While I try to keep it real for the people, I also like to keep it positive when possible–especially when it comes to business. So while I often share my personal struggles, I generally keep my professional struggles to myself. This year, I’ve had some fails. However, I’ve also had a damned good win or two.
Today, I’d like to talk to you about a big-ass win that could have been a big-ass fail, and how investing in my vision and my team turned a nerve-wracking situation into one of the best times of my life–and one of my most successful retreats yet.
From the jump, planning Stripcoven NOLA was a pain in my ass.
My retreat locations are very important to me. More than just a beautiful location, I need dependability and professionalism on the part of the location’s management. Therefore, I personally put in the work of finding the right location. In 2017, I made a trip down to New Orleans especially to pick out the right location and speak in person with management. I found the place, connected with the people–everything was beautiful.
And then, through a long and winding tale of changed staff, changed contracts, and thievery, I was robbed of ten thousand dollars by the first property I booked.
Ten g’s, by the way, of my own money, which I never got back.
That was just for starters.
After scrambling furiously to find a new location–which thank god, our final location was AMAZEBALLS and kicked the shit out of the first location (this being only one of the many ways my struggles worked out serendipitously)–
Then it came down to the brass tacks of planning, and the hidden costs began to emerge. All the moving parts, my friend–this retreat had all the moving parts…
Nights on the town. Day of workshops. Dozens of massages and photoshoots to schedule. A brunch at a fancy restaurant…a cemetery tour…
My other retreats happen almost entirely on site, without any need to transport dozens of women all over the place…
But Stripcoven NOLA was proving to be different.
Aaaaaand this is where I handed my trust over to my team, who then happily started spending my money on shit we needed to put these moving parts in place.
Half the time, I didn’t even want to see the receipt.
And then–after all this juggling, all this nervous juggling, what happened?
Well, it all paid off.
My investments of faith, trust, money resulted in:
A deliciously fun and relaxed weekend full of stress-free adventures,
every guest super-duper comfortable in very nice rooms at a top-of-the-line location,
high-level food at all times,
experiencing the city with full confidence, as our private bus carted us from place to place, on a schedule kept in check by my manager Tressa,
plenty of room to move in Awakenings Pole studio,
guests who experienced no worries, only fun and luxury,
and a successful and pleasurable business venture for this retreat leader!
Hell–I was the host of this event, and yet thanks to my investments of trust in my team and money in the experience, even I felt like I was simply enjoying the ride. What. A. Pleasure.
And what was this ride like, exactly?
Picture it: a Garden District mansion, wrought iron balconies, a lush courtyard, candelabra. A string quartet. Twenty-something women in gowns and masks, ready to live deliciously in the Big Easy. Workshops that left us licking our lips. Screaming. Laughing. Loving. A night in the French Quarter wild enough to top all nights in the French Quarter–but don’t worry–we stuck together: note the “IF LOST CALL LUX” shirts! Beignets at three a.m. Champagne in the courtyard. A three-course jazz brunch–or maybe four or five courses, if ya count the Bloody Marys. A cemetery tour through two-hundred-year-old crypts on the prettiest fall day ever, guided in the history of N’Awlins by a true Cajun. Twirling down Bourbon Street behind our own personal brass band, picking up locals to join our parade, dancing with new friends young and old.
The theme of this retreat was “live deliciously,” and I think it’s fair to say–we did just that.
Stripcoven 2018–the swankest jam ever.
And guess what–
we’re going to do it again next year.
On Halloween.
That’s right. BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND–we’re doing Stripcoven in New Orleans again for 2019! And this time, we’ll be in town for Halloween!
Do you want in? Hit reply to this email with the subject line “HALLOWEEN STRIPCOVEN NOLA 2019 PLEASE” and we will put you on the first-to-know list!
I had no intentions of producing this retreat again because–as detailed above–it was a complex m’fer to create. However, the event went off so damned beautifully, I couldn’t resist hosting one more NOLA edition of my infamous Strip-retreats.
Will I see you at the next one…?