I know that it has been over a week since the 2018 dōTERRA Australian & New Zealand Convention was held in Sydney, but I have honestly needed to take some time to process all of the incredible moments that happened, not only across the two days of Convention, but also the days surrounding it.

Early registration was available the afternoon before Convention (Thursday the 8th of March) and that was the first I actually realised how massive this event was. People had travelled from all areas of Australia, across the ditch from New Zealand, and some from even further abroad. The masses of people registering triggered some social anxiety as I stood in line. I don't know what I was expecting, but I had truly underestimated the size of the event. At that moment I was so grateful that my older sister Tanya was attending with me, and I wouldn't have to face it by myself.

On Friday morning (the 9th of March) we got up nice and early to make our way back to the International Convention Centre (ICC). Everyone attending the event was carrying the dōTERRA backpack we were issued at registration and had their teal lanyards hanging from their necks. Surprisingly, the uniformity of the attendees provided comfort. Everyone was excited about what was to happen and smiled at one another. Phew, maybe this will be okay after all.

When the time came, we all piled into the theatre to find seats. Some of our team members had managed to get some seats together and remarkably we were able to find them amongst the 4,500 (or so I'm told) attendees. This was exciting as we have had contact with these ladies over Facebook and team video calls, but we had never met in person. For me, meeting these incredible women was one of my favourite parts of Convention.

Across this first day of Convention, we were able to listen to some wonderful speakers including David Stirling (Founding Executive, Chairman & CEO) who explained the contribution of Co-Impact Sourcing and Healing Hands across the world. It is this humanitarian side to dōTERRA that makes me so proud to affiliate myself with them. Other speakers included:

Mel Frazer (Director of Sales) - introduced us to the 2018 Convention Kit;
Dr Brannick Riggs (Vice President, Clinical Initiatives & Chief Medical Director) - explained the chemical attributes in these oils and how they affect our physical body and emotions;
Tara Bliss (Presidential Diamond) - showed us how we hold ourselves back from Freedom; and
Vanessa Jean Ovens (Presidential Diamond) - taught us about the emotional and spiritual properties of some of the incredible new oils and how to use them to aromatically dress.

Other speakers presented about finding balance for an empowered life, overcoming fear, the mental health of children, and a deeper look into Co-Impact Sourcing and the Healing Hands Foundation.

Wow, what a huge first day it was! There was no time for rest though, as we had to get ready for Gala. Gala is a black tie dinner event which allows people to mingle and to honour some of the wonderful leaders within dōTERRA. It was a dry event (alcohol free), but that didn't hold the ladies or gents from getting creative in the photo booths or hitting the dance floor!

Me taking a selfie with my sister Tanya at Gala

The second day of Convention started off much the same as day one - COFFEE!! First up was the Silver, Gold and Platinum leaders strutting the stage to celebrate their achievements. As one of my closest leaders was amongst this group, it was lovely to be able to cheer her (and the others) on. Some of the speakers were:

Eric Larsen (Double Diamond) - shared with us details of the Source To You website which allows us to search the batch number of our products to find the detailed testing conducted on the oils;
Teresa Haws (General Manager) - explained the Healing Hands Australia Foundation and announced the Foundation's first Australian project; and
Dr Brannick Riggs (Vice President, Clinical Initiatives & Chief Medical Director) - gave an informative presentation on the importance and impact of touch.

We also heard from speakers on resilience, the launch of the new Australian website, and being you and not getting caught up in labels.

Such a beautiful two days learning not only about oils and dōTERRA, but also hearing some thought provoking speakers who challenged the way I looked at life and my behaviours.

Now this wasn't the end of the day for me, I still had another event to go... the Team Bliss "Dare to be You" river cruise. This event took me out of my comfort zone as my sister wasn't attending the event with me. I wasn't on my own though, I had my new friends for company and support. I must admit, as the boat was about to pull away from the dock, my anxiety kicked in. I started tearing up and wondered what the hell I had agreed to. I pulled out my Peace (Reassuring Blend)Touch and applied it to the back of my neck to help support me through my anxious feelings and took a few deep breathes - I could do this. I am so glad that I did overcome my anxious thoughts as it was an amazing night and I met some more beautiful people. We danced, sung, ate, drank and even got some henna tattoos.

There was no Sunday morning sleep in the next day, as I was heading back to the ICC to participate in One Tree Training. This training was aimed at those people who were wishing to build their dōTERRA business. It was a great day with some amazing speakers. I am still trying to process all of the information provided over the day.

I am so grateful that I had the opportunity to attend so many events in Sydney. I am grateful for the wonderful people who organised, presented, participated and attended the events. And I was ever so grateful to return home at the end of it all.

Now to start counting down to Convention next year xx