned Mom, and Little Dove Justine speak their truths and how they stay true to themselves was equally inspiring. Social media can be monotonous and mundane when you see the same vibe being shared/posted over and over again. But my biggest takeaway of the weekend was to just be yourself. Simple but mind blowing, right?!
   
5. Make A Plan
   My tendency typically is to have a million ideas in my head, not write anything down, get overwhelmed, shut down…rinse and repeat. It’s so frustrating. It doesn’t help that I am a single parent, part-time Barre3 instructor, and full-time Project Manager. I am busy. But, I don’t ever want that to be an excuse or reason why I can’t get done what I want to get done. This retreat really gave me the push I needed to get organized, make a plan, and get moving. We all live with the same amount of hours in the day, but how do you spend those hours? I learned some great ways to make time in places that you wouldn’t think possible.

Special thank you to Dr Kim, Jenny Rose, and Justine for creating the Magical Media Retreat. I had the best time and I can’t wait for the next one.