On Saturday I photographed and attended Emerge Summit, a full-day retreat for ambitious women who came for some serious fun, connection, and knowledge! It was hosted by Hilary Johnson, the founder of Hatch Tribe, Stephanie Burg, a certified nutrition and lifestyle coach, and Emily Cassel, a feminine leadership coach. For some background, I have been attending Hatch Tribe meetings in Charleston since August 2016, and it has totally changed my life and business. But, more on my obsession with Hatch Tribe in a future post. I could go on forever!

I have photographed many events for Hatch Tribe so when Hilary, Stephanie, and Emily asked me to take photos at Emerge Summit I was pumped. I get to take photos at gorgeous Coleman Hall AND spend an entire day with amazing ladies? YES PLEASE! Also, we could wear yoga-friendly clothing all day. DOUBLE YES!!

The day was centered around three workshops by Hilary, Stephanie, Emily. Here are my favorite takeaways from each! 

 1. Hilary Johnson – Finding Your Strength & Courage to Follow Your Own Path 

I always love hearing Hilary speak because she offers the best tips to take actual, tangible action. After writing down things we want to do, create, experience, and learn, I got to the root of what I want to be doing in my business and most importantly, WHY. By the end of her workshop, I was ready to re-write the story I had in my head about the potential of my dreams and wrote out action steps to get there. And this was all by 11:30am! 

2. Stephanie Burg – How to Leverage the Wisdom of Your Body for Greater Success

Stephanie taught us all about something we all go through every month of our lives but hardly ever talk about or listen to- our cycles! She broke each week of the month down so that we could more clearly see what’s going on and what our bodies crave. I think I’ll take the follicular phase (tons of creativity and heightened energy!) v. the luteal phase (PMS, self-doubt), but it’s all part of the process, right? I left Stephanie’s workshop feeling inspired to work with my body and recognize the obvious signs it’s telling me!  

3. Emily Cassel – Soulful Feminine Leadership: Pursuing Your Powerful Mission with Freedom + Flow

In Emily’s workshop, we broke down our missions in life and business. She asked us why our missions were important to ourselves and to the world, leading us to create a short, unique mantra. Mine is “determination to inspire!” With our mantras in mind, we brainstormed ways we could live out this mission in our everyday lives with more flow and ease. I ended Emily’s workshop feeling so ready to spread my inspiration out into the world!

We also had several mini sessions, like a 30-minute yoga class taught by the amazing Katie Ashley (I also won her book in a raffle at the end of the day!) followed by a delicious lunch from Verde. And yes, we danced. We all groaned and backed away when we realized we were about to freestyle in the middle of a gigantic circle, but it was easily the most hilarious and soul-baring part of the day. I watched people totally let loose through my camera and I secretly relished capturing everyone’s dance moves.

It’s hard to process the amount of fulfillment, joy, connection, and possibility that I felt during Emerge Summit. But the incredible part is I can take all of this energy and apply it now and forever! Hilary, Stephanie, and Emily- totally begging you to create Emerge Summit II ASAP, and I know all of the other attendees would back me up!