Saying Yes Changed Everything
Dec 10, 2025 While I was at the Lead2Live event, something awakened in me. I wanted more rooms that challenged me. I started searching and went on Instagram hoping to find someone who could point me in the right direction. I eventually found someone who was connected, though I had no idea who she was. Honestly, I didn’t expect her to respond at all.
I messaged her anyway, sharing my goal of attending three in-person conferences and asking which ones she recommended. To my surprise, she replied with a few suggestions. The only problem was that I didn’t know the exact name of the event she mentioned. So I googled the months March and August along with “Orlando.”
The only thing that appeared was The John Maxwell Team.
I remember staring at the screen seeing the words coaching, training, and speaking. That was not what I was looking for. I simply wanted to attend conferences. It felt big for me so I let it sit for a good while.
The girls and I traveled to London for their Spring Break, and when we returned, I had a call with someone from the John Maxwell Team to learn more. After the call, I phoned my dad to tell him about it. He encouraged me to do it, so I did. I officially joined the John Maxwell Team in March of 2022, a decision that felt both terrifying and exciting at the same time.
I will never forget walking into the IMC event that August at the beautiful Orlando World Center Marriott Hotel. The room was alive with energy and filled with people from all over the world. I knew in that moment that I needed to level up in every way. How I showed up, how I presented myself, and how I approached this new world. It was overwhelming, but in the best way.
For someone who had been a stay-at-home mom for years, returning to work was one thing, but stepping into the world of business and leadership was intimidating. I remember sitting at a table in this massive room, listening to John Maxwell and Mark Cole talk about culture, and quietly thinking, “Why am I here? How did I end up in this room?” I was surrounded by incredibly successful people. I felt awe and disbelief being in a place I had never imagined for myself. The questioning turned into motivation. It reminded me that growth often comes from stepping into the unexpected, trusting the journey, and embracing opportunities we never saw coming.
Growth does not happen in comfort. It happens in the stretch, in the unfamiliar. That experience stretched me in ways I could not have imagined. Even though I didn’t know a single person in the room, I found myself inspired, challenged, and deeply grateful.
If you are striving to grow, keep going. Say yes before you feel ready. Walk into rooms that intimidate you. Trust that you belong before you feel like you do. Sometimes the places that scare you the most are the ones that shape you the most.
Keep showing up!
