Happy Tuesday! If you follow along on Instagram, you may have realized that I had a heck of a week (and by that I mean busy AF). It was definitely one for the books and was worth the sleep deprivation.

Last Friday night, I had the opportunity to attend Le Dîner en Blanc Dallas here in Dallas courtesy of Lincoln Motor Company. They pulled out all the stops – from being chauffeured to the location in my own 2018 Lincoln Navigator, to the flowing wine, it was a really good time. From being chauffeured in the brand new 2018 Lincoln Navigator, to the dinner spread, I was thoroughly impressed. We even got a private concert with Marsha Ambrosius on Saturday night at the Lincoln Experience Center in Frisco. If you ever find yourself up north near The Star, you should definitely check it out.

Last Saturday afternoon, I hosted a small group of Dallas influencers for brunch at IdleRye. I always get so nervous right before I host anything, but as the ladies started to arrive, those nerves quickly diminished. Yall. I am SO grateful to have the opportunity to connect with such great women who are out here doing the damn thing and even more grateful that each of them also value community over competitiveness.

If you haven't been to IdleRye, I would definitely encourage you to check it out. It's pretty yum. We had a prix fixe menu, but in the past I got the sausage dumplings and they are BOMB. Definitely my favorite brunch entree.

I also partnered with some pretty awesome Dallas businesses for our swag bags. I've been dying to try out Cryo Therapy, so I partnered with Cryo1one here in Dallas to give everyone a discount on their first session. One of the girls even won a free session. One of my other favorites was Sway Rosé from Yes We Can Wine. Wine in a super cute can? Sign me up. When I tell you I am obsessed with that stuff, I tell you no lies. It's literally one of the better rosés I've had. And I've had a lot. They are Austin-based and are moving their way to Dallas hopefully really soon!

I love seating people in "assigned" seats when I host. It adds a personal touch when guests arrive to find their names and it allows people to connect with others they may not have otherwise connected with. For place cards, I made cute little tags with everyone's instagram handle and accompanied them with a mini pumpkin – because, fall.

I had every intention of doing the most with the table scape and even had full-sized pumpkins in the car, but the table didn't allow for them, so I went with some simple eucalyptuses and mini pumpkins to create a runner.

Shop the look

Meet the guests

How cute are they? I give myself credit for hand-selecting this group of beauties. lol The goal is to host these more often and include a diverse group of creators and influencers in the city – and create a space to just hang out, chat, connect and fellowship.

Dania - @dania.badawi

Channing - @callherchanlo

Kelly - @thestylebarn

Chaunie - @southernfashiondoll

Melody - @blingaholic88

Sydney - @syd.nguyen

Marrissa - @maleyarow

Jeniffer - @solais2

Ashley - @theinspiredi

@staycutee__

I feel like too often we spend time feeling inferior or even competitive toward other women who are moving and shaking in the spaces and places in which we want to move and shake. It's unnecessary and truly one of our biggest hinderances. I challenge you to try to learn from the people around you. Embrace them. Be open and receptive to them. You never know who knows who or what and can help you unlock the next level. Also, I've learned that most women are actually much friendlier than we might imagine they are. A simple "hello" or "I like your style, we should connect sometime" or even a "let's schedule brunch or happy hour" goes a helluva long way. I'm so blessed to have connected with every single one of these ladies. You should give each of them a follow.