Wednesday Wisdom: Athletic Business Networking

Wednesday Wisdom, Inspiration, Motivation for Women Entrepreneurs, Women in Sports

The skies were pitch dark and it was only 3 p.m. as I traveled west on the Thruway to an event I had already rescheduled once due to the Canadian wildfire smoke filling the air with deadly toxins. That decision was pretty easy to make based on air quality and our event requiring deep breathing yoga on paddleboards on the water. As any good event planner would do, we moved it ahead twenty days expecting conditions to be much better.

As a 30-year event planner, I know with certainty that weather is the one major unknown factor in making an event stellar or spooky. Not even the Farmer’s Almanac can predict the unpredictability of weather, especially in this quickly global climate-changing world. So with trust in our vendor an hour away, I took to the roads dodging major downpours imagining an hour west had already gotten the heavy precipitation.

Thunder boomed as I approached the Tiki Hut where registration for SUP Yoga was being held. There the yoga instructor apologized that the weather had turned since telling me our event was on. Two women had canceled already since they were traveling from Syracuse, but one-by-one four women showed up ready to tackle the elements.

Growing up on a lake, I knew the water conditions were perfect for SUP Yoga based on the passing storms – nice, calm, beautiful, and inviting. The ‘perfect’ conditions our instructor said if we didn’t have the rumbling above our heads. So with disappointment and caution, we canceled the experience. My face might have looked a bit glum when these four women said, “Let’s go get a drink and food so your trip wasn’t wasted,” to which I agreed.

Sitting at an intimate table in a nearby waterfront restaurant we chatted more than we would have on Standup Paddle Boards, and found really close connections between the women at the table. Our conversations went from vegan food to a wild trip to South America, to new ways of doing business, and to a real-time Harlem Globetrotters men’s baseball team called the Savannah Bananas which has a team member dating one of the woman’s daughters. You never know how a conversation between women entrepreneurs will go but I can tell you one thing it is always full of personal stories filled with laughter. No wonder every one of the women hugged after the “meeting” vowing to try to do SUP Yoga again.

Today’s Wednesday Wisdom, as the Fourth of July vacation week for many begins and business doesn’t boom, only the fireworks above do, is to remind you that it is okay to not be serious in your business everyday especially during times of the year when taking time off is expected and well deserved. I say gather around with your family and friends, and some women entrepreneurs with the holiday off too, and chat, laugh, and make warmer connections.

Also, remember we owe our freedom to the men and women who fought to gain our independence in 1776 (and beyond) ensuring they are part of your discussion.