I first heard about The Goodfest on Kaite Dalebout’s Let it Out Podcast. There aren’t really any wellness events in my area. To make matters worse, it can even be difficult to find certain health products or fitness classes. So, you can understand how this event caught my attention!

Here is a little more info about the event!

The Goodfest website described the event as “an all-day event created to ignite your passion for wellness and inspire you to achieve your GOOD life.” So what does this wellness festival actually consist of? Throughout the day you hear from several speakers who share their life journey and offer information on how you can live your best life. In between sessions you get to indulge in some yummy snacks and explore the marketplace. The marketplace was full of vendors selling healthy food, natural skincare products, and sustainable fashion. In addition to being able to purchase products at the marketplace, I received a swag bag valued at over $100. I will be showing off the goods in my swag bag in another post, so keep an eye out!

If you read my New Year’s post back in January, I have decided to choose a word for the year instead of making a New Year’s resolution. The word that I chose was connect! I wanted to use this year to connect with myself and other people. At first, I was hesitant to attend the event because I did not have anyone to go with. But then I thought what better way to connect with other people than to attend an event where the women attending have similar interests? It is always strange to go somewhere new all by yourself. But you know what they say, you gotta get comfortable with being uncomfortable! Pushing yourself out of your comfort zone is the only way to experience personal growth!

[Tweet “you gotta get comfortable with being uncomfortable! Pushing yourself out of your comfort zone is the only way to experience personal growth!”]

The Events

The first event of the day was a yoga/pilates fusion session. Since I bought my ticket late, I missed out on the opportunity to participate. However, judging by the pics on Instagram the session looked incredible! Next year I will make sure to get my ticket early so I don’t miss out on a thing!

Session #1

Meditation and Intention Setting with Cassandra Bodzak

The first speaking session was Meditation and Intention Setting with Cassandra Bodzak, a meditation, and holistic lifestyle expert. Cassandra told us her story about how she was led to mediation after her brother was diagnosed with a terminal illness (Thankfully is now in stable condition). After she told her story she led us through an amazing/emotional (well at least for me) meditation, followed by a fun little dance party to shake out all of the energy that we built up during the meditation. At first, you could tell that some women felt uncomfortable dancing, but after a minute or two everyone started to let go.

Session #2

A Guide to Eating Real with Jessica Murnane of One Part Plant

The second session was A Guide to Eating Real with Jessica Murnane of One Part Plant. Jessica told us about her struggle with endometriosis and how she uses a plant-based diet to control her symptoms. Throughout her session, Jessica gave us tips on how to incorporate more plant-based foods into our diet. She also included a list of inexpensive items to stock the pantry with. After that presentation, I had to pick up her book! Simple, healthy and delicious recipes, how could I say no?

After the first two sessions were over it was time for lunch! Snap Kitchen of Philadelphia provided these delicious salads and noodles for lunch. Snap Kitchen also provided two different chicken options.

There were also three VIP sessions with either Jordan Younger- of the Balanced Blonde, Cassandra Bodzak author of Eating with Intention, and Jessica Murnane of One Part Plant with Katie Horwitch of Women Against Negative Talk. VIP tickets were a bit pricier, but it is something to consider saving up for next year.

Session #3

Spark Joy with Katie Dalebout

After lunch, it was onto session three, Spark Joy, with podcast host and author Katie Dalebout. Katie spoke about how to create a life worth living and achieving a life of balance. She also spoke about body image and how we are conditioned as a society to believe that certain body types are either good or bad. She mentioned that even in children’s movies the villain often has a larger body type and is labeled “ugly” while the main character is a “beautiful princess” with an itty bitty waist. It was an interesting observation because I never thought about how children’s movies often portray the villains as larger or are said to be “ugly” (such as the ugly stepsisters in Cinderella). This proves how the importance of being thin and “beautiful” is fed to us at such an early age. It becomes ingrained in our minds that we have to look a certain way in order to be valued. It was an interesting perspective that I had never thought about before.

Session #4

Real Life Routines Panel

This panel was like listening to a podcast IRL(in real life)! The panel consisted of Sara Divello yoga teacher and author, Kimmie Smith a celebrity fashion stylist and co-founder of Athleisure Mag, Gianne Doherty co-founder of Organic Bath Co. and founder of The W.E.L.L. Summit and Katie Dalebout.  The women answered questions about their morning/bedtime rituals, how they take time for self-care, what they enjoy cooking, and how they balance work with their personal lives. I always love hearing about how other people live their lives and what they do to take care of themselves. It was an interesting discussion and I will be taking away bits and pieces of advice to use in my own life.

Session #5

Katie Horwitch, founder of Women Against Negative Talk

The final session was with Katie Horwitch, founder of Women Against Negative Talk (WANT for short). Katie spoke a bit about her life growing up, an experience in college, and her insecurities. Most of all she spoke about fear and how to push through it and get over a lack of self-trust. She gave actionable steps to take when feeling fearful and unworthy. Her session was about shifting that negative mindset and learning the tools that can help push you forward instead of letting fear hold you back.
Katie had incredible energy on the stage and her talk was the perfect way to end a day of inspiration and wellness!

The Goodfest was 7 hours of inspiration, connecting with like-minded women and learning more about health. If you have never attended an event like this I would encourage you to check it out. You will learn so much and get to meet new people with similar interests.

[Tweet “The Goodfest was 7 hours of inspiration, connecting with like-minded women and learning more about health.”]

Did you get a chance to experience The Goodfest? If so, what was your experience like? If not, would you consider attending this festival or one similar? The Goodfest dates are not posted for next year but I definitely want to make an effort to go. It was such an inspiring and fun experience!