Five years ago this week, I arrived at a business retreat in Hilton Head feeling like a fraud.

I had already pivoted in my medical career. I knew I was being called to something more. I dreamed of creating safe spaces for women to rest, put down their ever-present responsibilities, and reconnect with themselves and their deepest desires. I wanted to host retreats.

But I had already tried hosting a retreat in 2017.

And it failed miserably.

So there I was, surrounded by people building successful businesses, wondering what I was doing there when I didn't even have a real business.

I was timidly exploring the possibilities. I wasn't feeling particularly confident. But I went anyway.

This week, exactly five years later, I'm writing this message from that same resort as I prepare to host A Weekend For Me™ 2026. This is my sixth retreat.

And I keep thinking: What if I had stopped after that first failed attempt? What if I had let insecurity or fear keep me from attending the business retreat?

More than 30 women wouldn't have experienced A Weekend For Me™. Women who have gone on to make courageous life and career changes, pursue new dreams, establish healthier boundaries, and rediscover parts of themselves might still be in very different places. The lessons and insights that continue to shape their lives wouldn't have been shared. Their families and communities would not have benefitted from their growth. And on a personal note, my daughter wouldn't have had a front-row seat to watch her mother pursue a dream, even after it didn’t go according to plan.

I couldn't have known any of that when I walked onto this resort five years ago.

Here's something I believe more deeply today: our dreams and calling are not just for us. God uses the pursuit of a dream to grow our gifts so that we can use them in service to others.

That doesn't mean we disappear into everyone else's needs. On the contrary, as we pursue the things that excite and invigorate us, we more fully become the women we were created to be. Our own desires and growth matter. But we can't always see who or what may be waiting on the other side of our willingness to try.

I couldn't see the women who would eventually attend AWFM. I couldn't see the ripple effect. I could only see the next small step.

And I took it.

Maybe you've tried something and it didn't work. Maybe you've quietly put away a dream because the first attempt left you discouraged. Or maybe you feel pulled toward something but questioned whether you belong in the room.

Please don't let one or even ten unsuccessful attempts decide the rest of your story.

What dream might be worth another try?

You only get one life. Start living like the priority that you are.