Influencer Entrepreneurs: Marketing Tips to Make You More Visible
Surviving in the entrepreneur world is not an easy task. Jenny teaches you how to build a stronger business with blogging and social media tips that are up to date and proven. No more trading time for money! She teaches content and email marketing strategies that helped her build her audience and sell her lifestyle blog for over six figures in 2019. As a former inner city school district teacher she understands the importance of breaking strategies into bite size pieces of information all with the master plan of giving you homework so that you can implement the strategies in your business immediately. Get ready to be able to put her strategies into practice after just one listen!
Influencer Entrepreneurs: Marketing Tips to Make You More Visible
From Burnout to Breakthrough: How Business Retreats Fuel Growth with Jody Halsted
Ever wonder what makes business retreats so transformative compared to conferences or online courses? In this compelling conversation with Jodi Halstead, owner of Ireland Family Vacations and host of the Traveling in Ireland podcast, we uncover the magical elements that turn business retreats into catalysts for growth and renewal.
Jodi shares her experience at the Insiders Retreat, describing how these intimate gatherings create what she calls "hallway conversations all the time" – those valuable, unscripted moments of connection that entrepreneurs crave. "The power of a retreat comes from being around other people who are in a similar situation," she explains. "Being around smart women who are looking to do things similar to you, who you can bounce ideas off and help with – it revives you."
We explore the phenomenon of breakthrough moments that happen during retreats, which Jodi compares to witnessing an eclipse: "It's just like these lightbulbs turn on, but they're so powerful and you can see the adrenaline and the thoughts... it's like this stone rolling down a hill, it starts off slow and then all of a sudden it picks up speed and bam, it's right there." These transformational shifts happen when entrepreneurs find clarity and excitement for their business again, especially after experiencing periods of uncertainty or burnout.
Perhaps most importantly, we address the hesitation many women entrepreneurs feel about attending retreats. As Jodi points out, "We're not afraid to step away from our business. We're afraid to step away from everything else because we are the plate spinner and if we're not there spinning the plates, they're going to fall." Yet with proper planning, taking this time for focused business growth isn't just possible – it's essential for breaking through to new levels of success.
Ready to experience your own business breakthrough? Join us at the Insiders Retreat this November in Murrells Inlet, South Carolina, where we'll create life-changing strategies for 2026. Visit JennyMelrose.com/retreat to apply for one of our remaining spots!
This is the Influencer Entrepreneur's Podcast with Jenny Melrose, where I strategize with business owners on how to grow and scale their businesses to hit their income goals. This is episode 463 from the Influencer Entrepreneurs Podcast. Today we're going to be talking about from burnout to breakthrough how business retreats fuel growth, with Jodi Halstead. Jodi is a longtime client. She has been on the podcast talking about how she is a travel advisor. She's over 20 years experience in the online space and she was an attendee at Insiders Retreat last year and I wanted to get her takeaways from the retreat and be able to share it with all of you. So if you are not filled out an application yet for the Insiders Retreat, definitely check it out JennyMelrosecom. Forward slash retreat. We will link to that in the show notes as well. We would love to have you so that you can plan your 2026 to the best of your ability. Hi Jodi, welcome back to the podcast. How are you?
Jody Halsted:Hey, jenny, I am great. I hope you're well.
Jenny Melrose:I am. I am really excited to be able to have this conversation with you from burnout to breakthrough how business retreats fuel growth. Before we jump into that, will you actually introduce yourself and your business for those that are unfamiliar with you? We're obviously going to link to your past episode about being in the travel industry and how that's changed over the years, but I want people who have never met you or heard of you before to get to know a little bit more about you Sure.
Jody Halsted:So my name is Jodi Halstead. I have actually been in the online space since 2003, at the very beginning of blogging, and I've gone through a few different changes, but what I do now is I am the owner of Ireland Family Vacations, the host of the Traveling in Ireland podcast, and I specialize in helping people plan amazing Ireland vacations that don't follow the basic cookie cutter routes. It's something that I have been blessed to be able to do, with over 23 years of Ireland travel experience and 23 years of making friends and contacts through the country. So it's been so much fun and I absolutely love what I do, even if there are times of the year that I'm just like I'm done, I'm done. This is just so not worth it, because it's always worth it. There are just times that are, I don't know, more frustrating or where you feel like you're swimming upstream. I don't know, but it's the best job ever because it's mine.
Jenny Melrose:Yes, yes, and it's that rollercoaster feeling right. There's always those times I feel like I keep having that conversation with people. You never burn anything down during the months June, July and August. August because you just don't. That is a season of just chaos, I think, in most people's lives because of the summer, but also because many of our people are not as engaged and we feel like we're just shouting into the void. So I love that, All right. So let's talk about retreats. How is a retreat different from a conference or online training?
Jody Halsted:I think that the power of a retreat comes from being around other people who are in a similar situation. What we do is so isolated, right, I don't know anybody else who does exactly what I do, so I'm not going to be able to go find a conference. Or even you know there are plenty of travel blogging conferences, but they don't fit my needs. They're too general, right, and while I love the camaraderie of it, it doesn't hit me right because it doesn't hit me right, because you know, as I said, I've been in this space for 22 years, good Lord. So there's unless it's super niche content. There's very little that I don't know or haven't experienced or can't just figure out myself. So the power of a retreat comes from not necessarily being with people who are doing exactly what you're doing, but it comes from just being. You know, having that around you and it's like an adrenaline, like a buzz that you get, and being around smart women who are looking to do things that are similar to you, who you can bounce ideas off and help with, it revives you, and I think that it does something. Being in person. We're so isolated in our little offices, our little cubes, and even if we're talking to people and we're making connections that way. There's just nothing like the face-to-face contact and the power that comes from that.
Jody Halsted:As women especially, we have a tendency to put family first and really kind of put ourselves on the back burner and really kind of put ourselves on the back burner. And I think that if you're a business woman and really serious about growing a business, then you've got to put that, if not first not before your kids maybe, or your marriage but it's got to be up there at the top, otherwise you're not giving it everything you can. And that may be just the way I think about it, but I know that the minute I was able to take my business and put it ahead of other things, ahead of a clean house, ahead of making meals from scratch every single night, ahead of you know just the and I mean I homeschooled at first too, so I had kids always at home but the minute I was able to position my business in a place where it was more important than just a hobby, was when I noticed a change in what I was doing.
Jody Halsted:So I don't know if that actually answered the retreat question.
Jenny Melrose:No, it definitely does, because I do. I an also speak to that aspect of what would pull you in and take you along on that customer journey. So I always think that that piece is just so important as well.
Jody Halsted:Well, and especially if you're around people who aren't doing exactly what you're doing, it's a great way to see what's working for them and to think, well, how could that work for me? Is that something that even a little piece would fit into my business and enhance it in this way? It opens your eyes up. You know, we're very narrowly focused right. We kind of have blinders on like a horse, and to be around people who are just as committed to their growth and their business and seeing what they're doing can really widen your view, which I think is really important.
Jenny Melrose:Yeah, yes, so what was your first experience with the business retreat and how did it shift your perspective?
Jody Halsted:So I've been to conferences like Allie Worthington's Blistem what 2007, 2008, I can't even remember was like. The first one I did was actually yours last year and it was more concentrated Right. So if you've ever been to a blogging conference or you've ever heard somebody talk about the golden age of blogging, we had those great conferences. The thing you always heard was the best conversations happen in the hallways. The thing you always heard was the best conversations happen in the hallways. So the way I feel a retreat is is that it's the hallway all the time. It's really in depth. You're not getting this 20,000 foot overview from somebody who's done something and it may or may not work for you, but you're digging in and you're you're really getting in depth with the ideas and the nuts and bolts and the, the passion behind something.
Jody Halsted:As opposed to, this worked for me. There was nobody else in travel and the main reason I went was, number one, I wanted the personal connection. But number two, I wanted just to be able to, you know, sit and be kind of relaxed and and talk business and bounce ideas off of other people, but also to have, you know, the the extra downtime where it was like, okay, we've all come here for this purpose, but we also, you know, we're people and there's a personal connection as well, and I think that, as women, a lot of the times, we're missing that personal connection. The more things are online or the more you know we're busy with A, b and C, we let those personal connections go and I just think that it's so. It just it revives you. It's so important to have you know, you feel like you're in this little sisterhood and and it's a powerful sisterhood it's, you know, strong, smart women with a forward facing goal, and it's just a really incredible environment to be in.
Jenny Melrose:Yes, and I think too part of it. And when you're talking about that idea of that sisterhood, yes, and I think too part of it when you're talking about that idea of that sisterhood. Because my next question for you is about burnout and I think that why are you thinking that retreats are so powerful? And you just kind of answered it right. It gives you that energy back, it gives you that sense of I am not isolated in just this little tiny business. We pull in personal aspects, we pull in our experiences. So I know, you know, I recently shared in a mastermind I am going through different phases with my daughters we're getting ready to drive and we're getting you know, we're in high school and we're making different types of decisions and I'm thinking about college.
Jenny Melrose:And it's always, I think, important to be able to have those perspectives, not only from your personal friends during your real life, but business owners as well, because the way that business owners approach those different stages are different, I think, than the way that maybe someone in your real life that works a nine to five is going to be able to approach it.
Jody Halsted:You definitely have a different perspective. I know I'm very lucky to be in close proximity with all of my family and my sister and my sister-in-law both work for large companies in the insurance business. Des Moines is a very insurance and banking city but you know they both work nine to fives and when we have family get togethers, you know they're speaking to things from a less flexible standpoint maybe, where you know things are happening this way and then they're talking all this. You know software stuff that doesn't affect me and I'm like bored, bored, but anyway, when you're working, when you know software stuff that doesn't affect me and I'm like bored, bored, but anyway, when you're working, when you're, you know sitting down and having these conversations with people who are, you know they're building what they want to build.
Jody Halsted:It gives you a different perspective on so many things, like just how they plan their days. Or you know the fact that there's, you know, I feel like there, you know, that work-life balance thing that's always seems to be in the ether. There isn't a work-life balance. Right, you have seasons, but if you're in a nine to five, those seasons are very different than if you're self-employed, because I can plan my season to take six weeks and be gone. As long as I plan it in advance, things will tick over and then I'm just checking emails.
Jody Halsted:You know a couple. You know an hour in the morning and an hour in the evening and I'm good to go. That's completely unheard of for somebody in a nine to five. They're not taking six weeks to go anywhere. Unheard of for somebody in a nine to five. They're not taking six weeks to go anywhere. They're not able to drop or shift or move things quickly. And I think that that when it comes in, you know the ability to think on your feet, to make quick decisions that you don't have to check with anybody else is a very unique thing and not something that everybody is, you know I don't want to say trained in, but they just don't have the abilities to do it because it's not part of their daily life.
Jenny Melrose:Yes, and if you don't have these conversations amongst business owners, you're not necessarily going to understand how someone batches their days or schedules their days or is able to take six weeks off or the summer off that they have all of their content. You know, for some people that like blows their mind, but there are those that are doing that, that, that, and they're showing at these retreats how it works for them within their schedules because of the systems they've created, which is also a piece of what we always talk about. So I just think that that does like really bring it in when you're at a retreat, because those are the conversations that end up happening how are you able to be at every game, or to you know like you take time to go to travel to Ireland to take tours. It's just part of understanding how you're able to do that by having those conversations. So what are some of the biggest breakthroughs you've witnessed or experienced at a retreat?
Jody Halsted:What are some of the biggest breakthroughs you've witnessed or experienced at a retreat. I think that probably you know you hear about the light bulb moments, right, but actually seeing it happen is really a. It's almost like you've witnessed something you know, like an eclipse, maybe. It's just like you can see it happening and then it's reached its pinnacle and you're like that's super cool. It just it's like these light bulbs turn on, but they're so powerful and you can see the adrenaline and the, the thoughts. It just it's like this stone rolling down all these analogies like a stone rolling down a hill, it starts off slow and then all of a sudden it picks up speed and bam, it's right there.
Jody Halsted:I think that those are probably the most incredible moments to be a part of and to witness because you have the excitement of it. You have people getting excited about their business again, especially if they came in with a block. I know that last year there were a couple of people in the retreat that really came in and they were like I'm not sure, I don't know when am I going with this, what am I doing with this? Where am I going with this? What am I doing with this? And seeing that blockage move and seeing their excitement and their passion for what they were doing and their way forward, I think was probably one of the most powerful things that I saw last year at the retreat. It just was so inspiring.
Jenny Melrose:Yeah, I think for me it was Cynthia when she was talking about her business and walking us through it. She's been doing this for a very long time and trying to see where she was trying to go. I remember getting goosebumps when she started talking about the traditions of her family and like that was the part she wanted to be able to recreate in her recipes, but in her cooking glasses as well, and the way that she tied it all together. That was the part she wanted to be able to recreate in her recipes, but in her cooking glasses as well, and the way that she tied it all together it was. It was that like epiphany that she had and you could see the pure joy on her face about where she was looking to go and how she would be able to do this. It was like you said, it was inspiring. And there were other ones that happened as well, but that one me, because I've known, since Cynthia has been in my realm for so many years. To see that happen in person was just.
Jody Halsted:I was awestruck and I was thinking of Cindy and her big sheet of paper and her writing things down and moving them around, and you know how this is all going to fit together and just seeing that puzzle completed for her and just hearing the excitement, because you know, as she, as she gets more excited, she talks a little faster and then she's moving things around and it's like, and this goes here and just it's, it's a rush.
Jenny Melrose:It's that connection and knowing where you're going to go, because you now have a plan, because you can see all of it at once. Oh my goodness, jessica, it just gets me so excited. So what role does community and collaboration play in fueling growth at a retreat?
Jody Halsted:Yes, like individual growth or what. Tell me what you mean by that.
Jenny Melrose:I think so. I guess from the retreat last year. Um, one of the key things for me, and I think the things that you had always said to me, was that the way that masterminds are done, we collaborate right. It's not just me going off the mouth and training for hours and hours on end, it's you all having a discussion with me, getting some questions in as well as part of the group and where do you feel like for our retreat, how that impacted the overall feel of it?
Jody Halsted:I think that you know when you're in mastermind you have, you know, 30 minutes every four weeks or so, and between that, you know 30 minutes every four weeks or so and between that, you know you're kind of keeping up with. This is what I'm doing, this is what I'm doing, this is what I'm doing and hopefully you're staying on task to hit the goal that you want to hit, but there isn't. You know, you've got so much time and you're getting your questions answered, but I feel like at the retreat we were able to really say you know what we have got this day. Here's your chunk of the day and just to go through, here's where I'm at, here's where I want to be. What are the steps I need to get there so you have a more thorough experience if that's the right word to use where you're going through it step by step by step and it's all at once, right, so then you can have people go. Okay, I see where you're starting this step. I'm not seeing how it isn't taking you backward or I feel like there should be something before that.
Jody Halsted:There's something missing, right? So, to me, having people who would possibly be clients on my website, right? They don't have any preconceived notions about what I do or how my business runs. So walking them through it and talking about here's where I'm at. This is where I want to go, as somebody who has no idea about what I'm doing or anything you know. Do these steps make sense for the average person? Because I think that, especially when we're in a group of people who are very similar to us, it's very easy to fall into somebody else's path. Oh well, it worked for them, it'll work for me, or you know, it has to be done this way because this is the way everybody is doing it. So to be able to have people who have no idea and have them work through things and see how, see the flow and they're so much more able to pick out something that wouldn't work for them or to say I'm missing something here. So having that, it really it can change your perspective and give you so much more insight.
Jody Halsted:And it's not that masterminds aren't incredibly helpful, because they are, but having a larger chunk of time to focus on you know it's like all on you, all for that time and getting through that and having a more thorough view of how other people see what you're doing, it's invaluable, it really is. You're going to be able to see and you did this to me often You're like why are you doing that? That doesn't make sense. Why are you going that way? Is it really worth your time? And by the end of it you know we had all kind of determined okay, that step is neat, but it's not leading you forward. It's actually just keeping you at the place you're at. And if you want to move forward, then yeah. If you have nothing else to do and you've achieved everything, definitely keep that on the back burner. But you know, let's take these steps first that are going to take you forward into what your ultimate goals are.
Jenny Melrose:And.
Jody Halsted:I don't feel like you get that much of that kind of call out in a mastermind.
Jenny Melrose:Right. Yes, because you had so much one-on-one time with each other, because those mastermind kind of sessions were built in the retreat. Yes, we did training. Yes, we did individual work and then we came together and worked through it and kind of made sure and challenged each other, right, I think that that was a big piece of it, because it was like we started with this big idea of a 90 day plan, taking your customer journey through it and where are they going to land on this, and then what are the projects and tasks that are going to go into that? But then it was like step by step, how do you get them there? And is it in line with where you're trying to go for those 90 days for 2026? Because that's what we're looking to plan for for this retreat, especially Right. So that's what we're looking to plan for for this retreat, especially Right. So, yes, absolutely so. Last question for you what advice would you give someone to on the fence, afraid to step away from their business to attend a retreat?
Jody Halsted:For women. I don't think it's being afraid to step away from their business. To be quite honest, it's very easy for us to step away from our business and I think that might be part of the problem. We're not afraid to step away from our business. We're afraid to step away from everything else because we are the plate spinner and if we're not there spinning the plates, they're going to fall. So I can remember that. You know, when I, my girls, were very little, the first conferences I went to they were and I, my girls, were very little. The first conferences I went to they were gosh. They would have been what? Four, five, six ish. And I can remember spending weeks cooking meals and writing out schedules. So my husband can handle it. He's their dad, he can handle it. My goodness, I had no trust in him whatsoever. So I feel like it's not so much about leaving your business, because it is a business retreat. You're going to have the ability to check your emails, to get back to people, and it comes at. You know your retreat comes in November. Well, by November you should have all your Q4 done. This should be the time when everything is coasting through because you're set. If your Q4 isn't done. I would say this is probably the most important place you could be, because even though you're looking at your first 90 days in Q1 of 2026, let's be honest you need to be thinking forward to okay, when do I need to have Q4 done and I know that I've mentioned this on like calls and stuff, my Q1, I don't plan anything. That's when my business really starts to pick up. Q4, just absolutely crap for me, just because of my business. So I think a big part of this is even determining when is the time you need to focus on you know, these growth plans and these things that need done on your site, and when is the time that you need to get things planned ahead and be ready for the sprint of your busiest time. And you know, just figuring those out I think is super important and sometimes it's really hard to see from you know you're very. You know you're on the ground looking at it. You've got to get a 10,000 foot view on that before you're going to actually be able to see the ebbs and the flows. You're looking at the past two years or whatever, with your stats and you know, and if you don't have stats set up or you're not sure what stats to look at, then having people around you who know and who have done it and who are in, that is going to really give you a great view, is going to really give you a great view. So, going back to your question, because I rambled again, nobody's afraid to step away from their business. They're afraid to step away from everything else, and I'm going to tell you it's entirely possible and it's just like anything else. It takes a little bit of planning.
Jody Halsted:The last time I went away from my family and, granted, my girls are older now, my youngest is in college now. She just started college this year. But when I was gone for six weeks in 2023, she was a junior and I just ordered you know what was it? One of the food boxes that they deliver groceries. So my husband didn't have to go shopping and I was like here's your meals, you know they're easy to make. Here's your breakfast. They're easy to make.
Jody Halsted:And you know, and I, I was gone for six weeks in another country and nothing fell apart. I mean, yes, there were a couple of things I missed that had not been on the schedule and I am super blessed because her birthday fell in there. I wasn't planning on being gone and then I had an opportunity. I could not, could not turn down. It was just way too much money and it kept me there another month, right? So that's why I was there six weeks and you know I'm blessed enough that I was able to say okay, come over to see me for your birthday. And I had my daughter for her 17th birthday in Ireland with me. It was an off week for me and we had some absolutely amazing experiences. So you can work things out. And this is only four days. So you know you're not, you're not going to be gone an excessive amount of time. Maybe you'll miss a football game or maybe you'll miss, you know, somebody else's birthday party, not your own child but you can plan for things to run while you're gone.
Jody Halsted:But I think that if you are serious about business growth and you can make the dates work, it's going to be an experience that is going to set you up for the year to come and even after that. I would say it's not necessarily something you need to do every year, although I'm you know, I was there last year. I'm going to be there again this year because I get great energy and inspiration from being around in person with people and and I'll be honest, I'm an introvert. I don't necessarily like to be around people for extended periods of time. I hate being in big crowds, but being in a small, concentrated group of of women who are focused forward and looking at how they can make changes to you know, their business or whatever that that's that energizes me so, but I I think it's, I think it's one of the best things you can do for yourself and for your business. Um, just, and you know what else are you doing in November, at the beginning of the month, there you go.
Jenny Melrose:Perfect, Jody. I appreciate you coming on and talking about your experience with Insiders Retreat. I am so excited to get to hug you in person again. For those that are unaware, insiders Retreat is over. In November we are going to Merles Inlet, south Carolina. We are right across the street from the ocean in a beach house, a gated community. It is going to be an amazing event, intimate, and these strides that we're going to be taking for 2026 are going to be life-changing for your business. So if you haven't filled out an application, definitely get on it. We have a few spaces left and I would love to have you there, jodi. Thank you so much again for your time.
Jody Halsted:Sure happy to talk to you. This is yeah, I loved it.
