I first moved to the Seattle area in June of 2012 from Washington, DC, when my husband was transferred to JBLM and I knew NO ONE out here. As my first and only move as a military spouse, I don’t know how other military wives did it all the time. The first few months I lived out here were very hard for me but I did manage to make some friends and start building a life out here in the Pacific Northwest.
Fast forward to 2019, and I have truly begun to realize the amazing people I have met in the Seattle area. Two of them in particular, Lori Pacchiano and Tiffany Brown, have really taken me under their wings and helped me with stories for What’s Up NW. They are two of the most incredible women the world has to offer – I honestly think they are changing the world through one kind word at a time.
Lori and Tiffany recently invited me to participate in the Seattle Dream Makers event. The evening took place On The HIYU, a one-of-a-kind floating event space with a spacious outdoor deck, indoor passenger bar lounges that serve signature cocktails, a custom kitchen serving culinary delights, a programmable lighting and full sound system and views of Seattle and the Northwest for days!!!! On a side note, I highly recommend having your next event On The HIYU.
The Seattle Dream Makers event was the chance for Seattle’s influencers to come together for an evening of identifying our dreams and visions on a board with a community of like-minded friends. The first part of the evening focused on creating these vision boards and the second part of the evening was to review and share our completed boards with other influencers and see how we can directly impact the dreams of our new friends. Some people had dreams of being a musician, actress, doctor, physician, hotel manager, chef, and many many more amazing dreams from our new friends. We discussed and got excited about how we could start following our dreams in Seattle, discussing some of the bars to play music in, some of the restaurants to cook and dine in, and also the EVEN Hotel Seattle, where one of our new friends could follow their dreams of becoming a successful hotel manager.
Lori and Tiffany let me bring my girl squad, Blonde Mafia, Michelle Rylands, Mishana Egan and Heather McCain. Between the four of us, we have a lot of plans for 2019, so it was only appropriate to bring them with me!
The whole evening included some very generous sponsors, keeping us well fed and hydrated including Grand Event Rentals, Foodz Catering, Papa Bueno Tequila, Sparkling Ice, Guayaki, Tito’s Vodka, KIND Snacks, PinkaBella Cupcakes, South 40 Snacks, popchips, Dillanos, Heritage Distilling, Talking Rain and Spiro Pizza! Seattle Met, Seattle magazine, Sip Northwest and City Arts Magazine donated the magazines for us to use to create our vision boards!
As a whole, Blonde Mafia created a vision board reflective of what we wanted to see in 2019 and beyond. The four of us have a lot going on in our personal lives but we want and have big dreams for our “professional” lives. Wellness. Fearless. Me-Time. Start a Movement. Go Big or Go Home. Inner Confidence. Trust Yourself. Game Changers. Fearlessly Ageless. Those were all phrases we found for our vision board. Along with fun ones like Badass, Sexy vs Sweet, How Naughty is Your Mind, and Too Hot to Handle. The four of us are very different women, different shades of blonde if you will, but we all have something to offer. We all have confidence. We all aren’t afraid to rock the boat a little (or a lot). We aren’t afraid to help others. We aren’t afraid to tell someone they suck. The four of us will never be politically correct.
Through the course of the evening, I was able to connect with other Seattle influencers whom I already knew, and meet some new ones!
My sweet friend Kristin Hernquist Bentley, founder of the Northwest Military Wives Foundation.
Pamela Bolado, founder of Le Pamier Skincare.
And Kelly Lavers, the amazing photographer from Wild Fern Photography. Although she prefers to be behind the camera!! These strong women use their influence for good and to help others, and to be included among them in an event like the Seattle Dream Makers was nothing short of fantastic.
I also had the chance to meet three new friends, who are making a difference in the world. Kat Kim, who spoke to us about her incredible life journey, founded The School of Divine Confidence. Kat is a spiritual teacher and confidence coach who helps rising women leaders step into the best version of themselves.
Erin Loman Jeck is the CEO of the Transformational Speakers Agency and the creator of the Speakers Success Summit.
Mark Titus is an award-winning writer and director who founded August Island Pictures. You all need to check out his documentary, The Breach, and his new featured documentary, The Wild, examining the fate of Bristol Bay, Alaska and its storied wild salmon runs.
2019 is already proving to be the beginning of an incredible new journey for me personally. Knowing people like Lori, Tiffany, Michelle, Heather, Mishana, Kristin, Pamela, and Kelly, and now expanding my circle with Kat, Erin, Mark and so many others – the greater Seattle-area is filled with people who want to change the planet. They want to help people around them become a better version of themselves. They want to instill confidence in others, overcome deep-seeded fears, save our oceans and help dreams become reality. I am honored to be among such incredible people and I look forward to this year and what it will bring!
