The Magic of Connection: Reigniting Purpose through People & Passion

Imagine stepping into a room buzzing with energy, passion, and purpose—where hundreds of professionals worldwide come together to celebrate, learn, and grow. That happens every year, and this year, we celebrated our Dale Carnegie Convention in San Antonio, TX. After 16 years of being part of this incredible organization, reconnecting with trainers, owners, and salespeople felt like coming home to family.

The relationships I’ve built over the years, the candid conversations, and the shared drive to help people unlock their potential were on full display. Seeing trainers who mentored me early in my journey, who certified me, and who became lifelong friends reminded me of the depth and value of these connections.

A Time to Reconnect and Recharge Before the convention even began, I had the privilege of spending two days with some of my closest girlfriends from Dale Carnegie offices in California, Arkansas, and Texas. We rented a house, shared stories, and reconnected over laughs and great meals. It was the perfect way to set the tone for what was to come.

Once in San Antonio, the energy was incredible. Imagine listening to speakers and trainers who challenge your thinking, inspire your creativity, and sharpen your skills. Imagine sitting across the table from someone you admire deeply and realizing just how far you’ve both come since your early days. Imagine sharing meals and laughs at some great local restaurants, toasting to success, growth, and personal and professional milestones. This wasn’t just a professional conference but a celebration of shared purpose, passion, and connection.

Why Connection Matters: One of the greatest gifts of being part of the Dale Carnegie community is the relationships I’ve developed! The people I’ve met over the years have become more than colleagues—they’ve become friends and family. We’ve celebrated each other’s milestones year after year, whether that be marriages, babies, new work successes, friendships, and new goals. We've supported each other during challenges and always returned to the shared mission of helping people grow.

The convention reinforced something I hold close to my heart: the power of connection. These moments remind me why I do what I do, whether it’s catching up with someone I haven’t seen in years or sharing a heartfelt conversation with someone I just met.

Keynote Speakers, Celebration, and Inspiration: The convention hosted a few amazing speakers who were deeply inspiring. Two of my absolute favorites were David Meltzer and Lisa Sun Thank you for your incredible talks!

One of my favorite parts was hearing from incredible speakers who challenged us to think bigger and reminded us of our impact on others. It was amazing to see #DaleCarnegie trainers who have been delivering training for 1-55 years. The energy in the room was infectious—it was impossible to leave without feeling reenergized and ready to take on the world.

Celebrating Success Together One of the most inspiring moments was celebrating the successes of everyone in the room. The stories of impact, growth, and transformation were incredible to hear. It’s one thing to achieve something on your own, but it’s another to share those wins with a room full of people who genuinely want to see you succeed.

It was a reminder of why I love what I do. Helping others grow, encouraging new talent, and meeting new people is always a great experience. From the start, when our CEO, Joe Hart, opened, the focus was on us truly knowing our purpose. Engaging in a week with people around the world in the business truly reinforced for me that I am, in fact, my purpose.

Lessons for Life and Business This convention wasn’t just about professional development and celebrating the connections that make us who we are. It was about stepping back to see the bigger picture and remembering that we’re part of something larger than ourselves.

Here are my top three takeaways from this incredible experience:

1. Relationships Are Your Foundation The people you surround yourself with shape your journey. Invest in genuine relationships—the key to personal and professional growth. Relationships aren't always easy, they take work, support, trust and compassion. Who are those around you at work and in your personal life that you could spend more time focusing on and improving? Use the Dale Carnegie Principles and focus on using them daily. Message me, and I'll send you the PDF.
2. Celebrate Collective Success Success is sweeter when it’s shared. Acknowledge and celebrate the wins of those around you—it strengthens your community and fuels everyone’s motivation! Find ways to celebrate the big wins and opportunities with your team to celebrate the small victories. This will create a culture of #engagement and help motivate your teams to celebrate one another. "Employees aren’t feeling properly engaged through recognition. Only one in three U.S. workers say they received recognition for their work within the past seven days. Employees who don’t feel recognized are twice as likely to say they’ll quit their job within the next year." See article here
3. Reignite Your Passion Through Shared Purpose Connecting with others who share your vision reminds you of your “why.” The spark keeps you moving forward, even on the most challenging days. Re-evaluate and take time to discover your purpose. Keep asking yourself the question "why" and dig deep. I genuinely believe when our values align with our work, we stop looking at it as work but a passion. MIT: Exercises to Find Your Purpose

The Power of Connection This experience is tied perfectly to my personal brand and mission: connecting health, wellness, business, and continuous development to inspire greatness. It reminded me of the importance of surrounding yourself with like-minded people who lift and push you to improve. I spoke to a few people about how they are finding networking groups and teams that help them stay inspired. Take the time to find groups of those that share those passions. Find or start a Mastermind group, and work at finding like-minded people. You are who you surround yourself with.

Whether through meaningful conversations, milestone celebrations, or simply sharing a meal, these moments of connection truly matter.

What inspires you to grow and connect? I’d love to hear about the communities you’re part of that energize and inspire you. What groups and networks are you a part of that we should consider? #inspiration #relationships #success