It's the first week of the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale, so naturally I have shopping on the mind.

(Although — and I say this as someone who genuinely loves a good sale — I've come to realize that buying something just because it's on sale doesn't actually make it a bargain. Especially if I don't need it in the first place.)

And that has me thinking about auctions. Stay with me here, Reader. I promise I have a point.

Do you get a little paddle-happy at a charity auction? Me too!

I love the excitement of a live bidding war. I love "winning" a silent auction item...especially if it means loitering near the bid sheet, and carefully timing that final bid to beat out the "competition."

But here's the thing about charity auctions: you don't go there for bargain-hunting.

You're there to support something you believe in. The investment is the point. The tax write-off is a bonus.

The same can be said about midlife women, too. The women who are most fulfilled in midlife approach investing in themselves the same way.

They're not comparison shopping. They're not asking whether they could replicate the experience for less. They've decided — before they even look at the price — that the thing they're investing in matters. And then they go all in.

The women who are still waiting? They're still doing the math on the hotel rooms and the spa appointments and meal costs. Still wondering if they are worthy of making the investment in themselves. Still asking whether the timing is right. Still telling themselves that when things settle down, when the budget looks different, when they feel more ready, then they'll do the thing.

I think you already know which one you are.

Honestly, the BEST LIFE™ Mastermind is not the bargain option. It was never designed to be. It was designed to be the experience that actually changes things — two in-person luxury retreats, nine months of personal leadership coaching, a private community of ten women doing this work alongside you.

Could you plan your own trips to Sun Valley and Carefree for less? Technically, yes.

Would it be the same experience? Not even close.

Sun Valley isn't just a pretty backdrop. It's four days in an environment specifically designed to pull you out of your ordinary life and into a completely different headspace — with ten women who are asking the same questions you are, doing the same work you're doing, at the same moment you're doing it. That's not replicable on a solo trip. That's not something you can manufacture by booking the same hotel.

But here's the more honest question: even if you could somehow replicate the experience of the two trips on your own, would you actually go?

Or would you find another reason to delay? Another thing that needs to happen first? Another season of life that needs to settle before you finally give yourself permission to do something entirely, unapologetically for you?

I've watched this pattern play out more times than I can count. The intention is genuine. The timing is never right.

The structure of the Mastermind exists to solve that problem. When the investment is made, you show up. Not because you have to...but because you finally gave yourself the permission structure to do something you've been putting off for a long time.

Just like the charity auction, the investment is the point. Join us.

BEST LIFE Mastermind. Nine months. Ten women. Two retreats. Applications close July 31.

→ Apply here​
→ Book a call with me​

xx, Laurie

P.S. Ready to make the investment in yourself, but want a payment plan? Let's talk! I'm happy to create something that works for you.

P.P.S. Many organizations consider this type of investment part of an executive leadership development budget. If that's a conversation worth having with your employer, I'm happy to support it in any way I can.