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A DECADE+ OF STORYTELLING POWERED BY THE BEST WRITERS ON THE PLANET

BE PART OF THE LEGACY

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.

Life’s Many Cycles

Life is comprised of a series of cycles forever repeating themselves with slight variations, cycling from minutes to hours, hours to days, days to weeks, weeks to months, months to years. Forever celebrating the significance of each by naming them their unique moment in time.

Some moments pass with nothing interesting happening. Some moments provide life-changing events that forever change the trajectory of where you are headed.

In those moments, change is thrust upon us, and decisions of what is essential can sometimes become clearer. As we get further and further away from that moment, we may begin the old patterns we once had. Still, some events can forever change what we use to do and leave us unable to do it any longer.

We frequently can see the physical limitations, but some events invisibly change our minds and souls. Those things we could intellectually do before that notable moment become out of our reach. We must reprogram our brains to allow and accept past challenges and learn from them. Celebrating the good and learning from the bad. Determining what is the best path forward.

It is an exploration of what now exists. Since one thing may have altered, there may be other opportunities you never knew you had. What will you do with that time? Do you know what you would do if no one was telling you what to do? Would you know the right path for you if you had complete freedom to walk wherever your soul was pulling you?

I am forever drowning out what others tell me to do and try to listen deeply to what I think I should do. I internalize far too often what others think I should do or that they will not approve of what I want to do instead of just doing it.

Sure, we make mistakes, but we can learn the path not to take just as much as the path to take with each experience. Taking it one minute, hour, day, week, month, year at a time for as long as possible. One foot in front of another.

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.

DO YOU HAVE THE "WRITE" STUFF? If you’re ready to share your wisdom of experience, we’re ready to share it with our massive global audience – by giving you the opportunity to become a published Contributor on our award-winning Site with (your own byline). And who knows? – it may be your first step in discovering your “hidden Hemmingway”. LEARN MORE HERE


3 CONVERSATIONS

  1. Thanks for your wise reflection Raissa.

    This is a time when any one of us may well live to age 100.

    So the habits I put in play by putting that one foot in front of the other may lead to decades of exploring and discovering more and more of life’s many cycles.

    Thanks for sharing such a good approach.

    blessings,
    Cynthia

RECIPIENT OF THE 2024 "MOST COMPREHENSIVE LIFE & CULTURE MULTIMEDIA DIGEST" AWARD

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