Phoenix and Beyond

I registered for the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals Institute with great enthusiasm because they were offering a session on Training the Trainer.  It was a one day seminar in  Phoenix, Arizona. Five plus hours on a plane to learn about training others in collaborative practice I thought was well worth it.  As with all seminars or conferences I attend, I register because the content resonates with me months in advance and as the day of departure approaches I begin to think  about all of the everyday issues that should prevent me from going - work I  will miss, kids that will miss me, the long airplane flight that, quite frankly, scares me.  But I go and I bring great shoes;and in great shoes there is confidence.  What I find when I arrive in Phoenix is that my hair is suddenly curly, my lips incredibly dry and I have this undying thirst both literally and figuratively. I am embarking on a journey to find my peeps, those who understand me and whose work speaks to me.  Curly hair, dry lips, good shoes - I am here to announce myself as a Collaborative Professional unabashedly and to promote my practice group its in pure and developing self.  In true Collaborative fashion, I am well received, my meeting with the Executive Director goes very well.  I connect later that first day with the President of a highly successful practice group not far from Bucks County.  We make a plans for her to speak to my practice group and hash about ideas for team building. She is gracious and welcoming at lunch on Friday and texts me to meet for breakfast before my training on Saturday. The training I attend includes one of the founders of  IACP, a seasoned IACP attorney and immediate past president and a financial professional who is authentic and inspiring in her role as financial neutral.  As in many trainings or seminars, there is a connection with other participants and we exchange ideas and problems and troubleshoot to aid each other in the being the best we can be in the collaborative process.  The energy is infectious and the surge of  enthusiasm undeniable.  There are about 75 participants at the Institute and everyone is approachable with minimal effort.  I end the weekend with a dinner which includes a Collaborative lawyer from Indianapolis, the current president of a successful practice group, one of the founders of  IACP and the past president. Amazingly, these folks all take my restaurant suggestion!  It was an empowering experience to be there in the desert, on my own, graciously making the Bucks County Collaborative Law group's presence known - of course, in great shoes.