HEY LANDYN... LIVE RECAP
I love live shows! After the massive Living With Landyn Live show in Nashville, I knew I had to do it again! But what would it look like if I shrunk down the size of that show and made it more intimate? What if, instead of having a huge show, we got 150 to 200 women in a room so we could have the opportunity to go a little deeper and ask questions in order to figure out how we all tick? That was the idea that fueled the dream when I envisioned moving from the Living With Landyn LIVE show to Hey Landyn LIVE. The Monday series, Hey Landyn...I've Got A Question is such a popular post on the website, that it just felt like a natural next step for me. I mean, I got started by fielding questions from my girlfriends about everyday life, fashion, family and home. I knew it was something I had to do again.
When we found out that Steve was a finalist for the Hall of Fame and that the Super bowl was coming up all in Minnesota, I got this wild hair and thought, let's do a show in Minnesota! Cause I had nothing else going on, riiiight?!? My amazing team helped me pull it all together. Let me just say, it truly does take a village! I am immensely grateful for the women in my life who got on board to really help me make this dream in to fruition.
The show was such a full circle experience for me. Being able to go back to my roots in Minnesota and team back up with brands and business owners that I had previous relationships with was an incredible feeling. It really was all about beginnings and I was able to look at how I have grown and evolved over the years. I was even able to have Tiffany Kokal Photography take photos and run my social media during the show! Tiffany was the photographer behind the images of all my first blog posts and having her behind the lens was a real treat. Being able to stand in front of an audience of my peers and women I used to work with, reminded me that through all the trials, I have come so far. Being able to share that accomplishment with the women who supported me from the beginning was such an incredible feeling.
SWAG BAGS
Once you start a project like this, it can sometimes take a lot of convincing to find partnerships that don’t exactly know who you are or understand how they will benefit from helping you. My goal was, and always will be, to team up with brands that empower women and local businesses. Like Jack and Ella Paper that donated All The Things Living With Landyn notepads with my logo on them so that the audience could write down things throughout the show! I wanted to join forces with small businesses and conquer this incredible dream together. After building those relationships for the Nashville show, coming back and asking for help with the Hey Landyn Live show, it was much easier to get brands on board that were excited to help. We were able to not only create the most beautiful atmosphere, but the swag bags were UNBELIEVABLE!
I've had the pleasure of working with ABLE a lifestyle brand here in Nashville that is focused on ending generational poverty by working with women that have overcome extraordinary circumstances. They are an amazing company that has had such an impact on creating jobs for these women. Collaborating with ABLE is something that really makes me feel good inside, knowing that in some way I'm helping too. Not only are they all the things above, but design some of my most favorite pieces in my closet. If you're not familiar with them, take a minute to check them out. I'm certain you'll fall in love like I did.
When this show was being dreamt up, they were one of the first that wanted to be involved and my heart couldn't be happier. They were so generous with my last show and gave all the VIP's one of their beautiful all leather totes. But this time they gave EVERYONE a Mamuye Tote. EVERYONE. I about lost it when I heard. WOW. Just wow. Thank you, ABLE! I was over the moon to have them involved once again.
WHAT WAS INSIDE
ABLE MAMUYE LEATHER TOTE BAG
ARTFUL LIVING MAGAZINE ISSUE
VICI HIGHLAND BAG
VICI GREY + WHITE BLANKET SCARF
GO GLOW TANNING TOUCH-UP
MERILOU TASSEL EARRINGS
CRISP & GREEN COFFEE MUG
VITAL PROTIENS
LORISSA'S KITCHEN BEEF JERKY
EVERLY ENERGY DRINK
OMI BEADS SPRING '18 BRACELETS (March release on my shop tab)
KENDRA SCOTT JEWELRY
WORLD MARKET GIFT CARD
KINKY BEVERAGES
SUPERGOOP SUNSCREEN
EVEREVE DISCOUNT CARD
TESS + TRICIA BRACELET
WITHCO COCKTAIL MIXER
ELECTRIC SUNGLASSES DISCOUNT CARD (LANDYN10)
EPIC BAR
WHITEPEACOCK PENCIL
BUTCHERY FRESH DISCOUNT CARD
STUDIO M INTERIORS GOLD WISHBONE
FUR POM POM BEANIE
BARRE 3 FREE CLASSES
LIVING PROOF DRY SHAMPOO
GIVN WATER
J KUMARI CHOCOLATES
FORM FITNESS STUDIO WATER BOTTLE
TIGER FIT FREE CLASS
Products varied between general admission swag bags and VIP swag bags
NASHVILLE LOVE
I was able to team up with a lot of different Nashville businesses such as You’re Invited Gifts & Paper for the custom show logo napkins + cocktail stir sticks. Ali + Bo at Printer’s Press printed everything we needed and even shipped it to Minnesota for us. It was really neat to have people that believe in what I am trying to do in my community and are so eager to help me succeed. I was so humbled and thankful.
ALL IN THE DETAILS
The Hutton House was our BEAUTIFUL venue for the show and it is a new space that just opened its doors in November! It was a truly stunning, all white blank canvas! It has a chic modern farmhouse feel that was perfect for my event and would be for so many others, if you live in Minnesota. When you lay your eyes on this space it's hard for your imagination not to run away from you. It could be transformed into anything your heart desires. The paid so much attention to every detail as it was being built, from the bathrooms to the hardware on the doors. Jen, Nicole and their team did an AMAZING job pulling it all together and it was so exciting to bring all my girls to a place they might not have even heard of yet! When I walked through the doors I realized that I couldn’t have designed a space better myself. If Living With Landyn had a venue, that was it! White Peacock in Minneapolis works very closely with The Hutton House, and when I needed a rental company, White Peacock was right there to help recommend the best bartender + stage set up + lighting or whatever I needed! Lanye was my point of contact and she was a ROCK STAR! Not only did she help hook me up with all the right people, but she stayed and help pack bags, she ran errands and went above and beyond so that we could turn the venue around in just 24 hours!
VICI is a company that I found on my own a few years ago. I bought a dress from them on a whim and ever since then I have continued to buy from them and now you all LOVE them as well. I mean seriously, have you checked them out?!?! Aimee the owner of VICI is also a mom and a business woman who is based in California. We got the chance to meet at the LWL Live show in Nashville and she didn’t hesitate to reach out again and ask how she could help with the Hey Landyn Live show. She donated my most favorite purse, the Highland Bag and scarves like this one, along with three $500 gift cards to women in the audience! Unreal, right? They even extended a special discount code to everyone there! Even after all of that, VICI sponsored the VIP section for 25 lucky ladies, which we coined the VICI VIP'S and the photo booth for everyone to get some fun snaps with their girlfriends. Who doesn’t love a photo booth!? I know I do.
What ladies night out is complete without wine? We were so honored to have Butternut Wines featured at the live show. A friend and fellow mama from my kids’ school started Butternut wines with her husband. Funny enough I ran into her at a nail salon a few weeks before the show. She graciously offered to help if I ever needed anything and believe it or not, my wine sponsorship fell through three days before we were leaving for Minnesota. I was in a PANIC, but suddenly remembered sweet Leslie! I gave her a call and she and her husband John were so happy to help! Butternut provided the welcome drink for everyone as they arrived and donated all the wine for behind the bar! If you're not familiar with Butternut, do yourself a favor and give them a try. It's been a favorite of mine long before I even new that they were behind this yummy stuff. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that little tidbit. It was a real treat that all my ladies got to taste a little bit of Nashville!
Now, if you know me, you know there had to be flowers! Harvest Home is a florist that was two miles from my house when I lived in Wayzata, MN! During my seven years there, I would run in and buy followers for birthdays, events, holidays, or even just to treat myself around the house. They were my girls! The lovely Debbie at Harvest Home in Wayzata remembered me and wanted to help! I mean, we hadn’t spoken in years! These are the kind of relationships I’m talking about! She made the most beautiful, simplistic, white floral arrangements for the show that doubled as gifts for the ladies who sat at the tables were able to take home with them! I sure do miss this quaint little shop, if you haven't been you MUST and tell them I said HELLO!
SHOW TIME
The day of the show started with a workout at my old gym with my team of girls! We got in a great workout at Tiger Fit. I have never been more sore! I could barely sit to go pee the next day. LOL! It was great though to be back with Stacie and Chris and see their brand new space. Oh my goodness, I didn't know a workout studio could be that chic. I even got to try Halo Cryotherapy. Have you done this?!! Wow. Super cool, actually SUPER COLD. Here's what it is....exposes the entire body from the neck down to temperatures colder than -140 degrees Celsius. A typical session lasts for 2-3 minutes. It stimulates a full body, systemic response where increased blood flow throughout the body is triggered by the cold shock of the concentrated nitrogen gas that circulates within the cryosauna during those 2-3 minutes. I enjoyed it and that morning was a great to clear my head and get some energy for the big day ahead.
Next we went back to the hotel and got showers and my team and I all got ready together in the bridal suite! Now, I got married over sixteen years ago, so being back in a bridal suite getting ready for the night with my girls was such a fun experience. After getting dressed, I was fortunate enough to be shot & interviewed for an upcoming feature in the magazine Artful Living. Look for that coming to print soon! Excited to see how it turns out!
Crisp and Greens provided the dinner for the evening. I had eaten at this adorable spot a while back when I was visiting Minnesota and fell in LOVE with the food! The restaurant is practically a mile from my old house and I would eat there everyday if I still lived in that house. Lily, the owner, was previously a trainer at studio Steele Fitness I used to go to when I was trying to get back in shape after having Luke. She left that business and started Crisp and Greens and I couldn’t be more proud of her. Getting to hug her and see the success she has found almost felt like a proud mom moment! Being able to come back to the community I had left and not just to the physical location made the whole trip so incredible.
Then there was a beautifully furnished VIP lounge up front that was styled by Annie Graunke and her team from Studio M Interiors and sponsored by VICI. Annie helped me with my house in MN when I lived there and even came to Nashville to help me with my house here! When I described the idea of how I wanted to make it feel like these women were sitting in a living room with me and Annie got to work designing vignettes of sofas, pillows, rugs, even lamps. She blew my mind with what she came up with. It was PERFECT! Truly. I cried when I saw it. She just gets me. She's another one that just went above and beyond to make this evening special for all my guests. And to top it off, everyone was given 15% OFF everything to shop at her 20,000 square ft. design studio. You guys!! Seriously go check it out! You'll die! And if that's not crazy enough, one lucky girl won $1,000 to spend with Studio M Interiors. I just can't! Annie, I love you girl!
LET THE GIRLS IN
The VIP guest arrived at 5:30 p.m. and joined me upstairs outside the bridal suite and we had about a half hour to take pictures + chit chat + get a few boomerangs, even talk to their daughters + girlfriends over face time. Whatever they wanted to do, I was all theirs! I had such a great time getting to know them better and really got me excited for the show to start!
As the guest arrived, they got their salad from Crisp and Greens, a welcome glass of rose from Butternut, and made their way to their seats. The Pie Queen gave us Oatmeal cream pies that were passed out on silver platters midway during the show. I felt like Oprah saying “Bring out the pies!” HA! I'm not kidding... you haven't lived to you've had one of those!
Once everyone got in and settled at 6:30 p.m., it was SHOWTIME! Currently my favorite song is “What About Us?” by PINK, and as I walked in with that song playing loudly and seeing my peers, women who feel like my best girlfriends applauding me, meeting eyes with women I had actually known when I lived there and many that I don't. I felt SO honored and lucky to be able to do what I get to do. It truly is a DREAM.
I did my best not to choke up as I opened with the introduction for the evening, but the feeling I got when I looked over this room of women was an unbelievable feeling that will never go away for me!
We kicked off the evening with VICI giving away a $500 gift card! What a great start! One of the reasons I love doing live shows is that it gives the women who attend a chance to get inside my head for a while. No matter how many live shows I end up doing, no two shows will ever be the same! Before the show I sent out a 30 question survey to the ladies who would be attending so I could find out about who they really are! I asked questions like, are you twenty minutes late? Or are you twenty minutes early? Would your friends say you're Brittany 2007 or Martha Stewart? How many kids do you have? What is your profession? What are your dreams? What are you scared of? All different questions that help me get a better understanding of the women who will be at the show and what kind of things they want to hear from me. Based off of the questions we sent out, we formed the run of the show in order to fit exactly what these ladies wanted to know and what would resonate with them. Let's just say.... we're all good friends now.
FASHION
We started with fashion. VICI gave the Highland bags to all VIP guest and a beautiful scarf for everyone who came to the show. I pulled this darling woman up on stage to show the audience different ways I like to style a scarf. I told them how it even made a great throw for their couch! I then rolled out a rack of my clothes to show different outfit pairings, along with tips and tricks for everyday style! That was a hit and interacting with the audience is one of my favorite parts.
LOVE + MARRIAGE
Next up, we talked about marriage. It is one of my favorite things to talk about! I could have spent an entire Hey Landyn Live show on marriage alone. It is such an important thing to me. I have marriage rules I try to stick to that I enjoy talking about. At the time, Steve and I were unsure what the Hall of Fame outcome would be, so I shared how I was supporting him and praising his accomplishments.
There was a special woman in the audience, Angie Gates, who had seven kids! SEVEN. So, of course I called her up on stage and after a bit of research before the show we found a picture of her whole family. You guys, her whole family is adorable! Beautiful kids, handsome husband, one set of twins, one adopted child and a house full of white furniture! I die. We sat down and had a little Living with Angie time and gifted her with a weekend in Nashville, a room at the Thompson Hotel for her and her husband. She went on to tell me that if her and I could hangout for a day, she would want to go shopping and workout together, so that's what we're going to do when she comes to Nashville! VICI also gifted her a $500 gift card to get some new clothes for the trip. I loved being able to give back to some of the incredible women who look to me for advice and make it possible for me to do what I love! It had to be one of my favorite parts of the evening.
HEALTH + KETO
Keto is such a hot topic right now! I have talked about why I chose Keto in an earlier post, but there is still so much more that people want to know! We talked about what i'm doing now and even gave away three copies of the Simply Keto cookbook. Of course we had to discuss Vital Proteins , why I love it and use every day, and of course give away some of that too! It was fun to walked the audience through what a day in life looks like for me and what types of snacks I eat and meals I cook. Stay tuned on the website for a new post on my Keto meals and results! You're going to love that!
HOME
When talking about home decor, I brought Annie from Studio M Interiors on stage and went through her favorite white paint colors, what fabrics are good for families, how to invest more in key pieces and what items can be used to decorate on a budget from our favorites like TJ Maxx, Target or World Market. Then my friends at World Market so generously gave away three $100 gift cards to a few lucky ladies. It was crazy... the giveaways were insane and one right after another. From my favorite MAC makeup products, to one lucky girl that's dream was to get some new boobies and Botox. Well, I couldn't help her with the plastic surgery part, but I did hook her up with my longtime dermatologist, Dr. Elizabeth Briden of Advanced Skin Therapeutics in Edina, MN that so generously gave her over $800 worth of Botox! See, dreams really do come true. So fun!!!
ASK LANDYN
The last segment of the show was all about Landyn. At the end of the survey I sent out, there was a section where they could ask me any question. It was the perfect ending to the show, and being able to answer some Hey Landyn questions from audience. Here were a few.
Where do you see yourself in five years?
Doing this show in many cities from coast to coast! Writing a book! TV (not reality, don't worry)! Maybe a podcast! Product line.
Motivation, where do I get it from?
I get it from you guys! Seeing how much I can help and give back. I get it from my kids, when they see me working hard and achieving my goals. I get it from my husband who supports me and motivates me daily!
How am I always so positive?
I have always been like this! Everyday when I wake up, I decide to see the positive in everything. Not everyday is easy, but I have always been blessed to be naturally positive and I don’t really know of another way to look at life. It honestly isn't an act, I have just always had an upbeat disposition and if you met me on the street, you would find the same thing.
What is your favorite part of life?
Doing things for others. That is my favorite part of life! Giving, doing and helping those around me!
MY FAVORITE THINGS
During the two weeks of preparing for the show, I decided that I wanted to create my own give away basket full of some of my favorite things. The basket included over five hundred dollars worth of products like my favorite makeup, skincare products, soaps I use, my favorite hairclip when i pull my hair back, shampoo, the oil I put on the ends of my hair and more. I just when through and gathered some of the things I use and love so I could do my own little give away!
Nothing Bundt Cakes gave everyone a bundtini to take home with adorable gray ribbon and a Living With Landyn logo on the packaging. I mean, I didn't think a bundtini could get any cuter, but the ladies at Nothing Bundt Cakes found a way!
THAT'S A WRAP
Overall, it was a night full of laughter and tears. There was a very special situation that pulled in my heart, before the show, a husband reached out to me and told me about his wife, Lisa. She had been going through chemo and that I was one of the things that getting her through it all. The day of the live show was her birthday and wanted to see if there was any way he could get her into the show. We worked to find Lisa a spot and were able to get her to the show!
There were so many wonderful, amazing, emotional moments throughout the entire process of dreaming up with show, executing it with my team and now sharing it with you! Like I said earlier, I never take this for granted. I am always in awe of how gracious, kind, loving and every single woman I meet is. This whole event is all about taking chances and following your heart and dreaming big! There have been so many times on this journey where is was hard and I wanted to give up. As much as you all tell me that I inspire you and encourage you, every comment, direct message and show like this, each one of you do the same thing for me. You all are the reason I continue to want to put out great content and keep doing these live shows. Ever since the Nashville show I have know that this is something I want to keep doing, and the style of the Minnesota show confirmed that this the format of the show that I would love to take from city to city. We are still in planning mode but we are so excited about the potential for many more live shows in the future. We ended the night with a giant group Landyn shimmy, and that my friends is a wrap! For now…