The High of Being On the Road
It’s conference season, and I’m in my element. I’m hopping from city to city, speaking, networking, teaching, and soaking up the energy of every packed room, hallway chat, and happy hour. I’m a full-blown social butterfly with a capital FOMO. If something’s happening, I want in. Panel session? I’m there. Speaker dinner? Count me in. Late-night rooftop conversation that starts as small talk and turns into business strategy therapy? Wouldn’t miss it.
I thrive in this chaos. I love the conversations, the people, the momentum, the shared sense that we’re all building something. I run three companies, and somehow, I still get lit up by meeting others doing the same. There’s just something about being in a room full of smart, ambitious people who get it.
But here’s the truth behind the scenes. I also only work three days a week. I’ve built my businesses intentionally to give me space. So when I’m flying out every week, speaking at back-to-back events, and throwing myself into full-on extrovert mode, that balance gets tested.
The Reality No One Talks About
And when I finally walk back into my house after all the flights and name tags and conversations, I shut down completely. I don’t unpack right away. I don’t jump back into work. I sit in total silence with my phone in hand and doom scroll for two days like it’s my job. I don’t want to talk to anyone. I don’t want to make decisions. I want to exist in a cocoon of low-stakes TikToks, puzzles, and stretchy pants.
This is the cycle. Go hard, then shut it down. And I’ve learned to embrace both sides. Because even though I get exhausted, I wouldn’t trade conference season for anything.
Why I Keep Showing Up
Teaching lights me up. When I’m on stage, I’m not there to inspire. I’m there to be useful. To give people actual tools, frameworks, systems, and lessons I’ve lived through while building, scaling, and selling businesses. I’m not talking about theory. I’m talking about the exact steps I took to fix a broken process, fire a draining client, or save myself 10 hours a week through delegation.
There’s something about being in that room with people who are listening, asking real questions, taking notes, and connecting the dots. The magic isn’t just in the presentation. It’s in the eye contact. The head nods. The conversations afterward that start with “Wait, that thing you said about documenting team processes? I’ve been stuck on that for six months.”
And then there’s the networking. I know, we all say we’re there for the content, but let’s be real. The hallway talks are where some of the best breakthroughs happen. I’ve had more powerful moments over a shared Uber or a snack table conversation than in any breakout session. Those unplanned interactions are where people are the most honest. That’s where you hear, “I have no idea what I’m doing with my team,” or “We grew too fast and now everything feels broken.”
Those are my people. And that’s where I do my best work.
How I Protect My Energy
But conference life isn’t always pretty. Travel gets delayed. Meals get skipped. Your phone dies in the middle of trying to find the Uber pickup spot. At some point, every hotel starts to look the same. And through it all, I’m still running three businesses. My Slack still pings. My team still needs support. Clients still expect deliverables. And because I only work three days a week, I’ve got to protect those boundaries like my life depends on it.
That’s where my systems come in. My companies run on process, documentation, automation, and a clear delegation structure that doesn’t fall apart just because I’m not at my desk. I didn’t build this to tie me down. I built it to run without me.
So when I take the stage or say yes to five conferences in one season, I’m not burning out the backend of my business to do it. I’m showing up fully because I’ve designed my life to allow that. That’s not an accident. It’s a strategy.
And still, I crash when I get home. Not dramatically, just quietly. I go offline, don’t respond to anything urgent, and let myself enjoy the silence. Because I know another event is coming soon, and when it does, I’ll be ready.
If you see me at a conference, say hi. I’m probably energized, overbooked, and trying to squeeze in one more conversation before heading to the next session. I’ll show up for you. I’ll teach you something real. And if you catch me two days later completely off the grid, just know I’m resting up so I can do it all over again.
Conference season is a lot. But for me, it’s worth every second.
