As an ambassador for Woman.com.au we get to do some pretty cool stuff, not only do we get to write and share our stories, we also get to attend a range of amazing events for free. Yep, you read right, for free.

This year I had been pretty quiet on the event front  for Woman.com.au so when the opportunity came to attend an event on the Mornington Peninsula called Soar Collective, my name was on the guest list sooner than you could say ‘do you want to go?’

As a marketer and a business owner, you get invited to a lot of events, you may gain some insight, pick up an interesting tip or two or make some new contacts, but that’s generally it. You don’t often go to an event that you can say with all honesty was a life changing experience. That was until I met Jess Jones from 2nd Avenue Events. If you ever needed to describe a go getter, it would be Jess. Ambitious, hard working and a generally nice person, Jess has event planning running through her veins. As soon as I walked into the room I felt part of something special and unique and I knew I was going to love every second of it.

The Soar Collective was the first networking event I have been to, that actually got the purpose behind networking right. Not only did you get to mingle with a bunch of amazingly talented women, there was also a strong purpose behind it. That was the drive and desire to want to do better in 2015 and beyond.

With guest speakers, Jo Stocks and Bree-Anna Vincent, the event was about forgetting about the past and focusing on the future whilst keeping in with the theme of Christmas. Under the guidance of these two lovely ladies we did activities that I would normally shy away from and we shared things that I would normally not share if I didn’t feel comfortable or part of something awesome.

One activity that really had an impact on me was the balloon writing exercise. Essentially, we were given a balloon that we were to write on to list all the reasons why we didn’t achieve all our goals in 2014. We then shared some of the reasons and it was interesting to see a common theme among women of different life stages. After sharing and growing as a group, we then popped the balloon taking away all that guilt and angst, and replacing it with positivity for the future. It really works, I urge you to try this at home, you will be amazed as to how much better you will feel after.

After the formalities of the evening ended, we had the opportunity to mingle and share stories with the guests, one special mention has to go to Rachel Ross, a talented baker from Sweets for Tilly, a family owned business run in conjunction with her mum and her sister Nancy. Rachel is an amazing lady and it was awesome to speak with someone so passionate about their business and what they do.

Which brings me back to the whole purpose behind Soar Collective and its founder Jess Jones. I feel so honoured to have met Jess and I can’t wait to see what Soar Collective has to offer in 2015. If you are looking for a networking collective that lets you be who you are, then this is it.

I may have come to Soar Collective not knowing anyone,  but I left Soar Collective with the greatest gift ever, a level of excitement and joy of knowing that I was part of something big, a collaborative community that I can thrive in.

Bring on 2015!