DestiCon: Innovation Academy - Investing in Growth & Professional Development

Is professional development an optional add-on, or should it be a non-negotiable part of our careers? Join Kristen Cruz and me as we unpack this compelling question in our latest episode of Tech Travel and Twain. We've been eagerly awaiting October, not only for cooler weather in Phoenix and Texas but also for the excitement surrounding our annual Destacon pop-up event. This year, we're creating a welcoming virtual space exclusively for women, celebrating empowerment and growth. Kristen and I share our thoughts on the comfort of virtual networking and the invaluable opportunities for personal and professional development at the Innovation Academy for Bold Women.

But there's more than just networking on the agenda. We're diving into how prioritizing these growth opportunities can make a significant impact on your career trajectory. Discover how Destacon's unique approach allows you to engage as much or as little as you want, all from the convenience of your home. Our conversation highlights the importance of investing time and energy into your professional journey, and why this commitment should be a staple in everyone's career plan. Tune in to hear how Destacon aims to inspire and empower women, providing them with the tools they need to succeed and thrive in their professional lives.

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The Tech, Travel, and Twang Podcast is hosted by Co-Founders, Kristen Cruz and Jenn Barbee with Destination Innovate. Learn More! https://destinationinnovate.com/about/

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Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:10

Well, hi there, Welcome back to Tech Travel and Twain. It's October and I'm here with my co-host, Kristen Cruz. Hi Kristen.

Speaker 2: 0:19

Hello Jen, and, yes, welcome October. Thank goodness I'll actually you know what the whole year up until this point has been super fast, like it's not like we were just sitting around and all of a sudden, like we had to like wait this long period for fall, it just and I'm a fall lover. But I will tell you it did sneak up on us. October, october, snuck up.

Speaker 1: 0:44

It did. I wish the weather would catch up and sneak up, hopefully soon.

Speaker 2: 0:53

It's 104 here in Phoenix today. I mean, well, we have a tiny we. I feel like we're getting back to like what we should be, which is, you know, northeast Texas is this time of year is, I don't know. I don't know what the normal is. It's Texas, we don't know. I don't know what the normal is. It's Texas, we don't have a normal. But I would say that a comfortable temperature is probably like high eighties, which is where we're at. So we're not in the hundreds. Do not want to be you.

Speaker 1: 1:17

We'll cool off eventually. It's always. We always think here and I've been here 10 years now that October is going to be the cool month. Then you end up in Halloween. Kids are sweating right around. It's really like. November through March is unbelievably gorgeous here, so I'm looking forward to that. But October also means something else for us. October means another Destacon pop-up.

Speaker 2: 1:41

Yay Destacon.

Speaker 1: 1:47

Which is actually I'm excited about this year's Destacon. I really am. I am too. So let's talk about that a little bit and share with our listeners, a couple of them out there, and talk about why this one is a little bit different. This one's just for women, just for the ladies.

Speaker 2: 2:01

Yeah, just for the ladies, which is, you know, ever important. I think it's, I think, the the other thing that makes it different. I think we always think about our virtual conference being it's, it's, it's easy, right Like you're, there's not a lot of travels and a lot of headache, you can pop in and pop out, but also there's, I think, a comfortability. That's really important in this and that's generally for those that don't necessarily like the idea of being in person in a conference, especially alone when you're not there with someone from your organization, but also just having to meet people for the first time face-to-face in person, sometimes, I think, is it's intimidating. It's still there's a lot of level of us who do not want to people like that generally, like we just don't want to people.

Speaker 2: 2:49

And so, yeah, you get that opportunity to do a lot more of a virtual networking throughout the conference, which I think is what Destacon has really become a really important virtual space, and it's even more important when you can get the right group of women together and everybody's empowering one another.

Speaker 1: 3:07

That kind of networking is top notch. And I really like what you said about the comfortability, because this pop up when this Innovation Academy for Bold Women kind of goes in much deeper, scratches past that veneer and really get some workshops and some places going for their personal and professional development. And sometimes that's not something you feel comfortable sharing with everybody, but this provides a space to tap in and take as much or as little participation as you want, all from the comfort of your living room if you want to.

Speaker 2: 3:38

Right, okay, and again, that's like that's so important, I think, because we often look at which we shouldn't. We look at these types of, you know, professional development as like an add on and it's not like you should be clearing a day, a week, a month, as much time as you need to work on that professional development. It's important for your career, for you personally, but professionally, it's imperative that the person that you're working for or if you're working for yourself, whatever that ultimate boss person is like that investment should be non-negotiable.

Speaker 1: 4:18

You know the time investment and the money investment. Everybody talks about succession planning so much but they don't ever like take into consideration. Is there parity with that on a female leader's individual path, you know so I think this is what we want to dig in with this Innovation Academy, into the three pillars innovation, elevation and domination. Those are like three areas we found in talking to ladies in tourism and hospitality space or where they'd like to strengthen their gifts and their skills. We'll have great workshops, surprise guests. This is going to be such a fun day.

Speaker 2: 4:56

It's going to be like a little online party. Honestly, I'm excited for it Because a lot of the conversation is that right, it's not pre, it's not this produced death by PowerPoint type of day. It is some really bold conversations, some really bold ideas, but also a lot of vulnerability, and I think that's where we collectively connect with each other is when we become vulnerable and we go.

Speaker 2: 5:24

You know what? I'm afraid to try this. I really don't think I've got what it takes, or I really just can't get over this hump. And you have people there to surround you to say women in our industry, to say I've been there, I've done that, I've gotten over that hump. Here's exactly what I did. I'm here for you. Here's my phone number Text me after this conference. Like that is what we're trying to achieve, absolutely Community of women.

Speaker 1: 5:50

And if we go a little deep in some of these workshops which we anticipate we will it may just be a little bit overwhelming. What's great about our partner Excel events in this is you can come back and experience the entire day again at your leisure and take those pieces. So it's 90 days. It's basically one day in the 90 days of education over and over again, working those things until you refine your own specific strategies.

Speaker 2: 6:14

Yeah, so it's going to be great. This is an exciting one. Obviously, it's a pop-up, so it is a one day innovation academy. That is very much geared. But we want to do more of these. We want to do more of these pop-ups where we are focusing in on a particular group, a particular topic, a particular like we're. We are really going into an unprecedented year.

Speaker 1: 6:41

We are there's a lot to cover, niche down and pop up and do those things. And what I do love about our destacon format and even though in person obviously a lot of people prefer, but uh, they can't get to everything, so it's still gotten a lot of great feedback and it's telling by our attendance too people still want to be able to get those educations in between their in-person conferences and niche down into something specific. So girl power for this.

Speaker 2: 7:09

Yes, I'm excited, yay, Awesome.

Speaker 1: 7:13

Awesome, october 25th. October 25th, if you have not registered.

Speaker 2: 7:17

this is an important one, guys. This is a really important one, so get on in there.

Speaker 1: 7:23

Absolutely Well, happy October, Kristen. You need more. You need some skeletons like me behind you.

Speaker 2: 7:29

I know I need to transition from fall to Halloween. You know how I do it's fall and then I add the spooky and then I transition into Christmas immediately after. I love that there is no, it's it's happy Thanks. Happy Thank Christmas. Essentially, I love there is no it's it's happy thanks happy thank Christmas.

Speaker 1: 7:46

Essentially, I love it, which is also another good reason to follow Kristen on social. She has a whole oh my gosh wonderful, it's too much for people. Yeah, thanks to all our listeners. Quick, short one. Today. We just want to jump in with a quick tech travel and twang and let you guys know about Destacon Innovation Academy. See you guys, know about Destacon Innovation Academy. See you guys next week.

Speaker 2: 8:07

Bye.