Top 3 Takeaways From My 3-Day Solo Retreat

LINKS MENTIONED:
- Rest Is The New Revenue For High-Achieving Women with Dr Shamieka Dean
- How To Relax Without Reducing Rest to Productivity 

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Transcript

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Welcome to the Values First Marketing Podcast. I'm Megan Katchinggan, and I help business owners like you stay in your zone of genius without making marketing feel like a full-time job on top of serving your clients. I'm sharing what's working now with simple content systems, copy that elevates your thought leadership, and messaging that makes your audience feel seen, not sold to. I'm your trusted expert in turning your voice, values, and vision into a sustainable marketing system that attracts aligned clients and grows your business in a way that's sustainable, unmistakable, and irresistible, all without sacrificing your time, your voice, or your peace. You're in the right place. Let's do this. I am just finishing up a three day solo retreat, something that I do every single year, and I was sitting by the poolside journaling about my biggest takeaways, what I really wanted to take home with me as I journey back to real life and normal life and normal routines and the chaos that that can bring and how can I bring a piece of this little retreat with me and so I decided why not give you guys a peek behind the curtain here behind the scenes into how I'm really thinking about things and I wanted to share my big top three biggest takeaways from my three day solo retreat with you, and it is my hope and my prayer that you can take at least one of these and apply it to your life as well. So, my first takeaway is that I know a lot of coaches out there encourage you to be delusional about what is possible, so that you think bigger and dream bigger. They want your totally delulu goals, and I get that, and I think there is absolutely a time and place for that, but for me, at this particular time in my life, I realized those big delusional goals were actually costing me a lot of peace and ultimately driving a lot of anxiety, so this retreat gave me time to just kind of step back and relook at what I actually need and what would actually feel good and more than enough, and that actually took a lot of pressure off of myself. I don't actually need to hit my big hairy audacious goal, that would be nice, but I don't think that's what's actually for me in this unique current season. So I actually realized I think I need to dial my goals back a little bit, and so maybe this is even just a stepping stone to hit the next goal, but that was important to realize too, is that I need something a little bit smaller in this season, I am just coming out of a really difficult and challenging season, and I need to recalibrate to to how my body and everything, what I need in this current season, so it feels like opposite of what typical advice would tell you, but I was trying to go from like A to Z, and I really needed to. I realized I really need to dial it back and go from A to B, and then B to C, instead of trying to jump all in one leap. Okay, so that was takeaway number one, is to just break it, break it into a little smaller steps, and know what I'm actually content with. Okay. Takeaway number two is to get out of your normal environment and your routine, reassess what's actually working and what you actually want to keep, and that is so hard to know when you are just in your normal environment, your normal routine, your normal household, your normal everyday things, it's hard to see from that perspective. You really need to get out of it to have this objective look at it, because otherwise it's so easy, like you're just operating off of old patterns, and it's hard to be intentional about maybe it's time for a new pattern now, because seasons change, so your routines need to change as well, and it's such common entrepreneur speak to, like, chase the perfect morning routine, when, like, truly, there's no one right answer for everyone, and in my experience, I believe there's not even one right answer for you, or for one person, like for me, it changes with every season. My morning routine changes multiple times a year, and I think that is a good thing, because my season changes multiple times a year, and maybe part of that is just the fact that I am in the stages. Of having younger kids, they're starting to get a little bit older now, so hopefully things will stabilize soon. I don't know, it's always an adventure, I guess, but I had a season of health stuff going on, where I was like, well, a morning routine actually doesn't make sense right now, because I literally need 10 hours of sleep at night, you know, so what is my priority in that season? A morning routine just absolutely did not make sense. I had, like, my coconut water first thing in the morning for electrolytes to fuel me, and that was it. That was the extent of my morning routine. So, again, it is season to season, and it's so important to know yourself and know what season you are in, and also just be intentional about, like, okay, that worked for me for that season, that's not working anymore, and it's totally okay to change and switch things up, all right. And then takeaway number three was to actually take the vacation schedule in the solo retreat. I was just having a conversation with another community of entrepreneurs, and the question was asked of, like, how often or for how, what's the longest you've ever taken a vacation without your laptop, and so many people said that they've never done it. Maternity leaves don't count, or some people said just for a couple days, or I took a week vacation, but like I still check emails because it's just easier, and that was shocking to me. It's crazy because we like one of the reasons so many entrepreneurs become entrepreneurs is because like we don't want to have to ask a boss to, like, permission to take a vacation, and then we, like, never end up giving ourselves a vacation, so we feel the irony, and for me, I've been taking the solo treat for retreat for, gosh, this is at least the third year I've done it, maybe more. I would have to actually look back, but in this current form, this is the third year that I've done it. I plan it in every year, I schedule it for about this season, I know when I'm going to take it, I go to the same place every time. It is two hours drive away from where I live, so it's like far enough to feel like I'm away, yet still close enough where, like, travel logistics aren't crazy, and like a whole thing in themselves. So, because I get it, like, sometimes you're like, it's just easier to stay home, it's just easier, because, like, I manage my household, I manage my kids' schedules, I manage, you know, all of the things, and so sometimes it's easier just to stay home rather than to try and plan a whole trip, arrange childcare, all the things, but I make it a non-negotiable, because every year it refreshes me, it brings new perspective. Breakthroughs are like almost inevitable, and it's just been so important for my own, like even like mental health to take a step away and gain a new perspective, and just relook at what does rest need to look at look like for me in this season, and I have lots of what feels like somewhat radical thoughts on rest based on kind of just like our hustle and productivity culture, I think, especially in the online business world. So I will link in the show notes to a blog or a previous episode that I did about what I literally do to rest and what that looks like, because it's not just like sitting there twiddling your thumbs or sleeping in. What does that active rest do to me? I think of it like actively putting fuel in your gas tank, like what do you do to actively go to the gas station and fuel up your tank. It is an active thing to refuel yourself. So, I will link that in the show notes, as well as there is another really fantastic episode from a guest, Dr. Shameka Dean, who talks about rest is as the new revenue is one of our most downloaded episodes, and I think that will relate really well. So, that will be linked in the show notes as well. Okay, so to wrap it all up, and to summarize my top three takeaways from my solo three day retreat is number one, recalibrate what you actually need and what you actually want now in this season, number two, curate your environment to make it easy, and then three, actually do it, take the break, take the vacation, take the retreat, and enjoy it, because isn't that the whole point? All the money in the world is not worth it if the process is not bringing you joy. Thank you for tuning in to the Values First Marketing Podcast. If you've been enjoying these at. Episodes, I'd love it if you left a review on Apple Podcasts. It helps more purpose-driven business owners like you find this show, and reminds me that this work is making a difference. And if you're ready to market your business in a way that feels aligned, sustainable, and true to you, say hello on Instagram at MeganCatchigan. Then head over to my website, megancachigin.com for free resources and next steps to simplify your marketing and copywriting without sacrificing your authentic voice or too much of your time. I'll see you in the next episode.