Our ninth Escape Adulthood Summit was historic in that it was the first to be held outside the state of Wisconsin. We traveled west to the mountains of Utah, just outside Park City.
Nestled into the Uinta foothills on the beautiful High Star Ranch, the DeJoria Center’s combination of rustic charm and modern elegance make it one of the finest event centers in all of Utah. Attendees were surrounded by some of the most amazing vistas nature has to offer.
This Summit was also our biggest yet, with veterans and newcomers from over fifteen states!
We were proud to send out more Golden Tickets than ever before!
Corrine Hanson has been to all nine Summits – the only one who can claim that fact.
Another first was the fact that all three kids joined us as staff members. Lucy, our oldest, is an old hand by now, but Ben and Ginny got their first taste of the Summit and were heroic helpers. It was truly a family affair!
Taking inspiration from the mountains, our theme was “Elevate.” But the first order of business on day one was to “Excavate” our lives, by looking back at our past for clues and insights to help us move forward.
Kim set the tone perfectly with an emotional and inspiring first talk. She encouraged us to Remember the moments of wonder and happy places of our childhood, Reconnect with our body, mind, and soul, and Remove the things in our life that are no longer serving us.
Show & Tell is always a highlight and serves as a unique way to get to know people. This year featured a lot of fun treasures and anecdotes!
There are always great takeaways from the talks, but some of the best aha moments come from fellow attendees in the Mastermind Sessions. Everyone has a chance to go deep into a variety of topics, including parenting, relationships, productivity, and dealing with grief and loss. Being out of your normal environment in a safe space with good people can lead to amazing breakthroughs and the comfort of knowing you’re not alone in the fight against Adultitis.
The weather threatened to ruin recess time, but Adultitis didn’t win. One group engaged in some hijinks with a military-sized parachute. Some accompanied Kim on a Wonderhunt. Others played cornhole or blew bubbles or went for a walk on the beautiful grounds. Many were content to hang out and talk to new (and old) friends.
Monica Hoyt and Shannon Babb joined forces and shared their science superpowers with some fun lessons and experiments for a curious group of attendees.
Before dinner, keynote speaker and DJ extraordinaire Rob Ferre was a special guest who gave a talk that invited us to be the first on the dance floor, figuratively and literally.
After dinner, I picked up where Kim left off on Excavation and spoke on our theme of “Elevate.” I reminded everyone that elevate is an action word, and shared ways to elevate above our past, our present circumstances, our self-limiting beliefs, and the negativity we so often encounter in our modern world.
Then it was time to party, putting what we learned from DJ Rob into practice. Kit Courter led a conga line that snaked its way through the room until everyone was aboard…
Destination: dance party!
DJ Rob was impressed by our group’s readiness to boogie and he did a masterful job of spinning classic tunes that kept all ages dancing the night away.
On a personal note, I was overjoyed to have both my parents attend their first Summit, and we surprised everyone on the second day when my Dad showed up in his bee costume, the very same one he wore when he told my family he had cancer. After sharing that story the night before, it was cool to see folks pose for pictures with him (and his partner-in-crime, the Queen Bee) as he gave out Bee Optimistic pins to everyone.
It was great fun to lead everyone in an in-person edition of “Let’s Draw,” which had become one of the most popular segments of Escape Adulthood LIVE. I was able to project my iPad drawing onto the big screen, and attendees got to try their hand at pastels. I loved seeing how everyone’s “astronaut dinos” turned out!
One table, led by a group of four sisters, put the Play-Doh we handed out to good use, making this colorful dinosaur-themed whimsy wonderland.
During lunch on the second day, we got invaded by some terrifying visitors…
It turns out they were friendlier than they looked, which was a relief to everyone, and provided some good photo ops.
As the Summit was nearing its close, Kim and I made a special appearance as our 99-year-old selves. We wore the same costumes we were wearing on the 99th episode of Escape Adulthood LIVE, the very show that was prematurely cut short by the storm that destroyed our property.
After some shenanigans, I shared some thoughts with attendees and led them in an activity that got them reflecting on their takeaways from the Summit.
Of course, an event like this doesn’t happen without a team of helping hands. We take care of the details so our guests can truly escape the grip of Adultitis for a few days, free from calendars, clocks, and commitments. Special thanks to Jenna, Rachel, Sue, Lucy, Ben, and Ginny for your selflessness, and for sharing your gifts of time and talent to make Summit #9 a resounding success!
And finally, thank you to everyone who joined us. Thank you for your trust, your kindness, your openness, and your generosity. The best part of a Summit is the people. Thanks for bringing the magic!
[ This post features photos taken by Ryan Callister as well as various Summit attendees. You can check out even more photos from this year’s Summit here. ]