Expansion Mastermind 2019

In August 2019, I hosted something very special: A mastermind weekend for clients in Expansion Business School in my home in Tynemouth. It wasn’t originally part of the programme. It was a surprise. A way to bring everyone together to deepen their relationships, make new connections and take the next step in their businesses.

As everyone booked their transportation and made their plans to join me for a weekend of strategy and marketing, I’m not entirely sure they knew what to expect…

As they started to arrive on the Saturday morning, I welcomed them with a hug and showed them through to the open kitchen. We’d put fresh croissants and pastries in the oven to heat up. There were clean, white candles burning in every room, including the bathrooms (an important detail). There were flasks of hot water standing tall besides neatly arranged rows of homely mugs. The doors to the garden were flung open and sun poured in through the windows in the roof and the French doors.

“Wow”, they breathed, as they entered the space. I could see them relax immediately, knowing they’d made the right decision to come.

Once everyone had had the chance to hug and say hello, I interrupted warmly: “Welcome everyone, to your mastermind weekend”.

I motioned to the living room: “If you’d like to top up your tea and make your way through, we’ll begin”.

The group of 13, who’d been deep in conversation with the bodies of the heads they’d engaged with online for the past few months, topped up their cups, headed to the living room and chose their seats.

People had travelled in from Germany, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Somerset and Cornwall. The four corners of the UK and beyond. I knew they were nervous. And so was I. It was a whole new experience and a whole new group of people to meet.

We’d been talking online as a group for weeks. Through weekly group coaching calls, live training sessions and 121 coaching calls everyone had been honing in on their vision, their strategy and their marketing plan. Some people had just completed a launch. And some were able to begin.

It was time to take things up a level…

“This weekend”, I began, “is a chance for you to think strategically about your business.”

I looked around the room and saw the 13 warm, smiling faces sat in front of me. These weren’t just clients. They were my dream clients.  And they weren’t just here to grow their businesses, they were here to reach for more happiness, reach for a bigger life, reach for their long-held dreams (the ones they’d kept secret for so long).

And I was ready to show them it was all possible.

“This weekend”, I continued, “I don’t want you to worry about how you’ll get more followers on Instagram or what ad to run on Facebook, I want you to answer one simple question: How will you turn up in the world?”

I paused and handed out a worksheet with six carefully crafted questions.

The candles flickered on the fireplace.

The smell of the orange diffuser floated gently into the space from the room adjacent.

Sasha, our whippet, turned and grumbled with pleasure in her bed underneath the flip chart, beside a wall of my favourite books, arranged by colour.

“Take a worksheet and pass them on. I’m going to give you ten minutes to answer these questions”.

Gentle piano music played in the background as the 13 sat in silence, pondering their answers.

Once they were done, I invited each person to take their place at the front of the room and share their intentions.

I was asking them to show up, to speak up, to share. And I’d created a space that invited and welcomed the truth.

That afternoon, following a vegan lunch I’d brought in from a local coffee shop and restaurant run by my friend Rachael (Coast Kitchen and Bar for regular vlog watchers), I split everyone up into groups and set them a challenge.

That night, we shook off the work of the day and headed to my favourite curry house in Tynemouth, where we ate, chatted, laughed and washed it all down with a cheeky drink.

The next day, before the Sunday session, we met at King Eddie’s Bay, a stone’s throw from the house. In bikinis, costumes, shorts and wet suits, we ran screaming and laughing into the North Sea. We danced in the waves, shouted our visions out to the sea and enjoyed tea in paper cups on the shore.

Everyone was present, aligned, confident…and smiling from ear to ear. The atmosphere in the house, the purposefulness of the questions, the mindfulness of the swim, the connection with each other was designed to help them turn down the voices of the outside world and tune into the voice inside: the part of them that knows what to do.

After a warm breakfast, a few hours of sharing deeply and a guided visualisation for good measure, I broke everyone into groups once more and asked: “Now, how are you going to show up in the world”.

Everyone’s chests rose as they took a deep breath, understanding the question more fully.

I knew, in that moment that the mastermind weekend was an important part of the programme.

 

Find out more

If you’d like to find out more about Expansion Business School and the live mastermind weekend, click the banner below to read the details and book a complimentary discovery call with me.