I had finally arrived in Los Angeles! The rental car line was insanely long, but I got my reserved SUV and took off for Hollywood. I was fortunate enough to have the use of my sister Chanel's apartment at the Hollywood Towers right down the street from The Magic Castle. First stop was Trader Joe's to pick up food for dinners and coconut water to drink. Her apartment building was beautiful!
The 3 day event was one of the best events I have ever been to. It was the 2012 Coaches and Entrepreneurs’ Edge Extravaganza. One of the creators was Vicki Winterton and she is the person who gave me the opportunity to contribute to both books: Ready, Aim, Captivate and Wounded, Survive, Thrive.  The castle was full of the who's who. I recognized most of the attendees and had read a lot of their books! This event was different because the speakers were invited to share their wisdom and tips with the audience and they did not sell from the stage. So the entire 3 days was like a giant mastermind. Everyone so willing to share and support each other.
After lunch on day one, Vicki asked if I would share some of my story with the audience and about the big interview I did for the Wounded book. The universe works in mysterious ways. I took the stage and said: “Hello, my name is Michelle DeBerge. If you really knew me, you would know that exactly 6 years ago tonight, my live in boyfriend of 11 years beat me so bad I died. I was revived in the early hours of the next morning.” The audience got quiet as I paused. I then continued to share how I recreated my life and today it is better than I ever dreamed. I shared that Raven, owner of the radio show Women of Power did an hour long interview with me called: Lunch with an Author. That interview will air 6 times during the month of October for Domestic Violence Month.
Day Two ended with a celebration for all of the authors. It included awards, a cocktail hour and magic shows. I was lucky enough to have my friend Mark drive up to be my escort to the event. I had to admit I was a little nervous that night and having him by my side really helped. The funny thing is that he does not know my world of personal growth at all! He is a facts guy and I am a manifestation gal! He was very supportive of what I was doing. So he got to meet the entire cast of characters that night. A big thank you to Mark for coming up! It was a fun night and I was awarded two red goose quill pen awards for my contribution in each of the books.
It was a whirlwind after that. Meeting so many wonderful people wanting to connect or help me get my story out. One of the people I got to meet was James Malinchak who was recently featured on the TV hit series The Secret Millionaire. When I saw him near by, I looked at him and said: “I have a photo of you on my vision board.” He looked at me and laughed, then said: “No one has ever said that to me before.” I later got to have a conversation with him and talked to him about wanting a speaking career. Long story short, I am so excited to tell you that I get to go to his house in Las Vegas and study with him for the day! Not only that but in December I will be attending his speakers boot camp! Woo Hoo! He is going to help me  with my speaking career and business.
Day one lunch had me sitting at a table for two waiting to see who the universe would have me meet. The funniest, smartest and nicest person joined me for lunch. The second we met, I knew we would be friends. We chatted and chatted until we went back to the theater. She was so full of life and so inspiring. I adored her. I found out at the end of lunch that she is Sylvia Lafair, author of the book “Don't Bring it to Work” and a leadership coach. Her husband was attending with her also. It turns out she just moved to the west coast and lives about 15 minutes from me!
The dress that Vasily Vein made me turned out beautiful. I was warm so I did take the lace jacket off. I felt like a princess. I met amazing and very helpful people. There are two others who are helping me with my speaking career also. The first person is Dan Janal who founded the company PR LEADS. He was a fantastic speaker and gave me a lot of tips to help out the business. Day Three I was sitting in the sun outside the castle for a break and had a wonderful conversation with him. He does press releases for James and many others who's who in the speaking industry. Now I have his help in creating my press releases and he is really good! I also got to hear Michael Charest speak, he is the founder of Grow Your Business, Grow Your Life. He too gave me some great tips. Currently he is teaching me the business end of the speaking industry and he has some great programs.
The event was a success! I made some wonderful new friends, met some new contacts, got a lot of information and had a really good time!