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TAMPA BAY • FEBRUARY 23-24 2026

This FINAL encore experience will be unlike any other. Because like everything we do, it's been "reimagined" from beginning to end. It's not a virtual or hybrid event. It's not a conference. It's not a seminar, a workshop, a meeting, or a symposium. And it's not your typical run-of-the-mill everyday event crammed with stages, keynote speeches, team-building exercises, PowerPoint presentations, and all the other conventional humdrum. Because it's up close & personal by design. Where conversation trumps presentation. And where authentic connection runs deep.

If I Was Free

If I was free, what would I do?

I would wake with the sun and rest when it set. I would run, swim, walk and soak in nature, listening to the birds, sensing the wind in my face. I would write of things I see and do and not how someone should act, as that would be up to them. I would paint the world as I see it. I would spend as much time as I could outside under the bright blue skies speckled with feathery clouds. I would observe the other animals that I share the earth with. Say hello to them as if they could recognize me.

I would have the strength to walk away from those that do not seem suitable for me. I would root for the underdog because their pathway to their dreams is further. I would stop doing something that did not feel right. I would not argue to make a point because the point would not need to be made. I would be free of conflict. My energy would flow to the positive path. Fear of what others think of me would be gone.

The peace we search for is around us, and I would grasp with both hands to assure I never lost it. I would write, never needing to edit and paint, never worrying about selling. I would live within my means and never want more and would always be satisfied with less. Things would not be mine or yours or ours. Possessions would not make me happy; they would not be necessary, they would not be thought of.

My mind would be free to see the world as it is, with or without us; it will continue. It is up to each of us as to what we want to contribute. For me, that begins with asking myself what I would do if I was free?

Raissa Urdiales
Raissa Urdiales
Raissa lived most of her life along the shores of Lake Michigan in Wisconsin. She currently lives in the quiet city of Tega Cay, South Carolina, just across the border from the very active art community of Charlotte, North Carolina. Raissa has not always considered herself as an artist. She spent a great portion of her adult life staring into computer screens and managing computer system implementations and upgrades in the traditional corporate setting. It was through a chance paint night that she discovered her passion for painting. On her 51st birthday, she treated herself to some acrylic paints and brushes and has not stopped painting since. She balances her passion for creating with her day job as a systems analyst. In the wee hours of the morning, you will find her painting before she immerses herself in the technology that is consuming the world today. Although Raissa does not have formal training in the arts she is very conscious of the benefits it has on the human psyche. She holds a Bachelor's of Science majoring in Psychology where she focused her studies on Organizational Psychology. Through her corporate career, she has learned how to strike a balance between that which provides monetary reward and that which fulfills us as humans. For her, this balance is obtained through painting, writing, and exercise. She is currently a member of the Guild of Charlotte Artists where she exhibits select pieces during the quarterly art shows in and around the Charlotte Metropolitan Area. She has also submitted and is featured regularly in the Light Space & Time online gallery. When she is not painting or working with computer systems, she is writing. She currently has a column with BIZCATALYST 360° named “Artful Being” where she writes on topics both in and out of her corporate life to help others gain balance on what it is to be human.

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9 CONVERSATIONS

  1. I love your writing and your painting. This is beautiful. What hit me, though, is that by that definition I am free. I’ve worked hard for that for many years, and perhaps there are a couple things in your list I haven’t yet achieved, but I love my life. I wish that for everyone, in their own way.

  2. Wisdom Raissa. Indeed, a pathway to my dreams is further.

    Yet my life’s experience suggests that as bumps in the journey occur . . .

    Reassessing is necessary. Course alteration is useful.

    What is seen and done becomes a series of tests for when to take the fork in the path and how and when to keep on keeping on.

    I keep things simple. So that I create value simply.

    The pandemic? Welcome to my world. Things go wrong. I keep on keeping on.

    blessings,
    Cynthia

  3. Raissa my friend this is so beautiful. If I was free I would live deep in the forest and I would spend my days writing and painting. I would walk through the forest with Buddy( My Dog) in tow and live in that moment needing nothing else.

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