The final event of the 2024 Circle of Creation schedule at the link took place on Sept. 18 and featured a women’s business showcase and wrapped up the initiative for this year.
With it being the final event, it highlighted some of the regular attendees during the meetings and invited them to be featured speakers on the night and have an opportunity to get up on stage and talk about what they get the most out of the Circle of Creation sessions.
There was also a business expo held in the lobby of the link with several local businesses setting up tables and serving as vendors promoting their services.
All of the businesses included during the business expo were owned by women to continue the theme of Circle of Creation and help promote conversations and relationships between fellow women business owners.
Four TED-style presentations were given by KC Padgett, and independent consultant for Bemer Group; Kelleah Speichinger, an insurance broker and managing partner at Spice Insurance Services; Javonn Wright, owner of King of Pops Ponte Vedra; and Erin Kelly, in charge of business development at Kelly Farm Events and an Arbonne independent consultant.
According to Padgett, she joined Circle of Creation after getting involved with Collisions and Coffee at the link.
“I was drawn by the opportunity to learn from women who have been successful, and to grow both personally and professionally,” Padgett said. “Every time I attend an event at the link, I feel welcome; it’s about genuinely helping each other with what we have. That kind of support is rare, and it’s what makes Circle of Creation so special.”
Her favorite sessions that stood out to her during all the Circle of Creation sessions she attended were the ones focusing on pitching and expanding creativity, especially when put into groups.
“They challenged us to think outside the box and reminded me that business doesn’t have to be cookie-cutter,” Padgett said. “It’s about pushing boundaries and growing.”
Speichinger talked about her sailboat and described how similar sailing on the ocean can be to operating a business.
There are so many aspects to running a business just like was it takes to sail a boat successfully and it starts with having the right equipment on board and the support of a good crew.
However, just like with sailing, the seas can get rough and so can the business world at times.
“There is a piece of the boat that you don’t see, and it’s called the keel, which sits under the boat and weighs 7,000 pounds and sits six feet long and is there to help the boat act as a pendulum when the wind pushes it, so it stays steady,” Speichinger said. “Your keel is the people you meet along the way to support you.”
For Wright, she spoke about how she is not great with words, especially in front of people, but that Circle of Creation has brought her out of her shell and how much more confidence she has through her monthly interactions, both as a person and as a business owner.
“I first attended Circle of Creation last year, and I was immediately hooked,” Kelly said. “I was able to make this part of my self-care routine, so it is listed as pink in my phone, which means it is non-negotiable.”
It has even become something that means so much to her, that she attended a Circle of Creation event that fell on her birthday.
Circle of Creation has led to this year’s Entercircle, which is a five-day summit to be held at the link Nov. 12 to 16, with women’s day and the Circle of Creation Awards being handed out on Nov. 15.
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Photos by Anthony Richards
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