Destination: A Better You

Feeling overwhelmed by your daily to-do list? Drained by your responsibilities as a partner, parent, employee, or business owner? Are you looking for a community of like-minded women, supporting each other, as you work to be the very best version of you? The third annual “Unwrap the BEST You” health and wellness symposium is the event you have been looking for.  

This April, Everything Brevard founder and CEO Tracy Stroderd presents Destination Unpack Your Bags, the third installment of her brainchild, Unwrap the BEST You. Unwrap is much more than a self-improvement workshop. This annual event is designed to help every woman reconnect with her BEST self. Experts in the fields of happiness, entrepreneurship and body positivity will inspire attendees to make the changes necessary to live more authentic and fulfilling lives.

An idea

Stroderd knows that women often see their primary role as caretaker for others. But what happens if they put the same time and energy spent caring for others toward their own hopes and dreams?

The idea to host a women’s conference came to Stroderd on a day when she felt particularly overwhelmed and frustrated. When her husband encouraged her to be her best self for her — not for anyone else — she struggled to visualize what that would look like. So she decided to go for a bike ride. And on that bike ride, inspiration struck from, and for, something greater than herself. 

“When my husband said, ‘Just figure out how to be the best you for you,’ I didn’t know,” Stroderd said. “But on that bike ride, it became apparent that this event was something I needed to do, so I just trusted and did it.”

Though she had no previous experience with event planning, Stroderd put together a program that would inspire women who were feeling much the same way. Over the course of the three-day workshop, women are able to put aside the outside world and dedicate their time and energy to focusing on their own hopes and dreams. 

Friday night’s session gives participants time to explore, eat good food, and get to know one another. Saturday is for doing the inner work, and Sunday’s sessions are devoted to giving women the tools to make the changes they desire in their lives. 

Sixty-two women attended the first Unwrap the BEST You conference in 2018 at Space Coast Convention Center. Seated in small groups, the intimate setting turned out to be one of the keys to the event’s success.

“Saturday is when we unwrap and dive deep,” Stroderd said. “That’s when the breakthroughs happen. Careers shift, relationships shift, and lifelong hurts are healed. There is a sacredness to the space that makes women feel compelled to share.”

Tina Lange first attended the conference in 2019 and will be there again this year. The speakers inspired her, and she continues to use the meditation and daily journaling practices she first started there. 

“It was a great event,” Lange said. “I was looking for direction in both my career and my personal life, and I left with a plan. I decided on a new career path. It was truly life-changing for me.” 

This year’s Unwrap conference, Destination Unpack Your Bags, features speakers equipped with tools, insight, and inspiration to help women of all ages reconnect with their best selves. 

Staying connected

Stroderd will be expanding her reach with a series of women’s empowerment luncheons starting in September. These “min-Unwrap” sessions will give participants a taste of what Unwrap the BEST You is all about. She expects between 80 and 100 guests to join her at Rockledge Country Club on Sept. 17, where they will have an opportunity to listen to speakers and network with other local women.

“Destination Unpack Your Bags” takes place April 3-5 at the Space Coast Convention Center. Tickets start at just $199 for students, teachers, or members of the military. General admission tickets for the weekend are $399.

Stroderd’s goal has always been to help women grow and make connections that last long after Unwrap is over. 

“The vision behind Unwrap is whether you are 20 or 70, you bring value to the table,” Stroderd said. “And we can support each other through this crazy thing called life.”

Learn more about Unwrap the BEST You and the empowerment lunches:

321-960-3453

Unwrapthebestyou.com

Facebook: /UnwraptheBESTYou/

Instagram: @unwrapthebestyou