“Breathing tools can be so much more effective when you’ve taken a moment to allow your vagus nerve to receive that breathwork practice.” —Gwen Dittmar

By now we all know the transformative power of breathwork—which was why we brought in Gwen Dittmar to guide our attendees through some breathing. But she also gave us a tip for taking our breathwork to the next level: by priming the vagus nerve first. And how? Bring your pointer finger to the back of your ear, and your middle finger to your tragus (the knob of cartilage at the opening of your ear) and rub in circles. If you’re feeling calm and a little sleepy, it’s working. 

“Muscle is everything… My advice to you would be to start to build that bank [of muscle]. It’s an outcome you’re looking for. And who you have to become to get that result—the discipline, the resilience, the habits you have to develop—will move you forward through your whole life.” — Gabrielle Lyon, O.D.

Building muscle isn’t just about being physically strong, although (as functional medicine expert Gabrielle Lyon, O.D., shared) that certainly comes with its advantages. The journey of making deposits into our “muscle bank,” so to speak, also cultivates an invaluable sense of adaptation and resilience. Strength training has always been perceived as masculine, but Gabrielle is paving a new road, and the women at our event were on board.

“If you schedule your time with yourself, you will get time with yourself.” —Denise Vasi

According to Denise Vasi, founder of Maed, she’s something of a poster child for getting all the things done—from working out to motherhood to running a business. And her secret is simple but powerful: scheduling. She spends 30 minutes at the beginning and end of each day identifying her top priorities. Another simple tip? She puts her phone on focus, reminding us that it’s not normal to be fielding texts and calls all day. 

“I don’t think anyone here should set goals. I think that you should all set standards. Standards for yourself, how you show up, and how you execute. A goal is nebulous, a standard is something you will always become.” —Gabrielle Lyon, O.D.

Mic drop.

“I look at a growth mindset maybe slightly differently. I ask myself at the end of the day—did I laugh, did I learn something new, and did I help somebody?” —Hanneke Willenborg, CEO of OLLY

There are a lot of ways to invoke a growth mindset, but Hanneke’s three questions beckon authenticity. After all—what is growth if we aren’t laughing, learning, and living in service of one another? Not only does Hanneke guide her own family with these questions, “It’s how I lead at OLLY,” she said. “Let’s laugh, let’s learn something new, and let’s help each other… Because that creates the atmosphere of true innovation, creativity, and boldness.”