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BE PART OF THE LEGACY

TAMPA BAY • FEBRUARY 23-24 2026

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Step Out of The Truman Show and Make Your Own Reality

This is not a sexy, controversial, headline-grabbing, or cause-driven article. It’s an article about an ordinary family, doing ordinary things, in extraordinary times. It’s not jazzed up to attract ‘likes’, there is no punchline and it may or may not inspire you. And that’s ok because I’m writing this for me and my family. To remind ourselves of the importance of simplicity, making the best of what we have and that joy does not have a price tag, it’s accessible to all should we choose it.

And if the authenticity, the simplicity of this article inspires others to find their joy, then I’m delighted. If not, please move along and find something that will.

This is my journal of an idyllic beach day with my children. On Monday, I checked the weather forecast for the week – hot, hot, hot. So, on Tuesday we decided to turn our school day into a school trip and an hour or so later we were at our favourite beach.

The beach is not posh. It does not have sunbeds, cafes or themed attractions. It’s simply a stretch of sand on the east coast, on the outskirts of a small coastal village. And because it doesn’t have any of those things, to us, it’s perfect. It’s also the same coastline that my parents took us to when we were kids – overseas holidays were so rare back then. So, it holds a special place in my heart. Every Sunday my parents, who had f*ck all in material terms, but were rich beyond words in their imagination and innovation, would pack us up and off we’d go for long, lazy Sunday’s playing at the beach.

I distinctly remember the last restaurant we went to with him, the last place we sat on the seafront, the last cafe we drank coffee in and the last sweet shop we went in to buy rock.

This coastal village was also the last place my mum and I took my dad to, just a few weeks before he died. One of his dying wishes was to return to the place where so many happy memories were made, to feel the sea breeze on his face and remember the happy times we had all of those years ago, when life seemed infinite and death has not entered our world. I distinctly remember the last restaurant we went to with him, the last place we sat on the seafront, the last cafe we drank coffee in and the last sweet shop we went in to buy rock. I remember my dad insisting on getting out of his wheelchair for the pictures we took, I remember taking the long route back so we could make the most of the day and I remember breaking my heart after leaving him at home, knowing there wasn’t a f*cking thing I could do to change the course of events, that were about to change our world forever. But most of all I remember the bittersweet experience of watching him, as he sat by the sea, daydreaming about all that had been before. And so, I continue to go back there with my children, to capture the simple joy that my parents showed me, knowing that one day I too will stare out at the sea remembering these days and all of the drama’s, trials and tribulations of life, will pale into insignificance in comparison to this.

And so, on Tuesday we find ourselves back at our beach, in our spot with virtually no one else there. We had packed our cool box with freshly made eggs sandwiches from eggs which our ducks laid, homemade lemonade excitedly concocted by my daughter, lemon drizzle cake from the local market, and of course, the essential Jaffa cakes. We made a bed on the sand with blankets and pillows. We ate our picnic, we swam, we napped, we read and the kids played hide and seek. We didn’t browse our phones, send messages, make calls, or think about the next day, the next week, or even the next hour. We took pictures, lots of them and just enjoyed the moments, one after another. And for a while, the rest of the world ceased to exist. It was just us on a beach, that was it.

At the end of the day, we treated ourselves by popping to the local chip shop. We then sat in the car eating fish and chips, drinking milkshakes and watching Friday night dinner. No five-star hotel, Michelin starred restaurant, or world-class concert could compete.

And even the drive there and back was beautiful, luscious green fields, small villages, quirky shops, places that time has forgotten. Not a designer boutique, flash car, or gold plated tap in sight. My god, what a relief from the materialistic, comparison based boll*cks reality, that we have all brought in to.

And the point of all of this is that life doesn’t have to be complex, over-planned, overly posh, or live up to the Joneses. It just has to be simple, creative, and real. I’m sure we shall remember these days always. Just living in the moment, taking whatever life offers us, and doing the very best we can with it.

That’s all that ever really matters. And it’s so important to take it while you can because time is not infinite and death lives alongside us all. So, please step out of the Truman show and create your own world in your own way.

With love

Nik x

Nik Davis
Nik Davishttps://nikdavis.com/
NIK DAVIS is a business transformation expert and has spent 20 years in the corporate world. Her comfort zone is order, logic and applying analytical tools to solve complex problems. She is also a keen observer of life, a writer and eccentric. Nik has recently returned to the world of work after taking a career break to spend time with her family. Upon her return, she found that her perspective had changed, as had the world she was returning to. Nik decided to carve out a new place in that world and mould some of it to fit her too. Nik sees life from quirky angles, shaped by experiences and the vast amount of knowledge we now have access to. She likes to write about her experiences and observations. To ‘tell it how it is’ and to find a more authentic way to live, whether in our professional or personal lives. Nik often talks about finding ‘The Third Way’. It’s a philosophy about life, having a personal life as well as a career, making money and being socially generous, being logical and sensitive, living by the rules of a society but not being afraid to challenge them, inspiring others to feel good but not for your own ego, giving rather than taking. Nik wants to make a difference to this world by getting people to see things differently, to try new ways of working but most of all, to re-discover our true selves and therefore reach our true potential. Nik also has two other persona’s: nikdavis which is where Nik writes about her deeply personal experiences of life. Nik runs a facebook group alongside this website to create a safe place for people to discuss the topics that are raised in her blog. Nik’s second persona is Lilly Isabella and this is where she shares her passion of fashion and design.

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