What if you just decided to drop all of your armor and be truly open and vulnerable? What if you spoke honestly from the heart without holding back the parts of yourself that you thought might not be seen as cool or attractive or loveable? It might seem like a risky task, but that’s exactly what Matt Hoglund asked of the attendees at the outset of his Re:Define event this past Thursday evening and what happened next was nothing short of magical.
When Matt first told me about his plan to host an intimate dinner party with a focus on empowering conversation, I knew the event was going to be special. I had met him only a matter of weeks earlier and he had already had such a profoundly positive impact on my life. As someone who is truly lit up by seeing others create positive shifts in their lives, it’s no wonder that he is such a truly inspiring life coach or that he would have the extraordinary vision to bring groups of growth- and positivity-oriented people together to discuss powerful topics over a delicious meal and a splash (or two) of vino.
The event took place at the home of co-host, Taryn Olsen, and as my fellow invitees and I arrived, we were greeted by a warm, relaxed ambiance and an array of delicious dishes prepared by local chef, Jess Hilton, including a fresh kale salad, hearty quinoa-stuffed eggplant, and some seriously mouthwatering broccoli with shrimp and fragrant herbs.
After everyone had settled in, Matt introduced the topic of the evening, which was “The Power of Language”, and set the tone with his invitation to speak from a place of authenticity. Many of the guests had never even met each other before, and yet there was a deeply compassionate energy and profound resonance amongst the group as we navigated the ways that our words shape our worlds. We munch and sipped and chatted, and exactly how powerful language can be became abundantly clear over the course of the evening.
We explored the ways that we use words to define ourselves and the impacts those definitions have in our lives. We identified the ways in which we can become more conscious of the language we use, out loud and in our minds, and supported each other in creating new and empowering declarations of who we are and who we can be.
Before we knew it, several hours had flown by and it was time to bring the evening to a close. As we all exchanged farewells, Taryn and Matt bestowed each of the guests with parting gifts of beautiful, little mason jar flower arrangements. Tied to the rim of each jar with a piece of twine was a slip of paper with a quote to remind us of the power of our words, but after such an incredibly inspiring evening, I don’t think that the beautiful insights that we uncovered together would be forgotten by any of us any time soon.
